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Chapter 112: Sweet Business Method XI
Chapter 112: Sweet Business Method XI
Chapter 112: Sweet Business Method XI
After finishing the errands in Rhome, the upper echelon of Beden Merchant Company moved northward once again.
With all the weapons delivered and now laden with talets and silver coins, their next target was Benessa.
“How much do you make from this job?” Ophelia asked.
Isolda, engrossed in her ledger, replied, “Total sales amount to 6,000 talets. After deductions, the net profit is about 4,000 talets.”
Ophelia commented, “That’s not a small sum. It seems the profit margin is higher since our trading partner is the Holy Knights.”
“Yes,” Isolda agreed, “especially given the unstable situation between the Dragona Empire and the Tarkic Empire. Although the war with Sakiel ended in Hangury’s favor, it only briefly halted the tensions.”
The war between the Sakiel Knights and Hangury had ended with a complete victory for Hangury. At least with that incident, the peace agreement was blown away, and the war almost recurred. The fact that a White Dragon Princess of the Dragona Empire was behind it was known to these two and everyone else who knew, but no one wanted to openly point out the Dragona Empire’s involvement.
It was because there was no reason to cause trouble by blaming the Dragona Empire at a time when Hangury was barely reorganizing its internal affairs.
“But even a peace treaty is just a stopgap. When the preparations of the Dragona Empire and the Tarkic Empire are complete, the war will surely start again in one way or another. It will be on an enormous scale,” Isolda said.
“I guess so. And when that time comes, it will not only involve Hangury but possibly the Holy Empire, Benessa, and maybe even Rhome… In the worst case, even our Schwyz could be in danger,” Ophelia agreed.“If it’s really the worst situation… Actually, Bahamut gave me an order regarding this,” Isolda revealed.
“What is it?” Ophelia asked, her curiosity piqued.
Isolda continued, “I can’t tell you the details yet, but roughly speaking, it’s related to the Emperor of the Holy Empire. You’ve heard of him since you’re working on this floor, right? That the emperor had looked down upon the merchants all along?”
“Yeah, I heard that he despises commerce and values war,” Ophelia replied.
“It’s not just about looking down on him. That guy… while he is still quite capable, he’s really bad at commerce and economy.”
“Is that so?” Ophelia was surprised at Isolda’s blunt criticism of the emperor.
Emperor Carol of the Holy Empire had a reputation for leading countless wars to victory and ruling an enormous territory and the mainland of the Holy Empire with little noise. He was a great monarch who ruled over the entire mid-western part of the continent, except for the Franz kingdom, and was absolutely not an incompetent monarch as he also held the territory of the New Continent.
It was natural that Isolda’s criticism was hard for Ophelia to understand.
Seeing Ophelia’s reaction, Isolda sighed and continued, “Of course, he is an emperor with the ability to acknowledge other things. However, just looking at the commercial war that took place not long ago, you can see how weak he is in terms of economy.”
“Um… well. If you think about it, that’s true,” Ophelia conceded.
The commercial war had once rocked economies across the continent.
The root of it came from the conflict between Bertina, who was aggressively expanding her power, and the Merchant Alliance trying to stop it.
The emperor’s responsibility for not mediating between them was significant. As the lord of an imperious empire, he should have used the proper carrot and stick, or at least prevented it, even if it meant prioritizing his authority.
However, Emperor Carol, who was not interested in this matter, simply ignored the situation while confirming that the tax revenue from merchants had not decreased. As a result, both the empire and the continental economy suffered great losses.
Thanks to Bahamut’s intervention, the situation was eventually put on hold, otherwise, Bertina’s unchecked power would have further deteriorated the already battered empire’s economy. The empire’s current economic stability was due to Bahamut’s virtues, not the emperor’s skill.
“Of course, this only highlights one major issue. To name a few examples, it is said they are digging up a huge amount of gold in the New Continent but are unable to refine it, so they sell it at bargain prices. Every time a war is waged, money is extorted from merchants in the form of loans, accumulating debt in real time. If it’s only about what that person is doing wrong with money, the story might not end until he gets to Benessa,” Isolda said.
Ophelia began to feel that Isolda had accumulated a lot of grievances about the emperor. After expressing her dissatisfaction, Isolda refocused on the main topic.
“By the way, our emperor, who wasn’t interested in commerce, has contacted us this time. And that’s in the form of inviting Bahamut as an honored guest.”
“That means the emperor has finally shown some interest in this area?” Ophelia asked.
“Maybe. Although I’m not sure. At least it’s true that the atmosphere has changed a bit compared to the past. Maybe it’s simply because money is tight,” Isolda speculated with a hint of mockery.
Ophelia nodded quietly, understanding that the situation surrounding her, Bahamut, and the Beden Merchant Company would become more complicated and change as a result.
***
“…?”
She opened her eyes slowly. The first thing she saw was the blue sky.
“Am I… alive?” she asked blankly.
A familiar cry began to ring in her ears.
“Hey… uuu… Uhhhhh…”
“Ah… Nemea…”
“Aaa!!! Mergon!!!”
The next moment, Nemea rushed into her friend’s arms.
Mergon, startled by the sudden physical attack, was unable to respond for a moment. Nemea hugged her friend tightly.
“Everything… it’s good… I’m really… really glad I survived…”
“Ah… Okay… Okay, so let’s talk about this! I’m really going to suffocate!”
Mergon barely managed to calm her friend. However, she still had questions about her current situation, such as how she survived when her life had clearly been on the verge of death.
Seeing Mergon’s confusion, Nemea continued to shed tears.
“Ugh… Really… I could have been in big trouble. If that kid hadn’t bought this as she said… If that hadn’t happened… Mergon, you would be…”
“No way…”
At those words, Mergon’s gaze turned to the scattered items on the floor.
The trade goods she had purchased earlier at the girl’s recommendation. A new mark that had been consecrated. Although weak, it contained divine power that could heal light abrasions.
Nemea, recalling this fact, used all of them to save Mergon. Of course, the divine power in the new items was completely exhausted, rendering them worthless as commodities.
“All my last possessions are so vain…” Mergon said, looking at the items with a bewildered expression.
Though it was fortunate to be alive thanks to them, it was disheartening to see the last of her assets evaporate while she had been starving.
“Haa… but… I was able to live thanks to her? I owe that kid again…”
They had shared knowledge about trade items and even saved their lives because of it. Mergon vowed to repay this debt if the opportunity arose, as did Nemea, who had saved her friend’s life by a narrow margin.
However, there was no time to linger.
“Ah… By the way, what happened to the Beden Merchant Company?” Nemea asked.
“They are already leaving. If we hurry, we might still make it on time…”
“Fortunately we’re out of misfortune, then let’s start right away. As you know, if we don’t spread the news quickly, things will get serious.”
“Yeah, but… are you feeling okay? Even though the wound has healed, it won’t be perfect…”
“I have to be as careful as possible.”
Despite still feeling some pain, there was no time to delay. So they hastily began their pursuit of the Beden Merchant Company.
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