DWBS 20: Threat

This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.

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Haruto solidified for a while then quickly reacted quickly, asking while pretending to be calm.

「Desert person? By the way, I’ve seen a lot of desert people lately……is it related?」

「Just as expected. You’re very sharp…… It’s a complicated situation……I will summarize.」

Eugene started talking after saying that.

「It’s about four months ago. A desert citizen named Aisha entered the country. That woman didn’t pay a residence tax and somehow became a second-class resident. Perhaps her gold was stolen. Then she escaped. So now, she’s become a slave. I bought Aisha from the government for 200 million yen. So far so good?」

Haruto nodded while taking care that his expression didn’t give out anything. Seeing Haruto nod, Eugene continued talking.

「So I tried to sell Aisha for 500 million Doria. I even got a buyer, but a problem occurred at the point of sale. She escaped. I never thought that she could break the chains.」

Haruto was reminded of the chains used in the slave’s prison. Even if you try to bite such things, it’s normal to have your teeth fall out.

「It’s okay up to here because it’s my fault. But the situation further worsened. That woman was the granddaughter of the chief of the desert people.」

Eugene resumed talking after taking a breath.

「It was discovered 10 days after Aisha escaped. The desert people came and asked me to search. I desperately tried searching and couldn’t find her. Because I have no choice, I consulted Congress. Along with the Congressmen, some trustworthy merchants, and mercenaries, it was decided to search with the policemen.」

Eugene looked at Haruto and spoke again.

「Haven’t you worked it out?」

「I’m sorry. I’ll let you know when I know something.」

Haruto lied in a dignified manner.

「Really……I’m sorry for stopping by so late at night. Well then.」

Eugene said so and left. When Eugene was gone, Haruto headed to the bedroom, and with the door closed, he opened the closet.

「You should have heard it with your hearing. How about you tell me about your circumstances?」

Aisha nodded quietly.

＿＿＿＿＿

「That, in reality……it’s a lie when I said that I want to see the world of the west……」

「I wonder about that. So why did you come to Claris?」

Aisha answered timidly.

「That……I ran away from marriage.」

「Marriage ne~……are you really the chieftain’s granddaughter? Is it a political marriage or something?」

Haruto asked but Aisha shook her head, a little worried.

「Some men have been introduced and they told me that I can choose from them. Of course, everyone is an influential person, so there are elements of it being a political marriage. Anyway, they said that I can marry anyone that I want. I did not want to get married yet but because it was too noisy……」

「So you ran away from home.」

Haruto sighed deeply.

「Is that even better?」

Roa raised her hand and asked a question.

「What are you talking about from a little while ago?」

By the way, Roa did not listen to Eugene’s story. Haruto then explained to Roa and Roa had rounded eyes.

「So Aisha-san is the granddaughter of the chieftain! That’s amazing!」

Haruto said to the surprised Roa.

「It’s not something to be surprised about. She learned the Kiris language as a policy of her home. She should be rich if she can learn a foreign language as a policy at home. You can imagine that she was born and raised in a wealthy household to some extent.」

Haruto then turned to Aisha.

「By the way, you said that it was okay to be married but you’re still 16 or maybe 17? Why the rush?」

Aisha answered Haruto’s question.

「The desert people naturally got engaged at the age of roughly 12 or 13. Everyone is married at about the age of 15. I think you can complain if it’s an ordinary household but because I’m the chieftain’s granddaughter……」

「I see. Because the desert is harsh, this means that you have to get married sooner and leave lots of children.」

At Haruto’s words, Aisha nodded.

「So is the story of you escaping true?」

「Yes, well, I was starving……I’m really sorry.」

Aisha lowered her head and Haruto returned it with a smile.

「It should be fine. Roa is a fool because she tried to become a shoplifter. It’s cute if you compare the two.」

Roa looked like she wanted to say something, but because it is a fact, she couldn’t argue.

「Is being hunted by slave hunters a lie?」

「No, slave-hunting is only an exaggeration……the policeman caught me since I am a slave, so it’s not a slave hunt in a sense?」

「The policeman only earnestly fulfilled his duties. Apologize to the policeman.」

Haruto made a wry smile.

「I have no choice but to stick with you……will you blame me?」

「I do not have a grudge but……is there no way to avoid the marriage?」

Aisha looked at Haruto and Roa with pleading eyes. Because they’ve been living together for one month, the feeling of abandoning someone felt bad.

Haruto and Roa thought to themselves with their arms crossed.

「I wish there was a way to legally stay in Claris……」

When Roa heard those words, she had her eyes wide open.

「That’s it! It’s soap. You can show soap to the chief and then you can ask her to stay at Claris to learn how to make soap.」

Aisha grasped Roa’s hand.

