Mixed purchasing.
It was a method of buying the same goods from several merchants at the same time.
It was not simply dividing up the items and buying them separately, but a bargaining technique that made the sellers compete with one another.
It was not something I had originally known—
“Commander, the Empire does not entrust supplies to one place. Prices stabilize only when supply rights are divided among three or more places.”
—the Chancellor had taught me in my past life.
Of course, at the time, I had let it go in one ear, thinking the Chancellor would surely handle the nation’s finances well on her own....
“Huh? You’re buying from our place? Didn’t you just go over there?”
“Ah, I need quite a lot of wheat. I’m planning to buy everything from whoever sells it cheapest.”
It looked simple, but when it touched people’s psychology, the effect was astonishing.
“Is that so? Then seven silver coins and fifty copper coins per sack. How about it?”
“Oh! That’s cheaper than the shop next door.”
Just like this.
‘I already cut fifty copper coins.’
That was when another voice cut in sharply from beside us.
“You’re Raphael’s son, aren’t you? Come to me, and I’ll sell for seven silver coins a sack! Our place has ten sacks!”
“Come on, sir! Why are you interfering with someone else’s business?”
“What? He hasn’t paid for anything yet, so what’s the problem?”
The two merchants glared at each other.
I worked hard to hold back my laughter.
‘Please don’t fight, gentlemen. I’m going to buy it all anyway.’
“Come on, buy from me. I’ve done business with your father for years.”
“If you cut the price that much, how are we supposed to make a living?”
“I’m doing this because we know each other. What’s wrong with that?”
An auction had begun. Strangely enough, it was not an auction where the price went up, but a fight over who would sell for less.
Their voices quickly rose.
At this rate, they might actually start throwing punches....
I deliberately put on an innocent expression and raised my hand.
“Um... Then how about doing it like this?”
“......?”
“If I buy from only one side, everyone will feel left out.”
“So?”
“I’ll buy ten sacks from each of you. In return, the three of you can decide the price.”
At my words, the three merchants gathered in one place and put their heads together.
MURMUR, MURMUR—
Their voices rose, then lowered again.
After repeating that several times, they finally fell quiet.
A moment later, the merchant who said he was close to my father approached as their representative.
“We’ve decided to sell ten sacks each. Seven silver coins per sack.”
“Father! Then thirty sacks of wheat comes to two gold coins and ten silver coins, right?”
Father smiled with satisfaction and nodded.
The gazes of the nearby merchants were already fixed on us.
They would end up selling a little cheaply, but if they could instead unload everything they had brought, it would not be a loss.
In fact, selling everything at a market that opened only once every fifteen days would be a tremendous gain.
After that, everything went smoothly.
“The three of us have finished talking. We’ve decided to sell barley at six silver coins per sack. If you buy now, we’ll hand it over right away.”
“Sounds good!”
I quickly counted the sacks and nodded. Flour scattered in the wind along with the smell of dust.
“Oats are six silver coins and fifty copper coins. Any lower than that, and there’s no profit left.”
“Then we will take them at that price.”
Father smiled as he settled the calculation.
The merchants exchanged glances and nodded in satisfaction.
After buying the barley and oats, the only thing left was jerky.
Perhaps because it was the most expensive item, the merchant’s eyes were especially sharp.
“We decided on seventeen silver coins per sack for the jerky. Until yesterday, I was charging twenty each, but today I’ll make my profit thanks to you.”
“Then please give us ten sacks.”
The merchant grinned as he handed over the sacks, and the salty smell drifted along the wind.
“We bought everything, Father.”
“Good. How much did we spend?”
“Six gold coins and seventy silver coins.”
“Lisa’s estimate was a little over eight gold coins, was it not?”
“Yes. But this time, we loaded four more stone.”
There was a subtle force in my voice.
“......We bought thirty percent more, and yet paid twenty percent less?”
“Yes. The merchants came to an agreement before a fight broke out.”
Strictly speaking, I was the one who had set the fight up... but Father burst into a hollow laugh.
“Ha ha... You’ve become a full-fledged merchant, haven’t you?”
“Ha ha, you flatter me.”
“Then we should slowly start looking into where to have preservation magic cast.”
“Shall we stop by the cathedral on the way? A priest will probably be faster than a mage.”
