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125 Wheat Turmoil
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Translator : PolterGlast
Itsukushima-san
brought a white powder. Is this something dangerous?!
"...What is
this?"
"This is
cement."
Ah, cement. Right. Itsukushima-san
wouldn't make something dangerous like that. Hahaha. Besides, it's a grayish
color. It's my fault for thinking it was something bad.
"Cement, huh? It
looks like it could be used in construction."
"This country has
a lot of stone houses, so I thought cement could be useful."
"Yamato wanted to
be an architect, so maybe he can put it to good use. We might as well use it to
build the new lord's mansion."
Actually, I decided to
build a new mansion. The current one is old, so I plan to replace it.
I asked Itsukushima-san
and Yamato to mass-produce cement products. Apparently, Triange has an
abundance of cement materials.
It's good to have
talented friends!
***
Viscount Tigarood came
again. Isn’t this person so free?
I don't think he's a
bad person. But he's just so intense when he's around. Also, while he's staying
at the mansion, I can't serve the fruits and vegetables that Rose grows. The
dinner table feels so lonely. I wish he would go home soon.
Just then, she also
came. A beautiful woman in her late 20s with pink hair—Catherine, the designer
for the Golteo Trading Company. She is a welcome guest. She's not a
rough-looking man, nor is she intense. I had commissioned her to make
undergarments for Anneliese and the others before. This time, I've asked her to
make a dress for Anneliese. A wedding dress for our wedding ceremony.
"I'm so grateful
and honored to be able to work for Viscount Footscythel again!"
We immediately started
designing the dress. The members were Anneliese, Itsukushima-san, the head maid
Merlice, Lilith, Laura, and Anneliese's mother, Marhaleta.
"My, such
beautiful fabrics!"
Marhaleta's eyes
sparkled like a maiden's as she looked at the colorful fabrics.
" I'll be off to work, but could you please get some undergarments for
everyone?"
"Yes. Thank
you."
The undergarments
designed by Catherine are apparently popular in the royal capital, Kerniff, and
other major cities. If I buy a lot of them, it will be a feast for my eyes.
Hehehe.
I left the room filled
with the women's cheerful voices and entered my office. Laura came in as well,
even though she didn't have to. She's here to work as a civil official, but she
should take a break sometimes.
"The price of
wheat has been rising recently. There have been no crop failures in the
surrounding areas, and we don't know the reason for the price increase."
Triange doesn't
produce a lot of wheat. We get most of our wheat from outside the territory.
Banarji submitted a report and explained the recent price fluctuations of
wheat. The price of wheat has doubled in the past month. Up until now, even
with slight fluctuations, it had never risen this much in a single month. And
we don't know the reason. Even I think this is abnormal.
"I investigated
the wheat price increase, but there have been no events that would cause a
price increase, such as crop failure forecasts, disasters, or wars.
Furthermore, the price hasn't increased in places like Zawalifi. The price
increase is only happening at the stores that handle wheat in Triange."
"The price hasn't
increased anywhere else, huh? That means someone is intentionally raising the
price of wheat in Triange. Do you two suspect that Triange's grain stores are
suspicious?"
Banarji and Laura, my
top civil officials, shook their heads. No? Wait, did Laura already know about
this? Ah, she knew Banarji was going to report this. Is that why she came?
"The nearby wheat
production area and wheat market are in Count Parton's territory."
Count Parton is
controlling the wheat in this area. Or rather, Banarji and the others suspect
he's raising the price of wheat.
"The report from
the royal capital says that Ringer's sentence has been decided as a public
execution."
So the Princess
decided to execute him instead of making him a slave.
"I've also heard
that the Parton family was fined... "
I know what comes
next. He lost face and held a grudge against me, right?
"So he's trying
to get back the fine and the loss of face from my territory. Is that it?"
"That's highly
likely."
I need to investigate this.
It's a troublesome matter if Banarji's speculation is correct, so I can't
ignore it.
But it's a petty move
to try to recoup the fine he has to pay the Royal Family from my territory. If
that's true, I'll have to respond appropriately.
"Let's gather
evidence that Count Parton is raising the price of wheat. Before that, should
we change where we buy our wheat from?"
"Even so, all the
stores that handle wheat have raised their prices."
"What about the Golteo
Trading Company?"
"It seems they
handle it at the store in Zawalifi, but not here."
So they're being
considerate of the local stores.
"Where is the
cheapest place to buy wheat?"
"The Kerniff area
is the most famous for wheat production."
"The Gardland
ducal territory is vast. A lot of wheat is produced there, and it's all
gathered in Kerniff."
Huh, I didn't know the
area around Kerniff was a major wheat production area.
"That's perfect.
Let's buy a large amount of wheat in Kerniff and bring it here. I'll ask the Golteo
Trading Company for their cooperation."
