White clouds rose above the endlessly spreading horizon under a piercingly blue sky.Golden sunlight poured over the city streets and buildings, illuminating everything—this was Pentaport, one of the five ports on the Meteor Isles.And among them, the port city directly connected to the Union—Stella.The same place where I once looked down at the beautiful night view while having dinner with Elena.Originally, Stella had been just a small fishing port that carried supplies to various outposts, including those belonging to the underworld.But after the large-scale Dark Archipelago subjugation and the founding of the Union, it had expanded greatly, enough to be called a proper city now.As I arrived near the wharf and felt the strangely nostalgic sea breeze, the lively, bustling atmosphere washed over me.Sniff sniff-.“Heh. Smells good. It’s been a while since I came here.”“Lord Loen, what brings you to this fish-reeking place again?”“……”Same location, completely different reactions.Today’s weekend outing had a rather unusual combination: Garfield—specialized in trade and business—and my bodyguard and exclusive secretary, Ciel.Garfield, of course, was here because his trait [Blessing of Gold] might come in handy for trade. As for Ciel, since she was a major combat asset, she would be useful in case of an emergency.Also, she seemed overworked lately, so I brought her along to have something nice to {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} eat together.“I came to make money today. I’m thinking of doing some investing.”The ten billion krone Illeina gave me.I planned to use it as seed money—to play a bit of money games.“Oh-ho. In that case, this humble one may be of some assistance.”At the mention of investment, Garfield cleared his throat and stepped forward, looking eager.Investment was one of the few fields where Garfield, a student of the Business Department, could fully display his rare talents.“Thanks. If the chance arises, I’ll ask for your help.”“Ah, but I cannot use my family’s influence in trade. I apologize, but that would violate the law.”“I know.”Since Garfield had not yet begun his official successor training, he couldn’t use the Moti family’s prestige in transactions.Sure, borrowing the name of Moti—one of the continent’s three great merchant guilds—would make business easier, but I hadn’t brought him for his background. I needed his trait, so it didn’t matter.Ciel, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.“If you mean investment, are you planning to use the money you received from Lady Illeina not long ago?”“Yeah. What else would I have to use?”“…You do know what that fund represents, don’t you?”“Of course. Don’t worry, I won’t use it carelessly.”Normally, Loen would’ve thrown money around and lost it on ridiculous ventures, but I wasn’t him.As Ciel said, this was the sincerity of Illeina and the hard-earned money of the Izelin students.It was precious to me as well—I wasn’t about to lose it.I had already verified everything in advance through the underworld’s intelligence network.“……”Ciel still looked doubtful, but she seemed somewhat convinced—for now.It must be because I’d been showing some reformed behavior lately.After checking my newly adjusted wristwatch, I pointed toward the port’s restaurant district.“The spice market won’t open for another hour. Let’s go to a café and talk for a bit.”***We wandered through Stella’s restaurant district and entered a café with a pleasant atmosphere to enjoy some sweet desserts.Even Ciel, who’d looked slightly displeased earlier, seemed to relax after sipping on her bubble tea.As for Garfield—well, he was always happy when there was food, no explanation needed.“So, Lord Loen, what are you planning to invest in?”“The Lombard Merchant Guild. They mainly handle maritime trade with the New Continent—spices and local specialties.”“Oh-ho, fine judgment indeed. The Lombard Guild also trades several items with my family, so I’m familiar with them. The guild master is competent, and since they’re connected to a cadet branch of the imperial family, they receive the Empire’s protection. That makes them relatively free from disputes—low uncertainty. How much are you planning to invest?”“Half of what I have. About five billion krone.”Hearing that, Garfield stroked his chin and nodded slowly.“For a student, that’s a fair amount—but in absolute terms, not that large.”Five billion wasn’t pocket change, but to someone like Garfield, heir to one of the continent’s three major merchant guilds handling money in the trillion range, it didn’t seem impressive.And since I was also from the great noble House of de Valis of the West, he probably thought such capital was easily accessible to me.“How much profit are you aiming for?”“The more, the better. The faster, the better.”“Hmmm. In that case, instead of investing in the Lombard Guild, why not try growing a small merchant group yourself? The risks are higher, but you could make a huge profit in a short time.”“Too uncertain. This money is important. And that would require too much hands-on work.”Building a merchant group was tempting, but as a student bound to the Academy, I couldn’t practically manage it.Of course, if I really wanted to, it wasn’t impossible—but there were too many other things demanding my attention right now.“…Wanting high returns in a short time. There’s no such method in this world, Lord Loen.”“I agree as well.”I didn’t disagree with that statement.But that was just general theory—it didn’t apply to me, at least not now.