Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: A Perfectly Legal Transaction with No Legal Flaws 4
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The front yard of the Beden Merchant Company's Milano branch, where a large crowd of people had gathered.
This place effectively oversaw not only the commerce of the city but the entire surrounding region, and it had always been bustling with people even under normal circumstances.
However... even accounting for that, today's atmosphere felt distinctly different, due to the types of people assembled here being quite unlike those from before.
Normally, this was a spot frequented by wealthy lords and merchants, high-ranking nobles, learned scholars, and clergy.
But the majority of people here today were far removed from such circles.
For starters, they wore shabby, worn-out clothes and appeared to live lives of hardship and scarcity.
Far from holding any power themselves, these were folks more often trampled underfoot by those who did. At this moment, they were all glancing around nervously, their faces etched with anxiety.
Yet despite a fair amount of time having passed, the Beden Merchant Company staff had only told them to wait a bit longer, offering no further word.
Growing restless with unease, they finally began murmuring among themselves.
"I heard... Sir Santana has been excommunicated?"
"That's what I heard too. Apparently, he already left the city some time ago."
"H-How could that be... Who else is as noble as Sir Santana..."
Having gathered in one place anyway, they kept their voices low as they chatted among themselves.
All of them shared one key thing in common: they had farmed land owned by Santana and lived as tenants in his buildings.
Santana had rented out land at prices far below market rates and charged minimal rent, making him practically a benefactor to them.
But now, the man who had enabled them to live stable, humane lives had been hit with an unjust accusation and excommunicated.
In the face of this sudden crisis, everyone here felt deep anxiety about their futures, along with strong resentment toward the church and the archbishop who had caused it.
"Word is, the church envied Sir Santana's wealth and cooked up this scheme. They were after his fortune."
"Those scoundrels deserve divine punishment... How can people like that call themselves men of the cloth?"
"Exactly. Even if they're obsessed with money, to pull something like this against a fellow Holy Knight..."
They vented their anger at the current situation.
Then, one of them spoke up with even greater worry in his voice than before.
"S-So... what do we do now? Thanks to Sir Santana, at least we never went hungry..."
"I don't know either..."
"I heard rumors that Sir Santana handed over the lands and buildings to the Beden Merchant Company..."
They began to more clearly realize that their futures now truly rested in the hands of the Beden Merchant Company.
They knew the company had a decent reputation in the city, but that didn't stop the immediate wave of unease.
Reputation aside, these were merchants who chased profits above all.
There was no reason for them to show kindness to poor folks like themselves, who weren't even customers.
As the gathered crowd voiced their concerns...
The figure of an elderly man known as the Beden Merchant Company's branch chief finally appeared before them.
"Is everyone here?"
"Yes, Branch Chief. Not a single one is missing."
"Mm... Good. Then let's get started."
With that, the branch chief pulled out the prepared documents.
Watching him, the people grew tense, and he addressed them in a voice that carried surprising strength despite his age.
"I know you're all the users of the lands owned by Mr. Santana and the residents of his buildings. You've heard the story by now, but everything has been transferred to our Beden Merchant Company. From here on, I'll explain the changes going forward."
"Ahem..."
"Gulp..."
At the branch chief's words, they coughed nervously or swallowed dryly amid the tension.
This moment would decide if they ended up homeless on the streets or could continue living as before.
And on that note... the branch chief continued calmly.
"The properties we've acquired will be operated directly by our Beden Merchant Company going forward. Accordingly, we request that current land users and building residents vacate the premises within the next half year."
"...Hah..."
"So it's happening after all."
They'd half-expected it, but it still drew heavy sighs.
Though half a year was granted, that was merely the legally mandated minimum period for evicting tenant farmers or renters.
In essence, the Beden Merchant Company was declaring they should clear out immediately.
'They could've just raised the rent instead of kicking people out like this...'
'What now? In half a year, I might scrape together a new place to live... but land? That's not so easy...'
All of them were in dire financial straits.
They had little to no savings for the future, and even if they did, it wasn't much.
As they fretted deeply over their prospects...
"In addition, as compensation in this matter, our Beden Merchant Company declares that we will pay 20 talents each to land users and residents, in land, property, and cash."
"...!"
"T-Twenty... talents?"
The branch chief's unexpected announcement.
Twenty talents was an enormous sum—something they, barely scraping by as tenant farmers, could never earn in a lifetime of toil.
For the Beden Merchant Company to so readily offer such a fortune as compensation felt like an immense grace to them.
The anxiety and worry vanished from their faces in an instant, and they began bowing their heads to the branch chief before them.
"Th-Thank you."
"Truly, thank you. To show such mercy to the likes of us."
Receiving their repeated thanks, the branch chief left the scene cleanly without another word.
But at this moment... he didn't feel entirely at ease about the gratitude directed his way.
'The bear does the tricks, but the owner pockets the money... Being the "owner" isn't as pleasant as it sounds.'
As that thought crossed his mind, the image of that man automatically surfaced in his head...
The figure of Santana Andreas, who had truly set this whole affair in motion.
Though there were special circumstances, the Beden Merchant Company had scored a massive windfall, acquiring the lands and buildings at over 90% profit on cost.
As he departed, Santana had left them with one final request.
Since they'd gotten prime real estate at a bargain, they should, in the name of the Beden Merchant Company, provide ample compensation to the tenant farmers and renters who might suffer from this deal—enough for them to live without hardship going forward.
Amalia had promised to do so without fail, the branch chief had declared the same, and now they'd put it into action.
Thus... though he treated business as a side gig, Santana had shown the mercy of a true Holy Knight right up to the end.
Recalling this, the branch chief suddenly felt a twinge of emptiness about his own life, spent half a lifetime chasing money.
'The wealthiest are those who give to others... That saying doesn't seem so wrong after all.'
Feeling a strange bitterness, he tried to shake it off by thinking about the next task ahead.
'Alright then... With Santana's request for mercy fulfilled, now it's time to handle the aftermath he couldn't finish himself.'
Santana, a true servant of the Lord who inspired even a merchant like him to feel respect.
Now, it was time to make those foolish, greedy fools who had driven out such a saint pay the appropriate price, the branch chief decided.