Published: January 13, 2026
The marquis family first strives to enhance three things: status, power, and wealth. These are both the sword and shield of a noble.
After that, they painstakingly seek to gain fame, military strength, and connections.
Among nobles, superiority is often judged first by noble title, then by official position, and finally by financial power. However, these things are not easily overturned.
Therefore, countless nobles attend various gatherings and salons to build their networks and elevate their fame as nobles. There are also those who lack status or power but excel in business. Such individuals sometimes increase their private soldiers to bolster their military strength.
Some even go beyond the kingdom's laws to get just one step ahead of other nobles.
Still, unless one is blessed with extraordinary luck, the power dynamics among nobles rarely change—this is common knowledge.
With the change of the king, the kingdom's meritocracy trend strengthened. This alone explains how Jarpa and Panamera were able to raise their noble titles.
Having capable people rise benefits the kingdom, but that depends on whose perspective you consider.
Since the number of seats for those at the top is fixed, if someone rises, inevitably someone else falls.
Jarpa and Panamera silenced those old noble families with their military might. The connections they gained on the battlefield surely also contributed.
However, I—Van-kun—am different.
I was just a child appointed as lord over the most undesirable land in a marquis family’s territory, a village on the verge of collapse.
That child, with only a small retinue, defeated a dragon and earned a noble title.
I quietly aided in the war against Yelinetta and am moderately known for it, but even that is vague.
In short, to those who don’t know me, Van’s achievements seem incredibly suspicious.
Most would think I rose through Jarpa’s schemes to keep other nobles from noticing.
If this continues, I might get entangled with foolish nobles who have higher titles.
Yet, I got carried away and earnestly appealed to the world’s top-tier giant guild, the commerce guild. The reactions were so amusing I couldn’t stop—that was my downfall.
As a result, Van-kun ended up being recognized by the commerce guild.
I later learned there are several types of relationships with the commerce guild. The highest level is interaction with top national trading companies recognized by the commerce guild, allowing equal trade and a fair degree of negotiation.
Regular trading companies may join the commerce guild but face heavily skewed terms benefiting the guild, and they can hardly refuse any requests from it.
Nevertheless, many trading companies join the commerce guild for the chance to expand sales networks to other countries and neighboring continents.
By the way, the commerce guild now allows me and the Bell Rango Trading Company to trade on equal footing with top-tier trading companies.
“...We stand out. No matter how you look at it, we stand out…”
I held my head, troubled, while Bell and Rango clinked their glasses, drinking cheerfully.
“Victory, brother.”
“We won, brother.”
The two, in a strange mood, exchanged odd toasts and clinked glasses loudly. It seemed best not to get involved.
Well, they only see this situation through the eyes of merchants. It can’t be helped.
Sighing, I caught Apollo’s attention—he’d been chatting with Diane but noticed my mood quickly.
“Is something wrong? If you have questions about the deal, please ask anything. Misunderstandings can cause trouble later. Are you asking about transaction frequency? Or products you want the commerce guild to arrange?”
Apollo asked cheerfully, so I smiled wryly and waved my hand side to side. We were currently finalizing details in the reception room after many discussions.
In the room, Apollo, Diane, and I sat at one table, with Bell, Rango, and Rosalie also present. Kamushin and Til were quietly standing in a corner, trying to keep a low profile.
When Apollo asked, everyone’s eyes turned to me. I planned to brush it off, but the atmosphere made me feel I had to answer.