by Ryota Hori
We’d have absolutely no chance if this was any other noble... But it might be possible with him, depending on how we handle this. Andre thought.
“We’ll need to give him something as a gesture of goodwill... And who knows if that bastard’s gonna give us the time of day even if we do.” Luida, who said little so far, gave her piece on the matter.
Henry nodded in response, as if agreeing that her doubts were natural. Normally they’d need some kind of mediator, but pirates like them naturally didn’t have that kind of leisure. So if nothing else, they’d need to hand over some kind of gesture or present that would improve their image.
“What kind of gesture, though? Gold?” Andre asked.
The others couldn’t immediately offer an answer. It wasn’t a bad choice in and of itself. It was as unsophisticated a gift as they came, but everyone was always in need of more money and would always be glad to have more on their hands. One could use money however they saw fit, after all.
But on the other hand, the side that sent the money didn’t leave much of an impression. Andre, who had come up with the idea, knew this very well from the many bribes he’d given in the past. Money had immediate effectiveness, but it didn’t last. If they were to send him bribes on a regular basis it might have been different, but money wouldn’t do as a gift for a person they’d never met before.
“We need something that’ll leave a lasting positive impression on him and make him see how useful we are. And it needs to be curious enough to draw his attention, too.”
Something that was both respectable and carried high monetary value, and preferably hard to come by; something not consumable that would preserve its form. That thought had mingled into Henry’s voice.
“Something rare that would leave a favorable impression...”
“Well? Do we have something like that?” Andre asked.
Their warehouses had all sorts of trinkets and treasures they’d plundered from trade ships. This Earth lacked the logistics for worldwide distribution, and goods brought in from other continents were fairly expensive. But on the other hand, many of the curios slumbering in their warehouses were rare, but didn’t have much use in this situation.
Expensive spices, ornaments, outfits and assorted armaments were things with a clear use and high demand. On the other hand, antiquities like portraits and books would fetch a fortune from an enthusiast, but would be worth nothing to a person without interest in them. In other words, they had less demand compared to more general wares. Things were different if one had the connections to see those items sold to those who wanted them, of course, but this wasn’t the case in this situation.
And most of the things remaining in their warehouses were indeed the latter type of antiquities — items that were hard to sell.
“If he’s in the middle of developing this peninsula, I don’t think he’d have much use for pieces of art...”
These treasures might have value to Ryoma Mikoshiba once he’d finished developing Wortenia, but any antiquities they sent him now, when he was still in the middle of building his land up, would only serve to take up space and collect dust. And what was the point of sending him a gift that wouldn’t please him?
Silence settled over the room once again. Henry and Andre knew full well their fates hinged on the negotiations with Ryoma.
“I swear, you two have a way of turning dumb when it matters the most...”
A mocking voice broke the silence. Henry’s sharp gaze turned across the table, where Luida was resting her chin on her hands with a smirk plastered over her lips.
“What are you saying?” He asked with a low, suppressed voice.
There was clear enmity to his tone. The three of them shared three things in common. A staunch will, a powerful body and the ability to overwhelm others with their sheer anger. They weren’t ones to let another mock them and walk away whole.
“Hold it, Henry,” Andre held up an arm in front of his comrade, who glared at her with murder in his eyes. “What do you mean, Luida?”
Andre’s own gaze made it clear he was trying to understand her intentions.
“I mean, we’ve got just the thing, don’t we? Something that’ll make that bastard see just how much we’re worth. A real treasure, and the kind you can only find here in Wortenia.”
Andre and Henry exchanged a glance, pondering over Luida’s words.
“Something we can only find in Wortenia?” Henry whispered, mulling over it.
And upon hearing his whisper, Andre’s eyes lit up in understanding.
“Oh... You mean that.”
“Yep. I don’t think there’s any man who’d complain over getting that as a gift.” Luida said with a crooked, vulgar smile on her lips.
“You little... Do you have any idea how much we had to go through to get our hands on it...?!” Henry flared up at Luida.
His anger was understandable, as what they were talking about was indeed hard to come by. It took a great deal of effort, and more importantly, luck. Had they lacked any of those elements, they never would have gotten their hands on it.
“Of course, I am well aware. And that’s why it’s worth sending him that. A man would be happy to get that as a tribute.”
Luida was originally a slave who was brought into this nameless city as a prostitute. But since her appearance didn’t attract customers, she was given the role of overseeing the other prostitutes, which made her talents blossom.
Her true strength lay in her power to manage and manipulate people. And through her management of the other prostitutes, she gradually increased her influence. After all, this world had little by way of pleasure and entertainment. Controlling women meant that the countless pirates who couldn’t help but long for a woman’s body were also under her control. And so she clawed her way up, all the way to her current position as one of the three leaders of the city.
“Fine... I’ll take your word for it,” Andre said. “It’s not like we were going to find a buyer any time soon. Selling it here might be the right idea.”
“Tch... Whatever.” Henry clicked his tongue and nodded.
