SFMC 37

Chapter 37 – Deal

Following Selena into the room, Ria Heilyn politely greeted Van and his friends.

“It’s good to see you again, and a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I’m Ria Heilyn, acting representative of the Cosmo Trading Company, overseeing this place.”

Van gave a casual wave and took a seat. Reina and Ridipin sat beside him.

Leaning back on the sofa, Van naturally let his gaze wander around the room.

This reception room was more lavish than the one at the Lihelen branch.

The sofa, table, and other furnishings were clearly top-tier at a glance. The softly glowing mana crystal lamps created a warm ambiance, and from the obvious to the tiniest detail, everything reeked of luxury.

Even though I saw it plenty in the game, I still can’t get used to it.

In the real world, he had wondered how much a place like this would cost. Now, living inside this world himself, the value felt even greater.

But he knew this was just another kind of sales tactic, so he quickly refocused and said casually:

“I thought there would be other guests, but it seems it’s rather quiet.”

“We cleared the schedule for today, thinking you might come, Van.”

In truth, Ria had already researched Van’s schedule and movements. She had only freed up the time between his lunch break and next class, but exaggerated her words.

That trick, however, worked on Van exactly as intended—

This woman’s lying through her teeth, so smoothly.

—except it didn’t.

From her priorities, Van didn’t believe she’d put someone like him, whom she wasn’t yet close with, above all else.

Ria’s top priority was always making as much money as possible.

Still, Van deliberately pretended to fall for it and flashed a satisfied smile.

While the two traded subtle deceptions, Selena came in carrying ice cream.

Once the desserts were set before them, Ria spoke:

“I figured you must have come right after lunch, so I’ve prepared ice cream from the eastern region as dessert. How is it?”

Reina’s eyes lit up.

“Wow! It’s been ages since I had this!”

“If it’s not enough, please let me know anytime.”

As Ria smiled, Reina happily dug in, scooping up a big spoonful.

Van gave her an incredulous look at how easily her guard dropped—

“Mmm! It’s so good~”

—only to find himself smiling too, without realizing it. Seeing her happy made him think, Maybe this is fine.

Ridipin, however, was still on guard.

Ria turned to her with a smile.

“Lady Ridipin Lightjustice, you’re even more beautiful than the rumors say.”

“M-Me?”

“Of course. That neat bob cut, your hair the fresh green of spring’s vitality—and your beauty… well, I’d feel rude trying to put it into words.”

“Th-Thank you.”

Ridipin lowered her head shyly.

With that, her guard too was broken.

If you want to capture the general, start with words.

Following that saying, Ria had thoroughly researched Van’s companions and struck right at the heart.

Guess you can’t beat a born merchant…

Van had planned to knock Ria down a peg in their first sparring match, but ultimately conceded defeat.

“Let’s get straight to the point. First, I’ll be buying elixirs—one for magic power increase, two for physical power increase. That’s three bottles total.”

Today’s must-buy item was elixirs.

Unlike potions, elixirs permanently increase stats. The drawback was a long absorption time and a cooldown before another could be taken. The higher the grade, the longer both times became—even the lowest, low-grade, had a two-month cooldown.

The dungeon raid tournament was in the sixth week, so they needed to start now to have the elixir’s effects in time.

“Shall I prepare all high-grade, then—”

“No, we’ll go with mid-grade.”

They had already decided this as a group—low-grade was too weak, high-grade too much, so mid-grade was the sweet spot.

Though curious, Ria simply nodded without showing it.

“Understood. I’ll have them ready. And you mentioned ‘first’…”

“Next, we’ll take on a request from the Cosmo Trading Company.”

Even mid-grade elixirs would stretch their funds thin, so taking a request here was necessary. Van also had another reason in mind.

Ria, unaware of his aim, hesitated before asking:

“May I ask why you wish to take a request?”

“No special reason. I just thought it would be good to secure some funds for our faction.”

Ria already knew Van had joined the Lesta faction, and his words confirmed her suspicion—

That Van Astrea was the real power in the Lesta faction.

This was an opportunity she couldn’t miss.

She had originally only aimed to reel in Van, but now she had also hooked the heavyweight Lesta Lightjustice.

To her, this was the lowest possible price to buy in, so to speak.

Though her mind was racing with impatience, she outwardly stayed calm and made her offer:

“We could give you a request as you wish… but wouldn’t you prefer to have Cosmo Trading Company sponsor you instead?”

And this was exactly what Van had been aiming for.

