[Side story] Both arm scales (8)
After revealing Ed Ross-Taylor’s power of attorney, the government office staff immediately guided Belle Maia to the reception room where VIPs were to be treated.
Belle sat in the guest room, holding Lortel’s hand tightly, quietly concentrating on her surroundings.
At the point when all the vassals brought were sent to the Elte Company, the only person left to protect Lortel was Bell. Because an emergency situation can arise at any time, you must never let your guard down.
“I heard that there is a famous vassal who is solely responsible for the internal affairs of the famous Rosstaylor estate. It is widely rumored that she gained the trust of that difficult lord, and rose from the status of a commoner to a position comparable to that of the hostess of a noble family’s mansion.”
At that time, an old gentleman came through the door and spoke in a calm voice.
“It’s an honor to meet the hero of the rumor in person.”
A neat merchant’s hat, a monocle, and a tight-fitting shirt and pants. And even a royal blue coat. The appearance is so sophisticated that even the gray hair here and there looks elegant.
It was Might, the head of the Old Deck government office, an organization directly under the imperial capital.
“Rumors are always inflated. “It is truly an honor to meet you, Director Might.”
Belle is not a vassal, but a hired person. She is not even from a commoner, she is from the Planzel noble family.
It is inevitable that such details may be inconsistent due to the nature of rumors.
“I’m surprised that she’s a younger and more beautiful woman than I thought. Since she is the messenger of the Ross Taylor family, she should be treated appropriately. “By the way, what about that cute kid next to me?”
Belle pondered Ed’s instructions and spoke slowly and in a low voice.
“This is Lady Lortel, a customer currently entrusted to the Rothtaylor family.”
Commissioner Might is more sensitive than anyone else to the power structure within Alldeck. There’s no way he doesn’t know that name.
However, at first I thought it was a boring joke and just smiled awkwardly.
However, I frown slightly as I see Belle’s expression not even moving.
Lortel, who was sitting tightly next to Bell and wrapping one arm around him, just looked at Might and Bell’s faces alternately, as if he was anxious.
Might’s expression began to harden little by little.
“I have a lot to explain. “More than anything, the Commissioner is going to need my help soon.”
Belle continued her story calmly. Although Might showed her embarrassment at the sudden situation, she slowly focused on Bell’s words.
Belle glanced at the clock and spoke.
“Before you listen to my story, quickly arrange the band and ceremonial supplies for the VIP reception. “It would be better to hear the details as the work progresses.”
*- Boom!!
The Ross Taylor family’s retainers break down the wooden door of the store and pour into the lobby.
In the meantime, one more magic arrow was fired, shaking Slog’s office again. The impact of each shot was like a huge bomb.
“Hey, fuck… !”
Slog suddenly screamed at the two giants who were so shocked that they couldn’t come to their senses.
“Hey, we have to go down to the lower floor first! If possible, go underground!”
“Slog Keldlux!”
Puellan, who had gained a lot of weight, was stuck on the floor and could not move properly.
He is one of the six great merchants and is responsible for the distribution of minerals in the southern part of the empire. Slog gritted his teeth and lifted Puellan’s arm to help him stand up.
On the other hand, Kaldenheim, a bond dealer with a slim build, quickly succeeded in standing up on his own.
“Isn’t the story different! Ed Rothtaylor says he will take a cautious approach… !”
“You can judge right and wrong later!”
Slog shouted while frowning.
I definitely feel uncomfortable.
I knew that Ed Rothtaylor’s power and influence could not be ignored.
Nevertheless, the reason Slog was able to make a bold move was because he had already figured out his ‘tendency’.
Pushing things away like a bulldozer without thinking about them later is completely opposite to Ed Rothtaylor’s tendency.
Even if they receive the protection of the imperial family and the saints, the legitimacy and justification of their actions are completely different.
Just twisting the neck of a giant who is doing business without any evidence is… It may be possible, but it will have a huge negative impact on your reputation.
It will be a huge loss to the value of the name of the Ross Taylor family, which has just been revived and is increasing its power.
In addition, if Ed Rosstaylor, who holds a teaching position, is stigmatized, public opinion among students will worsen and his reputation will be further damaged. The image of a fool who randomly gets into trouble is fatal to those who teach.
Ed Rosstaylor is a man who has accumulated a lot. That means there is a lot to lose.
People who have a lot to lose do not act carelessly. We try to move within the system and within the scope of discipline.
Therefore, Slog can be drawn into a battlefield he is confident in. It is a world of secret fighting and scheming.
That’s what Ed Rothtaylor has always done, and he has never once deviated from that rule. This is why Slog was able to be confident.
But this time… People around me are staring at me like a crazy person.
This is a move that renders meaningless everything that has been analyzed and figured out about how Ed Rosstaylor has behaved so far.
