episode_0107

After looking around for a moment, Count Carbone seemed to have no ears to hear, so he immediately opened his mouth.

“Sooner or later, territory wars will break out here and there. In places where it is early, the battle for territory will take place after sowing is over, and in places where it is late, right after the harvest is over.”

“Hmm, I guess that’s what happens in the end.”

“… … What is that reaction? Why are you so upset that there is a Yeongjijeon?”

“I knew it to some extent.”

“No, how?”

Count Carbon looked very surprised when I told him that I knew something about it before I even told him.

“I heard it’s very sacred that the lords are recruiting mercenaries? I heard they’re really busy recruiting mercenaries here and there. Since there will be a territory war, wouldn’t it be a good idea to gather mercenaries?”

“Huh… … . These things are not self-respecting… … . I told you to move secretly so that my sister-in-law’s noble faction would not be alert… … !”

When told that he had inferred the lords from their appearances, Count Carbon clicked his tongue as if he did not like it. Seeing him shaking his head with a tsk sound, I thought he might be looking for some of the lords under his command later.

Of course, it had nothing to do with me. Even if Count Carbone had a higher title than me, I couldn’t do whatever I wanted unless I was a noble under his command. Moreover, in this situation where my importance was gradually increasing, I wasn’t stupid enough to do something that could be detrimental to me.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to tell you is that the royal family has decided to support royalist nobles.”

“Support? So, is it okay if I make the weapons again this time?”

“That’s right. But the method will be a bit unique. When royalist nobles purchase goods cheaper than the regular price, the royal family provides support equal to the difference. That’s because I can’t spend a lot of money to provide support without attracting the attention of the noble faction. It makes no sense to provide unconditional support to royalist nobles.”

When I heard that they would provide some kind of purchase subsidy, I nodded. All I had to do was get my price paid. You could get 70 from A, 30 from B to make up 100, or you could get 100 from either A or B.

“That… … . However, if the royal family openly supports royalist nobles, it is obvious that the nobles will rebel, so it is not possible to reveal support.”

“… … What, are you saying you’re going to give me some kind of kickback?”

It sounded like a hotbed of corruption, but fortunately Count Carbon shook his head.

“Kickback money, doesn’t that sound strange? They plan to use the royal family’s internal money to support it. However, the payment will be made through several steps so that the noble faction cannot easily determine where the money is being used.”

“Well, I don’t mind as long as it’s paid properly.”

“Then, do you ever plan on receiving something else instead of money? If you do that, it’s very easy to handle it so that the noble faction doesn’t find out.”

“Instead of money… … ? Well, it doesn’t mean you’re giving away jewels or anything, right? It’s quite a hassle to deal with it again.”

“That’s not true. You could say it was a kind of three-way transaction. For example, don’t you always buy a lot of coal and charcoal from me? The royal family pays the money and you take care of the goods. In the first place, since I also have a transaction route with the royal family, there is no problem if money flows to me.”

When I heard that it was a three-party transaction, I felt like it was a scam for a moment, but I nodded because I knew Count Carbon was not the kind of person who would scam someone like this. In the first place, since the royal family is involved, it would be impossible to commit fraud. If you commit fraud by mentioning the royal family, you have no choice but to run away, even if you are a count.

Anyway, after talking a little more about the royal family’s plan to provide purchase subsidies, Count Carbon seemed a little more at ease, as if he had done his job.

“But usually, if it was a royal matter, didn’t Prince Digar come on behalf of the royal family? You came here last time on behalf of the royal family.”

“… … It’s not really confidential, but if possible, don’t disclose it to the outside world. Circumstances have been discovered where the aristocratic faction secretly invited a master-level talent to the capital. So Prince Digar is protecting the crown prince. That is why Prince Digar could not come as an agent, and I, who am close to you, came.”

After learning why Levs couldn’t come, I nodded lightly. From the beginning, I had heard that the Duke of Digar was a family that protected the royal family, so there was nothing strange about it. It had been peaceful so far, so I would have wandered around, but since there was an element of danger, it was natural that I had to stick close to the royal family. Especially if the person Levs protects is the person who will become king.

“By the way, I don’t know how your territory changes every time I come. What used to be just a small village has already grown to the size of a city, and there are some skeletal horses pulling carriages along the sturdy roads… … .”

As if he would no longer talk about the royal family, Count Carbon changed the subject. Since I had no particular curiosity about the royal family, I responded positively to him.

“It’s my territory, so I’m going to try to raise it properly. In the past, I was just thinking of growing my own business because it was someone else’s territory, but now I’m trying to grow the territory because it’s mine.”

“Well thought out. The power of nobles can be exerted in the political arena through personal connections, but there is also the power they possess through holding powerful fiefdoms. In particular, you will receive the attention of the nobles of this country even if you do not want it. So, be strong enough not to bow down to others.”

“Then my first goal should be to become stronger than the Count, right?”

“What? Hahaha! Okay, feel free to try that!”

