The Iron-Blooded Lord turned his gaze toward Raizen.
Raizen suddenly burst out laughing.
I stared at him in confusion. Only when all three of us focused on him did his laughter start to die down. His smile lingered, but Raizen sighed heavily and raised his hands. "Okay. I admit it. I misjudged."
What had he misjudged? Even with his life on the line, Raizen showed little agitation. He had the presence of someone who could assess a situation clearly, and perhaps that clarity came with courage.
"I've never made a mistake while walking the tightrope with my life on the line. I never thought you would kill your own child without giving me a chance for a final word."
The Iron-Blooded Lord must have heard him, yet his expression remained unchanged. He asked, "Are Luan's words true?"
"They are. There isn't a demon at my auction. It was never something I could handle," Raizen replied.
"Why did you do this?"
"For the honor of the Abyss Auction and the trading company, of course," Raizen answered.
"Honor?"
Raizen met the Iron-Blooded Lord's gaze. "Even if I explain, the head of the family won't understand."
I felt a pressing urge to stop them. Raizen had the courage to remain unfazed in the face of death, but provoking the Iron-Blooded Lord now seemed reckless.
I stepped in. "I'll hear him out. You two should step aside for a moment. It won't take long."
"You want to speak alone?" the Iron-Blooded Lord asked.
"Yes. There are matters that only peers should discuss."
The Iron-Blooded Lord showed no sign of yielding. Unexpectedly, Sky-Destroying Sword Maxim intervened. "Let them be, Delac. I also thought it was too much for you to kill that friend. Still, I avoided getting deeply involved since it was a family matter..."
Maxim turned to me. Since I had intervened, he had reason to add his perspective. "I came after hearing that the Abyss Auction was using beastfolk. But the atmosphere feels off. I'm starting to wonder if we are the ones being used."
He then suggested, "Let's wait on the rooftop. Luan, do you think ten minutes will be enough?"
I nodded. "Yes, that will suffice."
Unexpectedly, the Iron-Blooded Lord sheathed his sword. I still had no idea what he was thinking. It was impossible to tell whether my words or Maxim's had persuaded him. In any case, once the two monsters with overwhelming presences departed, the weight that had pressed down on my shoulders like lead lifted.
I turned to Raizen, who had grown unusually quiet. "What the hell were you thinking?!"
"What?"
"Why did you stage it as if a demon was involved?" I clarified.
"Ah, that." Raizen laughed. "I told you—it was for the honor of the Abyss Auction and the trading company."
"You always cater to the clients' needs... Did you lie just to uphold that catchphrase? Isn't that contradictory for a merchant?" I pressed.
"That might be true if I had failed." Raizen glanced over my shoulder and added suddenly, "Those guys can probably hear our conversation, right?"
"Probably. Still, I don't think they will."
"Why not?"
"They aren't the type to act sneakily. If they wanted to eavesdrop, they wouldn't have left until the end. They are far stronger than us. Enforcing their will would have been easy," I explained.
"True." Raizen nodded, accepting the logic. Then he asked, "What do you think are the basics of business?"
The question felt random. I studied his expression for a moment before considering it seriously. It reminded me of a conversation I had in the carriage on the way to the capital.
As the heir of the Silver family, Zeros knew the merchant community well. Of course, that conversation hadn't given me a complete understanding of commerce or merchants, but it had shaped my own sense of how business worked.
"Isn't it intuition?" I said.
"Intuition?"
"Knowing when to buy or sell, where to trade, which products to produce, which clients to target—it's all a battle of instinct," I explained.
Raizen's expression brightened with interest, and he nodded.
"In other words, judgment. Not wrong, but my view differs." He didn't dispute me but offered his perspective. "Listen carefully. The foundation of business is trust."
"Trust?"
Raizen noticed the slight skepticism in my voice and added quickly, "I know. You're thinking merchants are all crooks, right?"
"Well, yes."
"I won't deny it. Still, do you think an outsider like you knows more than those of us actually in business?"
"What do you mean?"
"There aren't many companies in this industry you can truly trust. Something always goes wrong—whether it's freezing the price until the transaction is complete, ensuring the ordered goods arrive in perfect condition by the deadline, or keeping the desired products consistently in stock."
"Isn't that just the basics?" I asked.
"Few people in any industry stick to the basics."
I hummed.
Raizen continued, "We all know this. If they had the chance, the people around me wouldn't hesitate to stab me in the back and pick my pockets. In such a world, all you need to do is make them think, Maybe this person is different ."
"You're saying the Zyren Trading Company built that image?"
"I started from the bottom. After leaving the Badnikers, I went to Deep City, the most thriving commercial hub in the east. Countless organizations there are chasing money. Dozens form and disappear every day. Even in that chaotic ecosystem, a naive kid can do business if they have the backing of a group."
Raizen paused. "To work on the streets there, I had to prove my worth to an organization. It was a sort of entrance test. Guess what my test was."
"How should I know?"
"I could sell anything, but I had to make a profit of 100 gold coins. The deadline was one month," he revealed.
