“The dragon ticket was lost through my carelessness. Once they’re lost, I can’t accept them just because they’re worth a lot of money.
“ …… No, that’s not true. This is yours, so please take it.”
“Just as the young lady says, kid!! If it were true, you would’ve won the jackpot, so just accept it gracefully!!”
“Use that money to buy your parents a thank-you gift for raising you!!”
The two tough-looking men agreed with Edel’s words, but Kurtz remained unyielding.
“Um…do I really have to accept it?”
“Yes. I won’t put down the case until you boy accepts it.”
As if insisting he take it no matter what, Edel shook her head firmly side to side.
However, he could not accept that money.
If he did, he would not be able to grasp the heart of the girl, Edel Mercator–
“–Then, could you please add the profit generated from those 500 million gald?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Edel’s expression twitched slightly.
“If the dividend from that dragon token is supposed to be mine, then the fact that ‘I won the 500 million gald dividend’ should also be profit I was originally supposed to receive. However, since the recipient has already been reported as Lady Edel, I should not obtain those profits.”
As Kurtz laid out his words, the tough-looking men seemed to change their demeanor as they understood the meaning.
“Hey…we can’t just ignore what he just said.”
“You’re not thinking of talking back to the young lady, are you?”
“Stop, you two be quiet.”
Gesturing for the two to be silent, Edel calmly responded.
“I understand. First, I want to hear the boy’s request.”
“If I have to say it, would it be to not accept those 500 million gald?”
“…Are you kidding me?”
“I’m completely serious.”
Kurtz answered without dropping his smile.
“If investment or similar doesn’t appeal to you, how about in the form of a celebratory gift of 500 million gald when Lady Edel expands to the capital?”
“…And the reason for that?”
“More than the immediate 500 million gald fortune, I consider having this chance to converse with Lady Edel to be the greatest luck and profit for me.”
“You’d give up 500 million gald for that reason?”
“Yes. Money is important, but…being blinded by a large sum and misusing or regretting it to the point of losing something precious that cannot be bought with money would be the greatest disadvantage, I believe.”
As Edel listened to Kurtz’s words, she looked him over appraisingly.
And then–
“–Brilliant! The boy is marvelous!!”
Her face lighting up, Edel pulled Kurtz into a tight embrace.
“…Lady Edel?”
“No, just Edel is fine. Calling me casually is a sign of friendship.”
Now bearing a friendly smile, a complete change from earlier, Edel said:
“I like people who value money. But I dislike those who value it too much. Money is meant to be spent, and I enjoy correctly judging how to spend it.”
Those were words she had spoken during an interview before the regression.
[Money is like your own child. It’s very precious, but spoiling and treasuring it too much will ruin it. I enjoyed pondering how that money may change in the future, and whether spending it then was the right choice. That’s why I am who I am today.]
And she was the only one able to wield the “money” weapon on equal footing against the six great duke families controlling the world.
“Boy, what’s your name?”
“Kurtz. Due to circumstances, I cannot give my family name, so please just remember my given name–“
“Okay, Kurtz. I want to talk with you more.”
“For you to say so is an honor, Lady Ed–“
“No, friends don’t need such formal words. And you should call me just by my name too.”
Edel puffed out her cheeks slightly.
From the previous life, she always had a calm tone and nonchalant expression when interacting with others.
So I had thought she was not one to act friendly with others…but it seems she only opens up and talks casually with those she is comfortable with.
“…Understood, Edel. However, I’m not used to casual speech, so may I continue as normal on that front?”
“Good, if that’s what allows Kurtz to speak naturally, then I don’t mind.”
Nodding in satisfaction, Edel plopped back down onto the chair.
“Grad, Gizaia. Leave us alone for a bit since I want to chat quietly.”
“Yes ma’am!! As you wish, my lady!!”
“[Be quiet and go somewhere else] is what she means, but with the lady’s polite wording, I’m grateful!!”
Answering Edel’s words, the bodyguard men left.
