Chapter 19
Elric stepped out toward the station.
There was still an hour left until the train’s arrival.
Since he couldn’t very well bring his sword, he stood there leaning on a single cane, trying to soothe his nervous stomach.
‘It’s fine. It’ll be fine.’
Even if today’s guests were figures from the West, they were ultimately officers serving on the battlefield.
And they were supply officers at that.
‘The chances of them knowing me are slim.’
This wasn’t just optimistic speculation.
During his time active as Kasha in the West, Elric’s primary stage had been the front lines of the battlefield.
Unless he was swinging a blade, he rarely made public appearances, and as such, very little information about him—aside from his name—was known.
Furthermore, he had been meticulous about protecting his identity, refusing all interview requests and going as far as smashing cameras if anyone tried to sneak a photo. Therefore, no one should know Elric’s face except for the few clients he had met in person.
Well, if he had to add one more, perhaps it was that one imperial banquet he had attended once at the request of his close friend, Elbus Graham.
Thinking on it, Elric quickly dismissed the possibility.
‘That’s out of the question.’
The banquet Elbus Graham had invited him to was a secret, exclusive gathering attended only by the children of the Empire’s most influential families.
A gathering where the attendees were strictly limited to the scions of high-ranking imperial nobility.
Could such people possibly be serving as military supply officers? Even if they were, would they bother coming all the way to the countryside to handle a deal in person?
It was simply nonsensical.
‘I just need to avoid my former clients. Just the clients!’
Elric squeezed his eyes shut, praying fervently.
The train spewed steam as it slowed down.
With a sharp, screeching hiss and a rhythmic vibration, the scenery outside the window began to come into focus.
“Finally here.”
Polo, a supply officer for the Mahir Empire 3rd Corps, clicked his tongue softly and rested his chin on his hand. As he did, his thick belly fat folded over, making its presence known.
His posture and scowling expression made it clear that he was in a very foul mood.
It was only natural. The thought of coming all the way to this insignificant countryside just to buy wheat felt utterly ridiculous to him.
The third son of an Imperial Count, a prospective high-ranking officer due for promotion in just a year.
Despite those titles, here he was.
Under the circumstances, a sigh was the only thing that escaped him.
‘Damn kingdom bastards.’
The war had finally begun to show visible changes.
With the fall of Chebor, the war was nearing the end of its grueling war of attrition.
From now on, it would be a war of plunder—of taking and being taken. Naturally, food supplies would become even more critical to match the intensifying conflict.
Every resource on the continent had to be bought up, and currently, the two kingdoms maintaining a strong position, Armin and Disha, had entered a bidding war for supplies against the Empire.
To ensure they didn’t lose even a single grain to them, and to snatch away every grain possible, a nobleman like himself was personally traveling for such transactions.
Tooooooot—!
With a whistle, the train came to a halt.
Polo rose from his seat, dragging his heavy body out toward the platform.
It was at that moment.
“Look who we have here.”
At the sound of that irritating, cocky voice, Polo’s face twisted into a deep frown.
He wished he didn’t know it, but the voice was far too familiar.
“The high-and-mighty Armin has come all the way here, I see.”
“Is that something the Empire should be saying?”
With a pointed brow, a hawk-like nose, and a frame as thin as a scarecrow.
It was the supply officer from Armin.
And he wasn’t the only one.
“We meet again.”
A man with a bear-like build and a menacing expression approached with thumping footsteps.
It was the supply officer from Disha.
The three men felt a sense of déjà vu as they faced each other in the middle of the platform.
Of course, this scene had repeated itself at every stop on the way to Wibin at the eastern edge, so it wasn’t even surprising anymore.
Polo steeled his resolve.
‘I must settle this here.’
So far, the record for grain auctions stood at 40% for the Empire. While it was a blow to Polo’s pride, if he could purchase the entirety of Wibin’s grain for the Empire, he could raise that figure to 60% of total sales.
Whether for his pride as an Imperial or for his performance as a soldier, the transaction in Wibin was crucial for Polo.
“At this rate, we’ll become friends. If we meet on the battlefield later, please go easy on me?”
“Already assuming defeat? That says a lot about Armin’s military discipline.”
“Discipline? I only said that in the spirit of wishing for a good contest… The Empire is truly stiff.”