"I will send a
messenger to the Golteo Trading Company immediately."
Golteo-san came
shortly after.
"I'm sorry to
bother you when you're so busy."
"Not at all. I
also had something I wanted to report to you, so it's perfect."
A report for me? What
is it?
"Well, you go
first, then."
"Then I will
report first. The price of wheat in Triange has been rising recently. I would
like to report on what I've found."
So Golteo-san was also
investigating the wheat price increase. As expected of a merchant, he's faster
than us.
"We were also
thinking of asking the Golteo Trading Company for help with the wheat
situation, which is why we asked you to come."
"As expected of
His Excellency Viscount Footscythel. A normal noble would have ignored this
level of price increase."
I think the price of a
staple food doubling is a serious matter. What kind of noble would ignore that?
Do they have any motivation at all?
"I've found that
Count Parton is putting pressure on the stores that handle wheat in
Triange."
I knew it. It's so
predictable that it's not even surprising.
"As expected of Golteo-san.
We were just thinking about what kind of countermeasures to take."
"Have you decided
on a countermeasure?"
"Yes. It's a very
simple countermeasure: we'll import wheat from other lands."
"However,
considering the transportation costs, importing from a distant land doesn't
seem like an effective countermeasure..."
"Yes. That's why
I need your cooperation, Golteo-san."
"If there's
anything I can do, please don't hesitate to tell me."
"I just need you
to instruct your Kerniff branch to gather as much wheat as possible. My people
will transport the wheat from Kerniff to Triange. You can sell it at the Golteo
Trading Company."
"If the
Footscythel viscount family handles the transportation, we can sell it at a
lower price than other stores. Very well. I will instruct the Kerniff branch
immediately. How about 1,000 tons to start? We can arrange that much right
away, and considering the population of Triange, it's enough to last for about
three months."
To know the wheat
consumption of Triange like that, he's truly a great merchant. It's good to
have a connection with Golteo-san!
"That's
fine."
We can travel from Kerniff
to Triange in an instant, so the transportation cost is negligible. 1,000 tons
of wheat is a manageable amount if we mobilize our transporters.
"If you don't
mind, may I ask how you're going to transport it?"
"Hmm... I can
tell you if you're willing to sign a magical contract to prevent information
leaks."
I trust Golteo-san,
but this is a different matter. I can't tell him without any precautions, no
matter how much I trust him. It's very possible that a powerful person would
capture Golteo-san to extract the information.
"Yes. No problem.
I'll prepare a magical contract."
An immediate answer.
You can't become a great merchant without decisiveness, I guess.
We immediately signed
a magical contract to prevent information leaks. Now, Golteo-san and I share a
secret.
"Please follow
me."
"Yes."
I led Golteo-san into
the room where the Teleportation Gate was installed. The two guards were
standing to the left and right of the door in the hallway, and the room was
dark with no windows. Golteo-san looked nervous, as he probably didn't expect
to be taken to such a small, dark room.
The Teleportation Gate
just looks like a normal door. I opened it and stepped through. The room on the
other side was also dark. When I came out of that room, the guards instantly
went on high alert.
" "Your
Excellency?! Our apologies." "
"It's fine. Good
work."
I spoke to the guards
and walked down the hallway.
"What?!"
Golteo-san, who looked
out the window on the way, let out a gasp.
"T-This is...
Could it be..."
"This is my
mansion in Kerniff."
"I knew it... At
my age, I'm rarely surprised, but today is one of the three most surprising
days of my life."
He doesn't look that
surprised, but I'll pretend he is.
"We will mobilize
all our transporters. 1,000 tons is an amount they can handle without any
problems."
"This is just a
guess, but can you also travel instantly to the royal capital?"
"Hahaha. As
expected of Golteo-san. Yes, the royal capital, Kerniff, and Triange. I can
travel instantly between my mansions in these three locations."
"Unbelievable...
phew. That's information worth signing a magical contract for. I am truly in
awe."
And so, he immediately
instructed his Kerniff branch to gather 1,000 tons of wheat.
"Count Parton
will probably put pressure on your branch in Zawalifi. In the future, would it
be possible for us to regularly use this Teleportation Gate?"
"I wouldn't say
that the Golteo Trading Company and I are in a shared fate, but since my
actions will make Count Parton hold a grudge against you, I'll do what I
can."
"Thank you."
The wheat was
immediately brought to Triange, and the Golteo Trading Company sold it at half
the price of the other stores.
The residents, who
were dissatisfied with the high price of wheat, were relieved by the Golteo
Trading Company. The stores that were selling wheat at a high price could no
longer sell at that price. But they can't lower the price because of Count
Parton's orders. They must be in a bind.
Well, I've received
evidence of Count Parton's hostile actions from Golteo-san, so I guess I'll go
see the Princess.
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