The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Chapter 85
Achievement (2)
Before coming here, Belderet had been certain that it was impossible to read a person’s mind unless he was a god.
Yeah, it was natural to think that way.
Who wouldn’t do that?
But Prince 1 read what was thought to be impossible, saw through the trend, and made profits that were dozens of times greater.
Despite his long experience in business, he proved his worth by himself, laughing at all the arguments.
‘I really can’t believe it… … !’
It was something I couldn’t believe, but I couldn’t help but believe it.
The situation was already unfolding right before our eyes.
Besides, there were still other things He had commanded me to do that I couldn’t just sit there blankly.
The Marchioness asked the merchant again with a slightly impatient look in her eyes.
“If we do as you say, you will sell us everything we need?”
“Yes, if you want all of these furs, I will be happy to give them to you.”
If I went somewhere else and bargained, I could probably get a higher price, but there was no reason to refuse.
If you create a connection with Marquis Carden by offering to sell the goods neatly, then it is clear that this is exactly what the First Prince wanted.
Besides, the original purpose was not to simply make a profit through the fur trade.
* * *
“……her.”
The mining area of Azran.
The trade office staff member asked back in a surprised voice.
“Are you saying you want to trade black iron?”
“exactly.”
Belderet nodded at this and his eyes began to shine.
Yes, that is indeed what the Prince had wished for.
Black iron was an item that was imbued with magical powers in the composition of ordinary iron. Of course, it was nearly impossible to artificially create something imbued with magical powers, and it was often produced in certain areas due to environmental factors.
The important thing here was that the ‘mineral’ existed in Azran.
“It’s black iron… … .”
The mine manager stroked his chin at the news from the upper ranks of the Kingdom of Esteban.
As a mineral imbued with magical power, black iron had a different utility from regular iron. Like many mithrils, it had an extremely high aura conductivity.
If there was a downside, it would be that it was overwhelmingly difficult to handle and tricky to manage, but that wasn’t the problem with the contract.
The black iron was left over anyway, and if you wanted to buy it, there was no reason you couldn’t sell it.
But there was something else that was confusing the manager’s mind now.
“I never thought you’d come to two places at the same time… … .”
Although the quantity was limited, there were actually two places that requested trade in black iron.
One place was the upper part of Esteban’s kingdom, which we had just visited.
And another place… … .
‘… … A merchant from another country that has been trading with mines since before.’
I heard it was a certain country, but I don’t remember it well.
That would be the case, since they had been trading for a long time and there were more than one or two countries on the continent.
And this was an unpleasant situation for the manager of a mine that relied on national trade to make its profits.
It is more convenient to do business with one place in many ways, and it is right to give priority to that place, even if it is for the sake of good faith. However… … .
‘These days, they keep putting in a lot of annoying clauses.’
It’s a situation where several unspeakable circumstances are happening at the same time.
Still, considering the various situations, it would be right to think about balance.
He thought so.
And if that’s the case, then in the end, for the sake of the mine’s future, there’s no choice but to divide the load between the two sides, even if it’s annoying.
… … And that news was also delivered to Belderet and Reika, who had come to rescue Heukcheol.
“I see. So that means you’re in a position where you might have to share the items.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s the situation.”
“It’s okay. It’s a completely understandable situation. Don’t worry.”
It was an unexpected situation. Belderet nodded bitterly at the apology from the trade office employee.
‘I was surprised by the word ‘Heukcheol’… … .’
But how could a mere trader anticipate that another top had already arrived?
However, as they had to secure the quantity of black iron by the order of the First Prince, they had no choice but to accept it.
In fact, even this would be appreciated by those who arrived one step late.
“… … Anyway, I have to salvage at least half of it.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Belderet’s bitterness grew deeper.
Of course, if you go to another country, you can secure the entire quantity of black iron. If it is natural, it is common sense.
However, the places where black iron was mined were limited, and if it wasn’t Azran, it was likely that one would have to go further south to find a country with black iron mines.
It meant that there was a loss in both time and money.
But at that moment, Reika, who had been listening to the story, quietly asked.
“But is it really necessary to divide the amount of black iron?”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“I heard that the business situation here is not so good these days. So, should we not have a competitive bidding?”
“A bidding war? That’s… … .”
……competition?
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By the way, His Highness the First Prince… … .
“……ah!”
Suddenly, something flashed across Belderet’s bitter expression. It was the advice of the First Prince that he had forgotten until now.
He hurriedly searched through his pockets and spoke to the trade officer at the mine.
“Okay, just wait a moment.”
“Hmm? Okay.”
After looking through his pockets for a moment, a document appeared in Belderet’s hand.
