Chapter 59: Where Exactly Are You Sober!?

“You were told to probe, not to go all out…”

Lomue was completely speechless now.

Is this something humans should even be capable of?

Should’ve refunded but didn’t, should’ve probed but went all-in instead, and after all that fuss, even the caravan was taken care of by just the two of you?!

Does that make me the mastermind bandit behind all this?!

“No, it’s not over yet. There’s still a way.”

Lomue twisted his wrist, gripping the vial of Dragon Scale Balm.

Right now, Sylvia was at her darkest hour, but with her ability, stopping the loss would be a breeze.

As long as she manages to recoup even a little, the 9:1 split of the contract can’t be fulfilled!

Wait, there’s still another move!

Lomue perked up again, stopped in his tracks, and shook off the two’s supports:

“I still have one last thing to do. See you in a bit.”

“Sir?”

“…?”

That’s right!

There’s still a move, only one possibility that can keep Sylvia from losing too much in the end!

He could even scoop up a bargain!

“If they don’t want to buy, why not sell it to me instead?!”

When one falls, another rises. How could there not be a way to recover losses?

She’s already in this state, surely she won’t start picking customers now!

*****

“Why…?”

Far from the stall, among the other students, Sylvia couldn’t understand why she was being looked at this way.

She lost—lost to the sudden arrival of the caravan, lost because she didn’t sniff out this sudden full assault.

But even so, her goods were still twenty percent cheaper than the Chief Squad’s.

Watching the empty crates being carted off, all Sylvia could feel was malice.

That kind of malice, stirred up, making her the scapegoat.

How could Lomue be so aware of the caravan’s movement, and isn’t the Kafnir standing behind him proof enough of everything?

Just who is the true mastermind?

None of this was what she wanted, yet everything kept spiraling out of her control.

Lomue deliberately exposed her, making it look like she was hoarding goods, implying she was using contracts to pressure others…

These dirty tricks, she could still tolerate.

But the alchemical materials the Chief Squad sold to the students—could those have just fallen from the sky?

Are they all crazy?

“Lomue… How on earth did you get so many materials?”

From start to finish, Sylvia had only seen him buy that batch of 350-credit materials.

Even if that woman Ibuki was helping, the total value shouldn’t have exceeded 700 credits.

So how, after running that absurd blind box event, did he launch such a fierce counterattack?

He could manipulate people, the economy, and even get the Russell authorities to intervene!

“He’s just the son of a border earl… There’s no way he could pull all this off, much less get Kafnir to help him.”

“How many more mysteries are there… How many layers am I missing?”

Sylvia finally realized how powerless she was before the teamwork of an entire squad!

But, they’ve only just met—not even a month into being freshmen!

Are credits really something they can entrust to one another?

No, this isn’t teamwork—it’s command!

Kafnir…

If Lomue is just his puppet, a distraction meant to draw her eyes—

Then all these inconsistencies make sense!

So that’s how it is!

“You seem to need some help.”

An unexpected voice sounded at her side. Only then did Sylvia notice Lomue standing right in front of her.

“How—!”

She hadn’t even blinked, yet he’d closed the distance so easily?

There was less than three meters between them!

At least a third-tier assassin!?

“Surprised to see me?”

Lomue suppressed all his emotions, lips curling in a mocking smile, pacing around Sylvia in a slow circle, his expression like a jackal assessing its prey.

“Don’t be so guarded. I brought good news for you.”

“What more do you want?”

As Sylvia spoke, an agitation started to stir in her heart:

“Kafnir sent you, right? Nicely done.”

“…..”

Lomue didn’t bother answering, but inside, he was choking with frustration!

If my bros hadn’t pulled off a miracle, would I still need to tangle with you like this?!

Enough. Straight to the point.

“We wish to buy all the materials in your possession—for ten percent of their value.”

Ten percent!

That figure landed like a slap in Sylvia’s face, making her dragon scales bristle!

“Are you insulting me?”

“How can price negotiations be described with a word like insult?”

Lomue feigned ignorance:

“But after some discussion, my personal proposal is thirty percent… That’s still slightly higher than the caravan’s market price.”

“Given the assets you have on hand, you could turn this situation around to a 40:60 split. It’s entirely possible.”

“Though you’d still lose, it’s a good chance to save face, isn’t it?”

“You think this is helping me?” Sylvia let out a bitter laugh, “What gives you the right—”

“Wait, did Kafnir allow you to buy at this price?”

Before she finished, Lomue saw her expression shift through several changes, as if she’d thought of something.

“You don’t need to worry about that, Senior.”

Lomue really wasn’t interested in speculating about her thoughts:

“This opportunity comes only once.”

“…Heh, you don’t want to say?”

Sylvia suddenly smiled, as if she’d seen right through him:

“Then let me spell it out.”

“You’re planning to betray Kafnir for me, aren’t you?”

“…?”

For a moment, Lomue had no idea what she was talking about.

“Senior, are you sure you’re sober?”

“I’ve never been clearer.”

Sylvia shot back:

“If not, why would you help me?”

If all of this was orchestrated by Kafnir, then every contradiction about Lomue made sense.

First, he lured her interest with the secret of dragon blood. Then, he trapped her with a binding contract. Finally, he intercepted the caravan and launched an all-out attack to crush her in one blow…

It was all Kafnir’s doing.

And Lomue, the pawn Kafnir pushed to the forefront, was now trying to act on his own will!

Now, going against the order for a ten percent purchase and daring to raise it to thirty percent—what an enormous risk!

“For my own sake!”

Lomue blurted out, utterly unable to follow her logic!

Don’t I already look enough like a villain?

Signing a contract, manipulating everything, blocking the caravan—how does that not fit the perfect villain template?!

But what does this dragon girl mean now?!

Everything I’ve done up to now, wasn’t it all to keep her away from me and wring out some credits in the process?

“Senior…”

Realizing his act might have a flaw, Lomue decided to take it up a notch.

He took out the Dragon Scale Balm, dabbed a bit, and swiftly smeared it on Sylvia’s hand:

“You wouldn’t want to miss out on something this good just because you refused a deal, would you?”

“!”

Feeling a cool sensation on the back of her hand, Sylvia instinctively tried to pull away.

But how could she outpace a third-tier assassin?

By the time she realized, Sylvia could only look at her hand.

“This is—?!”

The densely packed dragon scales covering her wrist began to melt away, like thin ice touched by fire, layer by layer.

A marvelous cooling sensation spread from her hand, coursing through her body in just a few breaths, dissolving every trace of negativity.

As a Dragonkin, Sylvia had never experienced such ease!

“Something like this actually exists in this world?”

The young woman sighed softly, astonished by the balm’s miraculous effects.

“Thirty percent. The materials are mine, and this is yours.”

Having shown all his cards, Lomue finally relaxed.

She wouldn’t lose out, and could still make back some credits; even if the loss looked bad, the priceless medicine to resolve her bloodline issue was a free bonus.

Even a pig would know which to choose.

To her, it was just a loss in one battle, some pride, but compared to resolving her bloodline problem—what could be more important?

No way she’d refuse!

“…”

After a few seconds of silence, Sylvia looked up at the sky.

Lomue saw a hint of sorrow in her eyes, along with a resolve he couldn’t understand:

“But I refuse.”

Lomue: “……?”

Damn it, where exactly are you sober!?