I steady myself and move on to the main topic.
「Starting yesterday, I went to Mirand Pass and captured about thirty goblins alive. If you’re interested, would you like to buy them? Since this is the first time, I’ll let them go for ten copper coins per goblin.」
I do not say “to the acting lord”.
The two men the guild master brought are probably on the acting lord’s side, but if they are not direct contractors, it is better to avoid specifics. I do not know them, after all.
And if it is the guild master, he should understand exactly what I am saying. He knows the value of goblins better than anyone, and he also knows how difficult it is to capture them alive.
「……We’ll buy them all at your price. Would it be all right if I come to your place tonight?」
「That’s fine. I can’t offer much in the way of hospitality, though.」
He is probably planning to bring the acting lord with him. But can he really bring someone of that status so easily?
「As long as there’s liquor and something to snack on, that’s enough.」
So it’s no problem, then. In that case, I’ll prepare a mid-range whiskey and an all-you-can-eat spread from a tavern.
「Understood. I’ll be waiting.」
That should have been the end of it, but apparently not. Miyar speaks up first.
「Thank you for handling the matter at Mirand Pass. If trade with Rydand were to stop, commerce would stagnate.」
「Isn’t the town of Misrim closer to the sea?」
I was sure I had heard that the Arut River flows all the way to the ocean.
「Koraus purchases rock salt from a neighboring country. Sea salt is expensive, and once transport is factored in, it costs three times as much as rock salt.」
「……Is that because it costs more to produce, or because someone is interfering?」
If it’s the former, that’s one thing. If it’s the latter, then someone out there does not think kindly of Koraus.
「Border regions are often looked down upon. We lack major industries, and we are far from the center.」
He chooses his words carefully, but what he really means is that even if the borderlands were to fall, the central region would not care. In other words, we are treated as if we do not exist.
「That really shows the distance between the center and the frontier.」
A distance so great it might as well be a different world.
「True. But it depends on how you look at it. If we are far away, the center’s oversight is weaker. Just not having them interfere makes things easier to manage.」
Fair enough. Being micromanaged by your superiors is incredibly stressful. If you are left alone, work tends to go much more smoothly.
「And this year, goblin damage has been low. Thanks to that, the harvest should increase.」
「Were goblins really causing that much damage?」
「The past few years were terrible. We had no effective measures, only losses, and no way to stop them.」
And then I showed up, and the flow changed. Goblins really are this world’s cancer. Even though the one who created them is that useless goddess.
「If the harvest increases, does that mean you can do more things with it?」
Or does most of it get taken by the lord in the capital?
「Not quite. This year we must pay the back taxes that have piled up, and to earn foreign currency, thirty percent will be sold outside the domain. The rest will be consumed within the domain. There is no room to spare for anything extra.」
It is a hand-to-mouth operation. There is no leeway at all. How are they even surviving like this? At this rate, securing food locally will be difficult. Do we really have to rely on full self-sufficiency?
「Maybe I should catch some boars and domesticate them.」
I have permission to use the land beyond Lasagna Village. Of course, I still have to pay taxes, but I am free to do as I like. If I domesticate and raise boars, it should help supplement our food supply.
「Would it be all right if I develop the land beyond Lasagna Village?」
「How do you plan to develop it?」
「I will hire giants. They seem desperate for work.」
On our side, we have the bracelet won from the gacha, a cheat that lets us turn a small amount of capital into something much bigger. I have no intention of praying to the gods, but I will make full use of divine miracles. I will squeeze every last drop out of them.
「Is there really that much work? Giants certainly do several times the work of a human, but they also consume a lot of food.」
「They can earn their own food. When you are that big, there is plenty you can do.」
In a world without heavy machinery, there is a lot that can be done if giants take that role. If the Margrave Koraus will not take them in, then I will. Giants are a major source of strength.
「Yeah, it would help if the developed land could be registered as territory of the Margrave Koraus. If possible, I would also appreciate it if someone of proper status could be placed in charge to oversee it. I am busy with goblin extermination, after all.」
I said this while looking at the Guild Master.
A smart person will piece things together on their own and arrive at the answer. Once the hint is given, they will move forward without being told directly. This is how an ordinary person gets a capable superior to take action.
「……You have a talent for court politics……」
「I am just a humble goblin exterminator.」
Court politics for a former factory worker is asking too much.
「Is the manor finished?」
「It will probably take a few more days, but the rooms for sleeping are finished.」
I have not heard the details myself, but from what I saw, the rooms looked complete. I think. Sorry. I need to check to be sure.
「Could you lend it to me?」
「I do not mind, but I cannot provide a castle-like environment.」
「I am not a noble born and raised. I have slept on the ground before. I am not so weak that a little inconvenience would make me cry.」
Both the Guild Master and the acting lord seem like self-made men. They look like the type who would say that as long as there is shelter from wind and rain, it is enough.
「Understood. I will return at once and prepare to receive you.」
I cannot just throw down a mat and call it done. I will need to prepare beds and bedding. And there is no way only the Guild Master and the acting lord will come. They will surely bring several attendants. If I do not hurry back and prepare, I will not make it in time.
I stood up, bowed once to the three of them, and left the room with Mishinie.
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