Chapter 28
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How to Survive as the Villain's Younger Sister
Episode 28
"Damn it! Who was that?! Who kicked me in the back?!"
"No one did, Captain."
Dain spoke with exasperation as he helped the man to his feet.
As I entered alongside the limping figure, a young merchant awaited us.
"Duke Parkision, welcome. I am Borgil Weaver. It is truly an honor to meet someone of your stature."
The merchant bowed with impeccable courtesy.
'Borgil Weaver? I feel like I've heard that name before.'
It wasn't unfamiliar to me.
I tilted my head in confusion.
At that moment, the merchant got straight to business.
"You wish to conduct trade with us? And for the Parkision Trading Company's fresh start, no less?"
It seemed Maran had already informed Borgil of this.
Alexis, too, wasted no time and dove directly into negotiations.
"We will assist with the distribution of fabrics in the southern regions where Parkision Territory is located. The profit split will be three to seven—we take three."
The young merchant's eyes widened considerably.
"Is that truly all you require?"
Rather than demanding seven, she was taking only three.
It was a remarkably modest request.
But Alexis's true purpose lay elsewhere.
"In exchange, I would like you to connect us when conducting business with the Imperial Court."
"If you wish to trade with the Imperial Court, wouldn't it be better to seek assistance from fellow nobility? Are you perhaps plotting something in secret?"
Alexis did not answer.
Only then did Borgil seem to grasp Alexis's intention, letting out a soft chuckle.
"This Borja can assist you in any way you require."
The merchant spoke with an air of self-importance.
'Borja? Did he misspeak Borgil's name?'
Borgil himself seemed oblivious to the name error.
'How is that possible? Could both be aliases he uses frequently?'
In that instant, a passage from the original work came to mind.
The section dealing with Cyrilia's downfall.
"What?! Borja Keren was a con artist?!"
Cyrilia cried out in shock.
Roel, too, could not hide his agitation as he spoke.
"That scoundrel was the wanted con artist operating under the name 'Borgil Weaver'! Damn it, I gave him all my money!"
Borja Keren and Borgil Weaver.
'The man standing before my eyes right now is the con artist who will one day shake the entire Empire!'
The con artist of the century, Borgil, spoke with brazen confidence.
"However, we ourselves paid a substantial sum to a broker to establish our connection with the Imperial Court."
"Are you asking for a bribe?"
Alexis asked sharply.
Borgil Weaver feigned surprise.
"Oh, no! A bribe? Heavens, no! I'm simply requesting that you purchase a large quantity of fabric in advance for distribution. Since it's high quality, it will sell like hotcakes, so please don't worry."
'A large quantity.'
'He's asking us to buy an enormous amount.'
But if it's good enough to sell like hotcakes, why would he give us such a massive supply?
'Wouldn't we actually be the ones profiting?'
A con artist like Borgil Weaver would never do something that benefited others.
Alexis seemed to share my suspicions.
As Alexis regarded him with doubt, Maran nudged Borgil Weaver.
"Shouldn't you show us a sample?"
He appeared anxious that Borgil Weaver might steal his credit.
"Ah, of course!"
Soon, one of Borgil Weaver's employees brought several bolts of fabric.
The translucent material looked as light and soft as clouds, and it shimmered as though scattered with jewels.
"It's muslin made from silver cotton. You're aware that muslin is fashionable these days, yes? Especially muslin made from silver cotton rather than ordinary cotton is so rare that it's impossible to obtain."
Silver cotton was a mutated variety that grew only near Nightmare Valley.
Going to the vicinity of Nightmare Valley with bare hands was suicide.
Even if one managed to find silver cotton there with great difficulty, the quantity obtainable would be extremely small.
'Ordinary cotton usually dies before it can mutate.'
Cotton that survived the toxic miasma exhaled by monsters.
Only such resilient cotton became silver cotton.
That's why it was more beautiful and durable than ordinary cotton.
'There's no reason it wouldn't be precious.'
The problem was how difficult it was to obtain.
It could only be purchased as a byproduct when mercenaries returned from subjugation campaigns.
And even then, at an exorbitant price.
"You're asking me to entrust you with the large-scale distribution of silver cotton muslin? You could profit far more by working with one of the larger trading companies."
Alexis asked sharply.
"You're saying you doubt whether the silver cotton is genuine?"
True to form, a con artist. He grasped the crux of the suspicion immediately.
