8 to 2.

At Estella’s audacious provocation, one of Bartol’s eyebrows rose with amusement. Without considerable connections, it was nearly impossible to form ties with the Silver Bear Guild, and without exceptional nerve, no one could strike a deal with the Silver Bear Merchant Group.

Even those who were regarded as powerful and influential would enter a run-down bar on the verge of collapse, descend into the ground below, pass through a long corridor paved with glowstones more expensive than gold, and find themselves suddenly facing a bright window deep underground. Most of them ended up sitting dumbfounded, wondering what on earth was happening. Bartol had designed the Silver Bear Guild in this way for good reason.

But somehow, the tiny young lady sitting in front of him didn’t seem at all intimidated by the state-of-the-art facilities of the Silver Bear Merchant Group.

Or… was she just pretending not to be?

Bartol studied Estella, who sat across from him and had boldly declared, “Eight to two,” with a spark of curiosity in his eyes.

Would she start to get nervous if he dragged this out?

He was genuinely curious to see how Estella would respond—and why, of all people, Ciel had brought this woman here.

As Bartol continued to silently stare at her, Estella let out a deep sigh.

“I came trusting Ciel’s introduction, but it seems that was misplaced. I suppose I’ll have to try another guild. And if that doesn’t work, I can just make it myself little by little and sell it at a price higher than gold.”

Just as she stood up with a look of regret, Bartol, who had been gazing at her without a word, let out a resigned sigh and stood as well, offering her his hand.

In truth, since she had come on Ciel’s recommendation, he hadn’t intended to negotiate from the beginning. Even if she had demanded a nine-to-one split, he would’ve accepted it without hesitation.

But Bartol had simply been too curious about this woman whom Ciel had brought in for the first time. And now, he was more than satisfied with the result.

He couldn’t say for sure from just one meeting, but somehow, he understood why Ciel couldn’t help but like her. She was assertive, intelligent, brave, willing to take risks, and above all—

“Cute.”

Estella was unmistakably the exact type that Ciel liked.

Well then, should I mess with Ciel a bit?

“I’m Bartolomeo Larco, the vice guildmaster of the Silver Bear Guild.”

“Vice guildmaster? Then there’s a guildmaster above you?”

“Yes. But he’s always running around, far too busy. All important matters—or rather, everything concerning the guild—is handled and overseen by me.”

“My, how unfortunate. Sounds like you’ve got quite the awful boss.”

“That’s one way to put it. May I ask for your name, my lady?”

“Estella Cardeine.”

Estella answered while briskly taking his outstretched hand—only to be startled by how large it was compared to his slender build.

“You’re the young lady of Wintfall, then.”

“I trust you’ll keep the identity of your contracting party confidential?”

“Even if bread were shoved down my throat, I wouldn’t speak a word.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Would you care to take a seat while we prepare the contract?”

Bartol asked politely.

Did he just say bread?

Estella tilted her head in puzzlement but obediently sat back down on the sofa.

“But my lady, don’t you think you’re a bit too trusting with someone you just met?”

Bartol, who had said he’d go fetch the contract, stopped in his tracks and glanced back at her.

“Because Ciel introduced you.”

“…I see.”

Bartol nodded, seemingly understanding, then exited once more through the disguised frame-door he had entered from earlier.

Estella didn’t return above ground until three hours later.

Bartol never spent more than an hour with someone on a first meeting. It was rare for a contract to be finalized at the first meeting at all. Still, however long it took, he always got the job done.

A one-hundred-percent success rate.

That was why people were desperate to get in touch with the Silver Bear Guild.

Unlike how she had entered—through the front to meet the guildmaster—Estella exited through a low side door next to the bar. The door was shorter than she was, so she had to duck to pass through it.

“Young lady!”

As soon as Estella stepped out, Ria, who had been nervously bouncing her leg, sprang to her feet and rushed over, checking her thoroughly for any sign of injury. Seeing the concern in her eyes, Estella exaggeratedly straightened her posture and spread her arms wide.

It was a gesture meant to show she was fine, but Ria mistook it as an invitation to hug—and did exactly that.

“Were you worried?”

Estella gently patted Ria’s back as she asked. Ria nodded like a child, and Estella tightened her arms around her, silently showing that she was safe and sound.

…She really ought to treat Ria more like a younger sister than a maid.

After signing with the Silver Bear Merchant Group, Miraclelium began selling in earnest. The guild commissioned custom glass containers made specifically for Miraclelium, and after acquiring the production method from Ria, they began mass-producing it. Of course, the handcrafted versions Ria made herself were still sold separately—but only to VIP customers. Those special versions were stored in premium crystal containers and handled with exclusive care.

Bartol handed Estella two bankbooks, both opened under pseudonyms. One was for Estella, the other for Ria.

Miraclelium sold like wildfire. The moment the store opened, inventory would sell out, and the reservation list for Ria’s handmade versions grew endlessly long.

The effects of Miraclelium were simply astonishing.

Through the noble social circles, word about Miraclelium rapidly spread to the capital, and demand surged exponentially.

Thus, the balances in Estella and Ria’s accounts grew steadily.

It had been a month since the Kardian horde’s attack, and no further monster assaults had occurred during that time. Still, Lucius did not let his guard down—he further intensified the training of the Black Lily Knights and reinforced patrols around the territory.

With the Cardeine family’s most important event approaching, not just the marquis himself, but everyone affiliated with the household, exercised extreme caution to avoid even the slightest mishap.

After all, this upcoming ritual might determine the next heir.

Until now, even the most loyal vassals had believed without a doubt that Katrin would be the one to succeed the family. But due to Estella’s recent transformation, those loyalties were beginning to split—some now supported her instead.

The same held true among the household staff.

Some still believed the ever-kind and lovely Katrin should be the heir, while others insisted that Estella, as the eldest daughter, had the rightful claim. There was a subtle tension in the air. Though no open fights had broken out, their conversations were often laced with sharp undertones and barbed words.

Were it not for the impending Day of Blooded Proof, there might have already been several outbursts.

The Cardeine family’s “Blooded Proof” ritual had existed since the founding of the Martenia Empire a hundred years ago. It was meant to prove that the peace of the empire had been secured through the Cardeine family’s sacrifice. The century-long blood pact passed down through the lineage was a pledge to maintain that peace.

The last time the ritual was held—when Cassian was confirmed as heir—was thirty years ago. Now, with it being performed once more, not only the Wintfall estate but the entire empire was watching closely.

Given the significance of the event, numerous guests were expected. Most were heirs or lords of other territories. Since the event was tied to the empire’s founding history, nearly all invited nobles were guaranteed to attend—barring some dramatic upheaval.

Naturally, the workload for the staff skyrocketed.

They had to prepare dozens of guest rooms, procure food supplies for the event in advance, and inspect all materials needed for the ceremony.

The problem was that over the past five years, the frequent monster attacks had devastated the territory’s finances.

Hosting the guests and carrying out the ceremony would require funding equivalent to an entire year’s budget. Yet because this event was too important to scale down, the marquis could only brood in silence.

He couldn’t afford to raise taxes on the already-struggling residents, nor could he afford to funnel all remaining funds into the event—doing so would cripple Wintfall’s operations after the ritual.

Every night, the marquis met with his financial officers to devise countermeasures.

“Our current budget is already stretched thin. Whatever leeway we had was spent expanding the forge and outfitting the new mage’s laboratory. Even the Nevrion steel swords have only just finished being distributed to the knights,” explained Financial Officer Prix, sighing heavily.

Prix firmly believed Katrin should be the heir, and the fact that Estella was the one who had spent the budget so extravagantly made him all the more uncomfortable.

Chapter 73

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