Chapter 1087: Chapter 1087

Tsuna de Murgent, the Chancellor of Alberta Kingdom, provided Davey and Rinne with a luxury suite.

Rinne, who was happily smacking her lips while tasting the special goat milk, looked completely delighted. The mansion was offering generous servings of fine pastries, cakes, and specialty treats without holding back. She had clearly taken a strong liking to it.

When Davey watched her drink the goat milk, she instinctively tried to hide it.

“Don't worry, I'm not going to take it. Eat as much as you want.”

Even though the dark night had fully settled in, the mansion outside the window still looked incredibly busy. It wouldn't have been surprising to see the laborers' faces twisted in exhaustion, but there was only fatigue, no resentment.

Davey figured it was probably due to Chancellor Tsuna's popularity and influence. Seeing their circumstances reminded him of the saying that if you want to know the character of a master, look at their servants.

When Davey turned his head, he saw that the Chancellor's office was still so brightly lit that it was almost like daytime.

“It's way too late for kids to still be working.” He wondered if the problem had been ongoing for a while.

“Master Davey. Question.”

With a red bean bun in her mouth, Rinne approached him. “Rinne requests clarification on the purpose of your stay.”

She had a point. The truth was, Davey had come there to find out what was really going on with Alberta Kingdom, their long-time trading partner. If they were picking a fight, he needed to respond appropriately. If not, he’d just have to smooth things over.

The important thing was that Chancellor Tsuna had no intention of causing a trade war. She had gotten caught up in her kingdom’s internal political strife, and Davey had long lost any desire to blame her for it.

All he needed to do was find out the truth and get the compensation he was owed. Frankly, he just felt a bit of sympathy for her—someone with many enemies but not enough power to deal with them.

After realizing that the letter that should’ve reached him had been intercepted, she had tried to negotiate with him. Even if it wasn't their agricultural goods, she offered to cover the damages with equivalent products from another country. She would suffer a massive financial loss, of course, but she had deemed that to be the best option available to her.

“It's nothing big. We’ll leave once things are sorted. Maybe I'll pay my respects to the late Chancellor before I go... or maybe not.”

Davey suddenly sensed a familiar presence. Once he finished speaking, a figure appeared silently in the previously empty space.

It was a dark elf who looked similar to Yuria without being a high elf. She was the leader of the Shadows, who had pledged loyalty to Heins Territory after leaving the Echo Guild.

“I thought you might need some information.”

“You're getting good at this,” Davey chuckled.

“I’ve done some preliminary investigation into the power struggles within the Alberta Kingdom,” she reported, handing him a document.

It had detailed information regarding the royal family of Alberta and the noble houses that supported them. Namely, the House of Barogo and the ducal house of Murgent. The two houses had long been political enemies centered around the royal family.

On paper, the ducal house ranked higher, but the House of Barogo had considerable influence as the leader of the provincial nobles.

“Originally, the ducal house was slightly stronger. The king’s trust was firmly with them.”

Duke Murgent was renowned internationally as a man of character, someone who lived by the foundational principle of ensuring that none of his people go hungry.

Personality aside, his commercial talents were similarly extraordinary, and during his time as Chancellor, the Alberta Kingdom had experienced tremendous growth. Naturally, that stellar performance led them to receive tremendous royal favor.

The problem had started when he suddenly died.

“Wasn’t it said he died of an illness?”

“That's the official story, but while going through some information I noticed a few things that seemed strange. Permission to speak freely, sir?”

Davey readily nodded, “Go ahead.”

“I believe it was an assassination.”

“Although the cause appeared to be the worsening of an existing illness, some suspicious signs were found on the body. Now that the body has been cremated, there's no way to verify, but a few traces were nonetheless reported.”

“It resembled the symptoms described by Baron Gorneo of Heins Academy within his compilation of rare poisoning cases.”

Davey looked at her, surprised that she had that kind of technical knowledge.

She just shrugged, “What’s the big deal?”

“Did you study medicine?”

“Practicing medicine was actually one of my dreams growing up. Of course, now I’m just a dirty assassin gathering information.”

“Don’t talk about yourself so negatively, Aina. I have no intention of forcing you into anything you don't agree with.”

He had never ordered the Shadows to do anything they found unacceptable.

Davey continued reading the document. The whole story followed a rather predictable cliche.

The House of Barogo, jealous of the young chancellor, had started tearing her down, causing her standing to falter. The only remaining support she had was simply what the late chancellor’s legacy had left behind, but even that was wavering after a change in the royal throne.

Despite her impressive capabilities, she was barely managing to maintain her position and her family's honor, having to use any means necessary.

