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Chapter 31: Brandy Smells Like Conspiracy

—Late November.

The morning air had begun to sting with cold.

You could feel autumn deepening with each passing day.

In my home village of the Blumunt tribe, winter preparations were in full swing.

The strong split firewood and stacked it under the eaves.

Children helped by gathering dry branches from nearby safe forests.

Thanks to all the Bloody Bear pelts we had this year, everyone was smiling, saying it would be a warm winter.

I was busy chopping firewood too, but thanks to our iron axes, the work went quickly.

We’d put territorial expansion on hold during the winter preparations.

The liquor fruit had already been harvested from the Bran Trees—once I had time again, I planned to expand further.

「Oooi! Gaia! You’ve got a visitor!」

Uncle Athos called out to me in a booming voice.

Wiping sweat from my brow, I headed over to him.

「A visitor? Who is it?」

「It’s Karanos. You know, the merchant we dealt with during the war with the Kingdom of Argeas.」

「Ah!」

Karanos… In truth, he’s a soldier of Argeas, posing as a merchant.

A spy, no doubt.

But to me, he’s a valuable trading partner.

He helped us out even in the Imperial Capital of Vaffancrow.

Uncle Athos and I headed to the village gate.

There, we found Karanos and five porters. They were unloading goods from their packs.

「Gaia-sama! It’s been too long!」

「Likewise, Karanos! Welcome to the main village of the Blumunt tribe!」

Karanos had come to trade foodstuffs that could be preserved—like dried grapes and pickled goods.

「I figured you’d need them for winter prep. I also brought onions in olive oil and pickled turnips.」

As expected of Argeas’s intelligence officer—he’s thoughtful.

Food gets scarce in winter. Preserved goods were very welcome.

Jessica, my Elf lover, would be thrilled with the dried grapes.

「Much appreciated! We’ll buy everything!」

「Then let’s get to business right away!」

The three of us—myself, Uncle Athos, and Karanos—moved the discussion to my house.

Uncle Athos haggled as hard as ever, but Karanos wouldn’t budge much either—he’d lugged his wares all the way to our remote village, after all.

I leaned over and whispered to Uncle Athos.

「Let him win this one, Uncle.」

「Hm? You sure, Gaia?」

「Yes. I’ve got an idea. There’s something I want to ask Karanos.」

「I see. Very well then.」

And so, we settled close to Karanos’s asking price.

Now then…

I switched gears and broached a new topic.

「Karanos, I have a favor to ask. But first… what do you think of our Blumunt village?」

Instead of going straight to the point, I took a roundabout approach.

Karanos raised one brow, closed his eyes, thought for a moment, then replied.

「Well… It’s a quaint and charming land, I suppose…」

「Haha… no need to sugarcoat it. It’s poor, right?」

「Well, that is…」

Karanos gave a wry smile at my bluntness.

「No need to be polite. The village is poor. That’s why we’ve taken up mercenary work. The only thing we have to export is manpower. I’m selling off the lives of my kin.」

「As the chieftain, that must be hard to bear…」

「It is. That’s why I’m planning to start a new industry. And I’d like your help.」

「Oh? I’m listening.」

Karanos seemed intrigued.

I led him to a storage room at the back of my house.

「Take a look at this.」

「…! Is that… rock salt!?」

Karanos was astonished at the barrels packed with rock salt.

I drew the knife at my waist, spun it in my hand, and offered the grip to Karanos.

「Check the quality for me.」

「Then, if I may…」

Karanos took the knife.

At the same time, Uncle Athos casually moved to stand behind Karanos.

A subtle motion—but one meant to ensure we never let our guard down, no matter who we were dealing with.

Karanos scraped off a bit of rock salt and tasted it.

「Oh! This is fine salt indeed—mellow, with a rich umami flavor!」

「I’d like to export it. Will you handle it?」

「Then let my firm act as your official merchant. The Vaffancrow Empire has no rock salt. They’re always short on salt—it’ll sell for sure.」

「Also… I want you to conceal the source.」

「…What?」

Karanos tilted his head at the request.

So I explained—starting from the Empire–Barbar relationship, to make it clear even for a foreigner like him.

