Episode 275
Perhaps two people seemed to be the maximum concession the village chief could allow.
I had no choice but to send away Berita and Mir, who followed, and Lanfero and I followed the village chief’s guidance and entered the village.
In fact, preparations were made for the acquisition to be divided like this. Those guys are probably gathering information from outside.
Was it called Snowville?
It’s definitely a small town.
At first glance, the population seemed to be around 200 to 300 people, but even if there was an error, it would probably be around 100 people.
Afterwards, I wondered, what do people in a place like this eat for a living?
Of course it’s hunting, right?
Hunting animals, fishing by the lake… … .
Of course, hunting is not an efficient way to secure food. Since it is a cold region, meat can be stored for a long time, but… … .
It would not be possible to maintain a village population of several hundred people through hunting alone.
That means there must be a separate industry that supports this village.
While I was thinking about this and that, I made eye contact with a kid. The little boy smiled and shook her hand, but the person who appeared to be her mother hurriedly took her and disappeared.
‘Plus the closed nature. no. ‘Is this natural since it’s a rural area?’
Since it is not a particularly attractive place for tourists to visit, these villages are probably mostly closed societies.
Anyway, we entered the village chief’s house, receiving glares from the residents.
Still, he was probably the most prosperous man in town, but his house wasn’t that big.
When I went inside, I could see why. There was a very warm atmosphere. The small size probably provides good insulation.
Lanfero and I sat down, and the village chief sat across from us.
“… … .”
“… … .”
After a moment of awkward silence and exchange of glances, I opened my mouth again.
“No, didn’t you say you’d be treated to tea? “He appears to be the leader of this village, but he is treated poorly.”
“You can stop that now.”
“is it so?”
I nodded and changed my posture from shaking my jaw as if it would fall off.
Then the village chief looked at us with an absurd look.
“What is this?”
“I think they won’t let me in if I don’t do this. “I did some acting.”
“Then isn’t this person a noble?”
“No way. Impersonating a nobleman is a serious crime. It is true that this friend is an aristocrat and from a prestigious family. It’s just that he’s not a childish brat? “First of all, we’re not corrupted, so we’re not really telling a big lie.”
The final decision to join Corrupted has yet to be made, so I am currently an independent.
As Lanfero said, it means that he didn’t tell a big lie.
While the village chief let out a deep sigh, Lanfero asked once again.
“I don’t have any eyes to see, so I want to hear what the situation is now.”
“Didn’t I tell you what the circumstances were? We kicked out the Corrupted. “That’s it.”
“I’m not forcing you to talk superficially, Snero. “Let’s be honest when no one is listening.”
“No one is listening? “Are you really sure?”
“Then of course.”
This is the moment when Lanfero nodded.
Just like at the entrance to the village, the surroundings suddenly started to get dark. However, perhaps because it was inside the house, the darkness grew much faster, and the room became completely dark in an instant.
Only the candle on the table burned clearly and illuminated Lanfero, and the shadow that appeared at this moment took the shape of a bat.
“stop… … !”
The moment Snero hurriedly shouted, the darkness encroaching around suddenly disappeared.
Lanferro’s face, which was resting his chin, was expressionless as if he was wearing a mask, but he calmly opened his mouth in that state.
“It wasn’t really a threat. “I took measures to prevent your voice from leaking out, village chief.”
“Whoop, whoop…” … .”
Of course, it would be difficult for the village chief to know that fact.
If a lion opens its mouth right in front of me, I think it’s going to eat me. Few people think it’s yawning.
“You are scared now, aren’t you? “I’m afraid someone might hear our conversation.”
“… … .”
The village chief, covered in cold sweat, swallowed his saliva and let out a deep sigh.
“Whoa… … .”
Then, with a half-desperate look on his face, he leans back against the backrest and opens his mouth.
“Do you know the main source of income for our village?”
“Were they tanning the skins of hunted animals and selling them?”
“exactly. The so-called specialty product market. “The skin of a silver-maned wolf that only appears around Snowville, the occasional perennial flower, and the rare fish caught only in the ice lake are our main sources of income.”
“however.”
“There was a trading company that purchased them. “You understand, right?”
Lanferro thought for a moment and said.
“Roran… Was it above? “I think it was probably called that.”
“The Lothal Company. About 40 years ago, I rescued a fledgling merchant who had been shipwrecked around here. He was doing business in the islands and became quite successful, becoming the head of the northern branch of the Lothal Company. “Because they were indebted to me, I always bought specialty products at a reasonable price.”
