*

　In May of the imperial calendar four hundred and thirty-one.......Crono was looking at the fields to the south of Hachel.
　There were three fields a hundred meters on one side, one with tree branches growing out of it, and the remaining two were beet fields.
　The seeds had been successfully sown and lovely green leaves were growing out of the ground.
　Huh?　Crono tilted his head.
　Strange.
　There are two beet fields even though they were used to grow trees for paper material.

''........Mr. Sion?''
How are you doing?

　When Crono asked, Theon also tilted his head curiously.

''What about growing clover?''
Yes, it's not a problem. But there's a rumor going around that feeding clover to cattle improves their growth, and, you know, there are other things that can improve milk production. I didn't check it out that well when I tried it.

　Theon looked down and shook his shoulders, as if he was blaming himself.

'I don't understand the logic, but I guess I shouldn't worry about it.
Is that so?

　As Crono looked out into the field with Sion, there was a small click.
　When he turned around, he saw Tyga standing there, fully equipped.
　His armor was new, and two pouches were worn on his waist belt.
　The contents of the pouches are a set of first aid tools and hard bread.

"Crono-sama, we're ready to leave, that we are." (Gau)
'I'll be there in a minute. Mr. Zion, you take care of the fields and run the poorhouse.

　When I walked out to the place where the gate was along the city wall, there was one box wagon, ten covered wagons, and seven cavalrymen lined up to surround the area.
　Six of the seven horsemen were light cavalry led by Fay, and the remaining one was Leila, who had made a brilliant job change from archer to archer cavalry.
　Leila is equipped with a short machine-gun bow, which Goldie had stored in the workshop's warehouse.
　Compared to the machine-crafted bows equipped by archers, the range and destructive power are inferior to the machine-crafted bows equipped by archers, but it is said to have the power to penetrate steel armor at close range.
　I don't expect just one archer cavalryman to affect the outcome of the battle, but Leila has excellent eyesight, so she would work perfectly as a scout.
　In addition, there are forty infantry led by Taiga and ten elven and half-elven archers.

''Mmmm ... why do I have to stay home?
Tilia, do you understand your position?

　Tyria walked up to Crono and her lips twitched in frustration.

''My role is to strengthen our relationship with the new nobility.
'No, I think that's probably on the same level of construction as a relocation treatment. But if they haven't assassinated you, do you think they're swimming in use value?
Hey, you can't just sit here and tell me to assassinate me in front of him!

　Tilia's face turned red and she yelled at him.

'For the most part, you're not delirious!　Last night!　Even last night you could have been a little nicer to me.

　Tilia's cheeks tinted with embarrassment and she muttered in frustration.

'I can't wait for you to come back,'

　It was Kane who approached me next.

I won't be back for at least two months.

　As Crono said, Kane let out a deep sigh and scratched his hair.

''Why don't you leave the acting lord to Dr. Weissman or the Princess over there?

　It's Kane who says such things and does his job well.

'If you're such an industrious person, how could you be a bandit?
Don't worry about me. Just come back alive.
I'll be fine.

　It was Faye who responded to Kane's line.

'Crono-sama is mine to protect.
You got beaten up by bandits for saying that?
It will not be the same as it was then!

　Faye said, thumping her chest out on the horse.

'Come on, let's get on with it.

　Opening the door to the boxcarriage, the landlady, who was less exposed than usual, said.

'You're fired up, aren't you?'

　Crono said as he got into the boxcarriage and looked at the landlady.

'It's been a long time since I've been home, you know.
Is the landlady from the southern frontier?
I don't remember telling you. I met her husband who was a soldier when he worked at the castle. I was transferred to the Marquis of Erakis, so I chased him down and seduced him. I was also young at the time.

　Crono looked at the landlady who looked embarrassed, wondering if the two of them had built the restaurant together after struggling from there.

''Well I'm sorry I did that to your husband.
Why should you feel sorry for yourself?
We were in love for the first time in a long while and I couldn't get along with her.

　Crono stared at her and said, and the landlady's face turned red and her mouth snapped up.

'Nah, nah, what are you talking about!

　The landlady turned away from Crono.

'Come on, let's get going.'

　Crono muttered, stroking his right eye as he closed the door to the boxcarriage.

