꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦THERE IS NO WAY YOU LOVE ME ꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦
Kieran had not discussed this plan with Alyssa in advance.
“Pardon…?”
And, like everyone else, she reacted with the same confusion.
“There’s no specific item that’s required, but it must be a luxury product sold exclusively to nobles.”
At Kieran’s words, Alyssa paused to choose her words carefully before speaking.
“Nobles will buy items without worrying about the price, so it’ll sell well, but… wouldn’t it be better to choose something else to make even more money?”
Unless the types of items they could produce were strictly limited, Kieran’s choice was a bit difficult to understand, given the range of options available.
“Of course, if we lower the unit price and broaden the target audience, we could earn an enormous amount of money.”
Kieran nodded in agreement with her reasoning.
“However, it would be difficult to turn that into a sustainable source of income in the long term.”
Artifacts sold to commoners would mostly serve as substitutes for consumables. For instance, a light-emitting artifact could be sold for twice the price of a candle, but that’s about it.
If the strategy is to lower the price and increase the quantity sold, it would require an immense production capacity. While it might work for a while, the resources would undoubtedly deplete quickly.
“And most importantly, if that fact becomes known, the royal family won’t stay idle.”
Kieran didn’t believe that the Benoit ducal house could monopolize the materials and techniques forever.
People are more loose-lipped than one might expect, and their loyalties can change as easily as flipping a hand. The technology for crafting artifacts would inevitably leak out.
If that happened, the key issue would be the materials required to produce them.
“If we were to mass-produce and sell artifacts indiscriminately, it would become evident to everyone that this place is stockpiled with resources.”
Until now, the royal family and other noble houses had been dumping useless monster carcasses onto the Benoit ducal house.
Since they had forced these burdens onto them, they could just as easily seize them by force as well.
‘That’s exactly what happened.’
Recalling a fleeting memory from his past life, Kieran’s gaze turned cold.
The people who came from the capital weren’t interested in the techniques—they were just there to take the materials.
‘It makes sense that fool was involved back then.’
A face he’d rather not remember came to mind. Kieran clicked his tongue lightly, shaking off the thought.
“Publicly, we’ll claim that the ducal house disposed of most of the carcasses before the scholars crossed the forest. Along with that, we’ll say that only a small amount of materials remain, so the stock is limited.”
This explanation would undoubtedly arouse suspicion, but as long as they concealed the truth, it wouldn’t matter. No matter how suspicious it seemed, as long as nothing was found, there would be nothing anyone could do.
The conversation ended with the agreement to relocate the monster carcasses to a place known only to a select few as soon as possible.
The storage Kieran and Alyssa brought the scholars to was the only warehouse they intended to show to the outside world.
“So, uh, do we just make only the items you mentioned?”
“Yes. I don’t think it should be too much of a burden for any of you.”
For some reason, the scholars’ faces turned pale at his response. Kieran couldn’t understand why they looked so distraught at the idea of having less work to do.
“Other research… experiments…”
“Are you absolutely sure nothing else is needed? Please, think it over one more time!”
Seeing their desperate expressions, Kieran finally understood the situation. He chuckled softly and shook his head.
“You’re free to conduct personal research as much as you like. As long as it’s not something required for the estate, feel free to use monster byproducts to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you!”
The scholars’ blue eyes glistened with such emotion that it seemed they might tear up.
“In exchange, since we’re providing the materials, I would appreciate it if our requests were given priority.”
“Of course! We’ll create the most exquisite artifacts in the world for you!”
“How many do you need? A hundred? Two hundred?”
“Ten will suffice for now. After that, producing one per month should be enough.”
“Oh, absolutely! That’s no problem at all! Would it be alright if we made thirty in advance and then proceeded with other research?”
“Do as you see fit.”
When the whirlwind of a conversation finally ended, the scholars looked ready to burst into dance at any moment. Watching them grin from ear to ear, Kieran suddenly spoke up.
“Oh, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask of you.”
“Anything! Just say the word!”
Their fervent response was reminiscent of devoted followers—or perhaps fanatics.
“Please do not disclose anything about the artifacts to others. That includes details about the monster corpses and the technology involved.”
“That goes without saying! Besides, we don’t have any friends anyway!”
“Should we make a mental artifact? One that fries the brain if someone tries to spill the beans…”
As the scholars chattered noisily, Kieran smiled gently at them.
“That sounds like an option, but how about we go with something a bit more humane?”
“What do you suggest?”
“Seven of you will live in seclusion.”
The scholars, stunned into silence, stared at Kieran with wide eyes, like lambs gazing at their shepherd. Unfazed, Kieran met their gazes without so much as a blink.
