Recently, Lowell had been going through an incredibly busy period.
Reviewing the underground city proposal cautiously suggested by the commander of the Knights of Judgment Oliver G. Daniel was already taking up a great deal of time. But this was somewhat manageable.
Since he was at the review and assessing the risk stage, he only needed to wait for information to come in through external intelligence networks and then make a judgment.
Of course, this process alone took more than three months since Lowell exercised extreme caution.
After all, the matter concerned the underground city that was the shadow of the coalition.
A hasty approach could cause the Clayton merchant guild’s reputation to plummet down.
Such a flaw would be fatal for a merchant guild where trust was more important than anything else.
However, now he was living each day so intensely that the phrase “busy beyond belief” was fitting.
The reason for this was the opening of the Great Mezaiya Forest.
Due to this, Lowell had pushed the underground city matter that had troubled him for the past three months far to the back.
Though the request came from the Knights of Judgment who supported the next crown prince, the Great Mezaiya Forest matter was not something to be taken lightly.
If it were just a matter of opening it up, it wouldn’t have made him this busy.
Currently, the Great Mezaiya Forest was ruled by the elves and thanks to the expedition led by Raviata, they had gained the elves’ approval and established a positive image of humanity. This made the situation quite different.
So, the simple strategy of getting there first wouldn’t work.
Lowell had to gather information about the elves from various sources while also striving to be included in the diplomatic delegation to the Great Mezaiya Forest which the coalition would lead.
However, Lowell found these busy times to be incredibly comforting.
While he didn’t particularly enjoy working, the more he worked, the clearer his mind became.
…Thanks to this, I’ve been sleeping well lately.
Late at night.
In his study that was illuminated by a magic lamp, Lowell was meticulously reviewing the stacks of documents. He then massaged his eyelids to rest his eyes.
Just then, the crystal ball on his desk emitted a faint light and vibrated.
“Hmm.”
Who could be contacting him at this late hour?
Judging by the color reflected in the crystal ball, it wasn’t a message from the intelligence team.
When he channeled his magical power into the crystal ball, Shane’s face appeared.
“Hmm… Shane. It’s been a while.”
[Yes, Patriarch. I am contacting you regarding the Great Mezaiya Forest.]
“I see. I was planning to reach out to you myself.”
This wasn’t a lie.
However, he had been extremely busy lately, and he figured Shane was also handling a tight schedule so he hadn’t made contact with him until now.
“Rather than that, Is the matter urgent?”
[No, it’s not.]
“Then it would be better to talk in person. I will send the knights.”
[…Yes, understood.]
The short conversation between father and son ended, and Lowell gazed at the now colorless crystal ball and closed his eyes.
Perhaps it was because he had seen Shane who resembled someone.
Lowell recalled the past he had forgotten due to his recent busy schedule.
“Elina.”
He thought of his late wife Elina who had left the world at too young an age.
Elina’s death had changed many things for Lowell.
His naturally cold disposition had become even more extreme.
Didn’t he throw himself into work to avoid the pain of remembering his late wife?
Even seeing Shane reminded him of Elina. This caused Lowell to remain indifferent toward his children.
People said Lowell was emotionally dry because of his cold heart, but it was this cold heart that had once burned with intense love for his first spouse.
The chill that followed was something no one could easily soothe.
To avoid another impending headache, Lowell turned his gaze back to the documents.
Part of him looked forward to the tasks Shane would bring.
Within a few days, Shane returned to the family mansion with the knights who came to escort him.
It had only been a few months, but in that time, Shane’s status within the family had significantly changed.
He had been directly involved in the expedition of the Great Mezaiya Forest, which Lowell was so invested in, and he was also the author of the paper that led Raviata to sign a contract with him.
The knights of the family were cautious in their demeanor the entire way.
“W-Welcome back, Young Master!”
Maria who was Shane’s maid greeted him with a visibly nervous expression on her face.
Shane gave Maria a light nod and immediately got to the point.
“Where is the head of the family?”
“Ah, he is in the study right now. He said to come up as soon as you’re ready.”
“Then I’ll go right away.”
“Oh… understood!”
As Maria led the way, the family’s servants couldn’t take their eyes off Shane.
This must be what it means to have a presence.
A few months ago, some of the household staff had noticed a change in Shane’s demeanor before he left. But now, after he returned with immense fame from the outside world, it felt like his dignity as a person had improved.
Moreover, Lowell had called for Shane first, not Klein, and they were even going to have a private conversation.
It was at this moment when Shane’s and Klein’s positions within the family were instantly reversed.
Of course, Klein wasn’t the type to care about such things.
“…You’re back, Shane. You’ve been through a lot.”
