Why Is the Concertina Wire Selling So Well?
The concertina wire factory had been completed without a hitch.
There was no turning back now. The sunk costs poured into construction alone were astronomical. If the merchant group was going to avoid taking a loss, they would have to sell an absolutely staggering volume of wire.
But who on earth was going to buy all of it? The military? Even the military budget had its limits. Demand a bigger appropriation just to stockpile barbed wire, and the Ministry of Finance would throw a fit.
"Young master. The warehouses we already built are packed to the rafters with inventory. If the military doesn't approve the purchase soon, we'll have to rent outside storage. For the time being, perhaps we should shut the factory do—"
"Right now, maximizing production is more important. Rent as many warehouses as you need—just don't stop the factory."
"Y-yes, sir."
I stood looking at the concertina wire heaped to the ceiling and smiled. Just looking at it filled me up. It was a deeply satisfying sight.
With this much, aren't I going to get kicked out of the merchant group for pure liability?
I had inflicted catastrophic losses on my sister's company. This wasn't the kind of mess you could laugh off with a shrug. Someone had to answer for the damage. I might even have to hand over the Kissinger Merchant Group or the Cave Merchant Group to her as compensation. From her point of view, that wouldn't even be a bad deal.
Oh. That's actually perfect.
If I took responsibility and made her whole, Father would accept it without a fuss. And just like that, I would be free of every obligation in one stroke. The dream of a young man who simply wanted to rest—realized at last.
Ahh. My dream is finally coming true.
One of my sister's subordinates kept glancing anxiously between the warehouse and me. Sorry about that. If you get fired, I'll plant you at Kissinger or Cave.
"Y-young master!"
"Yes?"
Someone came barreling in, calling for me. Huh. That didn't sound promising.
"The military has approved the budget! The Defense Procurement Policy Chief used his authority to fast-track registration as military equipment and standards approval, and they're bringing the contract over right now!"
"What?"
"The contract is enormous! Even if we run the factory nonstop for the next several months, we'll barely make the deadline!"
"What?"
"Ah—and the warehouses. The military says they'll take full responsibility for storage."
"What?"
"All we have to do is stamp out as much volume as possible, as fast as possible!"
What?
.
.
.
Money was being photocopied. That was not a metaphor. Every coil of concertina wire that rolled off the line was turning straight into cash.
"Young master! We need to expand the factory immediately!"
"What? Why? I thought we could meet the military order as is."
"Farms and frontier settlements all over the empire want to buy this wire."
"What?"
"Apparently a few people with military connections happened to hear about it. Even without Boundary Zone monsters, it's extremely useful against wild animals and outsiders."
"Huh."
Projected demand kept climbing. Inquiries poured in from places I had never even imagined. The factory was already running twenty-four hours a day, and even that wasn't enough—we were going to have to build a new one.
How did it come to this?
Why can't I ever be happy…!
"Your prediction was exactly right, young master."
"My… prediction?"
"Yes. Once magic-stone recycling technology appeared, a huge chunk of the old magic-stone budget was suddenly left floating, wasn't it? Local organizations that didn't want their appropriations cut had to invent new projects just to spend the money."
"Uh… yes?"
If you don't have anywhere to spend money, just… don't spend it? Wouldn't that be the thrifty, responsible thing to do…?
"Especially the frontier settlements and resource zones that used to burn through magic stones by the cartload—they were in a panic. And right then, the military redirected the budget that had been earmarked for magic stones over to concertina wire."
"Ah. I see."
Right. So they took the money they used to spend on magic stones and bought barbed wire instead. Perfectly clear.
"For the frontier and resource zones, this must have looked like a godsend. Honestly, nowhere in the empire has worse security. Wild animals, bandits, armed gangs—they'd been dealing with all of it for years. And now they finally had a proper justification."
"So you're saying they bought concertina wire as a blatant budget sink."
"Haha. Exactly."
"Wouldn't the central government crack down immediately? These places were managing fine without the wire, and suddenly they're protesting that they'll die without it."
