Hachinan tte, Sore wa Nai Deshou!

Chapter 51

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CHAPTER 47 – ONCE AGAIN KLAUS

“In the end, we took it up.” (Wendelin)

“That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, he talked in a way that it was irrefutable for a human being…” (Erwin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

“It’s slightly off from the work of an adventurer, but it also has the benefit of being helpful for people. The conditions are promising.” (Elise)

“In that guy’s case, such exaggerated under-surface doesn’t exist.” (Ina)

“Isn’t it impossible? To want to look at such a person.” (Luise)

(T/N: The author thinks that the readers have amnesia, so he felt the need to recap the entire last chapter, since you might have forgotten it!!!)

—— RECAP START ——

We end up disputing decisively with Kurt at the negotiation table regarding the spoils obtained during the purification in the Demon Forest.

It doesn’t mean that I was particularly picking a fight with him.

It’s only that the other party couldn’t conceal his absolute hate against me.

Although he effectively put his very rude mouth to use as well, it apparently wasn’t a case to be punished for, going by Burkhart-san’s words.

『Boy, it’s because you’ve come here as adventurer.』 (Burkhart) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

However, it isn’t the social etiquette of a n.o.ble.

I guess it will turn into him receiving an evaluation of being a man who can’t read the mood.

Since Kurt won’t leave the territory much, it probably can’t even be helped that such evaluation is to be expected.

Or rather, I wonder, what will happen to him once he succeeds the peerage?

At least I don’t even plan to help him or such at all.

I have ended up thinking that it’s fine if he stays somewhere narrow-mindedly saving money.

He was probably eagerly saving money for that reason.

In the end, the negotiations safely concluded since there were dad and Klaus.

As we were leaving the main family’s mansion, since we already had no business left there, Klaus begged us to stay over a night.

Even though the negotiations safely concluded, it would be a problem if we ended up leaving the territory right away at this point in time.

Be that as it may, as far as staying in this remote place without even an inn was concerned, the choices were quite narrow.

The main mansion was the first choice, but all members, including me as well, were reluctant about that.

That was because Kurt, being the offender of causing a large dispute, was here at the main mansion anyway.

Even that gentle Elise is disliking Kurt, though I think that’s only natural.

But it wasn’t like Klaus withdrew obediently at this point either.

He voiced his opinion that it would be fine if we stayed with the branch family aka Hermann-nii-san’s family.

Apart from the intentions of the person himself, me, who had been the cause of the quarrel beginning with the inheritance of the Knight Baumeister household, had ended up staying with the branch family, which is a gathering of anti-main family members originating with the case of the Demon Forest expedition. Although Hermann-nii-san was likewise adopted into the family.

Stirring up Kurt’s heart, dad couldn’t say no in this situation either.

Klaus has a troublesome nature after all. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

Even more so than someone like that younger brother Rückner.

We headed towards the mansion of the branch family under these circ.u.mstances, but Hermann-nii-san’s wife, Marlene-sister-in-law-san, who is in fact also the top of the branch family, was unusually ahead of us.

Without hiding anything to anyone, she criticized Kurt and the main family.

Especially the remark of Kurt that something like the articles of the deceased were unneeded, excessively increased her criticism towards him.

If it’s her, Kurt, saying that the articles of the deceased of her grandfather, father and uncles are not wanted, isn’t worth to be argued with as human before even as n.o.ble.

Their articles of the dead have practically no a.s.set value.

From Kurt’s view, who is obsessive about money, he didn’t want them since it would be expensive labour to recover them.

He probably thought that we would charge unreasonable wages, too.

If such remark was leaked to the people of the branch family, they would naturally attack him.

Frankly, I have ended up wondering whether it is alright for Kurt to become the next family head.

But, I don’t have the right to open my mouth on this matter.

I gave the children of the branch family the souvenirs I originally intended to give Amalie-sister-in-law-san and her children. I spent the time telling them story of the dragon extermination after being pestered about it.

Rather than thinking about something like Kurt’s situation, this was a lot more beneficial for my mental health.

Even so, a troublesome man appeared at that time.

At the previous negotiation table, far from revealing any faults, Klaus showed an adequate appearance of admirably patching things up.

However, appearing at the branch family, which had declared its anti-main family position, with an innocent look, he requested a meeting with me.

He is a considerably sly dog after all. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

—– RECAP END —–

『So, what’s your business?』 (Wendelin)

『That is, you know…』 (Klaus)

Klaus, refusing the offered tea, abruptly started the business talk. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

『I want you to hold a bazaar.』 (Klaus)

Klaus asked us to sell goods in the territory.

『I don’t care what goods it will be. Be it clothes, accessories or even seasoning. The fief’s population is starving for amus.e.m.e.nt either way.』 (Klaus)

It is possible to support oneself with wheat as staple food through the extended farm land. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

It is also possible to support oneself by similarly planting vegetables. Meat can be hunted. Freshwater fishes can be caught in ponds, rivers and irrigation channels.

Although they aren’t very tasty as they smell of mud.

In addition there even are edible wild plants and wildly growing fruits. Since it is even possible to gather honey like the branch family does, the fief’s population basically won’t starve.

But, with salt definitely lacking, only that has to be bought by all means.

Unfortunately I didn’t discover something like rock salt even during my investigations back in the old days.

I guess that’s because this area wasn’t submerged by the ocean in history.

『Please try to consider it. With the scale of the merchant group, it’s goods for close to 800 people.』 (Klaus)

In addition to that they don’t come more than 3 times a year.

If you consider making a round trip on a mountain trail, the reality is that 4 times is impossible. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

Furthermore they are restricted in how many goods they can transport.

Putting at least priority on salt, other goods come only in a very small quant.i.ty.

However, I think it is cruel to complain to the people of the merchant group about that.

Although the market price is slightly higher than at the capital and Breitburg, they still should be completely in the red.

I have no doubt that they receive a.s.sistance payment from Margrave Breithilde for their profits.

