Chapter 138: Chapter 137
[Third Person's PoV]
"So, what plan do you have in mind, Mr. Sha— I mean, Merlin, sir?" Yukime asked, assuming that since Merlin wanted to cooperate with her, he must already have a plan in the works.
Merlin smirked as he twirled the wine glass in his hands. "We start by destroying the trust people have in both companies," he said, taking a sip of wine.
"And how do we do that?" she wondered, curious.
Merlin continued to smirk as he snapped his fingers, conjuring two stacks of bills: one belonging to Mitsugoshi and the other to the Great Merchant Union.
"We make counterfeit bills," he said, as if it were common knowledge.
Yukime was surprised to see so many bills. She got up and reached out to take hold of them, but her hands just went through them.
"These are merely illusions. I'm giving you the idea; I need you to execute it," Merlin said, his charming smile never leaving his face.
Yukime put a hand on her chin. "Counterfeit banknotes, huh… I see, so they won't really have any value."
"Oh, but they do," Merlin said, putting down the glass and interlocking his fingers. "As long as everyone else believes they have value, then they are the most valuable thing in the world."
Merlin reached out his hand towards her, which took her by surprise. He spun her a bit before sitting her on his lap. Holding her chin, he whispered, "Want to hear a saying I firmly believe in?"
Yukime's tail swayed back and forth as she nodded, her mother looking at her with a small smile.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
"To those who know better, these sheets of paper are just that—sheets of paper. But to someone else, that sheet of paper may hold the same weight as gold."
"Now then, the same goes for deposit receipts. If you print too many of them, people will start to question their origin…"
"They will begin to ask questions like, 'Does the bank really have enough gold to pay us all back?' And when everyone demands all of their gold back at once, the trust will crumble, and both Mitsugoshi and the Great Merchant Union will go bankrupt after issuing all those banknotes," Merlin explained with a sinister chuckle, which caused Yukime to shudder with sadistic pleasure.
'What a frightening man to be able to think of this plan. I'm truly glad I'm not his enemy. I don't even want to think what would have happened if I hadn't met him earlier.'
Yukime smirked as she raised her wine glass towards him. "I understand. Let's make these counterfeit bills. You can leave the production and circulation to me, and I guess I'll leave dealing with those who start sniffing around to you."
Merlin smiled as he grabbed his own glass, and they did a little cheer before both downing the rest of the wine.
"I'm sure you already know—"
Before Yukime could continue, Merlin nodded. "You must be talking about Gettan, right? And how he's one of the main people behind it."
Yukime laid her head on Merlin's shoulder. "Nothing ever escapes your eyes, does it?"
As she rested her hand on his chest, she then said something that had been plaguing her mind, "I honestly don't know what to do with him."
"On one hand, he killed my mother and almost killed me if it wasn't for your interference, but on the other, I'm alive and reunited with my mother, so I don't see the need to continue carrying this hate for him inside me," Yukime said.
Yukihime scoffed, "You may not carry any hate for him, but I do. If you're not going to kill him, I will. You, my daughter, have too kind of a heart.
"It amazes me you've grown to this point. When you have an enemy or someone that opposes you, you end them, and don't think about giving them second chances. Like my lord once said and taught the others, a good enemy is a dead enemy."
Yukime let out a sigh, "I understand what you mean, I truly do. I guess what's holding me back is the memories we once shared. Gettan wasn't always the way he is today, which is why I'm hesitant."
Yukihime simply scoffed as she sat down, crossing her arms.
---
The Great Merchant Union Headquarters:
"So one of the Four Leaves was slain?" a blind wolf beastman asked as he sat arrogantly in his chair, looking down at the chubby, brown-haired informant.
The informant was kneeling, unable to look Gettan in the eyes as sweat rolled down the side of his face. "Yes, he was on a mission to raid Mitsugoshi's carriage while disguised as a bandit, but was attacked during the process. They all appeared to be slain in one sword strike…"
"Well, spill it out, you want to say something else, don't you?" Gettan asked irritably. Although he was blind, his heightened senses allowed him to perceive things invisible to the naked eye.
"Umm… Well, they also appeared like husks when we found them, as if a vampire had sucked them dry," the informant added.
'The incident at Lawless Town wasn't too long ago. Could it have been vampires that intervened?'
"Did you see any bite marks on their necks?" Gettan questioned, a hand on his chin as he pondered.
"That's the thing, sir, there weren't any. The only wounds they had were singular slash wounds."
A magical pressure bore down on the informant, causing the floor to crack around him and pressuring him to the ground. "If it had nothing to do with vampires, why bring them up in the first place?" Gettan asked through gritted teeth, letting out a growl.
With great strain, the informant began to apologize. "Forgive me, sir. It was all to give you a visual of what occurred. Please have mercy, I have more to inform you."
Hearing this, Gettan lowered the pressure, allowing the informant to let out a sigh of relief. "The Leaf that went out wasn't fully recuperated after fighting the monsters that spawned. That may have led to his defeat."
Gettan put a hand on his chin as he began to ponder. "Are the others getting the physical treatment they need?" Gettan asked.
The informant nodded his head. "Yes, Lord Gettan."
"Would they be able to recuperate in time for a mission right now?"
This time, the informant shook his head. "I'm afraid not, my lord. They wouldn't be able to perform at full strength during their mission."
"I see… It looks like I need to make some calls if I want this to work. It shouldn't lower my chances of getting a seat at the Round Table. If it works, we will be able to dispose of a thorn in our side," Gettan mumbled before standing up.
"You are dismissed. I have something to do," Gettan said as he exited the room, leaving the informant behind. The informant let out another sigh of relief, thankful he gets to live another day.
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