Chapter 41: The Wicked Merchant (1)

Filat Village sustained itself by hunting beasts for meat and leather or by cultivating crops.

For other necessary goods, the villagers would sell meat, leather, or crops to make money and then travel to nearby villages or cities to buy what they needed.

It was no different from having their hard-earned money—earned at the risk of their lives—exploited.

“Quite atrocious. They must have taken advantage of this place’s dangerous location to do business.”

“That’s right. But now that Your Highness is helping us, we won’t have to deal with that merchant anymore.”

As the explanation continued, a name suddenly flashed through Raion’s mind.

“By any chance, do you know that merchant’s name?”

At Raion’s question, the men kneeling behind the village chief began to murmur.

“What was it again?”

“Po… something, I think.”

“Right! Fordman! He introduced himself as Fordman!”

At that answer, Raion felt a sudden headache.

It turned out that Fordman—the man he had ordered to trade back and forth between the Kanas Territory—had been extorting Filat Village.

‘With that persistent merchant’s nature, there’s no way he would’ve passed by a place like this without squeezing it dry.’

Fordman had perfectly grasped the poor village’s situation and used it to do business.

If you only looked at that, it was something praiseworthy. The problem, however, was that the village in question happened to be Filat.

“Do you happen to know that person?”

Seeing Raion’s odd reaction, the village chief, Ahad, cautiously asked.

“Hmm… inevitably, yes. He’s a merchant I know. I’ll make an apology and compensation in his stead. Storage!”

After finishing his words, Raion summoned his ability, Storage, and took out 1,000 gold coins, placing them before Ahad.

“T-This is…”

Ahad’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of the gleaming pile of gold.

“It’s 1,000 gold. Use it for the good of this village. And you may keep using the weapons I gave you earlier.”

“Th-thank you!”

With the 1,000 gold Raion had given them, the people of Filat Village could live comfortably for a year.

Ahad and the men bowed deeply toward Raion.

“By the way, did you say that merchant, Fordman, mentioned he would come right after the full moon?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then, according to that, he should be arriving soon. I’ll return to my lodgings for now—inform me if any problem arises.”

“Understood.”

Raion headed back to the inn with Jade.

Then Jade, who had been silent, cautiously asked,

“Master, Fordman—wasn’t he the merchant who visited Taron’s Palace four years ago?”

Jade also remembered the name.

“That’s right.”

“His behavior was that of a swindler, through and through. So, this is where he ended up.”

“Well… that’s what you’d call a born merchant’s instinct.”

As the two walked, they came upon a group of people gathered in a noisy crowd.

It was the very inn Raion had surrounded with a dome-shaped mana barrier.

Apparently, because no one could go in or out, chaos had broken loose.

“Ah! I completely forgot about that. Decomposition!”

Raion quickly chanted the spell, dispelling the mana barrier.

At once, the people who had been stuck against the wall collapsed all at once, creating a commotion.

It was at the mansion of Duke Alito.

Aspar of the Black Lion Knights had entered to report to Duke Alito.

“The Red Sand Mercenary Corps has been completely wiped out.”

Duke Alito sat before a softly flickering lamp.

After hearing the report, he quietly asked,

“Why have you not mentioned the status of the Third Prince’s life or death?”

It was the most crucial part of the mission.

Aspar’s omission of that particular detail aroused Alito’s suspicion.

Aspar knelt and continued his report.

“I tried to strike when the men who had gone on the Third Prince’s mission returned, but I missed the chance.”

“So, you’re saying you didn’t hear anything?”

“I have no excuse. The man named Aspar, who was in charge of that mission, jumped off a cliff, so I couldn’t confirm it.”

The Third Prince Raion’s life or death was extremely important.

Of course, since the Red Sand Mercenary Corps had been executed under the pretext of punishment, no trace should have remained.

“What do you think? Do you believe the assassination of the Third Prince succeeded?”

At that question, Aspar pondered for a moment before cautiously replying.

“Judging by the fact that the members returned to the mercenary corps unharmed, I don’t believe it failed.”

“Unharmed? You mean none of them were injured?”

“That’s how it appeared.”

Raion, the Third Prince, had Jade with him, even if no one else knew about it.

Jade’s abilities weren’t well known. On the other hand, the Red Sand Mercenary Corps’ skills were famous, so the odds of success seemed high.

“For now, we can assume the best. Even if he did survive, he might die crossing the Clamen Mountain Range anyway.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

“Ah! Erase as many traces as possible. We’ll say the Red Sand Mercenary Corps were both an assassination group and spies from the Edina Kingdom, and punish them as such.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. And I’ll make sure my subordinates stay silent.”