“Didn’t I just tell you to trust me? Oh my, this is crazy… !”
“It’s not like you didn’t assume the worst! “There is a means to put out an urgent fire in the basement of the store!”
Slog took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves.
“Puelan, Caldenheim. You two, run down to the basement and get the supplies from warehouse B-3. “It’s too valuable an item to be left in the hands of the company’s employees.”
“Well, what’s there?”
In any case, Fuelan and Kaldenheim are giants who have completely bet on the slog side.
They are the ones who have to stick to Slog whether they become porridge or rice.
“It’s something that can overcome this situation. “Ed Rosstaylor’s goal is to catch me anyway, so I’ll bide my time by running away.”
Kaldenheim swallowed dry saliva and looked at the broken exterior wall.
Behind the vassal breaking through the iron gate of the store, Ed Rosstaylor can be seen jumping off the roof of the carriage.
The sight of him putting down his longbow, shaking his arms, and walking into the store’s branch gives off a certain spirit.
There are mercenaries guarding the inside of the company, but I am confident that they alone will never be able to stop that man from entering.
“If you’re going to transport it, you’ll need at least two people. Anyway, we are all in the same boat now, so we should come right away without thinking about anything else.”
Slog gritted his teeth and spoke emphatically to the two people.
Puellan and Kaldenheim nodded, sweating coldly, and then quickly ran out of the office.
There is no way out anyway. If you decide to pursue it, you won’t be able to separate it. We need to find a solution here.
*As I entered the lobby of the store, I saw a lot of merchants who had already been subdued and were lying low on the floor.
Everyone looks like they don’t know if this is a dream or reality.
It seems that they never thought that in the middle of Oldeck, a city that serves as the heart of the empire, the headquarters of Elte Trading Company, the largest trading building among them, would be caught up in such a terrorist-like rampage.
It is not difficult to subdue the merchants. As long as you save their lives, they won’t put up much resistance.
The problem is the mercenaries who sign contracts with commercial companies and guard the head office and branches.
“W-what… That guy… !”
“Everything, everything pops out! “It’s an enemy attack!”
The mercenaries who were waiting on the outskirts of the site or on the upper floors were startled and began to gather in the lobby.
Dagger, long sword, crossbow, staff… They gathered together with a lot of various weapons… It wasn’t easy to attack.
This is because I felt that something was unusual when I saw the Duke family emblem worn by the retainers on their chests.
“What are you doing!”
The merchant, who was lying face down, trembled in fear and cried out.
“Woah, shouldn’t we have a chance to escape!”
In any case, trust is the lifeblood of a mercenary. If he signed a contract with Elte Trading Company, it is right for him to protect Elte Trading Company, no matter who the opponent is.
The mercenaries all rushed in, screaming.
– Hwaaaaaaa!
While pushing away all the mercenaries with basic wind magic, I concentrated my magic power in one hand.
I didn’t want to hurt my vassals more than necessary, so I kept combat to a minimum. The key is to catch Slog anyway, so rather than suppress the others, encourage them to run away.
As the raised magical energy blooms within the body, it becomes harmonious in a spirit manner and embellishes the air.
– Quaaaaaaaaaa!
The retainers who had heard the announcement in advance rushed into the hallway inside the Chamber of Commerce.
The size of the magical power that filled the lobby grew bigger and bigger, and eventually it began to destroy the ceiling and pillars.
The merchants and mercenaries run away with their eyes wide open. I radiated the spirit sensitivity I had raised to the outside site.
– Hwaaaaaaaaa!
The giant reptile’s eyes are split vertically, looking in from the outside of the front door.
All you can see in the lobby are those big eyes. This is because the lizard is as big as a decent house.
The intense heat announces the appearance of the fire spirit.
The sound of the burning flame soon spreads throughout the entire commercial building.
High Fire Spirit Tarkan.
Even if you brought a bunch of mid-level wizards, it was a high-ranking spirit whose shell could not even be penetrated.
Not only the employees of the store within the premises, but even the passers-by start screaming and running around.
It’s like a bomb suddenly dropped in the middle of the city. The majesty of the high-ranking spirit fills the viewer with fear.
“Fuck… ! this… shit… !”
The mercenaries all began to be overcome by fear, hitting their buttocks and shaking their bodies.
Those who face an opponent they can never defeat have only one option: flight.
“Well, first of all… Back story… “Run toward the back door!”
Those who chose to risk their lives over their credibility as mercenaries run out all at once toward the escape route.
The captured merchants were also looking at them as if they were dumbfounded, but I couldn’t blame them. This is because I instinctively realized that even if the positions were opposite, I would have made the same choice.
The mercenaries, who had completely given way to the vassals without even thinking about stopping them, gritted their teeth and ran out of the site.
I would never have imagined that I would encounter a high-ranking spirit in the middle of a city like this.