『Frankly, it’s good that we haven’t been cut off by Margrave Breithilde-sama.』 (Klaus)

『It’s probably because of the matter with the expedition.』 (Wendelin)

The other party is Klaus anyway. This case is an open secret that is known by anyone in the territory.

Therefore I boldly spoke about the underlying reason of the merchant group coming here. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

『However, if you think about the costs… Margrave Breithilde-sama’s burden is tall…』(Klaus)

It isn’t a considerable burden if you consider the scale of the Margrave Breithilde household’s financial state, but there is still the question 『For how many years will this continue?』 remaining.

Once the population of the Baumeister territory has completely recovered and the calculated compensation for the amount of damages and losses is met, Margrave Breithilde side would consider to put an end to it.

Or, there is also the possibility of it ending up being stopped if there is a generation change.

Even without suspending the goods delivery, it is likely that the system will change in order to at least gain profits from it.

If that happens, the price of salt should naturally rise considerably.

Even for them, there is no particular reason to run a charitable enterprise.

『In this case Margrave Breithilde-sama’s position is superior, no? We have such things as hunting. Being an important n.o.ble, he might also have the arrogance of not caring about us.』 (Klaus) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

Beyond Klaus’ words there is the existence of Kurt without doubt.

As for Margrave Breithilde, he holds a bad impression of him beginning with the case of Erich-nii-san.

Furthermore, with the matter of the congratulatory gifts and such, the relations.h.i.+p has deteriorated to the degree of picking a fight.

Since Kurt never met him, that’s also a problem beyond the matter of having a good or bad relations.h.i.+p.

And this situation causes uneasiness for Klaus, who is the head of the fief’s population.If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

If Kurt becomes the next family head, will the prices of the things, brought by the merchant group, increase accordingly as well?

Or, as worst case scenario, there is also the possibility of the merchant group dispatch being suspended.

『If there is no salt, this territory will be finished.』 (Klaus)

『What did you do in the old days?』 (Wendelin)

Someone from the Baumeister household and some of the relatives of the village headmen went to Breitburg for wholesale shopping with several people.

Selling stuff like medicinal plants and pelts gathered in the territory, they bought salt with that money in return. Apparently it was a quite difficult method.

『If it’s this method, it won’t work unless it’s half of the current population.』 (Klaus)

If the population increases. the amount of goods required has to increase. If you do that, it will next lead to a shortage of hands for the farm work.

As this was a troublesome point, the previous Margrave Breithilde, as patron, increased the dispatch of the merchant group to two times a year.

After the expedition it was increased to 3 times a year also implying an atonement.

『With such concerns for the future, the fief’s population wants to storage salt no matter what…』 (Klaus)

But, even if the merchant group’s dispatch was increased to 3 times a year, it apparently doesn’t mean that the fief’s population increased their storage of salt.

It is something used every day after all. For example, if you consider the amount of salt used by a single family for 4 months.

Since the merchant group comes 3 times a year, which is every 4 months, naturally they aren’t able to provide more than the bare amount necessary.

Until before the expedition, the population gradually increased.

And now they are in the process of slowly returning to the level before the expedition.

Therefore, in the particular case of salt, the population is sold only an amount determined by the proportion of the number of people in the family.

Even if they ask a big favour of selling more, this will result in breaching the quota of another family’s purchase. It’s also impossible because there isn’t any stock anyway.

Also, in addition, even if the long-awaited merchant group brought nothing but salt, this would end up causing dissatisfaction amongst the fief’s population.

Even if it’s only a bit, there is a necessity to blend in products giving a feeling of the outside world.

Of course, the amount of salt, that can be loaded, accordingly decreases. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

『If the load of goods is increased, it won’t be any good if the manpower doesn’t increase at the same time as well and that will increase Margrave Breithilde-sama’s burden. Therefore the quant.i.ty has probably reached the limit.』 (Klaus)

During the three months of making a round trip, the merchant group is earnestly pulling the goods on a path that is nothing but a mountain trail while travelling.

Despite being the habitat of flying dragons, they rarely make an appearance on the usually used mountain trail, but there is constant need to be vigilant of bears, wolves and such coming out.

Even if they start recruitment, they aren’t guaranteed to gather manpower either.

If you consider something like the paid wages, you would reach the conclusion that the expansion of the merchant group’s size is impossible. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

『If Wendelin-sama sets up a base in Breitburg, I want you to sell goods to the fief’s population. It doesn’t matter if it’s once a month either.』 (Klaus)

『Don’t be unreasonable…』 (Wendelin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

I don’t mean that it’s physically impossible.

Because it will be fine if I transfer with teleportation storing the goods in the magic bag, it’s a rather simple request.

However it is slightly different from the work an adventurer does.

If I decide on doing such work, Kurt will only get increasingly obstinate, I guess.

『As for Kurt, I will restrain him. If the uneasiness of the fief’s population can be lessened by them being able to freely purchase goods, this will also become a benefit for Kurt-sama. I even got permission from Artur-sama.』 (Klaus)

『You already got it, eh? (Or rather, Kurt. you were on father’s side, I guess…)』(Wendelin)

This old man in front of my eyes is too cunning. It has turned into me being worried about the future of this territory all the more.

And this old man has already cut off Kurt without a doubt.

『I don’t mean that you should sell the goods cheaply or distribute them free-of-charge. Rather, please don’t do that. I don’t mind if Wendelin-sama adds profit to the market price in Breitburg.』 (Klaus)

Honestly speaking, there will be plenty of profit even if it’s the same price as in Breitburg.

In case of the other merchants, while they have the expenses of travelling for 3 months to make a round trip as they can’t use teleportation, it is possible for me to transfer instantly.

Thanks to the magic bag it is also unnecessary to place the cargo on a load carriage.

If I pay the members.h.i.+p fee for registering at the merchant guild, it should be possible to stock up quite cheaply as well.

