I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 120

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 120

Lucian studied the woman’s face again. She was still a stranger to him.
‘Did I mistake her for someone else?’
Just as Lucian was about to clarify, the woman leaned her elbows on the table and tilted her upper body forward. Her movements were languid and graceful—feline in their elegance—and confidence radiated from her relaxed expression.
As if to say I know what you did in the past, the woman whispered in an unhurried tone.
“Jena Chaser. She’s my employee.”
“…!”
Clang. Lucian jolted in shock at the unexpected revelation and shot to his feet.
Then, realizing that the entire cafe was still watching him intently, he composed his expression and sat back down. Many onlookers were captivated by the woman’s beauty. He had no desire to see absurd speculative scandal articles about this encounter.
Lucian lowered his voice and whispered.
“Surely you’re not Baron Oldman?”
“That’s right. Quite a shock, isn’t it?”
Lucian nodded. She reclined her upper body back against the chair and summoned an employee to order tea.
While she did so, Lucian’s mind churned with confusion.
‘This person is the owner of Crest Mine…?’
Rich Platinum Oldman.
The person who had employed Jena was someone whose very name seemed suspicious.
He had instructed the detective who brought him the information to investigate what sort of person Baron Oldman was, but they couldn’t even discover where she lived, let alone her appearance.
All that emerged was the information that the Baron owned Crest Mine and possessed considerable wealth.
‘What business could she possibly have that would make her reveal herself to me?’
He had never anticipated her appearing before him like this.
He had assumed she would be elderly, given that she owned a mine, but the woman before him appeared to be in her mid-to-late twenties. Though that wasn’t the pressing matter at hand.

“Why did you sabotage my employee?”

Baron Oldman said as much.
‘Did Jena Chaser know about this too?’
If she knew but didn’t show herself, it might mean she didn’t want to see me.
Or worse—what if I looked like a stalker? Tory said I wasn’t, but no matter how I thought about it, lurking around the Candy Shop was the kind of suspicious behavior only a creep would engage in.
“That’s not it.”
“Pardon?”
“I have a past matter I need to apologize to Jena Chaser for, so I was searching for a reason to meet her. However, it may have appeared suspicious to others’ eyes. But I assure you, I was never following her with ill intent.”
“…Hmm.”
Baron Oldman seemed momentarily taken aback by Lucian’s sudden confession, then lifted one corner of his mouth with satisfaction.
“That’s not actually why I came looking for you, Diplomat.”
“Excuse me?”
“Jena Chaser is an employee with a tight lip—she doesn’t discuss her past beyond her work history. I’ve never even seen her speak ill of others.”
“That’s… true enough.”
“So I have no idea what happened between you two. All I witnessed was a suspicious handsome man and a Hamster Humanoid hiding in an alley overlooking the Candy Shop.”
Baron Oldman added playfully that he hadn’t mentioned this to Jena Chaser.
“You saw it directly….”
Lucian let out an embarrassed cough.
I’d only lingered around the Candy Shop that one day. It wasn’t a report from a subordinate—the Baron had witnessed me directly. I felt like I’d shown my bare face to a stranger.
“Then what brings you to visit….”
In response to Lucian’s question, Baron Oldman opened the handbag he’d brought and retrieved something from within.
“I heard you came by wanting to purchase iron from our mines.”
“Ah, yes. But I was told you don’t sell.”
A hint of regret colored Lucian’s tone. The mine had been a pretext to encounter Jena Chaser. Since it hadn’t produced particularly fine iron in the past, I’d planned to simply consult and leave.

“I’m Baltar, the manager of this place.”

A Dwarf emerged, introducing himself as the manager of Crest Mine. It was surprising that such a proud race would work at someone else’s mine, but what truly startled Lucian was something else.

“If the Dwarves manage the mines directly, the iron from the new veins must be extraordinary. It must be remarkable—difficult to find elsewhere?”
“Hmm? What does that have to do with Dwarves?”
“Dwarves have a more discerning eye for minerals than anyone. Their reputation has spread even to Edensia Palace. To think they’ve satisfied the standards of the world’s finest master blacksmiths—I’m curious what kind of ore it is.”
“Ah, well. …Would you like to take a look?”

Pleased by Lucian’s words, the manager showed a fist-sized sample of iron ore. Even to the eye, it was distinctly different from minerals found elsewhere.
It was ore of a caliber you couldn’t find just anywhere.
The iron content was so high that an exclamation escaped naturally from the weight transmitted through my hand. And what of its subtle metallic sheen? It was like a work of art created by nature itself—.

