Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 249

“…Hey. Was a store supposed to just pop up like this?”Someone muttered in a bewildered voice.

Oliver, an older merchant standing next to him, felt similarly.

“Well, it’s the East Merchant Group after all… so it’s not impossible.”

It seemed like only recently that he had heard rumors that the East Merchant Group had purchased the building, and now a swanky tea shop sat right in front of them.

What was clearly an empty building was transformed into a wonderful store in just a few days of work.

The fragrant tea leaves that filled the stalls all looked of fine quality, and the interior also seemed to have been decorated using a lot of money.

Oliver burst into laughter as he looked at the shiny interior and exterior of the building.

“But isn’t this a bit too much?”

It was just a store opening today, but the front of the store was packed with customers.

There were citizens who came to see it out of curiosity and merchants who visited the East Merchant Group in advance to do business.

It felt like the entire street was full of life, with all kinds of people coming and going, including laborers who had come to unpack tea leaves and other items for use in the store.

‘In comparison…’

Oliver’s gaze turned towards the street where the Khan Union was located.

Just a ten-minute walk away was the Khan Union, which was recently a landmark of the city.

But now that road was just deserted.

‘It’s over.’

He felt a little complicated.

If the Neumann Merchant Group took over the Khan Union, it would be possible for them to survive for now.

However, it seemed unlikely that Henry and Arcus, who did not like to be burdens, would pass the burden of the Union on to Neumann.

Because taking over the Khan Union now would mean accepting a great deal of damage.

Now, the only path left for the Khan Union was to remain a small neighborhood teahouse or close down completely.

The young people’s small business that was just starting to bloom, was in danger of being suffocated by the breath of the giant called the East Merchant Group.

Everything was going smoothly.

But Angela’s expression as she read the report was not entirely refreshing.

The secretary, who was very nervous, stayed silent and just watched her expression.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Angela finally spoke.

“Is the store okay?”

“It is just a small store, but they say a lot of people came. I think it will be able to establish itself in the long term.”

The head of the merchant group slowly nodded at the secretary’s answer.

“Alright. I don’t plan on holding onto it for long, but before I sell it, I should at least make sure it’s properly stocked.”

There’s no need to hold onto a store that’s so full of talk and trouble for too long.

The person to take over and the timing for the transfer were already decided, so at least until then, it was necessary to make the store look presentable.

The secretary spoke carefully to Angela again as she flipped through the reports.

“The buyer has indicated that they will visit within a few days.”

Only then did Angela look up from the report and look at her secretary.

A look of displeasure appeared on her expressionless face, which she did not bother to hide.

“Isn’t it too early?”

“I answered that way too, but since they said they had already left… … So I told them that I would ask the Lord first. It seemed like they wanted to check it themselves.”

“Tsk. As expected, they’re always so impatient. I do appreciate their meticulousness, though.”

She clicked her tongue in annoyance and closed the report she had just finished reading.

“We’ll do as the customer wishes. I’ll adjust the visit schedule as soon as they arrive.”

“All right.”

The secretary bowed and left the room with quick steps.

Angela, left alone again, let out a short sigh and slowly ran her hands through her hair.

Yeah, everything went smoothly.

Most of what was planned came true.

Some might say that the arrogant apprentice knight was constantly trying to fight back, but it was not likely that a few words of gossip would ruin the reputation of the East Merchant Group.

Although Neumann seemed to be helping the Khan Union in both material and spiritual ways, even that was meaningless.

Since the leader of the Union insists on running things on his own, there are limits to what an outsider like Neumann can do.

So now it was safe to say that she could take a breather.

‘It’s an obvious result…’

For some reason, one side of her heart felt uneasy.

It was because she kept on thinking about the conversation with Neumann.

The first time she met Neumann after he became independent, he looked much better than when he was the manager of the East Safe.

And the person who knew him best in the world was Angela.

Although he was a bit of a back-pedaler and sometimes a bit lax, Neumann was by no means dull or stupid.

He was no longer a braggart who made up stories that didn’t exist.

‘He is someone you should never touch…’

This was what Neumann said about Arendt von Eckhart.

But from what she had seen so far, he was just a kid who couldn’t handle his temper and kept causing trouble.

Thanks to the apprentice knight’s personality, her work actually progressed a bit more quickly.

In other words, from the perspective of the Khan Union, Arendt was nothing more than a spiteful person who was adding fuel to the fire.

‘Then it would be natural for words of resentment to start coming out of Union Leader Henry’s mouth.’

He had been receiving help in running the Khan Union, so perhaps it was because of that favour that he could not bring himself to say anything unpleasant.

Even now, he was barely hanging on to his life by relying on the Neumann Merchant Group through his connections with Arendt.

‘But there was nothing to be gained from the Union Leader’s position.’

If he truly wanted to preserve the Union, it would have been better to draw a line between himself and Arendt, saying that they had nothing to do with him.

But Henry and Arcus didn’t do that.

Although it was clear they were making an effort to maintain the quality of the product and protect the business, externally, it was as if no action had been taken at all.

They didn’t blame Arendt for making things worse, nor did they criticize the East Merchant Group.

As if he was dealing with what he had to.

‘Is it because they’re just young pups…’’

If not, was it just blind faith in someone like Neumann?