「I see!! Soap will benefit the entire clan. To learn how to make soap, it wouldn’t be good if they can’t understand the Kiris language, so it’s meaningless for ordinary desert people to go. I am reluctant to get married but I am fluent in Kiris, so I can nominate myself. Nice, that’s nice, Roa!!」

Aisha swung Roa’s arms around with Roa screaming「It’ll break, it’ll break!! Please stop it!」.

「As expected of Roa. Aisha is acting silly like a drunk, but I did not think up to that degree.」

「No~, even so.」

Roa proudly bragged.

「Oh well. Although it’s thin as a measure, we cannot think of anything more than this. If the chief did not like the soap, just give up and get pregnant. Now then, from here on is full of intrigue.」

Haruto had a bad smile.

「This time, it’s a chance to see if I can successfully negotiate with the desert people. So to get the maximum benefit, we will take the initiative in this story. Aisha, Roa, let’s cooperate. The peace between the desert people and Claris is in our hands.」

The three people continued to devise measures for three days.

＿＿＿＿＿＿

「This time everyone got together……but you might have guessed it already, I am protecting Aisha.」

Haruto looked around at Eugene, Branch, and Adonis while saying that.

This was a room in a luxury hotel in Claris. Because it is completely soundproof, it is the perfect place for a secret meeting.

「I see. Were you deceiving me at that time?」

Eugene looked at Haruto who was smiling fearlessly. He was deceived by a man whom he thought was in his camp. He did not feel good about it.

「I am sorry about that. However, until I confirmed the story with Aisha, I could not report it. After all, she said that she was being chased by slave hunters.」

Haruto answered Eugene who snorted. He opened his mouth after being fueled by wine.

「Let’s say I’m convinced. Then, what does this mean? Explain it to me in an easy to understand manner.」

Eugene said while looking at Adonis and Branch. He did not like having Adonis and Branch sitting here in the same place.

Haruto shrugged his shoulders.

「What do you mean? I don’t really understand. It’s an important decision that will influence Claris and the desert people. It would be natural to invite the three most influential lawmakers, no?」

When Haruto said so, Eugene screwed up his eyebrows. It’s because Haruto’s judgment was correct.

「Isn’t it about time you go to the main topic?」

「Yes, yes, I bothered you to come all the way here. Aisha is here and you can take her. Is that what we’re talking about?」

Branch and Adonis looked at Haruto when he said that. Haruto looked at the three people again and said his main reason.

「I would like you to add me during the negotiations with the desert people. That’s all.」

Listening to Haruto’s words, Eugene’s eyes opened wide with amazement, Branch looked at Haruto like looking at an interesting thing, while Adonis laughed peculiarly.

「Such a condition, do you think I would agree?」

Eugene looked at Haruto with sharp eyes. With Eugene’s pointed eyes, Haruto was frightened for a moment. He’d lose if he got dragged in the pace of his opponent, so calm down and answer.

「I don’t want to trouble you to agree. Aisha is a desert citizen and she’s telling me that she was enslaved. I’m the only one that can stop her.」

Hostility could see a change on the faces of the three people. Of course, because Haruto threatened three people just now. From here onwards was the crucial point so Haruto had invoked his blessing.

「You, do you know what you’re talking about?」（You seem to be going overboard. A young man who has just started a business. I will crush you depending on your reply.）

It seemed that he had been hated considerably. He needed to rewind from here, so Haruto carefully chose his words.

「I’m sorry. It’s almost like I’m threatening you, so I’ll try to properly explain.」

Haruto considered Roa’s and Aisha’s『excuses』then spoke.

「Aisha ran away from marriage. She is saying that she does not want to go back and get married. As long as she’s in the desert, the story of marriage will haunt her. To avoid it, she had to legally stay here on Claris. To that end, to the chieftain who is her grandfather, I need to present merit that would allow her to stay on Claris. In other words, to stay on Claris to learn soap techniques. There is only this option. Didn’t you guys even acknowledge the value of my soap? However, to do that, we have to make peace, and it’s easier for me to go directly. That’s how it is.」

That’s why it should make sense. Haruto saw the state of the three people. It looked like all three were thinking about it. The hostility that filled the room until a while ago was considerably diluted.

「What are your merits? What’s the reason for cooperating with Aisha?」（What’s up with this guy? I won’t reply until I at least understand that.）

To Adonis’ question, Haruto answered with a smile.

「It’s simple. I can sign a monopoly agreement with the chief of the desert people. And I’m not going to teach the skills for free. I am going to receive some percentage of profit. Having the chance to talk with the chieftain of the desert people is already great.」

Being an ordinary single merchant wouldn’t allow him to meet the chieftains. But there was no problem if he’s a diplomat. It’s also a chance to make connections.

「I see. However, I cannot afford to accept this so easily. In any case, you are a newbie.」（I should have no profit. I’ll lose a lot in this case.）

Reading Eugene’s thoughts, Haruto smiled. He took out a paper from his pocket and showed it to the three people.

