Lucas stared, dumbfounded.

"…If I fail to attend the transaction three times consecutively," he murmured quietly as he reread the line, "the field will be managed directly by the Guild... for efficiency?"

He slowly lifted his head.

Silas merely gave a small smile. Thin. Too polished.

Cunning, Lucas thought. Extremely cunning.

This wasn't about tomato harvests. This was about long-term control. The moment he slipped up, the Guild would step in, legally. Cleanly. With no one to blame.

And yet—

Lucas clenched his fingers against the edge of the paper.

With this scheme, the Voss family's debt could be paid off, especially since the harvest could be done weekly.

An opportunity like this wouldn't come twice.

"…Fine," Lucas said at last, his tone flat. "An interesting clause."

Silas's smile widened slightly. Very slightly, but enough.

Lucas lowered the paper, then turned toward the Baron.

"Father," he said shortly. "Allow me to use my personal seal."

The Baron fell silent.

His gaze shifted to Silas. To the metal insignia of the Merchants' Guild on the man's chest. He clearly had no desire to prolong the discussion, much less cause tension in front of a guild representative.

Even so, hesitation was plainly visible on his face.

"I want to see the clause," the Baron said at last.

Lucas immediately handed over the document.

"There's no need to worry, Father," he said calmly. "This only concerns the land on the edge of the village that you granted to me. Nothing more."

The Baron read it.

Once. Twice.

His brows furrowed, then slowly relaxed. There were no provisions touching the family's core assets. Nothing that directly harmed the Voss name.

…Legally.

The contents merely stated that the location of the transaction would be determined by the Guild one day prior to harvest, and that if his son failed to attend the transaction three times consecutively, the Guild would manage the field for efficiency.

The Baron let out a long breath.

"Very well," he said at last.

He pulled open a desk drawer, took out a small round object with a short handle, and handed it to Lucas.

Lucas did not hesitate. He opened the underside of the seal, which looked like a small bottle cap.

The seal was pressed onto the paper.

Thud.

Dark red ink spread across the page, forming the letters V and S, intertwined in a floral pattern — resembling a blooming orchid.

Lucas stared at it for a moment.

Then he handed the document back to Silas.

Silas received it with both hands and bowed politely.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Young Master," he said smoothly. "I hope the upcoming duel goes as you wish."

He glanced briefly at Lucas, then added, "I wish you victory."

Lucas clicked his tongue softly.

"Tch."

He crossed his arms.

He's convinced I'm going to lose, he muttered. No wonder the clause was so strange. His eyes settled on Silas.

"Wait. There's something you should know," Lucas said as he closed the seal.

Silas frowned slightly, then asked politely, "And what might that be, Young Master?"

Lucas let out a slow breath.

"Harvests can be done once a week and tomorrow is harvest day. So you might as well decide now where the transaction will take place…" he said firmly, his tone arrogant, complete with deliberate gestures to reinforce the vibe of an overbearing noble.

Silas smiled. Every week? Wow… I'm really excavating a treasure trove here, he thought.

Silas cleared his throat.

"For the first transaction, it would be best to conduct it post-harvest, right at your field, Young Master. I will handle the rest. You only need to harvest those high-quality tomatoes," he said with a smile.

Silas took his leave with flawless manners and exited the room.

Once the door closed—

Lucas looked down at the seal in his hand once more.

Lucas handed the seal back into the Baron's hand.

The Baron froze. His eyes widened slightly.

"…You only needed it for that?" he asked, almost reflexively.

Lucas already understood everything.

He didn't want drama. He didn't want a long explanation. He didn't want unnecessary emotional scenes.

"Yes," he answered shortly. "I don't need it for anything else."

He paused for a moment, then added in a flat but pointed tone,

"Just keep it. You might need it later."

Lucas looked straight at the Baron.

"You want to be a good father, don't you?"

The Baron stared, stunned.

No answer came.

Lucas didn't wait. He gave a slight, polite nod— mere formality— then turned and left. Silvara, who had been silent the entire time, immediately followed behind him.

They walked along the manor corridor.

After a few steps, Silvara finally spoke.

"Why do you always mock the Baron and Baroness?" she asked coldly.

Lucas replied without turning around.

"I'm not mocking them."

Silvara frowned.

"Then what was that just now?"

"I'm just playing the role of Lucian," Lucas said briefly.

"…Is that so?" Silvara stared at his back. "For some reason, I feel like something's off."

Lucas didn't respond.

When they reached an intersection in the corridor, he stopped.

"I'm going to my room," he said shortly.

Without waiting for an answer, he walked away.

---

Inside the room—

The moment the door closed, the familiar panel appeared before him.

[Ding!]

[(￣▽￣)ノ

STATUS UPDATE!]

+50 EXP

+35 PP

[Reason:

Successfully formed a legal agreement to settle debt.

Dared to take a strategic risk.]

Lucas narrowed his eyes.

"…Why the delay?" He said.

[(・_・?)]

"Usually after I do something, the EXP comes in immediately," Lucas continued casually.

"Were you afraid of interrupting the moment earlier?"

[(;￣Д￣）

Y-yeah?

Did you really want me to pop up and block your view back then?]

Lucas clicked his tongue.

"Hell no."

He dropped into a chair and leaned his head back.

The room felt oddly quiet, the weight of recent decisions settling in as Lucas exhaled slowly, gathering his thoughts carefully.

"Per Libra Guild?" he muttered. "What's the benchmark, anyway?"

The panel appeared again.

[Ding!]

[(￣ー￣)✓

Libra Guild is equivalent to... ]

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