*

　Tyria was waiting for Crono in his office on the top floor of the Elakis mansion, grumpily.

'So, what do you want?'
You've grown rather brazen, haven't you? If it weren't for you, I'd have you put to death for impudence. I-I don't want to see that.

　Her cheeks flushed with vermilion, and Tilia cleared her throat.

''........The Marquis of Erakis' replacement has been selected.

　With a grin, Tyria gave a wicked grin, as is typical of the royal family.

'It's you, Crono,'
What about Baronet Crawford?
'No problem. Baron Crawford will be able to remain on active duty for a while, and if the need arises, we can have a deputy.

　Do you want to create a faction?　Crono looked at Tilia, who nodded in satisfaction.
　The current emperor of the Cepheus Empire has two sisters with his rightful wife and one boy with his concubine.
　The rightful heir to the throne is Tilia, but there is a faction that promotes the concubine's son.
　I don't know how powerful the faction that should be called the Anti-Tilia Faction is, but Tilia probably wants to keep as many allies as possible on her side.
　It's annoying.
　More and more, I feel like I'm moving away from the peaceful life I had envisioned as a frontier nobleman.
　But even though I didn't make it in time, Tilia came to help me with reinforcements, and she's also taken care of my men.

'What do you think, Crono?'
All right. So, how much do you get for your budget?
There is none.

　Clearly, Tilia stated.

''Well I guess I didn't hear it right?　Your Highness I would like to ask you to provide us with some immediate funds to take over the Marquess of Erakis?
''So, no. After all, I gave Crono the Marquess Domain on my own accord. I can't set up a special budget from now on, and I can't lend him a loan from the treasury. But the funds to maintain the army will be paid monthly, so you can rest assured of that.
So I guess we'll have to rely on the Marquis of Erakis' vault.
'I paid severance pay to a servant who fired a bunch of people and there's not a single copper coin left in the vault.

　Come on!　And Crono was shocked as if he had been hit with a blunt object.

'How do you expect me to run a fiefdom without any money?
"It's a shameful thing for an Imperial nobleman to worry about money all the time. You should be a little more proud of yourself as a nobleman.
If I could live off the haze, I'd be proud of it. Anyway, I'll find my own budget for the time being.

　Crono let out a sigh and left the office.

*

General, where do you want this statue to go?
Just lay it out in a random order for me to see.

　'Heh,' the deputy replied with an interminable reply and placed the statue on the hall floor.

'Is that the last one?'
"Hey, this is the last statue that was in the treasury.
But you've been hoarding a lot, haven't you?

　I said, and Crono looked at the art and magic items that filled the hall.
　A life-sized nude statue of a nude woman carried by a deputy, an expensive looking vase and painting, an assortment of weapons that look magical or venerable, and something that looks like a magic item.

'I'm sorry, guys,'

　Crono called out to his subordinate sub-humans.
　There were eight sub-humans under him, including his second-in-command.......two werewolves with white and gray hair, one man lion with a golden mane, one lizardman and one minotaur, one dwarf, and finally, Layla.
　

''General, what do we do with this?
'I hope you won't tell me until I officially announce that I'm going to rule the Marquess of Erakis.

　Oh~, the eight men shouted out.

''That's fine, but we have no funds for our activities at all.......We've decided to sell off the property of the Marquis of Erakis.

　''Oh~,'' the eight subordinates shouted disappointedly.

''.........General.''
You don't have to tell me. Of course, I want to act like a nobleman so that everyone can be proud of me, but I don't have the money to pay the Marquis of Erakis for his clothes. But if I don't have the money, I can't even pay the Marquis of Erakis for the clothes he wore.

　With a pop, the deputy tapped Crono on the shoulder to comfort him.

'So, I'll make an inventory first. Leila!
Yes, Mr. Crono.

　Crono handed Leila a board with paper on it, an ink pot and a quill.

'I'll give you a name as you see fit, write that name down.
Excuse me, Master Crono?