*

　The ten city-states that exist in the northeast of the Cepheus Empire, between the Bethel Mountains and the sea, are collectively called the Free City-State Complex.
　The establishment of the Free City-States dates back to the 400th year of the imperial calendar.
　At that time, the Cepheus Empire was divided into two factions, the Imperial Brotherhood and the Imperial Brotherhood, which were waging a civil war, but the ten noblemen who ruled the territory in the northeastern part of the empire did not want to join either camp.
　They only made their move after the barbarians invaded the empire, adding to the chaos.
　No, even before that, they had been making preparations behind the scenes to fulfill their objectives.
　That goal was independence from the Empire.
　But they are no fools.
　They understood that even if they controlled a key point of transportation and possessed vast wealth, it would mean nothing if they didn't have the ability to defend it.
　First of all, they pigeonholed the troops stationed there.
　However, the army at that time was maintained by the lord's private funds, so they raised the terms of employment to avoid turning to the empire and only eliminated those who were likely to betray them.
　Next, in the name of self-defense, he hired barbarians who lived in the Bethel Mountains as mercenaries to increase his strength.
　Apparently, there were not a few who rebelled because of their historical history of being driven into the Bethel Mountains at the dawn of the Cepheus Empire, but they chose to live as mercenaries to escape poverty.
　Then they declared their independence.
　They formed economic and military alliances and built up a power that was called the Free City State Cluster.
　Later, of the ten noblemen, some prospered as merchants, some took the daughters of merchants as their wives, and some fell and were deprived of their positions.
　Considering the fact that all the nobles had close ties to the merchants, it is easy to see who really wanted independence.
　Based on the above, it could be said that the sphere of influence of the economic and military alliance is the free city-state group.
　Well, these people might say that they are the free city-state cluster, but Elaine met the eleven pairs of eyes with a gentle smile.
　Yimei, the city on the eastern edge of the Free City State Cluster, was a city that had long prospered in the trade of spices and silk.
　Elaine is in a room in a mansion in the center of Ymay.
　The mansion is also the residence of Soke, a former nobleman of the Cepheus Empire and the ruler of the merchant guild in Ymay.
　A spacious room with a dizzyingly high ceiling and even a chill in the air.......A horseshoe-shaped desk is placed in the center, and Soke is seated in the center of the Free City State group, with ten men sitting solidly on either side of him.
　The ten men, including Salk, are the heads of each city-state and the guild masters who control all the merchants of the city-states.
　Although there are differences in the products they handle, what they do is basically the same.
　They surround the artisans and control the merchants, setting the prices of their goods in the name of coexistence and co-prosperity, and exiling any artisans and merchants who disobey them in any way possible.
　That's what the guildmaster of the merchants' guild is like.
　By the way, there is no seat for Elaine.
　Elaine is not the head of the city-state, and it seems that the theory is that even if you say guild master, you are only uniting the limited profession of a prostitute.
　If that logic is correct, the guild master of the mercenary guild would not have the qualifications to sit in the seat, but prostitutes and mercenaries are said to contribute differently to the free city-states.
　Elaine didn't crack a gentle smile as she thought that she should just say that she didn't like the fact that prostitutes were standing shoulder to shoulder with them.
　It would be more convenient now if they thought she was defending her position, and she wasn't going to give even the most trivial information to the old men of the sea and mountains.
　Information is worth as much as money.
　
　Even now, she is still doing the same things she did when she was a mere prostitute, only on a larger scale.
　She gathers information from the Free City States and the breathtaking whorehouses in the Cepheus Empire and sells it to someone who will buy it at a high price.

''........How was the situation in the Marquess of Erakis?''
Not much has changed.

　'I wish you'd say one of those laborious words,' Elaine replied to Salk.

'That is not what I am asking!　I'm asking you how the paper was!

　The old man sitting on the edge of the desk turned red and shouted.
　The old man........Trowa Craft exports paper to the Cepheus Empire.
　They don't only deal in paper, but they recognize Crono as a business enemy.

''I don't think we need to worry about it.　When I say I make paper, I mean I have a small workshop in the garden of the Marquis' house.

