The Path to Nobility
To become a noble of the Galactic Empire, the very first step was to assess the power balance of the tribes.
“First, our tribe ranks as quite large when viewed across the entire continent. It’s probably the biggest tribe in this area.”
“If that’s the case, becoming recognized as a baron shouldn’t be too difficult…”
“But we’re not the strongest tribe.”
She tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
“We are indeed the largest tribe, but we regularly pay tribute to other tribes.”
“Tribute?”
“We avoid being invaded in exchange for giving them wheat.”
“Why would we give them tribute? Is our tribe weak?”
“We’re not weak. Kumpa is an outstanding warrior. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“The opponents are quite formidable.”
One day, we would have to crush them—the enemy we must defeat. The Dog Tribe. Their methods were despicable.
They would approach young, strong warriors from various tribes, ply them with alcohol and meat, and seduce them with women. Then they would use those young men to steal supplies from other tribes or force their citizens to work as slaves.
Through such methods, they had trained hundreds of warriors.
In terms of population, we had over five thousand members, making us a major tribe. But since most of the Dog Tribe’s members were warriors, they had far more fighters and a stronger military force than us.
That was why we avoided direct attacks and instead paid tribute.
After explaining all of this, she nodded her head.
“That’s a common story. Groups that make money solely through warfare aren’t rare even in space.”
“Well… it’s not exactly uncommon.”
“So? What do you plan to do against that enemy?”
There was a plan. It just needed a small adjustment.
“The original plan was to overwhelm them by size. We would expand our farming operations to increase our population, then raise an army based on that population to achieve numerical superiority.”
“If that was the original plan, it’s no longer viable now, is it?”
“Correct. Things have changed a bit since you arrived.”
Her presence had altered many things. She was someone who could summon spaceships. In other words, she could conduct trade with space.
“That beacon thing.”
“This?”
She pulled a round mechanical device from her pocket.
“Can we summon a trade ship in addition to a transport ship?”
“…As long as it’s just summoning, it’s possible. Whether they come or not depends on the other party’s choice, however.”
“You can summon it, then?”
She nodded. After that, I took her to our tribe’s food storage facility.
“All of this wheat and the cows, sheep, and other livestock inside the fence.”
“Huh?”
“If I sell them, can I summon a trade ship?”
At that moment, she smiled brightly.
“As expected of an outstanding person.”
“Do you know what I’m thinking?”
“You’re not planning to gamble, are you? A gamble with your life on the line.”
It seemed she had seen through me. This woman was not one to be underestimated.
“Correct. I want to try it once. A gamble that involves the entire tribe.”
She manipulated the beacon and muttered to it.
“Approximately 500,000 Erans worth of native wheat from an unregistered primitive planet. Cows and sheep, about 30,000 Erans worth of similar indigenous livestock. All for sale. Payment…”
She met my eyes and gave a meaningful smile, then said:
“I want it paid in personal credit.”
It was said without hesitation, but I nodded. After all, her words had pierced straight through my thoughts.
Sell all the food we have, and use the money to buy a spaceship. Then use that spaceship to wipe out the raiders. That was the plan I had in mind.
-----
Three months later.
-Wiiiiing!
A large spaceship descended onto a vast plain.
I had been observing the situation from the forest surrounding the landing site and immediately ran toward the spaceship.
“Hah… hah…”
Soon, the hatch of the spaceship opened, a ramp descended, and a middle-aged Latin man in his late thirties with a scruffy beard emerged, looking exhausted.
Behind him followed three bodyguards whose faces were obscured. They were each armed with armor and shotguns, and they scanned me warily.
“Huh? That’s strange. The coordinates clearly say this is the spot, but there’s no city nearby.”
The Latin man who seemed to be the leader looked at me, then chuckled and shook his head while scanning the surroundings.
“Who on earth called us?”
At his muttered words, I answered in familiar Imperial Common.
“I am the owner of the beacon. I also called you.”
“W-what? A primitive person can speak?”
One of the bodyguards shouted. You’re the one who’s weird, kid. Even primitives can speak to some degree.
“I know how to speak Arcadian. Please don’t be too surprised. By the way, may I see the weapons you brought?”
“Y-you really called us?”
Since I was a primitive and looked young, casual speech came naturally, which didn’t sit well with me. However, since I couldn’t afford to ruin the deal, I answered with a smile.
“Are you the buyers for 500,000 Erans of native wheat and 30,000 Erans of livestock?”