　Leila called out to Crono with a puzzled look.

'What's wrong?'
"General, Leila doesn't know how to write.

　When Crono shifted his gaze to his second-in-command, he looked awkwardly to the side.

'I'm sorry I can't help you,'

　Crono took the writing utensils from Leila and went to the statue at the far end.

'Number one, the nude statue ... number two, the vase.

　　It's all the jars that I would say.

' ... twenty, ah, Paul Axe?
'Master Crono, it seems to have been given a magical power.

　Crono said with a tilt of his head, and Leila said with a bit of pride.

'What effect?'
I'm sorry, sir, not that much.

　Hmm~, Crono looked at the pole axe.
　The length of the pole axe would be just under three meters.
　The metal handle is also metal, reminiscent of the tin cane from Kiyomizu temple where you went on a school trip to junior high school.

Mino-san, can you hold it?
That's about right.

　Saying, the deputy lightly lifted the poleaxe.

'Well then, this is Mino's.'
"General, are you crazy?
If it's a weapon, why don't we put it to good use?

　I'll try to sell it, but it'll be a quick leg up...'' Crono looks coldly at his deputy, who shudders in admiration.

''Next........glass?　No, crystal?
It's an item that allows you to talk to someone far away.

　When Crono picked up the transparent spheres contained in the wooden box, Leila immediately answered.
　Inside the crate, there are twenty or so transparent spheres.

''What's the effective distance?''
I'm sure ... it could have been used anywhere in Hachel.

　Crono handed the sphere to his subordinate, saying that it could be used to communicate with his men.

'I'll give it to you as a means of communication and now the bow.

　Crono picked up the bow and looked at it carefully.
　Apparently, this bow was made from a combination of multiple materials.

''It's a.......synthetic bow. It's a bow that has quite a bit of range, but the manufacturing method is kept secret.''

　It was the dwarven centurion who answered.
　It seemed that the standard course for dwarves living in the Cepheus Empire was to acquire skills as craftsmen in one way or another before joining the army.

''Can you mass-produce them?''
...if only I had a workshop.
I'll raise the money to build the workshop, so set up a mass production system.

　At any rate, Crono handed the dwarf a synthetic bow.

It doesn't appear to be enchanted.
Technically, it doesn't sound like much of a stretch, does it?
So how much are we talking about?

　'Mmmm,' Crono snorted as he joined Leila and the dwarf.

'Master Crono, we are not merchants.
''If we don't know what the right price is, they'll buy it for a couple of bucks. We'll figure out the selling price later, but let's complete the inventory first.

　Vase, vase, vase, plate, plate, plate, painting, painting ... a mallet of hidden magic power to a lizardman centurion ... a great sword of magical power to a man lion ... And any armor and swords that might be used are returned to the treasure room.

Two hundred pots, three hundred plates, fifty paintings, ten large sculptures and fifty small sculptures, for a total of six hundred and ten... I must have accumulated a lot of work.

　By the time Crono finished his inventory, the sun had finished its day's work and was about to set.

*

　The Pyx Chamber of Commerce is a large merchant association with branches throughout the Cepheus Empire.
　Nicolas, who is in charge of the branch of the Marquis of Erakis, is an old merchant member, but his talents as a merchant were poor.
　Although he had spent more than twice as much time as anyone else to get to his current position, Nicolas himself thought that he would never be able to rise further in his career.
　In short, the Marquis of Erakis branch was like a penal colony for people like Nikola.
　Nevertheless, Nicola did not corruptly and diligently perform the work of the Chamber of Commerce.
　He didn't discriminate against any partner and properly took care of his apprentice merchant members.
　It was almost dusk when a noble-looking young man and a half-elf woman came to Nicola's door.
　The aristocratic-looking young man would be no more than twenty years old.
　He had a lean build and a large scar from the right forehead to the cheek, probably from the war.
　His eyelids were closed, and he had apparently lost the sight in his right eye.
　The half-elf woman was maybe over twenty years old.
　However, it's dangerous to judge their age based on their appearance alone, since they are the blood of elves who are said to live nearly twice to five times as long as humans.
　This one is smartly built........a little undernourished and dressed shabbily.
　A nobleman and his prostitute, or perhaps a prostitute he bought for fun.