It was a priceless thing that no amount of money could replace. And if they were to send him that, Ryoma might give the pirates a chance to say their piece. That belief drove all three of them.
♱
As morning sunlight streamed through his window, the sound of wooden mallets hammering reached Ryoma’s ears, followed by the lively sound of countless shouts and conversations. In terms of total population their settlement was the size of a small village, but the lively voices outside gave the impression they were in a city.
That was the sound of people driven by a strong sense of purpose working and building something up. As Ryoma looked over the people, he could see the hope brimming within them.
The city’s coming into shape. We have a paved road and a harbor that can accept large ships, and our walls are mostly ready to block most attacks... The only thing that’s left is that issue. Simone’s cargo is ready. We just need to wait for Sakuya to give us her report.
They’d already begun building houses to accept immigrants. Once the final problem was resolved, the Wortenia Peninsula would be ready to be reborn into its new form. They were done with the preparations. All that remained was to wait for the right time...
A knock on the door jolted Ryoma out of his absentminded stare at the city, and he turned around to face the entrance.
“May I come in, Master Ryoma?”
“Oh, Laura. Sure. What’s up?”
“I have a report.”
Ryoma opened the door, only to find Laura with an expression of doubt and surprise on her face. Whatever it was that happened, it must have been unexpected to draw pause from her.
What could it be...?
Ryoma silently nodded for her to continue. And upon hearing her report, Ryoma’s own features were overtaken with surprise.
♱
Ryoma’s room was very much on the shabby side of things. The w
alls and pillars were made of wood, and while they were sturdily built, it certainly didn’t give the impression that it was a noble’s room. It was fairly large, however, as this was still a noble’s official office. Still, the coarse wooden furniture and the desk and chairs devoted to the office only served to make the shabbiness of the place stand out.
This was perhaps to be expected, as Ryoma only used this room once or twice a day, for when he received his morning and evening reports. There were of course on occasion other matters to attend to, like confirming the catalogs and invoices for Simone’s supplies. But matters like those didn’t happen all that often, and Boltz and the Malfist sisters often handled this detailed work for him. Ryoma only had to confirm what few documents they alone couldn’t afford the payment for.
Ryoma’s everyday activities consisted mostly of going out every morning to manage the scene as his men worked on this city. He would encourage them and actively took part in the building work.
He willingly moved his body. And while this was something of a crafty play, this was extremely effective in this world’s hierarchical society. After all, nobles were mostly seen by the people as rulers and exploiters. Of course, the nobility had their own heavy responsibilities and prices to pay, but those under their rule didn’t see those aspects.
And despite being part of that ruling class, Ryoma willingly mingled with them and engaged in physical work. Those ventures went a long way to diminish the distance between Ryoma and his soldiers. He would shed sweat and exchange words with them. Eat from the same pot as them, and sleep in an equally plain wooden bed.
Ryoma’s attitude bought the soldiers’ unyielding trust. Everything went smoothly and as planned. At least, until Laura brought him that report...
Dammit. What do I do...? Ryoma clicked his tongue bitterly as he glared at the parchment sitting on his table.
He’d repeated this question many times over already that day. It was already nightfall, and ever since hearing the report from Laura, Ryoma had shut himself away in his office. He kept questioning himself back and forth, without even bothering to eat.
The truth of the matter was, he had already come to his answer. The question simply remained, how was he supposed to make that answer a reality.
A demi-human...
The letter he’d received was a request for negotiations from the pirates. And the gift included with this letter as a gesture of good will was what tormented Ryoma for half the day.
Demi-humans. A race that was presumed to be long since extinct, but was still rumored to exist on the Wortenia Peninsula. And that morning, a small ship arrived at their dock, and upon it sat a single demi-human carrying this letter.
Her skin was a glossy, dark brown, and her hair was a shining argent shade. Her ears were pointier than a human’s. She was what Ryoma knew his world’s stories referred to as a dark elf. A woman so beautiful she could be described as a living gemstone. Her fairness was enough to captivate any man, and perhaps even women weren’t exempt from her charms.
Sara and Laura were of course subject to it, and even Lione, Boltz and the other people in their midst who were graced with life experience were taken aback by her beauty. She was, indeed, a gift unique to the land of the Wortenia Peninsula. And being a man, Ryoma was hardly displeased with the idea of receiving a fair dark elf as a gift. And in that regard, perhaps the pirates’ judgment was sound.
But they made one fatal mistake. And that mistake would serve to throw the gears of fate out of order...
I can’t abandon her...
Ryoma came to his decision, knowing full well the danger it contained.
“Sorry. Can you call Gennou for me?” Ryoma asked Laura.
She nodded silently and quickly left the room.
♱
Several galleons entered the dock’s wharf, and soon lowered their anchors and folded their sails.
“Thank you for coming over, Baron Mikoshiba.”
As Ryoma got off the galleon and onto the wharf, he was greeted by some ten odd men. Leading the group were Henry, Andre and Luida, and behind them were their deputies.