Seeing an opportunity, Kurtz turned to Lucia as well.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“Lucia, you can go outside too. I’ll be talking to her for a while, so could you come get me after the auction ends?”
“Understood. I will wait outside, so call if you need anything.”
With a bow to Kurtz and the others, Lucia blended into the crowd and left.
This way, Lucia can carry out her work without issue too.
“Kurtz, let’s chat quickly.”
“Yes, then I’ll sit next to you–“
“No, not next to me, over here.”
As Kurtz tried to take the seat beside her, Edel reached out and–
Plopped him right onto her lap.
“Good, what a perfect fit.”
“…Why did you put me on your lap?”
“The seat next to me has a case on it. And with your height, you wouldn’t be able to see the items well from a chair. So I thought I’d put you on my lap.”
“…I understand that, but did you need to hold me like this?”
“It helps me relax. When alone, hugging a stuffed animal or pillow calms me down.”
She wrapped her arms around Kurtz’s body, patting his head like her favorite stuffed animal. No matter how she changed her behavior, she couldn’t avoid treating him like a child.
“And–this way it’s easier for just the two of us to chat intimately.”
Edel told him in a whisper-like voice.
“Countless people have said they wanted to be my friend. But I basically don’t make friends. Do you know the reason?”
“…Is it because building a genuine friendship is difficult?”
“Yes, you really are quite intelligent.”
With a smile, Edel continued:
“The pure friendship I define is an equal relationship unswayed by other factors. But due to my status and background, even with friends, I end up assessing their ‘value’ and putting them on a scale. For someone like me, building an equal relationship is extremely difficult.”
Most people approached her with ulterior motives in mind.
Kurtz himself had approached knowing her status and details too.
Having been in that position, for Edel, her relationships with others could only be viewed through whether that person had “value” to her.
“But I felt that Kurtz understood even that side of me.”
“So that’s where you tried to silence me by handing over 500 million gald, the dividend money, in exchange for letting me use the fact that ‘Edel won the 500 million dividend’?”
“Yes. You understood my intent and showed a willingness to interact as an equal, ultimately letting go of the vast 500 million gald sum by calling it a ‘gift for a friend.’ It was unexpected, and the first time I felt ‘interest’ in someone rather than just assessing their value.”
Softening her expression, Edel explained:
“So I want to become friends with Kurtz. Even if you had ulterior motives for approaching me, I’m interested in those intentions and goals.”
As I was lending an ear to Edel’s words…the venue lights dimmed, and the auction’s start was announced by the host appearing on stage.
As the host hyped up the crowd, Kurtz quietly spoke up.
“Then, may I ask one favor of you as my friend?”
“Yes, as a sign of friendship, I’ll hear it out.”
“Please become my benefactor.”
“Tell me the content you wish me to invest in, and the returns.”
“At today’s auction, please bid on and win the ‘person’ being auctioned off.”
“…A ‘person’, you mean a slave?”
“Yes. Specifically, an elf woman.”
“…For your age, desiring a slave does not bode well for moral education.”
Edel furrowed her brow and poked Kurtz’s cheek with her fingertip.
Slaves were primarily purchased as labor.
However, slaves auctioned off were those with pleasant appearances…in other words, meant for entertainment purposes, with most owners subjecting them to sexual servitude.
Of course she would react that way upon hearing a child wanted such a slave.
“So I cannot condone that personally.”
“My reason for wanting to win that slave is different. However, if a child like me bids on her, others will view it with suspicion, so I want you to acquire her.”
“That suspicion could be directed at me as well.”
The suspicion aimed at Edel was not the unsavory rumor of desiring a same-sex slave.
“I dislike slaves. The labor generates temporary money, but that’s just using up and discarding their lives without creating any further value.”
Edel Mercator was known to oppose slavery, stubbornly refusing to use slaves even when needing labor.
It was the first time hearing her true feelings, but it was a very Edel-like reason.
Still, that slave had to be won no matter what.
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