The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 294
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 294
I quickly grabbed Yuni’s arm and rushed out of the room.
Yuni looked at me with wide eyes as if asking what was going on.
“Did I interrupt something?”
“No. Thank you so much.”
That was almost a disaster.
Before we could go to war with Neriad, we almost had a war within our own family first.
Yuni smiled brightly.
“Then I’m glad.”
Just then.
The steward who was carrying documents spotted me and approached.
“Miss, there’s something that needs your review.”
“Hope Trading Company?”
“Yes.”
“Is it urgent?”
“Not particularly, but do you have other matters to attend to?”
“A letter came from Grimoire.”
The steward’s eyes widened.
“Duke Grimoire sent a letter?”
“That’s right.”
“Well… I didn’t know he was someone who knew how to send letters.”
“Huh?”
When I blinked as if asking what he meant, the steward said.
“Grimoire is a difficult person to meet, not just the Previous Duke but even the current Duke. They don’t even show themselves for imperial commands, so they’d easily ignore letters from noble houses.”
“Have you sent any before?”
“Grimoire is called the origin of the Magic Tower. Since they’re considered the foremost family in magic, the Previous Duke was desperate to join hands with them. Under his orders, I wrote dozens of letters, but never received a single reply.”
To that extent?
‘I really was lucky to get a reply.’
The steward asked.
“What on earth did you write in your letter to receive a reply?”
“Well…”
When I rolled my eyes around, the steward looked at me with an anxious expression.
“…Miss?”
To roughly summarize the content of the letter I had previously sent to the Grimoire Duchy, it was like this.
[I know what you did last night. Oh, you’re no joke, are you? Hahaha!]
After hearing the story, the steward shouted.
“Do you know what they were plotting?”
“No.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t know, so I sent a letter to meet and find out.”
“Pardon?!”
When I giggled, the chairman pressed his forehead as if he had a headache.
I began speaking with “Well…”
“At first, I tried to persuade them with kind words too. But they don’t get along well with Father.”
“And so?”
“Since they don’t get along well with Father, I thought ordinary words wouldn’t be enough to persuade them.”
“But still!”
“So… with the mindset of just going for it… if they had something to feel guilty about, they’d meet me, right?”
So this was a bluff.
The chairman let out a bitter laugh at my words.
“Just how bold are you, Little One? Grimoire is a family that owns a Magic Tower. There have been countless people who served as Magic Tower Masters for generations, and Duke Grimoire himself is currently the most formidable mage on the continent.”
“More than Veronica?”
“He’s in a different league from Veronica. She’s a mage specialized in Magical Tool Development, while Duke Grimoire is a genius of Attack Magic.”
“I see…”
“Please check the letter quickly.”
The chairman urged me with a tense expression.
I nodded and unfolded the letter. And as I checked the contents…
For three days, Duke Grimoire and I exchanged an enormous amount of letters. We even resorted to sending text messages through communication stones when letters weren’t enough.
To summarize the conversations we had through text over those three days, it went roughly like this.
[How do you know whether it’s a lie or not?]
[Your scheme is obvious.]
[No, it’s not. I really do know.]
[Show me proof.]
[You were planning to meet with Mina and Reginald at a certain time on a certain day.]
[…Well, I wouldn’t know about that.]
[Going to make excuses? Your scheme is quite obvious.]
[How do you know whether it’s an excuse or not?]
[It’s obvious at a glance. Do you think this is my first or second time dealing with people like you?]
[But you’re quite rude for a young person, aren’t you?]
[My apologies, Grandfather?]
[Are you insane?]
[Unfortunately, I’m perfectly sane.]
That’s the summary, though the letters and communications always started with inquiries about each other’s well-being and contained elaborate, elegant sentences. The core was just sarcasm though.
The chairman asked me as I stared at the communication stone.
“Is there no reply from Duke Grimoire?”
“Nope. I won.”
Then Seria, who was sitting next to the chairman, burst into laughter. The chairman looked at her with displeasure and asked.
“Do you find this amusing?”
“I apologize. You two are so alike.”
I stiffened like someone struck by lightning and stared at Seria.
“Seria, how can you say such a thing?”
“I am a loyal retainer who never spares honest words, Miss.”
