“That’s a good mindset. The more expectations a person has, the more likely they are to succeed. Have expectations.”

 

Just before heading out to the field, as if to give a final boost of encouragement, he added a sweet flutter to Kise’s already excited heart.

 

Have expectations…

 

So even words like that can sway a person.

 

Though waves rose in her heart, Kise tried hard to act natural. 

 

Yet, the pleasant confidence seeping from her anticipation was impossible to hide.

 

The two decided to climb over the fence. 

 

A quiet, modest makeshift entrance was better than using the main gate with its blatant advertisement.

 

Just as Kise was lightly lifting her skirt to swing one leg over the fence, a hand reached out from behind, curled around her waist, and lifted her up lightly. 

 

Once, twice. With just two concise movements, Leonhardt was over on the other side.

 

As he began to walk, he pulled the body he was holding firmly against his own chest.

 

“You can put me down now.”

 

“Just a moment.”

 

“What do you mean, ‘just a moment’?“

 

“Suddenly… I’m having regrets.”

 

Ah, I should have just held her instead of helping her over.

 

Hearing Leonhardt’s dissatisfied mutter, Kise let out a light sigh and freed herself from his embrace. She pushed open the secret side door, known only to those in the know. 

 

As the tight hinges turned, the noisy commotion from inside the exchange pierced their ears.

 

The interior of the building was like a large courtyard, enclosed by walls on all sides.

 

Along the edge of that wall, a corridor with an arched roof stretched out, supported by 107 pillars.

 

Each pillar had a number written on it, seemingly acting as coordinates to indicate location.

 

Over there at number 8, it seemed the pepper merchants were gathered, and here on the right at number 25, the salt merchants were gathered as if they were fighting.

 

And shares of incorporated companies like the Marée Société could only be traded at the 47th pillar.

 

Kise stood on her tiptoes trying to see the numbers, but was jostled from behind, causing her to miss her step.

 

“Kise, it’s crowded, so don’t let go of my hand.”

 

It seemed Leonhardt was saying something as a warning, but it was swallowed by the noise.

 

The corridor was packed with a suffocating crowd, tangled together regardless of nationality, gender, or class.

 

Looking around while following Leonhardt’s back, Kise suddenly felt her heart drop upon overhearing a fragment of Haven language. 

 

Could there be someone from the kingdom mixed in somewhere within the bustling crowd?

 

It probably wasn’t possible, but she wondered if it might be someone who knew her. Kise stopped walking for a moment. 

 

Having essentially fled her homeland under cover of night, it was an instinctual reaction.

 

But as the familiar language faded into the distance and she tried to find her way again, she had already lost Leonhardt and become lost.

 

“Huh?”

 

She thought she would be able to spot his back right away, but finding a person among the crowds gathering like clouds was not easy.

 

What should she do? Should she check each pillar one by one first?

 

With such carefree thoughts, she moved her steps and wandered around.

 

Not long after, a strong hand grabbed her shoulder firmly from behind.

 

“…Leo?”

 

Oh my… 

 

It’s Leonhardt. Seeing his chest heaving, it seemed he had been searching for her quite diligently. 

 

Kise, feeling a bit guilty under his angry gaze accompanied by ragged breaths, gave an awkward, smiling wince.

 

“Hey, were you worried? I’m fine. I was going to manage and find my way back on my own.”

 

And then she was truly scolded severely.

 

“What if you disappeared without a word! I’ve been looking all over for you…! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been searching?!”

 

His voice was full of anger. Kise had never seen him get this angry before. 

 

Without realizing it, Kise pressed her lips tightly together, so startled she felt like a hiccup might jump out. She had never been scolded, not even as a little kid, because she handled everything so capably on her own that no one ever had to reprimand her. 

 

I’ve never been scolded by anyone before…

 

“Why… why are you so angry?”

 

And so, the eyes that were always as haughty as a cat’s instantly transformed into those of a sad, pitiful puppy.

 

It’s too much, it’s unfair, it’s so unfair. I know I was wrong, but it still hurts. Don’t be mad.

 

Like a whining little puppy, Kise looked up at Leonhardt with tearful, resentful eyes. 

 

Under that gaze, Leonhardt pressed his hand to his forehead and let out a heavy sigh.

 

‘This is your fault.’

 

‘I know, you idiot.’

 

‘Idiot?’

 

‘Yeah.’

 

‘Are you going to keep doing this?’

 

‘Total idiot.’

 

‘Stop it.’

 

Sparks flew from the eyes that met in midair. 

 

Leonhardt, who broke eye contact first as if to say her glaring didn’t scare him one bit, let out a hollow laugh as if all the fight had gone out of him.

 

“Alright, I get it. Sorry for getting angry. I’ll apologize first.”

 

He said it felt like he was learning what it meant to yield, then pulled Kise into an embrace. 

 

As soon as he held her, her rounded forehead touched his chest. It felt good, so he was enjoying the moment…

 

“Ugh.”

 

Her reply was an apology accompanied by pain.

 

“I’m sorry too.”

 

Kise, who seemed to be returning the embrace by putting her arms around him, used those same hands to give his waist a firm pinch. 

