Chapter 55: The Clover Trade Company’s Crisis (2)
Magpie Merchant Group. A newly rising merchant guild in recent years.
What made it unique? Every member of the guild was a beastkin.
And yet, even within LAMPAS, where prejudice against non-humans still lingered, the Magpie Merchant Group had gained a surprisingly positive reputation.
Some credited their exotic and creative designs, distinctive of beastkin culture.
But above all else—it was thanks to the unrelenting effort of the guild members.
“When it comes to non-humans… you always think of things like the ‘Witch Queen’s Curse’ or the ‘Beast King’s Rebellion.’ Honestly, I was afraid of them.”
“But that was just my own prejudice! They’re incredibly kind and good-hearted!”
The Magpie Group had made it their mission to break down discrimination and promote harmony. They voluntarily hosted charity events and offered relief efforts across the continent.
The North Continent was constantly torn by conflict.
Its six kingdoms were always at war, leaving countless people to suffer.
“Truly, if it weren’t for the Magpie Group, I don’t know what would’ve happened to my family…”
“So many mouths to feed, my husband dead, our hometown in ruins—we were fleeing with nowhere to go. If the Magpie Group hadn’t taken us in, we’d have starved or frozen to death.”
The Magpie Merchant Group, grown under a banner of coexistence and unity, was beloved by many in the North Continent, boasting a stellar reputation and public image.
Meanwhile, at the Magpie Group headquarters…
“What a fine day.”
Enjoying a leisurely tea time beneath the warm sun was an elderly man: Fitzmetz Magpie, head of the Magpie Merchant Group.
“Grandpa!”
A loud, familiar voice called out as a young girl ran toward him.
“…Enaka?”
To one’s surprise, Fitzmetz Magpie was Enaka Clover’s maternal grandfather.
In other words—they were blood relatives. A true family bond.
It was almost strange. The Clover and Magpie clans, destined to clash one day, sharing family ties?
Though both the Clover Trade Company and the Magpie Group had earned goodwill, they were ultimately competitors—constantly vying for a larger slice of the economic pie in the North Continent.
—Because at heart, both were merchants, after all. Driven by profit.
Was it a strategic alliance?
Or perhaps, as the Magpie Group claimed, a genuine embrace of unity and harmony?
“My sweet granddaughter, what brings you here at this hour? Something bad happen?”
“……”
“There, there. Let Grandpa hold you.”
What was clear, though, was that Fitzmetz deeply cherished Enaka.
“There, there. What could’ve made my darling girl so sad? Don’t cry, now, don’t cry.”
He gently patted her back as she collapsed into his arms.
After how long, warmth passed between them.
“So, my dear. Won’t you tell Grandpa what happened?”
“Ugh… Grandpa…”
Enaka could no longer hide her distress.
Unlike at the council chamber, where she had tried to bury her emotions, here, she let the tears fall—raw and painful.
“It’s just… today…”
She poured it all out—everything that had happened recently at the Clover Trade Company.
How angry she’d been, how humiliated and ashamed.
Hi there, Enaka! I’m Aajen Clover. Nice to meet you. Let’s be friendly rivals!
And… how, just a little bit, she was actually sad about it.
“Phew…”
After sharing it all with the one who had always believed in her, she finally felt lighter.
The knot in her heart began to unwind.
“Hmph. My poor granddaughter… you had every right to feel that way.”
“…Yeah.”
No one else would’ve understood.
Logically, inheriting the position because the rightful heir had died should be a good thing.
It was, after all, the position she had long yearned for.
—The unification of the Clover Trade Company and the Magpie Group.
It had been Enaka Clover’s dream since childhood.
Born of a Magpie beastkin mother and a LAMPAS-born human father, she always believed—
Clover represents trust. They have the capital and technology. The Magpie Group excels in design and creativity. If these two joined forces… if humans and beastkin worked together…
It would become a truly one-of-a-kind organization.
A real symbol of harmony. A merchant guild of unparalleled caliber.
And more than anything—
Dad only needs you two.
After her father was forced out of succession for marrying a beastkin, she wanted to prove something to him.
That his daughter could do it.
But...
Could she really accomplish her ideals from a position she hadn’t earned through her own merit?
Enaka bit her lip.
“No, Enaka. Try thinking about it the other way.”
Fitzmetz stroked his long white beard as he spoke.
“No one knows how hard you’ve worked more than me. No one is more suited to lead the Clover Company than you.”
