Chapter 308
(Kyle Calendar Year 514: Age 21)
The Outcome of the Bidding
Translator : PolterGlast
The day after the prisoner exchange signing ceremony, Duke Klein
departed the former Southern Gate Fortress, taking the reluctant Her
Highness with him. I personally think that decision was extremely correct.
If they stayed at the barrier gate of the old border like
that, both the Old Raccoon and I fully knew she might well say she would
observe the former Empire territory together with us advancing into the new
territory.
"Yuka, please... take care of guarding
(babysitting) Her Highness to the Royal Capital."
"Yes, though with Her Highness, it seems we might be
the ones being guarded."
"Well, from here to the Royal Capital it's straight
along the main highway, and I've already sent a herald to Count Cornell
in Burg, so it shouldn't be that much of a problem..."
"Ehh! That way? And I was looking forward to dropping
by Teigoon or Ishtar since I had the chance."
See, just as I thought. She didn't really mean Teigoon or Ishtar. She was probably planning to use Aegis
or the barrier gate of the Demon Territory previously guarded by Count Gorman
(at the time) as a base, and bring up monster subjugation anyway.
"Absolutely! N-O-T-A-L-L-O-W-E-D! First, entering the Demon
Territory while I am absent is out of the question. I absolutely will not
permit it. Second, if something were to happen to Her Highness, I would have no
excuse not only to His Majesty but also to His Majesty Krieger. Third,
if Her Highness moves, many people get involved. I have a duty to prevent
unnecessary confusion."
"Somehow... haven't you become even stricter with me
since becoming Archduke?"
"Yes, I'm just a timid man who got promoted to an unexpected
position and is getting carried away. Please laugh at this narrow-minded guy.
Incidentally, this is not the Kingdom. Therefore, the Archduke's orders take
precedence."
"Guuh..."
I puffed out my chest and declared it flatly, forcing Her
Highness to depart. Then, since one anxiety factor was resolved, I switched my
mind to dealing with another task next.
"Bart, how was the result of the morning
bidding?"
"About that... how should I say it..."
Hmm? Did the carrot and stick from that time not work?
Seeing Bart's state, I became a little anxious.
"No, the procurement seems to be safely completed. The
request list was entirely filled. Moreover, within the range of the assumed
prices. However..."
"What happened?"
"Regarding the contents of the bids, there was
splendidly no overlap among the merchants. Except for some petty merchants...
It's as if everyone colluded and placed bids with perfectly neat
allocations."
I see. Even a worm will turn. So that's how it is... They
can't just take it lying down; they want to show their robust commercial
spirit. Their feelings must be something like that.
"This is probably their expression of intent. Saying
they will respond sincerely this time, but if it comes down
to it, they can unite and bare their fangs. Well, we don't need to mind
it."
"Also, um..."
There's more?
"Regarding construction materials and laborers, only
these three trading companies have placed bids, but..."
Looking at the list he showed me as he said that, I nearly
spat out the tea I was drinking.
Laborer Arrangement: Durouza Trading Company
Construction Materials: Kampurna Trading Company
Timber-related: Astral Trading Company
"..."
It's blatant! Moreover, there's not a shred of naming sense.
"They came to secure what needs to be secured; that's
what it means."
"Yes, there were no other bidders, and the bid amounts
of these three companies were extremely reasonable. Moreover, each presented
proposals advantageous to us."
"Like what?"
"The Durouza Trading Company says... They can
arrange 5,000 sturdy men capable of somewhat heavy labor, 500 various
craftsmen, and 500 women who can work taking care of meals and such for the
laborers."
"I see... former Sura Principality soldiers, and the 'self-proclaimed immigrant families' Lord
Sieghart mentioned..."
"They have presented content hard to understand as an
additional proposal."
‘There is a high possibility that miscreants desiring
discord between the two countries will slip in among the laborers and conduct
intelligence gathering or unfair instigation. We will willingly cooperate in
weeding out and accusing such individuals.’
"Haa... sorry, continue."
"Besides that, the Kampurna Trading Company and Astral
Trading Company have apparently secured the production areas for stone
materials and timber respectively within the Empire."
"There's an additional proposal here as well?"
‘We have secured the production areas and materials, but for
transport, we need to pass through several noble territories, and there is a
possibility we will be demanded enormous transit taxes there. Therefore, if you
accept a certain condition, it is possible to discount the currently presented
price by 20%.’
"That is what they say."
"The condition?"
"According to them... ‘If the Archduke has special
means of transport (Time-Space Mages), the schemes of those trying to
profiteer from the Dukedom will be crushed, bringing profit to both sides.’
They say."
"Hahahahaha."
I could only laugh. They thoroughly anticipated our moves in
advance, and took measures in multiple stages; is that what it is?
As the first stage, securing the strategic materials within
the Empire first. As the second stage, calculating to rip us off with a
merchant alliance. As the third stage, even if they can't rip us off, having
proposals in the background that force us to partner with them...
