Chapter 107

"Hahaha, aren't you thirsty? Or you must be tired from the long journey. Though this is a humble home, how about resting comfortably for a while before you leave?"

After somehow managing to take care of the survivors, he and Leandros were separately guided to Aisling's mansion.

As befitting one of the kingdom's largest merchant group heads, the mansion was so elegant and splendid that even a lower-ranking noble couldn't compare.

They were finally able to sit down only after arriving at a large and elegant reception room.

And that wasn't all.

The table was overflowing with meals, snacks, and various types of drinks.

Moreover, none other than Aiden, the son of the merchant group head, was pouring tea and catering to them.

"The valor shown by Your Grace's escort knight is truly remarkable. I'm so curious about how Your Grace recruited such a knight. Perhaps it's Your Grace's innate eye for talent? Ahahahahaha!"

The only problem was that Aiden's flattery was beginning to make his stomach churn.

Because of this, he couldn't even take a sip from his teacup.

Seeing this, Leandros quickly intervened.

"Didn't we come here to discuss something? His Grace is not someone who has endless free time."

"Ah, right. My mind was elsewhere again. I'm terribly sorry."

Slurp.

Aiden, who had been filling Leandros's empty cup with tea in the same respectful posture as one would toward a superior, cautiously opened his mouth.

"It's only proper that I compensate you for saving our workers, but honestly, I never thought something like this would happen in the east. So I was shocked when I saw Your Grace's letter."

"You thought it was nonsense."

When he muttered quietly, Leandros made a strange coughing sound.

Aiden tried to gloss over it with a fake cough, but cold sweat was already appearing on his forehead.

"Ahem, anyway, it would be an honor if Your Grace could tell us a little about how you knew about the pit."

"If I tell you, are you going to investigate whether it's true?"

"How would I dare do such a thing? It's just that the curiosity of a humble merchant is so deep and great that I became curious."

Aiden smiled brightly.

But beyond the smile, he could guess that Aiden's mind was working fiercely.

As Aiden had emphasized several times in the previous iteration, this was business.

The merchant groups, including Aisling, had heavily invested in the demonic beast industry that might grow in the future.

So the idea that this business might fail was naturally a sensitive topic.

It was enough reason for Aiden to be on his guard.

But what could he do?

He couldn't explain how he knew either.

He couldn't say he had realized it by experiencing it directly.

"In fact, the issue you should focus on isn't how I found out. It's what action you'll take from now on."

Focusing on the past had no meaning.

When he implied that if Aiden wanted to withdraw, he should do so right now, Aiden responded with a subtle expression.

"It sounds as if Your Grace knows exactly what choices I'll make in the future."

"I'm only confident that you won't participate in such matters if it means making sacrifices."

"...Of course, but don't merchants focus on profit and loss? If I withdraw from here, the price to pay won't be small."

"The price you pay now is the cheapest. With each passing day, it gets more expensive. Later, even if you give up everything you have, you won't be able to return to how things were before."

Aiden fell silent.

It was true that this time, it had happened because he had artificially encouraged the pit's outburst.

But there was no guarantee that such an incident wouldn't happen again.

Although the Star Walker inside the eastern pit had been removed, who knew what else might be in there?

After watching Aiden, who was lost in complex thoughts for a long time, he casually threw out a suggestion.

"Or how about doing business with me?"

"With Your Grace? Together with our merchant group?"

"Yes. I don't know how frequently demonic beasts emerge from this pit, but the Dikenter Mountains are not a place where demonic beasts are rare either."

"I know that the demonic beasts in the mountains haven't been subjugated for a long time. But is it to that extent?"

"From your perspective, it's a complete goldmine. The ducal family provides the land and the demonic beasts on it, and you run the demonic beast business there."

"I'm not sure if that's possible."

"I know you already have mercenaries, eastern demonic beast craftsmen, and most of the business infrastructure. What are you so afraid of?"

Aiden was already receiving ample compensation for saving Arndt in the iteration before the last.

It would be better for him to take what was being spoonfed to him.

After being lost in thought for a moment, he opened his mouth.

"Not all the people you saved earlier are my employees. Some belong to other merchant groups as well."

"And?"

"Whether good or bad, the story will flow to other merchant groups, so rather than that, how about working with all of them together?"

Huh?

The suddenly enlarged scale momentarily made his head stop working.

Why call in other merchant groups here? Wouldn't it be better to have Aisling monopolize it?

"No, that's a bit..."

"But other merchant groups also have their own specialties. From sourcing materials to recruiting craftsmen, there's a variety. Wouldn't we be able to borrow more diverse strengths?"

"Would they help us?"

"People say that money is the most important thing for merchants in the world. But Your Grace, the most important thing for a merchant is people."

"People?"

"Without people, you can't produce goods, can't move them, can't advertise them, and can't consume them. Merchants place great importance on talent, and if Your Grace's escort knight saved that talent, they'll naturally want to repay the favor."

"No, it's just a few people. Not everyone will think like you."

"They're people I'm acquainted with. I'll try to persuade them, Your Grace. Can't you think of it as a favor for the grace of being saved by Your Grace and your escort knight?"

What should he do with this? Suddenly, it was becoming a headache.

