Monopoly (1)
Monopoly (1)
The Empire's Duke Delpode.
Aside from Hildea and Dvill, the first Sword Master I've ever seen.
He appeared to be in his early to mid-fifties.
Considering that Masters don't age, this meant he became a Master much later in life than Hildea.
'They say you grow younger when you become a Master, so his actual age might be far older.'
Hildea, who at 20 became a Master at age 15 with a once-in-a-millennium talent.
Duke Delpode, who became a Master at least in his 50s but has accumulated far more experience than Hildea.
I was suddenly curious who would win if the two fought....
"Duke Delford, are you now demanding that I prove something I did not do?"
I thought she'd stumble, but Hildea pushed forward with force.
As expected, she only looks dopey when eating meat in my arms—the experience she's built over 5 years on a battlefield where people die is considerable.
"Then, during those 3 minutes when this Viscount's ki sense softened slightly while focusing on training, who else in the capital right now could perfectly deceive me and help Her Highness the Princess escape in that brief window?"
"Why must I prove that? How would I know if some other faction hiding somewhere helped Her Highness the Princess run away?"
"The fact that you're so certain it was a runaway proves that you, Duke, were the one behind it!"
"It's common sense that a princess beloved by all would writhe with the desire to run away from home."
Luna chimed in from the side.
"That's right, that's right. That's become such a cliché that it's openly used as a setting in every romance fantasy novel."
Rebecca added slyly.
"Duke Delford, Her Highness the Princess is getting farther away even as we speak. Wouldn't it be better to hurry and track her down?"
Elenoa added a word too.
"The Lord Valkenhart I know would absolutely never damage a knight's honor."
"Grr...!"
Duke Delpode's face flushed red and blue.
It was almost embarrassing how I'd been caught in the perfect stealth dilemma, while the women pushed the old Sword Master relentlessly.
"A knight speaks only with the sword! Duke Valkenhart, come forth! Let us settle who is right with our blades!"
Shing!
"The She-Wolf of the North never avoids a fight! Very well!"
Shing again!
The two Masters each drew their swords and immediately rushed out to the garden.
I was dumbfounded.
I thought they'd resolve this with logic, but in the end, they're drawing swords?
'Can Hildea win? She must be confident since she accepted, right?'
I just hope she didn't charge in after getting provoked by a "You scared, bro?"
The two Masters glared at each other with swords drawn.
No Aura Blades yet.
I don't know much about knight duels, but it felt extraordinary, probably because they were Masters.
Elenoa pressed close to me and explained in a low voice.
"Piel, do you know why they're not drawing their Aura Blades?"
"To conserve strength?"
"That too, but it's to hide the length of Aura Blade each prefers."
"Ah, I understand. Concealing their range."
"Because that can decide the first clash."
As expected, in combat sports, you need knowledge in your head to see what's really happening.
'Hildea really needs to win. No, even if she can't win, I just hope she doesn't get hurt.'
I watched with an anxious heart.
Suddenly, both figures vanished.
Kee-gee-gee-gee-gee-geek!
Like two giant rusty gear wheels meshed together and rotating in opposite directions, grinding each other's teeth down, a horrific sound scraped against my hearing.
The next moment, the two Masters had stopped, having switched positions.
"Kugh!"
Duke Delpode clutched his shoulder and collapsed.
His Aura Blade extinguished in an instant, and blood dripped from his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Hildea calmly deactivated her Aura Blade and looked back at the defeated.
"With this, my innocence has been proven. Isn't that right, Duke Delford?"
"I cannot... acknowledge it. In the capital, you are the only one capable of aiding the princess's escape...!"
"I will not listen to the excuses of the defeated. It's an order! Escort Duke Delford respectfully, and grant him Healing Grace."
"W-wait! An injury of this degree will heal naturally without needing Healing Grace!"
"That cannot be! It is unacceptable to send a guest off in an injured state! Heal him at once!"
Duke Delpode refused pitifully, but the Northern knights half-forced him away.
Perhaps because he was the defeated, even as a Master, he couldn't even resist.
Hildea came to me and clicked her tongue.
"His arm wasn't even severed, just lightly stabbed, and he makes such a fuss. As expected of the Empire, rotting in peace and mages—a water rocket of a Master."
A water rocket, she says.
I've dirtied Hildea's tongue in a different way.
Elenoa asked, thoroughly flushed with excitement.
"Duke Valkenhart, what happened? Duke Delford's Aura Blade manifestation was clearly faster, longer, and more solid. But the result...."
"I chewed a Mandrake Root."
"Ah."
"Oh."
"As expected."
Hildea shrugged her shoulders.
"No matter how much better talent and practical experience against elves I have, it's difficult to win a direct duel against a knight with 100 years of training. There's no reason to be picky about means and methods."
'Uh, um... our Hildea had it all thought out. But 100 years?'
Then just how much experience points does he have.
I don't know when she chewed it, but Hildea boldly set up her strategy well.
"Above all, I didn't want to drag it out. I didn't want to waste calories unnecessarily."
When she said that, Hildea's eyes were looking at me, slightly flushed.
I smiled quietly back at her.
Right at that moment.
-Kuaaaaaaagh!
Duke Delpode's scream, as if his breath was leaving him, rang out.
He must be receiving Healing Grace.
Hildea clicked her tongue again.
"Tsk tsk, screaming from just that level of injury. As expected, the Empire must truly be peaceful."
Hildea once tested on her own leg whether Aura Armor or Aura Blade was stronger, and ended up severing it....
***
After his healing was complete and he recovered from the pain's aftereffects, Duke Delpode left the villa without a word.
"It seems he plans to secretly follow us all the way to the North."
"Shall I kill him?"
