The back door opened with a creak. A man’s thick arm, covered in a thin and expensive flax shirt, supported the door. His garments, including a sleeveless bearskin coat, were those of a wealthy merchant.
“Please give my regards to His Grace.”
The merchant reverently bowed to the ashen man on the other side of the door. The man, wearing a hooded robe which covered his entire head and body, said nothing in return and parted down the back street. His soundless footsteps vanished into the twilight.
After the merchant quickly shut the door, he walked towards his backyard without giving a single glance back. His strides were so vigorous as he trampled over the weeds that one would not expect him to be a merchant who usually traveled by carriage.
“Even though I finally suppressed Adcock, now it’s Billingham... There’s just too much. It’s not even all that profitable for me...”
Dandolph Carlest unintentionally muttered his discontent towards his noble lord’s command. For someone with his base in the eastern Kingdom, suppressing a company in the northwestern region only made managing things all the more complex. The goods of the companies under his umbrella were already overlapping as it was.
This was likely a means of keeping the Archduchess of the West in check, but Dandolph didn’t believe that a mere silver company would be of any interest to his lord.
“Come to think of it, that man had a northwestern accent, didn’t he?”
Meaning it was perhaps a suggestion made by that messenger. His lord was one who didn’t see commoners as anything more than dogs or horses. When did that man manage to curry so much favor with him? Even his exaggerated knowledge of the Empire seemed like it would be insufficient for that.
“No, taking into account the companies we’ve captured so far, there’s another possibility...”
The image of the main road which stretched across the Kingdom from east to west along with all the business regions of the companies scattered about it came to mind.
“It has to do with the transportation routes from east to west. Meaning the Caravan Guild’s Giverny Company may be involved with the prime minister’s expectations...”
Carlest crushed the weeds at his feet with his boarskin shoes. If both an archduke and duke were involved, though there was still some margin for error, he couldn’t handle things carelessly.
✦ ✦ ✦
After going through the back door to his house and heading to the main hall, Dandolph found his son and daughter waiting for him.
“Pops, those guests of yours are waiting. Both official and secret,” his son, with a rugged-looking build similar to his father, said to him.
“Though it pains me to criticize those you associate with, father... The guild representative shall become an honorary noble. Would it not be fine to leave dealing with such characters to one of our child companies? Especially that one...” his daughter, wearing luxurious clothing for what was supposed to be house wear, said while shivering.
“Zeldia. Those two are an asset precisely when they are put together. There is both an official and secret side to everything. Being able to manipulate that from the dead center is the most powerful choice. It’s not something we can leave to strangers.”
Dandolph rubbed his stomach. He had a scar tearing across his abdomen under his clothes. It was a wound he received twenty years ago when he was made to transport goods by his negligent father to the army suppressing the rebellion at the time. His two visitors were acquaintances he made back then.
“I understand that we require more strength, but aren’t you going too far lately? Didn’t we make sure not to lay our hands on silvers before?” His son also voiced his anxieties as he shrunk back ever so slightly.
“You’re right, they’re not opponents we really need to go so far to capture. We’ve already hardened the ballots we need for the guild too.”
“So why?”
“It’s an order from above. We can’t refuse. Hmmm, think of it this way: we need to be completely thorough so that the Kendalls are removed from their seat as deputy representative after the election. Setting that aside, how are things at the Academy? There’s a need for us to display our strength there so that there isn’t even the smallest chance those neutral parties go over to the Kendalls.”
“We’re working on it. Fundamentally, there aren’t any problems, but...” his son Theodore commented.
“Lady Hilda is set on making that princess her enemy, so things have gotten somewhat complicated...” Zeldia added.
“Even if it’s because he finally managed to get a daughter at his age, the archduke dotes on her way too much. Both father and daughter really don’t spare any expense...”
“Their next request is some stupidly expensive distilled liquor, and ice for a cold room. Just how much do they think ice costs at this time of the year...?” Theodore grumbled.
“I’ve told you many times now, haven’t I? We merchants cannot win against the armed might of the nobles. Take a good look at the sword closing in on you. The gold in your purse serves no use before the fear of death.”
Dandolph struck the old wound on his stomach. It was an experience he went through twenty years ago already.
“I shall use what little violence I can on my own battlefield. Unlike a military battleground, even a small knife is capable of causing one to tremble in the middle of town. That also means it has to be used that much more cleverly, though.” Dandolph stroked his own sturdy-looking arms. “In any case, report to me at once if things seem to be going bad.”
With that, he headed towards the room used for his secret meetings.