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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: The Pelea Merchant Group is Born
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“If something happens to the merchant group, people will curse Nini’s name.”
“Th-that can’t happen!”
“Nini will do great! No problem!”
Arep and Nibelria shouted one after another.
Solles calmed the two down.
“We’re just preparing for the worst. Mother used a new name, Lubeo, instead of her own for the company, didn’t she?”
But Solles wasn’t completely against Arep’s idea.
“How about Pelea instead?”
“What’s Pelea?”
“It’s your name, Nini. Your original name was a combination of Nix and Pelea.”
“Nixpelea?”
“Refined a bit more, it becomes Nibelria.”
Snow cat.
A cat as white as snow.
The cat Saintess Muniel Dayamor had dearly loved.
And the cat that signaled the end of the Crepatna War forty years ago with its death.
“Meow Merchant Group is cute, but doesn’t Pelea Merchant Group sound cool too? Easy to pronounce, and it means cat.”
“I think it’s awesome.”
Arep agreed with Solles.
“What about you, miss?”
Now both waited for the final decision from the one with authority.
“Pelea…”
Pelea, Pelea.
Nibelria murmured her other name to herself.
Soon, a satisfied smile bloomed on the child’s face.
“I like it!”
And so, the Pelea Merchant Group was born.
“Pelea Merchant Group? What a fantastic name!”
Kaleo had rushed to register the new name.
Now, the Pelea Merchant Group truly belonged to Nibelria alone.
Just in case, he also registered ‘Pelea Shop’ and the ‘Pelea’ trademark.
“Meow Merchant Group was cool too, but Dad thinks Pelea Merchant Group sounds even cooler. More mature and stylish.”
“Right? Nini thinks so too!”
“Congratulations, Pelea Merchant Group Leader.”
Kaleo knelt on one knee and extended his hand.
Nibelria, pretending to be all grown up, placed her small hand atop her father’s.
“Thank you, Marquess.”
“Hahaha!”
“Now Nini can make lots of money, right?”
“If you work hard.”
Kaleo scooped up his daughter and planted a kiss full of encouragement on her forehead.
“This time it’ll work out. Dad believes in you.”
You’ve persevered through countless failures without giving up.
His sincere encouragement gave Nibelria a huge boost of courage.
As the sweltering summer heat began to subside.
Preparations for the Pelea Merchant Group’s opening ramped up.
“Thanks to Celi sis, we got a great wagon. Connections really pay off.”
Armifera managed the funds Nibelria had gathered frugally.
Two sturdy wagons fit for the western trip, eight healthy horses, and four experienced merchant group staff.
And to this, they added some very special members.
“……”
“……”
The children stared blankly up at the unfamiliar faces. All of them were burly, muscular types with rough, intimidating looks.
It was obvious at a glance.
These were mercenaries.
Though they had left their weapons at the entrance.
“Kids, say hello.”
Armifera introduced them herself.
“These are people I work with.”
“Auntie’s subordinates?”
Nibelria asked.
“Let’s say colleagues I work with, not subordinates.”
“But Auntie’s the Mercenary King, right? The boss.”
“These are comrades I’ve run with since before I became Mercenary King. Act like king around them, and they might chop your head off.”
“Not something to say in front of the kids?”
A woman with short-cropped crimson hair shot Armifera a pitiful glance.
Realizing her mistake too late, Armifera cleared her throat and changed the subject.
“These folks will escort the Pelea Merchant Group. They’re really skilled, know the roads well, and even know how delicious stone mushrooms are.”
“Wow! So cool!”
Nibelria beamed.
Then Armifera introduced the children to the mercenaries as well.
“These are my nieces and nephews. In order: Solles, Arep, Nibelria. And that cool kid Nibelria there is the owner of the Pelea Merchant Group you’ll be escorting.”
Nibelria stepped forward boldly and stuck out her hand to the mercenaries.
“Hi! Nice to meet you.”
Her innocent face paired with such cheeky confidence was hilarious, and the mercenaries burst into hearty laughter.
The man who seemed to be their leader crouched down and took Nibelria’s hand.
His ash-silver hair was cropped short, and a dimple pitted his left cheek.
“Pleased to meet you, Merchant Group Leader.”
His voice was deep and smooth, like an opera singer’s.
