133 Silk Merchant
***[Heroine Oscar]***
The place he arrived with the lord was a city with a simple and gentle atmosphere.
The walls, which are much higher than those of the nearby city, show signs of repair here and there, and around the city there are wide fields of wheat.
The fields are wide, which is rare in the forested West.
Catherine’s eyes widened as she was sticking out of the carriage.
Katrin asked excitedly as I pulled the horse closer to the carriage.
“There is no forest here. Did you cut down trees to make fields? It seems like all the fields I’ve seen so far are put together.”
She, too, must have read a brief report of the city.
You must have known that there are more fields in this area than in other places, but it is surprising to see it with my own eyes.
However, the forest suddenly disappeared and the towering castle wall was visible in the wide field, so it must have felt quite different from other places.
The lord, who was a little further away, heard Katrin’s words and laughed loudly.
Maybe Katrin, who honestly reveals her emotions, was cute.
Maybe he thought of his granddaughter.
For some reason, such an atmosphere emanated from the lord’s laughter.
The lord lowered his head a little from the horse and spoke to Catherine.
“It is said that this area was all forest a long time ago. It was before the founding of this country.
That story is something I have heard often.
Whenever Benno tells the old story of the dukedom, he never misses it.
At the time of clearing this area, it is said that not only the common people, but also the lords who ruled the area and the royal family of dukes all worked with me.
As it is now, at that time, it was a very special sight to see royalty and nobles plowing the fields themselves, and I heard that the people of this land were very moved.
Such a thing further increased the people’s morale, and this area turned into a field in an unprecedented short period of time.
Thanks to this, long ago, this place was one of the western granaries.
Now, the meaning has faded a lot because money is earned from various businesses besides field crops, but this city and its surroundings were once a place like a duchy’s cheap money.
That’s how wealthy it is compared to other parts of the West.
Even crop yields were not the only ones.
Even if you don’t have to struggle, you can catch fish in reservoirs and lakes just by throwing a net.
Thanks to this, there are few people who starve or die of starvation here from before.
Maybe that’s why people’s atmosphere is mild and loose.
Suddenly, I remembered the face of the man who offered me fish soup yesterday.
I remember how the man licked his lips, and I smiled without knowing.
In this area, fish recipes are exceptionally different than in other places, and that is because the custom of eating fish has been attached to it for a long time.
The fish recipes in this world are a bit greasy by my standards, but this region is similar to Korea, so it was perfect for my taste.
Especially Tang.
It is cooked spicy by adding plants that taste similar to chili peppers.
‘It’s a little sad to think that way. I should have eaten.’
The words of the man who said he was boiling soup sounded like a ringing in my ears again.
Considering that the men sitting next to him were also nodding, the soup he was making must have been really good.
“…”
It’s getting a little bit worse now.
*
“The owner of the store is waiting. What should I do?”
As soon as we arrived at the castle, the lord asked apologetically.
Originally, we were supposed to arrive at the mansion yesterday and take a day off to meet, but because of the lizard beast, we ran out of time here.
Suddenly, the sun in the sky has almost disappeared, and the air is dyed red with the glow of the sunset.
Even preparing to meet someone takes quite a bit of time.
There was no time to rest comfortably.
“Let’s meet up after tidying up our clothes for a while.”
At my words, the lord’s shoulders narrowed.
“… I’m sorry. I’m in a hurry, so you must be tired.”
“It’s okay. I rested enough in the carriage in the middle.”
I smiled as if nothing was wrong, but the lord’s expression did not brighten.
After the lord left the room with a cloudy face, hot water rushed in and the butler who took care of me brought clothes from the carriage.
As I wiped my hair with a moist towel and put on a dress dappled with delicate lace, I closed my eyes from the gradually increasing fatigue.
I was half asleep, moving my arms and legs as the butler did, and before I knew it, I was done grooming myself.
The butler brought out a fruit drink full of sugar and held it out.
“…”
I almost ate one bite and spit it out.
It’s probably for fatigue recovery, but there’s more sugar than at other times.
It was so sweet that the syrup seemed to coat your tongue with a sticky film.
Glancing at the butler with a worried expression on my face, I felt like taking a pill and poured the drink into my mouth.
After swallowing in a breathless gulp, I moved my sticky tongue.
“Next time, don’t add so much sugar. It’s too sweet and your tongue will rot.”
“I’m sorry, master.”
The butler lowered his head slightly.
The butler must have known that I did not like overly sweet drinks.
‘But why did I bring such a sugary drink… Does that make me look tired?’
that’s a bit tricky
I inhaled and turned the magical power inside my body once.
I don’t know why, but it seems to give my body some strength.
At least you will be able to hide your tired appearance.
I tucked my chin in and turned to the butler.
“How are you feeling better now?”
“You are wonderful.”
“…”
No, I didn’t ask for that.
I was asked if I looked tired or haggard.
But looking at the face of the butler with shining eyes, well, it looks good.
In the next room, Katrin was preparing dinner while taking a break.
She must be tired too, but she has no time to rest because women’s preparations take longer than men’s.
‘No, maybe I’m lying down as if I’m fainting without even thinking about that.’
I smiled and left the room.
***[Owner of the store]***
Silk from the Orient across the sea is of the highest quality and price, but the quantity is not so great.
Silk is also produced in other countries, but its quality is inferior to silk imported from the Orient.
Nevertheless, the price is quite high because the silk itself is precious.
If you can get good quality silk at a cheaper price, or even if the price is similar or slightly higher, if you secure enough quantity, you will be able to make a huge profit.