Angela’s brow furrowed slightly.

She couldn’t figure out what could turn this situation around.

No, to begin with, she questioned whether there was such a thing.

Anyway, the dice were rolled, so she would soon be able to see the results of the bet she made with her dear brother.

It’s been five days since the East Merchant Group’s tea shop opened.

The usually crowded Khan Union tea shop was now deserted.

Even Henry, who couldn’t find anything to do, went so far as to sweep the road in front of the Union with a broom.

The first person to spot this was Oliver, who had come near the Khan Union to briefly check on the situation.

“…Union Leader, what are you doing here?”

When he hesitated for a moment and then spoke, Henry, who had been busy cleaning, raised his head and soon smiled pleasantly.

“Mr. Oliver, it’s been a while. I don’t really have anything to do, so I thought I’d do some cleaning myself.”

Although Henry, the Union Leader, probably had no such intention, to Oliver’s ears, the greeting of “it’s been a while”, somehow sounded like a reproach.

Oliver turned his horse away, avoiding Henry’s gaze.

“What about that… servant?”

“It was so quiet that I gave him a few days off. But I, as the Union Leader, can’t just sit around and do nothing.”

It was something he had never seen before: the son of a Duke holding a broom and sweeping the front of a store.

That must mean that the Khan Union is not in good shape.

But Oliver couldn’t just show sympathy there.

The merchant group he was in had already settled its dealings with the Khan Union and decided to set up shop in the East Merchant Group’s new store.

Henry, the Union Leader, could not have been unaware of that fact.

Even in such a situation, Oliver felt his insides burning as he saw the leader of the Union not losing his politeness and kindness.

“Would you like to have a cup of tea before you go? We have some leftover stock, so I’ll treat you to some good tea.”

So, it was an offer that he should have refused, but Oliver couldn’t.

He smiled awkwardly and nodded.

“Yes. Thank you for your kindness, Union Leader.”

Just that answer alone seemed to make Henry’s smile brighter.

In the end, he ended up stepping into the Union, his heart half-dragged along.

“…”

Oliver couldn’t help but be surprised at the empty tables without a single guest.

The hall, neatly organized without a speck of dust, was waiting for visitors, but no one came.

The stalls were full of unsold tea.

Contrary to rumors that the quality was poor, the products were all good-looking and had nice colors and scents.

“Oh, right. Someone arrived before you, but you don’t need to worry about it, Oliver.”

Oliver, who had been blankly looking around the inside of the Union, suddenly came to his senses at Henry’s voice.

“Visitors? Do you have guests?”

“No, they’re not guests…”

Henry pointed quietly into the store.

Only then did Oliver notice the two people sitting across from each other in the corner and he involuntarily took a deep breath.

One of the two was Arcus, who rarely came out of his office, unlike Henry, who was always friendly and talkative to guests.

The person sitting across from him was his younger brother, Arendt, who was currently the center of attention.

“Sir Arendt came to visit briefly to discuss business matters. I decided to step aside for a moment as it is something the two of them will have to deal with.”

“Oh, yes…”

As Henry added his explanation, Oliver nodded like an idiot.

After a while, the kitchen staff brought out tea and snacks and placed them in front of Oliver.

Henry sat across from him and poured tea into his own cup.

“This is a newly imported tea from the North. It has a unique aroma. I think you’ll like it.”

“Thank you.”

Oliver accepted the teacup with a slightly uncomfortable feeling.

Henry had always been kind to him whenever he visited the Union, but as things turned out, that familiar kindness had become burdensome.

Oliver knew all too well that this came from his own guilt.

As if reading his mind, Henry was the first to smile bitterly.

“It’s okay. I know very well that it can’t be helped.”

“…I see. Thank you for your hard work, Union Leader.”

Oliver lowered his gaze, not having the courage to meet his eyes.

He fumbled with the teacup a few times, feeling an unnecessary warmth, before hesitating and continuing to speak.

“That, the Union Leader originally worked in the palace… and is also a member of the noble Duke’s family, so you may not have realized it.”

“Yes?”

“Merchants are, by nature, the most sly people in the world. So, don’t trust people too much, and… well, that’s why…”

Oliver just wanted to comfort him and tell him to not feel too hurt, but he couldn’t finish his words. Check latest chapters at novelhall.com

It was because he knew very well that he had no shame.

If a business failed, it means that you had to accept that much loss.

At the same time, he knew very well how much of a sense of defeat that experience would bring.

Even if the economic blow were that great, Oliver could not even begin to imagine the humiliation this young man must have felt inside.

Henry, who had been silent for a long time, opened his mouth.

“…Sly people.”

His tone sounded somehow awkward.

Oliver, who had raised his head in puzzlement, soon found himself face to face with the nobleman’s bitter smile.

Henry added, slightly avoiding Oliver’s gaze.

“It’s… it’s okay. I appreciate your concern, though.”

“Yes?”

Henry smiled awkwardly at Oliver’s bewildered question.

“There are truly sly people out there.”

“What do you mean…”

Oliver still looked like he didn’t understand, but Henry just smiled and tried to cover it up.

This guy was a good merchant and it seemed that it would probably be better for him to remain ignorant in the future.

From the moment he followed Henry into the Union, he too was caught in the net of a certain apprentice knight.