The Demon Realm Corporation may seem like a trading guild born of the demon race just by its name, but that was not the case.
The company is a respectable imperial trading guild. In fact, it felt a bit ambiguous to even call it a guild, as it was more like a quasi-government agency created using the imperial budget for managing the Demon Realm.
Due to the strong trade embargo on the Demon Realm, which affected the import of magic stones and brought advanced industries to a standstill, it was established to stimulate private smuggling.
It is a merchant alliance strongly influenced by the empire.
However, its scale is comparable to that of a quasi-nation.
Ultimately, following the conquest of the Demon Realm, it monopolized and managed rights such as magic stone mining, making it seem too light to be referred to as just a guild. There were times when the allied kingdom could not withstand the pressure from the company and had to dismiss reform ministers.
Now that time has passed, it has attempted to rebel against the empire several times, leading to scrutiny, and various monopolies have begun to show signs of cracks, but its influence and authority remain.
However, having more money than the entire budget of the Sky Island was a tale from its heyday. It is not to that extent now.
Even if the allied kingdom of the Demon Realm is a toothless tiger, it remains a nation. With long-term investments in engineering progressing and gradually growing in size, the company has faced a decline in profits as the kingdom begins to ignore it.
Although it has managed to catch its breath by providing safe smuggling routes and continuously innovating while receiving fees, the results as a merchant alliance were far from satisfactory.
Even though it is a return to the initial goal, the smuggling service feels inadequate for something of quasi-national level. The income is very good, so it doesn’t mean it doesn’t want to do it.
Ultimately, even if it had returned to its roots and innovated, the heyday has passed. The true golden age when it was fine to be caught delivering military arms to radical demon factions and supporting them to terrorize the oppressive imperial guild is long gone.
“But if we use our assets and credit, cash would still be more than enough to cover the total budget of the Sky Island.”
Troubling.
Pastel walked while fiddling with her lollipop. Dressed administrative staff followed her in a rush. The corridor was filled with the sound of footsteps.
The railway business is worth the investment of assets. However, it is also true that it is too much in the realm of new technologies to feel its objective feasibility.
Is there a sufficient possibility of misjudging the asset value?
“Please give me the company’s last quarter’s reports.”
An administrative staff member promptly took it out from a briefcase and handed it over. Pastel skimmed through the company’s accounting report.
The details of sales, total assets, and total liabilities caught her eye. As a leading company of the Demon Realm, it publishes its ledgers every quarter.
It said that cash assets had somewhat decreased due to purchasing real estate in the Sky Island last quarter.
According to the detailed explanation in the accounting report, the prediction that the importance of the Sky Island would increase with the entry of Viscount Craft had turned out to be correct, hence the additional investment. It also mentioned that it hastily bought real estate that had temporarily crashed during the academy terror incident.
“Real estate investment is good.”
Stable, consistent.
Though it seemed somewhat questionable to prepare for the acquisition of the railway guild.
Pastel was suspicious of the relationship between the company and the imperial bank.
Specifically, was this not an auction rigged by the two? Perhaps we are being treated as intruders? This was a rational suspicion.
When she asked Eli, who was more familiar with the circumstances of the Demon Realm than anyone else, she answered through a dense report.
—It’s certain that the imperial bank intentionally bankrupted the railway guild. I don’t know if there were plans to sell it to the company, but there’s motivation behind it.
—Is the motivation sufficient?
—It would be convenient for the empire if it inherited the railway construction rights owned by the guild. The allied kingdom does not grant construction rights to imperial guilds. For the imperial bank or even the royal family, if the Demon Realm Corporation owns it, it would facilitate future interferences in the Demon Realm.
Though Eli’s opinion sounded quite biased towards the Demon Realm, it seems correct that the imperial bank intentionally bankrupted the guild.
The company’s accounting report indicated that they increased investment based on the anticipation of the Sky Island’s importance, yet the imperial bank forcibly withdrew loans while declaring future investments to be risky, leading to the bankruptcy.
If someone was mistaken between the two, it was highly likely that the imperial bank, which could have lied for political reasons, was the one.
If the imperial bank is orchestrating this, then the company might be too, which leads to the question: Is this really an auction they are colluding on?
It made sense why it is an auction and not a direct sale. There wouldn’t be any guild bold enough to compete with the company and risk retaliation later. They likely want to transfer it through an auction to gain political cover.
