The Meaning Of Ing And Rad (2)

The items requested by the merchants who returned from the battlefield were mostly stamina enhancers and alcohol.

“I can’t understand why everyone only asks for those…”

Linda, who was beside me, said with a smile at my words.

“Is it not because they are things that cannot be manufactured outside? There simply are no substitutes.”

“Isn’t that not the case for alcohol?”

Linda shook her head firmly at my words and spoke.

“Alcohol as strong as Ingrad’s has never existed in the history of the continent. That carries a great meaning in its own right!”

I thought I didn’t really know. Moreover, it was just absurd to hear a eulogy for alcohol from someone who couldn’t even drink well, but since this was her job, I just let it be.

“It won’t be to the point of causing a setback in preparations, right?”

“For now, it was a level that could be provided by emptying all the storage. There is the burden of having to refill the storage again, but I think it’s a good thing in that a large amount of money is coming in.”

That was true. A truly large amount of money came in. The situation of the continent beginning to be engulfed in the flames of war was one thing, but because the Ingrad Domain gave off the feeling of preparing for ‘war’ this time, the prices of Ingrad products, which were already high, began to soar.

Most items had their prices skyrocket from 2 times to as much as 4 times the previous selling price.

“Thanks to clearing out all the inventory this time, we were able to earn merchant notes equivalent to 2 million large gold coins. Since they are accepted throughout the entire continent, I thought it was the most suitable currency for our fief’s current situation.”

“Well done. Anyway, looking at it long-term, the Central Continent will be closer to being an ‘enemy’ rather than a customer.”

The Terakan Empire’s position had not been delivered yet. Blocking off the teleportation magic circles was the result of delaying contact, but conversely, it was also something that could buy time.

It would likely be a method of sending people to nearby territories via teleportation and then delivering by land, so it was bound to be late, but I thought the meeting would last quite long since this matter was what it was.

‘The legitimacy lies with me, but that is not enough to cover up Duke Yusillian’s death. It would have been better if he hadn’t died… but it is also never good for a person full of hostility to be alive. The result is still unknown, but it was effective in terms of buying time.’

This was the conclusion I reached, and thanks to that, I was steadily expanding military armaments. Furthermore, when I sent back the Princess of Briden, I told her to send people to the border of the Forest of the Demon Dragon, in front of the Sky Bridge, once she arrived safely at the Briden Royal Family.

I had said that for the purpose of a first exchange, and a beastkin guarding that place informed me a week ago that the person sent by the princess had arrived, and through that, I was able to convey the intention to purchase a large quantity of iron ore and special metals in bulk.

Furthermore, as things seemed to be going smoothly, I was able to accelerate the production of golems by speaking to Hare, and now, I have completed the production of a transport vehicle pulled by two Yanukeu (ox)-shaped golems aligned with three tracks.

This meant that once Briden sent the ore, I could pay the price and accelerate various things.

“Our task is to protect the fief.”

Linda nodded her head firmly at my words.

Unlike the world being in chaos, the Black Gold Merchant Company was leisurely to the extreme.

Among them, Bolbe, who saw profit in the Demon Tribe territory, was moving while leading most of the ships after asserting his position strongly this time, but the peculiar point was how everyone knew and came to find them?

High-ranking demons appeared in large numbers and began to buy Black Gold.

Bolbe was enjoying the situation where they were even selling samples for money this time. A slave ship owner sailing with him asked.

“Bolbe, are you not even afraid of demons?”

“The thing I fear is only one.”

“What is it?”

“The gods abandoning us!”

At the moment when the slave ship owner, thinking he was a somewhat eccentric beastkin, looked at the large gold coins piled up in the hold and thought that gold no longer looked like gold, a new guest dropped down onto the ship.

It was on the sea not so far from the harbor, and looking at the demon who had flown here unable to endure it, Bolbe for some reason stood blocking the front of the slave ship owner and opened his mouth.

“You, you are strong. If you want a battle, we will also give our all.”

While he was flustered because it was a sudden statement, the opposing demon raised both hands and opened his mouth.

“If I had the intention to fight, I would have already thrown a big one at the ship, but I am a gentlemanly demon. So I would like to do some trading?”

“….Judging by your power, you seem to be around the rank of a Duke, yet such a person is also short-tempered.”

The demon, surprised after hearing Bolbe’s words, laughed. Then he asked a question with an expression full of curiosity.

“I knew that I had heard that powerful individuals among beastkin were exceptionally special since ancient times… but this is the first time I have actually confirmed it with my own eyes. My competitive spirit is burning but… today the goal is trade. I will buy all the Black Gold you have. How about it?”

“I am grateful for the offer, but I must hear what you will trade with.”

“Hmm…. Since the choice is yours, I will offer two things. One, I will hand over the lives of 2 million captured humans. If that is not to your liking, I will hand over the large gold coins you like at 10 times the weight of the Black Gold. How about it?”

He thought it was a proposal that was beyond tempting, it was enormous. However, when Bolbe hesitated for a moment as he didn’t expect ‘humans’ to be put up as a trade item, the Demon Realm Duke thought he had gained one piece of information.

