Subaru had drawn this conclusion from disparate fragments of information he’d gleaned from his first, second, and third times around.
“So I’d bet that you’ve been gathering up a big amount of dirt-cheap combat gear. I heard that from that shop I know, and from traveling merchants coming here to visit you, Crusch.”
Maybe she’s preparing for a war, said some traveling merchant or other he’d journeyed with, laughing it off.
“It’s significant enough to affect the entire market, so it seems like you’re buying up quite a lot. If you’re going as far as to buy weapons from outside your own lands, common sense says that something’s up, right?”
“Mentioning my house in the same breath as the White Whale is far too great a leap from only that much circumstantial evidence. You’ve barely compiled enough to even speak the first letter in its name. It is a fact that my house has been acquiring weapons, but that is not proof that I plan to hunt down the White Whale. Perhaps I am amassing military power so that I may ignore the results of the royal selection altogether and seize the throne by force of arms.”
“You don’t have any reason to plan something so violent, and even I can tell you’re not that kind of person.”
Crusch, who was the living incarnation of words like sincere or noble, was one of the last people willing to violate the trust of others like that.
“Though I must say, I am somewhat surprised.”
Crusch, who shouldn’t have known what Subaru was thinking, sighed in admiration. She crossed her arms, tilted her head quizzically, and looked Subaru over from head to toe before speaking again.
“I had firmly believed that you went into the capital during the day purely as a diversion…but it was most definitely my own eyes that did not see clearly.”
“Nn! Yeah, that’s right. It’s not like I spend all my time playing around.”
Crusch’s open praise struck Subaru with heavy pangs of guilt. In truth, Crusch’s initial assessment was exceedingly correct. She judged that he was gullible and spoiled. All he could do at the moment was to respond, turning a blind eye toward the truth.
“Anyway, when I first realized you were gathering weapons, I thought you were preparing for war. The real question was who you were planning to fight…but a slippery merchant let something fall from his lips.”
“A slippery…merchant.”
“Just to be sure, to avoid any misunderstandings, allow me to affirm that it was not I.”
When Crusch glanced at him, Russel directly denied the misgivings that were undoubtedly on the tip of her tongue. Apparently, Crusch sensed no hint of deception in his words, because she grudgingly showed that she believed him.
As expected, Crusch’s intuition was very sharp—but her suspicions were actually both correct and incorrect.
The merchant who’d let it slip from his lips was indeed Russel, just as Crusch had suspected. However, it was not the Russel currently standing before them but the Russel Subaru had met during a previous loop.
“Should Lady Crusch succeed in her current endeavors, we would feel nothing but delight.”
Russel had spoken those words on the way out after his negotiations with Crusch had broken down. Subaru had pondered the meaning behind those words for a long time.
If Crusch had stated she expected to succeed the royal throne, it was difficult to imagine that would cause negotiations to break down. But if Crusch’s and Russel’s mutual goals were aligned, then—
“If you go by popular rumor, a lot seem to think you’re practically running alone in the race, Crusch. But it looks like the merchants don’t seem as eager to call it as regular folks do.”
“I do not deny it. It is only sensible that the wealthy are the most reluctant. I acknowledge that the tax rate on commerce is high within my lands. Naturally, I use those funds to defend the peace and order…but I am well aware of the difficulty in conveying this benefit to other parties.”
“So unlike the people benefiting from your rule in the Karsten domain, people who aren’t swayed by fame can only judge what kind of person you are by how you appear to be, huh?”
It was entirely true that Crusch was a capable ruler who managed her territory well. But beyond those who could confirm her true skill for themselves, people had to rate Crusch based solely on secondhand bits and pieces of information.
Much like Emilia, often judged based on the mere fact that she was a half-elf, Crusch alienated those who were able to see only the negative side of her austere way of life.
“So I figured it’s like this. I don’t think you care much for people who judge based only on what’s visible on the surface, but in a royal selection, you need to persuade even those people to come down on your side. So what should a girl do to convince people like that to see you in a better light…?”
“Well hey, if people judge only from appearances…then all you need to do is slap on a fresh coat of paint, right?”
Anastasia picked up where Subaru left off, bringing his point to its logical conclusion.
“Well, that’s pretty easy to say, but it’s not so simple to actually do it. In the first place, chances are good this is all a miscalculation. After all, you’re wording things to be pretty convenient for yourself there, Subaru.”
“I…can’t argue with you there. There’s no mistaking that Crusch is gathering weapons together for some big plan to somehow court the merchants to support her. But maybe tying that together with the White Whale is just a lot of wishful thinking on my part. I could have just convinced myself it’s related to my knowledge about when and where the White Whale’s gonna show up…”
Then, Subaru trailed off with a final “But…” while staring directly at Crusch.
Crusch kept her emotions off her face, and he couldn’t get a glimpse of what lay in her mind. However, she hadn’t refuted anything he had said yet.
That made the gamble worth it.
“I’ll say it again. In return for an alliance between Emilia and Crusch, the Emilia camp offers the magic crystal mining rights in the Great Elior Forest in addition to information on the time and place the White Whale will appear—in other words, the honor of hunting down the demon beast that has threatened this world for far too long!”