There was one person in the family who did care about such things though.
Daniel L. Rachel.
She was Shane’s stepmother and Klein’s biological mother. The current matriarch.
Klein’s rising fame was welcome news for Rachel, but the problem was that Shane was involved as well.
No, if one were to look only at who had grown the most in a short period, Shane was superior.
That’s because the reason why Raviata’s expedition happened in the first place was because of Shane’s thesis.
Various magic towers had already flooded the Clayton family with requests to arrange meetings with Shane.
This meant that this could not only lead to his fame as an adventurer but could also lead to actual fame.
Rachel couldn’t help but feel anxious.
However, Shane didn’t pay much attention to Rachel.
Of course, he wasn’t entirely indifferent.
After all, wasn’t she Klein’s biological mother?
Therefore, Shane responded to Rachel’s greeting with equal courtesy.
“Yes, Lady Rachel. Klein couldn’t come with me, but he asked me to deliver this letter to you.”
Shane handed the letter he received from Klein to Rachel, bowed his head one last time, and resumed walking.
Rachel looked at the letter Shane had given her and let out a low sigh.
“I wonder what will happen.”
From Rachel’s perspective, Shane was a difficult person to deal with.
The atmosphere when Rachel first came to the Clayton family was far from pleasant.
Lowell had just lost his wife, and it was a time when he often showed a sad expression even in front of Rachel.
As a fellow woman, Rachel felt sympathy but she had to shoulder all the burdens alone.
At that time, many knights were still loyal to his former wife, Elina.
So, Rachel had to naturally harden herself to establish her position, while Lowell focused more on caring for the family than on Rachel.
In this household, Klein was the only person Rachel could rely on.
Meanwhile, Shane who had treated her as if she didn’t exist had become so famous.
…Still, they say he’s better than before.
Rachel hadn’t yet seen how much Shane had changed.
But at least, according to the knights who had escorted him on the day he left for the academy, he no longer clashed with Klein as he used to, so Rachel decided to wait and observe a bit longer.
Following that, Rachel returned to her room and looked at the letter Klein had sent. Her expression gradually changed as she read the letter.
That child…
Klein’s letter was filled entirely with stories about his older brother.
And unlike before, the content was all positive rather than negative, and Rachel couldn’t help but fall into even more confusion.
“Hmm… This is surprising.”
After arriving at Lowell’s study, Shane greeted him briefly and got straight to the point.
By the time he had spent thirty minutes explaining most of what had happened in the Mezaiya Forest,
“So, you’re saying that making a deal with the crown prince is dangerous.”
“It’s likely he intends to use us as a disposable piece.”
“I see… So that’s how it is.”
Lowell noticed that he had unconsciously tightened his grip on the armrest of his chair and casually released it.
What he heard from Shane was truly shocking.
Dominic… that old man targeted Shane.
Lowell had lived detached from his family all this time.
Nonetheless, the news that Shane had almost been assassinated stirred an unconscious anger within him.
Lowell who had always approached his work with a strictly business-like attitude found this change in his emotions unfamiliar.
This change in emotions was unfamiliar to Lowell who had lived a strictly business-like life when it came to work.
“So what do you think?”
“I think we should still maintain our connection with the crown prince.”
“Hmm.”
“They are the ones pressed for time, not us. They lack information, and we have it, so we should use that to our advantage.”
“Indeed.”
Shane’s words were not wrong.
In any case, in order to prevent unnecessary bloodshed, he consulted with Raviata and decided to keep the matter with Dominic below the surface for the time being.
Besides, their side also lacked evidence.
Although there were many witnesses, it was difficult to exert pressure on the imperial family based solely on witness testimonies.
Of course, considering Raviata’s reputation, her testimony might be sufficient but…
That woman probably isn’t interested in this matter.
If he asked for her help, Raviata wouldn’t ignore him.
But Shane didn’t want to waste his connection with Raviata in such a way.
In any case, it wasn’t the right time to take immediate action against the crown prince.
Even if they rashly attacked the crown prince now, there would be no benefit for their side.
It would only result in a pointless mudslinging fight.
“Time is on our side. With the crown prince’s close aides gone and the ensuing chaos, we need to grow our influence to the point where they dare not touch us.”
“I agree with that. That’s why I’m being cautious about the opening of the Mezaiya Forest.”
“I have something to say about that matter.”
“Hmm. What is it?”
“Under your current authority, how much can we take?”
“Hmm?”
Lowell briefly wondered at Shane’s firm question.
It sounded as if Shane was promising to deliver as much as he spoke about.
“If we mobilize everything our family has, how much can we take? I’m talking about the gold veins overflowing the forest.”
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