“It’s fine. I have solid intel. This time, I’m planning to rake it in from both the top and the bottom.”“High-grade information, you say… Then that changes things. May I hear it?”“Of course.”After taking a sip of coffee, I began explaining the plan in earnest.“By the end of April, Lombard Guild’s merchant ships will return to Stella Port after stopping by the New Continent’s spice-producing regions.”“Mm. I’ve heard that too. But according to rumors, this voyage’s profit won’t be very good. I heard several misfortunes struck them. If you’re investing, the timing seems poor.”“That’s exactly the point. The rumor is the problem.”At my words, Garfield’s eyes widened.“Don’t tell me… someone intentionally spread that rumor?”“Exactly. Information manipulation.”I nodded slowly, lost in thought.Since the Age of Exploration—when the East India Company was founded and stock and futures trading emerged—this kind of thing had happened constantly, even into the modern era.When information took time to spread across continents and it was hard to distinguish truth from falsehood, all the more so.In that sense, the Mirellin Saga’s historical backdrop was the perfect environment for manipulating prices through false rumors.Even though telephones existed, they were limited to areas like the Union or the Magic Tower—places housing the pinnacle of human technology. Radio-type magic also couldn’t reach across entire continents and oceans.“If we exploit this, we can make a fortune. What do you think, Garfield?”For once, Garfield looked serious as he considered it.“Hmm… if Lord Loen’s words are true, then yes, profiting from both the rise and the fall is possible. The prices of the four major spices circulating the Meteor Isles—pepper, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg—have all skyrocketed under the influence of those rumors.”Drought in the New Continent had supposedly damaged the spice harvest, and on top of that, rumors spread that several cargo ships had been destroyed by storms.That meant supply disruptions, so naturally, spice prices in the current market had soared.'But it was all intentional misinformation.'It was true that drought had hit parts of the New Continent, but only certain regions—spice production hadn’t been affected. And while Lombard’s ships had indeed met storms, none had sunk.In other words, the supply would soon stabilize, and the inflated prices across the Meteor Isles would return to normal.I intended to profit from that correction.“You’re planning to trade in futures?”“That’s right. I’ll bet half my money on the fall of spice prices, and with the other half, I’ll buy the currently undervalued shares of the Lombard Guild. And while I’m at it, I’ll teach whoever spread those rumors a lesson.”Since the price correction was inevitable, I would short the spices through futures trading.And buying Lombard stock now was equivalent to buying an undervalued blue chip at its lowest point.“Indeed. A brilliant plan—if it succeeds.”Ciel, listening to our conversation with intrigued eyes, finished her bubble tea with a sip before asking me,“You seem to have prepared more than I expected, which is surprising. But in the end, the key to such a strategy lies in the source of your information. Where did you get it?”At her sharp question, I shrugged evasively.“That’s… a secret.”How was I supposed to say it came from an event that already happened in the game?When I withheld the source, Ciel’s suspicious gaze returned.I gave a sheepish smile and looked away.Sensing the awkward air, Garfield broke in smoothly.“Well, surely Lord Loen wouldn’t spin such a grand tale out of thin air, yes? Why not trust him this once…”“You should trust those worthy of trust.”“Ah, right.”Momentarily convinced, Garfield nodded, then quickly looked to me and added, flustered,“O-of course, I trust Lord Loen! Ahem.”“…Even if it’s just lip service, I appreciate it.”I shrugged and emptied my cup.Since Garfield and Ciel also seemed to have finished their food, it was time to move.“Let’s go. The spice market should be open by now.”***The Meteor Isles’ spice market was quite large compared to its population.Since the Isles lay between the Old Continent and the New, many middle traders passed through.Amid the lively crowd, as we reached the sector selling spices, a sharp, exotic scent filled my nose.Dozens—hundreds—of tents lined up, each stacked with colorful bags of spices.From garlic and chili, favored by Koreans, to pepper, which dominated most of the trade volume.We walked through the bustling spice market until we reached the largest and most reputable spice trader here—the Bellatea Guild.As we neared the guild’s headquarters, a Bellatea merchant who’d been handling transactions nearby approached us.Noticing our attire, he greeted us with a bright smile.“Welcome~ Oh, my, Union students, are you? From the cooking club, perhaps?”He seemed to think we’d come to buy spices for cooking, so I slowly shook my head.“No. We’re here for futures trading.”At that, the merchant gave an awkward smile and asked again,“Ah, I see, you must be from the investment club then. Please, come inside. May I have your name?”“Loen de Valis.”“Ah, Student Loen de Valis. Oh, de Valis? Loen…?”The merchant, who had asked my name without much thought, slowly froze up.To confirm his suspicion, I added calmly,“Yes, the very delinquent you’re thinking of. Go and tell the guild manager to come greet me.”

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