Chapter 25: A Round Belly’s Tango
“Lord Guilmert, if you pay me, I’ll cure your ailments as many times as you need. But you know, fundamentally, it’s best not to get sick in the first place. You’ve gained weight again…”
“B-but, that caramel confection you taught me about…”
I ushered Viscount Gilmett, who was starting to make excuses, and his escorting swordsman inside my house for the time being.
I sent Maximilian home.
“So? What is it today? Just a check-up and a refill of your medicine?”
“W-well, that’s…”
Viscount Gilmett wore a greedy expression.
Ah, I see, sweets, huh?
“…Well, I can offer you some simple sweets.”
“Really?!”
“But, I’m going to have to insist you exercise seriously. I need you to get healthy enough that you don’t have to come see a doctor every year…”
“No, that would be a problem in its own way! In the Mercantilist Faction of Count Missgancia, the key is how closely we can connect with you…!”
Huh?
That sounds like a pain.
Well, I understand, though.
My medical skills are one of the huge vested interests that Count Missgancia possesses. It’s obvious to anyone that health and longevity are what those in power desire most, right?
I’ve treated nobles introduced by Count Missgancia, no matter who they were… so the idea of making a direct connection with me? Well, it’s something everyone would consider.
But if things get too troublesome on the surface, I’ll just run away.
Ah, I see.
Count Missgancia is probably handling that aspect skillfully.
As expected of that old man.
Lord Guilmert, the useless old man before me, is a legal aristocrat with no real authority (though he apparently has money and a mansion because he’s highly paid), and his personality is like this, so Count Missgancia probably didn’t block him.
The Mercantilist Faction nobles, like Count Missgancia, are mostly self-made men and are relatively tolerant of commoners.
If it were the Royalist Faction around the Royal Capital, the militarist faction on the southern front lines, or the Aristocrat Faction in the east, their attendants would probably draw their swords the moment you said something like that.
But those guys aren’t coming…
Is it all thanks to Count Missgancia’s consideration?
In that case, I’m being used by Count Missgancia in return, so it’s even, I guess.
“…That’s why, just meeting you raises my standing! This way, I won’t be ridiculed by Lord Moritz or Lord Rezendruld…!”
While ignoring Lord Guilmert’s rambling, I opened the refrigerator…
Hmm, a diet menu…
Let’s go with pancakes made with yogurt, topped with bananas and lightly sweetened whipped cream.
“The reason you’re being ridiculed is probably because you’re a noble who’s bad at riding and swordsmanship, right? You need to lose weight first, don’t you think?”
“Even so, you see… The work of a senior magistrate is busy, so the only thing I can be particular about is meals, you see? Unlike nobles with territories, I don’t have income from a domain, so I have to work like a commoner.”
“Don’t nobles get a pension?”
“That pension is only enough to maintain the bare minimum of appearances as a noble, you know? If you go to social gatherings and keep up with the socializing, it runs out quickly.”
Hmm…
“You don’t have stocks yet, do you? Then, why don’t you buy securities or something?”
“Securities…? Do you mean bonds? Those are what city-states issue to raise war funds, aren’t they?”
“You could buy bonds from domestic businesses to fund their operations, couldn’t you?”
“Hmm… well… as a magistrate, I don’t see any reason to stop it…”
“If you create a bond exchange, manage the books, and accept small-lot transactions from wealthy citizens like rich merchants… I think you could make a profit. Just a layman’s idea, though.”
“No… well… yes! Not bad, not bad at all! I’ll talk to Count Missgancia about it!”
“I’d like to invest a little in the northern Frontier Settlement, too. I hear there are a lot of valuable Medicinal Herbs there… If the development succeeds, the bonds will naturally increase in value and be repaid.”
“I see, small-lot investments from citizens in our Mercantilist Faction’s frontier development… Hmm, you think things through very well. ‘Sage of the Frontier’ is well said.”
“Huh? I’m being called that behind my back?”
“Indeed.”
“Sage, huh…”
“People in appropriate positions are given appropriate names, you see? It’s called adding prestige.”
“…Well, whatever. For now, I’m just doing what I’m contracted to do with Count Missgancia. Here, the pancakes are ready.”
“Ooooh!”
“A fluffy yet somehow chewy texture! Enjoying it with never-before-seen tropical fruits and whipped cream! The sweetness is certainly restrained, but by enjoying it with the smooth sweetness of the fruit…”
A mysterious food review.
Well, as a noble, this kind of speaking technique… rhetoric is very important.
Militarist nobles and commoners say unkind things like, “Just good with words” or “Obfuscating with difficult language,” but there’s no way the verbal skills of people who live by their verbal skills are shoddy.
It’s just not well known, but speech skills are as profound as sports or art. There were even speech contests and awards on Earth, you know?
To look down on something just because you don’t know it well is the epitome of human foolishness.
For now, I’ll listen and continue my conversation with Lord Guilmert…
“So? How’s the west?”
Viscount Guilmert is a legal aristocrat without a territory, working as a senior magistrate in the western court of the Missgancia region.
In this country, you can buy titles with money, or upper-class nobles can grant titles to commoners they like, so there are quite a few nobles.
As a result, factions are formed, creating a complex web of relationships, but that’s another matter.
“Not bad at all. There are still many criminals, and the number of trials doesn’t decrease. It’s a very good source of income!”
Lord Guilmert snorted.
This person is also a righteous man, so he apparently finds it hard to forgive the large number of criminals. He said this sarcastically, as if spitting it out.
“It’s a good thing, isn’t it? It’s proof that people trust the magistrate to deliver appropriate justice, rather than resorting to personal revenge through self-help like in the old days. It’s the first step towards a rule-of-law state.”
“…Why do you even know the basics of law? Are you really a sage?”
“I’m being called a sage, aren’t I?”
“Well, that’s just a story about making you a sage in name only to add prestige… Are you really a sage? It’s… surprising, you know?”
“I’m not particularly knowledgeable, just aware of the general outline. So, the situation is…”
“Ah, yes. As you know, the west of this country is blocked by the Kashina Mountains, and there are few people. Few people means little wealth.”
“That’s true. But, I heard there’s an Elf country in the forest near the mountains, right?”
“That’s right. But, the Elves don’t get involved much with the secular world… They apparently built a great empire that ruled much of the land five hundred years ago, but it was destroyed by a natural disaster, and now they only live in seclusion.”
“Ah, that’s a lie. The natural disaster was an accident caused by an overdeveloped Magical Device civilization.”
“Hoooow do you know that?!”
“I heard it from an Elf I know.”
“Ah… there’s supposedly an Elf Mage in this town…?”
He’s probably talking about Margot.
“A friend.”
“You have a wide network of connections… Anyway, the Elves aren’t very enthusiastic about trading with us, so there aren’t many profitable opportunities.”
“The Elves in the west are Wood Elves, right? Then, iron products should sell, shouldn’t they?”
“Eh?”
“Huh?”
“…Elves don’t like iron, do they?”
“That’s Sand Elves and Sea Elves, isn’t it? I don’t know about High Elves, but Wood Elves can’t make iron tools themselves, so they use obsidian. But if you sell it, they’ll buy iron, which is sturdier than stone. Especially arrowheads.”
“…Well, in the first place, you’ll be turned away if you enter the forest.”
“Did you meet the forest keeper?”
“Forest keeper?”
“Ah… well, the gatekeeper of the Elf country. They live on the edge of the forest. They’re usually elderly Elves.”
“…I see. This is, hmm. Thank you, Andrews.”
Lord Guilmert left after that conversation.
Ah, it’s already night…
“Tris, let’s have dinner!”