Record of Wortenia War: Volume 5

by Ryota Hori

  And yet countries still had to fund their armies. It was essential to protect one’s country, one’s people, one’s territory... To protect what mattered most. And for a noble in charge of keeping a wary vigil over a neighboring country, this responsibility was that much heavier. It was only natural that Count Salzberg’s finances were in dire straits.

  “Figures, I guess...” Ryoma said pensively. “He’s not just watching over Myest’s and Xarooda’s borders, he’s pushing back against the monsters invading from the peninsula.”

  “From the documents I looked into...” Boltz said, “Roughly once every decade, the monsters in Wortenia stage a large attack. The ten families of the north must deploy their troops together whenever that happens.”

  “Well, damn... That’s basically the same as going to war.” Lione nodded.

  “Allow me to supplement by pointing out this land isn’t suited for farming,” Gennou chimed in. “This region has no crops worth mentioning. They produce enough to be self-sufficient, but it’s far from an abundant land.”

  “How about salt?” Ryoma asked suspiciously. “I heard a little something during my visit at the count’s place. Apparently they discovered a halite vein.”

  At least judging by the count and his wife’s appearance the other day, they didn’t seem to be in financial trouble. A noble may spend quite a bit to keep up airs and maintain their honor, but even that had its limits.

  From their clothes to the meal provided, it was clear that the count wasn’t wanting for money. His table was stacked with more food than one could possibly eat, all garnished with precious spices. That wouldn’t be possible if they were in financial trouble.

  But the truly suspicious part was the matter of the halite vein. Salt was a necessity, and while it wasn’t worth as much as precious metals, it was in constant demand. If House Salzberg did come into possession of a source of rock salt, it would be perfectly possible for them to rebuild their finances.

  However, Gennou shook his head at Ryoma’s question.

  “No... No halite veins exist in the count’s territory.”

  The way he worded it was significant. The moment he heard those words, Ryoma’s heart was gripped with a great sense of unease.

  What the hell...? If they don’t have any veins, how did they rebuild their wealth? Did they come up with some other industry?

  Ryoma’s mind explored the possibilities.

  If they found some other source of funds, why did the countess lie about the vein? Why mention salt of all things?

  A good lie was one that had a hint of truth mixed into it. Fabricating a web of lies and making it convincing is exceedingly difficult, as falsehood that wasn’t consistent with reality would just make the whole story fall apart.

  “Ah! Maybe they...” Sara then raised her voice with surprise.

  “What, Sara? Did you think of something?” Laura asked, to which Sara nodded and turned her eyes to Gennou.

  “Maybe Count Salzberg has a vein outside of their territory... within the Wortenia Peninsula?”

  “““Aah!””” Everyone raised their voices in surprise.

  Gennou regarded Sara with a composed smile.

  “Keenly observed, miss. Indeed, the count has a vein in the Wortenia Peninsula’s land, one that is kept secret from the rest of the kingdom.”

  It wasn’t an unexpected revelation, but coming from Gennou it was even more convincing.

  “Wait just a second,” Lione said, visibly shocked. “Yer sayin’ Count Salzberg owns a vein in the peninsula? Without the kingdom’s approval? I mean, it’s an abandoned land, sure, but that takes balls... If that gets exposed, his whole family’s gonna get hauled off to the gallows.”

  Before it was given to Ryoma, the nobles that were in charge of Wortenia were technically the Rhoadserian royal family. And while the peninsula was undeveloped land, that didn’t mean extracting natural resources from that land was legal. If the royal house were to learn of that, the count’s entire bloodline would die in large scale executions, even down to distant relatives and close associates.

  “He takes his greed so far I almost feel like admiring him for the sheer pluck of it...” Boltz sighed, praising Count Salzberg for his courage.

  He was very much treading on thin ice.

  “Gennou... Do you know where the vein is?” Ryoma asked.