“Find Rienna first. I chase the slog.”
That’s what I instructed my vassals to do.
Lortel’s chief secretary, Rienna Clemson, was clearly trapped by Slog.
The Rienna I know would never betray Lortel.
However, Slog said that he obtained information about Lortel from Rienna’s mouth. In short, it means that they used some undesirable means to make Rienna open her mouth, whether it was through torture or giving her a confession.
If that’s going to happen, Rienna will have to be trapped in a place within reach. If you search the main branch of this store, you will definitely find Rienna.
After answering loudly, the retainers dispersed all at once and began to search the commercial building.
I once again raised my magic power and completely destroyed the half-destroyed lobby ceiling with the mid-level fire magic ‘One Point Explosion’.
I have no intention of taking too long. It is in the middle of the city center.
The more time it takes, the more disadvantageous it becomes. Finished in 20 minutes.
The hole opened in the aftermath of the explosion leads to the upper floor of the store, providing a path all the way to Slog’s office.
The merchants were completely overwhelmed and lost their will to fight. All the mercenaries fled for their lives.
There is some time left until the government office responsible for urban order intervenes.
I gathered the magical power of the wind and leaped to the upper floor of the commercial building.
Slog is just a merchant with no combat abilities. If you are in a situation where you have to fight back with force, you won’t even be an opponent.
As I jumped up and reached Slog’s office, all I could see was the partially destroyed exterior wall and the open door in the hallway.
After staying here, he quickly ran out into the hallway.
“… ”
I walked straight out the open door and looked down the hallway.
At the end of that hallway, I saw the back of Slog, gritting his teeth and running away.
I gathered magical power into my fingertips. This time, it is not general magic power, but star magic power.
Aspect magic ‘forced gathering’.
Aspect magic is literally the height of irrationality. These are only techniques that must be allowed once they come into view and are activated.
As I unleashed the magic power of the aspect I had pulled up, the body of the slog that was running away was sucked back towards me.
“Keuheook!”
I grabbed Slog by the collar and threw him against the outer wall of the hallway on the other side.
– Kwadangtang!
– Bang!
“Kaaak!”
The slog hit the outer wall and rolled on the floor, letting out a groan of pain.
However, in that moment, Slog took out a magic engineering tool from his chest. It was a shock release device.
Colossi without combat skills always carry magic engineering supplies for self-defense. I didn’t know that fact.
Unfortunately, magical engineering is my specialty. The shock dissipation device that Slog took out had already been made hundreds of times.
Just by widening my eyes and glaring at the device, I broke the magic circuit inside. This is because the internal structure was clearly visible even with my eyes closed.
– Click, click.
“Oh, this is crazy…” Why does this work… ! this… How much does it cost… !”
I snatched up the shock release device that Slog was holding and threw it away. The device thrown into the corner broke helplessly and rolled on the floor.
Slog looked up at me and quickly pushed the floor back and tried to take a step back, but the harsh hallway wall blocked his back.
“under… really… Pfft… Ugh… ”
Slog spoke while laughing.
“Master Ed… “You are misjudging now.”
“… ”
“It may seem like I’m just tongue-in-cheek in a hurry to resolve the situation, but I mean this from the bottom of my heart. You can give up your work even now. Take your vassals and retreat. Don’t you see that this isn’t helping Lortel Kecheln, it’s only going to push him further in the long run?”
Slog gritted his teeth and raised his voice.
“Didn’t Lortel say it out of habit? “The merchants’ fight is a battle of justification and legitimacy.”
I was quietly listening without saying anything.
“If they forcefully push me like this, break my neck, and put Lortel Kecheln in the top position of the Chamber of Commerce… Do you think her merchants will follow her? “It’s a pity, but the merchants don’t follow Lortel; she just fears you, never knowing when she might intervene.”
Slog placed his arms on the hallway wall and slowly got up. All that remains of him is Sechi’s tongue.
However, Slog is a merchant who makes a living with his tongue.
“Merchants are ultimately a group of people who act based on efficiency and rationality. At first, you will bow your head as if you are following Lortel, but eventually you will realize that all of this is not a group founded on economic logic and rationality, but just a group established by power and fear.”
Merchants act according to money, not power. Although the two often go together, they are fundamentally completely different.
“How long do you think the merchants will follow Lortel, who only rode on the glory of Rosstaylor? It will not take long for the key personnel supporting the company to feel skeptical and leave. “They need a leader who is good at business, and they don’t want a leader who only rules with political power and force.”
The reason why Lortel tried so hard to open a deal with Seonghwangdo was ultimately a ploy to weed out the merchants belonging to the Elte Chamber of Commerce.
A merchant association is a place where merchants who want to make money gather. In the end, if you want to catch them, put them on a leash, and make them your subordinates, ‘business’ is the best justification.