Unfortunately, because the Chancellor directly oversaw national trade, she was the one who would inevitably take all the blame for any issues that arose from it.

“So they deliberately provoked this situation between us? Surely there are plenty of other trading partners besides Heins Territory.”

“That's right. Unfortunately, they made it so that Heins Territory is the only one with a problem. Causing issues with more would risk not just taking down Chancellor Tsuna but destabilizing the entire Alberta Kingdom.”

Since they were going to take losses anyway, it made sense to target Heins Territory—a prime and influential client that would be most effective in shaking her standing while causing the least damage to themselves.

Davey figured this was what Marquis Barogo was after.

“Heins Territory is definitely the perfect target to bring down a political rival.”

As he was told, Chancellor Tsuna had quickly sent a letter to Heins Territory, warning them about potential supply delays. He figured she had done so because as long as she did that, even if her credibility took a slight hit, the contracts wouldn’t be in serious jeopardy.

“She would’ve entrusted that letter to someone she could trust, yet it never reached us.”

Heins Territory hadn’t known a thing about the situation, leading to the current mess.

“There’s no hard proof, but if you piece the information together, that’s the most likely scenario.”

Of course, even if Chancellor Tsuna learned the truth, there wasn't much she could do against the House of Barogo in the situation. Still, it left a bitter taste to just stand by and watch.

The late Duke Murgent had been a respectable figure, and in Davey’s case, even someone to whom he owed a small debt. During the war against the demons, when a massive number of war orphans were left alone, the Duke had sent a huge amount of supplies to Heins Territory free of charge, out of his own pocket.

The story was simple. The entire continent had united to drive out the demons, but seeing the families of the war veterans neglected afterward was something he couldn't just stand by and watch.

“There are a lot of people who are just talk. Some lend a hand only to brag about it. That old man, however, even though he was a merchant, provided aid without wanting anything in return—not even recognition.”

Thanks to his contributions, the welfare of the territory had truly improved greatly. When their contract had been abruptly canceled, and Davey had sarcastically joked that the old man must have gone senile, that was the real reason behind it.

“There’s other information too. Chancellor Tsuna turned out to be a far more capable merchant than expected. She managed to stabilize an economy that nearly collapsed after the late Chancellor’s death and got it back on track almost immediately.”

“Hmm. She seemed a bit inexperienced to me, though.”

“That could be an act, you know.”

“If that's the case, then there's nothing more to say.”

He did agree with what Aria pointed out; she had shown a genuine eagerness to solve the problem somehow, and that was why he had decided to accept her terms. If it had all been an act, then Chancellor Tsuna was someone born with immense natural talent.

Though he had been played a little, it was nothing more than cute trickery in his eyes.

“I’ll come back once I find out more.” With that, Aina dissolved into the shadows just as quietly as she had arrived.

Davey silently walked over to the window. A cold wind slithered into the room, even though the window was firmly shut.

Rinne widened her eyes and sat up slightly, while Davey rose to his feet and opened the window without a word. What he saw then was something no ordinary human could perceive.

A faint trail of light. Since obtaining divinity, the flow had become even clearer to him—it was the trace flow of a soul.

“Stay here,” he said before he lightly leapt out the window, following the trail toward a small, well-tended garden behind the mansion.

Once he arrived, he let out a faint chuckle. He had been planning to pay his respects, but he no longer needed to spend effort to find the man's grave.

“If a soul lingers for months without special bindings, it eventually turns into a vengeful spirit,” he said toward the empty air. “What kind of regrets are keeping you stuck here ?”

Standing before a small, lovely tree, Davey spoke again, “Chancellor Murgent.”

Light gathered as it absorbed the devil mana coming out from his body, forming into a shape.

[It's been a long time, Prince Davey.]

“It has, Chancellor, though I can't say this is a happy reunion.”

The soul released a soundless sigh. To keep the pale, misty form from dispersing, Davey mixed divine power into the devil mana and stabilized it.

[What?How are you able to stabilize my body?]

“I have my talents. Talking to spirits isn't all that difficult for me.”

[Amazing.] Chapters first released on novel fire.net

“Of course, it’s only possible because of your current situation.” Davey plucked a fruit from a nearby tree and popped it into his mouth. “Tastes good.”

[That tree was one lovingly tended to by my daughter’s mother. It's Tsuna’s most treasured tree, as well.]

Hearing that, Davey quietly looked at him and asked, “Chancellor, what do you want? Revenge?”

Aina had raised the possibility that he had been assassinated rather than dying of an illness.

The Chancellor’s soul silently met his gaze.

[If I ask for revenge, would you grant it?]

The soul faintly smiled at the vague reply.