  Gennou pointed to a location on the map that wasn’t too far from Epirus. A mountainous region ran along the base of the peninsula like a breakwater, and the spot he pointed at was on Epirus’s side of the mountains.

  “Oh, I see... Shit! No wonder they were so friendly and nice. The bastards wanted to push me into the peninsula as fast as possible.”

  Technically, the vein was on Wortenia’s side of the border, but it was a stone throw’s away from Epirus. It was on such a vague border line that even if the royal house were to learn about it, Count Salzberg could just play dumb.

  Ryoma was the legal governor of Wortenia now, but with that position he would never investigate the vein unless he knew of it ahead of time. After all, from within Wortenia, it was on the opposite side of the mountain. The bits and pieces in Ryoma’s mind all clicked into place, and Count Salzberg’s plot became clear.

  “He didn’t kill me right off the bat because he didn’t want to make a big deal out of this... If I were to die, people from the kingdom might come in to investigate the place.”

  “Yes, milord, I suspect he only welcomed you so you would enter the peninsula unaware...” Gennou nodded. “And if you were to learn about that secret...”

  “He’d just have the monsters eat me...” Ryoma said, narrowing his eyes sharply.

  “What shall you do, milord? Sakuya and I can claim the Count’s head,” Gennou proposed.

  “I don’t know about that. I feel like that might do us more harm than good right now.” Sara opposed the idea.

  “Oh? You’re against it, are you...? May I hear your reasoning?”

  “I agree that assassinating Count Salzberg will halt his plot against us, but our objective is establishing a territory in the peninsula. To that end, Epirus has to remain stable. If the assassination works we may escape the count’s grasp, but there’s no telling who might come to control this land later. At worst, it could be someone under Queen Lupis’s command...”

  They’d be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Given how cautious Queen Lupis was when it came to Ryoma, there was no telling what kind of harassment could be in store for them. Sara’s claims made sense.

  “Hmm... Your doubts are well-founded, Miss Sara. I may have suggested it a bit too lightly.” Gennou nodded at Sara’s words.

  “What do we do about the halite ore, then?” Laura asked. “Isn’t stealing it from Count Salzberg a possibility?”

  Ryoma placed a finger on his chin in a contemplative gesture.

  “I don’t know about that,” Gennou remarked. “I can’t imagine a man such as the count letting go of a source of income that easily. At worst he could even try to stop us by force.”

  “Yeah...” Ryoma nodded. “And even if we do take over the ore, we don’t have a way of selling that salt to anyone right now. It’s not something worth souring our relationship with him over, at least for now...”

  “Yeah... It’s a good source of income to have handy, but even if we do take over it, no one in Epirus will trade with us.”

  “Sounds about right. The count and the trade union are too closely connected. It’s obvious that he can pressure them into refusing to trade with us.”

  Even if they did steal the mine away from Count Salzberg, they wouldn’t have a way of converting its salt into money. It would have been a different story if they could sell it off in another city, but since they’d have to go through Epirus to get anywhere, they had no possible logistic route to do so. They could use sea trade in the future, but at present they couldn’t do anything.

  “Then how about we just let Count Salzberg handle it for now?” Laura pro
posed.

  “Are you saying we should let him do what he wants?” Ryoma asked, his expression stiff.

  No governor would be happy about letting someone else do as they please in their territory, even if they were an impromptu governor like Ryoma.

  “We mustn’t let the Rhoadserian royal house learn of this, though, or the count would certainly be culled. That would be no different from us assassinating him.”

  “I... suppose.”

  That was their biggest problem. Killing the count was fine. Be it a direct assassination from their hands or by leaking the information to the royal house... There were enough ways to see to it that the count died. But that would allow Queen Lupis to interfere.

  “We could simply relinquish the vein to Count Salzberg, and have him promise to aid us in exchange. And in the meanwhile, we prepare... Prepare to crush him. What do you think?”