One hundred gold coins was a huge amount that an ordinary person would have to save a lifetime to gain. For a kid without its family's backing, it was an utterly impossible sum. Yet Raizen spoke as if it were nothing.
"I did it in one day," he bragged.
"How?" I asked.
"I took some precious metals from the Badnikers and sold them. Of course, I had to look penniless, so I went to the organization in a shabby outfit."
I couldn't help laughing. "You're a natural con artist."
He nodded. "The important part is that I passed the test. After that, the organization started giving me small errands, and I never failed once. Even the executives began to trust me. In less than a year, I reached the position of advisor."
I had believed that if I ever severed ties with the Badnikers, I would be the first to truly leave. Now I saw that wasn't the case. Someone had departed long before me and established themselves. Beyond my admiration, I felt a pang of regret that my position had been claimed.
"So that's why you bragged and said you're auctioning a demon this time?" I asked.
"That's right. Even with the skills of my superiors, handling a demon is naturally difficult. As you said, there isn't actually a demon."
"Then how were you planning to handle it?" I pressed.
"I didn't plan on handling it," Raizen said, meeting my gaze. "I only knew the family head would be in the capital."
"What?"
Raizen smirked. "The family head's movements are top secret, of course, but the demon king nearly descended on the capital, right? How could he pass by without stopping?"
What on earth was he trying to say?
"The family head would never allow a demon to be sold. He would come to overturn the Abyss Auction himself. If it reached that point, my gamble would already be half a success," he explained.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"I was going to negotiate with him."
"Negotiate?" I echoed, bewildered.
"Yes. Then I almost died. Kuhahat ! If it weren't for you, that's exactly how it would have turned out."
I slapped Raizen's head as he laughed heartily. " Ack , why did you hit me?"
"Take it, you madman. Be grateful it's only one," I said magnanimously.
I had beaten Hector badly. If he had seen this, he would have been jealous of Raizen—or maybe not.
"So, in summary, you planned to completely wreck this auction and pin it on the Iron-Blooded Lord?" I asked.
"That's right! You catch on fast!" Raizen rubbed the spot I'd hit. "Rather than suffer the image damage from the auction house failing to deliver demon goods, it's better to seem simply incompetent for being unable to handle the Iron-Blooded Lord."
I finally understood his plan. In short, he was a madman with a reckless idea—and he actually went through with it.
"Is that really the better option? If the auction collapses, the losses will be enormous. Client complaints would be overwhelming," I argued.
"I can easily cover the losses, and the complaints will settle quickly. The Iron-Blooded Lord is like a natural disaster. You can't avoid lightning just by being careful, right?" he reasoned. "The clients will accept it. Besides, there won't be any casualties."
He was right. The Iron-Blooded Lord hadn't intended to turn the auction into a bloodbath. There would be a rough intrusion, but only one person would shed blood. The only one at risk was Raizen.
This madman makes sense. If the plan had succeeded, he could have preserved the trading company's reputation without much loss.
"By the way, my dear brother, you've been talking about saving your life, but it's far too early to relax," I said.
Raizen's eyes widened.
My tone stayed steady. "The family head could still kill you. For now, punishment is only on hold."
Perhaps he sensed the truth in my words because his face paled. "Then... will it be difficult for me to survive?"
"To be honest, I don't think your chances are high," I replied. "I also don't know what that person usually thinks."
"Then what should I do? I don't want to die yet." Raizen's voice carried a note of distress as he clutched his head and groaned, clearly worried.
At that moment, I decided to reveal my true intentions. "I can persuade him."
"You?"
"Yes."
"Is that possible? I don't think the family head would listen to the youngest child."
"Of course. I have a track record of results," I reasoned. "Besides, I am now the deputy head."
"The deputy head? You? I've never heard of that!" Raizen exclaimed.
"It hasn't been announced yet."
" W-wow . This is incredible. I thought Heero would definitely become the next head," he remarked.
"Don't mention that I am the deputy head." I sighed. "I have no intention of becoming the family head."
Relief returned to Raizen's eyes. "So, in summary, you hold the position of future head and managed to stop the demon king's descent this time."
"That's right."
"As expected... The family head believes in clear rewards and punishments. He won't ignore your opinion."
"Exactly."
" Haha ! Then I'm glad!"
I looked at the visibly relieved Raizen and continued in the same tone, "By the way, Brother Raizen, if you own a trading company, you must be skilled at acquiring rare items, right? Elixirs or something similar, for example."
"Well, I have more opportunities than ordinary people. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" His voice carried caution, a true merchant's instinct.
I smiled gently to reassure him. "Lately, I've been in a whirlwind phase, and I want a lot of things. Would you, as my third elder brother, be willing to give your youngest sibling a gift?"
"What are you saying all of a sudden?"
"You don't want to?" I shot back.
"What happens if I refuse?" he asked cautiously.
I pulled out my trump card as the youngest sibling. "I will tell Father that you are an irredeemable fool."
Raizen looked at me and laughed uncontrollably. "You have the heart of a merchant."
That was probably the best compliment he could give. I nodded. "Don't mention it."