Otoko Nara Ikkokuichijou no Aruji o Mezasa Nakya, ne?

Year 7443, Month 8, Day 21

Today is Wednesday so it"s the day we have off. Normally I"d take Zulu along as escort while practicing magic on the 1st floor or earning some experience points but it seems my plans for today are going to change a bit. After eating breakfast and just as I was about to head out to my usual stuff fully equipped at Boil Manor. There was a knock on the door and after looking outside the apprentice of Boil Manor informs me of a visitor.

I don"t have any ideas as to who it is but it might be another person who wants to join my party that"s increased in number recently. Nevertheless, it might be a member of the first knight group who needs some urgent maintenance to their armor as well. I wonder if the latex in sister"s repair kit has run out?

Last month brother and the others brought me quite a bit of it when they came for deliveries so I have quite a bit of surplus, it might be good to quickly do some repairs and earn some small change, thinking that I went to the front and there was a middle-aged dwarf I don"t remember seeing before accompanied by a young Laios man who is probably a servant waiting for me. Judging from his appearance and physique I doubt he"s related to the knight group or an adventurer that wants to join my part. I wonder if he"s a person related to the finances of the knight group? Even then he doesn"t seem like he"s related to the army.

"I"m Greed but.."

I called out to him like to catch his attention.
The man turned around to face me and politely lowered his head to greet me.

"It"s nice to meet you, my name is Yohen Logflat. I run a certain store in the capital. I would like to talk with you for a bit but is it convenient for you right now?"

and said that confirming my situation.
Is this man, that I guess? Did he come to directly negotiate with me in regards to the matter of a headquarters for Greed Company? I tried Identifying him and he"s the head of Sub-Baron Logflat family. His level is 10 which is decently high but he"s already 45 years old. I guess he misunderstood I was looking at the Laios man next to him when I glanced to his side to check the identify window but Sub-Baron Logflat opened his mouth again.

"Ah, this person is my guard and slave. Please don"t mind them."

I see, so he"s bringing around a combat slave as a guard? I thought the capital and it"s surroundings were safe but since I"ve never seen the head of a n.o.ble family walking around in the middle of town so I wonder if this is normal? or at least I decided to think that and not worry about it. But, as expected it"s hard to think that the head of a n.o.ble family would come all the way here from the capital without an escort, so I guess it"s only obvious.

"Yes. There"s no problem with time but what is the reason for your business?"

If he has a building in a good location that he"ll offer to me I definitely want to jump at that but I don"t want him to hike up the price either. Well if it"s some plus-alpha that remains within common sense then it"s fine so I don"t mind if he hikes it up a but this Sub-Baron Logflat has a refined smile on his face and I can"t read his intentions. Among the many one-track minded people of Orth you could say he has quite the good business sense.

"Dealing with the Greed Company"

In the next moment, a voice called out from above the stairs.

"Isn"t that Sub-Baron Logflat!? Why are you in a place like this?"

It was Zenom. It seems he"s an acquaintance of this Sub-Baron Logflat. He quickl

y descended the stairs and opened his mouth again.

"What the, Al? Were you acquaintances with the Sub-Baron?"

"No, just now, he came asking for me. We"ve only just greeted each other."

"Firefreed! So you were acquaintances with Greed-san?"

If he"s an acquaintance of Zenom then I doubt he"ll say anything too unreasonable. I was almost about to chuckle. Huh? Zenom"s acquaintance? Zenom"s acquaintance in the vicinity of the capital indeed.

"Let alone acquaintances, right now I"m being hired by Greed. I think I mentioned it at the start of the year but this Greed is hiring me as an adventurer."

Zenom explains his relationship with me to the Sub-Baron and he was surprised as he says to Zenom.

"So that"s how it was! Then you, were a member of the {Slaughterers}!"

Ooh~ it seems that our name has spread around quite a bit. Recently young new adventurers come about once a week to ask to let them into my part. Though I won"t let them in.

It"s digressing a bit but when we came to Baldukk last year it"s obvious but there 5 top teams but recently I"ve heard it"s become common for us {Slaughterers} to be included as a top team as well. Though the real top teams usually find at least one low value (even then it"s over several hundred million Z) magic item per year so I think they"re a special case but while the amount us Slaughterers are making might not reach that we"re earning a stable and high amount from the magic stones we sell.

