chapter 004
'Something feels off about this...'
All matters related to Father had been settled years ago. Nothing remained except awaiting his safe return.
Yet representatives from the merchant guild arrived with meticulously prepared documents.
'I'll need to delay attending the academy.'
Ian ushered Felix and his adjutant into the study.
A frosty tension permeated the room. Wilson, who had been standing guard beside Ian, shifted uneasily.
"Wilson, leave us."
"But..."
"Don't worry. I'll handle this."
Ian firmly escorted out the reluctant steward before facing the guild members.
Wilson's memories remained frozen in Ian's childhood.
Naturally, he couldn't help but fret.
Like parents perpetually seeing their adult child as an infant.
But Ian had endured years of hardship.
He'd matured rapidly after his parents' disappearance, devouring every book in the estate and gleaning wisdom from ancient texts. Though lacking practical experience, he'd been sharpened into a blade finer than any other.
Merely awaiting an opportunity to prove his edge.
"Your steward appears deeply concerned."
"Naturally. Uninvited guests always bring complications, don't they?"
"Haha! Quite right."
Felix lounged with crossed legs, exuding the composure of someone who owned the room. An observer might mistake him for House Oracle's true patriarch rather than Ian.
The guildsman tilted his head while studying Ian. "Though... you're far bolder than rumors suggest. The new Lord Oracle supposedly never shows his face at public functions."
That description was charitable.
Whispers of 'incompetent coward' circulated freely. Many predicted House Oracle would fade into history with Ian as its final heir.
Yet Ian let no gossip touch his heart. Revealing his capabilities in momentary anger served no purpose.
"Fascinating. Where did you hear such tales?"
"Rumors are nomadic creatures - they wander everywhere yet settle nowhere."
"Let's be direct. We're both busy men."
"Certainly."
Felix laid previously glimpsed documents on the table. "What do you know of our guild?"
"The Hamel Guild ranks among Sonokin Kingdom's two major trading consortiums, does it not?"
"Precisely! Though to be accurate..." Felix's smile widened. "We're not merely one of two - we are Sonokin's premier guild."
His guild pride shone brightly, though such posturing left Ian unmoved. The documents held his full attention - papers supposedly linking to his father.
"We deal in more than mere goods. Tell me, young lord - what defines a merchant's true virtue?"
"Investing in value, I presume?"
"Brilliant! Astounding!" Felix clapped slowly. "With such insight, why has the world been deprived of your presence?"
The compliment carried genuine surprise, yet felt like mockery given their withheld documents.
"Just as you say," Felix continued, "we invest in value - both tangible and intangible."
"Your circles grow tedious."
"Hahaha! Forgive me. To business." Felix cleared his throat, his voice deepening. "Our guild pours unimaginable sums into magical research. Sums that would stagger your comprehension."
"Other guilds fund research too."
"Ah, but the difference lies in who we choose to back!" Felix tapped the documents. "Shall we review these?"
The unfolded contract bore the title 'Research Investment Agreement.' Typical enough - cash-strapped mages often sought guild funding. Yet something felt wrong.
'Did they come to offer loans?'
Ian's skepticism grew. Using his father's name for salesmanship felt particularly galling.
Then he noticed anomalies.
The contract showed signs of age, filled-in blanks suggesting recent completion. Not a fresh document, but one manipulated after creation.
His breath caught at the sum: 300 million shillings. Enough to sustain their house for decades.
Then came the signature.
'Lefebvre.'
His father's unmistakable hand.
'Father signed this?'
Felix's smug smile widened at Ian's stunned expression. "Now you understand why I called your steward incompetent? You were unaware, naturally."
"Is this... truly my father's signature?"
"Compare the penmanship yourself. Undeniably Lord Lefebvre's work."
The date placed it a year before his parents' disappearance. Yet why surface now?
'Forgery?'
Possible, though major guilds rarely risk such crude schemes.
"Mr. Felix. Some questions, if I may."
"By all means."
"When did Wilson learn of this debt?"
"About a month past. His silence is understandable - the shock must have been tremendous."
"And what necessitates demanding repayment after ten years of silence?"
Felix's amusement vanished like snuffed candlelight. His adjutant intervened:
"Lord Ian, we appreciate your distress. But the contract is valid. Your house should possess a copy."
"...I've never seen such a document."
"Curious. It should exist."
Ian clenched his jaw. He'd entrusted his father's study organization to Wilson. Could something have been missed?
"Contracts disappear more often than you'd think," Felix chuckled. "No matter - this copy suffices."
Ian's fingers brushed the signature, faint mana glowing at his fingertips.
"Nothing."
"Pardon?"
"My father always imbued vital documents with trace mana." Ian locked eyes with Felix. "There's none here. This signature is false."
"Young master - forgive me, Lord." The adjutant's tone dripped condescension. "Mana infusion isn't standard for guild contracts. Only between mages."
"Then explain your decade-long silence."
"Circumstances required delicacy." Felix adopted a mournful mask. "We showed respect for your father's passing..."
"My parents aren't dead."
"My apologies." Felix leaned forward, not sounding sorry. "But with House Oracle under new adult leadership, repayment becomes... appropriate."
The trap snapped shut. Legally, their position seemed unassailable.
"Very well. I'll honor this contract."
Blue mana erupted from Ian's finger, searing into the document's signature line.
"What madness—?!"
"Merely adding my own authentication." Ian's smile didn't reach his eyes. "To prevent... alterations."
Felix's cheek twitched. "An... unusual precaution."
"Given the copy's loss, we'll have this notarized." Ian scooped up the papers. "I'll handle storage arrangements."
'This requires investigation.'
His father would never beg for coin. The man had endured poverty through grit and scholarship. Three hundred million? Preposterous.
"Repayment schedules will be delivered," Felix said through clenched teeth.
"Send them to the Academy. I'll discharge the debt personally."
"The lord himself?" Felix's eyes glittered with predatory interest. "How... quaint."
As they departed, Ian whispered to the retreating figures:
'If this proves fraudulent, I'll return your deception a hundredfold, Felix. Let's see whose smile remains then.'
He called for Wilson.
