I received a report that Isabeau was in the reception room, so we headed out to interview her.
Accompanying me were Kiara and her immediate aides.
“I wonder what in the world this is about, brother?”
“I don’t know either…”
It is too obvious to reply that it is about business.
I had no idea which business it was about.
When I entered the reception room, I found Isabeau and his usual escort.
We greeted each other lightly.
“Ms. Isabeau, how can I help you today?”
“Yes, I have heard that you have started construction of a second city and canal. The second city alone is attractive, but its value will jump if there is a canal as well. We would like to cooperate with you if possible.”
Of course, she knows the value of a set of canals and a city.
Has Isabeau’s position strengthened enough to invest ahead of time?
It is quite a burden for a small trading company to cooperate in civil engineering and construction.
“Your cooperation is appreciated. But what do you want in return? If it’s a monopoly on business, I can’t agree.”
A monopoly inevitably makes merchants too powerful.
The cozy relationship with the government alone is troublesome, but in the worst-case scenario, the initiative could be taken away.
Even if Isabeau is aware of this, there is no guarantee that those around her or the next generation will be.
Isabeau gave a small smile.
“I don’t want to do anything reckless against Lord Alfred. It is rare to find a lord who understands economics. A merchant who incurs the displeasure of such a lord cannot survive. We would like you to lower the tax rate for our merchant association. Reduce the fees for the use of the canal. In addition, we would be happy to discuss with you the location of the stores to be built in the new city.”
Isabeau is a trustworthy partner for now.
I guess it’s in our best interest to lend a hand a little so that we can retain that power.
There may be some under Isabeau’s control that will become greedy.
It would be useful to see if she can control them or not.
There is some risk involved, but… let’s give it a try.
We can’t start by saying “no” to everything.
“I have no objection to the tax rate and location. As for the canal fees… let’s make them free for the first 50 years of operation. In exchange, however, please hire a certain number of citizens in the Chamber of Commerce. In addition, I would like you to make a secret deal with you.”
Hiring citizens is just a reminder.
Perhaps they will hire them voluntarily.
Or they might request that a person from the Chamber of Commerce be made a citizen.
Either way, Isabeau’s intentions become apparent.
This is a conversation without direct words.
The lack of verbal makeup brings out the personalities of both parties.
You wouldn’t expect zero royalties for the use of the canal.
It was too good to be true, which is why I warned her that this was a dangerous request.
Isabeau’s eyes narrow.
“It depends on how secret it is.”
I laughed and waved my hand.
“You don’t have to be that cautious. You know there have been major battles before, right?”
If you only look at the damage, it would sound exaggerated.
If you measure it by the apparent damage, it looks like a skirmish.
“I only know what happened.”
“There was a treasure there that the other party had been hoarding. I don’t have a taste for collecting, so I want you to exchange that for money. However, what you find here is absolutely confidential.”
Isabeau thought for a moment, then turned to me.
Then she gave a small chuckle.
“You don’t want adventurers to come in and start a treasure hunt, do you?”
“Correct, If that happens, there will be a lot of trouble, and security will deteriorate. It would do a hundred harms and not a single good.”
It is a fantasy world that treasure hunters aren’t people that can be talked to.
You can’t live with good manners.
Such people will only bring trouble.
“If that’s the case, we can’t handle them all at once. It will take some time, but is that okay?”
She’s young, but she’s very attentive.
I wonder if she has an excellent assistant.
“I don’t mind. I’m sure it will take a lot of time and effort. How about one-twentieth of the sales as a commission?”
Isabeau’s eyes narrowed again.
Too generous, you’d think.
She knows full well that I’m not just a softy.
“You are very generous. No… I think it’s too generous.”
“There is a good reason. If there are merchants who are moderate and trustworthy, I want them to have power. That way it will benefit us down the road.”
It costs a lot to be vigilant, you know.
Many new merchants will enter the market later anyway.
In such a situation, I want to keep some allies and merchants who can calculate.
Isabeau began to chuckle.
“Thank you, sir. That’s quite a line to use to seduce a merchant.”
Kiara twitched at the word seduce.
No, it doesn’t mean seduce about men and women.
If I wanted to, I could proceed to a mistress relationship, so I wouldn’t be missing the point entirely.
But I have no intention of doing so.
“There’s a good amount of treasure out there. First, please proceed with the procedures, including an assessment of its value.”
“Yes, sir. we will cooperate with you.”