「This is my treaty. You’ll understand if you read it……you’ll also get a few benefits.」

The three people looked at the paper Haruto handed over, then their eyes went round before they smiled.

「I see. It’s well thought out. But why was it thought so far?」（ This treaty is really perfect……Even Claris and the desert people will be convinced if that is the case, so we can’t stop nodding if these benefits are presented. But I wonder if this kind of thing is really done individually?）

Haruto answered both Branch’s words and real intention.

「I am from the East, so I can speak the desert people’s words, and I am also familiar with the circumstances of the East.」

It’s a big lie. In fact, he learned it from questioning Aisha, reading the past notarization records in the library, and consulted with Roa many times. It truly was two heads were better than one.

「Ho~, so you can speak their language. Alright, I understand. I will support you as a diplomat.」（There is no good diplomat in Claris anyway. The Congress will also keep silent even though they’re familiar with the circumstances of the East. And in this case, I can recover some damages.）

「I also agree.」（There is no reason to oppose it.）

「I agree with it.」（Oh well, even if it fails, it will not hurt me.）

___________

「A~a, I’m tired.」

「Thank you for your hard work.」

Roa massaged Haruto who was sitting on the chair.

「Was it a success?」

「Ah, it was perfect. Thanks to you and Aisha.」

Aisha was the only granddaughter of the chieftain, so she was familiar with the circumstances of the desert people. There was also secret information that even the intellectuals of Claris didn’t know.

「No, no. I only told you what I know. Roa analyzed the information, and it was also Haruto who negotiated it, right?」

It was Roa who made 70% of the treaty. The Blessing of Gold was geared towards making money. That meant it’s a protection measure against loss. Using this Divine Blessing could also be adjusted to benefit both parties. There was also the fact that the person’s head is good.

「By the way, what’s it like? You were half-threatening them after all.」

「Well, it looks like they became a bit wary. It’s okay as long as I don’t destroy their vested interests. Rather, it’s more convenient for me to increase my worth among them.」

In this case, the three people would try to attract Haruto to their side even more. Haruto lied to Eugene, so he showed the two people that Haruto was not yet fully in Eugene’s faction. Adonis and Branch would then try to approach Haruto, and Eugene would also try to pull in Haruto even further. What matters was not to become like the bat.

「Being a popular man is tough.」

「But two of them are men though.」

Roa burst into laughter.

「You can earn credit if you succeed in this. It’s not a dream to become a member.」

Apart from business with the desert people, there’s also the purpose of making an achievement. What you need to become a Claris’ Congress member were assets and achievements. As his assets continued to build by selling soap, the problem was earning achievements. Someone who could benefit Claris and whether they could be trusted. It’d show with the peace treaty this time.

Haruto did not want anything to do with politics. He just wanted insurance. Maybe someday, the government would order him to teach them how to make soap. They might even multiply the tax on soap. He only wanted some degree of political power to avoid potential trouble.

「Let’s sleep as soon as possible. I’m tired.」

He went to bed early that day.

＿＿＿＿＿＿

Haruto’s trip to the desert was in one week and the bill passed after passing through Congress. It’s unheard of for a man who hadn’t been a citizen for a year to become a diplomat. Congress was a lot rougher, but the top of the three factions, Eugene, Adonis, and Branch, pressed down the lawmakers around them, so they reached a unanimous agreement through their persuasion.

「It is rumored that Haruto handed out bribes to the three people.」

Roa was frowning. Haruto just replied with a smile.

「They aren’t wrong. There’s also the rumor that I am the Kingdom’s spy. It is probably better than the rumor that I was trying to bring up a war between the desert people and Claris.」

Haruto shrugged his shoulders. Recently, there were a lot of malicious rumors about him. Well, that’s to be expected.

「But the sale of soap is rising on the contrary. Why is that?」

「It’s the flame business method. The rumors about me also spread soap at the same time. This is an unexpected harvest.」

However, it’s only for the first time that the flame business method was effective. Many of the companies that tried to continue it eventually failed. But in this time of peace, it hopefully went well.

「Well~, you’re a schemer Haruto. To think of using bad publicity. I like that kind of cunning.」

Aisha laughed giddily as Roa looked at Aisha while grasping Haruto’s sleeve.

「Haruto-san is mine.」

「But I don’t remember becoming yours. Aisha, this is just a coincidence, right?」

「Once again, saying such a thing.」

Aisha did not believe Haruto’s words. Haruto was uneasy about what she’s thinking.

「Anyway, for the time being, the trip to the desert is decided. Aisha, tell me about your grandfather’s personality. Next is the preparations for the negotiations with the desert people.」

And so, the three people consulted with each other for three days.

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A/N: Contents of the treaty made by Haruto is described in the next chapter。

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Last Edit     08-18-2020     8:18 AM

This is machine translated and all copyrights belong to the author. Please note that the translator might take creative liberties for better readability. Thank you for reading.