　Now, Elaine added in her mind.
　The paper workshops in Crono have a limited amount of production, but if they set up a larger workshop than they do now, or if the process is made public and they start producing paper all over the Empire, no one will buy paper from Trowa.

''I heard you also make sugar?''

　Salk says, and wham!　And someone shuddered.

'Yes, it sounds like they're making it. From what Miles has told me, they've surrounded the priests in the Ochre Temple with them.

　Not only that, but they make salt, Elaine adds in her mind.
　Neither of those things is a problem right now, but if the area of the fields that produce the vegetables used to make sugar increases, the guilds that deal in sugar will be hit hard, and if they start exporting salt to the Holy Argo Kingdom, the guilds that deal in salt will also be hit hard.
　In other words, the more Crono made his territory prosperous, the more the guilds of the Free City State group would decline.

''........I heard that Marquis Erakis is a womanizer?''
Yes, it's an erotic boy.

　'He doesn't come up to you when you ask him out, but he's looking at your breasts and your thighs and stuff,' Elaine replied to Salk.

'But you do seem to have some sense, though, don't you?
He's a hard man to deal with.

　Yes, she's sweet enough that even slaves can't be disciplined, but she understands what she's owed, and she's a devilish girl who will do anything for it. One look at those creepy, cold eyes and you can't be at peace in a place like that, Elaine maintained a gentle smile.
　A painful silence descended.

'Well, well, you don't have to look so serious, do you?

　The one who broke the silence was a big, fat, middle-aged man.
　The man with the cloth wrapped around his head is a slave trader.......he doesn't only deal in slaves, he also runs a moneylending business.
　In a sense, this man may be the symbol of the free city-states.
　He has risen from a mere merchant to the position of guild master thanks to his brilliance and a little bit of luck.
　Unlike other guild masters, this man probably believes that the development of Crono's territory will benefit him.

''There's no point in discussing the treatment of the Marquis of Erakis here. Elaine, step back.
Yes, I will.

　Elaine left the room with a serene smile on her face, even if she said a single word of exertion, it wouldn't be a bee in the face, she thought.
　Elaine walked down the white, just white, lifeless corridor with Elaine maintaining a gentle smile.
　Elaine stopped.

What do you want from me?
Yes, I want to talk to you about the Marquess of Erakis.

　
　
　Originally made up of the tribes of the Bethel Mountains, they took in mercenary groups, drifters, and unemployed people, and began to mediate jobs for the mercenaries who belonged to the guild and take a commission from them.
　Sif, the guild master, was in his mid-thirties, his skin was tanned and his body was tight and toned.
　He wears an unglazed plank from his neck and has an amulet tattooed on his right cheek to ward off evil, giving him the appearance of a barbarian warrior, but the light in his eyes is extremely rational.

''It's not something I can talk about here.
Then we'll come back to it.
Yeah, I'll meet you at the shop.

　It's a lot of work to get back to the city from here, Elaine blurted out in her mind.



　In the free city-states, anyone of any status can live a life of luxury as long as they have money, and anyone of any status can get ahead if they have talent, but peasants are taxed even if it's a bad harvest, and if their lives are impoverished, they are forced to reduce their mouths.
　Reduced mouths........Elaine left the village where she lived when she was fifteen for reasons that could be found anywhere.
　I still don't know if it was parental love that gave me some money without selling it to the slavers at that time, or if I just wanted to tell them that I hadn't abandoned my children, but there's no doubt that the money given to me became the basis for my actions.
　Before the money ran out, Elaine chose the city of Viola, which was the second closest distance from the village.
　Viola was a well-developed port city, and Elaine looked for a job, deciding on a cheap end-of-the-line hotel as her immediate home.
　But it was difficult for a country girl with no connections, no education and no skills to be proud of to find a job.
　She quickly ran out of money and was forced to choose between becoming a beggar, a slave, or a prostitute, and she chose to become a prostitute.
　At least she was able to work in a reasonably honest brothel.
　I was paid a decent wage, and I was never violated for no reason.
　
　The first few months were hard.
　I cried many times and wanted to leave many times, but I was determined that there was no place to return to.
　Then I watched the older whores carefully and learned that it takes a lot of education to get the upperclassmen.
　A customer who is not overly pompous and rough around the edges has a certain level of education, and I needed that same level of education in order to get to them.
　It took no small amount of money to become educated, but without this investment, they wouldn't have realized the value of the information.
　As an educated prostitute, she approached the powerful and influential merchants and offered them a bit of information for free.
　This was part of the investment.
　Once my reputation as an informed prostitute was established, I had more opportunities to show up at their gatherings.
　I also took care of my juniors properly.
　Not out of the goodness of my heart, of course.
　He needed the handmaidens to get a wider range of information.
　After doing that and building a fortune, he quit the shop with his juniors and began to run his own brothel.
　After I became a manager, I had fewer opportunities to take customers myself, but I had more and more opportunities to get advice from prostitutes and street prostitutes who worked in other shops.
　He was feted into a representative position while consulting with them without being evil, assisting his juniors to become independent, taking care of country girls who were at a loss to know their right and left, selling information, and by the end of the decade, he had taken control of the city of Viola.
　It was around this time that I met Miles and the Guildmasters came in contact with him.
　The requests from the guild masters were all unpleasant jobs, but thanks to them, I was able to set up my own shop in a city other than Viola, so I can't help but say it was a relatively good job.