“”
“If any part of what I’m saying is off the mark, then just go ahead and throw it right out. If I’m wrong, then you can go ahead and simply consider the info I have on the White Whale as a plain bargaining chip for us to haggle over.”
Perhaps the two merchants present could simply take that information alone and turn a fine profit; Crusch herself could surely use that information to improve her reputation with merchants as a whole. It had at least that much value.
“But if what you’re after is in line with what I’m hoping for, then—”
Subaru raised his right hand and offered it, inviting Crusch to take his hand—to tear down the wall between them, and to prove the future Subaru had seen was worth something.
“We should take out the White Whale—let’s go on a hunt.”
Subaru was proposing to Crusch that they hunt a creature of legend, a symbol of calamity to traveling merchants. That enormous, nightmarish Demon Beast of Mist that Subaru hated for its link to one of his abominable memories.
“Allow me to…ask you one thing.”
Crusch examined Subaru’s presented hand and raised her finger, pointing it toward him.
Subaru instinctively understood that the question Crusch would pose him was the final gate barring his path.
“You claim…to know when and where the White Whale shall appear. Is this absolutely certain?”
“—Yeah, it’s true.”
Subaru released the breath he had been holding as he gave his answer.
The final question was no accident—Subaru could not lie.
“I guarantee I know when and where the White Whale will show. You can bet your…life on it.”
In fact, it really was information he had
literally paid lives for—whether his own or those of others, over and over. There was no doubt about how reliable it was, nor could Subaru show weakness now that he had come so far.
“…Though there are still some points about which I have doubts, you have done well to see through my plans.”
With a small sigh, Crusch closed her eyes as she replied, seemingly giving in.
At first, Subaru was unable to grasp exactly what she meant. But as the words slowly permeated his mind, their meaning gradually took shape and became clearer.
“Then that means…”
“I have misgivings. I have doubts. There are many elements I cannot comprehend, which makes accepting immediately difficult. However—”
Crusch lowered the hand with which she had used to point at him and positioned it against Subaru’s. Now, Crusch’s slender, pale fingers were firmly grasping the hand he had offered earlier.
“—I shall trust in your eyes and the spirit that leads us to the current state of affairs.”
The negotiations had succeeded.
Seeing both of them shake hands, it was actually Russel’s shoulders that visibly relaxed first. With an exaggerated breath, he was beside himself as he shook his head before he started speaking.
“There were a number of rather close calls, but it seems you have come to terms. Mr. Natsuki, can I assume that the promise you made prior to this meeting is still firm?”
“Yeah. Sorry it’s not much of a deal. You were a big help, Russel. Just like I promised, I’ll give you my cell phone after we’re done hunting the White Whale.”
Subaru responded to the devious smirk that came over Russel with one of his own. Noticing the exchange, Crusch had an exasperated expression on her face as she sighed.
“So you really were working together.”
“Hey, I’m the one who invited him. I just asked him to give me a tiny helping hand.”
“Please do not think poorly of me. In point of fact, I did my utmost to avoid any unnatural interference during the negotiations. At worst, I merely looked ahead to after you established an alliance.”
Crusch shrugged her shoulders at Subaru’s and Russel’s nonchalant replies.
Subaru had gotten in contact with Russel immediately after exchanging information with Rem. Once he got a hold of Russel, whose negotiations with Crusch had similarly failed during Subaru’s third time through the loop, they agreed to help each other during the meeting. That cooperation rested on the condition that Subaru would eventually hand over his cell phone.
Properly speaking, Russel also had a false understanding of the cell phone’s capabilities, but Subaru came to peace with it by seeing it as a chance for Russel to get his hands on an electronic device made with future technology.
“Now then, it is your duty to clear up these remaining areas of doubt.”
Crusch shifted her eyes from the link between Subaru and Russel, turning them toward Anastasia. Anastasia noticed that doubting gaze and tilted her head in an open question.
“Mm? You look like there’s something you don’t understand. But about what, I wonder?”
“I understand that Subaru Natsuki and Russel Fellow have goals that align. This makes your position suspicious. What, pray tell, were you invited here for?”
“Well, guess I see your point.”
Anastasia embraced her scarf, pouting with an adorable mmm before continuing.
“There are two royal selection candidates and one of the capital’s leading merchants assembled. If you have alliance negotiations with this many heavy hitters…it’s not like nothing you say goes outside of that place, huh. But just having me here gave Natsuki’s words weight, didn’t it?”
“W-well, I did have a little bit of that in mind…”
Giving an evasive answer, Subaru hoped to muddy the waters even as he broke out into a cold sweat once she pointed out exactly what he had been thinking.
In actuality, he had another reason for calling Anastasia over, albeit closely related to the one she had just mentioned.
It was not to keep Crusch from saying anything carelessly. Subaru wanted to make sure Crusch didn’t assume that anything he said was thoughtless and unfounded. By assembling so many important figures in one place, he felt it would lend greater credence to his words.
Though given Crusch’s and Anastasia’s particularly sharp intuition, he was afraid to ask just how much it had actually worked.
“Then there was another reason as well. And that was?”
