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Chapter 28
The merchants from the trading company were bewildered.
The lord’s daughter was stepping up because soldiers had been scammed?
It wasn’t like military funds were embezzled, so why was she involved?
When a government employee gets scammed at a market, a minister doesn’t personally intervene.
As the merchants exchanged uneasy looks, the head merchant finally stepped forward.
“It’s an honor to meet such a distinguished young lady. Haha.”
Others might have been surprised that she was the lord’s daughter — but not him.
Clearly, this noble girl was trying to flaunt her authority before the soldiers.
Unfortunately for her, she’d picked the wrong opponent.
He would silence her with his eloquence.
“To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”
“It’s about the defective goods we bought here.”
“Ah, yes. We exchanged them according to the contract.”
The head merchant smiled confidently at Eustea.
Go on then, let’s see you pull out the contract.
Eustea spoke slowly.
“My soldier ate the potato you exchanged — and this happened.”
One of the soldiers stretched out his lips, revealing a broken canine tooth.
What nonsense was this?
How could someone lose a tooth from eating a potato?
“Pardon? Haha, in all my life, I’ve never heard of someone breaking a tooth on a potato.”
“I thought so too. There’s no way that could happen from a potato, right?”
“Of course not—”
“Then maybe the problem is with your potatoes. You sell those strange magical tools, right? What if the potatoes were affected by them? And if the potatoes were affected, what about other food products you sell?”
The merchants couldn’t help but laugh nervously at her absurd logic.
“That’s ridiculous…”
“Indeed it is.”
But the head merchant’s face stiffened.
Wait. Could this girl possibly be aiming for… that?
Eustea lowered her eyebrows sorrowfully.
“If you won’t admit it, then I suppose I’ll have no choice but to request a full food-safety inspection of all your products from the Imperial Palace…”
“…!”
The head merchant flinched.
When a product defect is reported, a safety inspection is conducted.
Normally, a trading company wouldn’t fear that — at worst, they’d have to recall the faulty goods and pay a fine.
That’s why they sold low-quality junk so carelessly.
But food was a different story.
Even just being inspected was a heavy blow.
Food had expiration dates.
By the time those slow government inspectors finished their review, everything would’ve spoiled and become unsellable.
So that’s what she’s after!
The head merchant went pale and pleaded.
“L-lady, please! That would ruin us!”
“Oh, come on. You don’t sell only food, do you?”
“Our biggest trade item is tea leaves! You know that!”
“Perfect, tea leaves last a long time.”
“Those inspectors will ruin our premium leaves!”
Hearing the merchant’s desperate voice, the other traders finally understood what was happening.
They’ll confiscate all our food?
Do you know how much we paid for that?!
They rushed to back him up.
“A-ahem! Come to think of it, the potatoes did feel kind of like rocks!”
“Y-yes, yes! There was definitely something wrong with them!”
Eustea smiled brightly.
“Oh really? Then those potatoes were faulty goods after all. I suppose an exchange is in order.”
“O-of course! We’ll even refund—”
“Ah-ah, no refunds. The contract clearly states ‘absolutely no refunds.’ But an exchange will do.”
“Then perhaps you’d like to choose from our weapons or magical tools instead—”
“Would you really? Boys, go pick out some weapons.”
Eustea’s gentle tone made the soldiers’ eyes light up.
They eagerly roamed around the display racks.
“Ooh, this sword looks nice.”
“Then I’ll take this crossbow — solid and reliable.”
“What’s this magical device?”
“No idea. Just grab it.”
They laughed and grabbed whatever caught their eye — all absurdly expensive goods.
The merchants turned ashen.
“That sword costs twice as much as the original product!”
“Hmm, in that case, maybe we should go ahead with that food-safety inspection…”
“Aah…!”
Every time the merchants tried to argue, Eustea softly mentioned “inspection.”
In the end, the merchants suffered losses worth several times the amount they’d originally scammed.
Eustea looked down at the head merchant, who sat there in shock.
“Ah, and because of your magical tools, part of our fortress collapsed. I’ll be sending an administrator to discuss compensation.”
“C-compensation…?!”
“We’ll have to trade again next time, won’t we?”
Her meaning was clear: If you don’t pay compensation willingly, I’ll bring up inspections again at the next trade.
With that, Eustea and her squad left the building cheerfully.
The soldiers chattered excitedly as they walked.
“We got stuff we could never afford with our wages!”
“Lucky us!”
