Chapter 103 (1/2)

The seated chair makes a light creaking sound as if the body was slightly resigned onto it.

「Tsk, those fools, getting ahead of themselves」

Until a while ago, It was a representative of a small merchant association in a considerably deep relation with Grond merchant association was who he was having a meeting with in the reception office.

The meeting, which usually ends with a light greeting after the deal is concluded, however, for some reason was different from the usual aspect this time.

The reason is clear. The money and the goods that I paid for in the transaction seem to have disappeared suddenly.

The merchant association which bears the responsibility of the theft has no clue as to the cause, and for the time being, are demanding the involved personnel from within the merchant association take responsibility.

「Split the loss, my ass. Even if it was just right after the deal, the management should have fallen under their jurisdiction」

The reason why I am lashing out complaints after the fact, is because I accepted the request of the other party and paid compensation for their loss.What I actually paid was about 20% of the losses, but it’s an extra expense that wasn’t planned for and didn’t come out easily.

If it were any of those ordinary merchants, I could have easily turned it down. Setting aside the fact that it happened right after the dealing, since the management right had already been passed onto the other party, there should be no reason for me to be legally held responsible.

Nevertheless, the reason I accepted their demands is because, the merchant association in question wasn’t just any ordinary one but are ones with which I conduct shady dealings with.

From Illegal slaves trade, forbidden drugs, to stuffs like overhunting of raw materials of monsters that is strictly prohibited and magical tools of unknown origin, they are the ones that undertake those several dealings that cannot be carried out in the open.They are not one that can compare with our merchant association in terms of scale, but even so, they are a troublesome opponent that cannot be made light of.

In any case, I will completely absorb them under my control rather than trading partners, but now is not the time yet.

「……Fu, anyway, it is money that will eventually return back to me. Besides, I cannot have them go out of business now」

That merchant association’s underground connection is quite wide. ————-Also for the sake of when I cut-off Nonorik, I am going to have those merchant associations keep up their momentum.

Nonorik is certainly useful, but I didn’t intend to keep him forever.It does not matter much that it costs money.

He is a mad dog, a mad dog who plays with the chains of reason that willfully binds himself.

A hopeless bloodthirsty beast, running around a chaotic fountain that is mixed with the taste of iron rust.

Both the slaves I present to him, and the underground jobs, nothing could really satisfy him in the truest sense.His luxurious manner which he conducts himself in my presence, only appears to me like someone who is desperately gasping for breath so as not to drown in a sea of boredom.

Being as he is, there’s no telling when he will bare his fangs at me, he is competent, but the risk is too big.It is also a condition of the contract that the contract can be rescinded at any time by both parties. If I were to just terminate the contract normally, he will likely disappear somewhere just like a child that has lost interest in a toy.

However, simply cutting him loose will affect my influence underground, and will hinder future dealings.The timing needs to be timed properly. At the very least, I cannot possibly make a move to cut Nonorik loose until we’ve completely gotten our hands on their trickery and connections entirely.

「My judgement is not wrong. This is a necessary investment」

I muttered as if persuading myself, the matter regarding the money paid will be settled.Merchants are ones who earn money by spreading money. The money spent looking ahead is not wasted.

(Those guys are not stupid either, they will find the cause even if they have to scrape grass roots in order to save face. Because money can’t just naturally disappear, so that someone will pay dearly for this)

The sound of knocking on the door echoes in the room.

「Enter」

「Excuse me, Master-sama」

It was Fegner who stepped into the room after turning the doorknob.

「Master, while it’s still uncertain, there’s something you might want to keep at the back of your mind」

「What is it?」

「Though the information is still uncertain 、…… Apparently, the recasting of money is going to be carried out」

「Say what?」

I reflexively stood up after hearing those words.If this information is true, it is a matter of great importance.

In other words, the recasting of money is to cast and crush gold coins and silver coins to change the purity of the metal.

For example, even with the same gold coins, the amount of gold contained in the Empire gold coins and the Kingdom gold coins are different. That’s why the value of a piece of gold is different in the Kingdom and Empire.

In other words, lowering the purity of the metal means that even if you have the same number of gold coins at face value, there is a possibility that substantial assets will be reduced.

「Is that story true? Where is the source of information!!」

「Actually, my distant relative works for the Treasury department in the royal capital. There apparently seems to be such movements, though the letter arrived just before the highway was blocked by the monsters due to the Magical storm. Because it is an information in a sentence written with rare ink, including a predecided code that was arranged in case something happened, I think that credibility is fairly high in my opinion」

「I see……」

I was caught in surprise for only a moment, and then dive into deep thought again. If the story just now is indeed true, then we have to make a move promptly.

The recasting of money is the method used when the kingdom fell into financial difficulties in the past, and the portion of the existing currencies of gold and silver lowered is circulated back into the budget.

(…… Surely, it is not surprising if the decision to recast money is made in the current situation, huh……)

I do not know for what reason, but the kingdom recently spent money lavishly.There’s also that matter where nearly 200 beast-kin slaves were ordered from our merchant association, and ceaselessly emptied stores and bought fairly expensive and high grade magic items while they let gold do the talking.

I do not mind anything if it comes to money, but even a country will be running short on money if that much gold is used.

「Damn, there are a awful lot of trouble lately」

I scratched my head, and drink tea that had turned lukewarm to calm my mind.The tea leaves are not familiar in the kingdom, but I like the unique flavor and astringency of the green liquid.Above all, drinking this makes me feel calm.

「Now then……」

After a short rest and having calmed down a bit, I dive into deep thoughts again.