“Yes, I’m counting on you.”
I and Isabeau shook hands and negotiations were concluded.
It’s easy to negotiate with people you can talk to.
Negotiating with someone who understands the language but doesn’t listen is a waste of time, though.
The opposite is worth ten thousand times more.
Leaving Kiara to take care of the rest, I returned to my office.
Mil, her assistant aides, and the usual bodyguards were still there.
“When Kiara’s done, we’ll call it a day. It’s a festival after all. You all should enjoy yourselves too.”
The secretaries were uniformly happy.
The secretaries had been restless all day.
There must be something going on at the festival.
If the ladies are looking forward to it, I’ll take Mil and Kiara with me.
After the meeting with Kiara and Isabeau, today’s office was closed.
The aides left in a hurry.
I turned to Mil and Kiara.
“Are there any events happening today?”
They looked at each other.
Mil shook her head.
“I’ve been asked to put up a volunteer show, and I’ve granted the request, but I don’t know the details.”
Kiara nodded.
“But they were really looking forward to it.”
“Since we’re at it, shall we go and take a look too?”
Naturally, they were curious to see what it would be like.
The two nodded happily.
When we left the mansion, Manora and Arshinoe were there.
They waved at us, so we turned around and greeted them as well.
""
Unusually, Arshinoe was glancing at me.
“Arsinoe, is something wrong?”
“You know… I wanted to thank you, my lord.”
“Did I do something?”
Arshinoe nodded.
“Yesterday, my mom and dad asked me if I wanted a little brother or sister. When I said I want, she said my lord would bring me one. So I wanted to thank you.”
Oh, hey…I’m not a stork.
Manora smiled at me.
“The lord is a married woman hunter, so Mr. Gerald said he’ll do his best.”
My eyes darkened.
Hey, that’s a false accusation! But… I can’t raise my voice against a child.
Mil and Kiara were laughing hysterically.
""
I crouched down and brought my gaze level with Arshinoe’s.
“The baby, you see, is brought by Mom and Dad, not me. So you’ll have to thank Mom and Dad.”
Arshinoe tilted her head and thought about it, but nodded cheerfully.
“Yes!”
After that, I left them both with a drawn-out smile on their face, and I was exhausted.
“How did it end up like this. One of these days, a rumor will spread that just looking at them will get them pregnant or something…”
Mil put her hand on my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, they’re just having fun at the festival.”
Kiara nodded.
“It’s a festival, so please tolerate it.”
I sighed.
“I hope so. By the way, where will the performances take place?”
Mil pointed toward the town square.
“They said it would be in the town square. The statue of the little girl.”
When I got to the square, a stage was set up.
No, you’re trying too hard.
But I guess they need a permanent theater too… so I don’t get turned into entertainment.
Okay… I’ll make this a priority and deal with it.
The overwhelming majority of spectators are women.
A few moments later, a trumpet sounds high in the air.
Ardelheid descends from the sky onto the stage.
What a waste of flight ability.
A cheer goes up from everyone.
""
Delphine has also climbed onto the stage.
Ardelheid looks around at everyone.
She spotted me and winked.
Then she took a deep breath and put a megaphone-like loudspeaker to her mouth.
I think that was a tool that was made to deliver construction orders.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for waiting! The first annual Ravenna Carnival is starting! The host should be a tough guy if she’s going to be held! With Ardelheid!”
Delphine also puts her mouth to the loudspeaker she is holding.
“She loves Robert more than anything in the world. But not for his muscles! Delphine and I are here to present to you!”
What the hell are two of our ministers doing! And that’s not what a carnival is supposed to mean!
High-pitched cheers from the women and, on rare occasions, from the men.
On the platform, a group of machos in bikini shorts with naked upper bodies lined up.
Ardelheid pumped her fist to the sky in high spirits.
She is usually morbidly pale, but today she is flushed.
“Now then, ladies and gentlemen! Let the ‘Who has the best body this year’ judging begin!”
Delphine also raised her fist to the sky.
“Dear participants! Show everyone the muscles you work out on a daily basis! Make them fall in love!”
The cheers were incredible.
“Kyaaaaaah!” “Brother!” “Incredible!” Brother!”
(T/N: The brother word is said in English.)
The song “Sexy Dinamite” by my super brother started playing endlessly in my head.
What the hellllllllllll.
Who the hell is it! Who authorized this! It was Mil…
I received a report that Isabeau was in the reception room, so we headed out to interview her.