I thought I could understand the heart of a tyrant who delights in flattery. Seria chuckled as she looked at my shocked expression.
“If a stranger saw you, they might think you were father and daughter. Or maybe uncle and niece?”
“Stop with the horrible words, Seria.”
The chairman let out a deep sigh.
“So what will you do now? Weren’t you planning to meet Duke Grimoire?”
I leaned back deeply against the chair and said.
“I was trying to meet him. I was hoping he’d come charging in if he got angry enough.”
Seria picked up the teacup the maids had served and said.
“Do you really need to meet that person?”
“I need to confirm whether he’s colluding with the shrine. If we end up going to war, even if I can summon ghost soldiers, I can’t guarantee victory.”
Because I can’t maintain them if my divine power is insufficient.
If the shrine and Grimoire really are colluding, I need to drive a wedge between them somehow.
‘If the Magic Tower joins the shrine, we’ll have no chance of winning.’
I stroked my chin as I spoke.
“It would be best if we could bring the Magic Tower to our side, but even if not, they must remain neutral in this war.”
“After making him so angry?”
“Duke Grimoire isn’t a child, and would he really join the shrine and wage war just because I made him a little angry? That’s something only the most petty Duke Valois in the world would do.”
According to Laura, who was well-informed about rumors, Duke Grimoire wasn’t such an irrational person.
‘It would be best if he came personally to have a word or two with me.’
But he wasn’t coming at all.
I pouted my lips.
“I should work until a reply comes. Seria, is the Hope Trading Company reorganization almost finished?”
“There are a few issues that require your attention, Young Lady.”
In preparation for actually going to war with the shrine, I was preparing to liquidate Hope Trading Company into cash.
No matter how much Dubbled boasted the continent’s greatest financial power, a war against the state religion would cost an endless amount of money.
“You haven’t forgotten that we need to split and sell the trading company by sectors without being detected, right?”
“Of course. Most of the businesses have been organized, and only the businesses related to war materials like long-distance teleportation circles, blue spinel, and Suwon remain.”
“Let’s liquidate the blue spinel too.”
“The spinel? But Young Lady, that’s an indispensable resource for war.”
“That’s only when we have priests to infuse divine power for us.”
Most people with divine power become priests. The remaining ones are almost like people with virtually no divine power.
“If we go to war with the shrine, would they be crazy enough to infuse divine power into blue spinel to make us divine weapons or armor?”
“That’s true.”
“Blue spinel is Hope Trading Company’s greatest asset. If we liquidate it, we’ll make enormous profits.”
Having said that, I stood up.
“I should go see the spinel remaining in the warehouse.”
“Is it alright for you to go out?”
“Yes. I’ll use teleportation magic.”
I left word with the maids that I was going out to the shopping district, then teleported to the trading company office.
The office was bustling.
Seria, the chairman, and I headed to the blue spinel warehouse.
Even a single piece was eye-poppingly expensive, yet the spinel filled three massive warehouses to the brim.
‘My precious darlings, goodbye for now.’
I stroked the spinel with a regretful expression.
“Contact trading companies on other continents. If they’re trading companies that won’t let it flow to the shrine, sell even at somewhat reduced prices.”
“Even so, it will leave an astronomical amount of money.”
“Yes.”
Seria, the chairman, and I frantically discussed Hope Trading Company.
By the time we finished talking, the sun was setting. Wearing my robe pulled low, I looked at the Hope Trading Company building.
Everything I had built since starting at age four was here.
Seria spoke carefully.
“Are you really going to sell even the building?”
“…Yes.”
My throat choked up uncharacteristically from the regret.
I remember the moment I moved to this building and put up the sign. I had bought the building with money earned from backstabbing Duke Valois…
It was the moment I was stroking the pillar.
“Leblaine Dubbled?”
Huh?
It was an unfamiliar voice.
When I turned my head, I saw a tall figure wearing a black robe like me. Judging by the broad shoulders, it was definitely not a woman.
He slowly removed his hood.
Fine hair fluttering in the wind.
A face with beautiful lines comparable to Father’s.
Green eyes like midsummer green.
“Duke Grimoire…?”
Suddenly, I heard Cheolsu’s voice.
[Looks like he came to fight.]
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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