Chapter 56: Proof of Representation
The bomb the boy had dropped stirred a ruckus in the conference hall.
“You’re saying you’re Aajen Clover’s representative?”
Even Fitzmetz Magpie, the head of the Magpie Merchant Group, was present at the scene.
Though he was the owner of a rival merchant group, he was also the maternal grandfather of Enaka Clover, a strong contender for successor.
Moreover, it was beneficial to have as many reputable figures present as witnesses when confirming a matter as critical as today’s.
“Nonsense!”
An elderly man with a stern expression roared, glaring at the boy who introduced himself as Lewin Legisel.
He had no welcome for an unexpected interloper suddenly appearing to ruin what was nearly complete.
“To throw ashes on a finished dish!”
Everything had gone smoothly. That thrill one feels when reality falls into place exactly as planned!
And yet, who was this person?
“Even at a glance, his noble and extraordinary appearance marks him as no ordinary individual.”
That thought had naturally flashed across Fitzmetz’s mind.
“Could it be… that the Batevil authorities or the Hunter Association caught wind of something?”
Just a few days ago, as his granddaughter had suspected—
Fitzmetz Magpie had been collaborating with the assassination guild Depicio, plotting a major scheme.
Their goals had aligned perfectly.
They had divided up their necessary roles, and his crucial task was... total acquisition of the Clover Trade Company.
It was easier to place the Clover Trade Company under their control to pursue their shared goal.
“Of all times, why now! The cause has yet to reach fruition!”
Fitzmetz was secretly anxious but strove not to show it outwardly.
He raised his voice defiantly and shouted.
“Aajen Clover is dead! And who might you be, to try and deceive us with such nonsense about being his representative!”
As Fitzmetz Magpie lashed out, the others, who had only just come to their senses, began to murmur in turn.
“Exactly! That’s impossible! A dead man can’t return!”
“Even the investigators witnessed the gruesome scene of the merchant caravan and testified thoroughly about it!”
“Then… Did you find Mr. Aajen Clover’s body?”
“T-That’s…”
But with a single, piercing question from the boy, they were left speechless.
“I understand your skepticism. It hasn’t been long since Mr. Aajen appointed me as his representative. However, I can prove my legitimacy.”
The boy pulled something out from his coat.
“Mr. Aajen gave me a token to prove it.”
Flash!
It was a signet ring embedded with a gem shaped like a four-leaf clover.
Under the multicolored lights, the mystical green gemstone sparkled brilliantly.
“Puhahaha!”
But the elders burst into laughter as they saw it.
“And that ring is supposed to prove something?”
“Exactly! Anyone can make that if they just get their hands on a peridot.”
“If I wanted, I could have a workshop craft five or six of those rings easily, ha!”
But while most brushed it off as a joke—
“…That ring?!”
The notary of the Clover Trade Company, who had been quietly observing the situation, reacted with shock.
Fitzmetz Magpie immediately sensed something was very wrong.
“Shall I show you?”
“Immediately!”
The notary hurried over and cautiously examined the ring presented by the boy.
Strangely, he didn’t hold the ring himself but instead moved the boy’s hand to view it.
“Hm. From the outside, it seems authentic… Ah, right. There’s that method!”
Drip!
Suddenly, the notary took a deep-blue liquid from his bag and dropped it onto the ring without hesitation.
Whoooosh—!
An intense green magic aura surged upward, drawing a four-leaf clover in the air.
The radiant light and powder that emerged gave the illusion of a place from another world.
“…Without a doubt. That’s a Fairystone!”
Someone, baffled, asked the notary,
“What do you mean? A Fairystone?”
“It’s said to be a gem gifted by a fairy to Mort Clover, the founder of the Clover Trade Company.”
“A f-fairy, you say? Are you claiming fairies existed?”
Fairies were creatures of legend.
Three thousand years ago, during a great war, countless fairies, spirits, and dragons vanished without a trace.
Thus, signs of fairies suddenly surfacing startled and bewildered many.
“Whether it’s true or not, they say Mort found an injured fairy and healed it. In return, the fairy gave him two blue gemstones.”
“And those gemstones were in the shape of a four-leaf clover.”
At that moment, the blond boy naturally interjected and continued the tale.
“One night, under the bright moon, the fairy suddenly disappeared. Mort, just an ordinary young man back then, didn’t want to forget those memories and adopted the name ‘Clover’ as his surname. Isn’t that right?”
“…You know your history well, boy.”
Internally, the notary was convinced. This boy had to be Aajen Clover’s representative.
“The story of Mort Clover’s past was known only to the head of the Clover Trade Company, their successor, and our family—the notaries who’ve served for generations.”
That had been the will of Mort Clover himself.
He feared that knowledge of the fairy’s gift would entangle his descendants in needless trouble.
“The boy is holding the ring, and he knows this truth…”
There was no mistake. The boy was indeed connected to Aajen Clover.