Count Carbon looked at me as if I was dumbfounded by what I said, and then burst into laughter. They say you can try as much as you want. It was almost like an atmosphere of not caring since we were attempting an impossible task.

However, Count Carbon’s reaction was not particularly strange. My territory was a single city, and it had just grown from a village to the size of a city.

Count Carbon was a nobleman with a large estate consistent with his family’s history. Even excluding the city of Carbon, there were several cities and dozens of villages included in the territory. It was not really easy to hold a territory stronger than that of Count Carbon. No, in some ways it could be said to be close to impossible.

But it wasn’t just impossible. In the long run, that is. Although it would be difficult to surpass Count Carbon’s power in a short period of time, it would be possible if enough time was spent. Well, I don’t know what will happen since Count Carbon hasn’t been sitting still in the meantime.

“Well, it may not work right away, but wouldn’t it work out somehow in a few decades?”

“Decades… … . Yes, you’re a warlock and you’re younger than me, so it might be possible. This is really… … . My son is going to have a hard time.”

Perhaps because he was aware that decades had passed since he had retired from the front line, Count Carbon reacted positively. He didn’t seem to care that his son was having a hard time. No, more accurately, it was closer to the feeling that I had to go through some hardships.

Still, he didn’t seem to want his son to suffer, so he started giving me a subtle look. It was as if he was asking, ‘Still, we have a relationship, so you won’t bully my son, right?’

Seeing that he was no different from any other father, I smiled. And, I decided to make a suggestion to Count Carbon, who seemed to be thinking about the future.

“Count. Wouldn’t you like to try something that can have a positive impact on both the Count’s territory and our territory?”

“… … What is that?”

“As I mentioned before, we do logistics transportation on a regular basis. Not just transporting logistics, but transporting people as well.”

“Ah, I remember. But, isn’t that still happening? I remember a skeleton came by himself a few days before I left, offering to deliver goods to your franchise.”

“I’m just doing things that are related to me. It’s about opening it up as a whole. So that each resident of the territory can use it.”

“Hmm… … .”

Count Carbon looked like he was worried about my words. It seemed like he was calculating the benefits he would see if he followed my suggestion. Although Count Carbon was kind to me and took care of various things for me, this did not mean that Count Carbon was a philanthropist.

But the worries were far from over. It seemed like they couldn’t immediately calculate the benefits that could be gained when logistics moved on a regular basis. Since the upper management has taken on that role so far, I also felt that it was difficult to calculate the benefits to themselves and their territory.

If I continued like this, I could have thought about it for a while and then come to the conclusion that we should talk next time like last time, so I opened my mouth right away.

“If regular transportation is established, it will be of great help to the territory. Isn’t the Count’s domain a completely self-sufficient domain? It’s the perfect way to solve that problem.”

“Of course, I tend to get the parts that are lacking in my territory from other territories through the top… … . But, unfortunately, there is only one thing I need from your territory.”

Although I was saying that I didn’t need anything in my territory other than iron products, I didn’t feel particularly bad. That was still true.

But I shook my head.

“The Count’s territory is not the only company that handles the logistics and transportation. I have made the same offer to Viscount Deputy and Baron Farmer, whom I have become friends with thanks to the Count. If we all transport logistics on a regular basis, wouldn’t we be able to easily obtain the items we need from other territories?”

“Hmm… … . But isn’t that a problem that can be easily resolved through the top?”

“That’s right. But, what if there is a difference in time and cost? Don’t you know the speed at which I move?”

Count Carbon nodded as if he understood what I meant. Since he had personally come to where I was, he knew very well how little time it took for me to move.

“Of course, it has its own merits. So why are the costs different? Costs may decrease as the time required to travel decreases, but is that all?”

“Basically essential personnel required for movement… … . For example, since there are no coachmen, labor costs are saved. There is no need to hire many mercenaries for escort purposes. Since the Skeleton Mage accompanies you, all you have to do is destroy the enemies with black magic.”

“I see. The cost itself will be reduced dramatically. If you travel with your skeleton, you will be constantly moving unless you stop to eat or deal with physiological problems, so there will be no lodging expenses… … .”

Count Carbon, who rolled his eyes while folding his fingers one by one, as if calculating the expected cost, smiled as if satisfied. It was clear that they had finished calculating the benefits of obtaining items that were previously needed at a cheaper price.

However, Count Carbon did not immediately give a positive answer.

“But isn’t it just a good thing that such cheaper products are coming in? If what our territory sells for a hundred meds is brought in cheaply from another territory and sold for ninety meds, wouldn’t my territory be losing that much? What do you think about that?”

“Additional taxes should be levied on that. Basically, the purpose of regular transportation is to achieve mutual benefit by easily obtaining essential items in the territory. I am not suggesting that I help other territories while my own territory suffers losses.”

It was Count Carbon who mentioned the shortcomings, which could be said to be the biggest problem, but he nodded slowly after hearing my answer.