Sevens (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 108

Chapter 108 – Beim’s Major Merchant
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──It was the bottom of a dark sea.

(Aa, I’m seeing the same dream again.)

Vera Tres realized that she was in a dream.

The dreams that Vera saw were mostly the same thing.

It was a dream of her staying still at the bottom of a dark and silent sea.

In her dream she felt like she was an unfeeling rock or something that was even accustomed of being tormented by solitude.

(I’m always alone inside my dream.)

When she woke up and returned to reality, there would be her family who loved her. Her mother had already departed from this world, but she had a father who was pouring his love to her to an annoying degree.

There was also her little sister who was together with the man that she liked.

She didn’t resent her little sister. She was even wishing for their happiness.

However, she was always alone in her dream.

She had the image of hugging her knees while floating inside the sea. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to.

Vera could also predict how the dream would develop from here. It was always the same every time.

(Any time soon.)

Vera slowly ascended from the bottom of the dark sea toward the surface. She couldn’t move her body like she wanted. Even so, she desperately struggled to get out of the sea.

The light gradually became stronger and just when she was about to get out of the sea, she could hear a voice.

『──Thanks for your hard work, Tres. Your role is over.』

The same voice and words always came.

It was a voice that she had never heard even once in reality.

What waited her when she surfaced was a silhouette with the sun on his back.

Vera reached out her hand toward that silhouette. It made Vera wanted to avert her gaze.

It wasn’t her own hand. The hand was rugged like rock surface with sea creatures clinging on it.

And then, when the silhouette grabbed the feminine looking hand she held out──her hand scattered to pieces.

It wasn’t just her arm. Her shoulder, then her chest──the crumbling places cracked and her body was crumbling.

(No. Please no!)

Her self that turned into pieces was falling into the bottom of the sea again.

She didn’t want to return. Though she wished for that, she always got returned to the bottom of the sea like this.

Her body crumbled and fell toward the bottom of the dark sea without being able to even struggle──.

「Tsu!?」

──And then, she always woke up at that point.

She was sweating. Vera was breathing roughly on her bed that was attached with a canopy. The beating of her heart was quick. She could hear her heart pounding *boom boom* in her chest.

Vera noticed that she was inside her own room and felt relieved. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She wiped her sweat with the back of her hand, and then she slowly lifted up her upper body.

She pulled her knees closer and hugged them with her hands.

「I’m seeing this dream a lot recently. I hope it’s not a dream of an oncoming bad luck.」

After that she calmed the beating of her heart before she got out of her bed and stood up.

The season was summer.

Vera was lightly dressed when sleeping. She was in her underwear.

She looked at the mirror inside her room and sighed seeing her tired figure. Her strong-willed features where her eyes tended to be turned up at the corners looked especially annoyed today.

「I better take a shower like this.」

Her long black hair was messy because she had just woken up, even then they still looked lustrous and beautiful.

Her skin was white and pretty even though she often went to a voyage──her pupils were purple. Her figure was slender and her breasts were slightly small, but their size was just right to settle snugly within her own palm.

When she moved to head toward the bathroom to take a shower, the door was knocked.

「Ye~s」

Vera had an idea who could be knocking the door at this time, so she replied carelessly.

The visitor was the major merchant Fidel Tres. He was the head of Tres family. He was also Vera’s father.

『Vera, dress up quickly so we can eat breakfast together. The breakfast today will be with family only. Yes, this is the promised day where we can eat breakfast together happily among family only.』

Fidel’s voice was filled with the joy of looking forward to this day. It was clear that he was in a good mood.

Vera was usually in a trip above merchant ship, but this time was a rare occasion where she was staying in the mansion for a long period of time, so Fidel was extremely happy.

「Papa don’t need to go to the trouble of waking me up personally.」

『Papa has been really looking forward to this day you know! Please don’t be late okay, Vera. Papa will also has an important business negotiation today, so papa will have to leave the mansion after this.』

Fidel was clinging to the door while his voice sounded like he was going to cry. Vera felt fed up by his act, even so she said 「I get it」 and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

.

Gathered in the dining room for the breakfast was Vera, Fidel, and then her little sister, Gina Tres.

Gina was different from Vera. She was a quiet girl.

She wasn’t doing anything to help out in the house. She was living in the mansion as an 「Ojou-sama」.

Originally Vera should be living quietly in the house too just like her little sister, but she was specially entrusted with work due to her capability.

This morning was a peaceful breakfast time where the three were all smiles──or that was how it should be.

But, Fidel’s expression was bitter because of the guest that the quiet lady Gina invited this morning.

「Why is a brat like you here I wonder?」

Fidel’s vein was pulsing on his forehead. It seemed he was holding back even now from ranting angrily.