“If you break my neck like this, I will be remembered as a poor leader who was unfairly forced to step down from his position as a victim of the Ross Taylor family’s violence. “Lortel will become a person who pushes me away and takes his place through strength.”
“… ”
“Is this really the political structure of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry that you had hoped for? To this extent… I thought you understood this much… “Isn’t this completely basic?”
As I remained silent until the end, Slog began to add more force to his words.
“I thought he knew better than anyone else that power gained without justification and justification will only slowly collapse in the end… I didn’t know that you would make the worst choice that would only cause harm to both sides. It’s not too late… ”
“Slog Keldlux.”
I raised my magical hand and brought it to Slog’s face. Slog swallowed his dry saliva tightly.
“You must be the one who has no cause and justification.”
“that… what… I have legitimately inherited the position of Elte, the Golden King… ”
“You said it yourself that gold coins are ultimately what merchants’ eyes are drawn to.”
What Slog says is true to some extent.
However, there’s no way I didn’t think about that in advance.
“Do you think you will recognize as the owner a guy who is trying to bury a huge business plan in order to protect your position as the owner of the company?”
“… “Are you talking about Seonghwangdo’s deal?”
Slog lowered his head and then burst into laughter.
“A business plan that hasn’t even been established yet… And do you think that they will be able to push out the current chairman on the pretext of something like that that hasn’t been done properly?”
The successful transaction that Lortel was promoting has not yet seen the light of day.
Before you say that it has seen the light, there is simply no content being promoted. I just received a promise to connect the Holy Emperor and Lortel.
No one can guarantee that it will develop into a proper business plan.
“Even if a meeting with the Holy Emperor is planned, it cannot have any political significance. There is no set schedule, and above all, merchants speak in contracts. “There is no contract, so who will believe you?”
“Even if I guarantee it myself?”
“I have heard of Duke Rothtaylor’s majesty, but his voice cannot move the entire capital of Carpea.”
No matter how powerful an agent’s son is, he cannot move the country with just his voice.
There was no way Slog didn’t know that fact.
So the slog is moving now. Slog is not stupid either. Lortel knew very well that there was no reason to push the slog by now.
“I’m sorry, but Seonghwangdo and Elte Trading Company have already completed the logistics contract, and there is a contract. You burned it. In order to protect your position, you burned the entire company’s profits and turned it into nothing. Even if it doesn’t actually happen, that’s how the story will be told.”
“Slander and slander. That’s a great strategy, but… Even if Master Ed, the interested party, says it, not all merchants will believe it.”
“Yes, you are right. Slog Keldlux.”
Although Slog was writhing in pain, he let out a mocking laugh.
First of all, it was clear that there was no reason to continue the slog at this point.
“So, I guess I’ll have to borrow the words of someone with much more authority than me.”
At my next words, Slog’s laughter entered.
Then he slowly lifts his head, unsteadily, and gradually dilates his pupils.
Once my thoughts were completely organized… With wide-open eyes, he slowly uttered a trembling voice.
“you… what… Do… ”
*- Boom!
An employee who burst through the door of the reception room at the Old Deck government office quickly apologized.
This is because there was an urgent matter that required me to visit the Commissioner at work.
The director, who was talking with Bell, listened to the quietly whispered words of an employee who came striding towards him.
And, the commissioner’s eyes also grew wide.
While listening to the store employee whispering, he looked intently at Bell.
Belle is still sitting quietly with her eyes closed.
Commissioner Might quickly got up from his seat and opened the various report documents in his desk drawer.
It was a list of official schedules of various influential figures in the empire, reported every morning. He looked intently at one of the documents and flicked his bangs as if he couldn’t believe it.
Bell, who was watching the scene, finally slowly spoke out.
“It looks like a distinguished guest is coming.”
Bell remembers.
The question that Ed asked Tanya in a pitiful way.
– ‘If I send a letter to Saint Carpea from now on, when do you think it will arrive?’
The saint’s schedule is basically announced every month by the saint.
As she is a saint who receives all the reverence of Saint Carpea, all schedules are as announced… It is a method of moving with thorough escort.
Therefore, anyone who is somewhat familiar with the current situation may be familiar with Saint Clarice’s schedule.
“This… ”
─Merchants call Saint Clarice the ‘walking city.’
The place she goes to is paralyzed by the crowds of people, and the place is crowded with believers who ask for teachings just to hear a word. The crowd is enough to fill three or four large central squares.
There is no human being in the world who can command a saint with such influence to come at will.
So, completely set aside all official schedules… . The fact that a carriage carrying a rare saint is running through the commercial city of Oldeck… I couldn’t believe it even after hearing it with my own two ears.
He woke up one morning to find that a bomb had suddenly fallen on the city he managed.
“… ”
In the silence-filled reception room, only young Lortel, unable to understand the situation, was looking around with a puzzled look on his face.
