My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 20

Amelia slowly approached Cian.

Cian stood up and asked Amelia,

“What’s the matter?”

Cian’s voice was somewhat cold.

He was reminded of Amelia’s earlier behavior.

Amelia gave an awkward smile at Cian’s expression.

“I came to make a proposal… no, a request.”

“A request, you say?”

Amelia nodded.

Her face was filled with tension.

Cian quietly stared at Amelia.

*What other strange things is she going to say?*

Cian nodded as if telling her to speak.

Amelia took a deep breath and slowly opened her mouth.

“I will not charge any fees for all items traded in Ruben from now on.”

“… Pardon?”

Cian tilted his head without realizing it.

Whether she knew Cian’s feelings or not,

Amelia continued to speak.

“And I will give you all the proceeds from my sales without missing a single penny.”

*Is this woman crazy?*

Cian even had such thoughts for a moment.

Not charging fees.

No, let’s say that’s possible.

But to give all the proceeds from sales?

Especially from a merchant who is crazy about profit?

This was impossible unless she was truly insane.

“What do you mean—”

“But!”

Amelia continued as if shouting.

“There is a condition.”

“Ah.”

Of course.

Only then could Cian nod.

As expected, she wouldn’t say such things unless she was crazy.

Still, whatever.

He didn’t know what the condition was, but it wouldn’t be bad to listen.

Amelia said she would waive the fees and give all the proceeds from sales.

That meant.

It meant Cian could earn more money.

If it was a good condition, Cian was willing to listen.

“Tell me.”

At Cian’s words, Amelia bit her lower lip slightly.

A face full of nervousness.

*How unreasonable could the condition be for her to act like this?*

Cian quietly waited for Amelia’s words.

And then Amelia answered.

“Please accept me as a resident of Ruben.”

“Huh?”

Cian blurted out those words without realizing it.

There was no time to think.

The words just popped out.

Amelia couldn’t meet Cian’s eyes.

She was biting her lower lip, waiting for Cian’s answer.

Therefore, Cian could easily tell that those words were sincere.

“Accept you as a resident of Ruben… you say?”

“… Yes.”

“Who?”

“Me. Ah, and Lucas too.”

“…”

Cian was speechless.

It seemed.

This woman was crazy.

“Why?”

Cian had no choice but to ask.

“Because I saw… potential.”

“In our Ruben?”

Cian was dumbfounded.

Ruben really had nothing.

There wasn’t a day when monsters didn’t swarm,

And there weren’t any proper facilities.

A spirit domain that was no different from ruins.

In fact, it wouldn’t be a problem if Ruben was called a village instead of a domain.

Cian was like the village chief of that village.

What potential could she have seen in this domain?

And as expected.

“No. Not Ruben. There isn’t a day when monsters don’t swarm, and frankly, what potential could there be in a domain that is no different from ruins.”

Amelia shook her head firmly.

But was it necessary to say it so factually?

Of course, it was an undeniable fact, but still…

Whether she knew Cian’s feelings or not,

Amelia looked at Cian and opened her mouth.

“It’s you, Lord.”

“… Are you talking about me?”

Amelia slowly nodded.

“Th, that is…”

Soon, Amelia’s eyes, which had been looking at Cian, turned downwards again.

And after hesitating for a while.

Amelia squeezed her eyes shut and said.

“I, if it’s you, Lord… I think it would be okay to entrust my body to you.”

“… What the hell are you talking about?”

Cian frowned and shouted.

Only then did Amelia realize that her words could be misunderstood.

“Ah, ah…! Th, that’s… N, not that kind of meaning…!”

In an instant, Amelia’s face flushed red.

Amelia was greatly embarrassed and waved her hands in a flustered manner.

“Actually…”

And then Amelia spoke.

Only then could Cian understand Amelia as a person.

“My name is Amelia Brahe. My father was the head of the Brahe family.”

“The Brahe family… are you talking about the Brahe of the Brahe Merchant Guild?”

Amelia slowly nodded.

At Amelia’s appearance, Cian narrowed his eyes slightly.

*So… that’s why she didn’t reveal her last name.*

Cian knew the Brahe Merchant Guild.

The great merchant guild of the western empire, the Brahe Merchant Guild.

The Brahe Merchant Guild handled all kinds of goods without being picky.

It was said that they handled everything except what they didn’t have.

