The man called himself Meyer Linde, the latest in a long line of forest rangers hired by the lords of the Tonneburg territory, which was situated south of this checkpoint. Holo was strangely impressed by the name of the man’s occupation. She probably assumed it denoted a person whose job was to watch over the forest and doubted anyone who did so professionally could be a bad person.
But forest rangers did not simply watch over the forest. They did just that, yes, but their focus was the natural resources in a specific part of the forest, not the whole. The woods around Nyohhira were too deep for rangers’ services to be useful, but the farther south one went, the more valuable they became. And thus, the roles they played became more and more important. Precious, even, for places like this one, where much of the land had been cleared for wheat production.
Ranger Meyer was responsible for the Tonneburg Woods, which was rather hilly compared to the surrounding area, which meant it was home to dense, untouched forest.
Meyer’s current concerns were a plan to cut down the old growth trees, ship off the lumber, and build another road through it.
“And so you’d like to stop this plan, correct?”
“Yes. But there has been trouble so I’d like your help, Sir Lawrence, if you would be willing.”
The words forest dweller tended to conjure up images of pessimistic, anti-social individuals with overgrown beards that resembled untamed moss and eyes that were always open wide like spooked deer. The reality was that rangers were civil servants who worked in the forest.
They were often in the employ of nobles and spent their days arbitrating conflicts of interest concerning the land, which meant their manner of speech was refined. If someone told him that Meyer was the head clerk of a merchant company, he would not have doubted it for a second.
And so of course he would be skilled in finding openings and taking advantage of them.
“I originally visited Salonia to keep an eye on a series of negotiations,” Meyer paused, giving Lawrence a meaningful glance. “I admire your work, Sir Lawrence. But the negotiations on the lumber tariff decrease that you stopped have caused unexpected waves.”
Unexpected waves. Lawrence had a terrible feeling about that ominous turn of phrase.
“I did offer to do everything I could on behalf of the Salonia Church, but… Do you mean to say that I have inadvertently caused problems for you, Lord Tonneburg, or the people of your region?”
“No, no, I would not call it a problem, per se.”
Though Meyer’s manners and humble bearing were impeccable, his words did not seem very sincere. He was like a lamprey, moving effortlessly even as he steadily approached his objective.
Holo seemed oddly pleased by both Meyer’s general demeanor and the way Lawrence seemed to be feeling awkwardly pressured in this conversation. Lawrence was slightly bitter about that.
“It is clear that you chose the correct path on behalf of the church, in accordance with God’s teachings. But as a result, lumber tariffs remained much the same. Consequently, the port town of Karlan, which sits at the mouth of this river, cannot procure cheap lumber due to your actions.”
“Ah.”
Lawrence knew immediately where Meyer’s story was headed, and he made a quiet noise in his throat. Holo’s wolf ears twitched beneath her hood and she fixed Lawrence with a cold stare.
“If tariffs on lumber that passes through Salonia were lower, then Karlan would be able to obtain cheap lumber. That plan has crumbled, however, and so they have been pressuring Lord Tonneburg to cut a path through our forests, which is something they were planning to do previously.”
The price of lumber had skyrocketed recently; even in Nyohhira, a place completely surrounded by dense forests, the amount of firewood any individual could collect was restricted by council decree. The rules were even stricter in places where there were overwhelmingly more plains and grasslands than forest.
The discussion on lumber tariffs in Salonia did not come from the lumber merchants’ desire to make a quick coin, but because every regional merchant had been watching over the entire affair with bated breath.
In essence, the kneeling ranger was saying that because of Lawrence’s actions in Salonia, now his precious Tonneburg Woods were being targeted—and the implicit question was how Lawrence would make up for it.
In addition to Meyer’s damning assessment, Lawrence could feel Holo’s reproachful stare. She would always side with the forest.
If Lawrence had simply not stuck his nose where it did not belong, then lumber tariffs would have gone down, the port town of Karlan would have been able to obtain lumber for cheap, and Meyer’s Tonneburg Woods would have been left alone.
“I—I believe I understand your predicament. So, what exactly are you having trouble with?” Lawrence asked, like a criminal desperately trying to stay his execution for even a moment longer.
Tonneburg and its lord were likely not negotiating from a position of strength when they held talks with Karlan. Perhaps the city employed mercenaries to strong-arm its neighbors, like in the days of yore.
Or, more likely, it would be the sort of issue Lawrence could help navigate and resolve somehow.
“Lord Tonneburg agrees with cutting the forest down.”
Holo frowned. For her, it was unthinkable that the lord of the land would agree to have it developed like that when he was supposed to safeguard it. Lawrence, on the other hand, dipped his head because he could already see where this was going.
“Your lord agreed to—”
“Yes.”
Meyer returned Lawrence’s stare and gave a firm nod. Though mere moments earlier the man was like a slippery fox, his eyes were now that of an eagle that had spotted its prey.
“A humble peddler like—ahem,” Lawrence cleared his throat, pausing in his habit of saying humble peddler like myself. “I am no noble. I doubt I have the power to meddle in the political affairs of a city and a local landowner—ouch!”