‘It seems he is related to nobility. For a beastkin to hesitate when I offer humans… I wonder which country’s noble it is…?’

It was the Demon Realm Duke who was pleased to have realized one fact, and Bolbe soon set aside his worries and spoke.

“20 times the large gold coins, I will not trade for less than that.”

Did they say that if you are ignorant, you are brave?

Bolbe was exactly like that, and it was the Demon Realm Duke who nodded his head without much thought even after hearing this ridiculous proposal.

“I feel like I’m losing out, but I will give it to you as such. Shall we first take a look at how much you have?”

It was a moment of a win-win transaction for Bolbe, who gained an unexpected benefit as interests collided, and for the Demon Realm Duke, who was in a good mood because he could follow part of the Demon King’s orders given to him and gain unexpected information.

And there were also places that became short-staffed because of customers rushing in frantically, and those were the cafe and bakery operated by the Hamern siblings.

The place named ‘Hamern Shop’ was in a situation where it was so crowded that all stores, whether for the lower class or for nobles, were packed to the brim, and this was likely due to the chocolate chips in the bread and the ‘coffee’ which, though it was being released to some extent, showed a drastic difference in taste and quality.

Furthermore, there was one characteristic of this Hamern Shop, and that was ‘sweetness’.

Terakan was a place where artificial sweeteners, including sugarcane, were not well-developed. Because of that, it could easily deliver a shock to people, and that shock was continuing to create even more synergy due to the collaboration of chocolate chips and coffee.

“Daily sales are… about 400 large gold coins… sister, can you believe it?”

“Phew… they say they are earning that much per single store. They say almost everything sent from the headquarters is exhausted every day… the upward trend will continue even more in the future, right?”

“What kind of opportunity did we seize?”

“It must be a destiny-like opportunity given by the heavens. I am also spending days that feel like a dream…”

Strictly speaking, 12 stores were earning an average daily profit of 400 large gold coins. Even considering the supply of raw materials, transport, and labor costs, 150 large gold coins remain as net profit.

Half of that is sent to the Ingrad Domain and what remains is collected by the Hamern Barony, but the problem was that this enormous amount of money was to the extent of feeling like a dream.

‘But compared to the amount the Ingrad Viscounty earns… it wouldn’t even be at the level of pocket change…’

The Hamern siblings could not predict what kind of situation the Ingrad Domain would face now, but for now, the Hamern Shop was enjoying great success.

Meanwhile, at the same time.

“Trivial things are blocking my path while calling themselves Heroes…”

It was the Demon King whose mood became unpleasant because three Heroes appeared before her eyes and blocked her.

“O Demon King, your evil deeds are coloring the continent with blood. Furthermore, I heard that you were once a Hero. Why are you hostile toward humans!”

It was the Demon King ‘Jin So-hee’ who exhaled a sigh at the words of one Hero.

“Don’t think about dragging out pathetic words and speak with your skills, and if you’re a Hero… come dressed a bit more decently!”

The three Heroes in front were swept away and seen backing up due to the enormous amount of magic power emitted along with the shout.

The Demon King thought. The Heroes summoned in this era are far too low in quality, perhaps they are summoning useless things by choosing quantity over quality?

It was the Demon King who even had such thoughts. Once she had a dream of returning to Earth, and there were times when she worked hard.

However, after learning the truth, what she chose was the eternal life called ‘corruption’. It was a path chosen while thinking that if she maintained her life and built up her strength, she would be able to return to her hometown when the time came that she could do something about the dimensional wall.

Thanks to that, she chose the side of merely employing subordinate demons rather than stepping out to the front in the war with humans, but by some whim…

In the end, she had burst out of the Demon King’s Castle. Looking at the Heroes she then encountered, she felt her heart twisting.

Equipment that has become worn out from long use, foolish beings who believe they have become strong just by raising their raw levels with strange medicine containers hanging all over them….

Can those things be called Heroes?

While having such thoughts, she examined the retreating Heroes in detail, and come to think of it, there was a peculiar part to the humans.

‘Why are they all carrying those medicine containers without exception?’

Fellows who started to be seen carrying medicine containers from a certain point, but I couldn’t understand why I knew the fact that those were medicine containers.

Then suddenly, upon realizing the fact that I had seen ointment containers of that shape and format on Earth, I could sense something.

‘Is it a change…? They would certainly never sit idly by as the world changes…?’

The Apoca Kingdom she knew had never once left a person summoned along with a Hero to be free.

She was a Demon King who knew the tricks of the artificial capital of the Apoca Kingdom prepared for that and naturally inducing those summoned to fall into a quagmire, so could it be that there was someone who escaped that restraint?

It was the Demon King who was having that thought.

“That medicine…. where did you get it?”

“If you want to know… you will have to die at our hands, or kill us!!”

And then the charge of the Heroes began, and it was the Demon King who drew her sword while thinking that they were short-tempered fellows with whom words would not work.