The Brahe Merchant Guild was a huge merchant guild responsible for the logistics of the western empire.

But it wasn’t just for that reason that the Brahe Merchant Guild was famous.

To be exact, it was the decisive reason why the Brahe Merchant Guild could become a great merchant guild.

That was none other than trust.

If you trade with Brahe, you will never lose money.

Brahe was sincere in all transactions.

Honestly, without ripping off prices or cheating.

Even Cian, who wasn’t very interested in business ethics, knew about Brahe’s reputation.

That’s why many people looked for Brahe,

Brahe was able to become the best merchant guild in the western empire in name and reality.

However.

“It’s a past glory now.”

A few years ago, the Brahe Merchant Guild collapsed in an instant.

The reason was none other than.

“I trusted people… too much.”

Someone inside the family ran away with the guild’s funds.

Not just one or two people, but collectively.

The amount of money lost at that time was a whopping 340,000,000 G [Gold, the currency].

The empire was in an uproar as an astronomical amount of 340 million gold disappeared.

And unlike what they thought they could catch quickly, the fugitives were not caught.

Amelia’s face was covered in deep darkness.

Amelia’s father tried to stop it somehow.

And perhaps because he had treated them with trust,

many people helped Brahe.

To be exact.

“At some point, everyone shook their heads, saying they couldn’t help anymore.”

They tried to help.

Amelia’s father asked why.

But they didn’t say anything.

Just saying they were sorry and they couldn’t help it.

Amelia’s father thought they wouldn’t just do that.

So he tried to uncover the secret,

but what came back was his father’s cold corpse.

“My father told me this when he left.”

*’Amelia, there are things in the world that you can’t buy with money. Power that transcends money. I still don’t regret trusting people… but I regret not building power and influence…’*

In that way, the Brahe family and the merchant guild collapsed, leaving only Amelia.

And her bodyguard, Lucas.

Family and family.

Amelia lost everything in an instant.

Nevertheless, Amelia did not give up.

She struggled desperately to revive the fallen family.

And the various insults, humiliations, and contempt she experienced in the process.

Tightly!

Amelia’s delicate fists trembled slightly.

Cian quietly watched Amelia’s appearance.

And only then could Cian understand why Amelia said those words.

“So. You want to become our Ruben’s merchant guild?”

“… That’s right.”

Amelia slowly nodded.

“Why me? There must have been many nobles and lords that Amelia has met.”

Amelia met Cian’s eyes and said.

“If it’s you, Lord… I think it would be okay… Hot!”

Then suddenly.

“Ah, ah…! Th, that’s… N, not that kind of meaning…!”

Once again, Amelia’s face flushed red.

A flustered appearance, waving her hands.

Cian chuckled.

Amelia, who was a little over an adult.

When he heard about it, Amelia was a year older than Cian.

Amelia, whom Cian had thought of, was a smart person.

Because whenever he traded with Amelia, he always showed that side of her.

Amelia, whom Cian had thought of, was always strong.

But.

Maybe that wasn’t the case.

“Ah, ah, ah, that… that is…”

Maybe she just had to be strong.

Maybe she just had to pretend to be strong.

Amelia, whom he had just learned about.

“I can entrust my body to the Lord… Ah, no! Th, th, that’s not it…!”

She was just a fragile girl.

She also wanted to whine,

She wanted to cry when things were hard.

Sometimes, she wanted to lean on someone endlessly.

Cian quietly watched Amelia, who didn’t know what to do.

Honestly, Cian was a little doubtful.

No matter how popular monster corpses were.

Selling them was not as easy as he thought.

Not only a place to sell the goods,

Opening a trading place to trade them,

Various distribution process problems and tax-related matters, etc.

There were countless processes in a single transaction.

And that was not something anyone could do.

At least, it was not something that an ignorant person who had just become an adult could do.

But Amelia handled the goblin corpses so skillfully.

Cian had some doubts about that part, but… as expected.

The Brahe Merchant Guild, which dominated the western empire.

Amelia, the daughter of that merchant guild.

If she becomes a resident of Ruben.

If she leads Ruben’s merchant guild.

It was clear that she would be a great help to Ruben in the future.

Chuckle.

Cian smiled without realizing it.

Since when did he care about ability and talent?

If that were the case, Cian himself was a good-for-nothing from a marquis family.

Ruben, where such Cian was the lord.