Accompanying me were Kiara and her immediate aides.
“I wonder what in the world this is about, brother?”
“I don’t know either…”
It is too obvious to reply that it is about business.
I had no idea which business it was about.
When I entered the reception room, I found Isabeau and his usual escort.
We greeted each other lightly.
“Ms. Isabeau, how can I help you today?”
“Yes, I have heard that you have started construction of a second city and canal. The second city alone is attractive, but its value will jump if there is a canal as well. We would like to cooperate with you if possible.”
Of course, she knows the value of a set of canals and a city.
Has Isabeau’s position strengthened enough to invest ahead of time?
It is quite a burden for a small trading company to cooperate in civil engineering and construction.
“Your cooperation is appreciated. But what do you want in return? If it’s a monopoly on business, I can’t agree.”
A monopoly inevitably makes merchants too powerful.
The cozy relationship with the government alone is troublesome, but in the worst-case scenario, the initiative could be taken away.
Even if Isabeau is aware of this, there is no guarantee that those around her or the next generation will be.
Isabeau gave a small smile.
“I don’t want to do anything reckless against Lord Alfred. It is rare to find a lord who understands economics. A merchant who incurs the displeasure of such a lord cannot survive. We would like you to lower the tax rate for our merchant association. Reduce the fees for the use of the canal. In addition, we would be happy to discuss with you the location of the stores to be built in the new city.”
Isabeau is a trustworthy partner for now.
I guess it’s in our best interest to lend a hand a little so that we can retain that power.
There may be some under Isabeau’s control that will become greedy.
It would be useful to see if she can control them or not.
There is some risk involved, but… let’s give it a try.
We can’t start by saying “no” to everything.
“I have no objection to the tax rate and location. As for the canal fees… let’s make them free for the first 50 years of operation. In exchange, however, please hire a certain number of citizens in the Chamber of Commerce. In addition, I would like you to make a secret deal with you.”
Hiring citizens is just a reminder.
Perhaps they will hire them voluntarily.
Or they might request that a person from the Chamber of Commerce be made a citizen.
Either way, Isabeau’s intentions become apparent.
This is a conversation without direct words.
The lack of verbal makeup brings out the personalities of both parties.
You wouldn’t expect zero royalties for the use of the canal.
It was too good to be true, which is why I warned her that this was a dangerous request.
Isabeau’s eyes narrow.
“It depends on how secret it is.”
I laughed and waved my hand.
“You don’t have to be that cautious. You know there have been major battles before, right?”
If you only look at the damage, it would sound exaggerated.
If you measure it by the apparent damage, it looks like a skirmish.
“I only know what happened.”
“There was a treasure there that the other party had been hoarding. I don’t have a taste for collecting, so I want you to exchange that for money. However, what you find here is absolutely confidential.”
Isabeau thought for a moment, then turned to me.
Then she gave a small chuckle.
“You don’t want adventurers to come in and start a treasure hunt, do you?”
“Correct, If that happens, there will be a lot of trouble, and security will deteriorate. It would do a hundred harms and not a single good.”
It is a fantasy world that treasure hunters aren’t people that can be talked to.
You can’t live with good manners.
Such people will only bring trouble.
“If that’s the case, we can’t handle them all at once. It will take some time, but is that okay?”
She’s young, but she’s very attentive.
I wonder if she has an excellent assistant.
“I don’t mind. I’m sure it will take a lot of time and effort. How about one-twentieth of the sales as a commission?”
Isabeau’s eyes narrowed again.
Too generous, you’d think.
She knows full well that I’m not just a softy.
“You are very generous. No… I think it’s too generous.”
“There is a good reason. If there are merchants who are moderate and trustworthy, I want them to have power. That way it will benefit us down the road.”
It costs a lot to be vigilant, you know.
Many new merchants will enter the market later anyway.
In such a situation, I want to keep some allies and merchants who can calculate.
Isabeau began to chuckle.
“Thank you, sir. That’s quite a line to use to seduce a merchant.”
Kiara twitched at the word seduce.
No, it doesn’t mean seduce about men and women.
If I wanted to, I could proceed to a mistress relationship, so I wouldn’t be missing the point entirely.
But I have no intention of doing so.
“There’s a good amount of treasure out there. First, please proceed with the procedures, including an assessment of its value.”
“Yes, sir. we will cooperate with you.”
