BVSSA 02

Chapter 02

I swallowed hard before finally opening my mouth.

“……I apologize. My throat caught for a moment. Please allow me to continue.”

My last hope of survival was simple.

Just do as I was told, without resisting.

After clearing my throat, I carefully began answering Arden’s question.

“Seven years ago, when the Duchy’s specialty product, the Airen flower, became popular throughout the Empire, some merchants began distributing the seeds of a poisonous plant that looked remarkably similar. As a result, I……”

“I know the circumstances surrounding the incident. What I want to know is how you distinguished the ‘fake’ seeds.”

Arden cut me off without hesitation, then added in a chilling voice,

“Are you seriously claiming that you, who were only fourteen at the time, possessed enough botanical knowledge to identify them?”

Look at the way he talks.

Is this an interview or an interrogation?

My expression nearly cracked, but I somehow managed to maintain my smile.

“No, sir.”

“I see. Then……”

“Botanical knowledge wasn’t necessary in the first place. There was something suspicious about the sacks containing the seeds.”

The Airen flower had become a nationwide sensation, and as a result, countless Imperial citizens had suffered losses from purchasing counterfeit seeds.

However, not a single incident occurred involving the seeds distributed through Sirena, the small port city where I had lived.

“The sacks, you say?”

“Yes. The seeds are sensitive to moisture, so they must be stored in specially treated double-layered sacks. However, the shipment that arrived that day was packed in single-layered sacks. I thought it was strange that anyone would send such valuable cargo in such careless packaging.”

The moment I noticed something was wrong, I had every sack opened and inspected.

It was a rather old-fashioned method of testing the seeds by seeing whether they floated in water. The inspection took several times longer than usual, but it was worth the effort.

“After conducting a complete inspection, I discovered that the entire shipment consisted of counterfeit seeds and was able to take the necessary measures.”

Of course, the sacks weren’t the only suspicious thing. The expressions of the Duchy’s sailors transporting the cargo were different from usual, too.

But adding such unnecessary details would only make my explanation longer.

Having said enough, I closed my mouth and nervously watched Arden.

His eyes were fixed on my résumé and letters of recommendation, yet his expression remained utterly indifferent.

Somehow, that made him even more frightening.

His face showed not the slightest trace of warmth, and even his eyes were devoid of emotion. He hardly seemed human at all. He felt more like some fictional creature.

When is this going to end? Surely I’ve been here for quite a while already.

“I have one final question.”

Finally!

I composed my expression and calmly nodded.

“You said earlier that you didn’t know what kind of trading company La Mar was.”

Damn it.

Before I had realized Arden’s true identity, I had actually said something that stupid.

But I hadn’t had any opportunity to learn about the company. I had only arrived in the capital a few days ago after spending my entire life in a rural port town.

I was too busy looking for a job to find out what kind of goods the company traded! Besides, even if I had researched it, La Mar is such a secretive trading company that there’s no way an ordinary job seeker like me could have learned anything useful.

“Then why did you apply?”

My mind began racing.

The original story takes place one year from now. Most of the information I know concerns events around that time.

In other words, I had no idea what La Mar was currently involved in. Trying to guess would be practically suicidal.

On the other hand, giving some harmless answer like I wanted an opportunity to grow professionally was out of the question, too.

I can’t afford to get hired! I’m supposed to fail this interview!

Then what should I say?

There’s no choice but to be honest.

An answer occurred to me. It was consistent with everything I had said so far, while also being precisely the sort of response an employer would hate most.

After all, there was only one clear reason I had applied to La Mar despite knowing absolutely nothing about the company.

“Your job advertisement stated that you guaranteed the highest salary in the industry.”

“So, in other words, money?”

“Yes. To be honest, I was skeptical at first. But after coming here, I realized that the claim probably wasn’t a lie. I also got the impression that your company wouldn’t have any trouble paying its employees on time.”

“Huh.”

Was that a scoff?

“And what gave you that impression?”

After asking, Arden lowered his gaze to the documents again.

Perhaps it was merely a routine question. Or maybe my answer had been so ridiculous that he had asked without thinking.

Either way, I needed to answer and get out of here as quickly as possible.

I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Because you use genuine Blackwood furniture.”

“……What did you say?”

“Blackwood. It’s an extremely slow-growing tree species. It takes nearly a hundred years for one to grow large enough to be made into furniture. That’s why it’s incredibly expensive.”

Even wealthy people often used dark wood painted black instead of genuine Blackwood.

With high-quality dye, the two were nearly indistinguishable to the naked eye.