“But we don’t sell it.”

Seeing the otaku’s gleaming eyes, Baltar hastily added an explanation. He’d merely stumbled upon quality ore by chance, and he couldn’t guarantee matching that standard in future extractions.

“Even inferior ore would be acceptable. It simply proves the environment can sustain minerals of this caliber. If the quality inspection results come back as premium grade or higher, could we arrange iron ore deliveries?”
“That is… quite enthusiastic of you.”
“I’m impressed. Would it be possible to tour the Crest Mine?”

Lucian expressed his eager intent to purchase, but Baltar said any transaction would be difficult without the mine owner’s permission.
At that moment, Baltar had excitedly displayed the finest quality iron ore he’d extracted to date, but internally he was breaking into a cold sweat. That passion and ambition. And talk of a tour, no less. This was a dangerous man who might discover the existence of adamantite.
Watching Baltar deflect the conversation and show no willingness to sell, Lucian recalled a fundamental truth.
The insularity of the Dwarves. They possessed the characteristic of refusing to trade easily with those they hadn’t dealt with before.
‘A purchase will be difficult.’
Swallowing his disappointment, he returned—
“What is this?”
Lucian examined the object Baron Oldman had handed him. Though smaller in size, it was unmistakably the same iron ore he’d seen then. The Baron smiled knowingly and asked.
“What do you think? This is my business.”
To Lucian, who couldn’t tear his eyes from the iron ore in his hand, Baron Oldman whispered.
“I have a separate proposal I’d like to make to you, Diplomat.”
“….”
“In secret from everyone else.”

***

“The quality assessment report isn’t ready yet. The fact that iron ore of this caliber has emerged means we don’t intend to disclose it externally for now. However, it surpasses the premium grade available on the market….”
“I’m aware. I saw it when I visited the mine last time.”

I knew Uncle Lucian had visited the Crest Mine, but to think he’d actually witnessed the highest quality iron ore there!
He even said that Baltar himself had personally extracted and shown him the iron.
‘Oh no.’
So the source of the information leak was the clan leader himself. He must have been swayed by Uncle Lucian’s praise. There was something distinctly different about a diplomat’s way with words…!
‘I can never tell anyone that the Dwarves are susceptible to flattery.’
The fortunate part was that Uncle Lucian showed no sign of realizing that I was Baron Oldman.
Since Uncle Lucian was the one who had used the potion, I’d been terribly worried about being exposed.
‘Am I doing a decent job of impersonating an adult?’
Hehe. A satisfied hum escaped me unbidden.
Though I had other memories, this was my first time being an adult. Contrary to my anxious heart, my behavior and manner of speech were surprisingly adult-like.
In any case, thanks to Baltar, I was able to discuss the transaction of premium-grade iron ore from the Crest Mine with Uncle Lucian without needing a quality assessment report.
“It’s unfortunate that the supply is limited, but that’s acceptable. I’ll conduct the quality inspection separately. I have connections within the Edensia Kingdom. Once the report confirms the results you mentioned, Baron, we’ll proceed with the purchase. What price range did you have in mind?”
“This much per ton should work.”
I extended three fingers toward Uncle Lucian and held them above the table.
Since premium-grade iron ore went for about one million cona per ton, our superior quality iron should command three times that price, or so my calculation went.
But Uncle Lucian’s eyes wavered slightly when he saw my fingers.
‘Is it expensive?’
Still, we needed at least that much for the numbers to work out. This was already a modest price since the other party was Uncle Lucian.
‘Not a single cona can be reduced. Remember Father negotiating with Marshall Grandmother.’
The way he held firm without any concessions, maintaining that thirty percent margin…!
I steeled my resolve.
“As a diplomat, you surely understand minerals well, but I can assure you that our mine’s iron ore will be the finest in the Heishal Empire. The iron you receive won’t be sold on the market for some time.”
“….”
“Not satisfied? That’s unfortunate. Then I’ll need to find another customer-.”
“That’s acceptable.”
Huh? That quickly?
…Hehehehe.
Fearing Uncle Lucian might change his mind, I pulled out a pen and paper from my bag.
“Then shall I write down the details regarding the amount? Just as we discussed-.”
“Yes. Thirty million cona per ton.”
…Pardon?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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