In terms of earnings from magic stones even if you added all of the top teams together it wouldn"t reach anywhere close to the slaughterers. Particularly this past half a year, there"s even more parties that look up to us, end up overdoing it, and getting wiped out so we"re profiting even more on recovering their equipment. Honestly speaking, since we"re providing this many magic stones I was worried that the market price would drop but it seems that originally the demand for magic stones was high so there was no change at all in the market price. Well even if we"re gathering a lot of magic stones, in the end we"re just eight people, I think there"s a limit to how much we"re really adding to the whole.

For a period, I was interested so I tried talking to the shopkeeper of the magic tool store about it. The change in quant.i.ty of magic stones that we"ve been carrying in compared to those produced (?) in Baldukk until now. It seems that if you were to say the number until we came was 10 then right now it"s 13. In other words we"ve increased the amount of supply be 30%. If the consumption rate doesn"t change then it wouldn"t be unusual for the sale price to decline by about 20%. However, it seems the demand for magic stones was originally high, so the sale price remains high and stable.

The magic tool shop that I"m intimate with is right on the side of the dungeon and it"s a considerably large company in Baldukk. It seems he has a route for wholesale with magic tool shops in the capital as well so he makes use of the fact that there"s no tax in the n.o.ble ranking and takes a bit of a margin while lowering it there but since there"s no dungeon in the capital and even more so there"s no monsters nearby that would provide a source of magic stones. That"s why adventurers almost never bring them in.

Almost all of the magic stones that are consumed in the capital are supplied by Baldukk. Since it"s a large city with a population of over 200,000 I"m sure the demand was originally high. Until now it"s not that even if they wanted to use magic stones they were too expensive and they couldn"t buy them, simply that the supply was too low and the places they were being sold to were already decided. In that case it seems they could be sold at an even higher price but let alone if it were a store that is doing business in them, individuals almost never use magic stones.

In other words, in most houses there"s no lighting and starting fires is done by bringing a source fire from somewhere. Of course there"s nothing like heating and cooling. You only use it when you absolutely need lightning and if it"s a clock magic tool if you use three times in a day then a low value goblin"s magic stone will last you for a bout a year.

Things in that regard Gwine was knowledgeable about. It"s not because she was born in a family of merchants, just simply because she was raised in a normal family in the capital so she understood the normal sense of values in regards to magic stones and it"s also the reasoning she was lead to by her knowledge as a former j.a.panese but putting in terms of the sensitivity of a j.a.panese person they"re bought and used almost like special cooking tools, the specialty delicacies of a region, imported food, and large devices like televisions, washers, air-conditioning, and such it seems.

If you have them it"s something to be happy about and it"s not that you can"t buy them. However you can make do with the subst.i.tutes and cheaper versions. It"s not unusual or unnatural for them to be in each household but you can"t afford to waste them and you do not. She said it felt kind of like that.

Magic stones are almost like delicacies foodstuff and electricity something is consumed but the devices that use those as fuel (?) are reasonably expensive in the first place. Unless they"re a considerably wealthy person, shop, or corporation it seems it"s hard to resolve to buying them. There"s also something you could consider the simplified or cheaper versions with lower specs but since the fuel (?) isn"t that much in circulation as well in the end you restrain from using them unless really needed. Kind of like that. I don"t know if that"s accurate but going off of Gwine"s explanation, I"m a bit discontent but it"s acceptable.

Returning the conversation.

Zenom says to the Sub-Baron who was a bit surprised after being called out to by Zenom.

"Yeah, that"s right. Although we aren"t calling ourselves that so Slaughterers is something like a nickname."

After hearing Zenom"s words the Sub-Baron,

"I see. Firefreed. Would you make a request from Greed-san for me? As a matter of fact I came to request some dealings with Greed Company."

said that. After hearing the Sub-Baron"s words Zenom said while slightly surprised.

"I don"t mind that but Al isn"t dealing in slaves."

Yeah, in regards to slaves buying is my specialty. Though I said that I"ve still only bought two. However, I can already imagine the situation. I"m sure this Sub-Baron Logflat is the owner of "Emerald Duke Crab Reception Hall" and he"s finally come to try and negotiate stocking "Saya". No, there"s doubt that"s the case!