[I don't seek revenge. I just... I just wanted to vent to someone.]

Hearing the weary sigh in his mindspeak, Davey pondered for a moment, then raised his right hand behind his right ear and spoke, “Jeo-Seung, send me a Nirvana Blew.”

The Chancellor's soul looked puzzled at his muttering. Before long, the air beside Davey split open, and a gaunt man with a hollow expression stepped out.

“Wow, you look like hell.”

[Damn guy keeps running away!]

Davey knew that Woochi was one of the best from the Hall when it came to fleeing, so hearing the complaint from Grim Reaper was no surprise.

[Here's the Nirvana Brew. Huh? Why’s there a soul just floating here? Should I take him?]

“No, just leave him be for now. He's an old acquaintance.”

The Chancellor’s soul stared blankly at their exchange.

[Um. Prince, who is that...?]

“He's the reaper who’d normally throw you into the cycle of reincarnation.”

“Don’t worry, he’s not going to touch you for now. Here, take it. Pouring alcohol over a grave isn't going to reach your throat, but spirits can drink the special Nirvana Brew crafted by Jeo-Seung.”

After setting up a barrier around them, Davey sat down and offered the soul a glass. The Chancellor carefully descended and grasped the glass with his formed hand.

[By the way, did you achieve what you came here for?]

“Your daughter is staying up late handling it herself.”

[Tsk tsk. That foolish girl.]

“If there's anything you want to say, just say it all—”

[Kuh! It's so bitter, but it’s still amazing!]

Davey took a deep breath to calm himself. Then again, he figured listening to a ghost’s complaints wasn’t such a big deal after all.

What followed was a surprisingly persistent stream of praise for his daughter. The Chancellor had been famous for raising his daughter with strict discipline, but deep down he clearly couldn't hide how proud he was of her.

[Tsuna is smart and truly kind-hearted. She grew up lacking nothing, yet she could never just pass by those who were hungry. Her heart was always too soft. But... But that's exactly why I worry about her so much.]

“For someone like that, she gives the impression she’s living her second life when it comes to knowledge.”

When Aina showed Davey the list of Chancellor Tsuna’s accomplishments, Davey had been quietly impressed more than a few times.

[Haha, a second life—what an interesting way to put it. It's true, in a way. She lost her mother very early, soon falling into a coma. After she woke up, she seemed unusually wise, as if she had gained the world's flexibility in her thinking.]

“So, you're hoping that I’ll help her?”

[Would you be willing?]

“I hold you in very high regard, Chancellor. There aren’t many people like you in this world,” Davey said with a smile.

The Chancellor let out a hearty laugh.

[Hearing you say that... I don't know where to put myself. Oh, I suppose I have no body anymore. Hahaha.]

‘Should I just pretend I didn’t hear that?’

“You've gotten quite cheeky since last time.”

[Haha. After dying, I realized that all the dignity and authority I had in life meant absolutely nothing. I regretted how I lived it, too. If I had known it’d end , I would’ve told Tsuna I loved her, even just once.]

‘If only King Krianes had learned that lesson too.’

Davey wondered if people really became so laid-back after death. Then again, he figured the Chancellor was an anomaly.

He gave a rough nod and accepted the Chancellor’s request. “I had only planned to pray for your soul, but since it’s come to this, if it’s worth my while, I’ll do it.”

[Thank you. My daughter... Please teach her for just one week.]

“Please be specific. What exactly do you want me to teach her?”

[Be her mentor. Teach her your commercial techniques and survival skills.]

Davey thought it over for a moment before saying, “My lessons don’t come cheap, you know.”

[I have a suitable reward ready.]

“I’ll trust you, Chancellor. Though, I’m not sure I have anything to teach her that she doesn't already know.”

[If she doesn’t listen, feel free to be strict. Help her lead the ducal house without me, helping her become a strong chancellor.]

Davey then reached out and shook the Chancellor’s hand. “Alright. The trade with Alberta has been settled reasonably, and since I've seen your face, I’ll do it.”

With that, Davey stood up.

[Huh? Where are you going?]

“I’m going to start with teaching survival skills. Want to come along?” he said as he quickly dropped the barrier.

He firmly stabilized the chancellor’s soul so it wouldn’t scatter, then swung open the window of Tsuna’s office. Surprisingly, they saw a man grabbing her wrist.

The late Chancellor Murgent shouted in fury, but naturally, neither his voice nor his presence could reach them.

The man was pinning Tsuna’s arms against the wall.

“First rule of a merchant’s survival skills,” Davey said as he closed in like a flash. “Never let yourself be at the mercy of a troublemaker.”

The man’s wrist snapped, and he crumpled instantly.