What can I do for you?
"I want this girl to mend her clothes.

　When Nicola responded with a sales smile, the aristocratic-looking young man said bluntly.

Then how do you like our clothes?

　Nicola held out a deep indigo skirt that could be mistaken for black, a beige tunic, and a vest of the same color as the skirt.

'Would you mind if I tried them on?'
Yes, this will be your fitting room. Vell, show our guest here.

　Nicola called the apprentice merchant member, Vel, and had him show the half-elf woman around.

'How much will it cost?'
Yes, that'll be five gold pieces.

　I thought he was going to be bargained for, but the young man handed the price to Nicola.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

"....shopkeeper, can I have a word with you?
What is it?
To tell you the truth, I've been ordered by a very important person to sell some art. I'm having a hard time finding the right price.

　Haha, Nicola felt as if she had touched on one of the reasons for the young man's good money.
　Perhaps the young man was a subordinate of the Marquess of Erakis's protégé.

''If it's okay with me, I'll be happy to discuss it with you?
Oh, right!

　In less than an hour, Nicola regretted her decision to consult with the young man.
　He had been asked to appraise more than six hundred items, and the actual sale was scheduled for the next day.

*

　The next day, Nicolas left the branch in the hands of his trusted subordinates and went to the Marquis de Erakis mansion with apprentice merchant member Vel.
　Suddenly, Vell began to speak as they pulled the carriage into the grounds of the Marquis of Erakis' mansion.

''Branch Manager, Branch Manager!''
What is it?
We're not gonna get killed, are we?

　Huh?　And Nicola sounded bareheaded at Vel's words.

'Like I don't have any more use for you now that I know the market!
I don't think so.

　I split up with my subordinates and held up a box full of gold coins and entered the hall to find a large number of sub-humans and humans.
　The sub-humans stood around the hall, and the humans..............................the leading merchants of the Marquis of Erakis.

''Nah, what is it?　I mean, is there going to be an executioner standing on that platform?
Shut up for a minute.

　After a while, the young man of yesterday stood on the platform.

'Gentlemen, I am Crono Crawford. I have been entrusted with the governance of the Marquess of Erakis.

　The young man Mr. Crono broke off the words.

I am going to sell off the remaining property of the Marquis of Erakis to fund my future endeavors. You will all be familiar with the method I have in mind... bidding!

　A ridiculous aristocrat, said Nicola, looking at Mr. Crono with a half-amused, half-impressed look.
　Perhaps Mr. Crono had approached someone else besides Nicola.
　It would seem to be a good idea to sell to the merchant with the highest price, but Mr. Crono is aiming to raise the price further by adopting the method of bidding.
　Even if they don't sell, it's impossible for him to reel in two or three pounds now that he understands the market price.

'First of all, a statue of a nude woman made by a sculptor from a group of free city-states in the north!　We'll start with four hundred gold coins!
Four hundred and ten!
Four hundred and thirty!
Five hundred!
Sold!
Next, a hundred-year-old Sadar ware vase!

　At first, they were calm in their dispatch, but whether it was the heat of the moment, Mr. Crono's good agitation, or the psychology of wanting to sell face to the new ruler, the bids were sold for more money than Nicola had expected.
　The auction lasted for two days, and Nicola and the others were forced to sleep in the Marquis' mansion.
　They were allowed to go out, but conversations between merchants ... possible collusion ... were prohibited.

We didn't get much of that.
Well, it's not much of a stretch, sir.

　Nicola replied to Vel's words without effort.
　There was a surplus of money, but that was because Nicola was too bullish to attack it.
　Nicola was able to buy only sixty small items such as vases and plates.
　The high priced sculptures and paintings were bought up by another trade association.