Though his words were gentle and his smile soft, Enaka felt a chill crawl down her spine.
“Think carefully. The heir is dead. The president is unconscious. In such a precarious time… we need a strong center. Someone reliable. Someone like you.”
His wrinkled hand gripped her shoulder—heavy, almost burdensome.
“Now, my beloved granddaughter. Go back—to where you belong. Everything will be just fine.”
The grandfather she once admired… felt more foreign now than ever.
***
On her way back from the Magpie Group...
“…Ha.”
Her mind was foggy, as if struck by a hammer.
Merchants are supposed to cater to their customers' needs and desires.
That’s why they’re hypersensitive to emotion.
“Grandpa was… acting strange today.”
What Fitzmetz said had been logical. Sensible, even.
But something about it chilled her to the bone.
A sixth sense, perhaps—Enaka was a half-beastkin, and her senses were sharper than most humans.
“…Wait. How did Grandpa know that?”
Suddenly, a comment from earlier surfaced in her mind.
The heir is dead. The company president is unconscious.
Enaka had kept her emotions in check earlier, never speaking about Clover's inner affairs.
Specifically… that Nonohen Clover had collapsed.
“No way. It can’t be—!”
Her sharp mind worked fast—piecing together what others might miss.
It was only possible because she was Fitzmetz’s granddaughter, and had seen too much.
“Could Grandpa be behind all of this? Aajen? Nonohen? The other merchant group members—all of them…?”
Her face contorted in shock.
She clearly remembered the names and faces of every person who had died on that trade mission.
Hello, Miss Enaka!
They were more than statistics. They were real people—who had all died.
“If Grandpa is behind this… then yes. It’s possible.”
Fitzmetz Magpie wasn’t just a respected merchant.
He was closely tied to a villainous syndicate that ruled the underworld.
She never had proof. But she had long suspected.
...What is this?
During past visits to the Magpie Group, she had seen massive stockpiles of supplies.
They were war materials.
The Magpie Group—known for peace and harmony—should never have owned those things.
I thought he was just trying to profit from war, as a merchant...
After all, war—tragic as it was—often became a feast for merchants.
Even the Magpie Group couldn’t ignore such opportunity.
But this? This smelled like something bigger.
War. Or at the very least, something just as devastating.
Fitzmetz Magpie was not only the Magpie Guildmaster, but also the leader of the Magpie Clan.
If he allied with Depicio, the assassin’s guild and a non-human syndicate…
What could happen?
“A war… Something massive is coming. But against whom? And why? What’s the end goal?”
She didn’t know yet.
But her instincts told her this wouldn’t end well.
“Such a smart human, nyang. But oh-so uptight~”
“…! Who’s there!?”
A sudden, playful voice rang out.
“But I don’t dislike such straight-laced humans, nyang~.”
Turning quickly—there he was.
A feline beastkin with black fur and sharp yellow eyes.
“Ann-yang?”
Nero Chase grinned and made an offer.
“Don’t you want to set things right, nyang? Want me to help?”
“…Can you?”
A stranger. A strange proposal.
Normally, Enaka would be deeply suspicious.
But now—she had no choice but to grab that outstretched hand.
She was desperate.
Tough and proud as she was—Enaka was still young.
She couldn’t bear the weight of knowing her own kin had committed such atrocities.
That her colleagues had all been slaughtered.
To her desperate question, the feline beastkin answered:
“Of course! That’s why my master is on his way right now, nyang~.”
His voice brimmed with confidence.
As if declaring a universal truth.
“Everything will be restored, nyang.”
***
A few days later. At the Clover Trade Company.
“We will now proceed with the vote for the new heir candidate.”
Bang, bang, bang!
The presiding Clover Trade Company notary, seated at the highest position in the council, struck the gavel.
“If anyone opposes this motion, raise your hand. No one?”
The chamber was deathly quiet.
Most elders had already been swayed or persuaded to support Enaka Clover.
“If there are no objections, we will now finalize the appointment by majority vote—”
At that moment—
“Excuse me. I object.”
A calm voice interrupted the process.
Somehow, a golden-haired boy had entered the hall and was now standing with his hand raised.
“W-Who are you?! How dare you interrupt this assembly!”
“Me?”
The boy blinked innocently and pointed to himself.
“I’m Lewin Legisel, official proxy of the rightful heir to the Clover Trade Company—Aajen Clover.”
And with that—he dropped a bombshell.