The Merchant's Greater Vision
“Small merchants chase immediate profits, ordinary merchants invest time, and great merchants see the greater cause.”
Back in our academy days, he used to say that often. It had been his father’s favorite saying, the very creed that had elevated the Kruse Merchant Coalition beyond a mere trading giant into the legendary Kruse Fleet.
“Correct.”
At my answer, a warm, satisfied smile spread across his face.
“I’m glad you still remember.”
“How could I forget? You told me so many times.”
There had never really been any bet to begin with.
“Still, you never know. It’s been a long time.”
Though he spoke lightly, the sadness, joy, and quiet relief in his voice made me feel both sorry and guilty.
“Well then, tell me. What can I do to help?”
I explained the current situation in the Ayman Kingdom, its relations with the Sigmut Empire, and the intentions of Rowell and Aegina.
“Hmm. So you want a pretext to make contact with the Parerin Archipelago or the Maritime Alliance?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
He fell into thought for a moment before nodding.
“Come to think of it, monster numbers have been rising in the waters around the Parerin Archipelago lately. The island leaders are planning a large-scale subjugation, and our Kruse Fleet ships have received requests as well.”
“Has there been any movement from the Empire?”
“The Empire has virtually no naval forces to begin with. Besides, the people of the Parerin Archipelago don’t trust outsiders much. The fact that they even reached out to the Kruse Merchant Coalition is only because my father has maintained trade with the islands for so long. Normally, they would have tried to handle it themselves.”
“Then there’s not much point in us getting involved, is there?”
Well, it wasn’t as if anyone would stop the hero’s party from offering help, but that alone wouldn’t be enough justification for future negotiations or treaties.
“Don’t worry. If you’re present, I’ll create the right atmosphere among the leaders to emphasize the need for talks or treaties.”
“You can do that?”
“They’re already aware that Sigmut’s influence is growing. However, because the Parerin Archipelago and the Maritime Alliance are separated from the continent, the severity hasn’t truly hit them yet. If we simply make them recognize the situation again, that should be more than enough.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be as easy as it sounded, but I had no doubt that he could pull it off.
“Ah, and this is a gift from the Ayman Kingdom to the Kruse Merchant Coalition.”
Only then did I remember to observe proper etiquette. I reached into the bag I had set aside and carefully took out the sword and letter. It was fortunate that we were alone; the items looked rather plain for a royal gift.
Yet when I presented them, Julian rose from his seat with solemn grace, approached me, bowed according to proper form, and accepted the treasured sword and letter with both hands. Watching him, I thought he looked truly magnificent.
After the war, I had performed this same etiquette several times myself, but I knew my own gestures had never carried the same dignity. Once seated again, he carefully unfolded the letter and read it slowly. When he finished, he folded it once more and tucked it into his robes.
“Please tell Rowell and Princess Aegina that the Kruse Merchant Coalition gratefully accepts their gift. And that we are honored to be of assistance.”
“Yes. I’ll pass that along.”
“Of course, for me, the fact that you came in person is already more than enough.”
Then why must you be a man? Even Erill the phoenix mistook you for a woman—you’re that beautiful and charming.
‘Hmm…?’
Something felt off.
‘Wait, how did Erill even make that mistake?’
Spirits and divine beasts that could see the color of a soul rarely mistook someone based on appearance alone.
‘Was it because we’re connected?’
Erill and I were indeed linked in consciousness, and today I had unconsciously referred to him as female several times. Erill had probably been influenced by my own perception. Normally I would have been the one affected by her, but during the flight my mind must have grown unusually sharp without my realizing it.
“As for the Maritime Alliance, I don’t have any ideas at the moment. If something comes up, I’ll let you know.”
Unlike the Parerin Archipelago, the Maritime Alliance was a far larger and more powerful coalition. Composed of various maritime kingdoms, port cities, and nations focused on sea trade, their naval strength was truly the strongest in the world. Like the nations inside the final defensive line, they had suffered almost no direct attacks from the Demon King’s army during the great war.
Of course, it was true that the Demon King’s forces had little interest in the seas or islands, but the naval power that had repelled countless sea monster invasions was still worthy of recognition.
“Yes, I’ll be counting on you.”
“By the way, isn’t there something else you wanted to ask?”
“Pardon?”