Ruben was the domain of the abandoned.

Amelia, who had lived strong even in a fallen family.

She came to Ruben’s people based on the virtue of trust.

Putting everything else aside.

Amelia that Cian saw was a woman he could trust enough.

Yes, that’s it.

That was enough.

Cian slowly reached out his hand.

“I’m Cian Elandur.”

Amelia’s flustered movements stopped.

Soon, Amelia’s clear eyes looked up at Cian.

Her appearance was like a cat looking up, and Cian couldn’t help but laugh.

Amelia gently took Cian’s hand.

“Amelia.”

Even though it wasn’t a big hand.

Amelia felt that Cian’s hand was big.

And even the faint warmth she felt.

Amelia was only for a very short time.

“I’m Amelia Brahe.”

She had such a thought.

#

In that way, the Truth Merchant Guild became Ruben’s merchant guild.

“In my opinion, Ruben’s competitiveness is definitely monsters.”

Amelia began to speak her thoughts as if she had been waiting for it.

“Even the lowest-level goblins can receive at least 12 gold per head. It’s so popular that you can’t sell it even if you don’t have it.”

“Is it that popular?”

“Of course. Oh, right. And I hope you can speak informally. Now we are in a relationship between lord and resident.”

Cian paused for a moment.

Amelia was the daughter of a noble family, even though she had fallen.

Above all, she was a woman who was a year older than Cian.

That’s why it was a little difficult to speak informally.

But when he thought about it, Hans was decades older than Cian.

And well, it was strange not to speak informally when she told him to.

“Then I’ll speak comfortably.”

“Thank you.”

Amelia gave a small smile.

*He wondered if there was anything to be thankful for… well, anyway.*

Monsters living in the Forest of Darkness.

He knew that it boasted a quality that could not be compared to ordinary monsters.

But he didn’t know that it would be that popular.

Somehow, Amelia’s cycle of visiting Ruben was very fast.

*But she bought it for 10 gold per head and sold it for 12 gold?*

Then Amelia’s profit margin was almost 20%.

*She must have been a merchant.*

Well, it was still a reasonable level.

The 10 gold that Cian gave her was not a low price, and there was a risk of going back and forth to the Forest of Darkness.

Amelia had to have something left over.

And if you only look at the results like this, the profit margin was 20%.

Considering that she sold her feet here and there to get that 20%, she had nothing left.

Besides, Cian also took it as labor costs.

Above all, from now on, he can receive 12 gold as it is.

Cian decided not to care much.

“So, based on monster hunting, we will form initial capital…”

Amelia spoke of the blueprint for Ruben that she had in mind.

And was she really the daughter of the great merchant guild that dominated the western empire?

The eye for seeing the overall flow was admirable.

But.

“It’s hard to continue to make profits with monsters alone right now.”

Amelia didn’t know about Ruben’s situation yet.

“There are many businesses that can be run in the domain, but as you know, Ruben has no related facilities at all…”

Above all, even the fact that Cian had an artifact called Mobile Lord [An item that allows the user to manage the domain].

He was thinking of telling her about that later.

Maybe Hans would know.

Amelia didn’t have that much faith yet.

“I can solve the parts related to infrastructure. So, what do you think is a business that can be started in Ruben right now besides monsters?”

“You can solve it, Lord?”

Cian nodded.

“Th, then…”

It was right then.

“Lord!”

A shout calling Cian was heard from somewhere.

Grayson was running breathlessly in the direction he turned his head.

He looked quite urgent at first glance.

Soon, Grayson ran to Cian in an instant.

“What’s wrong?”

“Th, that is…”

Grayson couldn’t open his mouth easily.

Grayson was watching Amelia, as if he was catching his breath.

It seemed to be something related to Ruben that Amelia shouldn’t hear.

Cian nodded as if it was okay and said.

“It’s okay if it’s related to Ruben. Amelia is now a resident of Ruben.”

“… Yes? Amelia is also… are you talking about?”

Grayson looked at Amelia,

Amelia nodded awkwardly.

Cian asked again.

“What’s wrong?”

Grayson hesitated for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“That is, I was watching the orcs’ movements and found this…”

Then he took something out of his arms.

A fist-sized stone.

The blackish stone had a strange magic to it…

“M, m, m, mana stone?!!??”

Suddenly, Amelia’s fainting voice was heard from the side.