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Frontier Lord Chapter 021: The small talk between the merchant and his escorts

Chapter 021: The small talk between the merchant and his escorts

「Gekko geko geko geko」, I laughed. 「An excellent customer Dias was! What a gull! There’s nothing better than an unsuspecting customer like him!」

Business had gone smoothly at Iruk village. Though I had not technically profited from it, I had nevertheless been able to offload those liabilities — not to mention the premium tribute I got my hands on!

Be it the hand that held the reins or the hips that sat on the driver’s seat, neither seemed to get tired. After all, I was headed west as quickly as possible, trying to leave the grassland and reach the Kingdom of Beastfolk. There I would present the dragon’s tooth and other items to the king, and I was looking forward to seeing what kind of praise I would receive.

That grassland on the edge of the border was infamous for being ruled by incompetent baron after incompetent baron. It was usually a dangerous place to be, yet I saw no reason to be wary of that man named Dias. I could probably have a good audience with the king.

「Is it really okay, Peijin-Do? He’s a madman who slayed a dragon on his own. Will he be a threat to his Majesty… I mean, a threat to all of us?」

The person who had asked this meaningless question was one of my escorts — a member of the bearfolk. He had taken his armour off after our departure from Iruk village. As he spoke, his ears, which were at the top of his head and covered with black fur, were trained on me.

「Gekko geko」, I replied. 「Brawn alone, no matter how much, is not a cause for concern. He’s a softhearted man, a simple one too. The kind that makes a good family member or friend, but not so much a good king, for he has no ambition, desire or capacity to rule. He seems content with owning that miserable village on a desolate grassland, after all.」

「Is that so?」, asked the escort. 「…I do agree that he’s a softhearted one. Being averse to slavery is rare enough for a human already, but for him to get that worked up over a child of another species…」

「I can’t imagine the softhearted Dias waging war against us while raising those young children, so we should be able to live peacefully as his neighbours. You know… he’s one of those who show their true value when they work under someone for the first time. He would be an asset to his Majesty if he was one of us beastfolk!」

「Your species, one of the beastfolk…? If I had to choose, I’d put you under the fishfolk…」

「Aahn?! If the lizardmen are beastfolk, then so are frogmen! Don’t use our habitat as an excuse to discriminate against us!」

What nonsense are you spouting, bearman? Do you want to be whipped like my horse? Hey, you, rabbitman! Dogman, catman too — stop laughing and do your job!

「Are lizardmen beastfolk, though…? Humans, who actually have hair, could be closer to beastfolk than lizardmen…」

I sighed.

「Look at this racist right here! Discriminating between species based on whether they have hair… you’re just like one of those human nobles!」

「Oh? Now that’s going too far, isn’t it?」

「Gekko geko geko… that reminds me. The reason why I don’t see Dias as a threat is because he seems to have no ties to the nobles. He carries himself in a brash manner sans the pleasantries of a noble and is also honest enough not to ask for bribes. Neither did he mention his clan or his name — he and the nobles surely do not see eye to eye. I’d bet that’s why someone like him was shoved to such a grassland.」

Humans all wanted to be part of a clan and enjoy the name that comes with it. Or at least, they should. Given that he was a lord, he most probably had one. So why hadn’t he mentioned it?

「…I see. Both his body and that frightening battleaxe of his reeked of human blood. Might he have hated slavery to the extent of killing pro-slavery nobles, and been exiled as a result?」

「You’ll get a death sentence if you go that far. Possibly. Maybe he did something almost amounting to one? If he’s an enemy of the nobles, though, then he’s like an ally of ours. His presence might cause the number of kidnappers coming to abduct young girls to decrease. In the event that he gets into a feud with the nobles, it could even be good for us to assist him.」

Understanding dawning on his face, the bearman nodded and returned to his job.

I had refrained from mentioning the true reason… which was the mountain to the north of the grassland.

If Dias succeeded in governing his village and wished to expand it, he was likely to head northward as it was fairly near. The mountain standing there was home to a plethora of monsters which could be easily conquered by someone of Dias’s calibre. He would then become king of the mountain.

The mountain was rich in minerals, which meant that Dias, having gotten hold of it, could become a good trading partner in the future. It was even possible for the king to decide to take control of it…

Anyhow, it was a good idea to be friendly with him for now.

I would facilitate the diplomacy between Dias and the king… and while the two were getting to know each other, I could possibly get a taste… just a little taste of the concessions.

But I would keep this wishful thinking to, and only to, myself.

We’re almost there, too — I can just about see the border of the kingdom. With gusto, now! Just a little more!