Chapter 26: Beyond the Business of Business

"Obscene!"

What is it like to be called obscene to your face by a beautiful woman inside your own home? At the very least, Leon is not a pervert who would feel excited by such a thing.

He was a bit troubled, struggling to organize a polite excuse. After all, this place was still the residence of the beautiful woman opposite him just a few days ago.

The sound of footsteps behind him grew closer. Leon’s brow twitched, but he did not turn around.

"Miss Lana, Miss Lana! Your clothes, you've forgotten your clothes again!"

If he were to turn around, it would truly be obscene—the kind of situation where no amount of reasoning could clear his name.

"No, wearing them is so uncomfortable... Friend, help me! Lana doesn't want to wear clothes."

He felt a soft weight crash into his back, and Leon dared not move a muscle.

At this moment, the face of the snake-woman opposite him was cold as ice, yet she steadily picked up her teacup and took a gentle sip, appearing completely indifferent. However, all the little snakes on her head were flicking their tongues, glaring viciously at Leon.

If she were truly of Medusa bloodline, Leon would have already been turned into a stone statue many times over.

"My apologies, I misspoke. Legally speaking, we should have no relationship, and I should have no right to criticize..."

The woman set down her teacup. She seemed to be gripping the handle of the porcelain, but her fingers were taut. Her phoenix-like eyes drifted over, a touch of sincerity added to her words.

"...But our dissolution of the engagement will not be made public for three years. To outsiders, we remain one family."

"...What you do in private is your business, but in broad daylight, while receiving guests, to have a woman walk around naked—does this not damage the reputation of the Sudar family? I am not accusing you, but isn't this a bit... unseemly, bringing shame to your household?"

The rapid and precise string of words erupted, but Leon felt as though she were the one who had actually lost her composure.

"...After all, this house is where I lived for a time during my childhood. Is it really appropriate to bring women here?"

She took a deep breath. On an emotional level, Saliman had found a justifiable reason.

There was no arguing with that accusation. You take the house I gave you and raise a naked cat-maid inside? Isn't that a bit too much? Playing around in private is one thing, but to put on a show when I arrive?

But the more she spoke, the more flustered she appeared.

"Friend! Listen to me!" The innocent girl, failing to get a response from her friend, grew anxious as well.

She threw her arms around him, forcibly twisting Leon’s head to press it against her chest.

"Hisss!" The sound of snakes flicking their tongues echoed throughout the living room.

"Excuse me..." Leon took a deep breath and stood up abruptly.

Without further ado, he took action, wrapping her tightly in bedsheets layer by layer before tossing her to the approaching maid. Ignoring the girl, who only seemed to grow more excited, he turned and said, "She is Lana, my comrade-in-arms. Not long ago, she lost all her memories, so now she has not only lost her common sense but, due to instinct, is a bit overly clingy toward me."

Upon hearing this, Saliman Sudar was stunned for a moment, her gaze shifting to Lana.

She noticed her fake ears; she was a degenerated species too... Uh, so it really wasn't Leon's personal preference?

But from an angle where Leon couldn't see, the maid behind him nodded quietly, signaling that what he said was the truth.

The next moment, the woman laughed... then quickly coughed to cover it up.

"Ahem, don't misunderstand, I was just a bit surprised..."

In reality, it was indeed a bit of a misunderstanding; Saliman’s favor for him had not reached the point of jealousy. They were barely even friends, let alone anything more, having only just met and formed an overly deep impression.

But as mentioned before, both sides had a tacit agreement to dissolve the marriage, intending to handle it coldly over three years... This meant that for these three years, they remained an engaged couple in name.

When Saliman told "His Highness" that Leon was her fiancé, it was because it was true on paper, and such private scandals were not fit for public ears.

But when His Highness followed up with, "Then go seduce him and make him defect to my side," Saliman was instantly dumbfounded and found it quite hard to refuse.

After all, since they were engaged, wasn't it normal to have an affair? The "honey trap" was a matter of course. Aren't you getting married soon? Just move in with him.

You are my person, shouldn't your husband also be my person? What, he doesn't intend to defect? Your Sudar family intends to bet on both sides?

His Highness had been a benefactor to Saliman, and she even once held the status of a "Royal Spy." Watching the little Prince, who was delighted to have found a solution to the problem, Saliman really couldn't bring herself to pour cold water on him.

Stalling for a day or two had been her limit, and in the end, she had bitten the bullet and come over.

During this process, she had actually let her imagination run wild. For instance, knowing the man was an inheritor and examiner of heroic spirits, with character and ability that were quite good, she had actually hesitated.

"His Highness speaks very highly of him. If my husband were a good-hearted Saint Knight, she would trust me more." Saliman did not need a capable husband; she needed a trustworthy person to occupy the role of a husband.

It seemed this man was not bad either—at least he was truly a good person who wouldn't deceive her... This still wasn't the feeling of love, merely that among too many rotten choices, this one seemed slightly less rotten.

She had come with many assumptions and resolutions, prepared to take things one step at a time, only to encounter this situation immediately upon opening the door...

"Hello, is your name Lana..."

Pale light flickered on her crystal necklace. Saliman took a deep breath and spoke to Lana, who was tied up on the sofa.

