Day 19th, 8th Month, the Year 2812, Western continent calendar: (Negotiation 2)
āYouā¦ What do you want?ā
The Earl who had been silent finally opened his mouth.
He already had no intention to pretend and hide the truth. The tone of his voice had changed completely into one of someone who was looking down at his opponent.
He threw away his pretentious mask and looked at Ryouma with overt suspicion and vigilance.
The Earl then remembered the existence of the person who might have given the information to Mikoshiba Ryouma. He was still unable to find the reason why she did not move on her own.
Although such a juicy piece of information was enough to bring the Earl down, she did not use it herself.
And the person who received the information from her came to the Earl, and not the Royal family.
(Which means, thereās one possibilityā¦ Did he want to blackmail me?)
It was something that normal people would have done when accidentally gaining information that could be turned into money.
Although the man in front of the Earl was also a nobleman, the person himself was of commoner origin. It was normal for someone like that to not be too insightful and simply ask for gold or power.
(Fuh, stupidā¦ Do you think I will obediently pay you? No, rather, if I really gave you the money, what would you do then, huh?)
If Ryouma had really wanted to blackmail the Earl, he should have never showed his face directly. Once a blackmailer let his identity be known, he would lose one of his strongest advantages.
However, the Earlās expectation was betrayed by Ryoumaās reply.
āLetās seeā¦ I want to make a trade with the Earl.ā
Despite receiving the Earlās cold gaze, Ryoumaās voice did not falter.
He faced the Earl head-on.
āTrade? What do you want to trade? I thought for sure you would want to blackmail me.ā
Both the Earl and his wife stared at Ryouma with wariness.
With the way the atmosphere around them had become, the word ātradeā could be said to have had an element of extortion. So the Earlās ears mistook Ryoumaās underlying message as that.
The same could be said of his wife.
That was why the Earl and his wife kept looking at Ryouma with suspicion.
āBlackmail, huh? I did think about it, but that is not what I meantā¦ If I were to do that, Iām sure your Excellency wouldnāt hesitate to cut me downā¦ā
In response to Ryoumaās answer, the Earl showed a broad grin.
That was exactly what the Earl was thinking.
After all, the threatened person should never lightly let off someone who threatened them. Because if they did, the extortion would never end.
Two times, three times, Ryouma could have extorted money and other things from Thomas Salzberg until he was robbed blind of all he possessed, be it riches or power.
That was why the Earl decided that he would never bow down to blackmail.
Even if he were to hand over some gold, it would be with the sole purpose of killing the blackmailer.
āI seeā¦ To be able to understand that, for a man who was once a commoner, youāre not bad at allā¦ā
Five years had passed since the day he began to embezzle the salt vein.
Although this secret was strictly concealed, there were a few people who managed to find out about it. However, it never reached the ears of the Royal family because the Earl had swiftly dealt with those who would disturb the clandestinity of his operations without mercy.
The Earl himself also understood that the things he did were dangerous. That was why he did it carefully and with no lack of ruthlessness.
āDearā¦ Iām curious about the thing that Baron-sama wants to sell to us.ā
āIndeed. Well then, Baron Mikoshiba. What is the item that you want to sell?ā
The Earl asked the question after hearing that his wifeās curiosity had been piqued.
His tone, although still condescending as ever, was now missing his previously displayed high-handedness and was no longer looking down towards the former commoner.
Right now, the Earl was dominated by his own curiosity. The Earl wanted to know what was the thing that Ryouma wanted to sell for the trade.
āPlease look at this.ā
Ryouma pushed the prepared documents towards the Earl and his wife.
āThis isā¦ā
āThis is a contract, right?ā
āIt is the contract regarding the transfer of the salt vein.ā
Following Ryoumaās statement, the couple quickly confirmed the contents.
āIndeedā¦ Butā¦ā
āWhat does this mean? Thereās no money required for us to pay written in these documentsā¦ā
The coupleās doubts were natural.
Since Ryouma had come with the intention to sell something, he should have written the selling price, but there was no such thing on the documents.
