50 – The Territory Dominated by the Furry One (6)
“Are you the Young Lord?”
“Yes. Come this way for a moment.”
Cha followed the Young Lord obediently, as he had been curious about what kind of person the Young Lord was.
The Young Lord led me to a secluded corner and glanced outside.
“Has T’ekaruk returned?”
“He just went up the stairs.”
“Yes… But I heard you came to the Young Lord’s residence for delivery.”
So it seems they heard about my visit through a different route.
“To be precise, I came not for delivery, but to discuss the delivery contract. No, not even a contract, just some related matters.”
“You brought Katnif, right? For the Suins?”
I pondered how to answer, but since I still didn’t know what the Young Lord thought of the Suins, I gave a vague response.
“It’s because I thought it would be profitable.”
“I see… Profit, huh…”
The Young Lord fell into silence for a moment before speaking up again.
“So, how much are you thinking?”
“Well, I think I’ll have to go to the clan myself and estimate the cost, but why do you ask?”
“I’ll give you that money, so don’t bring Katnif.”
Right. I see. I can guess.
It seems the Young Lord dislikes those cat-like Suins, the T’ekaruks.
For now, let’s pretend I don’t know anything.
“Yes…? Why are you doing this? Don’t you know that Suin likes Catnip?”
“I know.”
“It seems that the cat Suins live enjoying a certain status as territorial beings. In that case, shouldn’t we…”
“No. Don’t bring them. And they are not territorial beings.”
He tilted his head as if he genuinely didn’t understand.
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“I see… Is that so…? Hmm… But Young Lord, you must understand that commerce is not a one-time thing. In a market with demand, goods need to be supplied consistently for money to flow. Even if you spend a large sum of money once, I won’t gain much from it. Traders follow the money, and it’s clear that Catnip sells well in the market. There’s no reason not to…”
“You were in my father’s office earlier, weren’t you?”
“I was.”
“Then you should know why I’m making this proposal.”
“Hmm… Young Lord, do you dislike cat Suins?”
The Young Lord glanced at me and nodded.
“I dislike them.”
“Do you wish they were all dead?”
When I asked directly, the Young Lord didn’t respond.
Silence is a form of affirmation.
Alright. I’ve confirmed everything.
Everyone except the Lord wishes for the Tekeruks to die. Even the Lord himself.
But the Young Lord is gaining respect from everyone, so they can’t kill him.
In that case, if I eliminate the Lord and the Tekeruks, the Young Lord will naturally ascend to the position of the Lord…
Hmm… If that’s the case, I can’t occupy the Gilran Marquisate.
Now that I have grasped the atmosphere of the territory, let’s go back.
When we return, I should talk to those who have gone.
“Well… I will consider the proposal from the young lord. I don’t mean to do anything immediately, but I need to discuss it with the upper management.”
“I see. However, please do not take it lightly. Because of people like Tekeruk and… because of my father, the territory is falling into complete chaos. Even though you are a foreigner, please don’t act like you don’t know the situation of the territory.”
“Yes, I understand. Then I will go back.”
After bidding farewell to the young lord, I set off for the lord’s castle.
At that moment, another glass bottle fell from above.
Twisting my body, I caught it with my hand and looked up.
On the terrace railing, the werewolf Nai Bai was sitting, waving his finger at me.
That crazy cat…
It seems to be the habit of cats to push objects from high places for no reason.
“Goodbye, handsome one.”
“Yes. See you ‘again’ next time.”
I slightly lowered my head and walked through the castle gate.
* * * * *
After walking for a while, I climbed up the mountain to the place where the dimensional gate was.
So when I returned to the territory, it was already late morning, with the sun nearing its zenith.
Riana quickly ran out when she saw me returning empty-handed.
“My lord? What happened?”
“For now, let’s go inside. Call Ulfric and Kaita.”
Liana brought everyone with her to the office (including herself and three others).
As soon as the Grand Lord sat down, he began to doze off.
“So, how are the preparations for the territory relocation going?”
“I ordered the remaining residents of the territory to pack all their belongings by today. Some people expressed their desire to leave the territory, but most of them decided to follow along.”
Ulphert replied.
“Good. Then let’s hear about the current situation with Marquis Gillan.”
I informed them of the information I had gathered last night.
