Chapter 386
"... ..."
To be frank, my words could certainly be considered rude. I had prepared myself to be decisively dismissed by Miss Felt with a "This is not worth discussing," but the reaction that came back was, surprisingly, a gesture of "pondering."
Not that the husband and wife made the same gesture.Her husband, Percy, said, "Ah..." slightly opening his mouth and scratching his head.His wife, Miss Felt, picked up her teacup with a somewhat troubled look.
I couldn't even tell if it was a good or bad reaction.
"I suppose you could call it good timing. Right, dear?""Since it's a matter brought by Gato-san, I don't think it's a bad proposal..."At least it wasn't an outright rejection; that much was clear from this exchange.
"If you, who possess a workshop of this scale and employ many craftsmen and staff, are *hesitating* instead of refusing immediately, then there must be some circumstances, correct?"Rather than having ulterior motives, it seemed something was happening that made them think, "Perhaps we should give up on running things here."Otherwise, no matter how good Gato's introduction was, they would have undoubtedly shown us the door with a smile.
"Well, you see... Felt, since it's Gato-san's introduction, I think we can trust Liberta-san. I think we can tell them about that matter. What do you think?""...You're right. We don't know how long we can maintain the status quo, so it might be best to at least have someone hear us out."It seemed the couple decided to share their circumstances with us.
"It began about three months ago. We received a request via this town's mayor from the Duke of the East."Miss Felt placed her hands on her lap, took the lead, and began to speak. It was about a request from the Eastern Duke, Duke Matthias.
"The content was a large order for magical weaponry. Since my husband's workshop also produces magical weapons, that in itself wasn't unusual. The quantity wasn't particularly strange either, considering it was for use by the duke's army.""The client was a noble, but for us, it was a huge order. The delivery date was a bit tight, but we happily accepted it."The moment that name was mentioned, a bad feeling surged within me.'Magical weaponry' refers to weapons and armor imbued with magical effects, like the chainsaw Barbados used when settling things with Voldelinde.
"We delivered and received payment without issue. Everything was fine up to that point. But the next month, we received a massive maintenance request. They wanted us to dispatch craftsmen to service the magical weaponry delivered three months prior."Magical weaponry is powerful but requires extremely troublesome maintenance and specialized craftsmen.One reason I avoid using it among my own people is that the skill 'Enchantment' can substitute for it, but the main reason is the "decline in sustained combat capability."
Even with an 'Indestructible' enchantment, it won't break without maintenance, but its functionality degrades. The gear itself gets heavier with more parts, making it harder to handle. To top it off, expandability is low.Even in the FBO game era, it wasn't very popular because you needed to have a craftsman permanently stationed in your party.
However, it has high value for base defense. If you station a craftsman, you can utilize its power to the maximum.
"Was that part not strange in itself?""Yes, well... But the problem started from there."If they can't maintain it, they shouldn't have bought it in the first place. But precisely because they can't maintain it, they rely on Percy's workshop, the manufacturer. As Gato said, it's logical.
"After the maintenance, the craftsmen who returned reported being scouted by the ducal house.""That is...""Yes, it was poaching by a noble. It's not unheard of, but the targets weren't just those craftsmen. It was *all* the craftsmen, including my husband, and *all* the workshop staff."The flow from there was almost identical to the proposal I just made.Duke Matthias was also aiming to secure Percy and his people.
"As compensation, they offered the status of a merchant for the ducal house, annual maintenance contracts for magic items, and regular product purchases. Additionally, they offered a prime location in the eastern capital city."I hadn't even presented my offer yet, but the terms proposed by Duke Matthias could be called exceptionally favorable treatment in this country. Conditions only the House of Matthias, with its many mines, could offer.In terms of financial power, Duke Matthias still surpasses Duke Edelgard. Income from trade and mines, plus wealth backed by history. All conditions for attracting people to his territory are met.
If I knew the truth behind it, I would refuse immediately, but to those unaware, it's something to celebrate with open arms.
"That's quite preferential treatment. I think you could be a little happier about it?""If it were just that, yes..."However, Percy sighed with a dissatisfied expression.
"With such good conditions, there were naturally corresponding demands."The reason for that expression was the price to pay for the preferential treatment.
