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Vol 02 Chapter 44: Negotiations II

「Sorry for having you come all this way.」

「Not at all, I couldn’t possibly have you, the patriarch of one of the greatest patrician families of King Rosais’ Country, to go through the trouble on my account.」

Ainz-san smiled warmly as he said that.

After I wrote a letter mentioning that I wished to purchase something and would visit in a week, he took the trouble to come to my territory instead.

「Since it’s late tonight, please stay over. We’ll prepare the best feast we can, modest countryside fare though it may be.」

「Then I’ll graciously accept your offer. We’ll leave the business discussion for tomorrow, then.」

◇

Now, for tonight’s dinner…

First, let’s introduce the members and their seating arrangement.

At the top seat, there’s me, by my side is Tetra, Ainz-san is on my other side.

Normally, a guest would be seated at the top spot… But well, my status as patriarch and lord of the territory doesn’t permit that.

Next in the seating order are Ron, Roswald, Gram, Soyon, and Lulu. There’s no deep meaning behind this order.

I didn’t forget Boros, he has the status to join us at the table, but he is currently stationed at a fort on the border, so I couldn’t invite him this time.

◇

Now, onto the important part, the menu for the meal. First, we have white bread as accompaniment. Probably the most delicious bread in the world right now. Just in case, we’ve prepared salt and honey to add to the bread, but I’m sure everyone will opt for the honey…

Next, the appetizer. First, a salad. Made from vegetables harvested from the Aris territory, mushrooms and wild greens from the mountains, and olives.

Then, a dish of fish caught from the river.

And finally, a platter of boiled snails in salt.

I definitely won’t eat the last item.

Next, the main course. This time, we’ve gone all out and slaughtered a pig. A multitude of dishes making use of a whole pig are on the menu.

Pork dishes, though mostly eaten by the wealthy, are common in this region. It’s said that the breasts and womb of a virgin sow are particularly delicious. I say ‘it’s said’ because I didn’t find them particularly tasty.

Well, this is a matter of preference.

Lastly, for dessert, we have a selection of fruits centered around grapes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get hold of sugar, so I couldn’t make pudding or anything like that. I had hoped to surprise Ainz-san, but it couldn’t be done, a shame…

For drinks, We prepared something special. Distilled spirits.

I feel a bit bad for Ainz-san, but I’ll have him test-taste it. Let’s see how well it’s received…

◇

「Cough, cough. Ah, sorry. This wine is very strong. It looks like grape wine but…」

「It’s called distilled spirits. How do you find it?」

Ainz-san slowly sipped the drink and answered.

「It’s not bad if you are prepared for it. When you know it is this strong beforehand, this burning sensation in your throat can become addictive… However, it seems like I will quickly get drunk if I drink too much, I will have to restrain myself. By the way, can you…」

「I can’t guarantee you a large quantity, but I can sell you a little. Let’s discuss it tomorrow.」

When I said this, Ainz-san bowed his head gratefully.

「By the way, has the dragon damascus sword been useful to you?」

「Well, yes…」

Though I haven’t used it much…

When I go to battle, I use a spear mainly. I think I used the sword only when I was cutting off King Ferme’s head, but some things are better left unsaid.

「By the way, what is the Kirisian Peninsula like? Would you mind telling me about it?」

I changed the topic a bit forcefully. But I really want to know about other lands. Having spent years secluded in the forest, I’m quite out of touch with the situation around here.

「The Kirisian Peninsula, you say… Well, the climate is almost the same as the Adernian Peninsula. There are over a hundred city-states on the Kirisian Peninsula, constantly forming and breaking alliances in their conflicts with each other.」

I see, so it’s almost the same situation as the Adernian Peninsula.

「Well, that’s about right. The difference with the political situation in the Adernian Peninsula, might be that all the city-states are surrounded by stone walls, and if there’s an invasion by external enemies, they cease their internal conflicts and unite to fight off the invader.」

「It’s been a hundred years since the northern part of the Adernian Peninsula was conquered by the Gallians, yet the countries located on the southern part are still engaged in wars between themselves.」

North of the Adernian Peninsula lies a place called Gallia. The Kingdom of Rozel, a Gallian kingdom, has conquered a great part of the Adernian Peninsula.