Something else? For a moment I didn’t understand, but when I saw his smile, it clicked. That was Julian for you—he saw right through me.
“The last incident. You want me to keep it a secret from Rowell and the others, don’t you?”
“Of course, there’s that as well.”
We continued our meal. From time to time we drifted into old memories or exchanged pointless banter, and for a brief while it felt as though we had returned to our academy days.
“You’re not planning to head back right away, are you?”
Near the end of the meal, as tea and dessert were served, he asked carefully. The mix of reluctance and quiet hope in his expression made my heart waver.
There was no need to rush back. Thanks to riding Erill, we were far ahead of schedule, and staying a little apart from Bagloros would also make it easier to meet Lady Rofena.
“Is there something you specifically want from me?”
“Anak, you can be quite mischievous. Do you really need to hear it said out loud?”
Watching him speak with that seductive tone and gesture, I couldn’t help but ask myself whether the trembling in my chest was fear… or something else.
“We’ll be resting in this village for a few days. I’d like you to spend time with me like you used to. It would be even better if you accompanied me until the next trade deal.”
I thought it over. At least a few days would be fine. Honestly, even if I returned to the Ayman Kingdom right now, I would only end up working on treaties with Sigmut or the dwarves, and if I had any free time, I would have to help Aegina develop her new recipes anyway.
Besides, I already felt guilty for avoiding him for so long. Spending some time together now didn’t seem like a bad idea—so long as we didn’t share the same room at night.
“Understood. I’ll stay for a few days.”
The moment I answered, his eyes lit up and he leapt from his seat, rushing straight toward me.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you, Anak!”
He threw his arms around me while I was still seated. The faint fragrance and his powerful grip made escape impossible.
“P-please stop, Senior.”
* * *
“Is this… all of them?”
The man clad in a tattered, faded crimson robe spoke calmly as he gazed at the small group gathered before him. Yet while he remained composed, the others could not hide their disappointment and despair.
They were the Dark Priests who had escaped when El Nergavil fell. At their center stood Olsidra.
“With Lord Alsh Unak’s fate unknown and our connection to Lord Urshus severed, we no longer have any lines of communication to the lower-ranking members.”
“Even the few connections that remained have mostly been destroyed by the Tower of Sages, the half-elf Elena, and Kainaknus, Ally of Dragons. Many have been persuaded to defect or have gone into hiding.”
Only about ten people stood before them. Fewer than twenty had survived the fall of El Nergavil, so if this was truly all that remained, their situation was utterly hopeless.
“…Furthermore, without Lord Alsh Unak, we can no longer receive Lord Urshus’s flames. These individuals have not yet completed the preparations required to walk the path of Dark Priests. With only us, it’s impossible…”
Summoners whose souls had not been fully dyed would gradually return to their original soul colors without Alsh Unak’s gift of Urshus’s flames. Though the Dark Priests of old had known the basic rituals to dye an initiate’s soul, Alsh Unak—and Urshus, who had controlled him—had withheld that knowledge to increase dependence on themselves.
“Did Lord Alsh Unak leave no instructions for a situation like this?”
“That’s right! If it was Lord Urshus, he must have known this would happen. Why didn’t he give us any plan at all?”
At that moment, the young summoner who had shown interest in the Summoner of Deception back when Anak had entered El Nergavil, along with a somewhat plump female summoner, questioned Olsidra. Fortunately, many of those who had survived were among the group that had gathered at the forest house that day.
This was because their skills had been lower than those granted the crimson robes, so they had run out of mana and summons earlier. At the same time, their faith and conviction toward Urshus had been somewhat weaker.
Unlike the crimson-robed priests who had resisted Ryban’s clones until the very end, most of them had fled without hesitation the moment they realized their summons were powerless and sensed that neither Alsh Unak nor Urshus would come to their aid.
Olsidra and a few other crimson-robed priests had been positioned relatively far from the direction of the clones’ attack. They had poured every last drop of mana into summoning creatures and sending them to the battlefield. When all their summons were defeated, they had tried to run toward the center of El Nergavil on foot, but by then the temple had already begun to collapse, forcing them to flee with the others.
“…Lord Urshus said this is neither a threat nor a danger. He said we would be victorious.”
Olsidra calmly repeated the revelation he had received from Urshus—or rather, from Alsh Unak—but the words rang hollow.
“But look at us now!”