That way, they could take the bare minimum of requests while getting the maximum reward. If this also boosted Cosmo’s influence, it would make the main mid-story event far easier.

He had steered the situation to this point, so he pretended to think it over. Reina and Ridipin, however, looked startled.

Reina whispered:

“What the heck did you do to get them to sponsor us?”

“Nothing.”

He didn’t know the exact details either—just that Ria saw value in him.

It felt like an oddly loose connection, but her interest seemed genuine. Betting on that had simply paid off.

Reina wasn’t thrilled, disliking getting something for nothing.

Van whispered:

“It’s obvious she wants to use us. Strip it all away, and our families are all prestigious—plus you’re the top student. She wants to mark her territory. So just take it.”

Mutual use—that framing let Reina accept it without complaint.

He looked to Ridipin, who nodded in agreement.

Before accepting, though, Van asked:

“What are the conditions?”

“Only that you not deal with other trading companies, and that you visit ours weekly to shop. How does that sound?”

“Nothing else we have to do?”

“No. From what I’ve heard of your exploits, I can’t help but admire you. I only hope you’ll mention our company whenever the opportunity arises.”

Ria intended to bind Van to Cosmo even at a loss, knowing he wasn’t the type to accept favors without feeling obliged. Her gambit worked perfectly.

That’s awfully generous. I figured I’d at least have a chance to use her later.

Van was starting to feel almost guilty.

“What kind of support can we expect?”

“Enough that you won’t regret not dealing with other companies.”

It was a plain, standard answer, but somehow more reassuring than flowery promises.

“One more thing—can you support us as sponsor if we buy consumables now?”

“Of course,” Ria replied with a gentle smile.

Late at night.

Ria Heilyn sat on the reception sofa, savoring her tea and gazing at the wide-open window.

The breeze stirred the curtains. Only a few days ago the wind had been chilly; now it was warm with spring.

The person she was waiting for was like that breeze—appearing suddenly, disappearing suddenly. Thinking of him made her smile so much she wanted to keep him all to herself.

But wind was only valuable if it blew, so she waited.

Even though their “agreement” was just verbal—he’d come next month—she felt like a fairytale princess staying up late just to wait for someone, and chuckled at herself.

Another breeze blew, and a man appeared, silhouetted against the moon, casting the room into shadow.

“Have you been waiting?”

His voice was strangely electronic, concealing his identity, but Ria knew it was the man she awaited. No one else would visit at this hour.

She rose gracefully and bowed.

“I’ve been looking forward to seeing you again, Mr. Kim Sehyun.”

“Did the mana stones I gave help?”

“They did.”

“I’m glad.”

Though she still found Ria’s shy smile disconcerting, he didn’t show it. A greed-driven merchant acting like a kindly grandmother at a holiday gathering felt like watching a character break, and it was unsettling.

He suspected ulterior motives, but her openness made it hard to doubt her.

Let’s finish quickly and go.

He handed her the Cosmo pendant. She examined it briefly, then returned it.

“I’ve prepared the items you asked for.”

On the table were three high-grade elixirs—boosting mana efficiency, physical strength, and agility.

“I thought it best to hide your movements from subordinates…”

“Thanks for the consideration.”

“It’s nothing.”

Her reaction reassured him. Anyone seeing Van refuse high-grade and buy mid-grade, only for “Kim Sehyun” to take high-grade, would be suspicious—if they knew they were the same person.

But Ria didn’t seem suspicious at all, and even covered for him. He was sure she hadn’t guessed his identity—unaware she actually had.

I don’t know why he’s buying so many elixirs, but it’s not my business.

Still, she was curious, but resisted asking.

“Then, the remaining payment…”

When he reached for gold coins, she stopped him, looking up like a cat begging affection.

“How about paying with praise instead?”

“…Praise?”

“Yes. If you could say ‘Well done, good work,’ and pat my head, that would be enough.”

High-grade elixirs were expensive, but winning his favor was worth more than the gold. The debt would weigh on him, and she could make several times the profit later.

Though reluctant, he couldn’t ignore her expectant gaze.

Right—she was a character with a strong need for recognition.

Her grandfather had been cold, valuing only money, leaving her starved for acknowledgment.

Thinking she was trying to fill that void through him, Sehyun placed a hand on her head, gently stroking it.

“Good work. Thanks to your consideration, it’s been much easier for me to operate. And well done. Don’t doubt your choices too much. Everyone makes mistakes—don’t be overly afraid of a little slip.”

Worried he’d said too much, he glanced at her—only to see tears welling in her eyes.

Hesitating, he silently wiped them away.