“We are, but…”
“Then I did call you. Please remain calm and show the weapons first.”
“Wait a moment.”
He extended his palm.
“We’ll look at the wheat and livestock first. How can we prove you’re not a primitive who claims to buy goods without seeing them?”
“Then let’s see the goods first. Let’s go to the village.”
As I started walking, he seemed to follow behind me, then entered the spaceship and returned with something. A cube no larger than one square meter was placed on the ground, and when he pressed a button, it suddenly transformed into a motorcycle shape. Honestly, I almost dropped my jaw. It was too cool.
“Hop on. It’s a two-seater.”
“Eh? Y-yes…”
“Martinez. What’s your name?”
“Sihyun.”
“Sihyun.”
“Sihyun.”
“Sihyun.”
“Well… let’s just say that.”
His bodyguards behind him pulled out the same device and followed us. For a while, as he rode the motorcycle, he asked:
“Which way is it? The village.”
“That way.”
“You speak Arcadian well. Where did you learn it?”
“There was a course in this watch. I opened the Arcadian course after randomly touching things, and thanks to that, I learned it by chance.”
I left out the part about Hildegard. She had told me not to mention her if possible.
“Self-taught? Really? You’re almost at native-speaker level.”
“Not quite… Thank you.”
One of the bodyguards shouted from behind.
“If we meet a primitive who knows manners and humility, no one would believe it.”
“Hahaha!”
Everyone started laughing.
Soon we arrived at the village, and Kumpa pointed his bow at us, but when he recognized me as we got closer, he shouted:
“Chief! Who are these people?”
“They’re guests. Treat them with respect, Kumpa.”
“Understood! Welcome, guests!”
“Please come in.”
The gate of the fence opened, and the four of us entered.
The villagers all came out to look at the unfamiliar guests. The bulletproof vests, shotguns, and helmets they wore must have seemed quite novel from the primitives’ perspective.
Even I, a modern person, found it impressive, so it was only natural for the villagers.
“Everyone’s staring. Are we being watched?”
“Look at their expressions. Aren’t they curious? They’re just watching because it’s unfamiliar for outsiders to enter the village.”
“Is this your first trade with a trade ship?”
“Yes. Honestly, it’s my first time.”
“Whaaat?”
He laughed so hard his mouth nearly split. I already felt uneasy. He seemed like the type who would eat me alive.
Even if that were the case, the deal with these people had to be sealed. According to Hildegard, this place was the back of beyond. Who knew when another trade ship would come?
“Where’s the promised wheat?”
“Over there, in that building.”
In the place I pointed, there was a large wooden building. It was the largest among our tribe’s food storage facilities. Martinez entered the warehouse and said:
“Hmm… Even if I look at it, it doesn’t seem like 500,000 Erans.”
“There are a few more similar buildings.”
“You store them separately?”
“Yes.”
He smiled as if intrigued.
“Interesting. Let’s check the other warehouses too.”
Contrary to his appearance, he seemed to have a meticulous personality, and after examining all five warehouses, he finally believed my words about the 500,000 Erans of wheat. He nodded.
“I’m satisfied. The appearance is wheat, and the quantity is accurate. However…”
He pulled a knife from his pocket. Kumpa, who had been watching from the side, approached me, but I raised my hand to stop him. He held the knife and approached the wheat pile.
“I need to taste it. I once had a bad experience. It looked like wheat, but when I tasted it, it turned out to be completely different from the native plants of that planet. Well, part of it was my fault for being cheated by the cheap price. I don’t want the same thing to happen twice.”
“If that’s the case, taste as much as you want.”
He took some wheat and chewed it noisily. What kind of taste is this? The appearance was rough, but his professional instincts were clearly strong.
“It’s delicious. Do you have any bread made from this?”
“Kumpa, tell Balibali outside to bring some bread.”
“Understood. But…”
“But what?”
“Why are we treating these guests so well?”
These guests. What were they?
Merchants. Small-scale merchants who came on a small spaceship and only four people disembarked.
But these merchants were also people who could change the fate of our tribe.
“Valuable guests. They might even change the fate of our tribe in the future.”
“If the chief says so, I’ll believe it. Balibali! Come here! Hurry!”
Balibali ran over from outside, and following Kumpa’s command, he brought freshly baked bread that had been prepared in advance.
Martinez looked at the bread curiously, took a bite, and—
-Thud
He dropped the bread on the floor.