Negotiation

"Phew... If I’m going to mount magic stones, I’ll need to make the casing much sturdier. Hm? What’s wrong?"

I tilted my head, looking at Alan. He looked utterly drained, staring blankly as if his soul had left his body.

"No, it’s nothing... truly, it’s nothing..."

I ignored his odd behavior and showed him the finished refrigerator. The exterior was still little more than a box of hardened earth, but the interior was chilled perfectly. I had achieved my goal: cooling the unit without constantly draining my own magic power.

"This should have a variety of uses," I remarked.

"Yuri-sama... the daggers are all gone..."

I turned to Fee. I thought I had made plenty, but she had apparently thrown every last one. Not a single dagger remained.

"Was I working for that long?"

I hadn't noticed the passage of time, but seeing Fee nod made me realize how deep into the zone I’d been.

"Was Alan trying to talk to me while I was working?"

Fee nodded again.

"Sorry about that," I said, turning back to the merchant. "Did you need something?"

"Ah, yes. Yuri-sama, if you are willing... I was wondering if you would grant me the exclusive rights to sell these 'refrigerator' devices?"

"I can't do that yet. As you can see, I have no way to mass-produce them."

"That isn't a problem. If you need materials or labor, I will prepare everything on my end."

"In that case," I said, "why don't you come to my territory to do business?"

Alan’s eyes widened in surprise. "Is that truly alright? I was actually going to ask the same of you."

"Of course. It’s a frontier region where almost no one visits, after all."

"...Um, if I may, could you tell me exactly where your territory is located?"

"Right, I haven't mentioned that yet. The land I was given is in the vicinity of Alf Village."

Alan’s mouth fell open. He stood there in a stunned silence for several long seconds. Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth curled upward into a grin.

"Heh... a man can hardly call himself a merchant if he isn't willing to dive into a little danger."

He was clearly steeling himself. Alf Village must be even more dangerous than I thought.

"You don't have to push yourself," I reminded him.

"No. I’m betting on the fact that you will be the one to develop that village, Yuri-sama. I’ll likely be in the red for a while, but eventually, you’ll propel me to the head of a great merchant company, won’t you?"

"That part is up to you. I’m just the one buying and selling. Though, it's no lie that I intend to see the place flourish."

"That is all I need to hear. In fact, this arrangement is beneficial to me even in the short term."

"Does this have to do with those bandits earlier?" I asked.

In the world of the game, encountering enemies outside of town was a given. People without combat skills usually hired guards to mitigate that risk. However, the bandits we had just fought possessed a level of strength that was abnormal for this region.

"It is indeed related. It seems I’ve been... 'blacklisted' by the local lord," Alan said with a bitter smile.

Trying to kill someone in a way that points directly back to the culprit is the work of a third-rate amateur. If everyone’s schemes were this transparent, my life would be much easier.

"So, you need a noble's backing."

"Precisely. And seeing you now, I get the sense you won't make impossible demands of me."

"Is that so? Isn't asking you to travel to a barren frontier for trade the definition of an impossible demand?"

"Hahaha! Since when is it impossible for a merchant to follow the scent of gold? To be honest, I’d eventually like to move my entire shop there."

It was clear Alan had a profound loathing for the current lord of this land.

---

We eventually reached the town within the Gessru Viscounty where Alan operated the Muller Company.

The bandits, having gone without food or water for the entire trip, were slumped over in exhaustion. However, their leader still managed a weak, repulsive smirk.

"You really think you can just hand us over and walk away?" the man sneered.

"What are you getting at?" I asked.

"We attacked those merchants on the personal orders of Viscount Gessru himself. Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you now that you've caught us?"

He’s certainly talkative for a criminal.

"We’ll see, won't we?"

Alan went ahead to speak with the town guards. Almost immediately, an official who appeared to be the Captain of the Guard came stomping toward us. He was a portly, suspicious-looking man, and he was practically running by the time he reached Alan.

"You!" the Captain bellowed, pointing a finger at Alan. "Are you the merchant filing false reports about bandits?"

His voice was so loud that passersby stopped in their tracks to gawk at the scene.

"It is no falsehood," Alan protested. "I was certainly attacked—"

"And yet," the Captain interrupted, "the guards you hired reported that they were the ones attacked by you!"

"That’s right!" a voice chimed in. A group of men in grimy light armor stepped out from behind the Captain. "We were just doing our jobs when he turned on us from behind. We barely escaped with our lives!"

"Y-you..." Alan stammered, his face flushing with rage.

These were the guards who had abandoned Alan’s family the moment the fighting started. I stepped forward, placing a restraining hand on Alan before he could lunge at them.

