The Art of Negotiation

“How much for a sack of flour? One gold? Cut it by ten gold. Hm? I said the wrong amount? Must be my imagination.”

Along with Rubia and Baunal, Ho-yeong had also taken in several other talented people. Since leaving the prison, he had been buying up all kinds of supplies.

Thanks to that, food was piling up like a mountain.

“I’d like to hire some porters. The destination is Aupocalypse Ci... no, no, only as far as the gate in front of it. Don’t run off before I’ve even finished speaking. I’ll pay you well.”

He also had to hire carts and laborers to move everything.

So it was only natural that the Tamer family’s fortune had been thoroughly drained.

I’m glad the original owner of this body, Joren, didn’t have any family or relatives.

After both his parents died young, Joren Tamer had become a knight and built himself up from nothing. Since he had saved every bit of his salary and rewards, it was a great relief to Ho-yeong.

If he’d had family to take care of, he couldn’t have spent the household’s money like this. Still, this house really is nice.

The mansion had been granted to him as a reward for meritorious service in a monster purge several years ago. Even then, because he had spent so much time on campaigns, he supposedly stayed there less than half the year.

The field barracks were his real home, and this place was more like a villa.

There were servants, but only a butler and a maid who also cooked. Even that butler had fled the moment he heard the words “Aupocalypse City.”

Does this house even need to stay? Sure, I’ll have to visit the capital regularly to pay my respects to the queen and all that, but... couldn’t I just stay at an inn then?

At the thought of the queen, Ho-yeong shuddered.

No, no. This is the house that awful, bad-tempered queen gave me. If I sold it without thinking, she might blow a gasket.

He could still picture Daisy’s fury from the time they had met face to face. She was perfectly capable of it.

Still, if I sold this place, I’d probably get a fair amount of money. The land alone is probably worth quite a bit...

Ho-yeong was trapped in an internal struggle.

“Should I just sell the whole thing off?”

At his muttered words,

“M-Master. You’re selling me off?! That’s so mean!”

The maid girl jumped in alarm. Her pink hair, tied into twin tails, fluttered thinly in the air.

“No, not you... the house. I mean the house.”

“Phew. I thought you were selling me to some other mansion...”

“Master. I can follow you to the ends of the continent.”

“That’s kind of you, Peach.”

She was about the same age as Ho-yeong’s first younger sister, Ah-young, so he had no trouble speaking to her as she was.

“But if you were to abandon me... I’d chase after you, even beyond the end of the world.”

It was hard to deal with her cheerful smile while she said such terrifying things.

I've only got 100 EP left, and it costs 1,000 to fire her? Damn it. And that persuasion rate is real? That’s basically no choice at all. What kind of cruel bullshit is this, seriously?

Even if he had 1,000 EP, he didn’t want to spend it on something like this.

“Oh, my head...”

Ho-yeong sat down in a chair, clutching his throbbing head.

Whether it was because the crown of his head was still sore from the beating he had taken under the guise of a vow when he was appointed count, or because of this maid girl, he couldn’t say.

“Master, do you have a headache? I heard people often suffer from headaches after resurrection.”

Peach came up quietly and embraced him.

Her hands gently framed his face. Big and lovely.

“Ghk... I can’t breathe. Get off me!”

But to Ho-yeong, who no longer saw younger women as women at all because of his three younger sisters, it was nothing more than a lump of fat like a camel’s hump.

“You want me to go away? How cruel, saying that to someone who worries about you!”

“No, just... please step back a little. One meter, no, one me... maybe one meter.”

He finally pried her off him.

“And stop calling me master already. I told you to call me lord.”

“...You’ll always be my master. Even if you’ve risen to the rank of count, do you no longer understand the heart of a mere servant like me?”

Ho-yeong hated ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠emotional battles like this. He decided that this woman needed a different kind of conversion and steeled himself.

“Fine. I get how you feel. If you serve me that faithfully, then you should be able to listen to me, too.”

At his long-missed show of force, Peach quietly nodded.

“First of all, thank you for saying you’ll come with me. But there’s something you need to understand. We’re not going on a picnic. The road is long and rough, and where we’re headed is practically a monster den. The comfort you’ve enjoyed in this house until now won’t exist anymore.”

Ho-yeong kept going.

“Just because I’m a count now, a lord, doesn’t mean I can live in luxury. Even if I stripped everything I own bare, I’d still barely manage one year’s food for the territory. Even if I had the money, it’d be the same. A lot of people followed me into that backwater because they trust only me, so I have to set the example and take on the hard work myself.”