If Margrave Breithilde got to know of it, he would probably start supporting me while rubbing his hands together since it would reduce the costs of the merchant group.

Klaus is, as usual, a man who is skilled at seeing quite well through people.

『I wondered whether you would talk about opening a shop within the territory with me being in charge of the stock.』 (Wendelin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

As single condition, I would recommend my half brothers and half sisters being in charge of store tending in order to use the possibility to denunciate Klaus with a leeway.If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

Though I will never do this. This man had scary parts.

Klaus himself is certainly aware of something like me suspecting him but he has an att.i.tude of not particularly minding it either.

『If it turns into a permanent store, it will become troublesome with the application and formalities towards Artur-sama.』 (Klaus)

『Don’t you think that the biggest problem will be the overly deep dissatisfaction of Kurt? Although it’s periodic, if it’s the merchant group they will also consider profit from the fief’s population, if Klaus persuades them.』 (Wendelin)

『Yes, it is as you say. For the time being it will be satisfactory if we perform a trial run only once.』 (Klaus)

『Ye~~~a, Elise, what do you think?』 (Wendelin)

Since the biggest reason is that it is for the sake of the fief’s population, the matter in question is difficult to refuse.

As I can’t particularly get hated by Kurt any further now anyway and if you consider the troubles in a remote area by the fief’s population, I can’t consider bluntly refusing this either.

My insides are probably influenced by me being a j.a.panese, a rare, soft-hearted race even well-known outside of j.a.pan? (T/N: Wth is this person talking about…)

Accordingly I decided to try asking Elise who will become my legal wife.

Looking at it this way, since she is the granddaughter of Cardinal Hohenheim, she sometimes gives a wonderful opinion.

『I wonder whether it is alright if we undertake a trial run first for now.』 (Elise)

In short, she seems to have the opinion that it isn’t the fault of the fief’s population.

Although there is such a part, it might be a part of her manner as saint.

Also, since it basically is a good thing, Elise added that there is no concern about my reputation falling either.

『I also think that it’s fine if you have a go.』 (Ina) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

『You will be able to gain profits with a good deed. I think that’s a good thing.』 (Luise)

Ina and Luise apparently share the same opinion as Elise.

『Erw?』 (Wendelin)

『Just a moment…』 (Erwin)

Erw calls me to a corner of the room and quietly whispers into my ear with a low voice,

『(Let me be in charge of security.)』 (Erwin)

Going by what Erw says, it can’t be already seen as anything but a weird situation where Kurt could also do anything.

Since he picked a fight with Elise, the granddaughter of Cardinal Hohenheim, as well as Burkhart-san, the proxy of Margrave Breithilde, I felt this as well.

『(No matter how powerful as magician you are, Wend, there are many ways of a.s.sa.s.sination.)』 (Erwin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

He could put poison into something I will eat or he could even shoot an arrow, smeared with lethal poison, that will give me an instant death even if it’s only a small arrow wound.

And, Kurt has the ability to carry it out.

『(That man gives the impression of abandoning the entire fief’s population at a glance, but we don’t know about such things. Even if he is some kind of idiot, there are crazy believers. Since he hasn’t been yet abandoned by your old man either, he might give his subordinates a ridiculous order.)』 (Erwin)

It is something I heard from Erich-nii-san just a little while ago, but those are probably the inhabitants of the original village, who are descendants of the early immigrants?

With them being a quite conservative lot, they have apparently become Kurt’s support.

Even in my case, they might plan to the extent of rebelling against the disturbance of the system of the eldest son inheriting.

『(Therefore, create an obligation of grat.i.tude by selling goods to the fief’s population.)』 (Erwin)

Even if Kurt plans something, it will become possible to obstruct that.

If the fief’s population’s viewpoint is like that, it would also have the advantage of restricting Kurt’s group.

『(To the very end it is a possibility, however that possibility isn’t low.)』 (Erwin)

Erw stated his opinion from the standpoint of being in charge of guarding me.

『(At any rate, it’s pointless to not be concerned with this territory until we finish the request.)』 (Wendelin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.

Today we stay here. Once we finish the request in the Demon forest, it should be indispensable to stay here for a few days in order to sort the articles of the deceased.

At the end it will our be our task to bring the money to be paid to the feudal lord.

『(Understood. Undertake it.)』 (Erwin)

Thus, even while there was only short time until dinner, we decided to open a bazaar at the request of Klaus.

 