“Yes. Then let’s put these in the warehouse first and get ready to leave.”
“Yes, Father.”
We moved the sacks of wheat, jerky, barley, and oats into the warehouse one after another.
***
When we finished the work and returned home—
Mother was standing in the middle of the yard.
‘What happened...?’
This was unlike Mother. She was clutching a sheet of white parchment, and her face had gone stark white.
In that instant, an inexplicable ominous feeling washed over me. Something was going terribly wrong.
“Dear, what happened? Why do you look like that?”
“Honey... look at this......”
On the parchment Mother handed over, the title ‘Request for Mediation Regarding Suspected Corruption’ was clearly written.
I slowly looked down at the document.
‘......Bernard has made his move.’
Each stroke of the writing seemed to stab into my eyes like a dagger.
∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿
[Request for Mediation Regarding Suspected Corruption]
▪ Applicant: Lucian de Bernard
▪ Respondents: Heindel lord Lien Val Freed, the Raphael Family, Administrative Officer Lisa Arcadia
Circumstances indicating bribery and improper solicitation have been confirmed in the process of granting permission to use Heindel Outskirts Lot 3-7. I hereby request suspension of the validity of the relevant authorization and fair mediation by the Imperial Legal Affairs Bureau.
< Bernard Family Seal ✴ >
∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿
That damned bastard.
As expected, judging by appearances really is a science.
More importantly...... did he think he would be fine after making an enemy of the lord?
Lucian should not be that stupid. The impression I had of him, at least, was not that sort of person.
“Ha... This has become troublesome.”
Father let out a deep breath. Looking down at the parchment, he slowly rubbed his forehead.
“If the Empire starts questioning this, I will likely have to appear before the committee too.”
“Honey......”
“For this to happen right when we were buying the trade goods to take west... What rotten luck.”
“The grain...... Try to get a refund, at least. It will be difficult for you to leave the house right now.”
At Mother’s words, I found myself nodding.
Rationally, she was right.
But that did not mean I agreed with everything.
Why get a refund?
I could just go myself.
“Father.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll handle this western trade run by myself.”
Father’s expression stiffened.
“What are you talking about, Mikael?”
“I’ve learned a lot lately. With the house in this situation, the eldest son can’t just sit still.”
“No.”
Father was firm.
“......Then how about hiring a mercenary from the guild and making the trip?”
A brief silence flowed.
And then—
“Sir! May I come in?”
It was a familiar voice.
...Who was that?
“It’s me, Lisa!”
“Oh, Lisa, you’re here. Come in.”
The door opened, and Lisa entered the yard. Shielding her eyes from the deep sunset glow, she smiled brightly.
I feel like I’ve been seeing her often lately.
“You must have been very worried, right? I received the mediation request a little while ago too.”
“Yes... You are going through a great deal because of us. They must have thought you gave us favorable treatment because we came from the same village.”
At Mother’s words, Lisa smiled faintly.
“Well... that is not entirely wrong. It is just that the reason is... Ah, it is nothing. In any case, there is no need to worry too much!”
What’s with her...? She’s rambling, unlike her usual self.
“......What do you mean by that?”
“I will tell you later. More importantly....”
“Hm?”
“I heard from outside, and from my position, the western trade has to succeed too. Should I look into a mercenary and a few porters? Then Mikael should be able to go by himself.”
“Can you really do that for us?”
“Of course, heh heh heh. Just trust me.”
Wow, is this what people mean by approving something just because of someone’s face?
My parents, who had firmly stopped me, accepted at once after a single word from Lisa.
Perhaps the trust she had built after making the warehouse site lease happen was just that strong.
While Lisa spent quite a while discussing the Legal Affairs Bureau mediation with my parents, I focused on preparing for departure.
I put spare clothes, emergency food, and a ledger with price tables written in it into a leather bag.
I divided dried meat and dried fruit into pouches, and packed two water bottles as well.
“Phew... Now I just need to find a mercenary.”
I muttered to myself and opened the ledger.
∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿
✓ Assets: 29 gold coins / 8 silver coins / some copper coins, 1 blank credit certificate (Arise Merchant Company), Oxhorn Pass wine monopoly rights, Heindel First Supply Station
✓ Cargo: grain, foodstuffs, miscellaneous goods (for western trade)
✓ Transport: 6 mules / 2 new-model wagons
∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿∿
Around the time I finished preparations, Lisa and my parents’ conversation seemed to be ending as well.
Lisa lightly waved her hand and called out toward me.
“Mikael!”
“Yeah?”
“Come straight to the guild tomorrow morning. Got it?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Ma’am, sir. I’ll come by again!”
My parents came out to the yard entrance and saw her off.
“Yes, thank you for helping us, Lisa.”
By the time Lisa’s back had shrunk to the size of a fingernail, I finally asked Mother.
“What did you decide to do with Lisa...?”
“I had no idea, but Lisa is quite well versed in Imperial law. She says that to claim bribery or solicitation, they need to prove a quid pro quo, and their logic is flimsy.”
“Ah....”
“So she says she will organize the documents and evidence proving that the contract was legitimate, then submit them directly to the Mediation Committee.”
Too much information came in all at once, and for a moment, I could not react at all.
“She’s not even that much older than me, but she studied law?”
This was a world where even keeping paste on one’s lips—barely feeding oneself—was difficult.
In an atmosphere where studying itself was considered a luxury, for her to have studied law, which had nothing at all to do with earning money—
What, was she perhaps the child of some noble family? I had only seen her as a clever girl from a country backwater.
‘Come to think of it, she did have a surname like Arca-something.’
“Yes, according to her, she studied because she was preparing for the Imperial Selection Exam. Thanks to that, we are receiving help like this.”
“......Ah, I see.”
In any case, Lisa’s background was not the important thing.
“Then I’ll trust you and Lisa with that, and I’ll leave as soon as the contracts with the mercenary and porters are settled.”
A flash of unease crossed Mother’s face.
“All right. Lisa says she will take good care of it, so let us trust her. When you look at the people tomorrow, make sure to choose someone who seems decent.”
“Yes, Mother.”
I returned to my room and thought for a while.
A mercenary....
In truth, being good at fighting was not what mattered.
No. Since there should be no need for me to step in, perhaps the opposite was true.
After a few rounds of questioning myself, I stopped thinking.
‘It’s not as if thinking will give me an answer....’
In the end, I had no choice but to see them in person and choose.
For some reason, I did not want to think about anything anymore today. I fell asleep as if passing out.
“Snoooore... snore, snore.”
***
Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp!
Just as birdsong began to burst out.
I headed to the guild early in the morning.
JINGLE, JINGLE—
The door opened with that sound, and a familiar voice came from inside.
“Mikael, you’re here.”
“Yeah, you came early too.”
“Of course. Did you eat breakfast?”
“Huh? Breakfast? Why are you acting so creepy? You’re giving me goosebumps. Show me the list first.”
Lisa uncrossed her arms and pulled out a sheet of parchment. Her mouth was full of mischief.
“Hehe, this reaction is so fun. I narrowed it down to about three people. Want to take a look?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
Why was I getting excited over this?
...Almost like.
It felt as if I were gaining my first companion.
“The first is....”
Lisa began giving me a brief rundown.
“Thirty years old. Twelve years of mercenary experience. From the Central Front. He is good in a fight, but apparently, he has a bad drinking habit. They say he broke a chair at a tavern last week too.”
A drunkard? Not even worth looking at.
“Anyone else?”
“The second.”
Lisa turned to the next page.
“A woman. Her name is Kaede, and she is an archer. You are skipping this one too, right?”
“Why?”
“Would an archer be useful?”
“Well, fair enough....”
“And they say she talks a lot. Her contract fee is pretty expensive too.”
“Hmm....”
“Listen to the end. The third is....”
Lisa read the last page.
“He used to be in the Imperial Army....”
“......What?”
The Imperial Army?
My curiosity stirred.
“He was conscripted because he was an Aura Awakened, but it seems some accident happened. Now he is missing one arm.”
“Then he’s one-armed?”
“Yeah, but they say his swordsmanship still has not rusted. His name is Garen. What do you think? Should I look into him more?”
An Aura Awakened and former Imperial Army....
“No, let’s see that last person right away.”
Perhaps I could train him up well.
Before I knew it, I was looking forward to that meeting.