TMLOH 123

Chapter : 123

Five hours ago, at a Sperom-owned annex.

The business exhibition was in full swing.

The children and I were wandering around, exploring this otherworldly fair.

“So many people…”

I had thought it was just a Sperom family gathering, but it was nothing of the sort.

Merchants who had flocked here to spend the enormous wealth earned during the Founding Festival, and young up-and-comers of the future commercial world who had prepared for this very moment, had gathered together in a festival of their own.

“As expected, you brought them again today.”

“This is our best-selling product. Cute designs are always popular.”

“The more intricate the pattern, the better it sells! These are selling like crazy!”

…Why on earth was everyone walking around with stickers stuck to their cheeks?

I averted my eyes and pretended not to notice.

Our family elder had once again begged me to give him a sticker.

So he shamelessly snatched away my ‘Great Job!’ sticker.

I had no choice, since all my ‘Work Harder!’ stickers had run out. And Father looked ridiculously happy after receiving it.

‘Could that actually have been his plan all along?’

What am I supposed to do with this scheming, doting dad?

“Arel?”

“Ah, yeah.”

While I had been spacing out, Pession came closer, looking at me with concern.

“Are you sick again?”

“No, I was just lost in thought.”

“If you’re not feeling well, you have to tell me.”

“Okay.”

Maybe he had been that shaken by the fact that I’d been sick before and he hadn’t noticed.

Pession’s watchfulness over me had only gotten more thorough.

“Still, I’m so glad you recovered quickly.”

He looked at me with pride.

“How did you get so healthy in such a short time? Must be exercise!”

Nope. It’s all gear.

Thanks to the items the twins had secretly bought for me at the auction house, which I combined and used, my health had bounced back.

Originally, they were trick items the novel’s heroine mage had used to keep up with Harun and Pession, who were knights. But now, they were my support tools.

‘Gear really is the best.’

I should’ve used these sooner!

I regretted all those years of ignorance.

‘The babysitter gang tried to stop me, saying it would cause muscle degeneration, but…’

Humanity’s desire for convenience has always driven technological progress.

Humans are tool-using animals!

‘And after adding in combat-assist potions, even temporarily, I’ve gotten to the point where I can at least fake a normal person’s stamina.’

Agility boost, strength boost, stamina boost potions!

Without question, potions were the greatest invention of all time.

Potions were god, and I was invincible.

I nodded to myself, remembering the MonXter drinks I used to chug in my past life.

“I’m just so glad you’re healthy again!”

Well, whatever the truth—so long as Pession was happy and things were easier for me, that was enough.

Only I needed to know the real reason.

Looking at his radiant smile, I couldn’t help but smile back.

“But why are there so many mages here?”

Just then, yet another robed mage brushed past me.

Given my current “wanted by the Mage Tower” status, even seeing a robe made me flinch.

“…?”

Harun looked at me strangely, but I ignored him. Pession answered smoothly.

“Mages are always short on research funds.”

“So they come here to earn money?”

“Yeah, I heard they just whip up random stuff to sell and cover their research costs.”

Now I knew something about the harsh realities of adulthood I hadn’t really wanted to learn.

‘Still, maybe because they’re made by mages, every item looks so tempting.’

Apparently, only I thought so. Other people just glanced, frowned, and walked away.

“So, when are the twins coming back?”

They’d said they were only going to greet some relatives and then return, but there had been no sign of them.

Meanwhile…

The twins had run into an unexpected crisis.

This business exhibition, attended by the entire sprawling Sperom clan, was supposed to be a simple event—just a chance to browse exhibits and later hold a business presentation on a few proposals that caught the family’s interest.

Some of those would become direct Sperom ventures, while others would spin off into affiliates or partner guilds.

“Now then, twins.”

With Duke Simon Sperom, the head of the family, currently attending the imperial-and-Gremwart-sponsored relic auction he was funding, the business meeting was overseen by Philip Sperom, Simon’s younger brother and the family’s second-in-command.

And that was where the twins’ troubles began.

“Haha! Starting a business under your own names already? At your age? Hahaha!”

They had tried to make their greetings quickly and leave, but he stopped them.

“You’re still so young, yet you want to test your talent for commerce already? How very Sperom of you. It reminds me of my brother’s youth… ah, he was truly remarkable back then…”

Though Philip Sperom was overshadowed in every way by his brother Simon, he was still an immensely influential figure within the Sperom family.

Perhaps because of the trauma of always being second place, he was fiercely determined that his own children would outshine others.

And that was the problem.

“You really do look just like your uncle. Exactly like him.”

Ciel whispered to Noel, “We don’t look like him at all.”

“Dad always complains he doesn’t know who we take after,” Noel muttered, shaking his head.

Whatever their opinions, Philip Sperom seemed deep in thought.

Though the Sperom family had never fallen into civil war, as a massive gold mine of wealth, it naturally bred fierce competition.

They just fought differently.

Only blood that proved its worth could gain more.

Any direct heir who awakened special powers had the right to compete for family head. The ancient Sperom way was to let natural competition determine victors and losers.

Philip’s eyes gleamed.

“Our Daniel is about to start another new business too. You should look around together.”

The twins’ faces fell.

“Haha! Since Daniel already has his own company, he’ll be a huge help to you two just starting out.”

“Ugh…”

Swallowing their protests, Noel and Ciel exchanged troubled looks.

Daniel, Philip’s son, was already fifteen—a much older cousin.

Because Simon Sperom, the duke, had married late for love, his children came much later.

As a result, the twins often ran into Daniel and knew him all too well.

“Trust your big brother! I’ll even pick your business idea for you!”

A kind but rather dim-witted cousin.

The twins sighed.

“We just wanted…”

“…to look around with our friends…”

They didn’t need cousin Daniel’s help. In fact, they had no intention of doing business on their own ideas.

‘We were going to ask Arellin to pick for us.’

The courage to casually put dragon byproducts up for sale, the sense to turn stickers into a craze!

The twins were certain—if anyone could come up with an amazing business idea, it was Arellin.

“What do we do…”

Unwittingly stuck with a tagalong, the twins fretted.

‘Dad said if we want more funding, we have to behave…’

‘Haven’t we been good enough already?’

The twins really had reformed—enough that Sperom retainers and servants wept with joy.

They even developed a bizarre custom of bowing morning and night in the direction of the Halbern mansion, thanking Arellin.

And indeed, she was the reason.

Where once the twins constantly stirred up trouble out of boredom, now anything involving Arellin was fun enough for them.

“Big brother Daniel, we already promised our friends.”

“Yeah, we brought them along to see the exhibition together.”

Trying to behave for once, the twins dropped a polite hint.

If he had any sense, he’d take the cue and leave.

But Daniel had none.

“Friends? That’s fine! I’ll come too—we can all look around together!”

“Huh? Uh…”

This wasn’t going well.

Noel pouted, regretting that they hadn’t just acted selfishly as usual.

But then Ciel tugged at his sleeve.

“What is it?”

“Just watch.”

Ciel giggled mysteriously, leaving Noel confused.

As Daniel spotted some children wandering the exhibition—far younger than the average age—he grinned broadly and strode over.

“So, you must be the twins’ friends. Nice to meet you, I’m—! W-w-wha—?! Y-Your Highness, the Crown Prince?!”

Daniel nearly fainted on the spot.

‘Wait—why is the Crown Prince here?!’