“However, I noticed that not only the desk in this office but all the desks in the main office are made of genuine Blackwood. That’s why I figured the company wouldn’t have any trouble paying its employees.”

“Are you saying you identified it just by looking at it? The moment you entered for the interview?”

“Yes, sir.”

To be precise, I had become familiar with the differences after inspecting countless pieces of dark wood furniture painted black during my previous work.

This was actually my first time seeing genuine Blackwood in person. Still, its subtle sheen was noticeably more refined and smooth.

Well, the entire office was practically painted black. I noticed it while looking around. I suppose that’s what happens when you’re the mastermind behind everything.

Speaking of which, not only his clothes but even his office was completely black.

Was he expressing his entire personality through his interior design so nobody would mistake him for anything other than a villain?

At this point, it wasn’t a matter of taste anymore. It was an obsession.

Suppressing the urge to shudder, I politely asked,

“Then, have you finished your questions?”

“……Yes. We’ll contact you through the employment agency.”

“Thank you very much.”

As I turned to leave, I thought to myself,

Well.

I definitely won’t be hearing from them.

I thought I was going to suffocate in there.

Only after backing out and closing the office door behind me could I finally take a deep breath.

Still, at least that was over.

I’ll definitely be rejected, right? Of course I will. Arden didn’t seem particularly pleased with me.

I was actually quite good at reading situations like this.

Even without my knowledge of the original story, I had sensed it the moment I stepped into the interview room.

There was little chance I’d get hired.

On top of that, I’d stumbled over my words several times during the interview. The result was practically decided.

Surely he won’t do something terrible to me just because I failed an interview……? It’s a little unsettling that I practically handed over all my personal information with my own two hands, but it’s not as though I can sneak back in and steal it.

After adjusting my glasses and straightening my clothes, I headed down the corridor.

Someone was leaning against a doorway in the distance. It was the employee who had greeted me when I first knocked on La Mar’s door.

“So, how’d the interview go?”

“Haha. I hope it went well.”

“Our boss isn’t exactly an easy person to deal with, is he?”

Despite his somewhat intimidating appearance, the man spoke to me in a surprisingly friendly manner.

His name was Luther.

I desperately resisted the urge to agree with him outright and forced a polite smile.

“I learned quite a lot, thanks to him. It was a valuable experience.”

Apparently, he hadn’t expected that answer.

“Oh……” Luther stared at me for a moment before breaking into a grin.

“Well, you certainly worked hard. Here’s your interview allowance.”

Before I could even properly take it, he slipped an envelope into my bag and waved his hand.

“Take care on your way out.”

At last, I left La Mar.

The company’s logo was engraved on the closed door.

I stared at the waves, jagged cliffs, and the silhouette of someone seated upon a rock depicted in the emblem before letting out a hollow laugh.

“Mr. Mason always said people from the capital couldn’t be trusted. I never expected to meet the most untrustworthy person in the entire city here.”

Mason, the owner of my former workplace, Mason Trading Company, and I had maintained a fairly close relationship for seven years.

The only reason I had come to the capital was that Mason had decided to retire.

Traveling around the world after retirement had been his lifelong dream. However, he had hesitated because he was worried about what would happen to me after losing my job.

It had only been a few days since I had finally given him the little push he needed and said goodbye.

Putting those thoughts aside, I resumed walking with renewed determination.

“First things first. Back to the employment agency.”

Meeting Arden had been a shocking experience, but I still had things to take care of.

I had debts to repay.

And not just ordinary debts. I was entangled with some particularly vicious loan sharks.

The principal is a little over 200 million gold, but the monthly interest alone comes to five million gold.……At this rate, paying off the principal is practically impossible.

The debt had come from my father’s gambling, so there was no legal way to have it forgiven, either.

That meant I had to find a job as quickly as possible.

Come to think of it, how much did they give me for the interview allowance?

I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the job advertisement.

[※ Guaranteed salary among the highest in the industry]

[※ Salary provided during the one-month probationary period]

The salary conditions alone were tempting enough to catch anyone’s attention.

But there was another line that had played an even bigger role in convincing me to apply.

[※ Interview allowance paid immediately]

That was the biggest reason I’d submitted my application.

I was desperate for every last coin I could get my hands on.

Of course, just because a company uses expensive furniture doesn’t necessarily mean it pays its employees well. And considering that the owner is Arden……I shouldn’t get my hopes up too much.

But the moment I found the envelope and picked it up—

“Huh? With an envelope this thick……?”