"What kind of conditions are they?""Making my workshop an exclusive military supplier.""Does that mean...""Yes, likely as you imagine, Liberta-san. If we accept the terms, our workshop would become an exclusive supplier for the House of Matthias. We would only be allowed to produce magical weaponry, magical artillery, or military equipment. We would not be permitted to make products for general households like we do now."That was an absolutely unacceptable condition for Percy.He loves magic items themselves to the point of being called a 'magic item fanatic.'
Weapons for battle, lights to illuminate daily life, or even junk whose use is unclear—he pours his passion into making magic items of all genres and enjoys that diversity itself.
Telling such a man, "Make nothing but tools for killing people for the rest of your life," is something he could never accept, no matter how much money is piled up. Making magic items with a collar around his neck, stripped of freedom, would be nothing but torment for him.
The Percy I knew would have shouted "Don't be ridiculous!" in indignation.
"I also used every means at my disposal to negotiate. I proposed whether we could make other magic items in our spare time alongside military supplies, explaining that it could ultimately contribute to the development of magical weaponry, but...""Hmph, those people can't be satisfied unless they proceed in the shortest possible distance. They are convinced that if you have time to make extra things, you should make one more weapon—that's efficient."Miss Felt, acting as Percy's angry spokesperson, apparently tried to negotiate amicably, but the duke's side seemed to have a cold attitude.For Percy, the experience that "you never know where an idea might be found" is a treasure, but the duke's side dismissed it as nonsense.
"In fact, several workshops of our acquaintance who received the same offer have been absorbed. While we were delaying our reply, just the other day, a handwritten letter finally arrived from the duke... It threatened that if we do not agree within one week from today, they will rescind the conditions and impose restrictions on our business."For nobles, their own ideas are the absolute truth. If there's a successful precedent, others' opinions are unnecessary, it seems.
"We have little time left. Continue making military supplies under the duke's rule, or refuse and continue our declining business under pressure."If they were faced with such a binary choice, it's understandable they didn't immediately refuse my proposal.The forced cheerfulness when we met must have been them putting on a brave face.
"Felt's negotiations have also reached their limit. We were at our wits' end, pondering what to do, when Gato-san's letter arrived. I thought maybe he had some good advice, but...""And instead, I showed up to scout you. Is that it?""That's right. Fortunately, we still have assets and craftsmen. We have the resilience to start over in a new land. But there's no guarantee of success. That's why, when you appeared, I thought we might gain some information."Even with Gato as a guarantor, they shared rather deep information with me, a complete stranger.That shows how cornered they are.
But Duke Matthias's actions are clearly military expansion. In other words, a countermeasure against Duke Edelgard....And the cause of that flow is, in all likelihood, *me*.
The great walls I built must have become known in the east through spies and adventurers.Knowing that the one who created that "something beyond the norm" is on Duke Edelgard's side, it's no wonder they're panicking.
"Liberta-kun, are you alright? You're sweating a lot..."Could it be that events related to the Warthog Duke from FBO are progressing forcibly?Cold sweat is pouring out, but Azhdaha, the continent's greatest crisis, has been dealt with. The worst-case scenario should have been avoided...
"No, it's just that I realized, in a roundabout way, I might be the one causing trouble for the two of you. I feel guilty...""???? What do you mean?"The fact that the repercussions of my deviation from the original story are causing trouble for them weighs heavily on my heart. I want to apologize immediately.
"Actually..."It's not something that can be kept hidden forever. If I take them to the frontier village base, it'll come out anyway.I decided to come clean and explain everything, including my reasons for scouting them.
"...I had heard rumors. That large-scale development was taking place in the desolate northern lands.""To think those rumors were true, and you were the representative of that land... If not for Gato-san's word, it would have been hard to believe immediately.""I saw it with my own eyes. Though it's the word of an old man, it seems to have served as a basis for trust."After my explanation, the couple was surprised to learn I was the lord of the development area, but they no longer mentioned the matter with Duke Matthias.
"However, being able to freely research magic items in a new land without any restrictions... There's the work of cooperating with the school, but having free access to research materials is attractive...""Um, I'll provide them in large quantities, but not without limit..."If anything, Percy's enthusiasm for the conditions I presented was better than expected, and I was slightly overwhelmed.