It was an emergency.
Theon was feeling guilty—so much so that he could barely look me in the face!
‘This is…!’
His eyes had sparkled when he looked at Mr. Damian’s holy sword earlier. Could it be true? Did he actually prefer the Earth’s Holy Sword?
Sure, Mr. Damian’s sword was impressive, but objectively speaking, my dad’s Wyndis was far cooler!
“Theon, my dad really likes you.”
I couldn’t just stand by and let my dad’s prized disciple be taken away.
Unlike Mr. Damian, we had spent two whole months together. That time we shared meant something.
To emphasize that, I lifted my chin a little higher.
“And Sherry, Anne, and Jeffrey all think you’re the best, too!”
Theon, who was weak to compliments, shut his eyes tightly. His neck turned as red as a ripe strawberry—he was definitely embarrassed. Theon always had a hard time with this kind of praise.
“I like you too, Theon. So, even if Mr. Damian offers you candy, you shouldn’t follow him, okay?”
I had wanted to whisper, but because of our height difference, I ended up murmuring it into his shoulder instead.
Theon barely managed to nod.
Even if it was forced, a nod was still a nod.
Hehe. Satisfied, I straightened up and sat properly in my chair.
‘But still…’
If Uncle Hevant had already given him medicine, that meant he knew something about the Blue Trading Company’s leader’s eyes.
That also meant that just my dad’s investments alone wouldn’t be enough to stop Uncle from controlling the company leader’s funds.
‘What Victor Stings needs most is medicine to cure his eyes. Uncle will use that to manipulate him. Simply knowing his weakness isn’t enough.’
Ugh. I focused my gaze on the edge of my desk, lost in thought.
Most businesses directly related to the Travel family receive initial investment funds from the Count Travel estate. In return, they give up half of their net profit, which is then reflected in their financial records. Of course, there are other factors that determine performance evaluations, but—
The important thing was that the Travel family did not interfere in any business matters beyond the initial investment and profit-sharing. That meant there was no way to directly interfere with Uncle’s new drug.
“Berry.”
Theon called my name. I lifted my head.
Unlike before, his expression was serious.
“Hm?”
“I think I need to go see Teacher.”
“Why?”
“The wind has changed.”
There was a disconnect between Theon’s words and the current situation. A déjà vu? Where had I heard that before—
“…Oh?!”
Suddenly, a new memory surfaced.
Inside a shallow cave, another me sat with my back turned to him, while Theon, the crown prince, spoke the same words.
– What’s the big deal if the wind has changed?
– The holy sword resonates with its master’s emotions. It reacts accordingly. You just triggered something inside me.
– That almost sounds like Your Highness is unfamiliar with emotions.
– You could say that. I’ve always been slow to recognize them.
In that memory, the other me was treating a wound on Theon’s back.
– The wound is deep. It’s not fatal, but if you don’t want a scar, you’ll need a high-quality healing potion.
– A scar doesn’t matter.
– What are you saying? Your Highness’s body is practically a national treasure of the Hayshal Empire. Doesn’t the palace have potions that can heal wounds perfectly, leaving no trace?
– There’s no such thing—oh.
– Oh? There is? How much does it cost?
– …You really love talking about money. It’s not in the palace, but…
‘It’s in the Grand Temple!’
Yes! I threw my arms up in excitement.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Thinking I was reaching out to be lifted down from my chair, Theon stepped closer and bent slightly forward.
His head was right in front of me.
My hands itched.
‘What do I do?!’
The ancient texts in the temple, this situation right now—
If the other me hadn’t known Theon, I wouldn’t have known any of this either. My chest felt like it was going to burst! And now, if I just reached out, I could touch Theon!
“Theon!”
I couldn’t hold back.
I threw my arms around his neck.
“…B-Berry?”
“You’re the best!”
“Wait—”
“I really like you!”
“…….…”
“I really like you.”
Squeeze. My best guy friend was the best.
***
Meanwhile…
“What? The Investigation Bureau?”
Victor, the head of the Blue Trading Company, was shocked by what his informant had just reported.
Damian Knox had visited Branch 17 in Goldport today.
That alone was surprising, but the fact that Reytan Quartz Travel had gone there as well—and with Damian Knox, no less—was even more suspicious.
“Why?”
“We are still investigating. However, according to our informant, since they brought children along, there is a possibility that it was just a social visit. After all, both are Grand Masters.”
“If that’s the case, there’s an even higher chance they’ll talk about my eyes.”
Victor clenched his teeth.
It felt as if the second son of the Travel family was deliberately stirring things up in Goldport just to provoke him.
