Chapter 154
Chapter 154. The Duke’s Contract (2)
I deliberately did not look at the contract. It was still too early to begin the main game. I also needed to examine the Duke’s intentions a little more.
At that moment, the Duke clapped once and called a maid.
“Bring out the precious tea.”
“Yes, Master.”
The maid withdrew, and a short while later, tea with a strange fragrance was brought in. It was a tea I was encountering for the first time, and embarrassingly enough, the Duke poured it himself.
“It is quiet around us today.”
When I smiled and offered that light joke, the Duke laughed heartily and responded. After pouring all the tea, he filled his own cup to a suitable level as well.
“You somehow seemed uncomfortable, so I dismissed everyone today.”
“Is it not the opposite?”
The Duke lifted his chin as though asking what I meant. I decided to be honest. He must have seen only people who bowed and scraped before him every time, so I should let him see someone bold as well. It would feel fresh.
“It seemed your retainers were jealous of my abilities. They seemed to be belittling my inventions and the potential of my company while prattling on about rudeness and discourtesy. And yet, I came all the way here for Your Excellency’s sake.”
The Duke, who had been staring intently at me, suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Hahahaha. There is reason in your words as well. However, they too are important retainers who work for our house. They speak from concern, so pay it no mind.”
“I understand that, but it seemed they were wary of me becoming important to Your Excellency. Is it because I am a merchant born from a humble house?”
“What importance does status have? In the end, what matters is the ability a person possesses.”
The Duke was the first to savor the tea. It seemed the tea contained neither poison nor a knockout drug. His gaze, which had been looking down at his teacup, flew toward me.
“In that sense, you are better than most barons. How should I put it? You seem trustworthy. You are young as well. As you know, I spent a long time on the front line. Now that these are peaceful times, they have all become old stories…… but in my time, it was a very chaotic era. Battles were taking place everywhere, and the situation was poor. As I overcame those hardships and experienced all sorts of people, I gained a certain eye for judging people.”
The old man’s repertoire had begun. Something like, “Back in my day.” For some reason, I suddenly craved a café latte. Later, I should import coffee beans and do business with them.
“There is no one who does not know Your Excellency’s fame.”
“Your position will be decided by how you act. Whether you remain the Master of some ordinary Merchant Company, or reign as the Master of a great company that stretches beyond the Kingdom and across the Continent.”
“I like the latter.”
“Is that your goal?”
“My dream is to become the greatest man on the Continent. That is why I am here today.”
The Duke smiled broadly and pointed to the contract with his hand.
“Then you must pass the first gate. Will you check it?”
“Yes.”
I examined the contract.
It was a contract proposed by none other than the Bahamut Ducal House. There was a very high possibility that various traps and poisonous clauses were hidden within it.
Even while seeming to respect me, their purpose was ultimately to secure profit.
“For now, the parts I mentioned have been reflected properly.”
“Of course. A promise is a promise.”
A promise is a promise. I did not know how long those words would remain valid.
The contract stated that immediately after the contract was concluded, one hundred thousand gold would be invested in Metis, and both sides would agree to build a three-story building in the center of the Royal Capital. It also included a clause stating that they would take full responsibility for establishing industrial facilities in the Ture Region.
Ture was a city located between the Royal Capital and the Adeline Territory. Its roads were well maintained, its population was large, and its volume of trade was high, making it an excellent place for transporting goods.
However, this was a little different from what I had said. I had wanted to establish production facilities near the Royal Capital, but the Ture Region was somewhat far away.
What scheme did he have?
After pondering for a moment, I asked,
“Is there a particular reason you chose the Ture Region as the site for establishing the production facilities? Of course, I am aware that it is a representative transportation hub.”
“There is a Mercenary Corps base there that our house has invested in. In any case, what costs the most when transporting goods is escort costs. If you consider that, then establishing production facilities in the Ture Region and having a Mercenary Corps under our protection attach itself to the operation will increase efficiency.”
“Which Mercenary Corps is it?”
“Blue Dragon.”
Why not just openly say it was your house’s Mercenary Corps? The name was grand as well. However, if it was a Mercenary Corps protected by a ducal house, its scale must be tremendous.
“Then do we have no right to choose the Mercenary Corps?”
“That is not the case, but if you want people who are cheap and skilled, there will be no one but Blue Dragon.”
“In truth, we were preparing to establish our own Mercenary Corps. I planned to deploy them in practice while carrying out this plan…….”
The Duke’s eyes gleamed. An awkward silence hung between us for a moment. In the end, he smiled and picked up his teacup.
“Well, it is common for a Merchant Company to organize a Mercenary Corps. However, do you have experience with such a thing?”
“For now, I am an Aura User.”
“This is not a matter of strength. Experience and strength are different. I gained countless experiences on the battlefield. The place I shared those experiences with is Blue Dragon. There was a reason they were able to grow so quickly.”
I nodded soullessly.
No matter what he said, I had no intention of keeping it in my heart. If I gave work to Blue Dragon, money would flow into the Bahamut House. It was an obvious picture.