She was actually quite cautious about her own abilities, as peeking into others' hearts had made her feel nauseated several times... but the sudden appearance of a stranger near a key figure like Leon required her attention, given her position serving His Highness.

Her primary purpose for this visit was to gather intelligence on Leon for His Highness. An inheritor of a heroic spirit, even if a failure, was destined for greatness.

"...How pitiful. Do you recognize me, dear?"

"Woo woo woo!" To prevent Lana from saying anything more explosive, Leon had stuffed her mouth while binding her with the sheets.

[Who are you? Are you edible? Is it tasty?] It seemed the girl was truly hungry.

"Really lost your memories? Don't even remember your family? Actually, I don't have a family either..." As she spoke, she reached out to pull the cloth from the girl's mouth.

"What is 'family'?" Hearing a new word, the little girl suddenly became excited.

[Family? Is it edible? Is it tasty?]

Even Saliman couldn't keep a straight face anymore—why did she want to eat everything?

She no longer doubted that this was just a poor girl with amnesia, but she asked one last question.

"Do you still remember Leon? He is my fiancé..." To trigger her ability (which required the target's attention to be focused on her), she forced herself to say it.

"Food friend!"

[Friend! Can't eat! But gives food! Is a good friend!]

Saliman, known as the enchantress, fell silent. She stood up with a smile... She didn't want to talk to an idiot. Her gaze shifted to Leon, filled with a bit more sympathy.

I fear this former comrade-in-arms will become a burden, and considering his character, he shouldn't do anything untoward.

Thinking of their status as inheritors of heroic spirits, reaching the level of Great Knights at such a young age, the battlefields they must have experienced must have been terrifying. Most people would show respect to such individuals, and Saliman was no exception... Lacking a sense of security, she had a favorable impression of these righteous Saint Knights.

The small "interlude" passed quickly. Once the maid took Lana away to feed her, the conversation finally returned to the right track.

Saliman picked a few topics from her agenda to express a moderate amount of concern... but considering what had just happened, the atmosphere felt increasingly subtle.

"A girl disguised as an adult, perhaps her mentality isn't as mature as a Dragon Hunter." Leon, responding to the subtlety, had actually already seen through her.

Leon had always been tolerant toward little girls... as long as they weren't brats.

When he heard her offer to fund him in starting a small business, or simply find a position in her merchant guild after saying he had just lost his job, even Leon was surprised.

Her attitude before hadn't been like this—it had been "stay as far away as possible." Now, she was willing to keep him by her side?

Uh, you didn't take the engagement seriously, did you? Leon’s expression grew more subtle. No matter how much he guessed, he would never have guessed that Saliman was a confidante of the Dragon Hunter. After all, only the royal family could command the loyalty of a new rising star in the noble circle.

But since she brought up work and business, Leon really did have some ideas.

"I'm new here, and I really have been thinking about starting a career. Miss Saliman, I wonder if you are interested in an investment?"

Wanting money? Saliman was not alarmed but pleased; as long as it was just money, everything was easy. At worst, she could just give him more money to support him, or set up a failing shop for him to look after.

"Hmm, I am all ears." The businesswoman became a bit serious.

"You see, I have some imported technology on hand. Do you know about wooden looms? I have a sketch here..."

"The textile industry? You intend to lock horns with the Weaver Baron? That’s not cost-effective..."

When it came to commercial strategy, the previously gentle girl became serious. In this era, many commercial problems were actually political problems and had to be handled with care.

After her closed eyes opened once more, they were calm as water. She was calculating the gains and losses; the "enchantress" who could read minds was showing her true colors. Even stripping away her supernatural abilities, her achievements and talent in business were unquestionable. Otherwise, as a girl managing a household alone, she would have been devoured long ago.

"No, no, no. I’ve heard about him. How could I compete with the eight-armed textile race? I just noticed that in some places, labor is quite cheap but being wasted—it's such a pity." Leon mimicked the mindset of a capitalist, explaining his thoughts and plan.

Some places? The dock district, right? Saliman understood.

"The labor of those small households can actually be utilized. They can serve as subcontracted home workshops. We create a honeycomb-style factory combination: the dock district factory as the main contractor, and small workshops as subcontractors, using low-cost labor to compete in some low-end markets..."

The more she listened, the more Saliman understood.

This wasn't business at all; it was "charity" disguised as business. If one were truly pursuing the cost-effectiveness of labor, the surrounding districts were much better; their asking prices were similar, and there would be far fewer external troubles.

Not to mention, the dock district had so many gangs that it made one's scalp tingle. With protection money collectors showing up today, tomorrow, and the day after, how could one even conduct business? If one factored in the cost of security, it might well be the most expensive place in the entire City of Radiance.

In the past, anyone who dared to try and swindle her to her face would have already been kicked out and blacklisted in the business world.

But now, listening to this urban industry revitalization plan disguised as commerce, she revealed a genuine smile.

A faint smile, a radiant glow that unleashed an astonishing charm.

For a moment, Leon was dazed, thinking he had fallen under some kind of spell, only to hear a whisper in his ear.

"It sounds very interesting. I would love to hear the details."