 
"In the end, we took it up." (Wendelin) 
"That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, he talked in a way that it was irrefutable for a human being..." (Erwin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.
"It"s slightly off from the work of an adventurer, but it also has the benefit of being helpful for people. The conditions are promising." (Elise) 
"In that guy"s case, such exaggerated under-surface doesn"t exist." (Ina) 
"Isn"t it impossible? To want to look at such a person." (Luise) 
◆◇◆◇◆
(T/N: The author thinks that the readers have amnesia, so he felt the need to recap the entire last chapter, since you might have forgotten it!!!) 
 RECAP START  
We end up disputing decisively with Kurt at the negotiation table regarding the spoils obtained during the purification in the Demon Forest. 
It doesn"t mean that I was particularly picking a fight with him. 
It"s only that the other party couldn"t conceal his absolute hate against me. 
Although he effectively put his very rude mouth to use as well, it apparently wasn"t a case to be punished for, going by Burkhart-san"s words. 
Boy, it"s because you"ve come here as adventurer. (Burkhart)  If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.
However, it isn"t the social etiquette of a n.o.ble. 
I guess it will turn into him receiving an evaluation of being a man who can"t read the mood. 
Since Kurt won"t leave the territory much, it probably can"t even be helped that such evaluation is to be expected. 
Or rather, I wonder, what will happen to him once he succeeds the peerage? 
At least I don"t even plan to help him or such at all. 
I have ended up thinking that it"s fine if he stays somewhere narrow-mindedly saving money. 
He was probably eagerly saving money for that reason. 
In the end, the negotiations safely concluded since there were dad and Klaus. 
As we were leaving the main family"s mansion, since we already had no business left there, Klaus begged us to stay over a night. 
Even though the negotiations safely concluded, it would be a problem if we ended up leaving the territory right away at this point in time. 
Be that as it may, as far as staying in this remote place without even an inn was concerned, the choices were quite narrow. 
The main mansion was the first choice, but all members, including me as well, were reluctant about that. 
That was because Kurt, being the offender of causing a large dispute, was here at the main mansion anyway. 
Even that gentle Elise is disliking Kurt, though I think that"s only natural. 
But it wasn"t like Klaus withdrew obediently at this point either. 
He voiced his opinion that it would be fine if we stayed with the branch family aka Hermann-nii-san"s family. 
Apart from the intentions of the person himself, me, who had been the cause of the quarrel beginning with the inheritance of the Knight Baumeister household, had ended up staying with the branch family, which is a gathering of anti-main family members originating with the case of the Demon Forest expedition. Although Hermann-nii-san was likewise adopted into the family. 
Stirring up Kurt"s heart, dad couldn"t say no in this situation either. 
Klaus has a troublesome nature after all. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.
Even more so than someone like that younger brother Rückner. 
We headed towards the mansion of the branch family under these circ.u.mstances, but Hermann-nii-san"s wife, Marlene-sister-in-law-san, who is in fact also the top of the branch family, was unusually ahead of us. 
Without hiding anything to anyone, she criticized Kurt and the main family. 
Especially the remark of Kurt that something like the articles of the deceased were unneeded, excessively increased her criticism towards him. 
If it"s her, Kurt, saying that the articles of the deceased of her grandfather, father and uncles are not wanted, isn"t worth to be argued with as human before even as n.o.ble. 
Their articles of the dead have practically no a.s.set value. 
From Kurt"s view, who is obsessive about money, he didn"t want them since it would be expensive labour to recover them. 
He probably thought that we would charge unreasonable wages, too. 
If such remark was leaked to the people of the branch family, they would naturally attack him. 
Frankly, I have ended up wondering whether it is alright for Kurt to become the next family head. 
But, I don"t have the right to open my mouth on this matter. 
I gave the children of the branch family the souvenirs I originally intended to give Amalie-sister-in-law-san and her children. I spent the time telling them story of the dragon extermination after being pestered about it. 
Rather than thinking about something like Kurt"s situation, this was a lot more beneficial for my mental health. 
Even so, a troublesome man appeared at that time. 
At the previous negotiation table, far from revealing any faults, Klaus showed an adequate appearance of admirably patching things up. 
However, appearing at the branch family, which had declared its anti-main family position, with an innocent look, he requested a meeting with me. 
He is a considerably sly dog after all. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.
RECAP END 
So, what"s your business? (Wendelin) 
That is, you know... (Klaus) 
Klaus, refusing the offered tea, abruptly started the business talk.  If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.
I want you to hold a bazaar. (Klaus) 
Klaus asked us to sell goods in the territory. 
I don"t care what goods it will be. Be it clothes, accessories or even seasoning. The fief"s population is starving for amus.e.m.e.nt either way. (Klaus) 
It is possible to support oneself with wheat as staple food through the extended farm land. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.
It is also possible to support oneself by similarly planting vegetables. Meat can be hunted. Freshwater fishes can be caught in ponds, rivers and irrigation channels. 
Although they aren"t very tasty as they smell of mud. 
In addition there even are edible wild plants and wildly growing fruits. Since it is even possible to gather honey like the branch family does, the fief"s population basically won"t starve. 
But, with salt definitely lacking, only that has to be bought by all means. 
Unfortunately I didn"t discover something like rock salt even during my investigations back in the old days. 
I guess that"s because this area wasn"t submerged by the ocean in history. 
Please try to consider it. With the scale of the merchant group, it"s goods for close to 800 people. (Klaus) 
In addition to that they don"t come more than 3 times a year. 
If you consider making a round trip on a mountain trail, the reality is that 4 times is impossible. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.
Furthermore they are restricted in how many goods they can transport. 
Putting at least priority on salt, other goods come only in a very small quant.i.ty. 
However, I think it is cruel to complain to the people of the merchant group about that. 
Although the market price is slightly higher than at the capital and Breitburg, they still should be completely in the red. 
I have no doubt that they receive a.s.sistance payment from Margrave Breithilde for their profits. 
Frankly, it"s good that we haven"t been cut off by Margrave Breithilde-sama. (Klaus) 
It"s probably because of the matter with the expedition. (Wendelin) 
The other party is Klaus anyway. This case is an open secret that is known by anyone in the territory. 
Therefore I boldly spoke about the underlying reason of the merchant group coming here. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation. 
However, if you think about the costs... Margrave Breithilde-sama"s burden is tall... (Klaus) 
It isn"t a considerable burden if you consider the scale of the Margrave Breithilde household"s financial state, but there is still the question For how many years will this continue? remaining. 
Once the population of the Baumeister territory has completely recovered and the calculated compensation for the amount of damages and losses is met, Margrave Breithilde side would consider to put an end to it. 
Or, there is also the possibility of it ending up being stopped if there is a generation change. 
Even without suspending the goods delivery, it is likely that the system will change in order to at least gain profits from it. 
If that happens, the price of salt should naturally rise considerably. 
Even for them, there is no particular reason to run a charitable enterprise. 
In this case Margrave Breithilde-sama"s position is superior, no? We have such things as hunting. Being an important n.o.ble, he might also have the arrogance of not caring about us. (Klaus) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation. 
Beyond Klaus" words there is the existence of Kurt without doubt. 
As for Margrave Breithilde, he holds a bad impression of him beginning with the case of Erich-nii-san. 
Furthermore, with the matter of the congratulatory gifts and such, the relations.h.i.+p has deteriorated to the degree of picking a fight. 
Since Kurt never met him, that"s also a problem beyond the matter of having a good or bad relations.h.i.+p. 
And this situation causes uneasiness for Klaus, who is the head of the fief"s population. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.
If Kurt becomes the next family head, will the prices of the things, brought by the merchant group, increase accordingly as well? 
Or, as worst case scenario, there is also the possibility of the merchant group dispatch being suspended. 
If there is no salt, this territory will be finished. (Klaus) 
What did you do in the old days? (Wendelin) 
Someone from the Baumeister household and some of the relatives of the village headmen went to Breitburg for wholesale shopping with several people. 
Selling stuff like medicinal plants and pelts gathered in the territory, they bought salt with that money in return. Apparently it was a quite difficult method. 
