C132
The train ran and ran until it reached a small town about five or six hours from the capital.
We got off there, had a late lunch, and then found a place to spend the night.
Vinetta said, as she walked down a quiet street.
"In other words, it is very important to attract the wizard you are going to meet here. That's what you're saying."
"That's right."
I spent most of the time on the train telling Vinetta my story.
I had promised to tell Vinetta everything inside the mine, but I had never had the proper opportunity until now.
Vinetta, who listened to my story, just stared at me with a blank expression for a while.
"... Is there something you don't understand?"
"I'm sorry, but honestly, it's such difficult content that I..."
Vinetta said it was due to her lack of understanding, but having lived close to her, I knew very well that Vinetta was a rather intelligent person.
Just by her intuitive nature, talking about transmigration didn't seem to make much sense.
"It feels a bit unexpected."
On the other hand, when Vinetta heard that I had to appease the eccentric inventor to stop Liena's business, Vinetta immediately returned to her original sharp-faced look.
She was the type of person motivated solely by clear and realistic goals.
This time Terence asked a question.
"Are you going to where that guy named Kais is now?"
"You could say that. But we will meet tomorrow."
"Why?"
"Kais only accepts new clients on the 1st day of each month. He can see people he already knows at any time, but we have to go on the 1st."
"If it's the 1st, it's tomorrow."
"Today, before that..."
As we talked, we reached our destination.
I stopped in front of a rundown building located in a particularly remote spot on a quiet street.
"Well, leave it to me for now. Vinetta, can you wait here? Kais doesn't like crowds, so he doesn't accept more than three visitors."
"Okay."
Terence left Vinetta at the entrance, opened the creaky door, and went in.
The first thing I felt in my nose was a pungent smell.
It was the smell that came from the leather items lined up on the shelves, including bags, belts, sword sheaths, and tapestries.
It was natural. This was a leather workshop.
The man sitting inside, hammering leather with a mallet, looked at us and focused on what he was doing.
The remote location, the rundown building, the messy interior of the shop, and even the unfriendly customer service.
At this level, the customer was being turned away, but I calmly looked at the products and opened my mouth.
"Hey. I want to make a reservation."
Only then did the man who seemed to be the owner of the workshop open his mouth for the first time.
"I don't take orders. We only sell ready-made products."
"No. I'm making a reservation, not an order. I'll come to pick up the product tomorrow."
For a moment, the hammering stopped.
"I don't know who told you that, but don't talk nonsense and leave."
Actually, this didn't mean leaving the store.
"I can't reveal the presenter. He asked to remain anonymous."
The man turned his head and looked at us.
"... As you insist, I can't help it. Please tell me your name."
"Ethel Lucibiu."
Here, giving a fake name or hiding your identity served no purpose.
The man's thick eyebrows moved slightly when he heard my name.
But he said nothing and just looked at Terence as if he were next.
Terence, who saw me reveal my real name, also gave his name obediently.
"Terence Belver Asteroth."
This time, the man's eyebrows moved more noticeably than before.
He let out a faint sigh and continued hammering, leaving only the words to come back tomorrow at the same time.
We moved to a nearby tea shop and told Vinetta what happened inside the workshop.
Vinetta tilted her head.
"So, that wasn't the eccentric inventor?"
"No, he's someone who helps Kais with his work. He pre-selects those who will meet with Kais."
"That wizard seems to be very cautious."
"He is very cautious and sensitive. Tomorrow, he will continue to explore who we are as individuals."
After saying that, I looked at the faces of Terence and Vinetta and spoke quietly.
"Actually, about that. To attract Kais, I will need your cooperation tomorrow."
It was something I couldn't do alone.
The next day, we visited the leather workshop at the same time.
This time, Vinetta stayed outside the building and, after exchanging glances with her, I entered the workshop.
"Please come this way."
The man remained straightforward, but with a tone more polite than yesterday, he led us inside the workshop.
There was a small staircase, and when I climbed the stairs and reached the second floor, an astonishing view unfolded.
Obviously, it was the interior of that rundown building, but it was as clean as any other place.
Moreover, although there were no windows, the warm sunlight poured in abundantly, and there was even a small fountain of unknown origin on the floor.
"You can sit here and wait."
The man who guided us to the center table seemed embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. I don't know where he went, so even though I clearly informed him, he hasn't arrived yet."
I said it was okay, he served me a steaming tea, and then he went down the stairs.
Terence and I spent some time silently drinking tea.
Time passed quietly without the eccentric inventor showing up.
Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes... It had been over an hour since we arrived here.
Terence, who was checking the time on his old pocket watch, let out a sigh.
"That eccentric inventor is a human without a sense of time. Can you trust your work to him?"
"But his ability is reliable."
"No matter how good his ability is, if his humanity is poor, isn't it in vain?"
"... Terence, I don't care what kind of person he is. I just need him to create clever inventions that benefit me."
I continued speaking in a cold tone.
"Today is our first meeting, so I had no choice but to come here, but to put it bluntly, I don't want to waste time on such trivial things."
"It's a waste of time."
"Once the deal is closed, I will never see Kais again. It's annoying to go through all this trouble just to meet once."
"But shouldn't we be careful to keep him on our side?"
"That's true, but I really don't feel like it. It's just a business relationship; I don't want to know him personally."
"... Indeed, I agree. Even before meeting, I don't think I will ever become friends with that guy called Kais."
I smiled, happy to get along well with Terence.
"We just have to provide enough money and magical stones and then demand results from him."
"You're right."
After that, I continued chatting with Terence and pondered about Kais.
A character who had interacted with Liena for over a decade and enriched her through numerous inventions, but only truly opened his heart toward the latter half of the novel.
How could he survive for so long without being affected by the goddess's blessing?
Is it because of his strong mentality? Or is it because he has special powers that can counteract the blessings of the goddess?
My conjecture told me something else.
He was simply a loner who was extremely reluctant to interact with people.
Liena would have been defenseless since she hadn't seen him face to face even once for over ten years.
Whether it was the blessing of the goddess or something else, the other person had to be nearby for his ability to cloud her judgment.
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At that moment.
Kais was in his house away from the leather workshop.
First of all, he had no intention of personally meeting the people who came to him.
There are countless ways to communicate without having to meet, so why bother meeting?
Even now, if he wanted to, he could control his alter ego and talk to Viscountess Lucibiu and the prince.
The reason he made them wait was to find out what kind of people they were.
The place they are in is the optimal environment for people to relax, created by Kais himself.
If you spend time waiting for someone who doesn't come, you will surely end up revealing your true feelings while talking to the person who came with you.
Without even knowing that there was a listening device nearby.
Nobles who visited Kais usually brought at least two or three escorts or servants with them, so there were few chances for them to be alone.
Very occasionally, there are people who leave their subordinates on the first floor and enter the second alone, but in such cases, Kais's brother-in-law, who crafts leather as a hobby, steps forward.
He also provided tea and seats for those waiting on the first floor.
Then they would chat among themselves, and mocking their superiors was a common topic for a long time.
Kais always used this method to understand what thoughts, evaluations, and trends those who came to him had.
And now, what Ethel Lucibiu said was enough to astonish him.
"Aren't they interested in me...?
They will provide me with enough money and magical stones, so should I just deliver the results?
They don't want to meet me personally and only want to benefit themselves?
Furthermore, they said meeting him was a waste of time and that they would never see him again.
Kais's body trembled mercilessly.
It was truly the ideal business partner he had dreamed of for so long!
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