Chapter : 16

‘By the way, if he's the king's current purveyor, is it House Bardi?

House of Viscount Bardi.

A merchant noble family, originating from the Southern Free City Alliance, that wielded enormous influence not only in the Elang Kingdom but also in the Holy Empire.

They were a family similar to the Fugger family, which had a powerful influence on the Holy Roman Empire in actual history.

In particular, they were one of the powerful factions that could not be omitted from [Pangea Universalise].

That's why, although I had never seen them, House Bardi was a very familiar existence to me.

'Who was the branch manager of the Elang Kingdom at this time….'

But I couldn't remember the name, of all things. I remembered him as a rather important figure, so it was a shame. I smacked my lips and asked Hamil.

“Where is he now?”

“He is waiting in the reception room. How should we proceed? Should I have you meet him? Or should I turn him away, my Lord?”

What are you talking about? I can't send away a precious guest I've been waiting for.

I hurriedly waved my hands.

“Oh. No. Of course, I must meet him. Isn't he the person I've been waiting for so long? If our domain is to take another step forward, I must meet him. Please guide me quickly.”

“Is… that so? Understood, my Lord.”

At my words, Chamberlain Hamil tilted his head for a moment, then nodded and guided me to the reception room.

As I opened the door and entered, I saw a large-framed man sitting at a table, sipping a drink.

Upon spotting me, he shot up from his seat, introduced himself, and bowed his head.

“Your Excellency the Margrave. It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time.

I am Baron Pierre, the second son of the House of Viscount Bardi, the financial representative of His Majesty the great King.”

'Ah-! It was him.'

Hearing his words, my eyes sparkled.

Baron Pierre of the House of Viscount Bardi.

The illegitimate son of the current head of House Bardi, Viscount Cosimo Bardi.

He was a figure who, despite the limitations of his birth, almost became the head of House Bardi due to his outstanding abilities.

'But in the end, his origin held him back.'

Even for a merchant family, the times were what they were.

Pushed out by the elders within the family who valued legitimacy, Baron Pierre was eventually expelled from the family and ended up being exiled to the Holy Empire.

Of course, even there, his outstanding abilities were recognized, and he served as an advisor to the Emperor.

'By the way, so this fellow was in the Elang Kingdom at this time.'

To meet one of the few top-tier treasurers in [Pangea Universalise] so easily. This was quite a good thing.

Thinking so, I said to Baron Pierre.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Baron Pierre. By the way, what brings you here? To such a destitute domain.”

“Rumor has it that you have piled up a mountain of high-quality Bollinwood and processed monster carcasses. That is why I have rushed here.”

“Oh, is that so?”

He certainly has a sly side to him.

To say that, even though I know he has other intentions.

“Then you have come to the right place. The warehouses are full of unsold goods. Haha.”

I spoke jovially and slowly looked Baron Pierre over.

Broad shoulders, a square jaw, and large, sturdy-looking hands. His appearance, unbecoming of a merchant, was like looking at a well-trained knight.

“But…. is that really all?”

I casually prodded, observing Baron Pierre's reaction.

Is that really all? Aren't you here because you need something else?

“Are you implying that I have other intentions, Your Excellency the Margrave?

Although I may be of noble status, my foundation is that of a merchant. Naturally, would I not come here to make money? Hahahaha.”

At that, Baron Pierre shrugged and retorted.

He had no other intentions. What was I talking about? He said it with a hearty laugh.

'He's an interesting fellow, indeed.'

It was a question that could have flustered him, but his calm demeanor certainly showed that he was different.

Not a single trace of agitation could be seen on that smiling face.

“Haha…. Your Excellency the Margrave. It is only natural that you would expect a special relationship.”

Stopping his laughter, Baron Pierre spoke to me calmly.

“After all, I, the King's financial representative, with whom you've had no prior dealings, have come. But.”

Even as he looked into my eyes, the Margrave's, Baron Pierre's gaze did not waver in the slightest. Rather, he glared as if to pressure me.

“This Baron expects nothing from Your Excellency the Margrave. A domain so destitute it's hard to believe it belongs to a Margrave.

What can I expect from this place? Military power? Finances? Political influence?”

Baron Pierre's words, laced with a sneer, struck my ears.

He had approached me until he was right in front of me before I knew it.

“A relationship is only possible when there is something to give and take. If I wanted something, I would have gone to the Count of Bozen next door. Do you understand?”

Truly insulting words.

But I was unfazed.

That behavior was a carbon copy of the actions of the House of Viscount Bardi in the game [Pangea Universalise].

A technique to gain an advantageous position in negotiations by showing a difference in power and intimidating the other party.

“Hahaha. Is that so?”

Rather, my heart felt at ease as he moved as I expected.

At least, it meant that the information I knew from [Pangea Universalise] was still valuable.

Besides.

'The one who is desperate makes the first move.'

To be desperate for many things means having many things to concede.

That's why he's acting so high-handedly. Like a cornered rat baring its teeth.

“Good. Very good, Baron Pierre.”

After bursting into a hearty laugh, I had Baron Pierre sit at the table.

“Then, for how much will you buy the Bollinwood? For your information, our domain is poor, as you said, so I'll have to get a hefty price.”

A normal noble would never have spoken like this.

A noble who starts negotiating prices like a merchant right off the bat.

But I was not a medieval noble. I was essentially a modern person.

“Hmm….”

Baron Pierre seemed slightly taken aback by my brazen attitude. He quickly hid his revealed expression and opened his mouth.

“Since the quantity is large, I will take 8 shillings less than the usual price.”

“If I supply it exclusively?”

“6 shillings.”

“It's not just this year. Next year, I will probably log a similar amount. I will also give you the exclusive rights for the following year. How much?”

“5 shillings.”