'The Pics Trading Company!
Excuse me?

　It was at that moment that Nicola was about to get into the carriage when she was approached.

'Master Crono wants to see you,'
What do you want?
I don't know what Master Crono thinks.

　The half-elf woman replied in a puzzled manner.
　Nicola was led by the half-elf woman and stepped into the reception room on the third floor of the Marquis of Erakis' mansion.

''Hi, the Pix Chamber of Commerce,''
My name is Nicola.
Nicola, make yourself comfortable.

　Nicola sat down on the superior sofa and confronted Mr. Crono.
　What a young man he is, he seems to be everywhere.
　To say the least, he seems like a good-natured guy.

''How did the bidding go?''
I'm sure the Chronosphere knows the outcome.

　Yes, said Mr. Crono with a big smile on his face.
　You can't help but laugh at the fact that you have earned more than 30,000 gold coins in just two days.
　Nicolas was looking at 20,000 gold coins.
　Nicola swore in her mind that this young man had done this to her.

'What do you want from me?'
'That's the thing, but rather than the Pix Trading Company I thought I'd ask Nicola to be your errand boy.

　Huh!　And Nicola involuntarily lifted herself off the sofa.

'Why me?'
Because of the service.

　Mr. Crono smiled and glanced at the half-elf woman.
　Judging from the fact that the half-elf woman's cheeks were shyly stained, it seemed that the assumption that she was an amorous woman was not wrong.

'Food for the soldiers, for starters?　Roughly six hundred and fifty men, how much is that?
Yeah, in that case.

　Mr. Crono nodded with satisfaction as Nicola explained the price of wheat and offered a sum of money.

'At that price, how about a five-year contract?　When we have more subordinates, it's like we're going to increase the amount based on that amount.
'Then ... wouldn't it be my loss during a bad crop?

　Nicola almost nodded, but quickly stopped to think about it.
　Dangerous, dangerous.
　Despite his good-natured air, this young man is strong.

''But it pays off when there's a good harvest, doesn't it?''
Now the market is ... average, if you can call it that.

　Nicola quickly recalculated that stockpiling wheat during a bumper harvest would reduce the risk, and she quickly recalculated.
　Then.

As long as you can keep the quantity and the quality above a certain level, we won't say anything about May.

　Mr. Crono added, as if he could see through Nicola's thoughts.

''I understand. But still, is Mr. Crono really a nobleman?''
If I could turn around and run a fiefdom, I would.

　This man is not normal, Nicola corrected her impression again.

*

'The proceeds from the auction were 30,000 pounds of gold, and the unpaid salary was 6,000 pounds of gold, so there are 24,500 left. The tax is not due until October, so there's plenty of time for that.　But we have to build a workshop, too.

　I have to collect servants, and it's hard to do everything by myself, Crono said as he plopped down on his desk.

''I'm sorry for not being able to help you.''
Hmmm, well, it's the only way to go.

　It can't be helped, Crono replied to a pitiful, powerless Leila.
　What good will your studies do for you in the future?
　The question everyone living in modern Japan has asked at one time or another, and the answer is the circumstances surrounding Leila and the sub-humans.
　If you only wanted to live one day at a time, you wouldn't need to study.
　But if you look ahead to five or ten years from now, you'll need a minimum amount of study.
　Immediately, Crono made up his mind and wrote twenty-six letters, similar to the alphabet, on a piece of paper.
　The grammar of the language used in the Cepheus Empire is the same as English, the only difference is that the pronunciation is spelled as it is.

"...Master Crono, will you not make love to me tonight?
Leila, sit down.

　Standing up, Crono sat a bewildered Leila down in a chair.

'Um, this,'
'I'm going to start teaching you letters and arithmetic tonight. I don't think you know what you need to study for now. But for Leila in five or ten years I want you to learn letters and arithmetic for you in a hundred years.

　If Leila asks for it, it's love to respond to her request.
　But I think it's also love to think about Leila's future.