After finishing his words, Aspar immediately left the room.

A large carriage was traveling through the forest road toward Filat Village.

The man sitting on the coachman’s seat hummed a strange tune like a minstrel.

“Today too, gold coins pour down~ silver coins pour down~ right into my pocket~!”

Just as the song reached its peak, the carriage entered the village entrance.

“Now then~! The wandering merchant Fordman has returned after a long time! If you need anything, come take a look!”

Normally, before he even finished saying that, people would already be crowding around the carriage.

That was how desperate Filat Village usually was for supplies and food after the full moon.

But when there was no reaction at all, Fordman sensed something was off.

“What’s going on? Hello there! The wandering merchant is here! Swords for 10 gold, spears for 8 gold, shields for 12 gold, arrows for 5 silver! Pots for 50 silver, cooking tools around 10 silver! And today only, Rickbird and Tugpig meat—each for 50 silver!”

Even though he called out exact prices, not a single person spared him a glance.

Then he began to notice something strange.

Usually, after a full moon, there should have been plenty of half-destroyed fences and houses.

But now, most of the repairs looked nearly complete.

Moreover, the men standing guard at the outpost were armed with proper steel spears and swords.

“What… what is this? Hey! Excuse me!”

Feeling uneasy, Fordman grabbed a man passing by.

“What is it?”

“It must’ve been a full moon not long ago—don’t you need supplies?”

“No! And why would I buy at such ridiculous prices!”

“Expensive? These prices aren’t expensive at all if you consider the cost of hauling all this here!”

Fordman flailed his hands, trying to explain, but the man’s expression was already filled with distrust.

“I bought my things for less than half that price!”

The man shook off Fordman’s hand and continued on his way.

At that moment, fire lit in Fordman’s eyes.

“Who sold goods at such a price?! Which bastard dared to sell in my village, my gold mine?!”

As Fordman shouted in frustration, someone nearby called out,

“Who else could it be? As long as they’re not as greedy as you, anyone could sell here.”

“You—! It’s you, isn’t it?!”

Startled, Fordman turned his head and shouted.

Then, when he saw the man before him—and the people around him—he gasped in shock.

“Y-Your Highness! How are you here…?!”

It was none other than Raion.

“I came here on my way to the Kanas Territory. But tell me—after earning so much gold, did you really need to squeeze out even more this way?”

“Hahaha! Your Highness, am I not the greatest merchant in the Canel Kingdom, blinded by gold itself? Ah! Patrick, you’re here too! What a delight!”

Fordman’s gaze fell upon Patrick.

Patrick frowned deeply and subtly stepped back.

“It’s been a while, Fordman.”

“Indeed! How have you been? I’ve been so busy that although I visited the royal capital often, I couldn’t find time to drop by Taron’s Palace. Were you missing me, perhaps? If so, I should’ve left you a portrait of myself!”

At Fordman’s endless chatter, Patrick’s temple veins began to twitch.

“Master, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll excuse myself.”

“Go ahead. As for you, Fordman, come with me—we have things to discuss.”

“Of course, Your Highness! Hahaha!”

Fordman followed Raion toward his carriage.

“From now on, Filat will become an important junction village for the Kanas Territory. So stop overcharging and properly supply the goods.”

At Raion’s instruction, Fordman’s face twisted with open displeasure.

“You mean… not selling, but supplying?”

“That’s right. Just provide them. And I’d like to hear how things are going in Kanas as well.”

“Wait—by ‘supplying,’ do you mean providing Filat Village with goods for free?”

“Fifty-fifty. That should do, right? And don’t worry—I’m not asking you to use your own money. You just have to deliver the supplies and funds from Kanas.”

At the unbelievably generous condition, Fordman’s eyes sparkled.

“Hahaha! Why didn’t you say so sooner, Your Highness!”

“Then tell me—what’s the situation in Kanas?”

At that question, Fordman quickly began to speak.

“Chers and Jagir are still being produced in Kanas, and I’ve been selling them myself. Since a good amount of production funds are flowing into those areas, the villages there are growing wealthier than before.”

As demand for chess and janggi grew, so did production.

“Not bad. What about the situation in the lord’s castle?”

“To be honest, it’s not good. Many people inside Kanas Castle are living in poverty—so much that it’s dangerous. And the lord’s credibility continues to fall.”

Because Kanas was a fully independent territory, external exchange was nearly impossible.

Naturally, if self-sufficiency failed even internally, the lives of its residents would only become more difficult.

Of course, Raion already understood that very well.

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