Noon, December 17, 2813 in the Western Continental Calendar


　A group of soldiers were camped in the plains on the outskirts of Ipylos.
　The number of soldiers was around three hundred.
　And about a hundred men in shabby clothes were sitting on the ground.
　The soldiers, wearing black dyed leather armor, distributed their piercing eyes around them, which didn't match their young faces.
　Suddenly, a black-dyed flag fluttered in the wind and fluttered over the encampment.
　The design sewn into the flag is a gold two-headed snake entwined with a sword. The red eyes of the snake emit a bewitching light.
　This is a dignified flag that seems to intimidate its surroundings.
　However, everyone in this camp looks up at this flag with pride.
　The sword is power. The two-headed serpent that clings to it as if to protect it is a sign of politics and intrigue.
　It is exactly the design that embodies our own masters, and the proof of a new country that we will nurture by ourselves.


"Forty Barrels of Salted Fish

"Fifty barrels of dried dates.

"Fifty Barrels of Dried Pork.

　From the top of ten wagons fastened to the south side of the encampment, the soldiers' voices echoed one by one.

'I know it's going to be hard, but you have to open the lids one by one and check the contents of the wagons to make sure they are clean.

　The soldiers nodded silently at Laura's words and returned to the confirmation process.
　At the side, a well-dressed merchant-like man, in response to the soldiers' voice, flips through the bundle of parchment in his hand.

The best thing about this is that it's all of them.

　When he finally finished checking all the carts, the merchant sighed heavily.
　There were ten carts alone that this merchant had brought into the encampment.
　He checked each and every one of the loads piled up in those carts against the ledger.
　It's no wonder they were exhausted.
　Still, after nearly two hours of work, a smile appeared on his chubby face.

'You're adding on to that amount. And that seems rather pricey too, doesn't it?

　Laura gave a cold look to the merchant who blurted out as he looked down at the bundle of parchment in his hand.
　After inspection, there is no problem with the number of items and their quality, but the amount of the bill presented to Laura is too high.
　As a matter of fact, the merchants here are all business-minded and tricky opponents.
　That's exactly what they are, they are quite powerful beings, more adept at business negotiations and bargaining than lowly aristocrats.
　They are shrewdly looking at the opportunity with an eagle eye to increase their profits as much as possible.
　You can never let your guard down against this well-dressed merchant with a good-natured smile, who is flipping through the parchment in front of Laura with a big smile on his face.

'A joke. It's the same price as the one you're paying for the Count of Salzberg.

　The merchant is not very happy about it.
　The merchant's cunning in mentioning the Count's name is a cunning move.
　If the name of the Count of Salzberg is mentioned, the nobleman will have no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
　It's not just a matter of time before they're able to get their hands on some of the most important pieces of equipment.
　They are not only the ones who have the most to lose, they are also the ones who have the most to lose.
　The goods this man brings are preservable foodstuffs such as dried meat and dried fish, which are consumed on a daily basis by ordinary households.
　Since these are items that are consumed on a daily basis in ordinary households, it would certainly have been difficult to get the right amount, but the amount of money written on the parchment the merchant offered to Laura was unacceptable.
　Liang Shin told me to keep my mouth shut and pay about 10% more before I said the impossible, but a 30% increase is an absurd amount of money.
　The market price survey is done beforehand, and to be honest, the same amount is purchased from other merchants besides the one in front of me.
　It's easy to figure out what a fair price is by comparing them.
　It's not so easy to take the other side's word for it and let the merchants talk you into it.　　　

''Is that so?　Then take it home with you. I'll ask another chamber of commerce to do it for you.

　Laura didn't hesitate to tell him to take the load back.
　It is true that we need supplies, but everything has its limits.
　This is a situation where there's no pulling back.

'Nah!　You can't do that. At the Count Salzberg's request, we were forced to get the goods for you. And now you want me to take them home with me, which may harm our future relations?

　He must have underestimated Laura as a woman and child. The merchant tried to threaten her, smelling that Count Salzberg was behind her.
　Indeed, it would normally have worked, but he would curse his words after this.

'What on earth is the matter with you?'

Na!

　After the merchant, before long, there was Count Salzberg, protected by the knights.
　He must have been there a little while ago.
　His mouth was trembling slightly.

''This is Count Salzberg. Welcome to your home.''

　According to the manners of the nobility, Laura pays her respects to the Earl with flawless movements.

I see. I wanted to say goodbye to Mikoshiba-dono's expedition. I have sent an errand to you beforehand, but I was wondering if you had a moment to spare?

　Count Salzberg, who smiles with a smile, asks Laura in an eagle-eyed voice: "I am busy preparing to go into battle, but I can't say no to your presence.

It's true that I'm busy preparing for my departure, but I can't say no to the Count, who has been very attentive to my needs.

Well ... well, I'll let you show me around.

　At this point Count Salzberg broke off and turned his attention to the merchant, whose face was pale and white.

'You are of the Raffir Trading Company, are you not?

　Count Salzberg's words were not particularly emphatic, but the merchant seemed to brace himself as if he had been sentenced to death.
　These are the words of the lord who married the only daughter of the Mystor Chamber of Commerce, the representative of the Chamber of Commerce that controls the economy of Ipylos.
　To the merchant, whose face is grim, the Count's words are like a divine oracle.

You have to work hard for the kingdom of Roselia. Will you think about that?''

　It's not that the Earl ordered the merchant to do anything.
　But the man was not so foolish as to fail to see the true meaning behind his words.

