This time, though, the criminal didn’t steal anything. He just ruined a large quantity of Larusia’s goods, so I returned the favor by wrecking his sales floor. Without taking anything.
There are plenty of other ways I could’ve punished him and his accomplices. Like leaving them stranded on a deserted island or physically demolishing their stores. But that wouldn’t serve my purposes.
I wanted the criminals to know that they were a clear target to someone and know who that someone was. And at the same time, corner them until they were helpless to do anything about it; they had no proof, nor could they tell anyone why they were being targeted. I wanted their cohorts to know that there was someone out there they shouldn’t be messing with and to fear their presence. I also wanted the law-abiding merchants and the citizens to know that Larusia and I are upstanding business partners who’d never engage in criminal activity.
As a bonus, I wanted to show everyone─both domestically and abroad─what the consequences would be when you make an enemy of a partner store in the Entrepreneur Girl International Network.
If our enemy wants to fight using their connections, we’ll use ours. Authority can be met with greater authority. Never brandish your weapons unless you’re ready to deal with ours…
“Lady Mitsuha, Enoba Company went under audit!” Larusia reported.
“So it did…”
It’s just about time, Mitsuha thought.
“The auditors were from the royal palace instead of the city guards themselves. It’s very rare for the royal palace to audit a privately owned company unless they did something illegal in an international transaction. I also heard that leaders from the merchants’ guild accompanied the auditors. They usually vehemently protest any attempt by the government to interfere with merchants…
“I mean, I’m sure the merchants’ guild is helping because the owner of Enoba is one of the guild’s chairmen. They’re afraid the investigation will end up harming them too. It could even spark investigations into the guild itself or other businesses in the guild, so they’re trying as hard as they can to stomp out Enoba Company and keep the fire from spreading.”
“That’s one way of putting out a fire…” Mitsuha said.
Destroying neighboring buildings to contain a conflagration was a firefighting method in Edo-period Japan. The guild was likely trying to prevent the flames from spreading by eliminating the source of the fire. In other words, the merchants’ guild was abandoning Enoba Company.
Not that there was any other choice. Rumors that Enoba Company was behind a violent crime was circulating the entire country.
The nobles who once supported the company wouldn’t defend them either. Any attempt would be used as grounds to condemn them by rivaling factions. No noble would risk their position just to protect a commoner merchant. They’d much sooner choose a different shop to do business with.
That’s what happens when relationships are based on money and personal interests instead of friendship and loyalty.
Mitsuha said, “The company owner probably never imagined he was going to be thrown to the wolves so easily. He’s almost certainly been bribing people in power for years. But why would those venal cheats feel any obligation towards him? As soon as he could no longer make them money, they were gonna drop him and move on to someone else who could. That goes for the nobles, other merchants, even the subordinates he took care of and believed he had the respect of.
“He might’ve been a tiger or a wolf at some point, but now he’s nothing more than a pig or a dog wallowing in his own filth. He doesn’t have a single ally left.”
It was in times of crisis rather than prosperity when one found out who their true friends were. Even if Bartaad did have true friends, there was nothing they could do to help after all his crimes had been exposed. The people who were supposed to protect him turned against him. All the victims he ever bullied into silence were coming forward with testimonies. Defending Enoba Company now could result in one’s own destruction. Everyone valued their own lives, families, and careers too much to risk that.
“What’s going on with all the other businesses that colluded with him?” Mitsuha asked.
“They’re not as contemptible as Enoba Company, but they’re pretty bad too,” Larusia answered. “Their owners were kind of Enoba’s cronies. It sounds like they didn’t directly participate in any heinous crimes, but they were involved enough that they might be treated as accomplices. They’re guilty of committing fraud, making verbal threats, and hiring young hoodlums for violence at the least.”
When Larusia was just starting her company, she wasn’t very familiar with the shady side of business practices. Her parents only allowed her to help out with the family’s shop. But over time, she learned a lot from her more experienced employees and by acquiring information in exchange for money.
Larusia continued, “The other stores will almost certainly get audited too after Enoba’s incriminating documents are reviewed and the employees are tortur─I mean, questioned. At best, they’ll have to pay large fines and indemnities. At worst, the owners will be forced to retire and pass on their companies to one of their children or a high-ranking and clean subordinate. They might also surrender the company to the government…or close the business permanently.”
“Wow, that’s harsh!” Mitsuha exclaimed. Actually, I guess it’s not. Considering how many lives those owners have ruined, that’s too light of a punishment.
Even if the king didn’t punish the owners harshly, they were unlikely to continue their misdeeds. The bad rumors would destroy their reputation, and they’d lose customers. The strict surveillance they’d be under would make it impossible to try anything. They’d no longer have any means of making easy money through illegal activity with other unscrupulous merchants. All they’d have left would be their bad names and penalty fees. A mid-sized company had no chance of coming back from that.
Oh, I guess that’s why changing the leadership and name of the business is better. The companies going bankrupt would harm the innocent employees and inconvenience the clients. It’d also weaken the country’s economy and lower tax revenue. It makes sense that the government would want to keep as many of these businesses alive as possible…
“Okay, it sounds like the merchants are finished. Now we have bigger fish to fry. What to do, what to do…” Mitsuha pondered.
“Huh?” Larusia widened her eyes. “Wh-What do you mean by ‘bigger fish’? Don’t tell me…”
“Yep, I’m going after the nobles who used Enoba Company as their private supplier and supported its business,” Mitsuha said.