Kjerag, Karlan Trade Headquarters.
Office of Chairman Enciodes Silverash.
From the outside, it was an unremarkable three-story building of concrete and brick, with a glowing Karlan Trade sign hanging near the upper corner.
Compared to a major multinational enterprise, it looked more like a slightly dubious barbershop tucked away in a Columbian alley.
And yet, this was Karlan Trade’s headquarters in Kjerag, the most modern building in the entire nation.
The workplace of its founder and chairman, Enciodes Silverash, was located on the top floor of this modest structure, an office where one entire wall had been replaced with a floor-to-ceiling window.
After the Tri-Clan Council meeting, Enciodes returned to his domain.
In the already air-conditioned office, he removed his heavy winter cloak and sank into his chair.
Before he could even catch his breath, a black-haired Liberi with streaks of red pushed the door open and walked straight in.
“Gnosis, you should knock first,” Enciodes said with mild exasperation, looking at his close friend, business partner, and rival, Gnosis Edelweiss.
“Your mannerisms have already caused quite a bit of dissatisfaction within the company.
A lot of the technicians think you’re a bit too… rough.”
Never knocking before entering, loudly berating even the smallest mistakes, and openly calling struggling researchers “lazy fools” or “talentless trash,” Gnosis had a way of instantly killing any atmosphere.
No matter his intentions, his blunt and abrasive behavior had steadily shifted his reputation within the company from “meticulous and reliable technical executive” to “harsh, difficult superior who makes everyone miserable.”
Strangely enough, Gnosis seemed entirely unaware of this.
Or perhaps he knew and simply did not care.
“If I’m harsh with them, it’s because I don’t want them to be careless with data.
I’d rather be criticized for my competence.
Unfortunately, that’s something they’ll never manage.”
As always, his response hovered on the edge of arrogance, yet was difficult to refute.
“I’m here to ask about the outcome of the Tri-Clan Council.”
Enciodes raised an eyebrow.
“Weren’t you quite confident in your plan?”
Gnosis adjusted his glasses.
“Knowing the result in advance is no excuse not to verify it.
Science demands rigor.”
Enciodes turned his head away, uninterested in Gnosis’s painfully reasonable yet irritating remarks, and answered directly:
“The council approved it.
It wasn’t easy, but three hours ago, the National Assembly of Kjerag was officially established.”
“And the first Speaker and Prime Minister?” Gnosis pressed.
For a moment, Enciodes’s expression turned complicated.
He gazed out at the falling snow beyond the window before answering slowly:
“My younger brother, Ernest Silverash.”
Gnosis paused, though he did not seem particularly surprised.
It was unexpected, yet still within the realm of possibility.
“I thought it would be me,” he said, without a trace of regret.
Enciodes nodded.
Before the final vote, he had thought the same.
The most likely candidate for both Speaker and Prime Minister had been Gnosis Edelweiss, the current head of the Edelweiss family, a Silverash-affiliated house responsible for compiling and preserving records.
The reasons were simple.
Gnosis’s father, though never formally convicted, had long been suspected of orchestrating the death of the previous Silverash patriarch, Enciodes and Ernest’s parents.
This alone created an inherent trust issue between him and Enciodes.
At the same time, Gnosis was one of the few people in Kjerag with substantial experience in external affairs and knowledge of modern administration.
Among a nation lacking such expertise, he stood out as the obvious choice.
For this reason, both Enciodes and Gnosis had believed that if the Browntail and Paleroches families wanted to weaken Karlan Trade’s influence, elevating Gnosis would be the optimal move, at least from the perspective of those unaware of the close ties between the two of them.
They had even prepared a series of contingency plans.
Once Gnosis took office, they would stage a convincing display of hostility between the government and Karlan Trade, gaining the trust of the other factions and laying the groundwork for a final seizure of power.
Yes, Enciodes had long intended to dismantle Kjerag’s old system entirely and reshape it under his own control.
But all those plans collapsed the moment Ernest took the position.