The guest──Roland was a good looking young man with short hair. He was also Gina’s lover.

Roland was a diligent young man who was working for Tres family, but he ended up working in the mansion as an attendant since Gina fell in love with him.

Fidel wasn’t acknowledging their relationship, but he was overcame by Gina who pushed to get her way.

Roland was making a troubled expression.

「I had declined Gina-ojousama’s invitation, but she insisted.」

Roland moved his gaze from Fidel to Gina.

The family’s gazes gathered on Gina.

「Roland is the man who will become my husband. So he is also family.」

Fidel’s hair stood on end from anger hearing those words.

「This brat want to become my cute Gina’s husband!? Papa absolutely won’t allow that!」

「Why is that!? Papa, do you hate me?」

Gina’s eyes turned tearful by Fidel’s refusal. That tear made Fidel lost his momentum and he became completely flustered.

「No, that, papa really love Gina. For papa, you and Vera are my treasures that cannot be replaced by anything else in this world. But, but you see? Papa is thinking that perhaps you shouldn’t marry Roland, just food for thought.」

Fidel was sending glances at Vera repeatedly to ask for help.

Vera noticed that and let out a small sigh before she sent out a helping hand.

「Papa can just allow it.」

「Thank you Nee-san!」

「VERAAAAA!! What are you saying!」

Gina rejoiced, while Fidel almost burst into tear because he had no ally at all.

Vera who didn’t want to see his father doing something like crying continued her breakfast while talking.

「Even papa said that you won’t make use of us as tool for political marriage right? Then even Roland should be alright for Gina’s husband isn’t it?」

Gina’s eyes sparkled and she nodded repeatedly. Vera’s feeling turned complicated seeing that. After all she also harbored feeling for Roland.

The diligent and kind young man Roland looked down shyly. It seemed he was embarrassed by Gina’s affection to him. Seeing him like that, Vera sensed that there was no place at all for her to get between the two of them.

However, Fidel didn’t back down just because Vera had said that.

「Absolutely no. Even papa isn’t refusing your relationship because papa hates it or anything. Papa is refusing because that brat can’t possibly make Gina happy.」

Fidel’s harsh gaze stabbed at Roland. The still young Roland could only shrink back when a major merchant like Fidel glared at him.

Gina couldn’t accept it.

「I’m happy with him!」

「Gina too, you need to understand. Your relationship with Roland──」

A secretary entered the room just as Fidel was about to admonish Gina.

「Fidel-sama, it’s time. The carriage has been prepared.」

「Eh? No, wait a bit. I have something important to talk with Gina.」

「There is no time for that. We are going to be late as it is now.」

「Kuh! I-it can’t be helped if it’s work. But, we will have this talk again no matter what when I return back! Gina, wait quietly for papa in the mansion okay?」

Fidel put on his working face and got out of the room with a sharp gaze.

He walked with his secretary while talking about the business today.

If this was his only face then he would be the ideal father, but no matter how he tried he would show his lenient face when in front of his daughters.

Vera didn’t hate that side of her father. But, at this rate they wouldn’t be able to marry no matter how much time passed.

Gina talked to her after Fidel was gone.

「Nee-san, I have a request. I want Otou-sama to recognize my relationship with Roland. Can you lend us a hand with that?」

Vera stifled her conflicted feeling while showing a smile.

「It’s fine. But, I’ll have another work soon so I don’t really have much time.」

「You’re going for trading again? Even though you can just leave that work to someone else.」

Gina’s casual question made Vera’s gaze moved toward Roland for just a moment.

But, she immediately shook her head.

「It’s my ship. I don’t want to leave it to other people.」

Gina looked exasperated at Vera who was getting absorbed with her work. But, it seemed she had no intention to criticize her for that and gave her big sister her support.

「If Nee-san is fine with that then I won’t stop you. But, I wonder what should I do to make Otou-sama allow my relationship with Roland?」

Gina held her head with a troubled look. Roland who was sitting beside her talked to her.

「Gina-ojousama, there is no need to be so hurried like that isn’t it? We can also take our time to slowly make Fidel-sama recognize our relationship.」

Roland was a diligent man. He was thinking to spend time proving himself to Fidel with his work.

Gina fell in love with Roland because of that side of his and felt satisfied by that answer.

「You’re right. Surely even Otou-sama will accept it if we do our best.」

「Yes.」

The two of them held each other’s hands with smile on their face. Vera’s heart cooled down somewhere inside seeing the two of them like that. She hated that part of her.

(I think it will be faster if you accomplish some kind of major job though.)