“Hmph! If it weren’t for the Yeom-hwa, you lot would have collapsed long ago!”
“Both of you, that’s enough.”
It was the supply officer from Disha who stepped in to mediate.
His sturdy physique was large enough to dampen the tension between the other two.
Polo gritted his teeth.
‘Let’s see how long you can stay that relaxed.’
Since Wibin was the final stop on the itinerary, there had been more time to investigate than for previous deals.
Polo already had a thorough grasp of the family here, thanks to information obtained by the Empire’s famed intelligence organization.
‘The territory’s name is Wibin, but the practical leader is Portman. The deal will be made with the Portmans.’
Portman was a rising family that had only attained noble status ten years ago. Furthermore, the head of the house who achieved such a feat had passed away a year ago, so there was bound to be internal turmoil.
And for the Portmans, there was an additional factor exacerbating that chaos.
‘They said the heir who ran away ten years ago has returned.’
In reality, looking at the circumstances, it was only right to see him as a thoughtless young master who had returned late to claim power and become the head of a noble house.
It was obvious that the mistress, who had lived as a Portman for the last ten years, would be resisting.
Who is the master of the house?
It was a common struggle in noble families, and in this case, there was one point Polo could exploit.
‘I’ll throw my weight behind the young master. I’ll use the position of head of the family as bait to push for a total purchase of the wheat.’
Polo was confident.
Behind him was the Empire, and the name of the Empire was bound to hold absolute power in an insignificant Baronial house in the East.
It had only been about a month since the son of the family head returned.
There was no way Armin or Disha had the same level of intelligence as the Empire.
As the one who knew the internal affairs of Wibin, he was the one meant to lead this transaction.
Polo’s expression relaxed significantly. Leisure seeped into his voice.
“Now, let’s move. There should be people here to greet us; we shouldn’t be dallying like this.”
“Hmph, they’ll probably just be servants from a country Baron’s house.”
Armin’s scrawny supply officer blustered.
Polo didn’t entirely disagree, but his informational advantage allowed him to look down on the man.
‘You fool, let’s see how long you can keep acting so stiff.’
Flutter! Polo’s coat billowed as he stepped out of the station.
Emerging from the station entrance, he saw a quiet rural village thick with the scent of fertilizer. It was a rustic landscape that looked a hundred years behind the Imperial Capital.
Naturally, his shoulders squared.
He began to feel certain that the people living in such a place would surely bow their heads to him.
The other two supply officers seemed to have similar thoughts, their faces etched with arrogance.
Immediately after,
“Might you be the guests from the West?”
A man’s smooth voice reached them.
The three supply officers turned their heads. Standing there was a lame man leaning on a cane.
Brown hair, friendly eyes, and a sharp nose gave him a kind impression. His smile was full of goodwill, yet his neat attire clearly showed that he was no mere peasant.
However, despite that likable face, Polo could not bring himself to smile upon seeing him.
“My name is Elric Portman. I am the Acting Lord of Wibin.”
Polo’s complexion, which had been relaxed until a moment ago, began to turn deathly pale.
His fingertips went cold, and his eyes were trembling as if an earthquake were occurring within them.
‘Elric… Portman?’
That man is the thoughtless runaway boy?
No. That wasn’t it. He was certain.
Those words were a ridiculous load of bullshit.
Polo knew that the man did not go by that name.
‘W-Why…?’
Why on earth was he here?
“Ahem, I am Ugil, a supply officer for Armin. I see there is no other welcome party?”
“Temt, supply officer for Disha. I greet the Lord of Wibin.”
Even as the two supply officers introduced themselves, Polo could not open his mouth.
Because a learned terror was turning his mind into a muddy mess.
‘Please…!’
Please don’t recognize me. Please let him have forgotten everything about me.
His desperation was as thick as his craving for life itself.
The fear was rising to such an unutterable level that it would have been more rational to turn around and run away right then and there to satisfy that craving.
However, there was no way back.
The train had already departed.
And then, right after,
“And this gentleman is…”
The young master of Portman.
…No, the moment the gaze of the Sword Demon Kasha turned toward him,
“…May I have your introduction as well?”
Polo could see it clearly.
The smile on the man’s face vanishing like melting snow.
The Mistress Waited in the Wheat Field (Serial)
