Ellie clearly hated the Alchemy Association. She was not too fond of the Ismail Family's eldest son, either.
She was not wrong about the first part. Hill could tell that the Finch Family really was their enemy—a formidable one. But that was a clash of interests, and there was little more to say about it.
The Ster Family likely represented the military nobility. What they wanted was to strengthen the military in every way they could.
The other side, naturally, wanted to defend the ground the traditional nobility had held for centuries, perhaps even a thousand years. They could not possibly give it up.
But where the Ismail Family stood was another matter.
Young Ellie was prone to mistakes, so of course no one would give her any hints. All she needed to know was that she must not provoke the Ismail Family.
Hill tilted his head, curious. Finch had managed to push the resourceful Earl Ster so far that he now had to use even his beloved daughter. Did Finch know about the Ismail Family's problem?
Hill could not help laughing. He looked so delighted that Ellie turned to look at him twice.
By then, Delgado had lost control of his emotions. He rose to his feet, clenched his fists, and shouted a bid of five million. Compared with the calm offer of two hundred thousand he had made at the start, it left quite an impression.
The snickers coming from several neighboring boxes were especially clear. Even the local powers in Basia City who did not get along with Earl Ster disliked seeing an outsider from the capital humiliate the leading figure of their city so thoroughly.
Many of them had switched off their soundproofing arrays. From one box where the array was still on, brazen laughter came