Terms of the Deal (7)
With a soft click, the door to the lord’s study locked shut.
Security was life itself.
By now everyone present understood why Roy had been so excessively cautious from the very beginning.
"I have a great many questions."
"Before I take your questions, there is something I would like to show you."
"Very well. I’ve been wondering what else you’ve been itching to show me. Let’s see it."
Roy gently laid the business proposal he had prepared upon the baron’s desk.
"Hmm…"
"I’ve heard you’ve been under considerable strain from various matters of late."
"Hm…"
"With the monsters running rampant, the territory’s grain harvest has fallen sharply as well."
"Quiet a moment. I’m reading."
"Yes…"
The baron scanned the proposal Roy had handed him, his expression shifting through a succession of emotions. When he finished he leaned back against the chair, crossed his legs, and appeared lost in thought for some time.
The other three waited with taut nerves for him to speak. The wait was not long.
"You thought all of this up by yourself?"
"Yes."
"Without help from Geren or Marek?"
"For the most part, yes. Master Geren only learned of it today, and Marek assisted with purchasing materials and selling the finished pieces."
The baron considered for a long while which question to ask first. There was no shortage of things he wished to know simply about the magic that now resided in his own beloved sword.
"Appointing a proxy was a very wise decision."
"Thank you."
The proxy existed for Roy’s safety. Without resolving that point he could never have won the baron’s permission. Without Geren the plan could never have been set in motion at all.
The baron’s thoughts were tangled. The instant this technique became known in the streets, chaos would erupt. If word reached other territories—especially the margrave—matters could grow extremely complicated thereafter.
"May I speak first on a few points?"
"Go ahead."
"As I understand it, our territory is currently suffering greatly because of the monsters. Once magic-enchanted weapons begin to circulate, we can alleviate that problem to a considerable degree. Fallow farmland can be brought back into use, and in time grain production may even surpass previous levels."
"Hmm…"
The baron’s inner thoughts remained opaque, yet Marek and Geren both nodded. The reasoning was sound.
"And that is not all. Regrettably, our house was never granted by the king the authority to raise large-scale forces. As a result we have long depended upon the margrave of the neighboring territory for troops. I have heard, however, that circumstances have changed since the Great Expedition. Visvalt territory is said to be struggling with monsters as well, though whether that is truly the reason remains unclear. At this rate we shall have to live watching the margrave family’s face for generations to come. Yet if powerful weapons allow us to reduce or eliminate that dependence—and if that in turn secures stable food production—then our house’s influence within the kingdom will expand beyond what it once was."
Marek and Geren’s eyes, already widening, nearly started from their heads at the words “the family’s influence.” How far ahead was this small child looking? Combined with the magic he had demonstrated earlier, they felt a flicker of genuine dread that a monster wore the skin of a boy.
The baron’s reaction, however, was the opposite. His young son had scratched precisely the itch that had been troubling him. His face remained stern, yet something hot overflowed in his chest. As lord he simply could not show it.
"From the way you speak it sounds as if a rosy future awaits us, but ideals and reality are entirely different things. No matter how fine the weapons, they are useless without soldiers to wield them."
"If one man gains the strength to do the work of two, the manpower problem will resolve itself naturally, I believe."
"Do you mean that anyone who takes up a weapon of your making will be able to do twice his usual share?"
"It will vary by person and circumstance, but I believe they could do even more than that."
The baron brought a hand to the scabbard of his heirloom sword Triumph and tapped it lightly with his fingers as he continued.
"For that to happen, these weapons would need to be placed not in the hands of one or two men, but every mercenary and hunter."
"That will not be difficult. Triumph was originally a renowned blade, and I enchanted it with especially powerful magic to match. The items I plan to mass-produce going forward will be lower-grade. They will still be considerably more expensive than ordinary weapons, yet not so costly that they cannot afford them. On the contrary, these weapons will allow them to earn far more than they did before."
At the mention that the enchantment on his own sword was special, the baron nearly broke into a broad smile. There was still more to consider. It was not yet time to rejoice.
"That also means people will come to possess power that never existed before. Starting with public order, how do you intend to prevent a drain of talent?"
In the early stages those who possessed magic-enchanted weapons would throw their weight around—mercenaries and hunters, of course, but also various minor lords, merchant guilds with their own guards, and finally criminal organizations. The balance of power within the territory would shift according to how many of these weapons each faction held, and for a time there might well be chaos as the hierarchy was re-established. Then, if the weapons eventually circulated to everyone in the territory, those who fell behind might choose to leave for other lands. Within this territory everyone would have them, so they would have no choice—but in another territory they alone would appear special. That was the point the baron raised.
"I have several ideas. First, for public order we can prioritize distribution to reliable allied forces such as the guard, or supply them with weapons one grade higher. Restricting circulation to specific people in the early stages could also work. I have no intention of selling the absolute finest pieces I can produce."
In other words, he would distribute better work to allies than what he sold, and keep still finer pieces for himself.
"Furthermore, enchantment is not limited to weapons alone."
"What?!"
After waiting for the baron’s intense reaction to settle, Roy spoke again.
"It is possible on armor as well, and though difficult, on accessories too. We could keep such specialized items off the market entirely and reserve them for exclusive use by our own side."
Having already anticipated such questions, Roy’s answers came without hesitation.
"You need not worry about talent or magical armaments leaking outside either. The goods I plan to put on the market will be made with built-in limitations on their use. Even without special measures, lower-grade items have a limited lifespan. The magic is not permanent. Eventually the power will fade, and to obtain it again they will have no choice but to return to our territory."
Of course, once the territory has accumulated strength and confidence, we might consider external distribution then.
Roy deliberately left the final thought unspoken. It would be too much for now. When the time came it would proceed naturally; there was no need to explain it yet.
The baron was thoroughly satisfied with Roy’s answers. He was moved nearly to the point of thinking what a sharp lad had been born into the house.
"To think that far…"
Just as the baron was about to praise him, Roy continued. It was not finished yet.
"All of this will once again lead to the strengthening of our family’s influence. Given the high value involved, many factions will covet it—yet since the creation of that value belongs solely to our house, they will ultimately have to watch our faces."
The three adult men in the study each wore a different expression as they faced the young boy.
"…So you prepared a plan that looks that far ahead."
"Yes."
Every reason the baron might have had to halt the enterprise had vanished. On the contrary, they needed to set it in motion as soon as possible to meet the approaching autumn.
"Roy. What do you need me to do?"
"I have a few requests."
Having suddenly revised and advanced portions of the business proposal that very day, Roy had several things to ask of him.
"You remember the contract we made. Is it not enough to proceed as we agreed?"
"It has changed somewhat."
"In what way?"
"First, I need to summon the owners of the armory and the general store I intended to call to the manor as soon as possible. Waiting until my birthday would make it far too late."
"Why did you choose them? What is your reason?"
"The armory owner is the man who, two years ago, took a dagger I had made and sold, crafted a scabbard for it the very next day, and flipped it for a full gold coin in profit. As for the general store owner…"
Roy’s requests and the explanations of their grounds continued for a long while. Even when the call came that dinner was ready, no one could move. In the end, only after they had roughly set the priorities for the tasks ahead did they finally step outside.
Roy’s first business presentation thus came to a close.
The baron, Geren, and Marek could not free themselves from the shock they had received that day until the moment they fell asleep. It would likely remain so for some time to come.