“hmm.”
“Thanks to you, this village has been revived… It’s not that big, but it was able to grow somehow. Enough to bring in Heros’ branch.”
At first glance, it was a word that had nothing to do with Corrupted.
As if the village chief knew this, he stiffened his expression and got straight to the point.
“The problem occurred here. “The Lothal Company went bankrupt not long ago.”
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“Failed?”
“To be precise, it is in the form of absorption, but since all internal personnel have been replaced, it is practically no different from extinction.”
“no. wait for a sec. If it were Lothal, the scale wouldn’t be small, right? At least in the northern part of the country, it’s a big enough company to be counted among the top three. “That place was absorbed?”
The village chief said, covering his two faces.
“The Sanghoe has been gaining momentum recently. And, of course, the company hates you so much. All the problems started here. According to them, you Corrupted have already borrowed money from them.”
“ah.”
Ranfero also sighed.
“Is it Xiren Company?”
“exactly.”
I asked myself a question without realizing it because of the words I suddenly heard.
“… “Where?”
“This is Xiren Trading Company. “Have you never heard of it?”
The village chief politely asked me if I remembered the word noble.
“I’ve heard of it, but… … . no. “Did the boss even borrow money there?”
Then Lanfero also slightly avoided his gaze and responded.
“I do not know. “It’s Ramon’s job to manage the budget.”
“her… … .”
Lanfero turned his averted gaze to the village chief and continued speaking.
“But isn’t it true that Xiren is the only merchant in the north? “If they try to lower the price too much, shouldn’t we just find another company?”
“It’s not that simple. The Lothal Company had a monopoly on the trading rights in villages nearby. “If it had been absorbed into Zyren, those rights would have naturally also been transferred.”
“hmm.”
“It would take at least two weeks to reach a village beyond their influence, and the road is very dangerous. Maybe I should risk my life. Even if we arrive at the end of a long struggle, there is no guarantee that the store in that town will buy our goods at a reasonable price.”
The village chief let out a deep sigh.
Then, he stood up, clattered the teapot, and a moment later, two steaming teacups were placed in front of him.
Even before I drank it, I could smell the peppermint scent.
“Herbal tea.”
I picked up the teacup, savored the scent, and then slowly poured it down my throat.
To say the least, it was not a high-quality tea, but it had the effect of warming up my cold body.
The village chief said while looking out the window.
“… Even 40 years ago, the size of this village was not even half of what it is now. Some might say it’s only twice as much, but for us, it’s not a small change. Now, the village has grown too large to make a living from hunting and fishing like it did in the past. I hope this village lasts a long time. Even after I die.”
“… … .”
“I’m sorry, Lanfero.”
That’s the moment.
Bang bang bang!
A harsh knocking sound was heard, almost as if the door was being broken down.
“I know everything is inside, so open the door quickly!”
“… … .”
The village chief stiffened his expression and stood up.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
And when I opened the door, I could see the people standing outside.
There were three people in total, and all three of them didn’t look good and were very large. However, he was not a professionally trained warrior.
Feeling like a bully who would at best get into a street fight? The excessively rough facial expression and body language clearly showed a gap.
The man standing in the middle said.
“It’s late, isn’t it? Chief Snero. “I almost broke the door.”
“As you get older, your ears start to go thin. Please understand.”
“okay? “You weren’t pretending not to know?”
“What do you mean?”
The man with an eerie smile continued.
“I received a tip from a resident. “I heard that the Corrupted clan leader came to the village.”
“They are the ones who have kept the security of Snowville Village for a long time and solved many problems. Even if I can’t help but send you out, don’t you have the right to know what’s going on?”
“It’s a right. That’s of no use, chief. “All we need to pay attention to now is what’s on paper.”
“… … .”
“Didn’t I tell you not to let anyone from Corrupted into the village? You violated that clause. “If you were that age, you would have known about the importance of contracts, right?”
“Please be kind to me-.”
Before I could continue speaking, I heard a “crack” sound and the village chief collapsed.
I hit my cheek with the back of my hand, so the inside of my mouth was immediately torn apart.
Is this a guy who doesn’t know about respect for elders? Even if you catch a lot, a guy who is no older than 30 has no hesitation in punching an old man in the face.
In the first place, it was proof that he was a man accustomed to using violence against the weak.
After passing the village chief who was spitting out blood, three guys walked towards us.
“Now, wait… One is a noble… … .”