"With this, his (Sieghart's) opposing factions
cannot suck the sweet nectar, and moreover, they will be at a disadvantage in
the information war, making them unable to disrupt us... is that it. On the
other hand, they will encroach further into our pockets."
"Yes, I fear that as well. Between the blatant trading
company names and the content of the proposals, their ulterior motives are
nothing but eerie."
Is this the ‘proper sincerity for a long-lasting
relationship’ Sieghart mentioned that time? Or...
"First, I intend to ride on their expectations. They
are an opponent we can never let our guard down against, but...
As long as we are not idiots
As long as we desire peace
As long as we hold military power
And...
As long as we enrich the new territory, I don't think they will turn their
backs on us. It's just my intuition, though..."
"Understood. With this, I think we have a clear path
for the reclamation of Izumo, the construction of Kusanagi, and
the construction of the surrounding defense network."
"So these three companies will monopolize the first
reward with this, huh..."
"It seems so... We likely won't see any better
proposals than these."
"For the transport,
we will assign the Time-Space Mages whose dispatch we requested from the
Royal Capital this time. Bart and Kaul might also have to
accompany them sometimes, but please don't show your power in front of
them."
Now, what to do... Are there any other omissions?
"Bart, in addition to that, I want you to
intentionally use regular transport for one-third of the volume that can be
carried at once. I don't mind if it incurs costs. Rather, I want to see the
reactions of the nobles within the Empire. There's another concern as well. Tell
all Mages to consider when to use their powers and hold back, and that I
want them to exercise caution in using it."
For my part, instead of fully playing into their
expectations, I resorted to a means of utilizing them while concealing a
portion of our capabilities.
And, my inner concern... Not just Time-Space Mages.
That we should refrain from responses that allow the Empire to gauge the power
of our Mages, if not all of them.
Takuhir's concern
seemed to have hit the mark, yet was actually off the mark. It was a matter of
course that he knew nothing of the product born from coincidence woven by the
history spinning the past and future.
Originally, the existence of Mages was extremely rare
in the Empire, and those born by chance were very scarce and precious. Of
course, they had no way of knowing the secrets continuously passed down in the Kyle
Kingdom from the first King Kyle.
However, the Kampfer house alone was special. That
was something destined since the era of Sieg Kampfer about 500 years
ago, who is also called the restorer of the Kampfer house.
He...
- Cooperated
with the first King Kyle and lent power during the Kingdom's founding period.
- In
return, was sent a massive amount of Magic Stones, highly valuable even
then, to serve as catalysts.
- Descendants
of the demonic
people; in a world where the Demon
Territory still spread at the time, he was the sole existence actively
protecting the non-human people.
- Even
after Sieg, the policy of protecting non-human people and
making them citizens was passed down through generations.
- The
secrets concealed by Sieg and the Magic Stones were passed down
through generations in the Kampfer house.
As a result, at the time, a massive amount of non-human
people flowed into the Kampfer territory, and the lineage of the demonic
people was passed down even within Empire territory. Furthermore, the thickness
of that blood was incomparable to other territories, to the point of rivaling
the current Kyle Kingdom.
And 500 years later, an eccentric head of the family was
born, who took an interest in the secret traditions left by his ancestors,
avidly read numerous books related to them, and had an interest in the Demon
Territory.
However, even that birth was due to Takuhir's history
alteration.
- Due
to the alteration of history, Sieghart went out into the world and
came to obtain unprecedented authority.
- A
church that once flowed out from the Kyle Kingdom due to royal
marriages was in the former Roland Dukedom.
- Along
with the decline of the First Prince's camp, Sieghart seized the
internal affairs of the entire region where that church was located.
- To
escape punishment for rebellion within the Kingdom, the ringleader clan
holding seats in the church fled to the Empire.
The destination they fled to was, of course, the northern
frontier region governed by Sieghart. And they sold the knowledge they
knew to Sieghart as the price for living in the Empire.
All these coincidences gathered under the man named Sieghart,
who had an extraordinary interest in the Demon Territory and Mages,
and he came to know a part of the contents the Kyle Kingdom side had
continued to conceal.
Sieghart rejoiced,
immersed himself in research that could be called his hobby, and repeated trial
and error.
Not limited to the Kampfer territory, among the non-human
people, there were also those who had passed down Magic Stones indicating the
attributes of their ancestral demonic people as family heirlooms for
generations. Based on those clues and vague legends, as a result of conducting
aptitude confirmation ceremonies at an old church under his management with the
momentum of 'try enough times and you'll hit something', he had secretly
revived several Mages.
Among them, of course, was the Time-Space Mage who
outwitted the First Prince's camp in the previous great war.
However, the Magic Stones serving as catalysts he held were
not infinite either. What was derived from that was the revival of the Demon
Territory within the Empire.
History sometimes serves as a matrix where the connection of small results produces unexpected situations. Even on the Empire side, they had already begun walking a completely new path, vastly different from the previous history.
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