Chapter 25
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Most Valuable Commodity to a Merchant
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"My lord! Viscount Hirobenkal has arrived."
"Is that so? He's much earlier than expected. Understood. I'll head out right away."
At the butler's report, Yegar Avangardi, the head of House Avangardi—a baronial merchant family—was reviewing documents in his study. He hastily donned his overcoat, checked his appearance, and made his way to the mansion's lobby.
His family and attendants, already prepared, were waiting in the lobby to receive Viscount Domos.
As Yegar took his place at the front of the group and gave his attire one final check, the butler announced loudly while opening the mansion doors.
"Viscount Hirobenkal, please enter."
As the doors swung open, Yegar's tension mounted.
House Domos was one of the key vassal families under the Earl of Crimford and managed one of the earldom's vital granary regions—an important noble house.
'When Domos first contacted me, I was quite taken aback. But this is an opportunity! With Lilia's engagement all but fallen through, we need to strike a deal with Domos somehow and secure the food distribution rights for the viscountcy.'
Three people entered through the doors.
In the center was the familiar figure of Domos. The other two were unfamiliar: one appeared to be an escort knight based on his gear, and the other...
'A mask? Some facial scar, perhaps? He's wearing a knight's formal attire, so he's no ordinary fellow...'
"You've had a long journey. Welcome sincerely to our humble abode, Lord Domos."
Yegar quickly shifted his curiosity away from the brown-haired, masked man and offered a proper greeting to Domos.
His family and attendants behind him bowed their heads in kind.
It was an exceedingly courteous reception for a distinguished guest.
Domos puffed up with pride at the display.
"Impressive! As expected of a family that was once nobility in another kingdom before declining into merchants. Even the family and servants handle etiquette so naturally. The mansion isn't quite on par with ours, but it's still so splendid and grand—must have Lord Malthus, the local lord, grinding his teeth in envy. Kahahahaha!"
Despite Domos's tactless jab at their sore spot while praising himself, Yegar merely wore a good-natured smile.
"Hahaha! We're grateful you view our modest home so generously. We'll prepare an evening banquet for you to unwind from your travels. Butler, escort Lord Domos to the premier guest suite."
"Understood, my lord. This way, please."
As servants gathered Domos's luggage and headed to the guest suite, a voice halted the viscount just as he was striding off smugly.
"My lord, resting from the long journey is important, but didn't you have something even more pressing?"
'What a distinctive voice.'
The voice emanating from the masked man sounded utterly inhuman—unlike any Yegar had ever heard. The baron and his household couldn't hide their astonishment.
But the real shock was yet to come.
"R-Right? Ahem! I nearly made a blunder there. Thank you, Sir Alpha."
Among all those fawning over him like mice before a cat, Domos was flustered only by one person named Alpha: Johann.
Of course, Yegar had no way of knowing that.
'Sir Alpha? Was there someone like that in Domos's entourage?'
As a merchant house, Yegar dealt in information to some extent.
He prided himself on having thorough tabs on key figures in the earldom, yet this was the first he'd heard of such a person around Domos.
'And Domos is intimidated by him... He must be no ordinary man.'
"Baron Avangardi."
"Yes, Lord Domos?"
"This is Sir Alpha. He's a businessman and my business partner. I brought him along as my proxy for this venture, so treat his decisions as my own."
"Understood."
"Let's go."
With that, Domos headed to the guest suite alongside his escort, Henderson, without a backward glance.
Watching him go, Yegar regarded Johann with newfound interest.
'Domos is a picky, suspicious sort. For such a viscount to delegate full authority means this man commands significant trust.'
Nobles typically retained final decision-making even when delegating to administrators.
Entrusting ultimate authority like this was exceedingly rare.
As Johann approached first, Yegar extended a hand in greeting and introduced himself.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Yegar Avangardi, Baron of House Avangardi and head of the Avangardi Merchant Company."
"Alpha. Please pardon the mask and voice. A childhood burn left me with a face unfit for public view..."
It wasn't hard to imagine the severity from the voice alone, so Yegar nodded understandingly.
"No need to worry. What concerns me is what sort of negotiations Viscount Hirobenkal has prepared. Come along. We'll discuss in my study."
And so Yegar and Johann headed to his study.
But then...
"And Lilia, you come too."
"Me? Really?"
"With your betrothal to young master Johann effectively broken off, you need to learn the ropes just in case, don't you? Unless you're content to take whatever match I arrange without complaint..."
"I'll go! I said I'd go!"
Thus, Lilia joined them as well.
'She seems fine overall. Her health looks much improved from before.'
Johann glanced briefly at Lilia seated beside Yegar through the slits of his mask, then pulled out a stack of documents and handed them over.
"This is the venture we're preparing in Viscount Hirobenkal's territory."
'A venture?'
As far as Yegar knew, the Hirobenkal Viscountcy had little merit beyond its fertile granary lands.
Those alone conferred great value, but aside from that, transportation was poor, there were no specialties, and no tourist appeal.
His doubts lasted only a moment, however...
