Episode 41: Interlude (A Certain Merchant Guild President 5)
Recently, ＜Paraiso＞ has been actively gathering information about the surrounding area.
“The name of this country?”
“Yes. I hadn’t confirmed it.”
She suddenly asked for the country’s name, and indeed… I don’t recall ever explaining it, and perhaps she simply had no interest until now. However, before fully intervening, she has to investigate the geographical situation.
Even so, given the current situation, we don’t have the latest information either.
“This place belongs to the Afrasia United Kingdom. It’s the southernmost city. Although, I don’t know if the United Kingdom is still intact…”
“I see. And currently, it’s in the middle of a Civil War.”
The one I’m talking to now is a female fleet commander named Sechs. So far, ＜Paraiso＞ has been trading with Telek Port City using four fleets. Each fleet consists of two battleships and one large transport ship. And one battleship is moored in the port. Telek Port City is constantly guarded by three battleships.
“Yes. Until now, information only came through trade caravans, but as you know, that’s been difficult lately. The last contact was half a year ago. Iron Town probably has a little more information, but that’s originally a small town. The amount of information they have is limited to begin with.”
“Understood. I want you to gather any information you can. Also, do you have a map?”
“A map…? No, ownership wasn’t permitted in this city.”
“I see. Even an unofficial one will do.”
I can’t deceive her, can I? Sighing, I take a set of maps from the vault. I had a feeling this would happen, so I moved them here from the hidden vault.
Sometimes, I get scared, feeling like everything is seen through by those golden eyes. When she stares silently, I feel pressured to spill everything. My subordinate was babbling about how he likes that look, but well, he’s a special case.
“This map was drawn using information we could obtain. Don’t expect accuracy in scale. This is a world map, this is a map of the United Kingdom, and this is a map of the area around Telek Port City. The names of the nobles are completely unreliable in the current situation, though.”
“…Useful enough. May I record it?”
“I can’t say no to you.”
“I appreciate it. Zwanzig, record it.”
“Yes.”
The girl called by Sechs spread out the tools she held on the desk, pointing them at the map and starting some kind of operation. I thought she was copying it, but it seems different.
I heard a tall tale about a magic tool in some magic kingdom that cuts out scenery and turns it into a picture. Perhaps this is that kind of Magic Tool. I want to ask what it is, but this isn’t the time.
“Finished.”
“Good. Telek Merchant Guild President, thank you for your cooperation.”
These young ladies treat us politely, despite possessing overwhelming power. That alone is enough to make me think it’s okay to sell out those damn nobles. This country was so rotten that this Civil War was bound to happen.
“Shall I send people to investigate? It’s helpful that you’re monitoring things with your power, but you only know after the enemy moves, right? If we can somehow obtain information, we can take preemptive action.”
“….Please wait a moment. I will consider it. We must also consider the risk of our information being leaked.”
Information leakage, huh? As expected, ＜Paraiso＞ has advanced knowledge. They fully understand the importance of information.
“We could use investigators with false information.”
“Even if they are captured, they can give the wrong information to the enemy?…However, if the personnel have the wrong basic knowledge, the information they pick up may have strange biases.”
She’s well-versed in handling information. Some of the words are unfamiliar, but she’s probably saying that information from the spies will become unreliable. Certainly, I’ve heard that reports from spies who have been taught false information tend to be inaccurate.
That also needs to be analyzed.
“However, it’s better than having no information at all, right? Telek Merchant Guild President, why don’t you start by moving people under the guise of purchasing goods? We will consider infiltrating spies in the home country. We are not suited for espionage, so we will rely on you.”
That’s very kind of you. Certainly, if they appeared in the neighborhood, it would cause a commotion. Even in this city, which is relatively tolerant, it became a festival.
“I see. Let’s dispatch personnel under that guise first. However, the治安 is… Can we reach the neighboring town with escort soldiers, merchants, and wagons?”
The治安 around here is the worst. From what I’ve heard, it seems like there are only soldiers who are like bandits, attacking anything they see as prey. It’s so bad that you can’t even tell if they’re real bandits, private soldiers of some noble, or regular soldiers of the country. If we send a caravan with wagons to such a place, it could easily become prey.
“For now, let’s send a Delegation. With a reasonable number of guards, we will move forward with the policy of developing trade routes first. If the safety of the roads can be secured to some extent, it will be easier for merchants to move around.”
“….Understood. We will consider full-scale action separately. For now, I want you to dispatch a Delegation. As a way to show our power to some extent, you can bring the latest weapons and armor.”
“That would be helpful. Understood, I will have them report when they are ready.”
After that, we finished two or three reports, chatted, and then the ＜Paraiso＞ people left.
Come to think of it, buildings were being built at a tremendous pace on the land we handed over as a leased territory. After all, their technological capabilities are very high. After that, they asked me to prepare an even larger piece of land, but we have no choice but to have them develop the outside of the city. They said they don’t intend to demand eviction, so it can’t be helped. Telek Port City is a small city. There is no surplus land at all.
“Guild President. The planned site for the Cannon emplacements has been secured without delay.”
“Oh. That was quite fast.”
Then, the subordinate who had been ordered to clear the land for the Cannon emplacement construction site that had been requested for defense came in to report. It had been about a week since I gave the order, but it seems that the clearing of the requested five locations has been completed.
“Well, they didn’t ask for much space to begin with. Also, the young ladies have an excellent reputation, which is a big factor. We were able to reach an agreement at almost the regular price. But they’re choosing places where eviction is kept to a minimum. Most of them are gardens or fields.”
“…I see. Well, ＜Paraiso＞ people probably do that kind of preliminary investigation.”
At first, I didn’t know what to expect when they said they wanted to build defensive Cannon emplacements. Somehow, I feel like they are being considerate so as not to get in our way. Honestly, when they demanded leased land and construction sites, I was prepared for the worst…
“Guild President, let’s gather laborers and start construction. I was nervous when they said that the start of construction itself could wait until the land acquisition was completed, but since it’s ending so easily, it feels like it’s going according to the young ladies’ plan.”
“Yes. It’s very reassuring. However, they’re also going to improve the roads before construction. They say that it will shorten the construction time as a result if they improve them first…”
“Yes. If they say so, it must be so. I asked them about various things, and the young ladies don’t lie. Whether they’re sincere, or…”
“…Or they don’t feel the need to deceive us.”
I couldn’t help but groan at my subordinate, who nodded silently.
Recently, I’ve been forced to understand. There is a tremendous Technological Disparity between us and ＜Paraiso＞. I felt this way when I called at Uryabak Port in the Losriya Empire a long time ago. What I saw at that time was a line-of-battle ship covered in Iron. When I saw the rows of Cannons lined up on the hull, I remember being terrified that we could never defeat it.
However, the shock I felt when I was shown the continuous firing of the battleships possessed by ＜Paraiso＞, which they call Alpha-Class, was enough to shatter all our confidence. After checking later, the rapid-fire performance was 45 rounds per minute, and the range was at least 30 km. Three Cannons per ship, three ships and nine Cannons as a permanent force, are glaring at the sky to protect Telek Port City.
“I think it’s okay, but if there’s even a one in ten thousand chance, keep it down. We absolutely cannot antagonize ＜Paraiso＞.”
“Yes. I am fully aware of that.”