Amaku Yasashii Sekai de Ikiru ni wa - Chapter 20

Amaku Yasashii Sekai de Ikiru Ni Wa – 20 POV Luce Hendra

A myriad of brilliant colors dazzled my eyes: red, orange, green, yellow, cobalt blue, marine blue, and purple. These shining colors warmly embraced a single person in front of me. My eyes were completely stolen by these beautiful lights.

It was spring when this incident happened, and I had just entered middle school at the age of 12.

It was another young man like myself named Doyle Von Aghinis who stole my eyes in an instant. He is the only master of Master Ballad.

My family owns and leads Hendra Company, one of the largest companies in the world. We are trusted by the royal family and have a vast network of connections in the world of the nobility. We also have many relatives who are nobles too. Master Ballad is one of these relatives.  His ability in battle is comparable to a snail’s. However, he exceeds when it comes to every other ability, especially his ability to gather information, which far surpasses the capabilities of our agents.

Naturally, we tried our very best to recruit him to our company because of his abilities. Both my father and grandfather valued his ability highly, as well. We tried to use wealth, status, women, and anything else that could be desirable to humans, but we could not even make him consider joining us. He just laughed each time and gave the same exact reply.

“My loyalty, soul, body, and life are devoted to serving Master Doyle.”(Ballad)

My father and grandfather were both very disappointed with the matter regarding Master Ballad, but at the same time, their respect for Ballad also increased from seeing that he would never betray his master. My father also told the company to ensure that no other merchants be able to rope or coerce Master Ballad into joining them. 
Unlike my father and grandfather, I was already close to Master Ballad on a personal level. I had been taken in by the brilliance that surrounded Master Ballad, but I would receive a greater attack from another person’s brilliance later on.

Yes, I will tell you about my skill.
I have a special skill that lets me see who has the protection of the gods and spirits in the form of light. I call this skill [Eyes to See the World’s Love]. I can see the intensity of the protection and love from how bright the light is. I wondered how this skill would be useful in the world of a merchant. My father has the [Eyes of Truth], which allow him see through a person’s lies. My grandfather has the [Eyes of Essence], which allow him to see a person’s true essence. It was when I was nine years old that I discovered how this power would be useful in a merchant’s world. It was exactly one year before I met Master Ballad.

I had gone to a stadium with my grandfather. 
My grandfather allowed me to bet on a fighter as a teaching opportunity. He told me to predict who would win using my eyes. The two contestants were a three time champion and his opponent, a young swordsman who seemed to win each battle by some fluke. Everyone in the stadium obviously bet on the champion and believed that this would not even be a fight.

I, however, put all my money on the young swordsman.
My grandfather asked me,

“Why did you do that, even though the other person is a safe bet?”(Grandpa Hendra)

I told him,

“I saw the young swordsman shining brightly.”(Luce)  

I told my grandfather that I had seen the young swordsman shine because of my [Eyes to See the World’s Love]. The result was as I expected: the young swordsman won the battle. My grandfather remained silent until we saw the battle end. He then took me to do some practice tests to allow me to familiarize myself with my skill.  

The things he tested first were magical medicine, manastones, and magic tools. These are products that are either created with the borrowed power of the spirits or blessed by the gods. I could determine the attributes or elements based on the colors. I could also see how strong the blessing was from the strength of the light. Grandfather also tested me with flawless counterfeits and told me to pick the real one. I was always right. My skill can see through counterfeits and fakes because they do not give off the same light genuine products do.

I could also use this skill when dealing with people. My grandfather brought several people to me and told me to pick the most skilled one from among them. I had also gotten that right. My skill can see the potential of people, adventurers, or mercenaries who try to boast about themselves; those who are fake can not fool my eyes.

I also learned another aspect of the light when using my skill on people. A strong light means that a person is an [existence that is loved by the world] 
This does not take into account an individual’s personality. What is loved by the world will also be protected by the world. 
There are many forms of love. It can come in the form of offensive or defensive power. It can also come in the form of abilities like Master Ballad’s incredible information gathering capabilities.

Someone with a strong blue light is protected by water. Thus, that person will never encounter disasters such as mudslides or tsunamis. Someone with a strong red light is protected by fire. Thus, if that person were to be aboard a burning ship, he and whatever he was transporting on that ship would safely come to shore unscathed.