  Laura’s proposal wasn’t ideal, but it was realistically feasible. The question was whether the count would agree to it.

  “I agree with Miss Laura’s proposal,” Gennou said.

  “Yeah, same... That’s probably the most realistic solution we have. Though letting Count Salzberg use us to his ends doesn’t sit well with me.” Lione agreed as well, though with some reservations.

  “I agree, Sis, there are a few parts to this plan I’m not quite pleased with... But it’s not a bad idea.” Boltz nodded.

  It really isn’t a bad idea... It would buy us time and let us prepare. The question is whether Count Salzberg will agree to cooperate with me... No, he shouldn’t be able to take that option. He doesn’t want to draw the royal house’s attention. If he has my... the legal lord of the land’s approval, he wouldn’t need to fear anything. That’d be a pretty big boon for him. It’s pretty likely he’ll go along with this... And since we can’t convert that salt into money, I guess we shouldn’t be that fixated on the vein...

  Ryoma was prepared. They’d need to gain more power than Count Salzberg first. And that didn’t mean just pure military might. Economic power, political power...

  “All right... I think this’ll buy us the time we need. We just need to use that time well to build up our strength,” Ryoma told them.

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  “So, now that we’ve decided that we’ll be negotiating with him, what will we need to do that?” Ryoma asked.

  “I think we should look for a trustworthy trade partner to work with, aside from the people we’ll be negotiating with,” Laura proposed. “We’ll need to get provisions, and possibly trade with them for the salt in the future. I think the Christof Company might be the right people here... After all, the Mystel Company did snatch away their position.”

  “I agree with Laura,” Sara chimed in. “The other eight companies are all under the Mystel Company’s umbrella. Any dealings we make with them would be leaked to the Count. The Christof Company is the only company in the union that’s detached from him. If we want to negotiate with anyone, it would have to be them.”

  The twins were, after all, the ones to look into the trade companies. They had a good grasp on the topic. Ryoma couldn’t help but be grateful for how resourceful his companions were. They were doing their all to save Ryoma, swearing their loyalty to a young man like him. This alone was a treasure that was worth more than a fortune.

  Count Salzberg... You may have the upper hand right now, but I’ll be having the last laugh!

  That emotion surged up in Ryoma’s heart, only making his determination that much stronger. He couldn’t afford to lose — because his defeat would mean the death of those that followed him.

  ♱

  The following day, Ryoma walked roughly one kilometer across Epirus’s main street, coming face to face with a tall wall. It exceeded ten meters in height, rivaling even the capital’s ramparts. This made it abundantly clear how important it was.

  Of course, trade was flourishing. The street’s width was roughly twenty meters, and it was built in a leisurely fashion. The road was paved by flagstones, allowing for a large traffic of people and carriages. All of the shops built along the road were large and respectable, with quite a few people going in and out of them.

  It was just before three in the afternoon. The sunlight was soft, making it an ideal time to shop, and indeed the people were swarming about the stores. But among them, the building Ryoma looked up at stood alone and isolated from the tumult.

  It was significantly larger than the nearby shops, a sturdy building made of stone. It had a respectable sign made of oak. It was very much a structure that exuded tradition and social status.

  All of that rang hollow, however, due to the utter lack of customers. It had a dignified exterior that was carefully maintained, but something of a filthy shadow seemed to cling to the place.

  “So this is the place... Yeah, it does look like everyone’s treating them like an enemy...”

  Ryoma compared the building to the other nearby stores. The Christof Company seemed completely detached from the tumult around it, and no one seemed to approach the place. It was as if an invisible wall separated it from the rest of the street.

  It stood opposite the main street and near the eastern gate. One would normally expect trade carts loaded with wares to be near the building. Reality didn’t quite conform with those expectations, though. And given its location, the whole affair felt extremely unnatural. It was as if someone’s enmity had tainted this business, forcing people to ignore it.