''Well as long as you don't look down on me as a whore at every turn.

　There was a knock at the door when Elaine poked her cheekbones into her beloved desk and blurted out.

'Come in,'
Excuse me.

　Sif stood in the middle of the room and glanced at the bed in the next room.

'Is it so hard to understand why there's a bed next to your work room?'
'I can't reply. I don't want you to take it as sarcasm and stop selling me information about the Marquis of Erakis.

　Elaine asked, and Sif said in a tone that didn't sound too troubled.

'So what do you want to ask me?'
It's about the Marquis of Erakis and his estate.

　Sif walked over and put the bag on the desk.
　He didn't make a move to check the bag.

'What kind of man?'
It's a porno kid.

　Sif scowled uncomfortably as he answered immediately.

'If you don't have enough time to enjoy a light-hearted remark, you'll get your foot in the door.
Let's take it seriously.

　Sif said, keeping his mouth shut.

'It's true that he's an erotic boy. But he has a certain amount of sense and knows how to play the game for someone so young. Sometimes he gives me the creepy, cold eye.''
The One-Eyed Demon. That's what you call him, isn't it?
It's a bit of a mystery, isn't it?

　His father is the Slaughterer and his son is the One-Eyed Demon.
　And his grandson is the Demon King.

What about the people?
'I think they're doing a good job of that. The number of vagrants has noticeably decreased, and the security situation is improving. They're also putting a lot of effort into cultivation and industry development...maybe they're trying to make a sale?

　Huh, Sif exhaled through his nose.

''Aside from the Mercenary Guild, the Confederation of Tribes is considering that option as well.

　The tribes of the Bethel Mountains have become richer since they began working as mercenaries, but it's hard to ask for more wealth than they have now.
　As long as the pie is limited, it is only logical that the larger the organization, the less profit will be distributed to each individual.
　If the pie can't be increased, then the mercenary guilds must seek work outside of the Free City State Cluster to distribute enough profit to their mercenaries.

''As a coalition of tribes?　You're scaled down.
'We're going to need people to help us pioneer and grow our industry.
Well, it sure sounds like you're chronically understaffed.
'We want to move to a land of plenty. We'd like to ask you to be that intermediary.
Now you've just said something so plainly awesome.

　Elaine struggled to keep a look on her face.

'There's a limit to how much we can live off of hunter-gatherers. But even if we tried to cultivate the fields, there's not much land in the Bethel Mountains suitable for farming.

　By the looks of it, the old guys are refusing to let me work for them.
　Well, if they can produce their own food, there will be no reason to work as mercenaries, so it's only natural, Elaine looked up at Sif.
　But if I don't know, that means I'm only talking to the old guys, right?　Are you trying to bring me down or are you trying to make me an accomplice?
　Yeah, but either way, I was going to call out to her.
　It's not until that girl has come to think highly of me... hmmm, well, I guess I should sell my debt rather than be resented here, Elaine decided.

I've taken care of the mediation. However, there is something I need you to help me with.
Except for the money?
Yeah, besides the money.

　Elaine rested her weight on the backrest.