If it"s this method, it won"t work unless it"s half of the current population. (Klaus) 
If the population increases. the amount of goods required has to increase. If you do that, it will next lead to a shortage of hands for the farm work. 
As this was a troublesome point, the previous Margrave Breithilde, as patron, increased the dispatch of the merchant group to two times a year. 
After the expedition it was increased to 3 times a year also implying an atonement. 
With such concerns for the future, the fief"s population wants to storage salt no matter what... (Klaus) 
But, even if the merchant group"s dispatch was increased to 3 times a year, it apparently doesn"t mean that the fief"s population increased their storage of salt. 
It is something used every day after all. For example, if you consider the amount of salt used by a single family for 4 months. 
Since the merchant group comes 3 times a year, which is every 4 months, naturally they aren"t able to provide more than the bare amount necessary. 
Until before the expedition, the population gradually increased. 
And now they are in the process of slowly returning to the level before the expedition. 
Therefore, in the particular case of salt, the population is sold only an amount determined by the proportion of the number of people in the family. 
Even if they ask a big favour of selling more, this will result in breaching the quota of another family"s purchase. It"s also impossible because there isn"t any stock anyway. 
Also, in addition, even if the long-awaited merchant group brought nothing but salt, this would end up causing dissatisfaction amongst the fief"s population. 
Even if it"s only a bit, there is a necessity to blend in products giving a feeling of the outside world. 
Of course, the amount of salt, that can be loaded, accordingly decreases. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation. 
If the load of goods is increased, it won"t be any good if the manpower doesn"t increase at the same time as well and that will increase Margrave Breithilde-sama"s burden. Therefore the quant.i.ty has probably reached the limit. (Klaus) 
During the three months of making a round trip, the merchant group is earnestly pulling the goods on a path that is nothing but a mountain trail while travelling. 
Despite being the habitat of flying dragons, they rarely make an appearance on the usually used mountain trail, but there is constant need to be vigilant of bears, wolves and such coming out. 
Even if they start recruitment, they aren"t guaranteed to gather manpower either. 
If you consider something like the paid wages, you would reach the conclusion that the expansion of the merchant group"s size is impossible. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation. 
If Wendelin-sama sets up a base in Breitburg, I want you to sell goods to the fief"s population. It doesn"t matter if it"s once a month either. (Klaus) 
Don"t be unreasonable... (Wendelin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation. 
I don"t mean that it"s physically impossible. 
Because it will be fine if I transfer with teleportation storing the goods in the magic bag, it"s a rather simple request. 
However it is slightly different from the work an adventurer does. 
If I decide on doing such work, Kurt will only get increasingly obstinate, I guess. 
As for Kurt, I will restrain him. If the uneasiness of the fief"s population can be lessened by them being able to freely purchase goods, this will also become a benefit for Kurt-sama. I even got permission from Artur-sama. (Klaus) 
You already got it, eh? (Or rather, Kurt. you were on father"s side, I guess...) (Wendelin) 
This old man in front of my eyes is too cunning. It has turned into me being worried about the future of this territory all the more. 
And this old man has already cut off Kurt without a doubt. 
I don"t mean that you should sell the goods cheaply or distribute them free-of-charge. Rather, please don"t do that. I don"t mind if Wendelin-sama adds profit to the market price in Breitburg. (Klaus) 
Honestly speaking, there will be plenty of profit even if it"s the same price as in Breitburg. 
In case of the other merchants, while they have the expenses of travelling for 3 months to make a round trip as they can"t use teleportation, it is possible for me to transfer instantly. 
Thanks to the magic bag it is also unnecessary to place the cargo on a load carriage. 
If I pay the members.h.i.+p fee for registering at the merchant guild, it should be possible to stock up quite cheaply as well. 
If Margrave Breithilde got to know of it, he would probably start supporting me while rubbing his hands together since it would reduce the costs of the merchant group. 
Klaus is, as usual, a man who is skilled at seeing quite well through people. 
I wondered whether you would talk about opening a shop within the territory with me being in charge of the stock. (Wendelin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation. 
As single condition, I would recommend my half brothers and half sisters being in charge of store tending in order to use the possibility to denunciate Klaus with a leeway. If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation.
Though I will never do this. This man had scary parts. 
Klaus himself is certainly aware of something like me suspecting him but he has an att.i.tude of not particularly minding it either. 
If it turns into a permanent store, it will become troublesome with the application and formalities towards Artur-sama. (Klaus) 
Don"t you think that the biggest problem will be the overly deep dissatisfaction of Kurt? Although it"s periodic, if it"s the merchant group they will also consider profit from the fief"s population, if Klaus persuades them. (Wendelin) 
Yes, it is as you say. For the time being it will be satisfactory if we perform a trial run only once. (Klaus) 
Ye~~~a, Elise, what do you think? (Wendelin) 
Since the biggest reason is that it is for the sake of the fief"s population, the matter in question is difficult to refuse. 
As I can"t particularly get hated by Kurt any further now anyway and if you consider the troubles in a remote area by the fief"s population, I can"t consider bluntly refusing this either. 
My insides are probably influenced by me being a j.a.panese, a rare, soft-hearted race even well-known outside of j.a.pan? (T/N: Wth is this person talking about...)  
Accordingly I decided to try asking Elise who will become my legal wife. 
Looking at it this way, since she is the granddaughter of Cardinal Hohenheim, she sometimes gives a wonderful opinion. 
I wonder whether it is alright if we undertake a trial run first for now. (Elise) 
In short, she seems to have the opinion that it isn"t the fault of the fief"s population. 
Although there is such a part, it might be a part of her manner as saint. 
Also, since it basically is a good thing, Elise added that there is no concern about my reputation falling either. 
I also think that it"s fine if you have a go. (Ina) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation. 
You will be able to gain profits with a good deed. I think that"s a good thing. (Luise) 
Ina and Luise apparently share the same opinion as Elise. 
Erw? (Wendelin) 
Just a moment... (Erwin) 
Erw calls me to a corner of the room and quietly whispers into my ear with a low voice, 
(Let me be in charge of security.) (Erwin) 
Going by what Erw says, it can"t be already seen as anything but a weird situation where Kurt could also do anything. 
Since he picked a fight with Elise, the granddaughter of Cardinal Hohenheim, as well as Burkhart-san, the proxy of Margrave Breithilde, I felt this as well. 
(No matter how powerful as magician you are, Wend, there are many ways of a.s.sa.s.sination.) (Erwin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation. 
He could put poison into something I will eat or he could even shoot an arrow, smeared with lethal poison, that will give me an instant death even if it"s only a small arrow wound. 
And, Kurt has the ability to carry it out. 
(That man gives the impression of abandoning the entire fief"s population at a glance, but we don"t know about such things. Even if he is some kind of idiot, there are crazy believers. Since he hasn"t been yet abandoned by your old man either, he might give his subordinates a ridiculous order.) (Erwin) 
It is something I heard from Erich-nii-san just a little while ago, but those are probably the inhabitants of the original village, who are descendants of the early immigrants? 
With them being a quite conservative lot, they have apparently become Kurt"s support. 
Even in my case, they might plan to the extent of rebelling against the disturbance of the system of the eldest son inheriting. 
(Therefore, create an obligation of grat.i.tude by selling goods to the fief"s population.) (Erwin) 
Even if Kurt plans something, it will become possible to obstruct that. 
If the fief"s population"s viewpoint is like that, it would also have the advantage of restricting Kurt"s group. 
(To the very end it is a possibility, however that possibility isn"t low.) (Erwin) 
Erw stated his opinion from the standpoint of being in charge of guarding me. 
(At any rate, it"s pointless to not be concerned with this territory until we finish the request.) (Wendelin) If you read this anywhere but at Infinite Novel Translations, you are reading a stolen translation. 
Today we stay here. Once we finish the request in the Demon forest, it should be indispensable to stay here for a few days in order to sort the articles of the deceased. 
At the end it will our be our task to bring the money to be paid to the feudal lord. 
(Understood. Undertake it.) (Erwin) 
Thus, even while there was only short time until dinner, we decided to open a bazaar at the request of Klaus. 
◆◇◆◇◆  
-Dear." (Marlene) 

