Chapter 205 – Hidden Talent

I visited the Commerce Guild for the second time, guided by Inos-san, the new guildmaster of the Commerce Guild. This time, it’s a tour of the royal road template, the guildmaster’s room on the second floor. But not as a merchant.

“Kerg-san, could you please make us some tea?”

“Yes.”

At Inos-san’s command, Kerg-san, an old female employee, turned around. She handed the papers to a nearby male staff member, gave him some brief instructions, and left the counter. I didn’t notice her the last time I was here… or I thought she was an assistant in a tea preparation position, but she actually seems to be a very reliable staff member. Just by observing her at the entrance, I could see that she was the only one with a complicated flow line and little overlap. Is she in a secretarial position?

“Tea cakes are fine. And tea for four.”

It’s still just an idea, but let’s try to negotiate before the business meeting.

Kerg-san, who was about to head for the door at the back of the room, nodded with a slight smile, only making eye contact with me. It was as if something was getting through.

We were led into the guildmaster’s room and faced each other on the sofa. The room itself was almost identical to the guildmaster’s room in the Adventurers’ Guild, but the furniture and decorations were a bit more expensive and elaborate.

“Before we talk, I’d like to apologize and thank you…”

“That’s not necessary.”

Mir-san interrupted the conversation.

Inos-san froze at the beginning of the conversation. If you’re inexperienced in negotiations, you’ll stumble if the agreement is ruined. The time it takes to reboot can be the difference between life and death (commercially), but from the looks of it, he seems weak at improvising.

Myrril then pressed Inos-san.

“Were you involved in that case?”

“No, but as the person in charge of the guild’s business affairs, I am responsible…”

“I think it was against the guild officials and the people you had business dealings with. There is no need for you to apologize to us, nor do we owe you any thanks. It is mutual. We have no interest in starting a relationship unless we have nothing to lend and nothing to owe, right?”

It was a generous, if somewhat tsundere-like, proposal. If possible, I would like her to do the same for me. I nodded at Inos-san’s look, and he smiled bitterly and relaxed his shoulders.

“I understand.”

He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, but he still seems a bit thin-walled to be doing this as a guildmaster, even in an emergency situation. He used to be a handsome, thin, macho man, but now his face looks tired. His body also looks thin and weak. Maybe he’ll gain weight under stress from now on, like a retired athlete. Actually, that’s better than starting to lose weight.

I hear a knock at the door, and Inos-san answers.

“Excuse me. I brought your tea.”

Kerg-san came in with a pot of tea and cups on a tray. I was a bit intrigued by the old woman, quiet, intelligent, and tall, who looked like she would fit in well as a librarian. When she finished brewing the tea, I pointed to an empty seat.

“Please sit down. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Kerg-san put down the tray and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa, on Inos-san’s lower seat.

“How many employees does this guild have?”

“Including myself and the guildmaster, there are eleven men and seven women, Your Majesty the King and Queen.”

That was quick. Of course, she knows who we are. Besides, she has already started to think about something in her mind. She may be guessing our proposal, allocating personnel, and assuming the right people for the right jobs. Although the type is different, there is a sense of unidentified solidity similar to that of the “Witch of Sarz,” Ecla-san.

“You can call me Takifu. My wife is Mir.”

“The Demon King is currently on vacation.”

After getting their approval, I put four boxes on the table. Two of the boxes are in front of Inos-san. And the other two are in front of Kerg-san. Kerg-san, who apparently hadn’t seen the boxes before, calmly opened her eyes.

“Your Majesty, this is…”

Inos-san immediately reached for the box, but Kerg-san, on the other hand, backed off a bit and waited for our answer. It’s a bit like seeing the difference between a new soldier who dies quickly on the battlefield and an old soldier who survives.

“I’d like to start by saying that we are still in the conceptual stage, but we hope to have a distribution network in place and a commercial agreement signed by spring.”

“Is this between the Republic and the Demon King’s territory?”

I shook my head at Inos-san’s comment. If that were the case, I wouldn’t bring it up here. Kerg-san lowered her eyes a little.

“It’s between the southern territory of the Republic and Casemaian. It would make sense to do it with the capital of Hagwai or the territorial capital of Lafan, but it is a bit far away as a gateway. We would like to do it with Sarz, at least initially. If we can come to an agreement on trade, that is.”