The average price for Bollinwood was 18 shillings per log.

If he bought the entire four-year supply at 13 shillings per log, it wasn't too bad. It was about the same as a peasant's annual income.

But I wanted more.

“After that, I will reduce my timber production. To about 1/3 of the usual level. Bollinwood is my domain's specialty.

I can't just log indiscriminately to make money. Resources are limited.”

Baron Pierre's eyebrow twitched.

I gradually shed my humble posture and continued in a high-handed tone.

“For your information, there is no wood as dense and sturdy as Bollinwood.

I am willing to give you the exclusive purchase rights for the next five years, Baron Pierre. Now, then, for how much is it possible?”

My proposal was very attractive.

It takes nearly a year to trim and dry the logged trees to make them usable timber anyway.

Two years from now, when I reduce the supply, the Bollinwood available on the market will be virtually nonexistent.

If he had the exclusive rights, Baron Pierre could essentially set the price of Bollinwood as he pleased.

Of course, since there are substitutes, he wouldn't be able to make an exorbitant profit.

“Hahaha. This is truly interesting, Your Excellency the Margrave.”

At this point, Baron Pierre's composure finally broke. He couldn't hide his bewilderment and laughed heartily.

“You are very different from the Margrave I knew. I had been receiving reports that the Bellua Margrave was changing, but…. I did not know it was to this extent. I apologize for my previous rude behavior, Your Excellency.”

“That apology. I will gladly accept it. And I was not offended. Your words were true, after all.”

I replied with a smirk.

“Well, alright. Then let's talk properly, Your Excellency the Margrave.”

Baron Pierre said, sinking deeply into his chair. He was tapping the table with his fingers as if he found this situation interesting.

“What. How much do you want? You are not simply after money. Do you wish for an alliance with His Majesty the King?”

An alliance? Well, I did want an alliance.

But the alliance I wanted was not with the king.

The king, who wanted to centralize power, and I were fated to be in hostile positions anyway.

So what I wanted was something else entirely.

And that was.

“You've got something wrong.”

“……?”

“What good would it do for the King and me to form an alliance? If I had to form an alliance, it would be…. with you.”

As if it were an unexpected remark, Baron Pierre's eyebrow twitched.

“With me, you say?”

“That's right.”

“Aren't you barking up the wrong tree? I am merely His Majesty the King's financial representative. So why?”

“Well. Isn't it that practical matters are always influenced by representatives like you? There's no need to go through the higher-ups.”

“…….”

“Besides, to the King, I am just one of many lords. It doesn't matter if I'm there or not, he has nothing to lose. In fact, if we trade, he'll think he's bestowed a favor upon me. But you're different.”

“Hoh. Different? In what way? I don't think there's much difference between the King and me, is there?”

Baron Pierre seemed intrigued.

“No difference? The King was not of illegitimate birth. Wasn't he the undisputed heir to the throne? But…. you're a bit different, aren't you?”

“?!”

The corners of Baron Pierre's eyes trembled.

He seemed quite shocked. Well, it was understandable, since his illegitimate birth was a secret in the Elang Kingdom.

I looked at Baron Pierre and shrugged.

“Why are you so surprised? Ah, was your illegitimate birth still a secret? If so, I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you.

But if I may offer a piece of advice, your origin can't remain a secret forever. So it would be better to make it known within the Elang Kingdom as soon as possible.”

This advice was sincere.

The Elang Kingdom was a nation with a very strong sense of aristocracy.

Because he had operated while hiding his illegitimate birth, Baron Pierre had to go through considerable hardship when this fact was later revealed.

“Ho, how did you know?”

How did I know? I knew because I played [Pangea Universalise]. But I gave him a plausible reason.

“My. Thoroughly investigating people is not the exclusive domain of your House of Viscount Bardi.”

“Hmm…. I see.”

Baron Pierre nodded as if he understood.

Then, after a moment of silence, as if he had organized his thoughts, he politely apologized to me.

“Indeed, the world is wide and there are many outstanding people. I was very surprised, thanks to you, Your Excellency the Margrave.

It was an opportunity for me to reflect on my arrogant self. Therefore….”

“Therefore?”

“It seems it will be difficult to join hands with Your Excellency the Margrave.”

He's suddenly playing hard to get here?

This is a big fish that came into my hands, I can't just let it go.

“Why? Am I not worthy of joining hands with you?”

“No. On the contrary, you are more than worthy. However, I am currently the financial advisor to the King of Elang.

The King's path will surely clash with yours on many occasions, so how can we join hands? There is no need for a meeting that lacks trust from the beginning.”

Oh dear. He really was different.

But I could see that even Baron Pierre was still trapped in a medieval mindset.

That's not what I want.

“You seem to be overthinking things.”

“Overthinking?”

“We are not that close, are we? When I say let's join hands, I just mean let's make a deal that benefits us both.

Give one, get one back. The cooperation I'm talking about is this.”

So-called win-win trade. Not one where one side unilaterally bears the loss.

“…….”

At that, Baron Pierre fell silent.

Then he looked at me with a complicated expression.

'Damn it. Don't tell me he's going to refuse again?'

As his thoughts dragged on, I grew anxious.

But a moment later.

-Tiriring.

[Meticulous Planner effect activated!]

[Persuasion effect is enhanced!]

[You have persuaded Baron Pierre.]

[Baron Pierre is willing to make a deal with you.]

[However, Baron Pierre is a man of great ambition. Therefore, he will always put you to the test. Remember.

If you fail to meet Baron Pierre's standards, Baron Pierre will betray you at any time.]

Along with the loud notification sound, Baron Pierre signaled his surrender.

“I really can't win against you. Alright. Then what should I give you?”

Thanks to the Trait effect, I had succeeded in persuading Baron Pierre.