… … A list of orders from the top of the kingdom that came down in the name of the first prince.
The part that caught his eye was the ‘trade budget’ section, which had only a horizontal bar drawn on it.
Belderet was left speechless at this astonishing turn of events.
‘Oh, as expected… … .’
The stick’s meaning did not mean that the budget was not allowed to be used.
Quite the opposite.
Indefinitely.
What this meant was that the trade budget granted to them was unlimited.
Besides, the First Prince had clearly left him these words just before his departure.
– Use as much as you need, but make sure you have enough.
Yes, that was the attitude of a person with complete confidence.
Belderet, who had doubted whether there would be any use for the alternative black iron trade, had forgotten about it, but when he put the current situation together, it could be said that even this situation was read by the First Prince.
Belderet felt goosebumps run through his body. But now was not the time to leisurely reflect or dwell on it.
“Did you tell the other party the same thing?”
“Are you saying that we might have to split the load?”
“exactly.”
The mine trade officer nodded in response to that question.
“That’s probably true. It’s the manager’s advice, so it must have already been passed on.”
“Then, can you convey this message to the other party?”
“Tell me.”
… … Okay.
For a moment, Belderet’s eyes, holding the documents in his hand, flashed coldly.
“I’m talking about having a bidding war over the black iron supplies.”
* * *
The conference room of the mine. The top leaders of the two countries sat across from each other and looked at each other.
And the one sitting at the top was the manager of the mine. He had come to this meeting saying that he would personally control this competition. He seemed very nervous about the situation.
That would be the case, in a way, it was a place where all the worries he had been struggling with might disappear.
“Ahem!”
After a while, the manager opened his mouth, coughing in vain as if trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere.
“This meeting was held because both countries agreed to a competitive bid. Strangely enough, they said they made the same proposal. Am I right?”
“exactly.”
It was exactly as he said.
Surprisingly, the opponent also proposed to compete for the amount of black iron.
It was as if they were the only ones who had to monopolize this mine. It was a situation that was incomprehensible from a common sense perspective.
Belderet’s intuition as a merchant kept nagging at him, but he decided not to think too deeply about it.
It didn’t matter now, and he had a plan.
Perhaps it meant that he was confident. He bit his lip slightly in nervousness.
The manager began to speak again.
“… … From the mine’s perspective, it might be better. After all, it means they’ll be charging more for black iron. So if you really think it’s good, I have no intention of stopping you.”
The manager who said that looked over the upper-level staff.
“This is the Kingdom’s High Command from Esteban. And this is the Kingdom’s High Command from Madra.”
‘… … Madra?’
Belderet’s eyebrows twitched momentarily.
Madra. It was a northern country located below the Federal Empire, or more specifically, between the Federal Empire and Azran.
Even in a place like that, they were targeting black iron… … .
“Ahem!”
Through Belderet’s thoughts, the manager’s repeated coughing was heard in his ears.
When he finally nodded, the starting signal for the competition had already been given.
“Then let’s talk about it. The amount of black iron to be allocated for trade is 4,000 tons.”
“… … Hmm.”
4 thousand tons. It was the equivalent of the entire amount produced from a single mine.
At that moment, the top staff member on the Madra side spoke first.
“Can I make a suggestion first?”
“Tell me.”
“Thank you.”
Permission to speak was granted. However, the emotion reflected in the other person’s eyes was ‘arrogance.’
“We hereby declare that we will unconditionally add 20% to the price proposed by Esteban.”
“What, what… … !”
“… … !”
The manager and Belderet above, and Reika’s expression hardened with bewilderment.
I will ‘unconditionally’ add 20% to the price offered by Esteban.
That was tantamount to saying outright that they would win the competition no matter what their opponents bid.
It was literally a declaration of arrogant confidence.
It was the same feeling that Belderet had felt before the start of this fight.
Then the manager spoke in a stammering voice.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. Whatever price you offer, I’ll give you 20% more.”
“Ugh… … .”
From the very beginning. And to make such a declaration before even hearing the other party’s proposal…
The manager’s troubled gaze turned to Esteban.
“Well, what does Esteban think about this?”
“… … .”
Belderet was silent.
There was nothing to think or do. No matter how much the other party called, they said it was 20%, so what could they say about that?
You take it cleanly? Or are we going to give you more than that?
To Belderet, who thought of normal competition, this situation itself was completely unacceptable. Rather, he should have noticed that this kind of thing would happen when his opponent came forward confidently.
But at that moment, a slightly meaningful voice came out from Reika’s lips near my ear.
“… … Administrator. Those people, they seem to be from the Federal Empire.”
“……what?”
Belderet’s eyes opened wide.
