Amber Sword

Antitina watched the young man's limping back as he left and the calm figure of Yura beside him, finally unable to resist asking, "You're just letting them leave like that, Lord?"

"What else can I do? Less is better than more," Brand replied simply.

"But I feel like you're scheming something." The noble daughter glanced sideways and looked at him with some suspicion.

Brand couldn't help but smile bitterly while touching the tip of his nose. "I'm not that bad in your hearts, am I? I remember all my previous actions were open and aboveboard."

"Yes, but I believe it's true that not a single action of yours is as simple as it appears on the surface, isn't it? You arranged for Miss Frey to go to the Royal Academy in Brags—on the surface, it's mutual support between friends, but privately, I think you've noticed the struggle between the Royalists and local nobles, correct?"

"If I remember correctly, the Royal Cavalry Academy is in the private territory of the Princess; among the current descendants of Your Majesty, it is rumored that only the Princess is the most outstanding. Moreover, I heard that the Princess has always acted as both sister and mother to the only heir of the throne—the timid Little Prince."

"Thus, by convention, after Your Majesty, the Princess will likely take power and become the Regent King. Therefore, your actions, Lord, can be seen as an invisible investment."

Roman, hearing the word "investment," quickly nodded.

"In other words, while these hidden investments might not produce immediate effects, once you, Lord, have your own territory, you naturally become a supporter of the Princess's faction. Of course, if it were an ordinary person doing this, I might not think much about it. But given your actions, Lord, it's clear that your ambitions are not so simple from the perspective of those close to you."

Antitina looked up, "Right, Lord?"

After saying all this in one breath, the young woman finally exhaled; she had merely poured out her accumulated guesses over the days because Brand's recent actions had become increasingly incomprehensible to her, and she didn't want to fall too far behind her Lord.

Especially as the chief adviser.

Brand blinked after listening, "Almost." Though he knew this noble daughter hadn't guessed everything correctly.

Especially the mention of investment, it was more about forming a connection. He didn't need the justification of righteousness; he could simply focus on farming. After all, players were different from the lords in this world, not to mention he also controlled that territory.

He could wait until the internal conflict reached its peak before expanding—when Madara began a full invasion of Erune and the Princess couldn't hold the situation, he could emerge then to seize the greatest benefit.

But he didn't do that.

His feelings from the past game led him to send the future Miss Valkyrie to the Princess's side. He believed these two most outstanding women in Erune's history wouldn't disappoint him. Thus, even if he misjudged, there wouldn't be any regrets.

Unexpectedly, Antitina had interpreted his plans so accurately, he couldn't help but smile and kept silent.

Her ability to guess this much was already proof of her intelligence.

He glanced at Roman, who returned his look—it seemed like fun to her. Yet she showed no sign of surprise—for she didn't need to understand why Brand did what he did—the Merchant Lady would just help him do his best.

This was the biggest difference between Roman and Antitina.

Brand thought, sometimes being too clear-headed might not necessarily bring happiness. Thus, he watched Roman, her face perpetually filled with a sense of natural rightness, which was also a kind of amusement.

"Next," Antitina responded, "participate in the auction to raise funds, support Miss Roman in post-war celebration initiatives, beneath the surface of funding transition lies deep and subtle infiltration into a region. For the first time, I realize Gold Coin is truly marvelous, with its omnipresent power that silently spreads into the lower citizens originally controlled by nobles and the Thieves' Guild—"