  “Yes. The Mystel Company’s been harassing the place, and the business’s administration has been on the back foot since,” Laura said. “The customers couldn’t bear Mystel’s pressure either and have been avoiding the store.”

  “Laura and I looked into the place, and apparently they’ve lost nearly all their high-paying clients... The company’s been hanging on one way or another since, owing mostly to the business talents of the company president’s daughter, Simone Christof.”

  The Malfist sisters had a grasp on the Christof Company’s situation due to their prior investigations.

  “Hmm... A shrewd woman, eh.” Ryoma ruminated.

  “Yes.” Laura nodded. “She’s been managing the company ever since her father became bedridden.”

  “Bedridden? From disease?” Ryoma asked.

  Laura shook her head.

  “From what Sara’s picked up from the people around them, he had lost his wits and grown senile after having the position of union head snatched away from him.”

  It wasn’t unheard of among people who work vigorously and upfront. The pressure of working as the union leader disappearing likely made him lose his edge. But it was still just a rumor, and he’d have to learn the truth from the people involved now.

  Whatever the reason was, the father collapsed, and his daughter, Simone, had to take over management of the business.

  “I see... Mystel hates her business and her father can’t be depended on... Yeah, I can see why she might be open for negotiations...” Ryoma whispered with a cold smile on his lips.

  He was in need of a pawn he could use. He was at a staggering disadvantage, and so he didn’t have the leisure to mind the methods with which he worked. Even if it was something as low as taking advantage of Simone’s weaknesses.

  “Very well, Master Ryoma. We’re almost at the appointed time,” Sara said, and opened the store’s door.

  Ryoma entered the Christof Company’s building, followed by the Malfist sisters.

  ♱

  Ryoma was greeted by a large entrance hall. A soft red carpet was spread over the floor. It was called a store but the building itself was likely only used for business negotiations. It was well-furnished and wasn’t much inferior to Count Salzberg’s estate.

  If anything set the two places apart, it was that the furnishings seemed to be more uniform and consistent. It wasn’t a matter of one place looking more expensive than the other. The way the furnishings were arranged was more classy and brought out their age. While Count Salzbe
rg’s estate was by no means ostentatious, it did pale in comparison to this place.

  “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Baron Ryoma Mikoshiba.” A middle-aged man standing at the bottom of a staircase greeted Ryoma. “Our acting company president, Lady Simone, is currently occupied. I apologize, but could you wait in the guest room until she’s ready to see you?”

  The man looked to be in his mid-forties. His skin was dark and tanned, and he wore a white suit. He seemed mild and amicable, but the glint in his eyes set him apart from the rest. And for some reason, a thick salty aroma wafted up from his body.

  “All right. We’ll wait, then... Could you show us the way?”

  Ryoma stepped forward, but the man suddenly stopped him.

  “My apologies, Sir Baron, but could you leave your weapon here? And I would also ask that your escorts do the same as well.”

  His eyes had an intensity that made it impossible to say no.

  “Are you telling him to leave our swords behind?!” Laura exclaimed.

  The two sisters grabbed hold of their weapons. The man’s request was a rude one. A merchant asking a noble to disarm themselves was extremely unusual.

  “These are our company’s regulations... I’m afraid that if you wish to meet the acting president, you will have to oblige...”

  The man conducted himself politely, but his body seemed to be full of unwavering conviction. This was about more than just company regulations.

  He’s got something in mind... Right, he’s wary of an assassination... They don’t trust us either... I guess that makes sense. From her perspective, it looks like one of the Count’s allies is visiting her...

  Outwardly, Ryoma seemed to be affiliated with Count Salzberg. The fact he actually wasn’t didn’t matter here; the only thing that did was that Simone thought he was.

  “Understood... Laura! Sara!”

  At Ryoma’s order, the Malfist sisters drew their swords from their scabbards and handed them over to the man. They were equally anxious to meet a person they had no reason to trust while unarmed, but their master’s orders took precedence.