The estate of the ducal House Arbenia.

Sprawling gardens, magnificent buildings, and more servants than one could take in at a glance. Its grandeur certainly befitted the ducal house's renown. Stepping out of the carriage, Dieta sighed before the family home she had returned to for the first time in five years.

Her family home. The place where she had been born and spent her childhood.

Yet she felt not the slightest trace of the comfort or warmth that should have come with returning home. This estate held no particular memories for Dieta. At most, there were memories of her mother, but...

She had long since forgotten those memories.

When she saw the body of her mother, who had hanged herself before her eyes, every memory had become a nightmare. Dieta had swept away all those memories that brought her sorrow whenever she recalled them.

"Whew..."

Letting out a long breath, Dieta headed inside the estate. Unlike her older brother and sisters, who traveled with a host of retainers, she had only her bodyguard, the knight Pasion, accompanying her.

She walked on under the servants' gazes.

* * *

"Allow me to escort you, Lady Dieta."

Dieta followed the servant's lead.

This was nothing like the old days, when she had walked with her head bowed, making herself all but invisible in her lavish dresses. Now she walked down the estate's corridors wearing her uniform as the head of a trading company.

As though she had come not as Dieta Arbenia, but as Dieta, head of a trading company.

There was therefore no particular need to lower her head. Her steps brought her to the reception room. She entered through the door the servant opened... and found the master of the ducal House Arbenia waiting for her.

Osman Arbenia.

Dieta's biological father and the head of the ducal House Arbenia. His eyes held the same vivid yellow as hers. Their gazes met briefly before Osman Arbenia smiled brightly.

"It has been a long time, Dieta."

Dieta clicked her tongue inwardly at Osman's smile. Putting on an act right from the start, was he? But there was no need to reveal her thoughts. Returning his smile, she sat in one of the chairs in the reception room.

"It has, Father."

"Indeed. It has been five years since you left the family, hasn't it? When you vanished after leaving a single letter saying you wanted to see the wider world, I was so worried..."

Osman paused briefly, then continued.

"Still, you were with a trustworthy knight, and when word reached me from Cambria that you were doing well, I could finally put my mind at ease."

A father worried about his daughter who had left home.

His tone was natural, and so was his expression. But Dieta knew all too well that it was merely a mask.

She remembered Osman looking at her mother's cold corpse with equally cold eyes, clicking his tongue, and ordering, ["Clear it away."]

Nor had she forgotten the way his eyes had assessed her worth as she stood beside the body. Still smiling, Dieta nodded.

"Yes, I am doing my utmost to live without tarnishing the Arbenia name. I am honored that word of it has reached even you, Father."

"To think you rose from the very bottom to lead a trading company that holds sway over a city in just five years. I am so proud of you."

Osman smiled.

"Dieta Trading Company. I have heard a great deal about the company you named after yourself. There are nasty rumors circulating that you are Arbenia's abandoned child... but how could I ever abandon you? You are the only thing she left behind."

Lies. Lies passed back and forth, along with false smiles. Both conversed behind their masks. And when the conversation had ripened sufficiently...

"The reason I summoned you today is none other than to commend your achievements."

Osman Arbenia broached the matter at hand.

Dieta watched Osman. She sharpened her attention, determined to understand the meaning behind every word he spoke.

"I was quite surprised by the company you built after leaving home, through your own strength alone rather than the family's influence. That is worthy of praise."

She had expected this much.

Dieta lowered her head. Why had he summoned her back to the family? After pondering that question on the carriage ride, she had reached several conclusions.

Her company was firmly established, an achievement substantial enough even in the eyes of the head of the ducal House Arbenia.

Dieta had proven her worth. And Osman Arbenia assessed people's worth. To him, Dieta would be too valuable to leave abandoned—a talent capable of creating even greater value if he took her back in.

'So...'

He would want to establish a connection between the company and the ducal House Arbenia. Was he now trying to correct the rumors that she was an abandoned child and welcome her as a member of the family? Of course, she had not been that optimistic.

'It will be bait.'

Osman would establish ties with her company, then gradually seize control. In the end, he would try to swallow it whole. Dieta had come here despite anticipating all of that.

