Episode 20: Interlude (A Certain Merchant Guild President 2)
Things have gone south. Honestly, I don’t even know how much I can concede. At worst, I might be forced to accept unfavorable terms in all future transactions.
“Guild President…”
“…….Can we crush those damn bastards’ merchant guild?”
“Yes. We’ve had our eye on them for a while now, so we can do it immediately. Shall we proceed?”
Now’s the time. Crush them from the root. Trading with that merchant ship called ＜Paraiso＞—if it succeeds, this city will be secure for a while. There were some unbelievable things, but above all, that thread and cloth. If we can keep getting those, we can manage somehow, even in the current situation.
But because of those fools blinded by greed…!
“Do it. Crush them thoroughly. If anyone complains, show them that and shut them up. Damn it, it was going to be a good deal…!”
“Understood. Everything will be done by the end of the day.”
“If there are any holdouts, crush them along with the others. They’re probably in cahoots behind the scenes anyway. Even if they aren’t, those fools who can’t read the tides should just disappear…!”
“Yes, sir! Alright, you bastards, let’s go! It’s a raid!”
Until now, I’ve been holding back because of connections with others, but I don’t need that anymore. Any merchant guild that opposes me here will be shut out. I could kill them, but that would be too harsh, so I’ll settle for expulsion… Well, if they’re expelled, they probably won’t be able to survive. Everywhere outside of here is a lawless zone. If they can make it to the Royal Capital, they might have a chance, but if they were talented enough to get that far, they wouldn’t oppose me in the first place. It’s not like I’m telling them to become slaves; they just shouldn’t openly defy me.
Just in time, I can put that cutlass I got in the first exchange to practical use. From the looks of it, the craftsmanship was unbelievably good. If I can get it regularly, that will be a good bargaining chip as well. The metalwork should be popular with the nobles in the Royal Capital.
I have to finalize this negotiation, no matter what. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the fate of this city depends on it. Honestly, I was already making plans to escape from this city.
“…But still, it’s quite a sight…”
Those ＜Paraiso＞ folks.
When they said they had dealt with the bandits, I didn’t know what to expect.
But they silently started hanging the men they killed on the unused pier. Of course, I thought it would cause chaos, so I immediately sent Soldiers (Shop Staff) to guard the area. I asked them their intentions, and they said it was to make an example. They said they could collect them in a few days.
Even so, they apparently annihilated 20 bandits who boarded them simultaneously, without taking any damage. They took three of them as prisoners and handed them over to us. I gratefully accepted them, but well, they’re going to be executed too. There’s no point in trying to get information out of them. I’ll make an example of them too, with a public execution.
“For now, the discussion is in the afternoon. How much can we clean up by then? I need to get as many cards as possible.”
There are port cities other than this one, of varying sizes. If they flow to those cities, it would be the worst. Recently, everywhere, including here, has been declining, but with those Trade Goods, we can recover. Conversely, without them, we’re done for.
Even though we’re at war, this kingdom is falling apart due to the Civil War. I don’t know what the people in the Royal Capital are thinking, but the food that used to come in through trade has stopped because everyone is afraid of being looted. We’re somehow managing to import it with ships we send out, but most of the ships have been requisitioned and are gone. The uneducated are shouting about independence and such, but if they do that, they’ll be crushed by the surrounding lords in an instant.
In such a situation, if we have luxury goods that can only be obtained here…
Of course, we’ll be taken advantage of if we don’t play our cards right, but that’s where my skills come in. If I can successfully monopolize the trade and distribute it to the nobles in a way that keeps them in check with each other…
“Ah, damn it, why don’t they think and act more…!”
If they thought a little, they’d know what’s best…!