That’s why, when out of the blue, the duke’s house said they wanted to sell silk, I was a little excited even though I thought it wouldn’t be the case.
But it really can’t be silk.
I know that dukes bring goods from across the continent via ship, but silk isn’t something you can get there.
Even though going through the boat is the same, the boat route is completely different.
‘He’s probably trying to ask for a payout under the pretext of low-quality silk.’
In the worst case, you might try to get money by insisting that it is silk when it is not even silk.
But there was no choice not to respond here.
‘ha. I thought the duke wasn’t the kind of person who said that.’
If you listen to the story of the owner of the store that sells magic tools, it doesn’t seem like he was extorting excessive profits by mentioning the family’s prestige.
The owner of the Magic Tool Shop smiled, saying that he was a thorough person, but his face was refreshingly friendly to the operation.
‘But no matter how much I think about it, I don’t think there’s any other reason.’
Again, there is no reason other than the bonus.
A sigh came out spontaneously.
Moving things costs a lot of money.
Since the taxes paid at the gates alone were enormous when moving the territory, a significant portion of the silk price was filled with taxes.
If that tax can be saved, shopkeepers literally swallow sh*t.
And in the Duchy, the taxes levied at the gates were much lower than elsewhere.
For that reason, even if a lot of merchants go around a little, they pass through the dukedom when they pass this area.
It was the same with his superiors.
Silk comes not only by sea route, but also imported from the direction of the steppe tribes.
His merchants brought some of the silk there and made a considerable profit by passing through the duchy.
But now you may have to pay the price.
Ha ha, just thinking about it made my stomach ache.
‘I brought the money just in case you didn’t know.’
Merchants who don’t notice will soon be weeded out.
As soon as he heard the story of the duke’s sender, he immediately raked in gold coins.
The duke had deliberately summoned them.
I don’t know, but I don’t even have a chin for hundreds of gold coins.
Since cash does not remain in the hands of merchants, they had to scrape together money not only from the main store but also from other branches.
A large wooden crate full of one.
It might not be enough, but that was about all I could gather right now.
After waiting for a long time, the attendant announced the Duke’s entrance.
The store owner jumped up from his seat.
‘Please… please… I want you to be satisfied with the money I brought.’
After a while, the door opened, and a pretty man like a statue came inside.
I’ve heard a lot about peacocks, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen their faces.
The owner of the shop was dazed for a moment and forgot to bow before looking at the duke’s face.
‘Is this human?’
really pretty.
I even wondered if God had come down to this world.
Of course, if you think like this, you may be punished.
‘furthermore.’
silver hair.
I’ve heard a lot about it, but it’s really bizarre.
The shiny thing seemed to emit light on its own.
It’s dazzling.
The store owner forgot to even blink and stared blankly at the duke, only to realize that the duke’s face was getting bigger and bigger.
oh my god.
The duke was right in front of him before he knew it.
Suddenly coming to his senses, the store owner hurriedly bowed his head.
“Huh-huh. It’s okay if you don’t panic. Thank you for coming this far without hesitation even though you probably didn’t have enough time.”
When the duke smiled softly and sat down on the chair, the store owner barely finished saying hello and put his butt back on the chair.
“I heard that you are the most honest person among the silk merchants.”
It was probably the owner of the magic tool shop who said that.
Maybe he didn’t want a bounty, but he wanted to sell something new.
From nob le mt l dot com
Just like the Magic Tool Trading Co. did.
‘Then, is the silk merely to deceive the eyes of the outside world?’
The eyes that were fascinated by the duke’s appearance immediately sank.
In my head, the story of the Magic Tool Shop, whose status had risen by selling the magic tools of the duke family, came to mind.
The duke’s magic tools, which I thought would be sold at first, cannot be sold because the people who bought them once bought them again.
He was literally sweeping the money with a broom.
My saliva flowed out on its own.
The store owner opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“Thank you for the compliment, Duke. Our family has been working with only one belief since its founding. Honesty, honesty, only honesty, that one thing.”
At the words of the store owner, the duke smiled lightly.
“It’s reassuring to hear that.”
The duke winked, and people standing nearby placed a box on the table.
It is slightly smaller than the box he prepared gold coins for.
‘Is this thing?’
I wondered what it was, so I automatically lowered my head forward.
I’m dying to find out what’s inside the box that hasn’t been opened yet.
The Duke smiled and said.
“This is silk weaved in our duchy.”
“…”
Disappointment settles in your chest.
‘also! He wanted a reward!’
Was it because expectations were high?
I couldn’t hide my expression of disappointment.
But he wasn’t a good person to show his heart in that way.
The store owner realized his mistake and quickly opened his mouth.
“Ah, in fact, our shop has been able to grow greatly thanks to the Duke’s grace. So, as a token of our gratitude, we prepared a small gift. In a box slightly larger than this box…”
While saying that, the duke began to laugh.
“Have you prepared the gold coins?”
the peacock asks
After all, nobles are all the same.
The store owner smiled awkwardly and lowered his head so that his expression could not be seen.
“Yes, Duke.”
The duke spoke to the attendant standing next to him in a voice that did not disappear with a smile.
“Open the box.”
With those words, the lid of the box lifted.
Is it trash silk, or is it an empty box? Either that or…
The owner of the store, who thought so, jumped up from his seat as soon as he saw the contents of the box.
“This, this! It’s silk!”
***[Heroine Oscar]***
You said that from the beginning.
called silk.
I smiled lightly at the owner of the store whose eyes were as wide as a lamp.
this guy is really funny
I thought all the merchants were people with masks on their faces, but their expressions change from time to time.
Is this how you can do business properly?
“…”
I was starting to get a little worried.