I'll make you a cup of tea.
Please.

　After Commerce Chairman Litges left with an angry shoulder, I decided to discuss future measures with my secretary, Droyer.

　No matter how disrespectful and self-serving the Chamber of Commerce guys are, it's risky to leave them struck down without doing anything.

　Droyer and I sipped the tea that we hadn't had when we had invited Litges to join us.

'Is that all right with you?　You mean, by turning away Ken and the others like that?
'That's the only place those types will look if they show the slightest pretense of being hopeful. They'll only interpret it to their advantage, no matter what.

　If you're not good at pushing, you'll be pushed to the edge.

"I'm a pretty pushy person myself, so I have to say no at the first entrance. I believe that was the best response.
Not a pushover...?

　No, Mr. Droyer, you don't have to look at me like I'm a liar like that.......?

　I'm a real pushover, you know.
　Otherwise I wouldn't have married him.

'You've rejected that jerk more clearly than ever before, but of course that's not the end of the story. Rather, it's fair to say that the fight is just beginning.

　As I've said before, when a guy who can only carry things through with intrigue like that shows up head-on, it's when the path to victory is completely clear.

There was a hint of that in his kiss. I think it was a surrender offer after all.
Surrender?

　-- 'We've already got a blade at your throats.' 'Resistance is pointless. It's not worth resisting, it's just a matter of saving your life now.
　It's like.

'It didn't sound very much like that, did it?　To me, it just looks like you're trying to slip up and suck the sweet juice as usual...?
They're specialists in storytelling, or conspiracy, or whatever. They're specialists in that kind of thing. That's the only thing they can do. Eventually, they will be able to make their hidden agendas difficult to understand.

　As if the great scholars want to use arcane jargon.

　Or maybe by doing so, they are testing the other person's intelligence.
　I wondered if they were capable of being used.

"They've only got smarts and capital. They don't have the kind of power to deal with people directly.

　Force and violence.

They try to win over as many people as they can. "These people try to win over their opponents as much as they can, because they see the inability to fight directly as power in itself. There's also a sense of superiority in knowing that you've brought them to their knees without fighting them.
It's refracted...

　There it is.
　When you try to show strength without fighting, it's hard not to get refracted.

But today they failed to bring us to our knees without a fight. Then, well, we'll have to clash.

　The clashes they do are the ones that don't involve bloodshed, and that's why they're so gruesome and sticky.

　I've spent most of my life as a soldier, so I don't like those kinds of clashes.
　I'd rather have a fight that is black and white on the spot.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that even on the battlefield, the decision is rarely a clear-cut one.
So what do you think he'll do next, chief?

　Droyer asks bitingly.

　........why is she this kind of politically oriented (?) The bite is good when it comes to the story of
　Do you think he's eager to learn?

　Well, I'm very interested in what the Chamber of Commerce is up to, too....

I don't know.
What?

　It can't be helped.
　I can't see a thousand miles with my own eyes, and I'm not a demon king.
　My vision is limited, and it's presumptuous of me to know everything about this world.

　But when it comes to the safety of my family and my hometown, I can't ignore it.

That's why I need someone to go in my place to see what I can't see.

　I clap my hands with a pang, and someone opens the door and enters the room.

''You are...!

　Droyer's complexion changed at the sight of his visitor.

'Yes, it's Selmet, the secret agent.

　The former intelligence unit of the Demon King's army was dismissed and I, who was also dismissed, begged him to work for me.

''As per Dariel-sama's orders, I have collected various information around the Chamber of Commerce. I thought that by examining these, I might be able to find out what their plans were.
Thank you, as always.

　No matter what you do, information is life.
　Whether you're fighting, running a business or just living.

　In such cases, the intelligence unit led by Selmet can be really dependable.
　After all, it was originally an agency of the Demon King's Army.

　I'm sure you'll find that the regular army's secret service is just a workhorse, and it's a lot to be relieved about.

You can't go back to the Demon King's Army?　You don't have Bashvaza to fire you guys, and the system over there has changed a lot, hasn't it?
'The only person we can call our commander is Lady Dariel. It would be a waste of treasure for us to look to anyone else for direction.

　I don't know if it's right for Selmet to say that so clearly.

　Anyway, the benefits of having these women follow me without ever having to return to the Demon King's Army are immeasurable.
　I've taken advantage of them and left the information field to them.

　Five years have passed since we met again, and Celmet is getting older and his dignity and judgment are being refined more and more.

So..........and information.........?
''Well, anyway, I've tried to gather every bit of information about the Chamber of Commerce, but that would be an enormous amount, so I've carefully selected one piece of information that I'm interested in.
Information of interest to you?
I thought it might have something to do with Master Dariel...

　The story that Selmet told me certainly caught my attention.

◆

The Chamber of Commerce and Campbell Street are close together?
Yes, sir. There have been emissaries from the Chamber of Commerce coming and going over the last few weeks.

　Campbell Street is a city not far from the village of Lax here.

　You could call it a neighboring town.

　Originally, this area is remote, and even though it's a neighboring town, it's a considerable distance away. The closest one among them was Campbell Street.

''Another troublesome name...?

　I'd like to get along with my neighbors, but that's not the case, and that's the lesson of the floating world.

　The city of Campbell, while located reasonably close to the village of Lax, is completely off the mithril transport route and does not benefit from the profits that mithril generates.

　Even so, they try to get involved in some way or another, but sometimes it's only to harass Lax Village.......
　.........well......

　

'It's so f*cking annoying, isn't it?'

　Mr. Selmet!
　I just chose the words in my mind!

Well, as a matter of fact, I've been harassed by Campbell Street more than once.

　The most memorable is the first one.
　The adventurers who were sent to us right after the retaking of the Mithril Mine interfered so much that when they failed, there was even a dueling frenzy.

　In fact, since then, there have been harassment from Campbell Street in various sizes.
　Even in the past five years, there have been countless times.

　Are you unhappy that you can't take advantage of Mithril's profits that much?
　The behavior of Campbell Street's behavior even made me feel vindictive beyond loss and gain.

I.........I'm not good with the people of that town. I've sat down with them a few times to negotiate, but they seemed to look down on me so blatantly...!

　It's rare for Droyer to be so open about her evasiveness.
　She has been working for us as a secretary for more than a year now. I've had more than one opportunity to leave her in charge of negotiations outside the village, but did I give her an unpleasant experience at that time?

'Campbell Street was the biggest town around here to begin with. I heard there were a lot of migrants from the surrounding small villages, including the poor village of Lax, which was poor at the time.

　
　The city is that large and has the capacity to accept employment.

　As a large city, it had a certain amount of pride and looked down on the surrounding cold, remote villages.
　But nowadays, LUX Village is bigger and more prosperous, and there is a remarkable influx of residents here.

　The reason for their hostility towards Lax Village may be because of this.

''It's precisely because they are such people that I can't help but feel bad that they are approaching the Chamber of Commerce.
'I thought so too, and made a careful survey of Campbell Street. And that's what I found out...!

　Selmeto says, his voice hushed.

'They seem to be trying to blaze a trail,'
The road?
The road leads directly from Campbell Street to the Mithril mine.