Considering Fidel’s personality, Vera thought that it might be easier to make him accepted Roland if he successfully done a big job rather than diligently doing some normal jobs.

Roland was certainly a diligent and likable person. He also had honest working manner. Even Fidel would surely like him if not because of this matter with Gina.

However, no matter how hard Roland worked, he wouldn’t be able to get Fidel liked him even more than that.

Vera spoke jokingly.

「Perhaps the way papa look at Roland will change if he manage to do some kind of big job successfully. Roland, how about getting on my ship and closing some kind of business deal? Just kidding.」

However Gina seriously considered this joke.

She put her chin on her hand and fell into thinking, and then she lifted up her face.

「That might be good.」

「──Eh?」

Gina grabbed Vera’s hand with both her hands seriously. And then she stared into Vera’s eyes.

「Nee-san, please! Help Roland obtain achievement.」

Vera couldn’t refuse because she was the one making this suggestion. It was decided that Roland would come with her at her voyage next time──.

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「Tres family is gathering adventurers?」

After several days passed since we returned from dungeon.

My companion Miranda Circry visited my room while we were resting in the inn.

Miranda’s position among my companions was like a big sister. She was a reliable comrade who could do anything.

With her faint green hair and eyes, she looked like a gentle big sister with mild personality from a glance. But at the inside she was really extreme in various aspects.

That Miranda was visiting my room because she had obtained a good information.

「Yes. It’s Tres family, the big company. It seems they are sending out merchant ship and they are looking for adventurers to be in charge of protecting it. It looks like they want to form an exclusive contract with some adventurers in the future, so the request this time is like a practical test for that.」

A big merchant house like Tres family was looking for adventurer party?

「A big company like them should be able to use various connections to search right away thought? Is there something behind the scene?」

I got curious and asked for further detail. Miranda looked as though she had been waiting for that and talked to me about the situation in detail.

「It seems the adventurer party they were contracted with is forming a mercenary group and cancelled the contract. Also, it looks like their true aim is to gather a lot of parties to also check the capability of the young adventurers. Well, perhaps their main reason is that if it’s with young adventurers then they will be able to pay cheap contract money no matter how capable they are.」

They would make the rookies competed against each other and then hired the capable party from among them for cheap. It was completely a good thing for them.

I nodded in understanding and pondered whether we should accept Tres family’s request.

「This is a chance to promote ourselves directly to Tres family huh.」

It seemed that Miranda had also considered that, but she also pointed at some issues.

「The problem is that it will be above the ship. We don’t have any experience of moving through sea so it will be difficult.」

Before this, I once borrowed a fishing boat to give it a try of boarding a ship. We had come to Beim, so I wanted to experience the sea, but──we splendidly got sick.

Most of us couldn’t move because of seasickness. It was a horrible experience.

Would we be able to accomplish the job satisfactorily on the sea, no, on the ship?

Miranda spoke to the pondering me to hurry up with the decision.

「I understand why you hesitate, but there is also not much time so it will be better to decide quickly.」

「I wish we can have some preparatory period at least.」

「We might be able to secure a few days for preparation. But can we do anything to improve ourselves in such short time?」

This wasn’t a field that we were good at. By all rights I wanted to let go of this chance, but I also didn’t want to let go of such rare chance.

The ancestors inside the Jewel advised the pondering me.

『We have not time anyway, won’t it be better to give it a try in that case?』

The Fourth was also concerned by our lack of time.

『The war is near according to Gastone after all. Let’s try everything we can. Besides, I don’t think there won’t be any other chance to promote Lyle and others to Tres family other than this.』

There was no problem even if we failed so give it a try. That was the recommendation of the two. The other three were also the same.

The Fifth seemed to be curious by the person in charge of managing the merchant ship.

『By the way, is the person in charge of that merchant ship has any influence with Tres family? If that person is just a hired ship captain, then there won’t be any meaning promoting Lyle and the others to him.』

We didn’t have any time of steadily promoting ourselves because we had no time.

It would be ideal if we could get acquainted with someone from the upper echelon.

I asked Miranda about that.

「Miranda, do you know who is in charge of that merchant ship?」

Miranda smiled. It seemed she knew that I would ask that from the start.

「Do you think that I’ll bring any useless offer to you? The person in charge of that merchant ship is a big shot even in the Tres family you know? After all, that person is a daughter of the family head.」

「Daughter?」

「Yes. Her age is close to us. She is entrusted with a large merchant ship even though she is still young.」

The owner’s daughter was the person in charge?  Was it a case of the daughter riding the coat-tails of her parent?

But, the Sixth got motivated after hearing this. His voice sounded more serious than usual. Had he thought up some kind of good idea?