“I go by Andre,” Andre took a step forward and bowed. “I am one of this city’s leaders. This remote city of ours cannot offer much in terms of hospitality, but we will do whatever we can to entertain you.”
As a former trader, he was experienced with these kinds of negotiations. Contrary to his rugged appearance, he spoke in a fluid, articulate manner. The others behind him followed his example and bowed. Apparently he’d instructed them ahead of time. Despite being pirates, they greeted Ryoma with perfect manners.
“No, thank you for sending a ship especially to collect me... I hope we can have good business today.” Ryoma bowed his head lightly in response.
In Japan, his gesture may have come across as slightly rude, but given the class system in this world, the fact he bowed at all left Andre and his group confused. Ryoma was a noble with a title, while they were mere commoners, and criminals at that. There was no formal reason for Ryoma to bow his head to them.
Andre’s expression turned suspicious for a moment, but he wasn’t foolish enough to comment on it openly. Instead, he regarded Ryoma with a pleasant smile and stood ahead of the rest of the group so as to guide Ryoma through the city.
“If I may, it seems to me you’ve brought very few attendants with you.” Luida asked, cocking her head toward the ship.
There were only twenty or so soldiers standing there. They were, however, all clad in black-dyed leather armor and armed with spears — perfectly armed for battle. But there were still very few — indeed the bare minimum — of them.
“Yes, but not too many, either.” Ryoma said as he passed her by.
“Huh...?” Luida was puzzled.
The fact he didn’t bring too many guards wasn’t a disadvantage for the pirates, of course. But it felt off. They didn’t plan to fool Ryoma, as they truly wanted to work under him. But those were the pirates’ concerns, and the question of how Ryoma would interpret things was a different matter altogether.
If she were to take what Ryoma said at face value, it could perhaps be interpreted as him not seeing any need to bring many soldiers when speaking to someone he was in cordial relations with. But Luida felt like there was more to it than that.
Ryoma and his guards walked through the city as Andre led them to where the talks would be held. Luida watched their backs as they left as she stayed behind on the wharf, and then asked Henry.
“So what do you think?”
“Huh? About what?”
“What do you think, asshole...? About him. I got a bad feeling about that man.”
“Do you? I don’t think anything’s off. If anything, I think it’s going well so far, wouldn’t you say? He’s treating us like equals, and I don’t see any other noble doing that. Guess he really is a commoner who rose to noble status.” Henry said, stroking his beard.
Most nobles wouldn’t bat an eyelash at having people lower their heads to them, but Ryoma was willing to greet Henry and the other pirates that way. That came across as a shock, but didn’t leave a bad impression. If anything, they saw it as refreshing and admirable after being looked down upon by every other noble they met.
“Yeah, well, that’s what bothers me... Why would he go to the trouble of cozying up to us?”
“Well, because he knows he can use us. Didn’t you say we should send it to him because it’ll leave a good impression? Besides, what’s bad about having him approach us nicely?”
“Well... I mean, doesn’t it feel too convenient?”
That was where Luida’s doubts lay. Everything was going too well for them, and that applied to Ryoma’s attitude, too. Since he was a noble who rose from the common people, it would make sense for him to act overbearing toward them, to ensure they didn’t make light of him. But he didn’t show any signs of that.
“Huh? What are you saying? We sent him the prettiest demi we have just to make sure we get on his good side
... If getting her gave him a bad impression then we’re at a total loss here. And it was your idea to do it in the first place.”
Right now, Henry had captured a total of three demis. They were all black-skinned dark elf females, and they sent Ryoma the youngest, most fair of the three. They were exceedingly rare, though hard to liquidate into funds, but demi-human females were easily worth several hundred golds at the cheapest.
They were attractive and aged slowly, which meant they could be savored for decades. Henry couldn’t imagine how a gift like that would do anything to sour Ryoma’s impression of them.
“Well...” Luida fell silent.
“I’m not against healthy paranoia, but pick the right time and place, will you? Everything’s going well for a change. What’s the point of us stressing out over something trivial and making him angry?”
With that said, Henry left the wharf while shaking his head in exasperation.
“I suppose...” Luida muttered.
Everything was going as they imagined. Ryoma Mikoshiba showed up for negotiations, and judging by his attitude his opinion of them wasn’t bad, and the fact he brought few guards meant he trusted them.
Left behind on the wharf, Luida swallowed her anxiety. Like Henry said, everything was going well for once. Saying something here might just ruin everything. That fear kept her heart bound.
“Go on, take a seat. We’ll fetch you something cold to drink in a moment.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Prompted by Andre, Ryoma took a seat at the sofa. Just as he did — as if aiming for that moment — there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.” Andre said.
The door opened, and a woman entered the room, holding a tray with drinks and light snacks. She looked to be in her mid thirties, and while she wasn’t unattractive, something about her appearance gave off a vulgar impression. They likely took some woman working at a pub and hastily taught her basic manners. She placed the drinks on the table in a clumsy, inexperienced manner and then gave a stilted bow before leaving the room.