"Then you're welcome to take this to a large fabric shop in the Capital and verify its authenticity. However, your trust with me would be broken. And contact with the Imperial Court would become difficult as well."
Borgil Weaver spoke arrogantly.
'He's bluffing.'
He clearly knows that the Parkision Ducal House's situation is dire.
'How far has the rumor spread? That our house has come to this?'
Someone who frequently travels to the Capital in place of the Duke and could spread rumors.
'It must be Roel.'
That bastard!
I'll have my revenge!
Beneath the table, I clenched my fists as tightly as chestnuts, steeling my resolve.
"Your Grace, it truly is as silver as a flower. We should proceed with the transaction."
Maran spoke.
What did he know to say such a thing?
'How hasty.'
Since it was an opportunity he had created himself, he would naturally want to see it succeed.
He would want to make up for being excluded from the previous plan.
'He said it was fine in words, but he must have felt his pride wounded by losing to Dain.'
Alexis examined the fabric intently.
Yet she could not possibly know anything about fabric.
'This is when the [lock] was released so I could help my sister.'
I quietly opened my status window.
[Awakened One Information]
Name: Cyrilia Parkision
Age: (12)
Affiliation: ■@#%■■
Rank: ■@#$
Title: $%^!■#^■■
Exclusive Trait: ■■■■
Exclusive Skill: ■!%#!#@
Item: ■Check Now#@■
...
As expected, the status window was riddled with errors.
But there was one thing different from before.
Exclusive Skill: ■!%#!#@
'I can check my skills!'
After items, now skills too!
What was happening?
But there was no time to ponder the mystery.
I urgently checked my skills.
How many skills had I painstakingly accumulated in my previous life, barely clinging to survival!
'Finally I can use them...!'
Whoosh.
As I checked the skill window with trembling anticipation, I heard the sound of air deflating from my ears.
[Exclusive Skill Information]
- Swordmaster of Trakia (Passive)
- Armor of Delusion (Active)
...
- Shadow of Nightmare (Passive)
- Nightmare's Advance (Passive)
- Nightmare's ...
All combat-oriented skills.
What a battle-obsessed fool!
'There's nothing I can use right now!'
What struck me as odd was the sheer abundance of 'Nightmare' skills I'd never seen before.
'Where did I even get these?'
Through the haze of fragmented memories, a scene from my past life surfaced.
It was just before my death.
The notification window for clearing Morpheus's scenario flashed in my mind.
[Scenario Clear Reward (Bound) 'Nightmare's Succession' has been granted!]
Could it be related to that 'Nightmare's Succession' I'd received back then?
It sounded impressive.
An enormous collection of skills and the prestigious-sounding name 'Nightmare.'
Moreover, Parkision's other title was 'Lord of Nightmares,' and the monster habitat in this world was called 'Nightmare Valley.'
'Perhaps my reincarnation into this world is also connected to these [Nightmares] somehow.'
My head was beginning to spin.
'No! Focus, focus!'
Right now, I need to figure out how to help my sister!
'But these impressive-sounding Nightmare skills seem useless in the current situation.'
I sighed and pondered.
'I should just use the items in my inventory... wait?'
Suddenly, one skill among the countless Nightmare abilities caught my eye.
- Nightmare Weaving Spider's Web (Active)
Nightmare Weaving Spider's Web?
The word 'weaving' stood out distinctly within that ominous name.
Here it meant spiders weaving their webs, but the term was also used for textiles.
'And spiders weave their webs with incredible precision, don't they?'
Could this be a metaphor related to fabric work?
I decided to take a chance and opened the Skill Information.
[Nightmare Weaving Spider's Web (Active)]
- The ultimate skill for handling textiles
- Can be used in various situations: textile identification, textile weaving, creating products from textiles, placing curses through textiles, and more
- Any living being with an ordinary soul becomes enchanted upon encountering fabric enhanced by this skill.
※ Special Note: You may be suspected of having sold your soul to a demon.
Oh?
I had a hunch, and I was right! I'm glad I checked.
'And this is exactly the technique I need right now!'
The 'placing curses' part is a bit concerning, though.
I immediately activated the skill.
'The skill level will likely be low, so if I can at least grasp the fundamentals of thread manipulation, that would be ideal....'
['Nightmare Weaver's Web' skill has been activated.]
['Nightmare Weaver's Web' skill has been mastered.]
[From this moment forward, you may use all skills!]
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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