Fun Territory Defense of the Easy-Going Lord – Chapter 49

9-11 minutes

 

Departure

Two days later, after completing all the assessments, Rango informed me of the amount.

“Can you sell it for 130 platinum coins?”

“Okay!”

The business deal was concluded.

Rango was nervous, but relieved at the approval, and Bell smiles as he imagines the profits he will receive in the future.

Incidentally, although he did not receive a title yet, he agreed to receive 10% of the profits from every business he establishes on the condition that either I or Panamera recommend him for the position.

Since it was all the profit after the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce, 10% of the profit from the auctions was also eligible, but Van, whose own hands are as wide as the sky, told me that he would do the service for me, and I was worshiped like a god.

Thus, Rango returned to the royal capital to sell the dragon and armored lizard materials.

But a problem emerged here.

The adventurers and merchants Rango had brought with him had left on their own.

“What are they going to tell the Chamber of Commerce when they go back empty-handed?”

Bell muttered to himself as the merchants left with empty wagons for transportation.

“They are probably waiting for us to come crying to them.
If we can’t carry them, we have no choice but to ask for help.
Then again, we’ll have to listen to them and sell it for 80 white gold coins.”

Panamera explained.
They have just set out, so they were moving slowly along the road.
If the two tried to catch up, they would soon be able to, but after hearing what they said just now, we would not want to rely on them at all willingly.

Van, you are eight years old.
I am not an adult, even if I could act like one.

“Okay, I’ll make a carriage, and we’ll use it to carry your stuff, and I’ll ask Ortho-san and the others to escort you.”

When I mentioned this, Panamera shook her head from side to side.

“No, I will take my private army to the capital.
I’ll have to petition for the boy’s promotion.
So don’t worry about the guards and the manpower.”

“Wow, thank you! I’m sure I’ll be absolutely fine if Panamera and the others are with them.”

When I looked straight at Panamera and said this, Panamera looked away with a slight flush in her cheeks.

“…You’re going to make me feel embarrassed if you talk too straight about your trust.”

And finally, Panamera became delirious.
Today we were having a festival, along with the the villagers.
After the Fertility Festival and the Carnival, let’s add the Great Lights Festival to our annual events.

“Oh, um, I hope it’s okay, we need a rather large carriage and many horses to transport the dragon materials.”

“Don’t worry.
I’ll prepare it now.”

Bell was concerned, but I answered with a smile.

Two hours later, the carriage was complete.
It was made of wood blocks, so it was light and sturdy, a large cart-type carriage.
After the materials were placed on top, a thin roof was put on top.

The wheels were enlarged, so it would be strong enough to withstand bumps.

“I will provide the horses.
The horses will be trained warhorses, not cart horses.
They are much stronger and faster.”

Saying this, Panamera sends a soldier to fetch the horse.

Thus, Rango left the village in high spirits, with a more luxurious carriage and escort than when he first arrived.

The merchants, who had been moving slowly along the road, left the escort to the adventurers and used slaves for their ministers, and the three of them were conversing face to face on the back of the cart.

“Are they still not chasing after us?”

One asked suddenly, and the other raised an eyebrow and interjected.

” I don’t see them… Hey, is everything alright? What if the brothers get stubborn and start acting like idiots…”

“That would be stupid.
Think about it.
There is no place to sell dragon materials in the middle of nowhere, and there is no way to prepare a caravan unless you ask someone like us from the same trading company.
Soon they will realize how stupid they were.”

Sniffling, the most senior merchant said so.

A moment of silence descended in the rattling carriage.

Then came the startled voices of the adventurers walking outside.

When the three of them turned their heads, they saw several large carriages coming toward them from the far end of the road, and they gawked.

“What? I’ve never seen those carriages before.”

“Look around more than that!”

“Knights? Why would there be knights in a village like this?

They hurriedly move the carriage to the side of the road and give way to a group of people who look like knights.

A uniform design, a uniform set of equipment, and a high level of skill.
They were Knights from all angles.
The wagons were moving down the middle of the road, so the merchants could not see the interior, so the group appeared to be larger than it really was.

“Which knighthood?”

“The Marquise de Fertio?”

“That’s absurd.
Rumors aside, it is a fact that the fourth son was kicked out of the marquis’ house.”

The three were confused and looked at the situation from inside the carriage.
However, they soon noticed something strange.

The shape and number of carriages.

It was not a carriage for a nobleman, nor did it have a family crest.
Moreover, it was too big even for a large carriage.
The wheels were at least twice as large as those of a carriage ridden by a group of merchants.

It was an odd-shaped carriage.
There were a total of four carriages pulled by a total of ten horses.
All of them were loaded to the limit.

“Oh, hey.
That thing…”

It was the youngest of the three merchants who said this.
He pointed to Rango, who was acting as the coachman.

“No way, is that…”

Stunned, the merchants watch as the wagon and the group of soldiers proceeds.

As the 5 carriage passed, they saw a beautiful female knight riding a horse.
Around her were two soldiers holding a banner, and one of the merchants remarked upon seeing the unicorn and shield emblems on the banner.

“Oh, is that… no way, Viscount Cayenne? Why would an upstart who is supposed to be in the Count’s territory be with Rango and…?”

“Wait a minute! If the nobles were to cooperate, Bell and Rango would start up a trading company!”

At these words, everyone began to get seriously impatient for the first time.

The merchants’ advantage over Bell and Rango was how to transport the dragons and where to sell them.
They had thought the two would never have the means to do anything about it, but they were in for a rude awakening.

It was painful that the merchants had wasted their time and effort to go to such a remote area, but most of all, it was painful that they were going to lose their profit.

If they had nodded their heads when asked for a hundred platinum coins instead of being so stingy, they would have all gained a huge profit of one to two platinum coins.

“…Oh, that can’t be…”

“What are our options? Even with that number of wagons, they would most likely have carried it in two batches anyway.
Should we apologize and ask them to let us carry it together?”

The two merchants turned pale.

What they feared was the loss of their own status as merchants.
The three men, all veterans of the Mary Merchant Association, took Rango up on his incredible offer and asked the chairman of the merchant association to arrange a caravan.

The delivery of forty armored lizards.

This was the condition for moving the caravan.
But because of their greed, they ended up returning to the city with nothing on board.

Who would give such an explanation to the Chairman of Commerce?

“…Bell and Rango trampled on the goodwill of the Chairman of the Board of Trade.
That is what I will tell the Chairman of Commerce.
They have deceived us.”

The oldest merchant mutters this, and the other two blinks at him.

“Hey, can you convince them of such a story?”

“At the very least, we need to carry some armored lizards…”

“The current Chairman of Commerce is that Diane-sama.
I don’t think she will punish us so clearly yet.”

The merchants relax their shoulders a bit at the name of the newly-replaced chairman of the Mary Chamber of Commerce.

“But, but Cactus-sama is staying behind as an advisor, you know.”

The older merchant nodded as he added that.

“Cactus-sama would never allow it, but that man also has a soft spot for his daughter.
If Lady Diane decides, it will probably not be overturned.
Besides, even if they quit, if Bell and Rango, former merchant members, delivered the dragon, they would be involved in the profit even if they wanted to twist it.”

“I see…with the help of Cactus-sama…”

The three of them had such an exchange, and in the end, they continued to watch the transport of the dragons without doing anything.