NOVEL NEXT Chapter 369: Offers (Bonus)
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"Silent Night…"
"Caroline? Is she that Caroline? The eldest daughter of Marquis Iliesta, the one who is rumored to be the guardian of the north?"
"Is the tea party finally making their move?"
"But why does the club president not come personally?"
"I don't know. I've heard that he is not in the academy recently."
As expected, they really came to him. Nathan was quite surprised that they would send her instead of the club president himself.
When he raised his head to meet her eyes, he actually saw Rudeus in the corner of his eyes. In that instant, he saw through what was going on.
This must be Rudeus' idea, he thought.
"What is this? The tea party can't even show their sincerity? Does President Edward think he is above everyone that something like this is not worthy of his attention?" A deep voice echoed from the opposite direction.
Nathan took a glance at him. He had spiky brown hair with a rather muscular build.
When their eyes met, the guy politely introduced himself. "Hello, Fellow Nathan. I am Ricky Silverstar, the president of the Merchant Association."
"As expected, Ricky personally comes here."
"Right? Ricky is the second heir of the Scarlet Flower Chamber of Commerce. It's said that his chamber of commerce is known to be the second wealthiest in the world."
"For such a person to come directly…"
The people gasped. Both big shots had sent their envoys. Meanwhile, Nathan noticed August standing not far from Ricky as if he was trying to listen to their conversation.
In the end, both August and Rudeus joined their respective groups.
August and Rudeus glared at each other.
A few months ago.
Right after Nathan defeated them, Rudeus and August ended up meeting each other.
"I'd followed your instructions and even used the anti-Ena material. Yet we still lost!" August gritted his teeth.
"They were simply too strong. No one would expect them to grow this much in just a couple of months. At this pace, it was close to impossible to actually catch up with them."
As a result, both of them broke their pair, which created a rift between them. Their rivalry became even fiercer as they ended up trying to get the third spot after Selena and Nathan.
Rudeus obviously joined the Silent Night Tea Party as royalty, while August picked the Merchant Association since his Blacksmith Guild had been dealing with merchants a lot.
Rudeus squinted his eyes and recalled what he said to the club president.
"If we want to recruit Nathan, I believe that instead of you, the vice president should be the one to go."
"Caroline?"
"Yes. There's a reason Nathan is going around with Sera and Selena. It's because he is more lustful than others. And he doesn't bother to hide it. While it's true that you can show your sincerity by coming personally, having a partner that is pleasant to see or even the possibility of seduction gives a higher chance of success if we're talking about him."
The president pondered it carefully. "Alright. I'll tell Caroline to handle this matter."
After recalling it, Rudeus couldn't help but smile inwardly. 'Let's see his reaction. Even if I have failed right now, it doesn't mean I can't win. Next year, my younger sister is coming to this academy. At that time, I can make a lot of excuses to make them grow closer. In the end, you can't escape from me. As long as I can maintain the status quo between Selena and her family, I can convince her to leave the Azilia Kingdom.
'With her leaving, Nathan has no reason to stay in the Azilia Kingdom. As expected, against him, the oldest trick in the book, the honey trap, is the most effective.'
On the other hand, August also had a card up his sleeve.
He remembered what his father had told him.
"Rudeus. That Nathan has almost everything. His beast is knowledgeable. Even the natural disaster we're currently experiencing is recognized by him. Thanks to him, we're able to advance our research and take all the necessary measures. If possible, grab him for ourselves. The Blacksmith Guild doesn't necessarily mean you need a profession related to smithing. There are other professions like the guardian. If needed, you can use our resources to rope him in."
August clenched his fists. He thought he could handle everything without his family's help, but Nathan had grown too big.
The two sides fired everything they had.
"I'd like to extend an invitation to you, Nathan. If you join the Merchant Association, we'll be willing to give you 1,000 gold coins a month as well as cores of the same value. We have also worked together with the Blacksmith Guild and are willing to provide you with every piece of equipment you need," said Ricky.
With a sweet and seductive smile, Caroline gave an offer. "Don't join them. Join us. If you are willing to come to us, we'll give you 500 gold coins a month. However, as a summoner, the cores are the most important. You might not know, but our group consists of a lot of nobles. We know that you're going to be worthy of a noble title at one point, so we're willing to invest in you.
"We'll give 2,000 gold coins worth of cores. If you work with us, you can basically use the connection of our tea party to travel and utilize the resources of the nobles within the group.
"Besides…" Caroline approached him sweetly while holding his hand. "I'm willing to help you with anything. With your talent, I don't doubt you can be the next president of the club."
"Caroline. You're so shameless!" Ricky wanted to separate both of them.
However, Caroline playfully avoided him and hid behind Nathan's back. "Look at him. He is so violent. If you join them, you might get hit if you make a small mistake. Our community, on the other hand, is very supportive of each other."
"You…"
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Nathan had actually a perfect response to their offer. In fact, he might have to thank Vivian for this.
If he won against Alavenya and helped Vivian with her presentation, his status would soar even further. He doubted that both of them would think the amount they presented would be appropriate.
That was why, with a warm smile on his face, he simply said, "Can you please wait for another week before I give you my response? I don't want to make a rash decision."
Both of them didn't know about the presentation. Hence, they had the same thought.
'Is he implying that he will win against Alavenya and has enough confidence in making us change our offer? If that's the case, we have to watch the battle and determine our next move after that.'
Ricky thought for a moment before agreeing. "I understand. It's not an easy decision to make. Please focus on your match first. We'll be cheering on you."
"I'll wait for your positive response. Since you're fighting the daughter of the Dragon King, if you need anything or don't understand something, you can come to me. I usually stay in the library from lunch to evening. I'm willing to help you, whether in theory or practically."
"You—! How shameless you are!" Ricky gasped.
However, it was no wonder why the tea party actually left this in Caroline's hand. Her skin was much thicker than even Nathan's imagination.
Caroline was looking at him with expectant looks, asking, "If you don't mind, would you be willing to dance with me? Of course, I'm not planning to steal the show from your girls. It's just… After you have danced with them, would you spare some time to dance with me?"
Ricky gasped. He wanted to say something, but there was no way he could ask for a dance. He realized he had lost the initiative.