“I’m Falcone. Your hired escort mercenary.”
“Escort means protect, right?”
“Yes. We’ll do our utmost to get those stone mushrooms safely to the capital.”
“Still, don’t get hurt. Got it? It hurts if you do.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
There were four mercenaries in total. In order: Falcone, Lupinus, Marte, Mustela.
“All animal names?”
Solles asked.
Mustela, the one with crimson hair, nodded.
“All pseudonyms. Mercenaries don’t give out their real names easily. Even your auntie has a different name she uses as a mercenary.”
Armifera shrugged.
“What’s Auntie’s?”
“Panthera.”
“What’s that?”
“A fierce beast that even eats reptiles. Like cat cousins?”
“I knew it!”
Nibelria grinned as if to say she’d suspected as much.
“Cats are strong!”
“Right. Very strong.”
Armifera’s golden eyes sparkled dangerously as she replied.
Now all preparations were complete.
“Pelea Merchant Group!”
At Nibelria’s call, the Pelea Merchant Group staff replied briskly, “Yes!”
Today, the Pelea Merchant Group was departing for western Latro.
As the owner of the Pelea Merchant Group, Nibelria had come out early in the morning in her pajamas to see off the staff heading on the long journey.
“Buy lots of stone mushrooms!”
“Understood.”
“And don’t get hurt. Got it?”
Nibelria turned to Dether.
Dether handed what she was holding to the staff.
“The young lady prepared this for you all.”
A few days earlier, Nibelria had written a letter to the Grand Witch.
Of course, Dether had penned it for her, but what mattered was the gift Nibelria had prepared for the staff.
Ointments and medicines.
“If you get hurt, put this on. For stomachaches, take the red one, and uh…”
For emergencies, she’d ordered medicines for various symptoms.
Made by witches, no less. Far superior in quality and efficacy to anything from a regular apothecary.
“Merchant Group Leader…”
The staff gazed at Nibelria with moved expressions.
A bit embarrassed, Nibelria tapped the ground with her shoe toe.
“Nini’s the boss, right? The boss has to protect her subordinates. You’re all riding on Nini’s shoulders, so I’ll protect you hard!”
In truth, the staff had seen the Pelea Merchant Group as a bit of a joke.
A spoiled rich noble kid’s whim, they thought.
But the pay and treatment were better than elsewhere, so they’d gone along with it.
But the Pelea Merchant Group Leader was serious.
This four-year-old little boss, fully resolved to lead and take responsibility for her staff, was utterly reliable.
“Take care!”
Nibelria trusted her staff.
“Yes.”
So the staff trusted their boss in return.
“The Pelea Merchant Group will complete the mission safely and return.”
“Pelea went with them too?”
Kaleo frowned upon hearing the news of the Pelea Merchant Group’s departure.
The reporting secretary nodded.
“Only as far as the capital gates, I heard.”
“I wish she’d just leave like that.”
“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
Seletrina chuckled from the office sofa where she sipped tea.
She was working from home with her husband, discussing the pharmaceutical company just before its launch.
“The young lady looks after the kids. Thanks to her, you, Mother, and Father have some breathing room.”
“Dether and the other maids took good care of them before too.”
“But she gives them discipline the maids can’t.”
“Seems like they’re just learning bad habits…”
Still, Armifera took good care of the children.
And the kids followed her well.
Armifera’s adventure tales were brutal, but unique and original. Events only the Mercenary King could experience.
Especially Nibelria, who didn’t shy away at all—in fact, she’d run to her aunt first, begging to play.
“Mother and Father go out more often thanks to her.”
Seletrina propped her chin on one hand, looking apologetic.
“They said they felt bad for taking up your time watching the kids.”
“Celi, they went out plenty before too.”
Kaleo said there was no need for her to worry about it.
The secretary, who had been listening quietly to the couple, chimed in.
“Marquess, a letter from the information broker.”
At that, Seletrina paused her work and turned to Kaleo.
Kaleo watched her trot over with an amused fondness.
Only after she arrived did he open the letter.
“What is it?”
“Oh, nothing much.”
Kaleo said as he read.
“Recent activity in the north is unusual.”
“The north?”
Seletrina’s eyes sharpened.
North stirred something in her mind.
“Perennial snow ducks, maybe?”