When he looked at Leandros, he nodded slightly.

Oh my. Both of them were the same.

"...Give it a try. But don't get too carried away, show some restraint."

"Just trust me, Your Grace! And to the escort knight here, thank you once again."

Aiden bowed, bending his waist at a 90-degree angle.

Somehow, his overflowing enthusiasm made him uneasy.

He hoped he hadn't accepted an unnecessary request.

During the week they stayed at the Aisling mansion, Aiden ran around as if his feet were on fire.

And among the thirteen merchant groups participating in the eastern business, excluding the Aisling Merchant Group, he performed the miracle of obtaining consent from a total of eight merchant group heads.

There was nothing more hateful than the sight of Aiden coming with a brightly beaming smile.

There were nine of them but only one of him!

Did they not know about balancing?

Live with some semblance of fairness in numbers!

* * *

"Your Grace, I understand that you suddenly said you were leaving for the east. There may be things I don't know. But..."

"..."

"What kind of situation is this?"

"I'm sorry. It just happened that way."

Not only were several carriages and carts parked in the courtyard that hadn't finished its repairs, but the procession also extended all the way outside the castle gate.

The bustling people were shouting as they looked around the courtyard or moved the positions of carriages and carts.

"Come over here, there's space left here!"

"Where do we put all this? The horse can't move!"

"Everyone be careful, the wheels might get stuck in this ditch!"

"Back, back! Just a little more back... That's it! Done!"

Even he was seeing the castle this bustling for the first time.

It wasn't bad that there was a sense of vitality, but for Arndt, the sudden guests meant a sharp increase in things to worry about.

"Taking care of this many people while also serving the baronial lady, my body wouldn't be enough even if I had two."

"...Really, really sorry. I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths."

"You must tell me later what happened."

After saying that, Arndt ran off shouting, "Ah, don't put that there! I'll move it inside for you!"

And as if passing the baton, Leandros, thoroughly exhausted, came and stood beside him.

"Refuge?"

"...Yes."

"Rest a bit."

"Yes."

It wasn't just the two of them who had departed from the Aisling mansion.

The representatives and working staff of the eight merchant groups that Aiden had gathered accompanied them.

It was because the merchant groups had agreed to minimize losses by concluding a new business while striking while the iron was hot.

Throughout the journey to the ducal residence, people cautiously began to interact by exploring each other.

But in a relationship that had just begun, there was unlikely to be a common interest outside of work.

In such a situation, a person like Leandros was a sort of cheat key.

After all, he was the one who had saved people belonging to everyone's merchant groups.

So people naturally began to chat with Leandros as a common topic of conversation.

At first, Leandros didn't seem to think it was that bad.

He didn't say much while staring blankly, but he did show that he was participating in the conversation.

But at a gathering where nine merchant groups mingled, would everyone try to start conversations with 'Leandros' as a topic?

And what if that person didn't flatly say not to call him?

Naturally, he'd be called here and there.

Leandros, who had been suffering from numerous communications from morning to evening, eventually collapsed from exhaustion.

He would guarantee that Leandros was wearing the most tired and dazed expression he had ever seen.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

"...It's because you lack conversational skills."

"Is that all?"

He silently patted his back.

Meanwhile, carts and carriages were packed tightly, extending from the courtyard to the backyard,

And most of the guests were able to safely enter the castle.

As he was watching this scene, a servant urgently ran to him and whispered.

"Your Grace, the guests are in the former Duchess's office. Arndt said there was no other place, and if it was a presumptuous decision, he would move them elsewhere..."

"No, it's fine. I'll go there too."

Now he needed to do his part as well.

Leaving Leandros to rest outside for a while, he headed into the castle alone.

Though his body was tired and his legs felt heavy, he had no choice.

The Duchess's office.

The antique door with a reddish tint was firmly closed.

As he slowly pushed it open, the people sitting beyond it all turned their heads toward him simultaneously.

"I'm late."

Everyone stood up and gave him a brief bow.

Passing by them to take his place in front of the Duchess's desk, the sound of everyone sitting down again was bustling.

Even in that brief moment, he was observing the people.

Clerks, representatives, and assistants from nine merchant groups, totaling twenty-one people.

Twenty-one people were sitting in this room as guests.

"I'm grateful to everyone for stepping forward actively. It must have been a long way to the ducal residence, so I'm also thankful that you willingly agreed to come."

He recalled the previous iteration.

Even when he had made a one-on-one contract with Aiden alone, it wasn't easy, but what about now?

He would probably have to form much more complex relationships than then.

"Before enjoying the welcoming banquet at the ducal residence, I'd like to have a light discussion. As everyone already knows, about the new business that will begin in the Dikenter Mountains."

It wasn't a question of whether he could do it or not.

Beyond simply leasing land,

Could he create the design he wanted?

It was a matter where the ending centered around Leandros was at stake.

"So I hope we can have a constructive conversation. Let's start with the Aisling Merchant Group first. He's practically the first witness to the eastern pit."

Aiden, who was sitting nearby, nodded and stood up.

If he did well, he would gain something,

If he slipped up, he would be torn apart.

The conference of individual battles, where allies and enemies were ambiguous, began.