The reason was simple.

She was confident. If that was the extent of his scheming, she could take control of it and turn it into a mere stepping stone to raise her company even higher. She had come here with her resolve firmly set.

"Unlike your older siblings, you have accomplished something remarkable. An impressive feat at such a young age. At any rate..."

But...

"Do you know what your brother is doing these days? He takes after me in having a quick mind, and he has secured quite a high position, but he lacks the experience and results to match. It is a pity that, talented as he is, he has yet to earn recognition for want of achievements."

Those were words she had not expected.

Why was he bringing up her older brother? Sensing something amiss, Dieta raised her head. Osman Arbenia was looking down at her.

His vivid yellow eyes were utterly cold.

"Dieta Arbenia."

Osman spoke her name.

"You are my child. A member of Arbenia."

"..."

"You are not an abandoned child. You are a member of Arbenia. And family must help one another. Don't they say there is no bond stronger than blood?"

Dieta understood the situation.

She grasped Osman's intent. And because she did, an incredulous laugh escaped her lips. Osman Arbenia was telling her to hand the company over to her older brother.

To surrender the company she had spent five years building, all to add a mere line or two to the résumé of her brother, who needed achievements. That was what Osman was saying.

"Your Grace, your judgment is mistaken."

Dieta spoke.

She addressed him as the duke, not her father.

"The company is sustained by my management. There is no chance it will run smoothly simply because someone else takes over as its head. More importantly..."

Dieta gave a bitter smile.

"Is that truly all you believe I am worth, Your Grace? I reached this position in five years. Are you not curious how far I might rise in another five?"

You have misjudged my worth. My value does not end at so little.

As Osman himself had said, Dieta had results to her name. And because she did, she challenged him. This was a mistake. He was cutting open the goose that laid golden eggs.

Wasn't his way to establish a connection with the company instead, then slowly bring it under his control?

Wouldn't cutting her open merely to swallow a single company be a loss for him?

"You have grown so much, Dieta."

Osman merely smiled in response to her words. His mask remained firm.

"There have been many offers of marriage for you. Many prestigious houses have expressed an interest in you. No doubt they value you highly because you built a company in Cambria."

He did not answer her question. He simply said what he wanted to say. And, as was generally the case for those who conversed with Osman...

"They place a very high value on you. There is so much they are willing to offer for a marriage with you."

Listening to him, Dieta could not help but understand Osman's intent. Osman Arbenia assessed worth. And he was neither undervaluing Dieta nor dismissing her.

He had simply identified her value—and its peak.

The company Dieta had built was already firmly established. She was of marriageable age, and her beauty had fully blossomed. Both the company and Dieta herself were now at their most valuable.

Sell when the value is highest.

That was an ironclad rule among merchants, and common sense.

Osman Arbenia was a merchant as well as a noble. He believed politics was ultimately nothing more than doing business under the guise of a just cause.

"Do you remember the annex where you lived with your mother? Wait there. Guests will be coming, and I will summon you separately."

The annex stood at the far edge of the domain, distant from the family estate. It was where her mother had been banished after burns to her face had robbed her of her value. Dieta knew very well what that annex was called.

Arbenia's Birdcage.

A prison where those who had lost their value were exiled, or confined so they could not escape. Reading Osman's intent, Dieta's expression twisted.

2.

The second day's examination had also ended smoothly.

Leaving behind the examiner, who had given him a passing score with an incredulous expression, Najin headed toward his lodging. As he walked, his gaze shifted. An ornate carriage was passing through the parting crowd.

'What a fuss.'

—Looks like some noble is paying a visit?

Najin narrowed his eyes at the family crest engraved on the carriage. A crest depicting something like a snake. He had seen it somewhere before.

—Arbenia?

'You know that crest?'

—Yes. There was a fellow in my time who stood on the battlefield waving a banner with that crest.

Half listening to her story, Najin rubbed his chin. Arbenia, Arbenia... Turning the name over in his mind, he let out a brief sigh. He remembered.

Arbenia's abandoned child.