'Well that girl said she was a turnip-geeisha or something, but it's good to be in a union. In the union. Actually, the Marquis of Erakis asked me to be the manager of the union. Something like the Marquis of Erakis investing in a mortgage on the rights of the union.
It's the first time I've heard of it.
Yes, I've never heard of that before. You have to keep paying 30% of your profits until you buy back the rights to the union, and you get dictated to in terms of management and human resources, but it's good to have the lord's approval to do business with him.

　The day I was told about Kabushiki Gaisha, I made the securities and I signed the employment contract.
　I've also received a business license.

Now the kid is building a port, and Viola is a port city by turns.
I've never heard of it.
Yeah?　The slavers were selling fifty lizardmen, and I'm sure the other old men have the information.

　While boasting about coexistence and co-prosperity, the old men only have their own interests in mind.

''I intend to trade with Count Caddo, the Kingdom of Dorado, and the Free City States, connecting the three sites.
But the spices are held back by the soak.
You could have just bought it before Yimei.

　'Hmm,' said Sif, holding his mouth down thoughtfully.

'What's on your mind?'
I don't know what to do to help.
How many former craftsmen do you have under you?
I see.

　Sif nodded as he finally got the point across.
　The old men excluded the merchants and artisans who turned against him, but those who were excluded were not gone.
　Some may have been killed, some may have committed suicide, but they live on as beggars, slaves, mercenaries, and prostitutes.

'Bringing the former artisans back to stiffness will increase the profits distributed per mercenary, and I can keep the artisans around. Once Count Caddo's port is completed, you'll need an escort to bring in supplies, and if you work diligently you'll have a chance to ask for help, of course.
Yeah, great idea.

　Now, what are they going to do to us?　And Elaine crossed her legs gracefully.



　Should he build a new ship or use his connections to buy a second-hand one... After much deliberation, Elaine decided to buy five second-hand ships.
　He thought that if he built a new one, one ship would blow a thousand gold coins, then it would be more profitable to buy five used ships for seven hundred gold coins.
　Elaine looked at the five ships docked in Viola's harbor.
　The five ships were shaped like a slightly sleeker version of a barrel, twenty-five meters long and eight meters wide, with a large amount of cargo to carry and a small number of people to handle, with masts standing on the bow and in the middle of the ship.
　It's folded up now, but the triangular sails are stretched over the mast.
　Originally, it was a technology from a country located in the south of the Dorado Kingdom, and by adjusting the angle of the sails to match the direction of the wind, it seems to be able to advance even in a headwind.

''........maybe I should have learned about ships as well.

　Elaine walked the streets of Viola, biting down on her absent-mindedness.
　She could drink until dawn if she felt like it, but Viola's streets would only come to life in the evening and late at night.
　At least that was how Elaine remembered it.
　But now Viola's streets are beginning to come alive during the daytime as well.
　This is because the mercenaries and prostitutes have begun to work as stiff ... artisans.
　Some spat it out now, some lamented that their skills were slowing down, some choked at the prospect of returning to stiffness, but they are making a desperate effort to regain their former skills.
　Seeing them like that, I feel like a ridiculously evil woman.
　I've driven a number of people to ruin or been a part of it, so I feel like it's too late now, but I can't shake the uncomfortable feeling.

''........Elaine-sama.
What's going on?

　The pale faced whore walked up to Elaine, rubbing her eyes, as if she had just switched the rhythm of her life and wasn't used to it.
　Her name was Sianna she was one of the prostitutes that followed Elaine when she left her previous brothel.

'The stocking of materials has begun to slow down. Currently, only 70% of what we ordered has been delivered. They say they will pay as ordered if you add on the price?
Give him a shove.

　Yes, Siana said shortly, and turned her back on Elaine.
　They are an easy bunch of old men to understand. The fact that they are harassing us so openly means that they have information about the port and even the union. I suppose they are trying to take my place by making it impossible to supply goods, said Elaine, ruffling her hair.
　If the union can't supply the goods, and the old man and his crew try to sell them she might just cut me off. The purpose of that boy is to enrich the territory, so as long as money and goods come in and jobs are created, Elaine lightly moistened her lips with her tongue.
　I see. It could be anyone but me, but it's preferable to have someone else who is breathing down your neck.