Resolved, the notary raised the boy’s hand and presented the signet ring for all to see.
“This is one of the two gemstones. The Fairystone is embedded in a ring passed down to the company’s rightful heir and successor.”
The gem still shone with its mysterious light.
“Impossible…! How can we believe that?!”
Panicked, Fitzmetz lost his composure and lunged at the ring, attempting to destroy it.
Crackle!
“Graaagh!”
The intense electricity that burst from the ring made him clutch his hand in pain.
“Father!”
Fitzmetz’s son-in-law rushed over to support him in alarm.
Within seconds, Fitzmetz’s palm was charred black.
“How foolish!”
The notary scolded him sternly.
“The Fairystone chooses its master! Only the rightful heir and successor of the Clover Trade Company can touch that ring!”
“T-Then how could that boy…?!”
“That proves he’s Aajen Clover’s representative. Only with the owner's permission can he touch the ring.”
The notary then struck with sharper words.
“And your earlier statement—Fitzmetz Magpie. Are you saying you don’t believe me? Should I take that as an insult not only to me but to my entire family, the Pactio?”
—The Pactio family.
A clan so wealthy, it was said they held the purse strings of the world.
They operated the largest bank in LAMPAS and were renowned for producing elite jurists across generations.
The Pactio family was also known for their obsessive adherence to any ‘promise’ they made.
Fitzmetz Magpie’s words had undoubtedly offended Dalton Pactio, the notary.
“…A mistake!”
In his impatience, Fitzmetz had let slip a grave insult. A phrase one should never utter in front of a Pactio.
If Dalton Pactio left now in a foul mood, the Magpie Merchant Group could suffer serious consequences later.
“T-That’s…! Guh!”
Fitzmetz tried to defend himself, his expression twisted with guilt, but the pain silenced him.
Someone else stepped forward in his place.
“On behalf of my grandfather, I offer my apologies. I’m sure he meant no offense. Please, I ask for your forgiveness with a generous heart.”
“…Well, if you say so.”
Enaka Clover deeply bowed and pleaded for forgiveness from Dalton.
Her trembling fingers gripped her skirt tightly, as if this were unbearable humiliation.
She was known for her pride, and this moment had to be utterly degrading.
“Enaka…”
Fitzmetz groaned in agony upon seeing her, as if his insides were being torn apart.
But Enaka didn’t even glance at him. She looked only at her father and said,
“Father. Could you please take Grandfather to the physician?”
“Y-Yes, leave it to me. Let’s go, Father-in-law.”
Her father supported Fitzmetz and led him out of the hall.
As the dazed Fitzmetz passed by the golden-haired boy, their eyes met.
The boy smiled.
His lips moved without sound.
“Hello, loser.”
The veins around Fitzmetz’s eyes bulged. At last, he realized the truth.
“He knows everything!”
Everything he had planned, and the grand cause they sought to achieve.
“You, youuuuu—! It’s you! It’s YOU!”
“Father! Get a hold of yourself! Someone, a physician! Where is the physician!”
“Aaaaaaagh!”
Fitzmetz’s furious cries rang out but quickly faded into the distance.
…Click.
Once the conference hall doors shut, no sound could be heard. The room was perfectly soundproof.
“……”
The room quickly fell into silence.
The normally jovial Fitzmetz’s strange outburst, the returned heir, and his representative…
The rapid turn of events clearly left many with questions.
“…Ah, right. I almost forgot something else.”
The boy suddenly broke the silence.
“My client’s father and the current head of the Trade Company, Nonohen Clover—his safety is also under our care now.”
“What? But isn’t he hospitalized at Skya Royal Hospital?”
“Don’t worry. By now, my companions will have moved him somewhere safe.”
The boy spoke with the ease of a well-oiled tongue.
“After all, a father should be with his son.”
That was the real reason Lewin Legisel—no, Elwin Krieger—was here.
—The extraction of Nonohen Clover.
He had drawn attention to the conference so his allies could safely extract Nonohen from the hospital.
Whether it was Fitzmetz, the Magpie Merchant Group…
Or even Depicio.
Because someone from Depicio was surely in this room, disguised as a Magpie Merchant Group member.
A raccoon beastkin spy.
“The current leader of Depicio is excessively cautious.”
Even if they were both beastkin, there was no way he would trust Fitzmetz Magpie completely.
To guard against unforeseen variables, he had surely planted a spy—someone who could relay intel at any time.
“But as long as they’re inside the conference hall, contact is impossible. Magic and magical tools are restricted here.”
That was why Elwin had bought time himself.
Until his companions in Spero could rescue the imprisoned Nonohen Clover from the hospital.
“Looks like Gale and the others succeeded.”
And just now, Elwin had received the signal—subtle, discreet, but unmistakable.
“Time to begin the next phase.”