When that "minor" quarrel with a noble had occurred, the noble had certainly called Dieta that. Had the family Dieta belonged to sent someone? With that thought, Najin watched where the carriage was going.

It was headed toward the trading company.

Eventually, the carriage stopped and its passengers stepped out. Four knights in gleaming, polished armor, followed by a man in an elaborate uniform under their protection. Unlike Dieta, the man had brilliant blond hair.

He headed toward the company's building with the knights in tow. Four knights walked behind him. Then another knight in shabby armor followed after them. He was a familiar figure.

Dieta's bodyguard, Pasion.

CLINK.

He suddenly looked back.

The moment his eyes met Najin's, Pasion's gaze wavered. But only briefly. Gritting his teeth, he followed the man inside the company.

... It was a day later that the company's name changed from "Dieta" to "Arbenia," and that a letter from the Arbenia Trading Company arrived for Najin.

3.

An invitation from the Arbenia Trading Company.

With the invitation in hand, Najin headed to the company. The building itself had not changed much, but knights stood guard at the stairs leading to the office. They let him pass when he showed them his invitation.

He climbed the stairs to the top floor.

Unlike before, servants were bustling about there. Najin did not even have to knock himself. A servant who noticed him knocked on his behalf, then opened the door for him.

Inside the office he entered, the brown-haired girl who had always sat there and greeted him warmly was nowhere to be found. Instead, a blond young man sat in the office, with two knights standing guard beside him. One was Pasion, who had been Dieta's bodyguard.

"Oh, an honored guest has arrived."

The young man seated in the place of honor smiled.

As Najin stared blankly at him, the knight standing beside the young man glared.

"Show proper respect to Lord Agesio. Bow in greeting and state your name."

The knight looked ready to spring forward at any moment.

Najin frowned at his barked command. At Najin's disdainful look, the knight was about to reach for the sword at his waist when...

"Hahaha!"

The young man burst out laughing.

"Indeed, this is how an adventurer renowned in Cambria ought to be. Sir Phileon? There is no need to be so strict. This is Cambria, the City of Opportunity, is it not? When one visits a city of adventurers, it is only right to follow their rules."

Still smiling, he continued.

"I am Agesio Arbenia, the eldest child of the ducal House Arbenia."

"I am Ivan, a Green-rank adventurer."

"Yes. I have heard a little about you. I understand you were on good terms with the former head of the company... my younger sister."

As he spoke, Agesio crooked a finger.

"Sit down first. If I have to look up at you for a few seconds longer, Sir Phileon might break your knees and force you to kneel."

The knight stood beside Agesio.

Glancing at the glaring knight, Najin had to admit he did look ready to charge at any moment. Najin let out a short breath, then sat in the chair before him.

"Well, I did not summon you for any particularly grand reason. Having taken over the company, I have been checking the ledgers and making various adjustments... and I found quite a significant amount written about you."

Talented individuals in whom the company invested.

Among those entries, Dieta had personally written the section on investments related to Najin. Armor made from Bloodred Troll hide, and the many items she had planned to provide him.

Dieta's assessment of Najin described him as "a talent with the potential to aim for White Horn rank."

Agesio did not believe every part of that assessment, but it was worth considering. After all, rumors about the adventurer before him had traveled beyond Cambria and reached even his ears.

"A leading figure in the Demon Knight campaign. I have heard a few rumors about you. It would be stranger not to know, when none other than the knights of Atanga have spoken your name."

Agesio smiled with his arms crossed.

"As you can see, I have secured the position of company head, but I have no intention of staying here very long. This is merely a temporary stop for me. That said, I do not intend to do a careless job."

He looked Najin straight in the eye.

"Would you care to make a deal with me?"

"A deal, you say?"

"Yes. I will remain in this city for a few months at most... but during those months, I intend to gather talented people. I need to build a record of achievements while investing in the future."

He extended a hand toward Najin.

"Surely your talents deserve more than a city like this? The ducal House Arbenia will serve as your backing. Above all, you seem to admire knights..."

Agesio Arbenia smiled.

"A knighthood is hardly difficult to arrange. If you accept my offer, I would be more than happy to hold an investiture for you."