The Barbar tribes’ lands are barren—there’s nothing the Empire values.

That’s why they don’t rule us directly.

But if they knew rock salt could be mined here, they might invade.

「I see… So there’s a real risk the Empire might attack.」

「If that happens, we Barbars would be massacred. Best-case scenario—we’re enslaved. I refuse to let that happen.」

「Hmm… So that’s why you want to hide the source of the salt?」

「Yes. Can I count on you?」

Karanos stroked his chin beard in thought.

Uncle Athos and I waited silently for his answer.

It shouldn’t be a bad deal.

The salt would sell—and with his new capital branch, Karanos had a market.

And politically, it benefited Argeas too.

The Barbars threaten the Empire’s western flank. From Argeas’s point of view, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

If we Barbars gained strength, Argeas would benefit.

To a soldier like Karanos, not just a merchant, this was a good deal.

And for us Barbars, hiding the salt’s origin might help prevent an invasion.

Besides, Imperial merchants refuse to treat us as equals—they’d just cheat us.

Through Karanos, we could sell at a fair price.

This deal was Win–Win for both Argeas and the Barbars.

「Very well! Let’s say the salt is being imported from the Kingdom of Argeas.」

「Good! I’m counting on you! Oh, and one more thing…」

「Oh? Another deal?」

「It’s a deal—but also a conspiracy.」

「Oh my, oh my.」

Karanos didn’t lose his smile, even at the word conspiracy.

That meant it was safe to proceed.

「Try this liquor.」

I opened a barrel containing liquor made from Bran Tree fruit.

The scent of alcohol filled the storehouse.

I ladled it into a wooden cup and handed it to Karanos.

He inhaled deeply, savoring the aroma, then took a sip.

His eyes widened in shock.

「My! This is…!」

「It’s called brandy.」

「I’ve never tasted such exquisite liquor! It’s mellow and sweet, yet strong, with a rich bouquet—absolutely delightful!」

Karanos seemed very impressed.

Now—how to use this brandy?

I didn’t intend to sell it just as a beverage.

「I want you to introduce this brandy to the Imperial court.」

「To the… court?」

「Yes. This is a secret Barbar specialty—supplies are limited. I want it sold exclusively to the court.」

「Hmmm… So the court is your target?」

「That’s right. Can I count on you?」

Would he get my intent?

Karanos looked me straight in the eye.

I met his gaze without flinching.

「…Very well. I’ll bring the brandy to the court—and of course, I’ll lie about where it came from.」

「Good. I’m counting on you.」

Karanos and his men stayed the night, then left early the next morning.

The five porters carried barrels of rock salt and brandy.

Uncle Athos and I saw them off at the village gate.

He’d said nothing during the talks, but once Karanos disappeared from view, he finally asked:

「Gaia… why sell the brandy to the Imperial court? You think it’ll fetch a high price?」

I slowly turned to Uncle Athos and lowered my voice so the villagers wouldn’t hear.

「Uncle… We’re not selling liquor. We’re selling poison.」

「What!? Poison!?」

Uncle Athos recoiled in shock.

I grinned and explained my plan.

「Remember what we heard in the capital? That the Emperor’s drinking more lately?」

「I do.」

「So imagine this: a ruler already dependent on drink discovers a brand-new, delicious liquor…」

「He’ll drink it. Brandy’s irresistible. Nothing like it.」

「And then, the liquor will ravage his body, and eventually—」

「He’ll die.」

「Even if not, if his health fails or his judgment weakens, that’s enough for us.」

「I see… So, poison…」

Alcohol in moderation is medicine. In excess, it’s poison.

It leads to liver disease, diabetes, all sorts of things.

I told Uncle Athos quietly:

「Charging headlong into battle isn’t the only strategy. It takes time—but if we can weaken the Empire…」

「Gaia… you…」

「If we’re lucky, the Emperor dies—and the heir is that useless Crown Prince Muno. The Empire will descend into chaos. That’s when the Barbars rise.」

「…You’re right. Yes… You’re right.」

Uncle Athos shivered at the scheme—so unlike typical Barbar ways.

I lifted the corner of my mouth into a sly smile.