The northern half has already been taken, and they seem to continue pushing south. The countries of kings Domorgal, Gilbed, and Faldam, being pressured by Rozel Kingdom might, are moving south, threatening the northern part of King Rosais’ Country… in other words, my territory.

It’s a domino effect.

If the southern Adernian countries decided to cooperate, I think they could easily repel the Kingdom of Rozel, but…

Well, that’s not going to happen.

「By the way, Almus-sama, where did you learn Kirisian?」

「From my wife, Tetra. She’s half Kirisian.」

At first, around the time when we met, I was using a blessing, though.

「I see… Your esteemed mother was.」

Tetra nodded at Ainz-san’s words.

「Her name was Helena. She was traveling through this Aris territory when my father caught sight of her and fell in love.」

「Helena-sama, you say…」

Ainz-san murmured ‘Helena, Helena’ as he drank his liquor.

「When I hear about Kirisia, I imagine it as a very advanced and powerful country… Do they really have external enemies?」

They are able to surround all their cities with stone walls. Few countries in the Adernian Peninsula have the technology and resources to achieve that.

With such technological prowess, is there any other country that can endanger them?

「Of course, there are. There are plenty who covet the riches of Kirisia. The notable ones are the Persis Empire and Pofenia.」

「The Persis Empire? Pofenia?」

I haven’t heard of them. Or rather, where are they?

Even Kirisia feels like it’s incredibly far away.

「Pofenia is just a stone’s throw away from the Adernian Peninsula. You know there’s an island a bit south of the Adernian Peninsula called Triskelia, right? Just a bit further south from there is Pofenia.」

Ainz-san continued to drink his distilled spirits.

「Those folks have been engaged in maritime trade in the Tethys Sea for a long time… And they don’t like that we Kirisians are taking it over. They frequently come to meddle in our business. Well, nowadays, our influence in the Tethys Sea is greater than ever, and Pofenia’s is decreasing by the day.」

Ainz-san continued to speak ill of Pofenia as he continued to drink.

He seems to be getting drunk.

「What about the Persis Empire?」

「The Persis Empire, well… it’s a large empire to the east of Kirisia. Those guys are really greedy. They’ve launched expeditions against Kirisia twice. The first time with an army of two hundred thousand, and the second time with an army about three hundred thousand. But those were just numbers. Both times, the Kirisian coalition emerged victorious.」

Two hundred thousand soldiers and three hundred thousand soldiers… The scale is incomparable to that of King Rosais’ Country.

Of course, that many wouldn’t be their entire army. If they can mobilize so many troops, the size of the Persis Empire must be enormous, they must be deploying tens of thousands of troops along other borders as well. Their total military strength should be around four hundred thousand at least.

Even if all the Families of King Rosais’ Country cooperated, they can only muster about five thousand troops. There’s no way we can win against that, even if we try our hardest.

But since these countries are even farther than the Kirisian Peninsula, there’s probably no chance of getting involved with them in the future. That’s reassuring.

「But it’s amazing. How did you manage to defeat an army of three hundred thousand?」

「Ha ha ha, it’s because the god of war is on the side of Kirisia.」

Saying so, Ainz-san cheerfully started to talk about the Kirisia-Persis wars.

He’s completely drunk.

The banquet continued until Ainz-san completely passed out.

◇

「Ugh… my head…」

「Are you okay? Shall I get you some water?」

「Please… ha ha, sorry. I drank too much…」

Ainz-san gave me a wry smile.

「Shall we talk business then? How many distilled spirits can you prepare?」

「We can’t guarantee a large quantity, but we can sell you a small amount.」

First, we discussed the price and quantity of the distilled spirits that we would sell him. With this, we got another method to earn foreign currency.

「So, what would you like to buy?」

「Horses. I would like about three hundred…」

「Three hundred, you say… That is… yes, it’s possible to arrange. However…」

Ainz-san hesitated a bit before continuing.