''........At this rate, it looks like the old guys are going to have their way.

　When Elaine returned to her brothel, a large, fat, middle-aged man the slaver was waiting at the door.

'I've been expecting you,'
I don't even think we're open yet.

　With a sigh, Elaine let the slaver into the shop.
　
　The prostitutes working in the brothel either rent a room nearby by themselves or go there from a room rented in Elaine's name.

'Could I have some water, please?'

　Huffing, Elaine let out a sigh and walked over to the counter and offered him some tepid water.

'So, what can I do for you?'
I'm sorry to say that I have heard that Lord Elaine is having difficulty and I have come to bring you the ingredients. No, no, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. Since you'll be ordering next time, I thought I'd offer you a special price.

　'With pleasure, sir,' the slaver trailed off.

''I think it would be better to let your colleague be the intermediary with the Marquis of Erakis.
'Of course, I would ask for that as well, but I would like to use Viola's port.

　The slaver smiled good-naturedly as he pretended to wipe sweat off his face.
　That's right, Elaine nodded.
　The slavers' base is inland ... a city-state near the Bethel Mountains.
　Naturally, there are no ports, and even if they wanted to let us use the ports, the other old men are not happy with the slavers.
　That's why the slavers are forced to trade by land.

You don't want a free ride?
"If I'm going to be allowed to use the port, I'm willing to pay a reasonable royalty and materials from the Holy Argo Kingdom as well as the city-state I govern,
Good. But only if it's properly negotiated.

　Elaine looked at the slaver.

*

　After bathing in the hot water and changing into her business negligee, Elaine collapsed into bed with exhaustion.
　The negotiations with the slavers had lasted for several hours.
　It was more like a profit adjustment than a negotiation, but it required carefulness in determining the drop-off point.

''Well for now,'' he said, ''the union can now operate.

　'The question is, how far can I trust Sif and the slavers,' Elaine muttered as she turned over.

'I would have felt a little more comfortable if they had settled on a mistress.

　It was a great advantage to be able to voice your opinion to a nobleman, and others would assume that he wouldn't be indifferent to his mistress's request.
　Some slaves didn't understand how much they were benefiting from it, though, and Elaine turned on her back and folded her hands to hold her belly.
　'You're so cheap for a whore,' Elaine said, her lips hanging up as she remembered the slave's line.
　That slave's line is spot on.
　It is understandable that people with extremely common values would not have good feelings about the profession of a prostitute.
　However, what could a country girl who has no money, clothes, education, connections or anything else that can be called an asset do?
　I have been slapped by the mistress of a brothel and beaten to the hilt by a servant with firewood.
　I've also been beaten up by a customer for being unfriendly.
　I fell in love with a man who was kind to me and dumped me severely, and I have many other bad memories.
　And yet, I've struggled to live my life.
　Gritting her teeth, holding back tears, pretending that normal happiness was something she didn't have a chance with.......she became a guild master, even if she was feted at first.
　That's why Elaine is proud to be a whore, and she's proud to be a whore.
　Otherwise, I feel bad for what I've sacrificed, for the juniors who followed me like this.

'You look a bit tired,'

　Perhaps it's because I've been lying in bed, but I can't even keep my eyes open as the fatigue overwhelms me.
　To some extent, it would be easier once the framework of the union was in place, but for now, they were only just beginning to procure materials.
　Crawling into bed, Elaine closed her eyes.
　A clattering sound downstairs made Elaine tense up for a moment, but it soon quieted down.



　The next day, when Elaine went down the stairs to make herself presentable, she found a girl who was a servant ... an apprentice prostitute who hadn't yet been allowed to take customers ... meticulously sweeping the floor.
　Elaine immediately understood what had happened from the iron smell that lingered even with the window open and the girl's pale face.

''........Thanks for your help.''

　He told her briefly, and Elaine went down to the ground floor and further down to the basement.
　The white light of the magic item illuminated the walls of the basement, but the whole place felt dim and chilly.
　As he approached the innermost room, the thick smell of blood irritated his nasal passages and a muffled scream irritated his earlobes.
　It's not like guests with a taste for torment or addiction are engaging in perversion.
　When Elaine entered the room, the gagged man let out a breath of relief.
　The man was restrained by what looked like a metal plank.
　His hands were on either side through small holes at each end of the board, and his head was protruding from a hole in the center.
　His feet were secured at the ankles and knees, and he was dressed to open his legs.

