TSKSML 20

Chapter 20

“What… what is all this?”

The three sisters rushed out to the front of the mansion, where an old cargo carriage, something they hadn’t seen in a long time, was parked.

“Godfather Blaine…”

Liriana immediately recognized Blaine.

It was the first time they were seeing him since their father’s funeral.

Both Liriana and Jaina felt awkward around Blaine.

Their father had enthusiastically introduced him as his sworn brother, but Blaine, who had been obsessed with business and had a cold, expressionless demeanor, had been difficult to approach.

When Jaina first met Blaine as a child, she had burst into tears and hidden in her father’s arms out of fear.

“Uncle Blaine!”

April came running up to him and threw herself into his arms.

Blaine looked startled but soon returned the hug, awkwardly but warmly.

Surprisingly, April had always followed Blaine well, albeit one-sidedly.

At the funeral, she had even pestered him to hold her hand, which had shocked both Liriana and Jaina.

Perhaps it was because Blaine, having now succeeded in all his businesses and finally gained some leisure, had mellowed out a bit.

After reuniting with the three sisters for the first time in a while, Blaine seemed unsure of what to do.

“On the way back, I ran into Godfather Blaine. When I mentioned we’ve had a lot of good things happen lately, he sent all this food for us to throw a party,” Helene explained.

The three sisters nodded in understanding.

The amount of food sent was surprising, but they knew how successful Blaine had become.

“Uncle, then have dinner with us before you go!” April said, tugging on Blaine’s hand.

What? Helene glanced around in disbelief. They had just spent an awkward time in the carriage—now she had to endure an awkward dinner too?

“April, don’t trouble the godfather. He’s a very busy man…” Liriana gently placed her hands on April’s shoulders, coaxing her not to fuss.

Thank goodness. Maybe Liriana felt the same discomfort around Blaine’s cold and blunt demeanor despite him being their godfather.

Helene sighed in relief, only for—

“But still, godfather should eat dinner too, right? Right, godfather?” Jaina jumped in suddenly.

Helene looked at Blaine in shock at Jaina’s unexpected betrayal.

Blaine also looked flustered at the sudden invitation from the three sisters.

He won’t accept it… right?

Helene shot him a sharp look.

‘Refuse it!’
‘Refuse it!’
‘Refuse it!’

Blaine, staring into Helene’s eyes, finally opened his mouth.

“Th-then… I’ll take you up on the offer.”

April’s face lit up in an instant, and she dragged him away, hopping excitedly.

Once considered one of the most beautiful mansions in the capital city of Rephia, the now eerily empty Emeldia estate welcomed Blaine again after nearly ten years.

Contrary to Helene’s expectations that the dinner would be awkward and uncomfortable, the meal with Blaine turned out to be quite enjoyable.

The food was so delicious that it naturally brought smiles to their faces.

Though Blaine wasn’t much of a conversationalist in social topics, when it came to business, he was undeniably the best speaker in the world.

Had he worked in her previous life’s world, Helene imagined he would have been assigned every corporate presentation.

When April asked about the rusty junk—meaning the car—parked in front of the mansion, Blaine launched into a lengthy explanation about automobiles throughout the meal.

Unknowingly, Helene and the three sisters became engrossed in his story.

“A car that runs without magic will bring major change. Since it doesn’t rely on magic, even commoners could travel freely and easily to distant places. It would be a huge help to trade as well. This model is still in the development phase, but I plan to create a long vehicle. That kind of vehicle could carry a lot of cargo and passengers at the same time.”

He even traced a long car with his finger on the dining table.

It reminded Helene of a train from her past life.

Cars… and now trains?

Helene was stunned.

Blaine seemed like one of those visionary historical figures from her old world.

Like Edison or Ford.

But the sad truth was, in this world where magic was so advanced, such ideas felt even more unrealistic than in Edison or Ford’s era.

While Helene inwardly admired him, the three sisters looked wide-eyed at his stories they’d never heard before.

And then, Blaine stopped.

No matter how successful he was, whenever he talked about cars, people treated him like a lunatic.

There had even been news articles claiming that all his work had driven him insane.

Not a single person in his company supported his automotive venture.

Just like the vibe at this dinner table now.

Feeling amused by the strangely familiar situation, Helene cut her steak into small pieces and popped one into her mouth.

“It sounds fascinating—a carriage without magic or horses—but wouldn’t it be far too expensive?” Liriana asked, cutting straight to the point.

This world had not developed enough technology. Parts were severely lacking. For Blaine to build a car, he’d have to create a lot of things from scratch.

The cost of his one day riding around in that car today was probably higher than the entire Emeldia estate.

A car moving at about the same speed as a low-grade magic stone-fed horse?

No one would invest in that.

And Blaine knew it.

He knew he should give up on this project.

He had always been able to clearly distinguish between profitable and unprofitable ventures—but for some reason, he just couldn’t let go of the automobile.

“Is magic really that convenient? Sure, for mages it is. But how are commoners supposed to afford portal scrolls when they can’t even afford horse-drawn carriages? Look—without magic, people could still move! Working far from home would be possible, employment would go up, and cities would grow larger. And trade? Current freight wagons are too slow. Magic stones are too costly to power them. But a long vehicle could carry loads of goods, making it possible for every region to have sufficient resources. And if commoners could travel on these long cars, they’d see and learn more. They’d grow.”

Helene wasn’t trying to defend Blaine.

But now that she had the memories of her past life, this world—where science and technology hadn’t advanced—felt inconvenient.

Even if magic was normal here, it was a privilege for the few.

Feeling the stares of the three sisters and Blaine, Helene finally closed her mouth.

‘Did I sound too out of place in this world…?’

“That was amazing… it’s like you’ve seen the future of another world,” Liriana said in awe.

To avoid any more attention, Helene focused on finishing her steak.

She thought she might’ve seen Blaine smile—twice, even.

After thoroughly enjoying dessert and fruit, Blaine looked up at the pitch-dark sky and suddenly stood as if realizing the time.

“Thank you very much. I had a lovely time. Thank you for having me.”

Though the three sisters were still young, Blaine continued to speak formally and respectfully.

Still, he gently patted April’s head as if he felt a bit more relaxed around her.

As he finished saying goodbye and turned to go back with the sisters into the mansion, he called out to Helene.

“If you don’t mind, could we speak briefly?”

The sisters looked curious, but Liriana guessed it was an adult matter and quickly led Jaina and April away.

‘Blaine wants to talk to me? Did I mess up again??’

Helene worried that she might’ve said something wrong again.

But no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t recall doing anything offensive today.

“This.”

Blaine held something out to her—a business card.

‘What? Is he just bragging now??’

Helene didn’t understand why he was giving her a business card.

“After seeing the three sisters today, I had a thought. I would be honored if you would allow me to invest in the Countess’s business idea.”

Tonight’s dinner had reminded Blaine, after a very long time, of what family felt like.

It was late, but he wanted to do something for the three sisters.

He realized this was the only thing he could do for Raul, who now watched from the sky.