"Well, the casualty numbers really were brutal—they just never had a solution, so they left it alone. And from the Finance Ministry clerks' point of view, yanking the budget overnight and wrecking the mid-term plan is worse than tapering it gradually. Redrafting the entire budget from scratch would be an absolute nightmare, wouldn't it?"
"Ah."
These imperial civil servants are insane. They hand out the national treasury because they don't want extra paperwork? You're the people responsible for running the country. Yes, fewer deaths is a good thing, but are you seriously doing your jobs this sloppily? Is this what a lifelong iron rice bowl looks like?
Then again, if someone says, "We're going to use the money we were already allotted in order to save lives," opposing them does look pretty ugly.
"The timing was perfect. You calculated all of this from the start, didn't you, young master? As expected—there's something different about Rotringen blood."
"Haha… I just got lucky…"
"And so modest, too…"
No. I genuinely got lucky. Why won't anyone believe me? Suddenly I feel hurt. Sob. Why can't you trust what I say? You're always like this!
…Okay, enough escapism. Running from reality never changes anything.
"Haha! Thanks to you, young master, this year's audit season is going to be terrifying. We're making money so fast we'll need shovels and trucks to move it. Dozens of accountants won't cut it—hundreds might barely finish the books."
"Haha… that really does sound terrifying…"
It genuinely is terrifying, damn it. How much more work is that going to create?
I have to escape.
I'm already buried alive under work. And now you're telling me it can get even worse? Is that something a human being can survive? No matter how many people I hire, the final responsibility still lands on me. I think I'm actually going to die.
"Haha. Coming to work has been a joy lately, all thanks to you, young master."
"…You have mountains of work and you're happy?"
"Better than having no work at all, isn't it? And all of this turns into our performance bonuses!"
"Ah. Right."
"Besides, back then we had to bow and scrape for every contract, watching the soldiers' and bureaucrats' faces. These days, more people are watching ours. It's wonderfully satisfying! Haha!"
Ah. So you just wanted to throw your weight around. Fine. That's fair enough…
"It's all thanks to you, young master!"
"Yes…"
So it's all because of me. Sigh. Who am I going to blame? I brought this disaster on myself… Wait. No. I didn't even come here because I wanted to. Can I really call this a self-inflicted disaster?
.
.
.
A few days later, Luigi, Vice Minister of the Imperial Department of Defense and National Security, invited me over. You know—the gentleman who once choked on a cockatrice leg.
"Haha! Otto! It's been too long."
"Good day to you, Vice Minister Luigi."
That Kaiser mustache of his was still unforgettable. And today he was even wearing a green hat.
"I've heard all about it! You invented that thing—concertina wire, was it? I saw it myself out in the field. The real deal. Truly impressive."
"Haha…"
"Thanks to it, we've been able to spare our soldiers' lives. I set out to repay a debt and somehow ended up deeper in your debt instead."
"Not at all… I was just a merchant selling a product."
"No—I mean it. I'm likely to be promoted to Minister over this."
"Excuse me?"
What is he talking about now?
"You know the nobles' long-standing wish has been to shrink the military, don't you? A larger army makes them nervous, and plenty of noble houses are forced for political reasons to send their sons into service."
"Ah. Yes."
"But the military itself has always pushed back, insisting they don't even have the bare minimum manpower to hold the Boundary Zone… An awkward standoff all around. This time, though, introducing concertina wire has eased that friction. It will take a while longer to see the full effect, of course—but once the Boundary Zone is properly wired, they can finally start cutting personnel in earnest."
"Ahh…?"
I'm listening, but I still don't really follow.
"As a result, the current Minister—a central noble who used to mediate between the military and the aristocracy—has found his position rather… ambiguous. The man who recommended you is now the likely candidate for the post. That would be me."
"Ah—well, congratulations?"
"Haha! And all of it is thanks to you, Otto!"
"…"
"That's twice now I've found myself in your debt! If you ever need my help, just say the word!"
"Yes…"