The Genius and Calamity of the Villainous Noble: A Brilliant Prodigy Unaware of Their Reincarnation as the Game's Antagonist Defies the Scenario and Dominates with Talent and Hard Work - Chapter 1.8

“What should I do next…?”

Now fully acting as the head of the trading company—while Livia had been reduced to little more than my personal tea brewer—I muttered to myself as I flipped through the documents on my desk, stamping them one by one.

“What do you think, Livia? I’d like to gain control over logistics, but that might still be a bit too ambitious for now, right?”

“E-Eh?! You’re asking me that!?”

Caught completely off guard, Livia let out a startled cry, her hands freezing mid-motion as she brewed tea.

“Of course. You’ve shed the burden of kindness—while admirable, it’s a hindrance in business. You’ve stopped seeing the employees as individuals and now see only numbers. Thanks to my influence, your long life and experience are finally blossoming into the wisdom of one of the world’s greatest minds—or so I believe. I need you to keep turning the gears of this massive trading company in my stead.”

“Th-That’s way too much praise—or rather, way too much responsibility!”

“Livia, you’re spilling the tea.”

I pointed out the mess caused by the teapot in her frozen hands, which had begun pouring tea all over the desk.

“Ack! Oh no!”

Panicking at my words, Livia scrambled to clean up the spilled tea, her movements frantic.

“…I’m a little jealous of Livia,” Marina muttered softly, observing the scene from the side. “To be trusted that much by Ark-sama…”

“You’re my fiancée, Marina, and my partner in the social circles. Your role is to stand by my side as a noble, smile as you always have, and support me. That’s all I ask of you—now and in the future.”

“…Okay!”

Marina nodded enthusiastically.

I wasn’t asking Marina, my fiancée, to contribute financially like Livia. No, her role was different.

She was the charming presence that added vibrancy to my current, glamorous life—a stark contrast to my previous life, where my lack of romantic experience equaled my age.

Besides, I like Marina. She’s adorable.

“Boss! Trouble! Other nations’ forces have started moving—it’s been ages, but war’s finally breaking out!”

While I was quietly contemplating my feelings for Marina, Wolf, the leader of The Keepers of Gold—now reformed into something resembling a financial conglomerate—burst into my office, clearly panicked.

“Oh. Yeah. Just follow the instructions I already gave you.”

“Uh… th-that’s it?”

“Yep. That’s it.”

“Hahaha. I’ve already taken control of finance. Now it’s time to dominate information, don’t you think?”

Logistics will come last, I suppose… Not that it matters. Even the rulers of this world understand the importance of logistics.

Finance, information… This world’s civilization hasn’t advanced far enough to fully grasp their potential.

Honestly, thanks to the existence of magic—this miraculous cheat code—the foundational concepts and strategies of warfare remain woefully underdeveloped. They don’t even understand the basics of information warfare.

“Modern knowledge cheats are seriously overpowered.”

I muttered quietly to myself, a small smirk playing on my lips.