Chapter 126: Orders
“Excuse me.”
“Arnaud, thank you for coming.”
The mansion’s office. I had made time to meet with Arnaud. Arnaud was the one who coordinated the merchants in the Baumgarten Territory.
Perhaps due to being rapidly trained, Arnaud, who once had the look of a simple boy, now wore a brazen smile befitting a merchant.
“Regarding today…”
“No need for lengthy greetings. Let’s get straight to the point. Have there been any complaints from the merchants?”
“Understood. There haven’t been any complaints to speak of. However, if I had to mention something, it would be the time it takes to build shops that might be considered a complaint.”
“Hmm. We’ve brought in carpenters from other territories, but even so, the waiting list for construction hasn’t been cleared.”
“Yes. However, the merchants understand that, so there aren’t many complaints. Everyone is excited about what kind of shops they’ll build.”
“I see.”
I’ve asked the merchants to supply the Baumgarten Territory, which is lacking in both goods and people. It would be bad if they turned their backs on us. I always need to pay attention to the merchants’ movements.
“That’s right, there was something I needed to ask you, Arnaud.”
“I’m at your service.”
“As expected, we’re overwhelmingly short on food. We still have some leeway, but at this rate, we’ll eventually run out. Tell the merchants to bring in food supplies in large quantities.”
“Understood. I will request it from the trading companies that handle foodstuffs.”
“Next is a goldsmith. Do you know that gold was discovered in our territory?”
“Yes, I am aware. That rumor is all the merchants are talking about.”
“I see. About that, rather than selling gold ore as is, processing it into gold and then into crafted goods would fetch a higher price, right? If possible, I’d like to process it into crafted goods within the territory.”
“In that case, please leave it to me, Arnaud. I have already spoken to several goldsmiths.”
Arnaud… He’s really become capable.
“I see. That’s reassuring, Arnaud.”
“Thank you very much. However, the negotiations have been quite difficult… As expected, poaching active craftsmen is meeting with strong resistance…”
“In that case, apprentices would be fine too, you know?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, if we assign retired craftsmen as their teachers, they should improve. Mining apparently takes time. We can train them in the meantime.”
“Understood. If it’s retired craftsmen and apprentices, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Please await good news.”
“I’m counting on you.”
With this, I can leave the matters of food and goldsmiths to Arnaud. When I heard Arnaud was the merchants’ representative, I wondered if he’d be alright, but it seems he’s developing into someone quite capable.
I’ve asked Arnaud to gather necessary personnel before, so he should be fine this time too.
◇
“O-nee-sama, during King Abraham’s era, there was a war with the Western Countries. What was the name of this war, and which country was the final victor?”
“Eh? Ummm… What was it again?”
After finishing my discussion with Arnaud, I returned to the living room to find Eleonore and Claudia there. It seemed Claudia was in the middle of her studies.
“I don’t know. El, let’s take a break soon.”
“O-nee-sama, didn’t we just take a break a little while ago?”
“But it’s so difficult…”
History is a subject based on memorization, so it clearly shows whether you know it or not, whether you’ve studied or not.
It might be a subject Claudia, who’s surprisingly lazy, isn’t good at. Claudia is amazing when she’s cornered, though. She’s probably naturally smart. The tightrope-walking-like study method she showed at the academy was incredible.
“Oh, Dee! You were here.”
Claudia’s face lit up with an angelic smile, like a blooming flower. I wonder if she was happy to see me, or happy to have found a way to interrupt her studies.
Seeing Claudia like that, Eleonore let out a sigh.
“Good work, both of you. Studying history?”
“Yes. But we’re finished now.”
“We’re not finished, O-nee-sama.”
“Isn’t that enough for today? More importantly, I want to go inspect the village again.”
The village inspection meant the two Princesses would walk around the village to observe the development status of the Baumgarten Territory. After all, they are here to study the territory’s development.
Well, it’s kind of like a walk.
“O-nee-sama, more importantly, we need to study.”
“This is also studying, El. Besides, we can study history even after returning to the royal palace, but inspecting the village is something we can only study now. It’s obvious which one should be prioritized, isn’t it?”
“Oh, O-nee-sama…”
Even while saying that, Eleonore’s face was smiling. The truth is, the two Princesses love inspecting the village. They seem to really enjoy seeing the territory develop rapidly and the current environment where they can walk around freely.
Well, given their position as princesses, they can’t just casually go shopping in town, can they?
“Well then, shall we go?”
“Yes!”
“Haaah, I’ll go too.”
With a wry smile, I ordered the few territorial soldiers to assemble.
However, if just us go out, Cornelia and the others will get angry again. I should invite Cornelia, Lily, and Cassandra too.