More importantly, I had a clear plan.
Organizing a Mercenary Corps. By now, Kalmond should have finished all the basic preparations.
I had decided on the name of the Mercenary Corps as ‘AvenXers.’ It was the organization name we had used before, so the members missed it, and it was also a name that somehow sounded strong.
While cleaning up the Underworld of Adeline, the members had accumulated considerable real combat experience. They had cleaned up the Black Pig Gang and were now in the process of absorbing minor organizations afterward. Besides that, they had also been repeating hellish training. Since those who were more familiar with weapons than pens could not be assigned to office work or production work, I had made use of their aptitude and changed their class to mercenaries.
Since I heard that the Underworld of Adeline would soon be completely cleaned up, at that time, I would be able to fully deploy them for mercenary work.
“Then may we proceed with the Mercenary Corps hiring issue being handled by Metis on our own?”
“Do as you like.”
“Then I will insert a clause regarding that part.”
The Duke stared intently at me and nodded. It was proof that he was not satisfied.
I used a Ballpoint Pen to add an additional clause to one part of the contract. ‘Metis shall bear all general costs required for transporting the products, and Metis shall oversee all procedures.’ This much was enough.
“Please check it.”
“Hm…….”
After checking the inserted clause, the Duke nodded.
“Not bad.”
“And there is one more thing I must discuss. This contract is missing a very important part. Namely, the contract period.”
Perhaps he had taken me very lightly, because the contract period had not been specified.
“I believe there is wording regarding the contract period. The Bahamut House and the Metis Trading Company shall cooperate and pursue development for as long as those names continue to exist.”
“That is not a rational contract. A contract must always include a clearly specified period, and clauses must be amendable upon renewal.”
This part could be advantageous to me or disadvantageous, but for now, I judged that it was better to keep the contract period short.
“To be honest, it is not bad for me, but Your Excellency may be disappointed.”
The Duke did not seem convinced, so I explained the reason.
“Right now, the option grants Your Excellency three percent of total sales, but what about later, when our company grows and commands the Continent? Would you not regret the moment you signed this contract, which is no different from a lifetime contract?”
“Hmmm…….”
“Therefore, it would be best to set the contract period at one-year intervals. Only by revising the detailed clauses according to the situation can we produce a result both sides can accept.”
The Duke propped up his chin and continued thinking for a long time.
He probably had not made this decision because he was stupid or because his retainers were lacking. Money was money, but it must have been a decision meant to make his influence over Metis last permanently.
I understood. However, I had no intention of matching my rhythm to the tune you played.
After a while, the Duke made his decision.
“Very well. I will accept your opinion. Instead, I have a condition.”
“Please tell me.”
“I will give you a Barony, so accept it.”
It was a scheme to exert influence in another way.
It was not something I had failed to expect. In the first place, when Duke Mydas told me to hand over everything about the Fountain Pen, one of the conditions he offered was a Barony.
If the title of a retainer of the Bahamut Ducal House was attached to me, it would certainly carry some weight.
From the outside, it was the honor of becoming a retainer of the Bahamut House. However, on the inside, it contained his intention to exert influence over Metis.
It was clearly a poisoned chalice.
However, I decided not to spill the poison in that chalice, but to use it beneficially. After all, if poison was diluted appropriately, it could sometimes be used as medicine.
“Very well. I will accept the Barony.”
“Do you want a fief?”
“A small mansion in the Royal Capital will be enough. In any case, I must travel here and there, so even if I had a fief, I would not be able to manage it properly.”
“Good. I will handle that. I will hold a title-conferral ceremony soon. At that time, you will have an opportunity to greet everyone. I am planning a very large banquet.”
“That banquet will have to be after Princess Ophelia’s birthday party.”
“Since the nobles will be coming to the Royal Capital to attend that party anyway, it will be very good timing to set a date.”
“It is an honor, Your Excellency.”
I thought I would have to work harder as Dilen as well. After all, Dilen was still a Baronet. Suhyeon, my double identity, had gained a Barony. He had become a full noble.
Silence passed for a moment, and the Duke, tilting his head, asked in passing,
“Did Duke Castro perhaps approach you?”
Duke Castro was a Duke of the Kingdom who was in an adversarial relationship with Duke Mydas. The Kingdom’s power structure was divided around the two Dukes.
I smiled broadly.
It was the question I had wanted.
As expected, his impatience was based on fear that his political rival might take me away.
“Unfortunately, Duke Castro did not evaluate my potential highly.”
“That is precisely Duke Castro’s limit. He is full of suspicion and always handles matters late. In any case, you came to my side well. You certainly will not regret it.”
“May I sign the contract for now?”
“Do so.”
The Duke and I each signed the contract and divided one copy each. Then we received notarization from an official of the Kingdom. With that, the contract was fully concluded.
“I look forward to working with you from now on, Master Suhyeon.”
“I will serve you with loyalty.”
I offered a solemn bow.