If he was going to play lord, he wanted to do it properly.

“That’s why I need your help too, Peach. Of course, the work will be hard. Washing the blood- and sweat-stained clothes of the soldiers, tending to their wounds, helping the cook prepare meals for several hundred people every mealtime. For someone who’s only been caring for me in this house until now, it’ll be too much.”

He surprised even himself with how sincerely he spoke.

It felt almost as if Joren’s soul were helping him speak.

So Joren must have cared about this girl quite a lot. And as for me...

He didn’t want to force a girl around Ah-young’s age to do rough menial work against her will.

“So I’m not going to force you. If you want, you can keep looking after this house and wait for me here. I might stay here for about a month each year, after all. I’ll leave the choice to you. Come with me, or stay here and welcome me home. Either way, you’ll be a huge help to me.”

The master had given her a choice, not an order, not persuasion.

Peach’s round eyes opened even wider.

“I’ll follow you, Master! I’ll do anything!”

Ho-yeong smiled faintly.

“The Tamer territory welcomes you. Ah, and your salary will be cut a bit. We’ll negotiate your annual pay after we’ve killed a few monsters.”

* * *

The day they left the capital, Kainea.

“The road is long, but there’s no need to drag out the farewells, so I’ll keep this brief. Thank you to everyone who chose to follow me to Tamer territory. Then, let’s depart!”

- Puhihing!

Ho-yeong set out with dignity, but contrary to his bold words, he kept falling off his horse.

He was just about ready to lose all his authority.

“Why won’t this damn horse listen to me?”

Ho-yeong fumed inwardly.

So they’re basically telling me to just use EP already? Damn it. Like hell I’m wasting it on this.

“...”

As he was about to climb back onto the horse, Ho-yeong noticed Lilian watching him with a hardened stare.

Not wanting to raise her suspicion any further, he muttered under his breath.

“Conversion - Unnamed Warhorse. Since I might as well give it a name. It’s stubborn as hell, kind of like Ah-young, so I’ll call it Ma-yeong. Conversion - Ma-yeong.”

That was the first time Ho-yeong used his Conversion ability.

“Sit!”

- Heeheeheehing!

With a spirited whinny, the warhorse Ma-yeong dropped flat to the ground.

The status window chimed in celebration.

Having been unexpectedly sensitive, the warhorse was delighted to have been given a name. A bonus was applied to the rise in conversion affinity.

Ho-yeong climbed onto the horse, wondering whether he would have to name every monster he tamed from now on.

“All right, let’s move!”

The converted horse sprang up energetically.

* * *

The Border Region forces moved west along Podwor Highway.

“This damn highway goes on forever and never seems to end.”

Podwor Highway was a major paved road stretching out from the capital, Kainea, and linking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the kingdom’s various regions. Thanks to it, the Kain Kingdom could manage its vast territory efficiently, and it served as a trade route with foreign nations.

Way stations were installed at regular intervals to provide travelers with all sorts of conveniences, making them a great help not only to merchants but also to adventurers and ordinary travelers.

In other words, it was a road whose importance could not be overstated, not only for the Kain Kingdom but for the entire Western Continent. More than anything else, the most important thing was that the blessings of several angels prevented monsters from ever approaching the highway.

“My lord.”

While they traveled along the well-paved road, Lilian approached him.

“Whoa there. Let’s go a little slower, Ma-yeong.”

Ho-yeong had already become fairly skilled at handling a horse.

His only experience riding had been a few horseback tour rides in Jeju Island, but perhaps because he had possessed Joren, who had practically been one with his horse, he had become more and more adept with time. It also helped that his ability, Conversion, had an effect on it.

“I have something to report.”

Lilian’s expression was serious.

So that’s why she was staring at me earlier. She had something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to say. I suspected her for nothing.

At the thought, Ho-yeong relaxed.

“While my lord was making the various preparations, according to the information I gathered...”

“Lilian. I told you to rest a bit before setting off on a long journey. Why weren’t you resting?”

At his rebuke, Lilian looked slightly startled.

Up until then, Joren would have only said something like “well done” in moments like this, and nothing more.

“I am sorry for not obeying the order to rest.”

“No, there’s no need to apologize. I just mean you should rest when you can. And sorry for cutting you off. Go on, what information?”

Lilian glanced briefly toward the rear of the procession before speaking in a low voice.

“There are reports that monsters have been appearing on the highway leading to Rainpa.”