It is not a metaphor but a reality when I say my world is filled with light. 
Master Ballad has a strong green light signaling that he has the protection of the wind. The light is a strong emerald green and is very beautiful.  I thought there would be no else in this world who could match this light. Then I met that very person.

It was Doyle Von Aghinis.

He is loved by the world to the point of being irregular. No, just saying love or protected by the world is not an enough. 
Master Doyle is enveloped by the world, like a baby in a cradle.

My family’s Hendra Company is the royal family’s favorite company. 
I have met with the King, the Queen, and all the princesses and prince. I have met those the people call the Four Gods of the country, a Hero, and a Saint. None of them had as many colors as Master Doyle, and he was shining so brightly that I had to close my eyes. 
I always wondered what type of person Master Ballad’s master was. I believe I may have insulted him a few times as well. After I met him, both my eyes and my mind were stolen by the beautiful light he emitted. I am now a Master Doyle believer like Master Ballad is.

However,  I cannot commit myself fully to the side of Master Doyle like Master Ballad and Princess Claire, as I am a merchant. It is regrettable, but it puts me at a disadvantage right now. I am patient though. I will not let Master Doyle slip from my fingers, and I will continue to assist him.

In addition, I have never seen anyone who is related to a person with a strong light ever be affected in a bad way. The gods and spirits seem to also favor those who are friendly to those they love. Thus, the more I help Master Doyle, the more favor the gods will send to my Hendra Company.  This is an investment for the future.   

Master Doyle is enveloped by the world. There is no mistaking this fact.

He was put into several dangerous situations during his middle school years, but he always came out victorious without fail. Anything Master Doyle wanted would fall right into his hands. If he wanted a certain antique, then some owner of said antique would sell it immediately. In another instance, a certain resource had run out, and they could no longer mass produce a certain good. One day, Master Doyle had the need for that certain good. I had told him I would try to obtain it but that it would be difficult. Suddenly, mass production of that product resumed because they had found another reservoir of the resource near the area they had originally mined for it. I bought the good that had been priced in the millions for dirt cheap.  

Even the [construction paper] he requested this time was the same. Normally, if you try to produce a brand-new product, it would take around 3-4 months to complete. Another month if you count testing to see if the product is good for practical use.

However, when Master Doyle desired [construction paper], it was as if god had said, “Oh, here you go my child.”

Even with Master Doyle’s specific design procedure, it still would have taken at least one month, but every single workshop we requested to develop the product did so.
One week was all that they needed. 
My father, grandfather, and I all confirmed that it was not fake, and it was the real thing. On the contrary, all the merchants and workshop leaders had this bad smile that had “profit” written all over it.

When I delivered the [construction paper] to Master Doyle, he showed me another amazing thing. A paper rose. He crafted a beautiful paper rose, and the possibilities he opened the doorway to at that moment made the scales covering my eyes fall through the ground.

THIS WILL SELL!

Master Doyle pointed out the shortcomings of the product, but I had confidence that it was nothing we at the Hendra Company could not solve. The next moment shattered the glass wall in my mind. The bouquet Master Doyle made for the princess was that shocking. 
Rather than using a monochromatic flower, he used several different colors to create gradation in the flower’s color. This made the flower even more beautiful than just using one color and would no doubt increase the popularity of the paper rose as a decorative item.

I was in communication for five hours with my father and grandfather to go over Master Doyle’s idea. They sounded amazed at what Master Doyle had come up with. The paper roses and gradation will allow us more freedom when using the paper as a material to make envelopes, bags, and other decorative items. When I mentioned wrapping the stem of the flower with the colored paper, my father had a revelation. We can create wallpapers using these colored papers, and by combining idea with the idea of gradation, we can create many different types of wallpapers beyond just monocolored wallpapers.

The possibilities are endless. 
There is no doubt in my mind that this product will bring enormous wealth to our company. There is no doubt that Master Doyle’s rating in our company has gone up, and that also applies to me. My rating in our family has gone up significantly. Now there is no one competing against me to be the family’s successor. 
As I thought, Master Doyle will bring great fortune in life.