“… … .”
These guys paused slightly at the word noble, and then their eyes turned to me.
Then he smiled and said this.
“Are you Luan Badniker?”
“Do you know me?”
“Because I’m a celebrity.”
“… … .”
I now admit that I am a celebrity, but is my current appearance such that someone can guess what I look like at a glance?
Moreover, even though he knows the name Badniker, he is not particularly intimidated and smiles proudly.
“Split what?”
Out of anger, I hit this guy in the face with the back of my hand. The guy with unusually yellow teeth rolled over his eyes and collapsed.
“You bastard!”
I fed chestnuts to the small-sized fish that ran towards me excitedly. This one went flying as if it had been hit by a carriage, and ended up on top of the yellow-toothed one.
“W-what are you doing!”
The guy who seemed rational glared at me with a scared face.
“No matter how noble you are, this kind of rudeness… … .”
I stood up and grabbed this guy by the collar. And then he hit me on the left and right cheeks one by one.
Wow! Wow!
“… … ?!”
One of my cowardly friend’s teeth fell out. However, he did not lose consciousness because he controlled his strength so as not to faint.
“You wait outside for a moment.”
“Yes, yes?”
“If you want to run away, you can hit. But if you get caught again, be prepared to be beaten twice as much as before. get out.”
“Uh… … .”
The coward stumbled out of the room.
Lanfero crossed his arms and spoke with a slightly serious expression.
“It’s refreshing, but is it okay to do this?”
“It can’t happen, it can’t happen… … !”
The village chief stood up indignantly.
He looked like he was still reeling from the aftereffects, but his bloodshot eyes were glaring at me with resentment.
“What on earth have you done? They are mercenaries belonging to the Xiren Company… … ! “If they use this as an excuse to withdraw from Snowville-”
Just a little while ago, I spoke respectfully, but now I guess I no longer have the time to do so, so my tone of voice has changed again.
Of course, I don’t like being treated like I’m being treated unfairly, so I feel more comfortable this way.
“It’s enough to say small things, village chief. It looks like standing is too much for you, so please take a break. boss?”
“huh?”
“Can I take charge of this matter?”
“Do you have any thoughts?”
“For now, yes.”
Lanfero, who was thinking about what I said, suddenly thought of something and solemnly nodded and said.
“Don’t leave it up to you. “Don’t make too much of a fuss.”
“All right.”
And as I walked towards the coward standing outside, I heard Lanferro’s proud voice from behind me.
“… “I wanted to say a line like this.”
“… … .”
When I went outside, I saw the coward standing there, trembling. I said, naturally putting my arm around his shoulder.
“You didn’t run away? “It’s not fun.”
“Please, do you have anything to say to me…” … .”
“Yes. “Who is your superior?”
“Yes?”
“The highest ranking member of your Xiren Company in this town.”
This guy probably isn’t a mercenary.
This was because he was smaller than the two guys who had stretched out before him, and he felt like he was worried somewhere.
In other words, he was the most suitable person to be intimidated and give directions.
“Well, that’s the branch manager… … . “What business do you have for him?”
“You have a lot of questions. “Then you won’t live long.”
I gave him advice based on experience, and my cowardly friend swallowed his saliva when I saw how he took it.
“… “I will guide you.”
And I passed through the village with this guy. I could feel the villagers looking at me with scared faces.
Then, I made eye contact with a small face sticking out its head from the window of the house. Coincidentally, it was the same kid I had seen when I entered the village.
I waved my hand again, and this time the kid smiled brightly and waved back.
“W-Here… … .”
The place Coward led us to was a fairly large building.
First of all, it looked twice as big as the village chief’s house, and I could hear noises from inside, as if there was a drinking party going on.
“Is there anyone in there?”
“yes? Uh… The branch manager, the special product management committee member, the appraiser, the mercenary, and… … .”
He looked at me slightly and said.
“… “There were also heroes belonging to Heros.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded and grabbed my cowardly friend by the neck.
“Relax your body. “My bones are falling out.”
“yes?”
The last sight of this guy was with his eyes wide open. I just threw this friend with all my might.
Wajangchang-!
At least it was my consideration to throw it through the window.
The interior where the human shot was thrown became a mess. Screams and swearing were heard from inside.
Only then did I slowly move forward, open the door, and go inside.
“hello?”
“… … .”
To my dismay, there was no reply.
In other words, they were heartless guys… … .
My theory is that people without affection deserve to be beaten.
fantasy,
