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Volume 4 Chapter 11-3: Secret Meeting

My wariness towards Jii continued to grow. What is this? How is that clueless woman so adept at figuring me out?

「Jii, I understand that he’s suspicious enough. Still, I want him. I’ll use him for Erin’s sake, even if it means taking risks. I won’t let Erin, whom I’ve raised, be stolen by my foolish siblings. That’s why I took the risk of coming here.」

「Ojou-sama, your intentions are marvelous. However, please keep in mind that you shouldn’t overestimate me. Ojou-sama, in the deep of your mind you believe that you don’t need to worry about coming to Erucy because I’m here. You believe that we can win in case of war because I’m here. That’s why you took such a strong stance in the negotiation today. But that’s a mistake.」

「Don’t tell me that even you can’t win against him!」

「I have ten times his magic power, thirty times his instantaneous release amount, and there’s no way I should lose in a normal fight. But still, I have a feeling that something might happen. It’s possible to escape with Ojou-sama, but I can’t promise I’ll win if we fight.」

At that moment, Azul takes a deep breath. It seems she had a lot of faith in Jii in terms of combat. Based on the conversation so far, she should have something comparable to a Hero’s power.

「I’ll remember those words.」

「So, what will you do? Will you settle for just iron?」

「I’ll try to gain a little more. For tariffs, I’ll try to change them every five years or so. That’s probably their bottom line. But it might be best to give up on forcibly recruiting Cyril-san.」

That’s a reasonable judgment. In the case of maple syrup, it doesn’t directly compete with existing commerce, but there’s no guarantee it won’t in the future. Even if Erin starts making iron, there could be a situation where even better-quality iron is imported in large quantities from Erucy.

「I recommend trying to avoid a war at all costs. They probably don’t want a fight either, so they might compromise. Fortunately, Erin has a lot of things that Erucy would appreciate, and if you offer more, it should work.」

「Jii, you’re unusually sharp today.」

「Well, I’m desperate here. I’d rather not fight someone who might be able to kill me. Depending on the situation, I might even defect to Erucy’s side to avoid a showdown with Cyril-san.」

「It’s just like you to say that in front of your employer.」

「I don’t think it will come to that. But if it does, it will be when I’ve completely lost faith in you, even if it comes to it, I’ll do my best so you don’t die.」

「I see, then I won’t do something like killing the children at the orphanage you run even if you betray me.」

「Wow, a hostage declaration!? My cute little sisters are being used as a shield!?」

「You’re the one who started the fight, remember?」

They say harsh things, but their voices are filled with laughter. It seems neither of them is entirely serious.

「Ojou-sama, you’re terrible. It was just a little joke.」

「Hey, why did you come to me? Even bringing shackles in the form of orphaned children.」

「Well, it was just a whim. I’ve lived a life where I could just beat up and steal what I wanted, and I’ve killed anyone who opposed me. Then one day, everyone around me disappeared, and to ease my loneliness, I randomly picked up an orphan. It felt wrong to raise a child that way, but I couldn’t think of any other way to live, so when I was looking for a job where I would be appreciated for beating people, I found you. That’s all.」

「For such a reason?」

「Don’t people usually ask about that before hiring someone?」

「At that time, any reason would have been fine, and I had no choice but to jump at the opportunity. My life was hanging by a thread.」

「I hope you’ll be grateful to me and stop cutting my pay.」

「That’s a separate issue. I’ll use the money I cut to send toys or sweets to the orphanage.」

「Noo!! Those kids will be spoiled!!」

「Since you’re spending recklessly, it’s okay once in a while. And tomorrow, put some effort into it. Depending on your attitude tomorrow, I might shorten the pay cut period.」

「Understood, Boss.」

After some more casual conversation, Azul left the room. Then, with a snap, Jii clapped his hands.

「Well, Cyril-san, you were listening to our conversation, weren’t you? Just to be clear, Ojou-sama has no intention of resorting to violence, so please rest assured. I’ll subtly stop her. So please don’t use direct methods too much. If you intend to target Ojou-sama, then we might also target someone other than Cyril-san. You wouldn’t want something unfortunate to happen to your beloved brides and sister, would you? So, let’s both interact peacefully.」

Wait, did she notice my presence?

「Heh heh heh, did you think I didn’t notice? I’ve been sensing Cyril-san’s scent mixed in with the wind mana since earlier. I was wondering how you realized I was following you in Erin. Then I realized there was no other option besides magic, so I’ve been focusing on mana ever since I entered this room.」

She did that twin tails charade even knowing I was watching!?

「I don’t want you to see my sleeping face, it puts a maiden’s pure heart in danger. So please spare me. Have a good night. You can peek at Ojou-sama if you want.」

I release the wind mana around Jii.

I continued to monitor Azul. In the worst case, they might have a secret conversation after the surveillance is lifted.

The next day, as planned, the trade took place.

The cargo of two wagons was spread out all at once in Erucy’s largest square.

The items to be purchased were predetermined, and the payment for the goods had already been made in advance.

All that was left was to receive the goods in the order announced yesterday.

All work was suspended, and almost all adult elves and fire foxes were gathered with shining eyes.

Each person had a budget of one gold coin (60,000 yen), so they could indulge themselves quite a bit.

The highlights were undoubtedly the beautiful fabrics that couldn’t be made in Erucy, distilled alcohol, various seasonings, and beef. Accessories made with urban sensibilities were also popular.

I bought a large quantity of herbs. I was running low on thyme and sage, so this was a great help.

「How about this? This is the power of Erin. All of these are things that Erucy can’t produce.」

Azul said with pride.

「I agree. It was the best event for Erucy, which has few forms of entertainment. Thank you very much.」

I truly thought so. The best part this time was that they could choose everything for themselves. Until now, when shopping, we could only buy necessary items, but this time, everyone was able to get what they liked.

「Well, don’t forget this favor.」

「It’s a problem if you think that we are receiving your favor unilaterally. We’re selling you maple syrup, and the ice cream recipe I taught you should turn into money as soon as you start shelling it.」

「Oh, you never shut up. That’s why I wanted you.」

「Have you reached a conclusion?」

「Yes, I have. We’ll leave tomorrow. Before that, let’s start the final negotiation.」

Azul said that with a relieved expression.