Merchant Noble is out (2/4 chapters for today)
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Mikanda’s first city’s government building.
Governor Yanna, General Tyr, Merchant Arc, and University President Minerva. Although they were siblings, it had been a long time since the four of them gathered in one place. However, there was not a hint of joy over the long-awaited reunion, and a heavy silence flowed in the room. As if unable to endure the silence, Yanna opened her mouth.
“Tyr. You just returned from the royal capital and must be tired. Why not rest a bit?” (Yanna)
“Yanna-neesan. Don’t worry about me. Just get to the point quickly.” (Tyr)
Tyr had received the message and rushed back from the royal capital. He must have hardly taken any rest for three days and three nights. However, he himself shook his head, indicating that he did not want anyone to worry about his condition.
Yanna decided to get to the main topic. She called out to Yulia, who was waiting outside the door.
“Yulia. Please bring Zack in.” (Yanna)
“Yes, understood.” (Yulia)
After a brief pause, Yulia entered the room with a small young man.
The young man had a cut on his face and was in terrible condition, with bandages wrapped around various parts of his body. The young man knelt respectfully towards the round table where the four were seated.
“I humbly meet my lords.” (Zack)
“Zack was working as a secretary for Hangue in the Kali Kingdom. He barely managed to return to Mikanda after the incident.” (Yanna)
Yanna introduced him to Tyr, who was meeting Zack for the first time, but Minerva and Arc had met him once before.
“Now, Zack. Please tell us again what happened.” (Yanna)
“Understood.” (Zack)
Zack turned to Tyr and began to speak slowly.
“About a month ago, a coup occurred in the Kali Kingdom.” (Zack)
“Ah, I know that. The royal family captured the nobles all at once, right?” (Tyr)
It seemed that information control was in effect, as news from the Kali Kingdom had suddenly stopped. Even so, bits and pieces of information had trickled down from the Sheeb Order and merchants. Nobles who gathered to celebrate the graduation ceremony of the students were captured all at once due to some circumstances. This was the information that had reached Tyr’s ears.
“Yes. After that, the new king of Kali, King Rudolf, drastically changed the previous administration’s approach towards the nobility. Those related to the nobility, or even those who had any connection to them, were arrested one after another.” (Zack)
“King Rudolf intends to make the royal family the absolute power. He is fundamentally the same as Queen Casablanca of our country.” (Yanna)
Yanna supplemented the parts that Zack’s explanation had left out.
“Our Warden Trading Company was targeted because we were foreign merchants. Moreover, the abundant assets and supplies the company possessed were also coveted.” (Yanna)
“S-So what happened?” (Tyr)
Tyr asked cautiously.
Arc, who had already heard the story, felt like he wanted to cover his ears.
“The branches of the trading company established in the Kali Kingdom were attacked one after another by the national army, and not only the merchants but also local workers who were working as receptionists were arrested.” (Zack)
“Attacks? That sounds just like banditry!” (Tyr)
Tears began to fall from Zack’s eyes as he continued to explain.
“Hangue was sheltered by one of the cooperating nobles and was in hiding in the countryside, but when that noble was arrested, he was captured along with him and was executed for disrupting the economy of the kingdom…” (Zack)
“Executed…” (Tyr)
Tyr was left speechless.
Having held back until the end of the explanation, he finally could no longer endure it. Zack cried out and prostrated himself.
“My lords! Please take revenge for Hangue and make the Kali Kingdom pay for its crimes!” (Zack)
“Thank you for your report, Zack. Yulia, please take Zack to a room.” (Yanna)
Yanna responded calmly to him, who was in tears, without getting sentimental.
“Now then, as stated in the current report.” (Yanna)
Once the two had exited, Yanna explained again in the room where the four were gathered.
“Of the 30 merchants we sent to the Kali Kingdom, 20 have safely returned to Mikanda. Of the remaining ten, at least seven, including Hangue, have been killed, and three remain unaccounted for.” (Yanna)
The number of merchants sent to Kali had decreased as they had come to rely on local merchants. That was a small blessing in a great misfortune. However, losing ten merchants all at once was unprecedented.