The packs of cat-like beastmen called Tekeruks causing trouble every night.
Marquis Gillan being completely enchanted by the female beastman Nai Bai, unable to think clearly.
The residents of the territory having a favorable opinion of the young lord and the young lord despising the Tekeruks and her own father.
“This is the situation.”
“In that case, we can just kill the lord and the Tekeruks. No one would mourn their deaths.”
Liana said nonchalantly.
Kaita looked at Liana with a slightly disgusted expression.
“But as long as the young lord is alive, we can’t take the marquis away… Hm…”
Liana crossed her arms below her chest and made a pensive expression, and Kaita tapped the Grand Lord’s shoulder.
“Grand Lord, why did you ask us to start with Marquis Gillan?”
“It’s useless, Kaita. If I could have gotten an answer by asking, I would have done so earlier.”
Liana gestured with her head, and suddenly the Grand Lord opened his mouth.
“We can’t occupy Marquis Gillan himself.”
“Yes?”
Everyone was startled by the sudden declaration of the Grand Duke.
“If we were to drive out the noble family, we would be unable to handle the aftermath.”
“So, what should we do?”
“Make the Viscount’s territory our rear domain.”
When Ulphert turned to look at me, he nodded as if he understood something.
“What does ‘rear domain’ mean?”
“Simply put, it is a territory that protects your back.”
“Like an allied territory?”
“Yes. It seems that the Grand Duke wants us to take advantage of the geographical benefits of the Gilan Viscount’s territory, but…”
When I turned to the Grand Duke, he was already staring into space with a cloudy gaze.
Oh… It seems difficult to get any advice.
Ulphert raised the pointer and pointed at the map.
“If you look here at the Gilan Viscount’s territory, it is connected to all the territories adjacent to the Murei Mountain Range.”
“That means we can attack in any direction.”
Riana’s words reminded me of a certain concept.
“If we were to form an alliance with the Gilan Viscount, even if someone were to attack our territory from some other domain, the Gilan Viscount could retaliate by raiding their vacant homes, right?”
“That’s correct, my Lord. I believe the Grand Duke was trying to convey that point, but…”
Ulphert’s words made sense.
If it’s a territory we can’t benefit from anyway, it would be better to make friends and have them watch our backs.
“Liana, what do you think?”
“I agree too. If we eliminate both the cat werewolves and Marquis Gillan, the small lord will become indebted to the lord and be able to make use of it.”
“Keita, what about you?”
“I will do as the lord commands.”
“Very well. Shall we first go to this place called Catnip?”
* * * * *
The location of the Catnip clan, as indicated on the map the cat werewolves provided, was in a bizarre terrain surrounded by steep peaks.
In the middle of the enclosed valley, which was completely surrounded by steep ridges, was where it was located.
Of course, with our magician, we could easily go through a dimensional portal and get there.
As long as we had the correct coordinates, that is.
Just in case, this time I provided some magical support from the side, so fortunately, there were no incidents of falling off cliffs or into thin air.
Liana, Wolpert, and I were able to descend properly into the Catnip clan.
“So this is Catnip? First time seeing it,” Liana said, bending down and plucking some grass from the ground, bringing it closer to her nose.
“What’s this smell…? The cat werewolves go crazy for this grass?” she asked.
“It’s not just about smelling and chewing it. They drool too,” I replied.
“I guess it only affects the cat werewolves since I don’t feel anything. Anyway, let’s gather it quickly.”
We scattered and started gathering Catnip into our bags.
Liana would occasionally straighten her back and let out a sigh as if it was killing her.
Bending her back must be a lot of strain since her chest feels heavy.
On the other hand, Wolpert tirelessly tore at the catnip, and as a result, his pouch quickly filled up.
“Captain! Come and help me too! My back feels like it’s going to give out!”
“You’re filling up the Lord’s pouch right now, Master Sizong.”
“That’s true…”
But unable to say anything to Wolpert, who was leading the way, Lianna simply groaned and bowed her head.
Before long, three pouches were filled to the brim with catnip.
“With this much, the werecats might just die on the spot from joy.”
Lianna said as she tried to gauge the weight of the pouches.
“But why did you gather so much? You’re not really planning to do business with the werewolves, are you?”
“Business, huh? That’s your job.”
“Then what are you going to do?”