Since he seems to be an acquaintance of Zenom, I"m sure the slaves that Zenom is talking about is s.e.x slaves. Since then I"ve brought samples of "Saya" to the "Emerald Duke Crab Reception Hall" countless times. Since I"ve always been blocked by that gentleman I wasn"t able to meet the owner. Since the quant.i.ty is minuscule I"m sure it didn"t have much of a reputation right away. I guess I"d say it took a few months to finally enter the ears of the owner.

"Sub-Baron Logflat. It"s about discussing stocking up on rubber products our company deals in right?"

I said that and,

"Yeah, that"s right. I think it was called "Saya"? It"s the one that has the emblem of Duke Rombert on it."

I guess he intends to settle the business in the lobby of the Boil Manor. Well it"s fine though.

"They"re 13,000 Z for one pack of 10. I have about 80 packs in stock right now though. I"m still not selling them to any place in Rombertia or Baldukk other than the royal family."

After I said that and the Sub-Baron made a face like he was relieved and grabbed my hand.

"It"s quite a bit cheaper than I had imagined. If possible I would like to buy all of your current stock at the price you wish. Also, I would like to discuss doing business from here on out as well but.."

Since he"s shorter than me it takes the shape of me looking down at him (My height is about 170 cm right now).

"How about we change the location..How about having tea somewhere? Zenom, if it"s alright with you then how about joining us?"

I said that and looked at Zenom. Of course it seems like he"ll come.

At a restaurant in the vicinity, I"m sipping my usual bean tea while discussing business. For the time being just as I just stated I"m selling all 80 packs with a unit price of 13,000 Z to the Sub-Baron"s Faianots Company. Ah, I still have 10 packs for my own and sample use as well, also because Toris buys about 2 packs per month as well. I"ve already prepared the portion separately.

"I can stock up roughly every three months. It takes about six months to increase the amount kept in stock. The next time should be about 30 packs at the end of next month. If I tell them the amount to increase the stock by at that time then after that they should start increasing the amount of goods delivered by the end of the year or start of the new year."

I said that and the Sub-Baron smiles while thanking me. It seems that he"ll put together the amount he wants to order by the middle of September. Our business discussion reaches it"s conclusion just like that with a calm atmosphere. Zenom was saying "Saya?" with a curious face but I said "For our luxury product that we"re directly selling to the royal family of Rombert to catch your attention, as expected of an acquaintance of Zenom, you have quite the eye Sub-Baron Logflat. You"re quite skilled at business." and he seemed to understand as he crossed his arms and nodded.

I guess he got worried since I didn"t show up on time and came to get me, Zulu walked by so I called out to him. I gave him the key to my inn and told him to bring the wooden box in a certain place, two pieces of paper in the third drawer of my desk, and the pen on my desk as well and then turned around to face the Sub-Baron again.

Selling condoms is important as well but since this is a rare connection I"ve made. I want to make good use of it.

"By the way Sub-Baron Logflat. Is it alright if I ask you something unrelated?"

I changed my expression and started talking to him.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I think I want to place the headquarters of my company along either the Bell road or Gurud roads of Rombertia"s central district. I"ve already asked Rombertia"s Takishis Company to act as the agent but it seems they can"t seem to find a good subject, and I"m a bit troubled over it. If Logflat-san has any ideas on that end I would definitely like to receive your introduction but.."

"Hm~mm.. I"m sure that anyone would want to have a store along that area after all...What kind of building are you looking for?"

"I guess so. First off the most important part is that it needs to be a residence for a family of artisans. In addition to that, a place to process rubber and a place where the water circulates well to a drainage ditch are absolute conditions. If it"s possible then a place where we can line up small products like a shop I would have nothing more to say. After that..That"s right, if I were to get greedy then if it was next to a leather merchant or tanner then it would be a big help. Since the manufacturing of rubber gives off quite a bad smell, if there were similar workshops nearby it wouldn"t stand out."

After hearing my extravgant request the Sub-Baron made a dry smile while saying.

"Ha ha, that"s quite the difficult order. However, I think it would be easier to find if you split them up into a workshop and a storefront plus residence when searching. When it comes to a workshop I"m sure you need a reasonable amount of s.p.a.ce so so if you go downstream near the edge of the town then you"ll find any number of places. The workshops for leather tanners are usually downstream as well. If you just remove the workshop condition then I think the hurdle of finding a storefront and residence will be lowered quite a bit."

