When the Mid-Boss Villainous Noble Recalls Memories of a Past Life and Gains Game Knowledge. I Will Never Accept a Future Where I'm Called the Jealous Earl - Chapter 22

“I’ll head there immediately.”

My current attire should suffice for the meeting. While I hurried to the destination, I couldn’t afford to let my thoughts stop.

The Duke’s sudden, unannounced visit was likely retaliation for the time I abruptly visited his territory under the guise of treatment. The real question was why he had come.

No, it’s pointless to dwell on questions without answers.
“Fuuu…”

I took a deep breath in front of the room where the Duke was waiting, steadying myself. I couldn’t afford to face him flustered—I needed to stay composed.

Knock, knock.

As soon as I knocked, Bosco opened the door.

“My apologies for the delay,” I said as I stepped inside.

“No need to worry about that. More importantly, Sir Dicaman, it’s been a while since we last met,” the Duke said with a soft smile.

“Indeed, it has been some time, Duke Iwel,” I replied.

“You don’t have to be so formal. Feel free to speak more casually.”

“In that case, Duke Iwel it is.”

The man before me was Duke Alan Iwel. Though he appeared to be in his early twenties, his actual age was closer to thirty. He spoke with a gentle expression, but I remained cautious.
“My apologies for the sudden visit,” he began. “Things are a bit hectic in my territory at the moment, but I managed to carve out some time to come.”

“I see,” I responded politely.

On the surface, the conversation seemed friendly, but the atmosphere in the room was heavy.

“My steward and I have been so busy we can’t even get a proper night’s sleep, but your discovery of a treatment for Redstone Disease has been a great help,” he said.

His words were casual, but I couldn’t let my guard down—this wasn’t the main topic yet.

“To think the cause of Redstone Disease was magical power. When I first read the report, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Who would’ve thought that Sealed Stones, considered nearly useless, could be the key to treatment?”

The conversation continued with small talk about the disease and the Duke’s territory. Speaking with him was exhausting. I wanted to get to the main point, but should I take the initiative?
“Indeed. If I hadn’t stumbled upon that book, I might never have realized it,” I replied.

“That book?”

“It’s a record written by the past heads of the Dikaman family. It documents every case the family has treated. Redstone Disease resembled a condition described as untreatable with magical potions, so I made the connection.”

While the book did exist, it contained no such case resembling Redstone Disease. I had fabricated this information as a plausible explanation for the Duke.

The book, supposedly gifted to the first head of the Dikaman family by the king, could only be read by those of Dikaman bloodline. This made it impossible for the Duke to verify its contents.

“Hmm, I see,” he said thoughtfully.
“Thanks to that book, I managed to identify the cause and treatment for Redstone Disease. However, I may have made some mistakes in my subsequent actions,” I admitted.

“Mistakes… Are you referring to sharing the treatment with other nobles?”

Sharing the treatment led to a significant rise in the price of Sealed Stones. I had anticipated this and aimed to slow the Duke’s movements, but the limited supply caused prices to rise even more than expected.

“Yes, precisely. Many nobles scrambled to gather the scarce Sealed Stones, causing merchants to run out of stock. Even when available, the prices skyrocketed. In hindsight, I should have considered the broader implications.”

“I see…”

My admission served two purposes: to give the impression that I had no intention of causing the price hike and to assert that the Dikaman family’s actions were not in error.

The Duke likely understood, but I deliberately avoided mentioning the report I had submitted to the kingdom and other nobles. This was my way of conveying that the report was handled correctly and any resulting consequences were merely a natural progression.

Even if this caused problems for the Duke’s territory, that wasn’t my concern.

“You’re right. Sir Dikaman did nothing wrong. You simply shared accurate information,” the Duke said, acknowledging my point without hesitation.

So far, this felt like a confirmation process. The Duke was quick to agree.

“Sir Dikaman, do you have any Sealed Stones in your possession?” he asked directly.

“Let’s see… I believe I have around 400,” I replied.

“Would you be willing to sell them to the Duke’s household?”

The directness of his request caught me off guard.

“Only what you can spare. How about 30 silver coins per stone?”
“My understanding is that the current price of Sealed Stones is about 90 silver coins each,” I said cautiously.
Given that the procurement cost had only been 2 silver coins per stone, I considered pushing the negotiation further. However, I didn’t want to strain my relationship with the Duke unnecessarily. Besides, he had named the price.

“Since this is a request from the Duke’s household, to whom I am engaged, 30 silver coins per stone will suffice.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

In truth, I had even considered giving the stones to the Duke for free. The simplicity of the transaction left me somewhat baffled.

“Now I can rest easy,” he said, reclining into his chair as if genuinely relieved.

Was this really the Duke I knew?

The deal seemed disproportionately favorable to the Dikaman household. Despite this, the aura of pressure emanating from him was on par with Narmis’s.

What was his real objective? I had expected the conversation to pivot toward demands for renewed support for his territory or some other deeper request, but there was nothing.

The Duke, seated before me, took a sip of the tea Bosco had prepared.

“Now, let’s change the subject,” he said, his presence intensifying as he continued.

“How is your relationship with my daughter?”

Up until now, everything had been mere preamble. I realized that this was the real conversation—and that if I let my guard down, it could cost me my life. My instincts as a living being told me so.