“As you can see from this, the land in that area belongs to our family! Therefore, you should rightfully pay us the amount and draw up the documents!”

They thrust forward documents written in script where one could hardly tell up from down, claiming the land was theirs.

Nisha, Ino, and other Ash Trading Company employees are generally fluent in foreign languages. However, this did not extend to ancient languages.

It’s a language that has almost disappeared from the continent, now only used in two or three ancient kingdoms in the northernmost part, including the Kingdom of Denertum. Even those kingdoms now primarily use the common continental language, with the ancient language being secondary.

As such, from Ash Trading Company’s perspective, it was far more beneficial to learn other languages than to study the ancient language. The same was true for Kalon. Among the twelve languages he could speak fluently, the ancient language was not one of them.

‘I didn’t know it would be needed like this.’

As the nobles were causing an uproar by bringing ancient documents and demanding verification, they had to be reviewed. The problem was that the documents the nobles brought were written in the most atrocious script among ancient languages.

The faces of the nobles who thrust forward the documents betrayed an arrogance that seemed to say, “You lot couldn’t possibly verify this, could you?”

Indeed, the ancient language expert that Ash Trading Company had barely managed to secure shook his head as soon as he saw the document.

The document brought by the nobles was written in the most extreme script among ancient documents, filled with unnecessary flowery language praising the family’s merits, and the sentences were twisted in meaning so that the reader had to make appropriate inferences.

Ash Trading Company urgently sought a more capable ancient language expert.

However, they only learned that people who could decipher such documents were nobles who had received high-level education from childhood, and even among nobles, their number was very small.

Moreover, as the issue involved land belonging to noble families, the professors at Denertum Academy flatly refused Ash Trading Company’s request for consultation, not wanting to get involved.

It was a refusal mixed with reluctance to have an awkward relationship with the families they knew, and indignation at the thought that commoners from the Empire dared to try to use money to employ them, nobles and professors of the Academy.

‘But we can’t give up looking.’

That’s why Ino, the deputy director, had been searching for an ancient language expert every day.

“But… at a tea party for noble young ladies, we won’t find the person we want.”

Denertum is a place that allows only minimal education for noble women. Therefore, there’s no way anyone at that gathering today would have the level of ancient language skills they need.

“That Ino fellow will come back crying.”

“When he returns, please embrace him with your broad chest.”

Nisha chuckled and handed Kalon another document.

“What’s this now?”

“It’s the list of winners for the game we advertised in newspapers and magazines recently.”

“Ah.”

Another sigh escaped Kalon’s lips.

Although they were staying here, they couldn’t ignore the problems at branches in the Empire and other kingdoms.

Among these, the issue that was most irritating Kalon was the problem of the southern island countries.

Though called island countries, the size of each island is about that of a decent kingdom, and if there are more than ten such islands, it’s honestly on the level of another continent.

The problem is that the spark of war is reigniting among those kingdoms.

‘If war breaks out, there will be too many problems using the sea routes there.’

Recently, southern products have been emerging as major trading goods for Ash Trading Company. Isn’t sugar, which Ino detests, all from there?

Ash Trading Company has been almost monopolizing the sugar trade, but if war breaks out, some kingdoms will surely divert sugar contracted elsewhere under the pretext of military expansion.

Sugar is just the beginning. Until the war ends, no, even for a few years after it ends, the prices of all goods on the continent will fluctuate. Above all, people can’t be safe when war breaks out.

‘We must prevent it.’

War is difficult, but for a trading company, it’s an excellent opportunity for business expansion. The special circumstances of war make possible deals that would never happen in normal times.

But that’s not the way Ash Trading Company wants to do things.

Even if the Emperor hadn’t come seeking cooperation for the stability of the continent, Kalon would have wanted to prevent the southern war. After all, he too had to lose many things to war in his childhood.

But war can’t be prevented just by wishing it wouldn’t happen.

That’s why Ash Trading Company was actively intervening in the southern situation.

In this situation, the talent most needed was related to code decryption.