'You may continue,'
If you make them suffer too long, they will become numb.

　Siana placed the bloody tool on the desk and rubbed her eyes sleepily.
　There were a few fingernails on the desk and a few teeth.

'So how many were there?'
There were three of them. I figured one was enough, so I took care of two of them.

　Elaine sat down in her chair and crossed her legs gracefully.

'I wonder who asked me to do this?'
He's being extraordinarily tight-lipped.

　When Elaine looked at him, the man shook his head in denial.
　From the reaction, the man must have spit out the information honestly.
　If the mastermind is dumb enough to let the perpetrator know his identity, he has no trouble.

''I've got some work to do, so I'm going to take care of it.
All right. I'll leave it up to you to find out how.

　When Elaine stepped outside, she heard the sound of water splashing against the walls and a muffled scream.
　He didn't seem to have the idea of making it easier.

''Well I think it's a bunch of old men out of ten, but I wonder if they're having an internal dispute.

　Sif and the slavers turned, and the remaining guildmasters may have been divided into hardliners and moderates.

''If the union makes a profit, the old guys will want to do business in Count Caddo's territory, too.

　Suddenly Elaine stopped in her tracks.

'She could really be a demon, you know.

　If the old guys enter the market, Elaine plans to lower the prices of her products. That would force the old guys to lower their prices.......and this price war could start a row among the guild masters.
　Maybe I've been caught by a very nasty man, Elaine took a step forward.



　In June, four hundred and thirty-one years of the imperial calendar, Claude Crawford sat down on a stump and looked down on his estate.
　The field of wheat was visible from the sheer cliffs.
　The winter barley, sown last November, had grown safely and produced ears of grain.
　The wind blew and the ears of wheat swayed.
　The ears of wheat swayed in the waves, and the sound like a rumbling tidal wave gently stimulated my ear folds.
　At dusk, the world, colored to represent the end of the world, is somehow languid and languid.
　When had it become possible to accept this scene not with anxiety and frustration, but with relief?
　When he was given the southern frontier as a territory, his subordinates had an anxious expression on their faces.
　Even that Myra was the same.
　Well, it was no wonder.
　As far as the eye could see, the virgin forest stretched out.
　Just the thought of the effort of cultivating it was daunting, and neither Claude nor his men had learned the art of cultivating anything.
　So Claude cut down the trees that grew on the cliffs.
　Begrudgingly, he slammed his axe into the tree again and again, cutting it down.
　Don't freak out.
　I can chop down any number of trees," he said, I think he said something like that.
　
　A shoddy dugout, food like pig food, slow progress in cultivating the land, I thought I'd get away with it soon, but I'm used to being poor, said Elua, and she took the initiative to work.
　It took twenty years of clearing forests, planting fields, increasing livestock, and living a noble life.
　I don't mean to be smug about my power.
　Alcor, whom I had met during the upheaval, had helped me put aside the money I needed for the settlement, and Ort, who had been the chief strategist for the mercenary group, had promptly settled the trouble.
　Myra sold our crops at the highest possible price.
　The mansion was renewed.
　He also bought a separate house in the Imperial City.
　I wanted to give you good food, drink, and clean clothes, and not just five years, but all the time I wanted you to live in luxury.
　A mere five years of luxury is not worth all the hard work I've done.
　At the very least, if he had lived until Crono came to this world he wouldn't have made me cry on my deathbed.

''........Dad, what are you doing sitting here?''
'I was here, looking down on my territory and taking pleasure in it.

　I turned around and saw that my son my son Crono was about to get off the boxcarriage.

'Don't sprain your foot again,'
That was a once-in-a-lifetime mistake.

　If I hadn't sprained my leg back then, I wouldn't have thought of taking Crono to the mansion, and I wouldn't have thought of taking care of him.

''........Life is funny.
I want to live a quiet life, but

　I'm saying that, but I don't think there's anyone who's lived a life as blown up as this guy.
　Claude smiled ferociously.