'I'm very sorry, sir. There seems to have been a mistake...'

　It was a blatant extortion of discounts, but the merchant didn't do anything to blatantly discount the price on the spot.
　Count Salzberg had nothing more to say either.
　He understood that his intentions had been accurately conveyed.

It's a good idea to have a good time with them. I look forward to working with you.

Yes, sir. I'm terribly sorry. I'll redeem the shipment at once.

　Perhaps they'll reformulate the load again and decide that a few items were graded incorrectly.
(No such luck.)
　Laura laughed heartily as she stared at the merchant's face as he began to check his cargo again, greasy sweat on his face in front of her.
　This man was forced to lower his price than normal because he wanted more profit.
　Well, since there is no way you can expect Count Salzberg to call out to you in a place like this, it would be more appropriate for this man to lament his own lack of luck than to reflect on the depth of his greed.

'Well, shall we go?

　As if nothing had happened, Count Salzberg ordered Laura to be shown around.　
　The fact is, the Count was not concerned about the incident.
　It was just a way of chiding a greedy merchant.


You are a good man, you know. It's a shame that you're going to Zaruda, despite the fact that she was crying for you to come to her aid. You don't need as many lives as you think you can get.

　Count Salzberg entered the tent that Laura led him into, and as soon as he saw Ryoma's face, he twisted his lips and said.
　However, a smile still floats on his face, and as far as his tone of voice is concerned, he's not being sarcastic.
　If anything, it's more like a hateful comment to a friend.

''Long time no see. It's good to see you again, Count Salzberg. Thank you for all your help in this matter.''

　After receiving an earful from Laura, who quickly moved to the side, Ryoma greeted the Count without a look of surprise on his face.　

''Ah, don't bother with trivial greetings. I'm sure you've made a lot of money from this matter.

　The Count of Salzberg pushed back Ryoma, who was about to bow his head, with his hand and sat down in a chair nearby in a good mood.

It's not a problem. The Count's kind words, and thanks to your help, we've been able to gather the goods as well.

Hmm. I hope we can all continue to have each other.

　Looking at Ryoma, who again bowed politely, Count Salzberg smiled with satisfaction.　
　Well, that's just as well.
　This time, Count Salzberg simply contacted his father-in-law, the merchant chairman of the Mystor Chamber of Commerce, and ordered all the merchant associations belonging to the Chamber of Commerce Union to secure supplies.
　It's not that the Count himself sweated anything.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm in a bad mood because I'm being paid a substantial commission by Ryojin for brokering a large order.　
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea.
　I'm not sure how much money Count Salzberg made from this purchase of goods, but it will probably not be less than a million baht.
　And while bringing that much profit to the Count, Ryoma never tried to ingratiate himself with it.
　It was easy to understand the thoughts of a man like the Count.
　People like him do not like to be patronized by others.
　On the other hand, he also has a hard-to-please side, so if the other party plays a bad hand, he will secure a certain amount of reward.
　The important thing is not to provoke their pride.

''By the way, Elena Steiner is already on her way to Zaruda, isn't she?

　When the place was eased for a moment, Count Salzberg talked about the war.
　It seems that he has a strong interest in this deployment of reinforcements, since he is a warrior by nature.

''Yes, as expected, any further delays will not make a good impression on either Zaruda or Mist.

　It wasn't exactly a matter of not making a good impression.
　If they stretched out the time any longer, the Mist Kingdom could have even declared war on Roselia.

''Well, that's only natural. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. I should say that I'm glad you put up with it for over a year.''

''He must have been aware of the situation in Roselia. I'm sure His Majesty doesn't want His Majesty to pass through Roselia with the nobles united, so I'm sure the Mist would want to avoid passing through Roselia.

''It's certainly hard to go on an expedition without that, but going through a country where the situation is unstable...''

　It is quite difficult to send an army on an expedition.
　Just keeping the morale of soldiers cut off from their homeland is a challenge.
　In addition, the procurement of supplies and the defense of the country.
　There are many points of concern.
　In addition to this, if the situation in the country you are passing through is unstable, it will be difficult to decide on an expedition, no matter how much you want to go to Zaruda for reinforcements.

What are you going to do now?

We'll head west through Ipylos into Zaruda. The rest of the way, we'll follow the road south to meet up with Elena at Peripheria, the capital of Zaruda.

Well, I suppose that was an obvious choice and the rest is up to you.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.
　I don't need to be told again now.
　It's a good thing that the people with luck survive and those without luck die.
　It is no different in the world of the earth and the earth beneath the surface of the "Liath" world.


　After the meeting, Count Salzberg, who was leaving the camp with his guards, suddenly turned his attention to the black-dyed flag that fluttered in the wind.

　At least the snake is definitely an accurate representation of that man.
(We've seen that man's intentions, but now, let's see what happens.)
　I don't trust him. I don't believe in him.
　I just helped him out a little bit because he was doing me a favor.
　This whole charade of friendship is just a front.
　And we both know that.
(It's good if he can save Zaruda. You'll be able to get the nobles of the north together and negotiate with Oltmere if he doesn't.
　There are many ways for the nobles to survive as long as they don't insist on the survival of the Roselia Kingdom.
　However, that doesn't mean I want them to invade Oltmere.
　Warfare is expensive.
　Even if you don't cross a pike.
(That man has the knowledge of a snake, just like the design shows the rest is sword strength. (Let's see if the design is a scare.)
　A cold smile appeared on Count Salzberg's face.　
　It was as if he looked down on the weak man scrambling with ease from on high.......