-It"s about helping out. I know." (Hermann) 

-(Aren"t you being totally dominated, Hermann-nii-san... ?)" (Wendelin) 

-(Wend. Basically it seems to apply to all men of the branch family.)" (Erwin) 

Thus we started the bazaar, but as expected, there was an insufficient amount of hands with 5 people.  
Burkhart-san, whom I counted on as war potential, ended up leaving somewhere straight away after negotiating with Marlene-sister-in-law-san and buying as much as possible of the honey liquor he was pleased with. 
Therefore it has become the turn of Hermann-nii-san and the husbands of the branch family. 
How saddening, they are disconnected from the framework of male domination in this world. Upon Marlene-sister-in-law-san"s order, they spread a mat in an open s.p.a.ce between the main village and the remaining two villages. As I arranged the goods, I took out from my magic bag, they had the task to write the price on the wooden plates they brought. 
Everyone is helping out, even the children. 
Once the bazaar starts, they will aid with the store tending as well, I hear. 
Looking at such spectacle, it brought back my memories of helping at temple festival stalls in the summer festivals of the neighbourhood council during my childhood in my previous life. 
I am considering whether to even try making starch syrup next time. 

-It"s quite the progress for not having prepared anything beforehand." (Ina) 

-That"s owed to the magic bag." (Wendelin)  

Because anything can be stored away in large quant.i.ties, I have ended up storing away anything in large quant.i.ties for the time being. 
Once I put it away, I tentatively prevent having a mess in the storehouse and rooms. 
Hermann-nii-san appears to admire my actions as if I"m a juggler. 
On top of the mat, I place jars filled with salt, I made with magic in large quant.i.ties during my childhood. Since this is the main article, I"m setting up 100 jars filled with 10 kg. 
Also in addition, sugar, flavourings such as mayonnaise, spices such as pepper and alcoholic drinks such as ale and rum. 
The mayonnaise was made by myself before, but since it"s troublesome, I completely sold the manufacturing method and recipe to a company in the capital. 
Thanks to that, it reached the point of me regularly receiving gifts from that company. 
They are apparently thanking me because mayonnaise is a big hit. But even so, sending an unusual amount every month... Honestly, I"m fed up with it. 
Even the other n.o.bles and merchants, knowing that Elise"s hobbies are making sweets and sewing, are sending sewing tools, large amounts of different kinds of fabric, baking utensils and ingredients to us. 
Knowing that it"s my and Luise"s preference to buy and eat delicious sweets, they are sending various confections. 
Knowing that I have the same liking to read books in my free time as Ina, they are sending various books as gifts. 
Given that the mansion"s storehouse is about to burst, I was fortunate that I could stuff all of it into the magic bag. 
Of course I"m lining up those various articles as merchandise little by little as well. 