“Yes, I’m counting on you.”
I and Isabeau shook hands and negotiations were concluded.
It’s easy to negotiate with people you can talk to.
Negotiating with someone who understands the language but doesn’t listen is a waste of time, though.
The opposite is worth ten thousand times more.
Leaving Kiara to take care of the rest, I returned to my office.
Mil, her assistant aides, and the usual bodyguards were still there.
“When Kiara’s done, we’ll call it a day. It’s a festival after all. You all should enjoy yourselves too.”
The secretaries were uniformly happy.
The secretaries had been restless all day.
There must be something going on at the festival.
If the ladies are looking forward to it, I’ll take Mil and Kiara with me.
After the meeting with Kiara and Isabeau, today’s office was closed.
The aides left in a hurry.
I turned to Mil and Kiara.
“Are there any events happening today?”
They looked at each other.
Mil shook her head.
“I’ve been asked to put up a volunteer show, and I’ve granted the request, but I don’t know the details.”
Kiara nodded.
“But they were really looking forward to it.”
“Since we’re at it, shall we go and take a look too?”
Naturally, they were curious to see what it would be like.
The two nodded happily.
When we left the mansion, Manora and Arshinoe were there.
They waved at us, so we turned around and greeted them as well.
""
Unusually, Arshinoe was glancing at me.
“Arsinoe, is something wrong?”
“You know… I wanted to thank you, my lord.”
“Did I do something?”
Arshinoe nodded.
“Yesterday, my mom and dad asked me if I wanted a little brother or sister. When I said I want, she said my lord would bring me one. So I wanted to thank you.”
Oh, hey…I’m not a stork.
Manora smiled at me.
“The lord is a married woman hunter, so Mr. Gerald said he’ll do his best.”
My eyes darkened.
Hey, that’s a false accusation! But… I can’t raise my voice against a child.
Mil and Kiara were laughing hysterically.
""
I crouched down and brought my gaze level with Arshinoe’s.
“The baby, you see, is brought by Mom and Dad, not me. So you’ll have to thank Mom and Dad.”
Arshinoe tilted her head and thought about it, but nodded cheerfully.
“Yes!”
After that, I left them both with a drawn-out smile on their face, and I was exhausted.
“How did it end up like this. One of these days, a rumor will spread that just looking at them will get them pregnant or something…”
Mil put her hand on my shoulder.
“Don’t worry, they’re just having fun at the festival.”
Kiara nodded.
“It’s a festival, so please tolerate it.”
I sighed.
“I hope so. By the way, where will the performances take place?”
Mil pointed toward the town square.
“They said it would be in the town square. The statue of the little girl.”
When I got to the square, a stage was set up.
No, you’re trying too hard.
But I guess they need a permanent theater too… so I don’t get turned into entertainment.
Okay… I’ll make this a priority and deal with it.
The overwhelming majority of spectators are women.
A few moments later, a trumpet sounds high in the air.
Ardelheid descends from the sky onto the stage.
What a waste of flight ability.
A cheer goes up from everyone.
""
Delphine has also climbed onto the stage.
Ardelheid looks around at everyone.
She spotted me and winked.
Then she took a deep breath and put a megaphone-like loudspeaker to her mouth.
I think that was a tool that was made to deliver construction orders.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for waiting! The first annual Ravenna Carnival is starting! The host should be a tough guy if she’s going to be held! With Ardelheid!”
Delphine also puts her mouth to the loudspeaker she is holding.
“She loves Robert more than anything in the world. But not for his muscles! Delphine and I are here to present to you!”
What the hell are two of our ministers doing! And that’s not what a carnival is supposed to mean!
High-pitched cheers from the women and, on rare occasions, from the men.
On the platform, a group of machos in bikini shorts with naked upper bodies lined up.
Ardelheid pumped her fist to the sky in high spirits.
She is usually morbidly pale, but today she is flushed.
“Now then, ladies and gentlemen! Let the ‘Who has the best body this year’ judging begin!”
Delphine also raised her fist to the sky.
“Dear participants! Show everyone the muscles you work out on a daily basis! Make them fall in love!”
The cheers were incredible.
“Kyaaaaaah!” “Brother!” “Incredible!” Brother!”
(T/N: The brother word is said in English.)
The song “Sexy Dinamite” by my super brother started playing endlessly in my head.
What the hellllllllllll.
Who the hell is it! Who authorized this! It was Mil…