‘There’s no successor in the south yet with as much power as the Emperor.’

That’s why the Empire still holds hegemony over the continent.

Because the current Emperor is a stronger successor to the Golden Rule than anyone else, much of his insight, which others might think makes him seem like a prophet, is based on his power.

In any case, the south, where successors to the Golden Rule are rare, used ordinary methods to communicate secretly with each other. Namely, codes.

Each country uses such complex and different coding methods that Ash Trading Company had to mobilize a lot of manpower to decipher the codes of each country.

But they still lacked manpower for code decryption.

They’ve already brought in all the talent they could from within the Empire and the southern regions.

So Kalon decided to look for talent here in Denertum while he was at it.

Of course, they couldn’t just shout “Looking for code breakers!” openly.

So they modified several commonly used coding methods into quiz forms and advertised them in newspapers and magazines. Along with the promise of a large prize for those who solve it.

The advertisement promising money for solving puzzles aroused people’s curiosity.

Thanks to this, everyone who could read or do arithmetic rushed to solve the puzzles, expecting big pocket money.

The enthusiasm was so great that even nobles were doing it for fun.

What Nisha handed over was the list of correct solvers for the quiz advertised last week.

“Even if they can get the right answer, it’s no good if they’re slow…”

Code breaking is a race against time. Even if you can crack the code, it’s useless if it takes a year.

So they needed to call these people in, give them another problem, and see how long it takes them to solve it.

“It’s one mountain after another.”

Kalon covered his face with the list Nisha handed him.

“What can we do? Is there anything as difficult as finding useful people?”

“You’re right. I feel like I could beg anyone who shows up now with ancient language and code-breaking skills to please marry me. I’d tell them I’d be their slave for life, just please stay by my side.”

At Kalon’s words, Nisha let out a strange laugh, “Puhot!”

“How many people are you planning to marry?”

“You never know. Maybe someone good at ancient languages is also good at solving codes.”

“Have some conscience. Where in the world is there such a person? More importantly, it’s the first time I’ve heard marriage talk from you, Kalon.”

“That’s how desperate I am.”

Kalon was someone who got along well with everyone.

Of course, he was precise in his relationships and truly scary when angry, but he was basically easy to like and kind to others.

But Nisha knew. The fact that he had never shown deep personal interest in others.

It was so bad that Ino once mumbled nonsense to Nisha like, ‘It doesn’t seem like he’s interested in men either. If he were, he would have surely targeted me.’

For such a person to even mention marriage. It made her realize anew how much they were struggling with manpower shortage.

“Anyway, I’ll have to pray.”

“For what?”

“What else?”

Nisha shrugged her shoulders.

“I’ll have to pray that I get to see you clinging to your partner’s clothes, begging them not to leave after you get married.”

* * *

“Welcome, Miss Aelfrida. Thank you so much for attending despite the sudden invitation.”

Ael curtsied slightly to the brightly smiling Riena.

How could she not come? They even sent a carriage to prevent her from running away.

Ael raised her head to observe Riena. A very brief moment of confusion passed, but Riena quickly hid it and guided Ael inside.

Befitting a wealthy high noble, every visible part of the Viscount’s residence was clean and beautiful.

There wasn’t a speck of dust on the window frames, and even the stone pillars showed no traces of moss.

What made Ael most envious was the books she saw in the reception room as she passed through the mansion.

The Viscount’s family is known for taking a relatively moderate stance towards the Empire among the high nobles. Perhaps because of this, the reception room was well-stocked with books from the Empire that she had seen in the library.

To think that new books are available throughout the house like this. Then one could read anytime, anywhere.

Imagining spending an afternoon reading a newly arrived book in the garden full of warm sunlight, Ael momentarily forgot she was in a place where she should be nervous and wore a blank expression.

But that imagination was short-lived. The moment she was guided to the tea party venue in the back garden, Ael’s body stiffened.

There, women who were clearly throwing hostile and curious glances were waiting for Ael.