-Is it good to sell received gifts?" (Hermann) 

-I have already received their grat.i.tude and sent return gifts. It"s impossible to use all of them." (Wendelin) 

Especially the various kinds of sweets were dangerous. 
If I were to eat all of them, I would definitely get the gout or diabetes. 
Last I finish my preparations by lining up large amounts of bows and arrows I was given as gifts when they heard of my interest in archery. 
The demand for arrows and bows for hunting is high, but since there are many people who made their own among the fief"s population, I thought there will also be demand for bows and arrows made by first-cla.s.s artisans in the capital. 
Although there are various others too, I prepared suitable merchandise because it was too troublesome to label too many items with prices. 
Because I know the market price to a certain degree, we should be able to manage somehow. 
There isn"t any guarantee that those will sell either, but even if they don"t particularly sell, I will have achieved Klaus" request once we open the bazaar. 

-This is... You have my thanks for this wonderful array of items." (Klaus) 

-By the way, are father"s conditions fulfilled properly, I wonder?" (Wendelin) 

-Yes. That"s without a doubt." (Klaus) 

20% of the sales profit will be paid as tax. 
This was our obligation on this bazaar. 
In other words, if we don"t make profits, it won"t be necessary to pay any tax. 
At the start it seems that Kurt demanded for 30% of the sales to be paid. 
It would have been better to not undertake this after all, I ended up regretting it slightly. 
Since he won"t go to take taxes from the merchant group, who travels the mountain trail with 3 months for a round trip, at all, I guess Kurt showed a ridiculous greed once he heard we would do business here. 
Of course he retracted it after Klaus" persuasion. 

-Though he isn"t even able to calculate the taxes anyway..." (Erwin) 

Given that he treated Erw as hoodlum not long ago, he definitely hated Kurt. 
Not being able to read kanji and even unable to calculate, he regarded Kurt as idiot and an existence below that of a child with his only forte being sarcasm. 

-We concluded the negotiations safely there. I have returned from advertising the bazaar in the territory just now." (Elise) 

I guess that"s why everybody, taking their families along, began to gradually gather from within the territory. 

-Isn"t that too many people?" (Ina) 

-Except those working on something urgent, everybody should come here. Once they finish their work, those people will probably come as well." (Klaus) 

Klaus answers the surprised Ina. 
Almost everybody has never bought any goods from people other than the merchant group. 
Everyone, holding the money they collected until today, has sparkling eyes while arriving over here. 

-I wonder if all of them have money?" (Wendelin) 

-It"s not like they have nothing." (Klaus) 

Because they have a life of buying nothing but the appointed amount of salt and small amounts of luxury grocery goods by selling stuff like wheat, medicinal plants and unique animal materials, they have a small income compared to people in the outlying areas, but that doesn"t mean that they don"t have any savings either. 
They arrange bartering with the fellow fief"s inhabitants and are self-sufficient on food. 
Also, they occasionally buy agricultural equipment and such from blacksmiths and basic living ware from craftsmen at least . 
There wasn"t any need to have a lot of money in their lives. 

-Selling the wheat they didn"t need for eating of taxes, they have steadily saved money for years as well." (Klaus) 

-I see." (Luise) 

-It"s such rural area here." (Klaus) 

Klaus explained the financial standing of the fief"s population to Luise. 

-Well then, let"s begin soon, shall we?" (Klaus) 

As it was at last the start of the bazaar, everyone is buying the goods as if jumping at them. 
At first, in the beginning, the men collect several jars filled with salt and buy them. One by one they carry them to their houses. 
Since not everything can be procured within the territory, they earnestly consider making emergency reserves for the worst case. 

-That much isn"t cheap." (Luise) 

Currently salt costs 5 cents per kilo in Breitburg. 
In j.a.panese yen it"s around 500 yen. The market price here doesn"t change for a while. 
In the capital one kilo costs around 8~10 cents because it"s located inland. 
It seems the previous merchant group sold the salt at 8 cent per kilo to the fief"s population. 
Is that expensive? 
Is it cheap? 
Though I was uncertain about the conclusion, they completely exceed their budget if you consider the labour of transportation. 
I am able to agree with the situation of the merchant group receiving financial backing from Margrave Breithilde. 
By the way, we are selling one kilo at 5 cents.  
In Breitburg it was the price of standard salt. (T/N: You said that 8 lines ago, we aren"t that forgetful...)
For me, by transferring to the coast with teleportation and refine salt with magic there, the costs are close to free-of-charge. 
The profit ratio was terribly high. 
In fact it would be fine to sell it even cheaper, but since Kurt will be annoying if we do this, I lowered the profit ratio of the other merchandise and sold them as cheap as possible. 

-Wendelin-sama, what"s this white thing?" 

-It"s sugar." (Wendelin) 

-Isn"t sugar black!?" 

-It"s because it was purified." (Wendelin) 

I refined sugar using wildly growing sugar canes in the southern Savage Lands as ingredient at occasion. 
I ended up refining it until it became as pure white as I was used from my previous life. 

-You don"t know? Pure white sugar is a high-cla.s.s item!"  

-Oh, really? I didn"t know." (Wendelin) 

Thanks to the salt, the price of sugar was also lowered and sold. 
Even this will cost 10 cents per kilo in Breitburg if it"s the same. 
If it"s the capital, it will be around 15~20 cents per kilo. 

-I will buy it. The brats will be happy." 

Although it is fairly costly, each jar filled with sugar is selling like hot cakes as well. 
The people are buying small quant.i.ties of each stock like alcohol, spices and the other seasoning to test them. 

-What beautiful fabric." 