I see. Splitting the headquarters up is possible as well. It seems like it would cost some money though. I"m sure it"s too late once the complaints start coming out about the smell of sulfur. There"s also the problem of gas during the sulfuration. I guess there"s no choice other than to split them up huh?

"I see, it"s just as you say. Then it seems like there won"t be any problems with searching for a workshop so it"s fine. Do you have any ideas on a building that would work as the headquarters for the company?"

"Hmn, I"m very sorry but I can"t think of any off the top of my head. Since there"s a gathering for the major companies at the end of the month I"ll try calling out to them at that time."

I say to the Sub-Baron who seems apologetic,

"No that"s not the case at all, please don"t mind it. It"s an unexpected delight that you would be willing to go that far."

and lowered my head.

Zulu came back with good timing carrying a box. I produced a proof of sales and gave it to Sub-Baron Logflat as statement of delivery and a receipt. Different from armor, the "Saya" is the same as a pig"s bowel and is treated as a contraception tool so it"s tax rate is cheap. It"s only 2% of the sale price. Just the same I had the Sub-Baron confirm the amount and then sign the receipt. It seems they came this far on a carriage so I had Zulu carry the luggage to their carriage.

After seeing off the Sub-Baron I asked Zenom what his relationship was and it seems originally they were born in the same village and he worked for him. During the time when Zenom was 12 years old and the Sub-Baron was 16 years old, in the village they lived at the time (the father of the Sub-Baron was the lord) in the Dirt Plains called Faianots Village was ambushed by the army of Devas and a lot of the residents were killed. Of course the number of people who were taken prison exceed the number killed but Zenom and Sub-Baron Logflat (at the time he hadn"t inherited family head yet so he was the second son of the sub-baron though) managed to barely escape being caught.

After that it seems the two of them were adventurers together. Everyone of the Sub-Baron"s familiy in Faianots Village were killed other than him, and it was only discovered that he was the only one remaining able to inherit the family head two years later when Rombert Kingdom once again took back Faianots village.

Zenom said his family was wiped out as well. After that, it was quickly re-occupied by Devas Kingdom again and we arrive at the present. When Rombert Kingdom took it back it seems their hidden a.s.sets were still fine in the place they were hidden so he used that as source funds to start business and since he had some connections there he ended up managing a brothel before splitting up with Zenom after a short while. Then it seems that Zenom returned to being a wandering adventurer.

Since Sub-Baron Logflat didn"t have a territory, he was still young at the time, and didn"t have the flexibility to keep the third son of a squire like Zenom  by his side, they didn"t remain together.

"Zenom, why didn"t you remain together with Sub-Baron Logflat?"

I tried asking Zenom that and,

"The Sub-Baron started his business dealing in lumber. During that time business was quite good and I helped out. But, he decided to move on to a different business with more profit. That"s why he started the brothel but at first he struggled quite a bit...And trying to get it on track wasn"t going very well. It"s not unreasonable but as expected with my wages dropped down to the bare minimum~ I had to feed my wife as well."

"Eh? You were married?"

"Yeah, around the time we started business I married a woman I got to know while being an adventurer. When the brothel started I had no money. She easily pa.s.sed away from a disease that was pa.s.sing around. Maia was a good dwarf-like woman. Even from an early age she had a long and tough splendid beard... Ah, Maia is my wife. Sub-Baron Logflat cried while apologizing to me. I think that the reason the Sub-baron still hasn"t married is he feels indebted to me. Even if I say I"m not bothered by it, he"s still single. Since the Sub-baron worried about me too much, I started to feel uncomfortable about it..so I returned to being an adventurer. I guess that was around when I was 17.."

Zenom was unusually looking off into the distance while remembering his past as he talked.

"I see..That is.."

"Ah, don"t worry about it. It"s already a story from over 20 years ago after all. Recently I rarely remember it as well."

Zenom laughed while saying that.

Today I"m not going to the dungeon.

Let"s go drinking with Zenom.

Since coincidentally Zulu is here as well, we"re all guys, it"s not bad to occasionally go drinking just the three of us.

Zenom likes alcohol but he"s weak to it and in the first place Zulu doesn"t drink though.

Drink-unication is a rule of being a salary-man.