Eustea smiled warmly at their excitement.
Her mother had once led one of the Empire’s top merchant guilds —
so Eustea knew better than anyone where merchants’ weaknesses lay.
The head merchant vowed grimly to himself:
Next time I try to pull a scam, I’ll make sure my victim doesn’t have a terrifying guardian behind her!
* * *
The Antonia squad treated the seized weapons like sacred treasures.
“Never used gear like this before.”
“Yeah, the expensive stuff really is different — it even feels right in your hands.”
They polished the weapons with such enthusiasm that it seemed the blades might wear down instead.
“Lady, would you like some tea?”
A squad member around her age brought her a cup.
“We had this kind of tea in the fortress?”
It looked quite fancy.
“We pooled our money to buy it — for you, my lady.”
He grinned — his broken canine tooth visible.
As Eustea lifted the teacup, a thought crossed her mind.
This is bad…
The more she looked around, the clearer it became — their conditions were terrible.
After seeing the dazzling splendor of Escarot, the contrast hit even harder.
Most of their mission earnings were poured into maintaining San Miguel, leaving the squad in worsening circumstances.
After some thought, Eustea asked,
“Sir Antonio, where are the captain and vice-captain?”
“Probably in the barracks. You going to see them?”
“Yes.”
Charry stood to accompany her, but Antonio waved her off.
“Stay here. I’ll take her.”
Then he lightly bent one knee and extended a hand to her.
“Shall we, my lady?”
Eustea blinked in surprise.
“You’ve learned court etiquette?”
“Cool, right?”
The other soldiers snorted.
“Ha! So that’s what he wanted to show off.”
Antonio tilted his chin up slightly.
“The angle of the knee and hand are crucial, right, my lady?”
“Yes.”
“See? Perfect—”
“That’s the gesture for asking someone to dance!”
Antonio glared murderously, vowing revenge on the old blacksmith who’d taught him that “etiquette.”
Still, he insisted on escorting her to the barracks.
Inside, the captain and vice-captain were inspecting the storage room.
“We’re short on arms. They get damaged during training or missions — even the good ones need replacing constantly.”
“What about the other elite units’ funds?”
“Still stable for now, but not for long. We’ll soon have to recall the elites for the Duke’s induction, which will cut our mission income.”
Apparently, they were sharing the same concerns.
Eustea peeked in.
“May I come in?”
Both men turned to her.
The vice-captain greeted her politely.
“What brings you here, my lady?”
“I happened to overhear. I think I might be able to help with the funding issue.”
“You can?”
“If it’s all right?”
“Of course — but how exactly?”
Through information, of course.
In the game, Eustea had plenty of intel she could use.
“By stealing.”
She smiled innocently.
* * *
Eustea and a few from Irregular headed to their destination.
Old address: Imperial Territory 51, Sector 19–23.
New address format: Bataus B7 Sector 2311.
It was the secret warehouse Andres had once bragged about to the Duke.
Though the address sounded complicated, it was basically in the outer district of the capital.
The great city of Avalon Empire.
Even in the outskirts, it was bustling with people.
Antonio and the vice-captain stared up at the building before them.
“It’s really here?”
“Seriously?”
Eustea, her hood drawn low, nodded.
“Yes. This is the casino.”
Indeed, it wasn’t just some isolated building —
the warehouse lay deep within a luxurious casino, guarded by Andres’ elite soldiers.
Eustea lowered her voice.
“I know how to break the barrier on the vault. But the way to reach it is… a little unusual.”
“How so?”
“We need to find the casino’s manager. You can’t access the entry passage without the key he holds.”
“Do you know who he is?”
“They change him every quarter — sometimes disguised as a guest, sometimes as a dealer.”
Antonio clicked his tongue.
“What a complicated setup. Who came up with that crazy idea?”
“…Me.”
Eustea smiled serenely. Antonio froze.
“Huh?”
“I was the one in charge of designing the secret vault.”
After all, back then she would’ve drunk poison if her father had told her to.
She had used every ounce of her cunning to make it secure.
Antonio fell silent, and the vice-captain kicked his shin.
“We know how to enter, but will four people be enough?”
“Too many would stand out. Better this way.”
There were four of them total — Eustea, the vice-captain, Antonio, and the captain.
With those three, it’s like having a full battalion.
The three nodded, then looked toward the captain standing a short distance away —
surrounded by women.
“Where are you from, handsome?”
“Be my little kitten, won’t you?”