"Just curious," I said, looking at the Captain of the Guard. "What happens to someone who files a false report?"

"Who’s this brat? Whatever. Filing a false report results in immediate execution, obviously. It’s the law."

The Captain puffed out his chest, looking smug. I couldn't help but let a small smile slip.

"In any case," the Captain continued, "Alan Muller is to be executed for false reporting. The Muller Company will be liquidated. As for his family... hehehe... well, if they’re obedient, I might find a use for them. I have no need for the boy, though."

He looked Elie and Asha up and down with a predatory, lingering gaze.

"Hieee!" Asha squeaked, ducking behind me to use me as a human shield.

"I see," I said. "For now, why don't you call your lord, Viscount Gessru? We can finish this conversation with him."

"A brat like you thinks the Lord is going to grant him an audience?"

"If he doesn't, that's fine. I’ll just have to report to my father that Viscount Gessru refused to speak with me."

It was a bluff, mostly. But as long as I hadn't been officially disowned, I was still a member of the Lousouth family. I fully intended to squeeze every bit of utility out of that name.

It was almost tragic. If a mere Captain of the Guard spoke to the son of a Duke like this, his fate was already sealed.

"Hah! And who is your father? Some low-ranking foot soldier?" The Captain laughed, his belly shaking.

"My father is Balan Lousouth."

"Hahaha! And which Balan would that be?"

The Captain was too dense to realize it, but the guards behind him were already pale, whispering frantically to one another.

"Lousouth? As in the Duke?" "Is he the real deal?" "If he is, and we don't tell the Viscount, we’re dead..."

One of the guards turned and sprinted away toward the manor.

"Well, if you're happy with how this is going, then so be it," I said.

I was surprised by how impossible it was to communicate with this man. I had reached a point where I didn't even care about the bandits anymore; the sheer incompetence of the local government was more offensive.

A few minutes later, a man came sprinting toward us in a state of sheer panic. Judging by the expensive fabric of his clothes, this was Viscount Gessru. He was quite stout and arrived gasping for air. He threw a murderous glare at the Captain of the Guard before bowing deeply before me.

"Yuri-sama! What a... what an unexpected pleasure! If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared a proper welcome!"

"No need. My stopping here was entirely coincidental. I didn't expect to require your 'hospitality,' Viscount."

The Captain of the Guard stood frozen, his jaw hanging open. He blinked, then stammered, "Gessru-sama... you know this child?"

"You idiot!" the Viscount screamed. "Do you have any idea who this is?! This is the son of Duke Balan, the King's Brother! I... I am deeply sorry, Yuri-sama. My subordinate’s training has clearly been... lacking."

"That’s fine," I said coldly. "More importantly, this man just threatened to execute me and my personal merchant so he could seize the man's family. On top of that, he claimed the bandits I personally captured were part of a 'false report.' I assume I can expect a clear explanation for all of this?"

I narrowed my eyes at Viscount Gessru. He turned several shades of white and spun on the Captain.

"I-I was only following your instructions, Gessru-sama—!"

"I would never give such orders! Guards! Throw this insolent fool into the dungeon! Take the bandits with him!"

"N-no! Please—!"

The Captain’s knees gave out, and he was dragged away by his own men. The bandits followed shortly after.

"I will have the bounty for the bandits settled immediately," Gessru squeaked.

"See that you do. And as I mentioned, Alan is my merchant. If anyone lays a finger on him, they should consider the Lousouth family their enemy."

"Y-yes! Of course! I understand perfectly!"

That should be enough to keep Alan safe for the time being.

"Good. Give the reward money to Alan."

---

"Thank you... thank you so much. You’ve saved us again."

Once we arrived at the Muller Company headquarters, Alan immediately bowed his head in gratitude.

"Don't worry about it. You're my exclusive merchant now. It's only natural that I protect my interests."

"Even so, you've saved my life twice over."

"Never mind that. Don't forget our deal about the peddling."

"Of course. I’m ready to leave as soon as possible."

"Hold your horses. I don't even know what state the village is in yet. I'll secure the area first, then you can come."

"Understood. When that time comes, I shall move there with my entire family."

I felt a sense of relief. I had managed to secure a reliable trade connection before even setting foot in my new territory.

"Though," Alan added, "considering the current reputation of Alf Village, it might indeed be difficult to bring my family right away."

"Have you been there, Alan?"

"I have. If you’d like, I can tell you what I saw. My information is a few years old, but it should give you a starting point."

Knowledge was power. If I knew what kind of mess I was walking into, I could plan accordingly. I nodded instantly.

"Please."

"Very well. First, take a look at this."

Alan spread a map across the table and began to point.