āIāve come to sell, alright, but I do not have any intention of getting paid with money.ā
The Earl and his wife showed puzzled expressions after having heard this.
āThen, what do you want from us in exchange?ā
āI want the Earl to become my backerā¦ā
āWhat do you mean by that? Iāve already told you last time that I will help you as much as I can, havenāt I?ā
Towards the Earlās words, Ryouma shook his head lightly. If that was what Ryouma really asked, it could be said that the Earl had already delivered.
Certainly, previously, the Earl had promised to take a friendly attitude towards Ryouma and to assist him as much as he could.
However, that was not the Earlās true sentiment.
After all, he was being ordered by Queen Lupis to monitor Ryouma, and he felt obliged to do so in order to avoid possible attention towards his defalcation of the rock salt vein.
So in the end, the truth was that the Earl did not genuinely want to help Ryouma. At least until nowā¦
(I seeā¦ Instead of pretending to be helping him, he wants me to truly help him, huhā¦)
The Earl now understood Ryoumaās wish.
(Well, itās not like I didnāt want to help him at allā¦ Besides, compared to Lupis whoās only capable of sending down orders, this man knows what courtesy is, especially the part where he did not ask for any money in returnā¦ In addition, he seems to possess some wisdom despite being a former commonerā¦)
Ryouma who saw the Earl relaxing his expression lifted up the corners of his mouth into a smile.
(As expected, it was the right decision for me to not ask gold from him, huh? Well, he needs money to the point that he embezzles from the Crown after allā¦ Thatās why thereās no way for him to willingly give money to me. In the first place, the management of the vein is already in his possession. Even if the vein is something that belongs to me, heās not someone who would compensate me even if I were to demand it of him.)
The Earl needed gold, that was why he misappropriated the salt vein.
Even though it wouldāve been a legitimate request had Ryouma asked the Earl to pay him off, the Earl wouldnāt have nicely and peacefully handed the gold over.
Ryouma was able to see through the Earlās facade and discerned that he was a true money grubber.
Confirmation was given to Ryouma that his decision was right by way of the expression the Earl currently displayed.
āBaron Mikoshiba-sama, I still canāt understand the value of these documents. Can you please elaborate?ā
The Earlās wife, who was born from a merchant family, was also in possession of a strong political acumen.
She married into the Earlās household in order to establish familial connections, but she was also very good at dealing with business related issues.
From her point of view, these documents held a value that could be turned into a huge amount of money. Yet, she told Ryouma that she didnāt know of their worth.
This was in order to ascertain two concerns of hers:
Firstly, to see if Ryouma actually knew the value of these documents or not, and, secondly, whether or not this idea had come from Ryouma himself or somebody else.
She suspected that someone was actually pulling the strings from behind.
āI donāt believe thereās the need for me to explain it, though. The Lady is famous for being well versed in this kind of thing, am I wrong?ā
Ryouma answered her together with a smile on his face.
A silent exchange took place between the two of them.
(Donāt get shakenā¦ His answer does not seem to be a lie. He really believes that from the bottom of his heartā¦)
āFine thenā¦ I will admit that your proposal is worthwhile. But Iād like to have a little bit of time to consult this matter with my husband.ā
āVery wellā¦ We shall stop here for todayā¦ Please let me know whenever you are ready.ā
The couple nodded their heads following Ryoumaās words.
Neither side wanted the negotiations to conclude so soon. Therefore, no one present showed any sign of dejection.
(Well, I guess it was naturalā¦ Besides, I also wanted to add some new conditions as wellā¦ It would have been terrible if we had signed the deal todayā¦ That way, I wouldnāt have had enough time to plan everything properly.)
The Earl seemed interested in Ryoumaās bait. What was left was to make him grab it with both hands.
(Please do take your time worrying about itā¦)
āAlrightā¦ we will go with that. Letās meet again another day.ā
After finishing their talk Ryouma bowed towards the couple and left the mansion led by the maid who was waiting outside the door.
-
āHe leftā¦ But still, is it alright like this?ā
Earl Salzberg, who was staring at the carriage Ryouma rode from the window, asked the woman sitting on the sofa.