“Perhaps your methods are too extreme,” Enciodes said lightly.
“That might be why they chose my brother over you.”
To his surprise, Gnosis, who was usually unyielding, lowered his head and actually seemed to reflect on the comment.
What is this?
I’ve lectured you countless times and you ignored it, but now that my brother overtook you, you finally start thinking about it?
Enciodes found the situation oddly amusing.
So competition really does change people.
Gnosis must have been too comfortable until now.
“Ernest making you take him seriously is a good thing,” Enciodes continued.
“At the very least, it proves that you’ve lost this round.
And if you want that position in the future, you’ll have to face a formidable opponent.”
“Opponent?” Gnosis snapped back to attention.
He looked surprised for a moment, then shook his head dismissively.
“I don’t consider a puppet pushed onto the stage to be my opponent.
I was simply thinking about how to reclaim that position quickly and efficiently.”
His words were so blunt that even Enciodes, who was usually tolerant of him, felt a vein twitch.
“You’d better remember what you just said.
My brother is no simple puppet.”
“When I left for Victoria alone, he was the one managing the entire Silverash household.
He was also the one taking care of Ensia.
The Silverash family’s return to the Tri-Clan Council and Karlan Trade’s successful entry into Kjerag without significant resistance, he played a crucial role in all of it.”
“He may be limited by his circumstances, unable to see a broader world or a distant future, but that doesn’t mean he lags behind us.
If you don’t believe me, we can make a wager.”
Enciodes issued the challenge calmly.
Gnosis narrowed his eyes behind his glasses.
It was rare to hear this man, who always acted with meticulous calculation and near certainty, speak of a “bet,” especially when it came to judging someone.
After a brief moment of thought, he accepted.
“Very well.
Let’s wager whether I can replace him within a month.
As for the stakes…”
“Your research budget for this month,” Enciodes cut in.
Gnosis’s eyes widened.
He clenched his teeth, then finally nodded with visible reluctance.
As if Kjeragandr itself refused to give him a chance to back out, the office doorbell rang the very next second.
“Come in,” Enciodes said.
The door opened, and the black-haired girl with twin-tails stepped inside.
It was Monch, who had just left Ernest’s office.
She gave a slight bow to Enciodes, then cast a curious glance at Gnosis, whose face was still flushed as though something had just happened.
Suppressing her curiosity, she reported:
“Chairman, Mr.
Ernest has just gone up the mountain.”
“To the mountain?” Enciodes raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue.
“He went to the Vine-Bead Court to request Kjerag’s consolidated financial ledgers.”
“He knows to secure financial data first.
Not bad,” Gnosis remarked, offering rare praise before adding with a hint of regret, “But given the Grand Elder’s temperament and stance, there’s no way he’ll agree to hand over the records.
This trip is doomed to fail.”
Enciodes said nothing, but his expression showed he agreed.
Only Monch blinked, recalling the confident smile and words Ernest had shown before heading up the mountain.
Is it really impossible?
The thought had barely formed before a sudden commotion erupted below.
Looking out through the floor-to-ceiling window, they saw a crowd gathering at the base of the building.
Many held tools and makeshift weapons.
At their head stood a Ursus man wearing the leather emblem of the Paleroches family, it was Gulo.
Enciodes frowned and pressed the communicator to contact security downstairs.
“What’s going on?
Why are the Paleroches here?”
“Chairman, they say they’re here to investigate,” the guard replied, clearly flustered.
“Apparently, the new Speaker found discrepancies while reviewing financial reports.
The quantity and cost of the steel we imported don’t match.
They suspect we’ve hidden some of it and are demanding an explanation.”
Enciodes’s brow tightened instantly.
He glanced at Gnosis before replying, “Understood.
I’ll send someone to handle it shortly.”
He cut off the communication and looked at Gnosis, a faint, amused smile forming.
“My dear brother… going after his older brother the moment he takes office.
Quite something.”
He paused, then added with meaning:
“Gnosis, don’t regret this.”