“That’s super-simple—it’s because I’m a merchant.”
Putting a hand over her lips, Anastasia smiled as she practically hopped forward. Then, she put both of her hands over Subaru’s and Crusch’s hands, still clasped together.
“I have big expectations for this hunt for the White Whale. For merchants like me, the White Whale is a matter of life-and-death, so if you’re gonna take it out, I’ll lend you two a big helping hand. Incidentally, you might want to consider the various products the Hoshin Company has on hand and ready to go?”
“Please wait. Surely the Merchant’s Guild of the royal capital has precedence in this deal. Lady Anastasia, I would kindly ask that you refrain from interfering in this matter.”
Russel rebuffed Anastasia’s blatantly mercantile probing. As sparks flew between the competing merchants, Crusch looked at Subaru, seemingly having deduced something from the mutual exchange.
“Wait. Listening to your words, it would seem that we are rather short on time.”
“Well, I never heard a thing about that, either. I just thought it felt that way from how the conversation was going. But you’re actually pretty hard-pressed, aren’t you?”
With both Crusch and Anastasia staring at him, Subaru licked his dry lips.
Now that they’d formed an alliance, there was no point hiding the information anymore.
“—Yeah, that’s right. According to the metia, the White Whale will appear about thirty hours from now. The location is…the area around the Great Flugel Tree.”
“Thirty hours…!”
“The Great Flugel Tree—”
Crusch ground her teeth at the incredibly tight schedule. Anastasia tried to wrap her head around the name of the location.
Yes, the rest was a race against time.
“Within thirty hours, we need to deploy our forces to the Liphas plains, and strike at the White Whale with a coordinated attack just as it appears. For that…”
Crusch, quickly adapting to the situation, turned her head only to see Wilhelm nodding. The aged swordsman broke his previous silence and spoke.
“With regards to the attack force’s organization, it has already been on standby in the royal capital for several days. In the first place, it had assembled in the royal capital to coincide with the timetable of the White Whale’s expected appearance. Lady Crusch, I believe you are blessed that this should coincide with the beginning of the royal selection, but…”
“That was fast! But what? Is there a pattern to when the White Whale shows up?”
Though Wilhelm’s news was a lifesaver, what Subaru heard also surprised him. As far as he knew, the time and place of the White Whale’s appearances were completely random. Its tendency to pop up anywhere, anytime was a part of the Demon Beast of Mist’s greatest menace, but…
It was Ferris, advancing to Wilhelm’s side, who answered Subaru’s question.
“Figuring out the times and places the White Whale comes out is all Old Man Wil’s hard work, meow. He’s spent the last fourteen years living with only the thought of giving it a good pounding, meow.”
Ferris’s cat ears twitched. Then, he peered into the face of the broad-shouldered old man and spoke again.
“Thanks to Old Man Wil, I’m not worried about the morale or training of the troops, but I can’t say the same for our logistics network. I mean, if people figured there was an army under Lady Crusch’s command here in the capital, there’d be a huge fuss over it, so we’ve had to sneak stuff in b
it by bit.”
When Ferris pointed that out, Wilhelm’s sharp eyes shifted Subaru’s way.
“Certainly, I cannot say that our weapons and equipment preparations are completely in order… Sir Subaru, did you bring Mr. Russel and Lady Anastasia to the same table to address this?”
“Well, sometimes these things just happen… I wanted to say that at least once in my life, okay?”
Subaru scratched his head and returned Wilhelm’s gaze with the answer he had prepared.
Russel, preeminent merchant that he was, accepted Subaru’s reply and motioned to outside the window.
“I have already sent the guild notice to be ready to move. Preparations are happening as we speak. Allow us until tomorrow afternoon, and we shall gather everything that is necessary from the merchants here in the royal capital.”
“Hey, the same goes for the Hoshin Company. Let’s give merchants not part of the guild a chance to fill the gaps. You can expect various other things from us as well.”
Anastasia followed Russel’s words up with a strikingly powerful reply. Then, as Crusch folded her arms in relief, Anastasia smiled at her.
“I came here because it’s an iron rule of commerce never to pass up a business opportunity. Selling things is nice, but, but, but, doing favors are number one! Intangible, no depreciation, no overhead—and more than anything, you can slap a price on it after the fact!”
“Hey, I’m glad she’s on our side here, but hearing that makes me think ‘Wow, this businesswoman’s a real piece of work!’ all over again.”
Anastasia was a cute girl with an adorable blush to her cheeks, but she was a miser to the core and thus, very, very scary. Subaru couldn’t even fathom the price she attached to her favors.
With Anastasia in a very good mood, Crusch glanced at her and nodded with an accepting look.
“So you prepared the path before negotiations took place. I see. So in this instance, it was I who lacked foresight and resolve. You have done well, Subaru Natsuki.”
“I just crammed super-hard before the test. Me, I’m relieved to the bottom of my heart.”
He’d schemed and prepared endlessly beforehand, but even then, successfully brokering the deal was still like tightrope walking across a knife’s edge. Even with wild cards on his side, he still had an awful lot to learn. Even so…
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Vol. 7 Page 3