‘If word spreads about my impaired vision…’
His cloudy vision only added to his frustration.
He still had nine doses of the new drug he had received from Hevant. However, if he started relying on it, there would be no end to it.
Eventually, he would be forced to seek out Hevant again, and when that happened, he would have to accept whatever conditions were put before him.
It won’t be easy.
Hevant had held control over the Diamond House within the Count Travel estate for a long time.
He might appear kind on the surface, but inside, he was far more ruthless than Victor himself.
But right now, the biggest threat was Reytan Quartz Travel and whatever he might say.
Victor needed to protect his secret.
“Manager, we need to become the biggest trading company in the Hayshal Empire, right?”
Victor opened a drawer, feeling around until his fingers grasped a small vial.
Click. He swallowed the liquid inside.
Gradually, his vision sharpened.
“Damn it.”
The drug was dangerously effective.
Victor rose from his desk and headed for the door. His manager quickly followed behind.
“Where are you going, sir?”
“To deal with that Travel brat.”
Victor flagged down a passing carriage in front of the company’s headquarters and climbed in.
Goldport’s shopping district was close to the Blue Trading Company’s main building.
Even if Reytan Quartz Travel has already spoken, it doesn’t matter.
In fact, that might be even better. His vision was perfectly fine now.
If Reytan’s words were discredited even once, no one would believe him again.
‘I’ll show him how a seasoned merchant deals with threats.’
Victor stepped out of the carriage, walking with the confidence of someone who had spent a lifetime in the trade.
Right on cue, he spotted Reytan and his group emerging from the Investigation Bureau.
They were close enough that he could call out to them without suspicion.
Feigning coincidence, Victor spoke up.
“Master Reytan? You’re still in Goldport Town—”
Reytan turned his head, but at the same time, Victor lowered his gaze.
Victor’s words trailed off.
His vision had blurred again.
The sudden return of his impaired sight made him feel trapped, surrounded by darkness. Even a seasoned trading like him—one who had climbed to the top as a company leader—couldn’t keep his composure in the face of such helplessness.
“Victor Stings.”
“………”
“Perfect timing. I have something to ask you.”
Reytan spoke, but Victor couldn’t lift his head.
‘Why?’
The moment he experienced the drastic change in the drug’s effect, Victor made his decision.
Even if it meant being played by Hevant, he had no choice but to take his hand.
‘Not even an hour has passed…?’
The drug that was supposed to last half a day had worn off in just an hour.
Such an extreme difference—could this be a side effect?
No. There was no way Hevant would release a drug without even testing for side effects.
Which meant this was a warning.
A message from Hevant: I hold your vision in my hands. I can take it away or give it back whenever I want.
‘Damn it…!’
Victor gritted his teeth.
If he had never known what clear vision felt like, he wouldn’t have felt this overwhelming sense of loss.
“You said you had something… to ask?”
Anger and frustration boiled inside him.
He was being toyed with, and there was nothing he could do about it.
He had expected this possibility, but experiencing it firsthand was far worse than he had imagined.
“Do you have time to talk?”
“This is quite unfortunate. I would love to, but I have a prior engagement with a business partner. Would it be alright to meet another time?”
At moments like this, his naturally narrow eyes were useful.
Victor smiled just enough to hide his eyes from Reytan’s gaze, then quickly tried to leave.
“Is that really true, Theon?”
“Yeah.”
Victor turned his head to the side.
But his limited vision couldn’t capture the speaker.
He adjusted his focus lower.
A boy in a formal suit and a girl wearing a bonnet.
Even with just their silhouettes, it was clear they were Reytan’s daughter and disciple—the same ones he had seen in his office earlier.
Since his sight was failing him, his hearing had become more sensitive than usual.
Then, with an oddly deliberate tone, the boy spoke.
“A Grand Master can receive the highest-grade healing potion from the Grand Temple.”
“Wow! Grand Masters are amazing!”
Victor scoffed internally.
The highest-grade healing potion?
That was nothing more than a legend.
A high-quality healing potion could heal fatal wounds, but the highest-grade one was said to restore even permanently damaged body parts.
He had spent his whole life searching for it. But he had long accepted that—
It doesn’t exist.
“Where did you hear that? That information is classified.”
“Damian, you got tricked by my daughter. You let a secret slip.”
“Me? No way. Your disciple was the one who spoke, which means you revealed it.”
“A bureau chief who falls for a child’s leading questions… unbelievable.”
Wait.
‘Did they just say… the highest-grade healing potion actually exists?’
Victor’s hands trembled.
Berry noticed and smirked.