“Even if you don’t intend to reveal anything, there’s no telling what methods others might employ to pry it out of you. From the outset, it’s best to leave only a token number of people visible while hiding the rest.”
It sounded like seclusion, but it was effectively imprisonment. He was essentially saying they would be confined to prevent any potential leaks of information.
Looking at the dazed faces of the scholars, Kieran fell into thought. Perhaps he had gone too far? Just as he began to question himself, one scholar shot up their hand.
“Let’s decide by first come, first served! I’m in!”
That shout ignited a flurry of noise within the warehouse. After a brief commotion, the once uniform expressions of the scholars had split into a variety of reactions.
“If this feels excessively inhumane, we could consider another—”
“What? Why? It’s not like we can’t conduct our research while confined.”
Kieran, who was about to apologize for making an unreasonable demand, found himself momentarily at a loss for words. Come to think of it, the bright expressions weren’t limited to just three people—they were on all seven.
“By first come, first served… you meant you are deciding who stays outside, not who—”
Muttering in disbelief, he trailed off, only to see the scholars nod with utter conviction.
“Of course it’s about seclusion. No question about it.”
“Living locked away, seeing no one, and spending all day immersed in research—it’s the life I’ve always dreamed of!”
“By the way, will there be attendants? Actually, could we not have attendants?”
The seven scholars who were now gleefully envisioning their idyllic lives of self-imposed imprisonment were watched with wistful eyes by the remaining three. Among those three was Alma, who seemed relieved to be among the ones staying outside.
At least there would be someone Kieran had spoken with a few times before.
“It looks like we’ll be seeing each other often. Your name is…?”
“Berta. I’m so relieved we’ll be seeing each other often… What a close call! Hahaha!”
The woman, who had been muttering gloomily, brightened up instantly under Alyssa’s pointed gaze. Her short hair barely grazed her neck, and her slender figure exuded a refreshing, straightforward impression.
As Kieran passed by Berta to greet the last remaining person, his expression momentarily tightened. A cold breeze swept through the open window, making his hair flutter. Already chilled, he felt as though someone had dumped ice water over him.
‘It’s been worse than usual lately’, he thought, frowning slightly.
Kieran had always been sensitive to the cold, but recently it seemed far more pronounced.
‘I suppose I’ve been overdoing it.’
Perhaps he had momentarily forgotten, lulled by the thought that his body had grown stronger since his regression. In his past life, after all, he had succumbed to illness caused by a weakened body unable to withstand the cold.
‘Will I die for the same reason this time? Maybe it’ll be delayed, given the change in circumstances.’
Kieran contemplated his death with calm detachment. He felt no fear or aversion to the thought. His life had always been without purpose, and he had lived simply because he was still breathing.
Even after regressing, his perspective hadn’t changed significantly. While he wanted to avoid the horrors of his previous life and acted differently, his goals weren’t grand. Avoiding the worst was enough. He didn’t seek opulent banquets or grand castles. He just needed food he could eat and a warm bed to sleep in.
He didn’t care for admiring gazes or declarations of love. It was enough if there were no fingers pointed at him in disdain.
In that sense, Kieran was content with his current life. The days without any events, the calmness of it all, felt peaceful to him. He didn’t care about immense wealth or power. If he could live like this, seemingly dead inside, and simply close his eyes one day, that would be more than enough.
Still, the reason he was striving to make money and build influence wasn’t for himself, but for someone else.
“Are you alright?”
A voice full of concern immediately reached him, even though he had only shivered slightly.
“Your lips look a bit blue… You must be cold.”
Before Kieran could respond, Alyssa hurriedly took off her cloak and offered it to him. As she pulled off the cloak, Alyssa appeared even smaller in comparison.
Although Alyssa was taller than most women, to Kieran, she seemed petite. In his eyes, she appeared to be like a little girl, trying to protect someone much taller than herself. The sight stirred an odd feeling within him.
There had been no one to worry about him. Long ago, his mother had been there, but after she passed, no one ever gave Kieran a second thought. Not even he himself.
When he didn’t take the cloak, just stared blankly, Alyssa, who had been anxious, carefully draped it over his shoulders.
The fleeting touch of her hand was surprisingly warm. The heat that brushed against his skin seemed to make his head go blank.
No one had cried when Kieran died in his past life. It was a cold, lonely end.
He thought it would be the same in this life, but perhaps… it might be different.
Would you cry if I died?
T/N : Sorry for the delay so much. I had been busy with semester exams and now that I have breaks I will try to upload more. Thank you for still being here :]
Thank you so much for the updates 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
Thank you so much!