Since Eustea had made him remove his hood, his beauty had drawn a crowd —
like the Pied Piper leading flocks of admirers.
The vice-captain sighed.
“Perhaps we should put his hood back on.”
“Right? That face is practically a public hazard.”
“No, I did that on purpose. With everyone’s attention on him, no one’s looking at me.”
If she — the one who had built the secret vault — showed up, security would skyrocket.
Antonio frowned.
“But how do we get those women off him?”
“I have a spell.”
“You can still use magic?”
Eustea called out toward the captain:
“Big brother! Grandma and your twelve aunts are waiting for their precious only grandson! If you don’t come soon, Mom’s thirty-dish feast will get cold!”
In an instant, the crowd parted like the Red Sea.
Antonio and the vice-captain gawked.
Eustea calmly took the now-free captain and led him into the casino.
Inside, it was even more lavish than when she had managed it.
Guess the casino business is booming.
The place was packed wall to wall with people.
Eustea said,
“We should split into two teams and watch for suspicious figures.”
The captain and vice-captain paired up.
Eustea went with Antonio — it was best if she stayed close to guide him.
They began searching the gaming halls together.
“Place your bets, place your bets! Come one, come all!”
“Hey there, handsome, care for a spin of the roulette?”
Antonio almost sat down hypnotically, but Eustea grabbed his collar.
She scanned around — dice tables, roulette wheels, card games — nothing.
Everyone looked perfectly ordinary, lost in the thrill of gambling.
We’re looking for someone whose eyes are too busy, she reminded herself —
someone giving subtle signals, coordinating things, sending glances to the staff when trouble arose.
She told Antonio what to look for, and he nodded.
“Ah, then what about that guy?”
“A card cheat. Trying to rig the game.”
“That woman?”
“An affair. She’s signaling her lover with her eyes.”
“Then that kid?”
“Kid?”
A child in a casino?
Eustea herself was underage, but she’d forged her ID easily enough.
When she followed Antonio’s gaze —
“Huh?”
A girl about her age sat at the dealer’s table.
Antonio stopped a man leaving the dice game she ran.
“So that kid’s the dealer? She any good?”
“Good? She’s a pro! Even the sharpest eyes can’t catch her hands.”
He explained that people had lost entire fortunes by stubbornly trying to beat the “little brat.”
That’s… suspicious.
Would they really make a kid the manager?
Eustea was still thinking when someone almost bumped into her.
Antonio quickly pulled her aside.
“Careful.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Just then—
“Brother?”
The girl dealer was looking straight at them.
She can’t be talking to me…
Eustea turned to Antonio — who frowned at the girl.
Then the girl suddenly dropped her dice and ran toward them.
“It’s me! You, the captain, and vice-captain — you saved me! I’m Mira!”
“Mira? You’ve grown so much!”
“It’s been two years already!”
Mira hugged Antonio tightly around the waist.
“I missed you!”
* * *
Antonio’s face softened with warmth.
“Has it really been two years?”
“Yes, time flies, doesn’t it?”
Eustea looked at him, puzzled.
Antonio explained.
“There was a fire during a mission two years ago. The captain, vice-captain, and I rescued that girl.”
“So she knows who you are?”
“Yeah.”
Mira turned to Eustea.
“Oh my, does she also know about the Irreg— I mean, about that?”
“She does.”
“Aww, I thought I was the only one. That’s disappointing.”
She smiled sweetly at Eustea.
“So you follow them around too?”
“Huh?”
“I did, you know. After the orphanage burned down, I had nowhere to go. I told them they had to take responsibility — so I stuck with them for a whole month.”
“Ah…”
“But they never let me into the Irregulars. After exactly one month, they found another orphanage that could take me.”
Mira beamed at Antonio.
“How are the captain and vice-captain doing?”
“They’re fine. They’re here with us today.”
“Really? I’d love to see them! Oh, want to come to the lounge? I’m a pretty successful dealer here — I can make that happen.”
“I’ll ask them.”
“Then I’ll keep her as a hostage!”
Mira hugged Eustea’s arm tightly.
“Bring them to the lounge, or I won’t let her go!”
Antonio chuckled.
“Still as stubborn as ever. All right. Besides, I think our lady could use a little rest.”
“Lady?”
“Yes — she’s the captain’s adopted daughter, so mind your words.”
Then he left to fetch the others.
Mira stared at Eustea.
“What the— If he needed a daughter, he could’ve just adopted me…”