When many of the merchants related to the Hendra company found out that I had connections with Master Doyle, they all began trying to win my favor. The paper craftsmen who saw the new paper product all felt that whoever came up with this was the one blessed by the [God of Paper].  Many of the craftsmen even gave him a new title, [Child of the Paper God]

Of course, you fools! Master Doyle is the one who is enveloped by the world.

Master Doyle’s desires have not once been denied by the world. The [construction paper], as well as the Oath at the entrance ceremony. As long as Master Doyle’s heart wishes for it, there will be no one who can stand up to him on his path. That person’s light is more beautiful and bright than anyone else’s in this world.

The defense of Master Doyle’s inheritance of the title of Duke is now led by Princess Claire and my father. All the families who do not cooperate now will regret it in the future. Those who have decided to watch on the sidelines will also regret it in the future. Being a merchant is to know when to grasp the opportunity that presents itself in front of you. If you fail to grasp it, then you will lose, but if you grasp and hold onto that opportunity, it will bring you profit like none other.

Don’t start complaining when I say I told you so!

Master Doyle is exactly the type of person I expected him to be.

“Hello, Father, I have a message I would like you to relay to the princess from Master Doyle. You should say this message as you are giving her the bouquet tomorrow. “(Luce)

“Hmm, this time Master Doyle has provided us a great profit; thus, I will complete this mission with all my might. I will not disappoint him on the honor of the name Velco Hendra.”(Velco)

“Thank you.”(Luce)

“So what is the message?”(Velco)

“You will be the only one in my heart as long as these flowers remain in bloom, so please wait.”(Luce)

“Ha ha ha ha! Nice! What a romantic line! It is also a good slogan for the paper roses. ‘I will never let you down as long as this flower remains in bloom . . .’ Luce, ask Master Doyle if we can use a slight variation of that line.”(Velco)

“I knew you would ask this when I heard the message from Master Doyle.  I will ask him tomorrow. I am counting you father. “(Luce)

“Leave it to me! Well then, give my regards to Master Doyle.”(Velco)

“Okay, stay well father.”(Luce)

“Take care of yourself, Luce.”(Velco)

I confirm that the communication is cut off and clean up the tools. The moon has already passed its apex . . . I talked for too long with father.

“I have been talking a lot more with my father because of Master Doyle. I also have a lot more things to do because of him.”(Luce)

While I talk to myself, I try to think of the face of the princess who will receive the bouquet from my father tomorrow.

Princess Claire is a person who has the absolute protection of [Goddess of Love]. A brilliant pink light always descends from the heavens and surrounds her. My tests have shown that a person who has the protection of the [Goddess of Love] will give the person who reciprocates that love the protection of the [Goddess of Love] as well. Master Doyle already has many lights surrounding him. Just adding the light from Princess Claire would easily make him the most beloved person below the heavens if one were to imagine such a thing.  

Some individuals are trying to put Jin Von Spiez and the princess together, but I know that is not possible. He has a red and yellow light enveloping him, but in comparison to Master Doyle’s shine, it would be the same as comparing the sun to a candle.

I believe that if Princess Claire marries a person who shines as much as Master Doyle, she will attain supreme happiness. I must say that I must take my hat off to the princess for chasing someone like Master Doyle. Her eyes for men are impeccable. Master Doyle also likes the Princess, thus I will use every single bit of my power to make sure she gets married to Master Doyle.

Yesterday, to test Master Doyle’s heart, as well as make a playful jab at him, Master Ballad and I started to recount his past love moments. The next moment, I woke up in my bed. Master Doyle apparently struck both me and Master Ballad on the back of the neck to knock us out. It did not hurt at all. How nice of him.  Master Doyle came to look for me when he wanted to pass the message along. Of course, I told Master Ballad about the message. Me and Master Ballad are eternal comrades when trying to push Master Doyle to be more forthcoming with Princess Claire.

I should tell this to the Prince Gray as well. If I have that person on my side in this matter, no one will be able to stop me from bringing them together.

Man, so many things to do tomorrow.

I lie down on my bed and let sleep take me.

I will forever work with Master Doyle; thus, please keep the Hendra Company on your mind!