So the guards were sent to protect me, not to escort the visitors.
Mitsuha had arranged her own security personnel too; four out of the six men at the guard station next door were lined up behind her. Her regular visits and small gifts paid off at times like this. When she told them that foreign merchants were visiting her for “a talk,” they volunteered to stand in, assuming the lone girl was feeling uneasy about the meeting.
Concern for the young viscountess probably wasn’t their only reason for doing that; it’d be an embarrassment for the city guards if a young foreign noblewoman living next door to a guard station was pressured, threatened, or even attacked by foreign men. The guards couldn’t ignore that possibility.
And thus, the three Enoba employees the owner sent as a Hail Mary to save his business had to trudge back home having accomplished nothing. Meanwhile, the rumor that “Enoba Company screwed up big time” continued to spread across their city among the merchants and commoners alike.
I know that because I’ve been jumping back to Voftress every day to eavesdrop on gossiping older women, listen in at diners that serve alcohol while I eat my meal very slowly… If the commonfolk are talking, it obviously means the news reached high society too.
It’s only a matter of time now…
“The clerks probably won’t be back for a few more days… I hope they were able to negotiate with someone from the Yamano family,” Bartaad mumbled.
He’d heard that the representative of the Yamano name residing in Vanel was a young girl. Naturally, he assumed it meant she was a daughter or something of the head of the family, and that she was sent abroad alone because the family considered her to be a disposable pawn who wouldn’t be missed if anything happened to her.
It was apparent that she’d been granted quite a lot of discretion regarding trade, but he didn’t think that necessarily had anything to do with her prowess or importance to the family. He was certain his employees could win her over.
“In any case, thanks to that wretched Larusia Trading girl’s cheap trick, rumors are spreading. And they’re painting me as the criminal behind the attacks! I don’t care what the common riffraff believes, but I can’t let word of this reach the upper class.”
Bartaad wasn’t being painted as the criminal; he was the criminal. His habit of calling commoners “riffraff” despite being a commoner himself gave you a glimpse of his arrogance.
Perhaps he was intending to buy his way into the nobility eventually. It was possible that in his mind, he already considered himself nobility.
With enough money, joining the elite wasn’t impossible. There were plenty of methods of doing so. For example, he could find a lower-ranking noble drowning in debt and bribe them into adopting him as their heir in exchange for paying off their debt and offering enough money to live comfortably.
“Maybe I should use the city guards… It’s exactly for times like these that I’ve been regularly slipping them cash under the table. It’d be a waste not to use the tools I’ve been polishing.”
“Are you the owner of Larusia Trading?!”
“Uh, no. I’m not.”
“Huh?”
Six men who looked like soldiers were standing in the office of Larusia Trading. The namesake owner happened to be out at the moment. The men had forced their way past the employees into the back of the store, found Mitsuha─the only one dressed like a non-employee─lounging in the room with a cup of tea, and assumed she was Larusia. They must’ve heard that the owner was a young woman.
Even though I look around twelve years old to the people around here… That seems a little too young, no?
“Well, who’s the owner then?!” the same man barked. He was likely the officer in charge of the squad.
“She’s not here,” Mitsuha answered.
“Where did she go?! And when will she get back?!”
“How should I know? I can’t read minds.”
There was no need to inform such rude people that Larusia was going to be back soon.
“Wh?! Watch your tone, you damn brat! Don’t you know the consequences of antagonizing the city guards?!”
“Such harsh language… You’re a public servant. You should act more like one.”
“How dare you… You’re gonna regret that snooty atti─”
“Let me ask you this: do you know the consequences of antagonizing a foreign noble?”
“Huh…?”
The officer froze and went pale at the words “foreign noble.” No matter what his authority, he could get into big trouble for insulting and picking a fight with the daughter of a foreign noble. He could even be terminated to take full blame for the incident.
His hand was inches from her collar. You’re lucky you stopped right there. You were this close to laying a hand on me.
“M-My apologies,” he sputtered before rushing out of the store with his subordinates.
Fleeing was the right decision; he hadn’t given her his name yet, so there was a chance she wouldn’t be able to report him to his superiors. He also had little reason to doubt Mitsuha’s claim; the consequence of feigning noble status was decapitation, and her attitude, clothing, and exotic features lent credibility. Accusing her of lying would’ve been too big a risk.
Those guards are probably the ones who were bribed by Enoba Company. They’re gone now… But that’s only because I happened to be here this time. There’s no telling what they’ll do to Larusia if they come back when I’m not around.
“I’m interpreting those words as a declaration of war. Everyone, prepare for battle!” Mitsuha avowed.
“…Huh? Is something wrong, Lady Mitsuha?” Larusia overhead her proclamation just as she returned to her office.
Well, the war started a while ago. Their assault on Larusia Trading was a surprise attack without a formal declaration. Wrecking the sales floors of the six companies was my counterattack.
That was when the fight began, technically. And now we’re officially at war. Larusia Trading’s first formal strike was cutting off Enoba’s supply routes and ruining their ability to trade. Enoba then tried to retaliate by storming in on Larusia Trading’s front line (the store) but I repelled them.
Mitsuha was here because she knew that the city guards were coming to the store today. Larusia being out of the office when they arrived was a pure coincidence.
How did she learn about this plan? With the spy recorders, of course. She was a little worried the city guards’ headquarters would be on high alert for intruders, but it’d been days since the monster-spotting incident.