“”I see.””

Hmm. The two of them strangely said that in unison, but the movement of their eyes was very different, though. Inos-san’s eyes sway from side to side, while Kerg-san’s gaze is slightly pensive in the upper left corner. After all, Kerg-san is quicker to think about specific negotiations and tasks than Inos-san. Could it be that Kerg-san is the one in charge of the practical affairs of the guild?

In the military, Inos-san is a young, newly appointed officer, and Kerg-san is an experienced sergeant. It is a difference in experience, not in the superiority of qualities.

“Well, I don’t expect anything to happen right away, so I’m just greeting you today. Here is a sample of our product, so please share it with everyone. No charge for it, but your feedback would be appreciated.”

Inos-san’s hand stopped just as he was about to open the box.

“By “taste,” do you mean the ingredients?”

“Perhaps we should.”

Kerg-san nodded at Myrril’s words, followed by Inos-san. The guildmaster might not understand. Inos-san seemed to have guessed that I felt that way and came up with his own reasoning.

“You mean you would start by trading small consumer goods to find out what the market trends are?”

“That’s one way of looking at it.”

It’s not wrong, but it’s a little different to put food on the front burner. Kerg-san followed up modestly.

“I think it would be more correct to start with products that are less likely to be used for military purposes and that do not encroach on existing markets.”

Inos-san looked at Kerg-san with a doubtful expression.

“The box over here has a sweet aroma of wheat and flavoring. This is a confectionary, isn’t it?”

“Yes. And some fabrics for clothing.”

They are called bug-weave, a fabric similar to silk. It is gathered in the dark forests and is highly prized. I heard that it was sold for a high price in the past when Casemaian bordered the kingdom’s economic zone.

“Excellent idea. By focusing on luxury goods, we can give a friendly impression of the Demon King’s territory, and since they are not daily necessities, there should be little impact on the existing market. Perhaps you sell alcoholic beverages?”

Kerg-san guessed the contents of the box placed in front of Inos-san before opening it.

“I think you get the idea. It’s a distilled liquor that’s not widely available here, and it’s a very strong liquor.”

“And you did this so as not to destroy the existing market?”

“Yes. For confectionery, we would also like to import raw materials such as insect honey, wheat, and fruit from the Republic. A supply of salt and root vegetables would be helpful, and in the future, we would like to have seafood as well.”

If I buy from Simon and then ship it to the Republic, the profits will only go to me, and there is no future for that. I think we could import raw materials from the Republic and do some processing trade. We can’t produce salt in Casemaian, and most of our food is hunter-gatherer. This is fine for now, but as the population grows, the supply will be insufficient. The territory is small, so wheat production is also limited. We could buy from the kingdom, but we don’t want to concentrate our supply in one place.

Also… perhaps we could import grape wine at an early stage before it matures? I don’t know how brandy is made, but let’s leave that part of the responsibility to the knowledge base of the Casemaian.

“We will take care of the transportation. We will also develop a regular commercial shipping route.”

“It’s a Uwin-Uwin, right? It’s the Demon King’s way of making both sides happy and profitable.” [T/n: Win-win.]

Did I tell Mir-san that? I don’t remember, and I think the pronunciation is a little off.

“It’s only because the Lord praised it so highly that it was so praiseworthy.”

I placed a platter in an empty space in the center of the table and set out the prototypes of the pastries I had made in Casemaian.

“These are the cheap pastries for the common people. This is a little more luxurious for special occasions. And here are the more expensive and luxurious pastries for the wealthy.”

These are new products created by the women of Casemaian. Some are arrangements of pastries obtained from Simon’s place, while others are based on original recipes handed down in Casemaian. They range from simple flavors to luxurious works of art. All are charming and delicious in their own way. Now it remains to be seen how much they will appeal to the Republic market.

I have only researched the Kayson family and the old ladies in the area. I don’t care if it’s a souvenir; if you’re going to pay for it, you’re going to have a higher standard of evaluation…

“Oh…”

When I heard a small exhalation, I looked over to see Kerg-san nodding her head. She must have recognized the value of the product, even though she was looking at it with a stern eye. I was sure that I’d passed the first stage.