As he flipped through the documents, Yegar's expression grew grave, then shifted to outright shock.
"I-Is this real?"
"Entirely."
Johann emphasized the word firmly.
Yegar's eyes trembled.
"What's going on, Father?"
Lilia was bewildered.
She had never seen her father fail to mask his emotions in a business discussion like this.
Instead of explaining, Yegar passed her the documents.
Lilia's face soon mirrored his own.
"N-No way! You're planning to build a trade route through the Gurkan Mountains?"
The documents detailed the shortest route piercing the Gurkan Mountains, construction plans, and agreements with the Gurkan Orcs.
"The agreement with the Gurkan Orcs—if genuine—is astounding. You actually went into the Gurkan Mountains to negotiate with them yourself?"
"They weren't coming to us, so we had no choice but to go to them."
"Who would venture into such a dangerous place..."
"I did, personally."
"You?"
Johann nodded.
It would come out in any investigation, so there was no point in lying—and it would make a strong impression besides.
"I heard you're a businessman, but you're far more capable than you let on. Crossing the Gurkan Mountains alone would take ten lives, let alone a hundred."
"You're too kind. And from what I understand, the current trade route House Avangardi uses temporarily starts here, skirts far around the Gurkan Mountains, passes through twelve cities and two kingdoms, and reaches Iteran. That's roughly 4,000 kilometers one way. For the scale of your caravans, that means over half a year each direction. But piercing straight through the Gurkan Mountains changes everything."
Johann spread a map on the table, marking the Hirobenkal Viscountcy, the new Gurkan Mountain route, and the path to Iteran.
"This is the trade route we built with the Gurkan Orcs' help. To accommodate heavy cargo, it uses gentle slopes and wide paths, so it loops a bit around the mountains—but even so, it cuts the distance to about one-third of the current route."
Yegar's gaze at the map grew more serious than ever.
For merchants, a shorter route wasn't just about arriving faster.
"I've heard commerce is a battle of trends and timing. No matter how good the product, if the trend passes, it's worth half—or less. Isn't the risk too great just because it's proven safe? Half a year one way, a full year round trip—that's a heavy burden even for you, isn't it, Lord Yegar?"
When Johann probed gently, Yegar candidly admitted it.
"Hahaha! Spot on. As you say, merchants like us are hypersensitive to fads."
He picked up a fountain pen from the desk.
"Suppose this item is all the rage in Iteran right now. Will it still be in half a year? If the trend fades, we'd have to dump inventory at less than a tenth the original price. All that effort for a loss."
Goods with stable prices immune to trends were monopolized by high noble merchant houses.
Thus, Yegar had always chased trends to source and trade goods.
When he nailed it, profits soared—but misreads had rocked the house financially more than once.
That's why he coveted Domos's granary so badly.
Food staples didn't follow fads.
"But a shorter route lets us react faster and more nimbly to trends. A very enticing proposal. The issue is..."
"The tolls, I presume."
"You catch on quick."
'This is where the real negotiation begins.'
Johann produced the final contract.
Yegar scanned it, narrowed his eyes, and let out a wry chuckle.
"This fellow's as bold in jokes as in talent. This toll is easily double your current route, isn't it? Even a successful run wouldn't turn a profit. Let's pretend we didn't see this. I can't pay that for an unproven, risky path."
To Yegar's firm rejection, Johann curled his lips beneath the mask.
"A merchant's greatest commodities are time and trust. I'm selling both. Compared to what they buy you, this is quite the bargain, wouldn't you say?"
"Time, I'll grant you. But selling trust—what does that mean?"
"If your caravan suffers losses from man-made disasters—excluding monsters, bandits, or natural calamities—we'll pay ten times the value of your goods. How's that for trust?"
Johann presented the second contract, the clause prominently stated.
"Overconfident, aren't you? What if disaster strikes? Our caravans aren't small-scale. Ten times the value to Iteran alone would burden even Lord Domos."
"Both Viscount Domos and I have staked our lives on this. Without that resolve, we wouldn't ask you to entrust your company's fate to us."
Johann spoke boldly, words that would have floored Domos on the spot.
'No wonder Domos delegates full authority. His merchant skills are raw, but he's got innate guts and a charisma that instills trust. That's not something you learn—more the quality of a king than a trader.'
Sometimes, persuasion hinges more on belief than logic.
And belief stems from conviction and confidence.
Like a cult leader who truly believes himself divine, drawing followers despite illogic.
Johann wasn't that, of course—but Yegar thought his ability to convey trustworthiness might surpass it.
"I appreciate your and Lord Domos's resolve. But this isn't mine alone to decide. The caravan masters' input is crucial, and we need time to verify and investigate. Give us three days. I'll have an answer then. Can you wait?"
"Of course. Looking forward to good news, Lord Yegar."
"Good. Rest well after your long trip. We'll summon you for the evening banquet. I guarantee our chefs' dishes will linger in your memory long after returning to the viscountcy. Hahaha!"
"Can't wait."
Johann rose, shared a light handshake with Yegar, glanced at the dazed Lilia staring at him, and exited the study.