『Daughter? What’s more her age is close to Lyle? Lyle, ask whether that daughter has a lover or not.』

I believed in the Sixth who was sounding unusually serious and asked Miranda just as I was told. But, I immediately realized after that──.

「Miranda, does that daughter has any lover?」

Miranda narrowed her eyes at my question. Only her lips were still smiling.

「Why are you asking that I wonder?」

「Eh? Ah, no, that’s!?」

──My question just now made it sounded like I was planning to lay my hand on the daughter of a rich man. Miranda averted her face from me and answered while I was being flustered.

「There wasn’t any mention of lover from the investigation that I requested.」

『Yosh, go get that girl Lyle! Make her fall in love with you no matter what!』

The Sixth spoke loudly from inside the Jewel after hearing that information.

However, his words were horrible.

As expected from the Sixth. He was the only one who would tell me to woo a daughter of a rich man like this.

The thinking of an enemy of woman like this was different from normal person.

He could easily suggest something that I could never even think up by myself like this.

Inside the Jewel, the jeers toward the Sixth from the ancestors who were disgusted toward him──didn’t come. The Seventh who usually would immediately repudiate the Sixth was reluctantly agreeing.

『That will be the fastest way but, really, what a very wicked method to suggest.』

The Seventh seemed to dislike the method but thought that it couldn’t be helped. The others were also in agreement.

The Fifth was also not objecting to the Sixth’s suggestion. He didn’t but, he didn’t sound amused at the inside.

『That’s certainly an effective method but, to immediately be able to reach that idea right away, you are a failure as a human.』

The Sixth snorted at those words of his father.

『It was Lyle who said that he will do anything in order to win. In the first place, there won’t be any problem as long as he makes her happy after seducing her. Yeah, no problem at all.』

There was nothing but trouble with that, you stupid idiot.

I wanted to throw this cursed Jewel to the ground right away, but Miranda was with me here so I held back. I pretended to be deep in thought while grasping the Jewel tightly and rolling it on my fingertips.

That gesture meant to say No way!

Then, the Fourth persuaded me even while sounding reluctant himself. There was no strength in his voice. The person himself wasn’t really enthusiastic with this plan.

『This is a method that I don’t really want to use, but it’s an effective method if we take the future into account. Lyle, approach that girl for the sake of from here on too.』

Such motive was too impure. I didn’t want to do something that was like trying to make use of that girl. That was my honest feeling.

But, I didn’t have any other idea.

It would be better to try meeting that girl once and talked with her. Even if I managed to refuse the suggestion of the ancestors here, it felt like they would manage to cajole me in the end, so I stopped arguing back.

Let’s just think about it later.

I let go of the Jewel. Miranda talked to me seeing that.

「Then what are we going to do? If you’re going to accept then faster──」

「Let’s accept that request. I want to prepare right away, so let’s gather everyone and discuss it.」

「──I see. Then I’ll go call everyone.」

Miranda didn’t say anything more than that and left the room.

Then as though he had been waiting for that, the Fifth began to talk to me with a small whisper. The voice within the Jewel couldn’t be heard by anyone else than me, even so he seemed to be concerned about something.

『It’s good and all trying to seduce a rich girl, but it will be bad to mention it to the other girls won’t it?』

The Sixth agreed with a tone that sounded somewhat scared.

『I get you. Miranda surely won’t agree with it. Fastidious girl like Aria and Sophia will also complain if they learn of this.』

The Third was also saying that it would be better for me to keep this a secret from my surrounding with a voice that sounded worried.

『Recently the party has also calmed down internally, so I hope we can keep things to be calm like this. If they find out that Lyle is approaching a girl for money, things might become troublesome again.』

It wouldn’t be just might, things would definitely become troublesome in that case.

If possible even I didn’t want to do something like that. It would be best if I could talk to the girl and persuade her to normally finance us. If a daughter of Tres family became our patron, then I wouldn’t need to do anything unnecessary.

The Fourth also hated for the atmosphere to become thorny with the girls. He warned me to absolutely keep this a secret.

『Lyle, carry on ahead under the veil of secrecy.』

There I asked a simple question.

「Um, this is just a what if scenario. In case I really manage to seduce that girl, won’t everyone learn of this at that time?」

If I failed, the recapture of Zayin would become harder and the situation would become plainly bad for us, but even if I succeeded, wouldn’t I end up losing my standing within the party?

Approaching a rich girl because I wanted money. Something like that was just the worst.

The other four ancestors shut their mouth. Surely they were unable to think up any good idea. After the silence continued for a while, the Seventh talked to me.

『Lyle──if it’s you then you can do it.』

「Don’t give up answering like that, at least give me an advice here.」

Would things really be alright from here on like this?