「For three hundred, it would come to around one thousand two hundred gold coins. Can you prepare such a large sum? You also should consider the maintenance costs of that many horses…」

You could say that one gold coin has a value comparable to one million yen. So, in terms of a Japanese perspective, it’s like making a purchase of about 1.2 billion yen.

Of course, the income of the Aris territory couldn’t possibly cover such an amount. Thankfully, the maintenance shouldn’t be a problem thanks to the clover we plant as part of the four-field system. But even not taking into account their maintenance expenses, we don’t have the money to make such a big purchase. For now.

「Ainz-san, not too long ago, I was merely the head of a very small village. But what about now?」

「…Now, you are one of the top, if not the top, patricians in King Rosais’ Country.」

Exactly. A rise to prominence like mine is rare, even in this world.

「Currently, we are advancing the setup for mass production of paper in the territory. We will be able to produce large quantities of it very soon.」

「…What are you suggesting?」

「Would you consider a loan payment instead of a lump sum?」

When I asked this, Ainz-san crossed his arms and pondered. Then he spoke.

「One hundred and fifty gold coins per year, over twenty-five years. If you are willing to accept these conditions, I will be glad to give you a loan.」

So, it turns into a total of two thousand five hundred fifty gold coins… Essentially double the borrowed amount.

That’s absurd.

But we urgently need the horses. It’s unavoidable.

「Do you have enough for their maintenance?」

「Yes, it shouldn’t be a problem.」

In the first place, we need animals to use the four field system efficiently.

「What will you use them for?」

「For plowing fields, transporting goods, organizing cavalry… various things.」

I’m thinking of adopting a system where the horses are lent out to rural areas. Charging a fee each time they’re used.

It’s a form of taxation, in a way.

Normally, the peasants around the palace will take care of them. In return, they will receive priority when they need to use the horses.

The first offspring of any horse lent out will be returned to the Aris family, and any subsequent offspring can be kept by the borrowers. The foals obtained by the Aris family will be cared for until they reach a certain age, then they will be entrusted to another village.

This way, the plan is to gradually introduce horses, alongside the four fields crop rotation system. The number of horses should multiply many times over in no time.

Naturally, in times of emergency, these horses will be gathered for use as cavalry or for pulling carts.

「By the way, do you need slaves to take care of the horses? I can offer you a good deal right now.」

「No, Lia alone has been enough.」

In fact, Lia’s work has become somewhat redundant. That’s because Soyon has mastered the way to breed horses.

When we receive the horses, I only need to put Soyon in charge of teaching the peasants how to breed them and everything should work perfectly fine. So, I don’t need any more slaves.

Incidentally, I freed Lia when her work was done, and the now free Lia has been taken in by Roswald. She seems to be doing household chores at his place.

It seems the day they have their first child is drawing near.

「But I do want to form a cavalry… So, we do need people who can ride horses. Either mercenaries or combat slaves. I’ll need about fifty people.」

Currently, we have about thirty people who can properly ride a horse. Gathering about twenty people with potential or experience from among Boros’s group should not be a problem.

However, to organize a cavalry of a hundred, we’re short by fifty people. I want to somehow make up for this shortage.

「Hmm, mercenaries would be difficult. I can introduce you, but whether they would come all the way to the Adernian Peninsula is another matter… Combat slaves might be better. Actually, there was a skirmish with one of the Germanis tribes a month ago, and there are some who can ride horses available in the market.」

「Could you arrange for combat slaves, then?」

Combat slaves are easier to manage. They might cost a fair amount, but once purchased, there’s no need to pay wages.

「Understood. For fifty combat slaves, it will be seventy-five gold coins. Would you like to make this a twenty-five-year contract as well?」

「I’ll pay in full for that.」

Splitting seventy-five coins into installments doesn’t quite make sense…

「Then, I shall take my leave.」

Ainz-san said so, bowed, and left the room. As he was leaving, he looked back and added,

「If you ever need weapons, don’t hesitate to contact me.」

He’s always keen on business.