āYes, he should also understand everything alreadyā¦ Well, thereās also the possibility that what he said was all an act, but if that is the case then he is a really great actorā¦ā
The Earlās wife shrugged her shoulders.
She had an absolute confidence when it came to judging people.
Let alone the time when she was still just the daughter of an affluent merchant, after she married the Earl, the amount of sly foxes gathered around her had increased.
And as a result of meeting that kind of people on a regular basis, she became competent at discerning peopleās intentions.
āI seeā¦ For me, Mikoshibaās proposal sounds good enough, but, what do you think Yuria?ā
The Earl spoke his mind while sitting in front of his wife. His tone was not that of someone who held the true power within the family. It felt like he was refraining himself.
But that could be explained easily. The Earl was a warrior at heart.
He preferred aggressive action and had a ruthless personality. But he also knew that he was not perfect.
Especially when it came to diplomacy and politics, he understood that his ability in that regard could at best be considered mediocre.
He strongly felt that it was only wise of him to ask for his wifeās opinion on such matters.
His wife who had seen many kinds of people for many years was the most reliable partner for the Earl.
āThereās something that Iām worried aboutā¦ā
āWorried? Is it about that woman from the Christoph firm?ā
For the Earl, the most worrying matter was about that.
The firm that had lost its position as the leader of the business alliance. Originally, they should have been crushed a long time ago. However, they managed to hold their ground, even though their business scale had been shrinking as of late.
But, the thing that the Earlās wife said next defied the Earlās expectations.
āNo, itās something elseā¦ The one that worries me the most is that man, and his true intentionsā¦ā
āAbout Mikoshiba? Certainly, heās more knowledgeable compared to the normal commoner. His courtesy is not bad eitherā¦ And he has a good head on his shoulders. For me though, heās a bit lacking butā¦ You think he isnāt?ā
āNo, I also felt that wayā¦ Even during todayās negotiations, I didnāt feel that he had an ulterior motiveā¦ Itās justā¦ā
The Earl looked at his wife who was being vague with a wondering expression.
āItās just, what? What are you worried about?ā
āSomehow, someday, it felt like that man might actually crush usā¦ā
āKhu, Khuhahahahahahaā¦ Yuria, your wisdom has helped us a lot of times. That is why I trust your words. But for something like that to happen, isnāt that impossible? How much power difference do you think exists between us and Mikoshiba? It might be different if we talk about 100 years later, but even if we talk about 10 or 20 years later, I donāt think there would that much of a difference from the current situation.ā
The Earl laughed off his wifeās concern. He thought that for her worries to come true the impossible had to happen.
There was a clear power gap between Mikoshiba Ryouma and Earl Salzberg.
Economic power, political power, diplomatic force, and military power.
The Earl overwhelmed Ryouma in every aspect.
And the biggest difference lied in their power bases, that is, their fiefs or territories over which they ruled.
The territory Ryouma possessed, not only was it a conflict zone bordering another kingdom, but it was also a territory filled with monsters, and there was a grand total of 0 citizens in it.
It was a difference that was not even worth comparing.
āI guess soā¦ Yes, youāre right.ā
āOf course I am, Yuria. Youāre worrying too much. Hahahaha, still, you really make me laugh, I feel refreshed. If you are still worried, send the maid from that time and let her spy on him. You let him have her first for that reason after all. How about that? Still worried?ā
Hearing the Earlās words, his wife nodded her head.
She still felt not entirely convinced of something.
However, it was something vague even for herself. That was why she tried to brush it off just like her husband told her to.
Since she was not a goddess that could predict everything.
āFineā¦ Letās just do thatā¦ Well then, letās see how many conditions will be added before we seal this deal with him. If we can officially secure the salt vein, we can finally relax.ā
āUmuā¦ I will leave that to you thenā¦ā
This decision would decide the fate of the Earlās household.
Mikoshiba Ryouma who gained support in exchange for the salt vein, and the Earl who gained the vein without even spending a single coin. At the time, it still remained to be seen which side had gained the most. But all that would be revealed at a later date, that is, the day the two of them faced against each otherā¦ And this story shall also be told.
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