"Luna, that's too extreme."
"He's after the Colonel-nim's slave. How should he pay for that sin?"
At least until we arrive in the North, we'll have to be careful about exposing Yuzel to the outside.
Fortunately, she's a child who doesn't feel stifled even if she can't go out, as long as we provide plenty of snacks.
A few days later, the second flour auction was held.
This time, the quantity was 200 tons.
But just like last time, the Empire swept it all up.
"Lot of 100,000 sets of 20 daily necessity bundles including cloth and leather, sold to customer number 171!"
By now, there was no one who didn't know that customer number 171 was the Imperial nobility.
Everyone was also catching on that the participating entity was the Imperial Household itself.
"Damn, to think the Imperial Household would step in directly."
"This is an unwinnable fight."
"How could anyone beat the Imperial Household in a supply battle?"
The Empire's national power and productivity are the greatest in the world.
There is no product they don't produce, and their output and cost-effectiveness overwhelm the entire continent.
The Empire doesn't care if it never trades with other kingdoms, yet all territories aspire to trade with the Empire.
Our Count Anbelrum territory also imports many goods from the Empire.
'They must be that desperate for flour, right? They're not causing a ruckus because Yuzel was taken, right?'
Considering the Emperor's offer to give away territory for 100 lobsters, it doesn't seem like a ruckus.
I could also see Count Yunes's face stained with despair as he came up empty-handed every time.
The nobles who participated in the expedition weren't there on the first day, but now they were all in the auction house without exception.
But the Imperial Household's momentum was so overwhelming that no one could break it.
In the three auctions held in total, only I gained enormous profit.
I hadn't received the physical goods yet, but just looking at the mountain of winning bid certificates filled my stomach.
"With this much, we can hold out for at least 3 or 4 years even if external purchases are cut off."
"You said you won't release it immediately but stockpile it, right?"
"Yes, we must. This is strategic reserve material, after all."
We'll just stockpile this in case of product shortages, while continuously purchasing through the Barcos Trading Company.
The Supply Cheat budget will focus on food and weapons, while general daily necessities for residents will use goods from this era.
It's a kind of comparative advantage economy.
"And the flour auction is only the beginning."
The phenomenon of all products going out of stock due to skyrocketing prices.
This is because of the surge in rye prices due to the Allied Expeditionary Force's maintenance costs, and it's already entered a long-term upward graph.
'On top of that, when the nitrogen compounds accumulated in the Palace of the Thunder Dragon are exhausted within a few years, it'll be like napalm bombing a California wildfire.'
The urgent fire has been put out, but building routes to supply all the goods the North needs in the long term is also essential.
"The flour auction was actually promotion for building that hub. While also securing urgent supplies on the side."
"As expected, Colonel Piel had it all thought out."
"Piel, what are you planning to do?"
Confidently, I showed them <Board Game Monopoly Game Money>.
In the North, paper money called flour exchange tickets, or military farm soldier allowances.
The design is so elaborate that forgery itself is impossible with this era's technology.
"To the nobles who failed in the auction, pushed aside by the Empire, I'll give them this and buy supplies."
***
Piel remodeled a high-end lodging establishment he had purchased in advance.
At first, the nobles thought Count Anbelrum's family was opening a new salon.
But the sign hung at the entrance shattered that assumption.
[Hot Hot Bakery]
"What kind of place is this?"
"I smell delicious... castella!"
Watching the staff busily moving about, it looked like a shop selling high-end confectioneries to the wealthy.
The nobles, who had been despondent after the auction ended, gathered their courage and entered the bakery.
"Welcome. I will guide you this way."
Sturdy men dressed in neat clothes guided each noble to private rooms.
And they actually brought out castella!
'Th-this taste...!'
The enchanting sweet taste of castella, savored after so long (not even two weeks), was still the same as ever.
The nobles shed tears as if deeply honored, chewing carefully and cautiously.
"Is this a place that sells bread and castella?"
"No. That is a complimentary service we provide with every visit."
"Service?"
The sturdy employee showed a pamphlet.
Only then did the nobles realize what the small letters written on the sign meant.
[Hot Hot Bakery Flour Exchange]
The <Flour Exchange> was written so small on the sign that they hadn't noticed it.
"This is an exchange where you can purchase flour exchange tickets with general daily necessities."
"Flour exchange tickets? What are those?"
"This."
The noble let out a groan upon seeing the board game currency printed with extreme intricacy.
'The form itself is a tremendous work of art. How could they draw such elaborate pictures on such small paper?'
"Hay, medicinal herbs, lamp oil, linen cloth, and so on.... You can purchase these exchange tickets with goods excluding gold coins and food."
"Then can you exchange those tickets for flour?"
"Yes. And we only issue about 80% of the expected acquisition amount in exchange tickets. This is to prevent the unfortunate incident of being unable to exchange even 1kg of flour."
The sturdy employee (an Airborne Knight) smiled kindly.
"The next flour acquisition period is in 3 months. Meaning, they become usable starting 3 months from now."
"I'll buy them! How much per ticket!"
"It varies by number. Let me explain. Here, 1 means 1kg of flour. There are 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500—7 types of exchange tickets in total...."
After listening to the explanation, the noble asked.
"So the exchange period isn't fixed separately?"
"Yes. We guarantee this on the honor of the Count Balckenhardt family. No matter how much time passes, the flour exchange tickets retain their validity.
Ah, though you may have to wait briefly if there's no immediate supply."
Gold and silver coins are tokens exclusively for nobles.
While some large merchants use gold and silver coins for big transactions, this is an era where food and cloth are used in most commerce.
Piel promoted flour with bread and castella, and released the paper money from the board game Monopoly.