The act of transferring the railway construction rights to the company was not meant to allow future political interference in the Demon Realm, but simply happened to transit the rights to the company due to the auction. It was purely coincidental, and there was absolutely no such intent.
This excuse sounded eerily familiar.
Oh?
Pastel momentarily remarked, but since she believed she was truly innocent, she brushed it off.
In any case, now, it would be quite unexpected for the Sky Island administration, which previously found dealing with the company awkward, to join the auction.
“We’re intruders~.”
Pastel walked while twirling her lollipop. When she bit into it, the candy broke, making a crunching sound.
It was purely coincidental; she didn’t intend it at all.
She might feel a tad sorry for that.
However, that did not mean she would readily step back.
She felt a gaze coming from slightly behind her.
“Don’t bite your candy.”
A demon tapped her cheek, giving her a warning.
Pastel glanced back and met the red eyes, then turned back. The suited bureaucrats were following her.
Looking ahead, the closed doors of the banquet hall appeared. The elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen changed to surprised expressions. The crowd parted left and right.
She kicked the door open and entered the banquet hall.
A herald checking other nobles’ invitations hurriedly shouted.
—”Presenting Her Excellency, Viscount Pastel Lovecraft!”
Chandeliers, tables, candlesticks, and curtains with framed paintings.
Amidst them, the people present.
Countless gazes fell upon her.
The intruder Craft has arrived.
She smiled softly.
A tense atmosphere surrounded the banquet hall.
After passing the candy stick she had finished to a passing waiter, she leisurely surveyed the banquet hall.
In an area that seemed to occupy a third of the hall were Melissa and her group. As she approached, Melissa greeted her with a wine glass.
“You came just at the right time. The banquet is almost over. Soon, there will be an explanation of the guild that is set to go on sale.”
“Did you gauge the atmosphere? Whether we truly are intruders or not.”
“Melissa was busy greeting the attendees, and that was Elshia’s task.”
Eli pointed at Elshia with her wine glass.
Elshia had paused mid-bite with the sausage she was stabbing with a fork.
“Yep, that was me.”
“What was it like?”
“Definitely intruders.”
She pointed about the banquet hall. The people who seemed to represent the imperial bank and the company were mixed together.
We looked different from those gathered by territory.
“They’re actively discussing the auction among themselves, but they don’t engage with us. Even when I approach, they only talk about Bellamont.”
Just as expected.
However, Melissa looked slightly perplexed at that response.
“That seems to be because Bellamont has little experience in banquets and misunderstood. Discussing business matters too openly with nobles can be considered somewhat impolite.”
Melissa has a habit of being blunt sometimes and subtle at others, akin to being crass.
“Compared to that, most of the company members are commoners. So, they freely converse.”
Oh.
“Of course, that doesn’t mean we are not intruders. After talking with other people, I heard that the imperial bank seemed flustered. With an auction style, having many competitors would benefit the bank, so it’s a curious situation.”
Uh-huh.
Within expected ranges.
Her pink eyes scanned the company’s area.
“Where’s the president?”
“Well…”
Melissa looked unsure.
Eli shrugged her shoulders.
“He hasn’t come yet.”
Oh.
Pastel felt slightly upset.
She lost in a power struggle.
The doors to the banquet hall opened.
—”Presenting His Excellency, Count Makenas Pembroke!”
A middle-aged man with a massive build led a group into the hall. He scanned around, looking for distinctive pink hair, and found it right away as he strode directly towards her.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Viscount Craft. I am Makenas Pembroke, the managing director of the Demon Realm Corporation.”
A rough hand extended towards her.
Pastel watched, her pink eyes trembling. It was thanks to the adornments she immediately noticed.
The gold rings on the outstretched hand sparkled. There were so many that the fingers wearing rings outnumbered those without. Moreover, there were even splendid gold bracelets on his wrist.
Melissa frowned slightly, as if she had seen something unsightly, then relaxed.
In contrast, Pastel couldn’t even respond to the handshake and inhaled sharply. She scrutinized the opponent with her trembling gaze.
Upon closer inspection, he sported a luxurious suit with a black base mixed with brilliant golden patterns and even wore a gold necklace.
Hoo.
Hoo.
This…
This…
Gold rings, gold bracelets, gold necklaces.
Black and gold.
Whoa!
She was overwhelmed by a level of corruption that she could never aspire to.
Pastel suddenly felt deflated.
It wasn’t like she was chastising the count for ungraciously extending his hand first.