“Moreover, the vast amounts of supplies and funds that were being transported to the Kali Kingdom have been completely confiscated. It is literally catastrophic.” (Yanna)
“…” (Tyr)
Troubles with neighboring countries have occurred for two consecutive years. However, last year’s conflict with the Lureid Kingdom arose from the Laplace Kingdom’s hostility, resulting in the loss of the Tadont couple. This time, the Kali Kingdom had hostility directed towards the Warden Trading Company itself.
“Now then. How do we, the Warden Household, think we should address this situation?” (Yanna)
“What should we do? That’s obvious. We should send troops!” (Tyr)
Before Yanna could finish her sentence, Tyr shouted.
“Send troops? Tyr. Please tell me your specific plan.” (Yanna)
“We’ll attack the Kali Kingdom.” (Tyr)
Tyr was an unusual military officer among the merchants of the Warden Household. It was expected that he would say something like this. Yanna smoothly conveyed the concerns she had prepared in advance to Tyr.
“The Kali Kingdom is a nation comparable to the Laplace Kingdom. Moreover, unlike Laplace, there hasn’t been a major civil war. That means they can mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops.” (Yanna)
“But they have no experience in large-scale battles. What about Laplace? They have fought against Leo, against the nobility, against the church forces, against Rui, and against the Lureid Kingdom. Even the average soldier has battle experience. The quality is overwhelmingly in our favor.” (Tyr)
“Can we overcome the numerical disadvantage?” (Yanna)
“One soldier from Mikanda is worth ten enemy soldiers!” (Tyr)
“I see.” (Yanna)
“I oppose this.” (Minerva)
As soon as Yanna fell silent, Minerva spoke up.
Unlike Yanna, who had obscured her disagreement with the word “concern,” Minerva clearly expressed her opposition to Tyr.
“Mikanda is still developing. We have only just surpassed 10,000 soldiers. While we can support Casablanca-sama’s expedition, there is no need for us to take the lead in deploying troops.” (Minerva)
Tyr glared at his sister with a fierce look.
“Minerva! Our cousin Hang has died! Don’t you feel anything?!” (Tyr)
She flinched for a moment at Tyr’s angry voice but shook her head vigorously and fought back boldly.
“This is a different matter! As the head of the university, I have no intention of sending my students to the battlefield.” (Minerva)
Both Tyr and Minerva had stubborn personalities. Whenever their opinions clashed in the past, the argument always ended in a deadlock, and Tyr would end up making her cry out of frustration. And yet, she has grown quite a bit.
Arc watched the debate between the two with a sense of detachment.
“We have only been in Mikanda for just five years. I think we should focus on the development of Mikanda for another ten years.” (Minerva)
Nodding along enthusiastically next to Minerva was Yanna.
“I think the same as Minerva. We should not go.” (Yanna)
Perhaps encouraged by Minerva’s attitude, Yanna reentered the debate once again. This time, she also expressed a clear opposition.
“The Kali Kingdom is vast. If we were to deploy troops there, we would be fighting on foreign land for years. This is extremely dangerous. What would happen if something occurred in Laplace while Tyr is in Kali?” (Yanna)
Indeed, while Tyr was stuck in another country, it was uncertain what Casablanca would do if he saw it as an opportunity.
“Nee-san. Don’t you feel anything even after Hangue was killed and the Warden Trading Company was insulted?” (Tyr)
“Thinking about something and taking action are two different matters. We must separate emotions from policy. We are responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of our subjects.” (Yanna)
Yanna dismissed Tyr’s desperate emotional appeal. Currently, the opposing opinions put forth by Yanna and Minerva were gaining the upper hand. It was also partly because Tyr, being a military officer, struggled with debates. At this rate, they would likely oppose deployment, just as Yanna and Minerva argue.
“What does Arc think?” (Yanna)
Called out by Yanna, Arc slowly opened his eyes.
The three looked at Arc, who seemed to be an outsider without any sense of involvement. However, Arc was waiting. He was waiting for the three to fully express their thoughts. After the opposing arguments had been laid out, he would then present his opinion. This was the basic principle of debate.
Arc took a sip of water to wet his throat and opened his mouth.
“I think the same as Tyr-niisan. We should deploy.” (Arc)
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