 

It was an apology that pierced straight to the bone.

 

🫧

 

Pillar 47.

 

On the blackboard, prices were repeatedly erased and rewritten. 

 

First place was Marée Société, current price 93 Ducats. The price, which had been approaching 110 just yesterday, had fallen significantly.

 

Those simple numbers were the standard for evaluating a company, its credibility, and its value. 

 

Of course, intervention was necessary.

 

Kise quietly watched Leonhardt’s back, as he was surrounded by a crowd several layers deep.

 

“Is it true the ship arrived safely?”

 

“When is it scheduled to return?”

 

“Were there other goods besides the timber?”

 

“We heard there were even casualties. Is that true?”

 

The crowd showered him with a barrage of questions. It was a speculative frenzy born from the trade boom. 

 

Shouts and yells overlapped, continuously creating a stir.

 

Kise found the spectacle astonishing.

 

A maid in a messy apron and a noble in a stiff formal suit intermingled, asking questions.

 

They were curious about the same things, interested in the same matters. 

 

In a way, they seemed equal.

 

Amidst it all, Leonhardt was responding, listening attentively, and mentally noting down memorable points. 

 

Simply by showing his presence, the fluctuating numbers had stabilized.

 

As if responding to the trust placed in him, Leonhardt, with a picture-perfect smile, began to speak.

 

“It is true that a total of six ships, including the Geldër, were sunk. That was three weeks ago. A very precise fact. However, must you make a hasty decision just because new information has been obtained? As you know, good news that everyone knows is bad news, and bad news that everyone knows is good news.”

 

His drawn-out explanation was ambiguous yet gentle and confident. 

 

Rather than simply saying, ‘Our company has no problems whatsoever. You can rest assured,’ he soothed and excited the people, guiding them to make rational judgments on their own. 

 

He was like a magician presenting only illusions without any explanation.

 

“Aren’t you all playing a money game? It’s a business of using money to make money. Merely shouting won’t increase your win rate. Numbers only start to move when judgment and choice follow.”

 

His tone lowered secretively, as if he were revealing a secret.

 

Still, it wasn’t difficult for him to draw the audience into his world.

 

“No one yet knows what will appear after the wind blows. Will you wait and see the outcome, or will you run away before it even begins? I do hope you will adopt a wise stance. May the goddess’s grace be with all the citizens of the Republic who have escaped the abyss of poverty.”

 

Just what kind of person was he? What thoughts did he hold, and what did he see as he lived? 

 

Every time she saw a new side of him, Kise was utterly captivated.

 

Leonhardt, who had thrown chaos into chaos, returned to Kise as if it were predetermined.

 

His voice, asking ‘So, how was it? Did I do well?’, was newly alluring.

 

“You did very well. Are you hoping for praise like this?”

 

“I wouldn’t mind it.”

 

“And if you don’t get it?”

 

“Then I’ll probably regret it again, just like before.”

 

“That again?”

 

“Yes, I should have hugged you instead of telling you not to hug me.”

 

“I’ll give you one.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

He clings to her so affectionately and smiles with his eyes just as warmly.

 

Kise did not hesitate, reaching out to touch his red hair.

 

“You did very well. It was an eloquence that could change someone’s outlook on life. You gave no explanations, but in the end, you still provided an answer, didn’t you? That’s exactly how it felt. It’s like my mind is so dull I got caught by a swindler, but it’s also so terribly dull that I couldn’t even understand the swindler’s scheme.”

 

“So the swindler ran away?”

 

“Yes, he gave up on trying to con me.”

 

“What a relief.”

 

“It’s good for everyone. There were no victims.”

 

Kise removed her hand from the head she had been patting.

 

“It seems such a thing is possible even without lies.”

 

“But I didn’t lie.”

 

“Then what is this?”

 

“This is a dream.”

 

He had just planted a dream in the people. Leonhardt whispered softly, almost ticklishly. 

 

The expectation that things can change just by thinking, the conviction that this very expectation shapes the situation.

 

“Money comes from the world of illusion. Anyone who holds money has no choice but to be deceived. They must be deceived to earn. Would you like to try it too?”

 

After spouting these incomprehensible words, Leonhardt put his arm around Kise’s shoulders and showed her the blackboard.

 

The current average price was 103 ducats. It had already risen by 10 from 93 ducats. 

 

Of course, it was Leonhardt’s doing.

 

“Push that up to 108.”

 

“…Me?”

 

“You just need to stoke the discontent without letting it catch fire. Do it fiercely.”

 

She understood the gist. But she wondered if it would really work if she did it. She looked at Leonhardt with a slightly nervous face. 

 

His expression, as always, told her not to worry.

 

Kise took one step, then another. After taking a deep breath, she decided to give it a try. She reached out her hand to the elderly gentleman, quoting the highest price, and signaled a bid to buy.

 

“Do you really intend to buy at this price?”

 

The elderly gentleman’s desired selling price was 105 ducats. 

 

On his wrinkled face, the question ‘The average is 103, so why?’ seemed to appear.

 

Of course, Kise had no intention of buying at all. She planned to stoke the discontent just as Leonhardt had ordered.