-It"s made of cotton, but it has been dyed in a fas.h.i.+onable colour in the capital." (Elise) 

The general goods for living and the daily necessities, which are Elise"s group"s responsibility, are selling nicely too. 
Stuff like cheap accessories, small articles, fabrics as materials for clothes, sewing tools and cookware. 
I didn"t even want to think about why there was such large amount, but the most dreadful fact is that most of them are gifts.  
Although I excluded the expensive presents, we were in fact given a large amount of cheap gifts even by merchants and n.o.bles. 
I can"t deny the aspect of them giving a powerful impact, but actually the giving side has sent them in antic.i.p.ation for us to distribute it among the employed servants. 
Of course we have also distributed it to Roderich"s group. 
But it turned into an embarra.s.sing situation with 『Master, I can"t eat this many sweets...』. 
As we are still a small family, you can even say it has an adverse effect to collect large amounts of gifts related to the degree of our attention. 

-It"s even cheaper than I thought." 

-The price is around this level if it"s at the production area of the fabric." (Elise)

Elise, who mostly knows the market price, has noticed the cheap price. As it was almost at the stocking cost, it likewise sold like hot cakes. 
With only women being the purchasers, they all will make clothes for their families and themselves. 
In addition, such things as sewing tools sold well too. 

-(Huh? It"s almost free of charge to refine salt with magic. Same for sugar as well. The remaining things are almost all gifts as well. Do we sell those at the market price?)" (Wendelin) 

If I"m right the result was almost the entire sum will become profit. 
I wonder if I should at least send a return gift with the costs to the senders for their expenses? 

-Buy me sweets, mother!" 

-Yes yes." 

-I want a picture book." 

-It"s a story you never heard. Will you buy it?" 

As the various items aren"t that different in price to the outlying areas, they sell really well. 
Although I said I wouldn"t even mind if they remained unsold, I"ve been asked whether I still got some stock in reverse. I"ve taken out supplements from within the magic bag. 

-Ebens, will you buy this set of arrows and bow?" (Ingolf) 

-Obviously. It is an item created by a professional craftsman as expected. If it"s my creation there are limits to it. Ingolf, what will you do?" (Ebens) 

-Of course I will buy it. With this I can hunt helmeted guinea fowls every day." (Ingolf) 

-Isn"t that unreasonable? It"s mostly a problem of your skill." (Ebens) 

-Shut up! After all your skill isn"t any different from mine!" (Ingolf) 

The hunters of the territory are purchasing the arrows and bows made by the capital"s artisans together. 
There also are craftsmen and black smiths within the territory, but the black smiths mainly produce things like nails, kitchen knives, agricultural tools and such. 
The craftsmen also usually focus on the daily necessities and at the most repair armours and swords. 
They made their own arrows and bows as well, but they fall short in skill compared to the first-cla.s.s artisans from the capital and Breitburg after all. 
This was the reality. 

-(The craftsmen of this territory have a monopoly in a bad meaning.)" (Wendelin) 

Since there isn"t any compet.i.tion, it seems to be okay even if they sell poor quality workmans.h.i.+p. 
There was also the big point that it was difficult for new techniques to flow in. 

-Weelll, it"s a great success." (Klaus) 

Klaus floated a smile as well since it was a situation that anything that was put up for sale successively was purchased. 
We shouldn"t be able to sell this much each time either, but as it was the first time that they could buy this many goods, the strings of the population"s wallets has been loose, I guess. 

-It"s because it"s the first time." (Wendelin) 

-That"s right. From next time on it will probably be a smaller business. By the way..." (Klaus) 

Continuously Klaus goes as far as appealing the sales and bartering on goods the fief"s population brings for liquidation and the merchandise. 
His ulterior motive is clear. 
If they only buy stuff from us as it is, it won"t only lead to the a.s.sets leaving the territory. 
If it reaches the point of us buying goods that were refused due to the influence of the transportation costs for the merchant group, it will give birth to an economical circulation. 
The fief"s population will surely start to look for products that they can somehow make into cash. 

-Hermann-sama, I believe the honey liquor of the branch family will be popular." (Klaus) 

Since that liquor was something that pleased the picky Burkhart-san, they should be able to sell it at a good price if they brand it. 
Certainly, I believed so as well. 
Or rather, it appears as if Klaus is quite knowledgeable about business too. 
Putting aside his real intentions, I can"t help but recognise this man"s excellence. 

-I"m sure Marlene will be glad." (Hermann) 

Given that the branch family has served as junior commander for generations, they want to have savings of cash after all. 
If they can meet this with their home-made honey liquor, it will be a better way of saving money than the main family"s way. 
That might be the point? 

-Taxes will be demanded by Kurt." (Wendelin) 

-By no means! I never heard about such thing as taking taxes from one"s retainer." (Erwin) 

Although I said that, it also was frightening possibility that couldn"t be denied completely. 
I guess Hermann-nii-san is also believing that it might happen if it"s that Kurt. 

-Even I would protest him doing that." (Klaus) 

Looking at Klaus saying this while expressing a dry smile, I feel like 『Kurt is probably underestimating Klaus quite a bit...』. 
However, I don"t feel any sympathy at all. 
He is no more than just a fool if he is making light of a village headman as next family head. 

-Soon it will be time for dinner, so let"s wrap it up?" (Wendelin) 

But, in the end the fief"s inhabitants didn"t leave the bazaar"s venue until it became dark. From then on it even resulted in us doing business for over 2 hours. 


◆◇◆◇◆ 


-The amount sold is amazing." (Luise) 

-Although everyone was very busy to raise this amazing turnover. By the way, where is Burkhart-san?" (Wendelin) 

-On a small walk." (Ina) 

-Oh well, that"s fine." (Wendelin) 

After dinner at the branch family we went to the room, we would stay at today, and counted today"s sales. 
The a.s.signed rooms were 3 female rooms and one male room. Currently everyone is meeting at the male room for the sake of counting. 

-A~~~n, there are too many copper coins." (Luise) 

-Luise, keep counting." (Ina) 

The serious Ina doesn"t take this kind of work as too distressing, but Luise, based on her natural character, didn"t feel anything but agony over this kind of work. 
She has plenty of ability but not the patience to keep at something for a long time. 

-Can"t we have
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