The headquarters of the Toman Company was located in one of the most prestigious commercial districts in Wesala, and even in a more prestigious location within that district.
Ulrich Toman, the head of the Toman Company, was visited by Holger, an official of the Duke of Gerald’s territory involved in trade, just as Ulrich was taking a break and eating a greasy baked pastry in the reception area of his spacious office.
“Toman-sama, it’s been a long time. It’s been roughly 70 hours.”
“Oh, I’ve been looking at you a lot lately. I think I see your face more often than my wife’s these days.”
The two men smiled indulgently at each other and shook hands.
Both were in their mid-40s. Holger was a skinny man in a blue-and-black official uniform, the mark of a public official, and Ulrich was a contrasting figure, dressed in bright red and luxurious clothes, with a talent for being called a “pig” by any child he met for the first time. The nervous Holger and the boorish (some would say insensitive) Ulrich seemed to hit it off, and the two men clicked through their professional connections.
“So, did you get a good answer?”
“Yes, the other party really wants to talk.”
“I’m glad to hear it! I owe it all to the duke, you, … and, above all, to His Majesty the new king!”
Ulrich tried to hit his knee and slapped his stomach, which was protruding by accident.
The Toman Company was a trading company that dealt mainly in exports and to a lesser extent imports. Among the goods it handled was the pride of Ciel-Terra, Glacelum, a major product of the country.
Up until now, the company had only been buying it from the mines at the price the government told it to, and exporting it to the Federation at the price the government told it to (i.e., the price the Federation said it would pay).
How unfair were those prices? They were supposed to be dealing in super-premium products with permission from the government, but the profits were mere specks at best. One cannot earn a living by merely having the honor of being “a merchant who is allowed to handle Glacelum”.
But those days of humiliation were finally coming to an end.
With the new king in power, the distribution of Glacelum was about to change.
Duke Gerald had contacts in Noacurio and Diletta, and was working to develop a new sales channel for Glacelum. Ulrich had been in frequent meetings with Holger on this matter.
Ulrich would be able to sell Glacelum to non-Federation countries.
Look at that, he thought. He could see the panicked looks on the faces of the Federation’s smug pricks who had been buying Glacelum. It was no longer a matter of dispute that the Federation looked down on Ciel-Terra as a country, but even the Federation’s licensed merchants who bought the Glacelum looked at Ulrich as if he were a servant or something. Ulrich could not stand that.
Ulrich, of course, knew the real price of Glacelum. What would happen if he sold it to Noacurio for the right price? Even if he gave a little more money to the mine, Ulrich would still have a profit in his pocket that would be incomparable to what he had made so far!
He was drooling just thinking about it. Drooling.
… Ulrich believed that tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that, he would be able to buy the same amount of Glacelum from the mine as today, but he still didn’t know that the four major powers were demanding the rights to operate the Glacelum mines.
And he still didn’t know that the chances of him making it to tomorrow morning alive were slim to none.
“Come to think of it, the duke seems to be gathering soldiers.”
“…Yes.”
Ulrich cut in with small talk, and Holger’s eyes widened.
Ulrich laughed at the reaction.
Even a child knew that the duke was gathering his troops because of the situation in the city, but Ulrich knew what was going on behind the scenes.
“Between you and me, is it true that that thing is still on the run?”
“That’s…”
“I won’t tell, I won’t tell anyone! So tell me.”
Ulrich shook his head, and the flesh around his neck rumbled.
A merchant of Ulrich’s caliber must have heard about things that ordinary citizens would never know.
He had heard that the “Rose Princess of Hellrage”, who was supposed to have been defeated by the Commander of the First Order in the capital, had escaped from the city. He also understood why the government wanted to hide it.
If, of all things, a named monster that had gone on a rampage in the capital, the daughter of the former king, turned into an Undead, had escaped, it would be a huge blunder for the Order, whose job it was to protect the people, and it would also be a blow to the new administration. It was not good to have rumors circulating on the streets that could destabilize the reign of King Hilbert II, who had only just assumed power and could not yet be said to be on a firm footing.
“Rest assured, I know what happened in the capital that day. Even if the Knights failed, I don’t think they screwed up. If anything, I’d say they did a good job.”
“Haa…”
“The plaza was already full of people, like a trolley full of rough stones! People were shouting, ‘Kill her! Death to the traitor!’. There were two people decapitated that day, first the mother would be brought in and decapitated. Then came the daughter, and when… the guillotine broke apart, she floated up in the air with her severed head. What a surprise! But then, she used some kind of magic to kill all the people who had gathered there! Everyone was in an uproar. Everyone ran out in a panic. It was like an avalanche! I ran away too. All the while, she was using magic to kill…”
Ulrich had been telling this story to everyone he met recently. He had come to the capital for work on the day of the execution.
Ulrich was very good at telling this story because everyone listened to him. Even if it was simply a matter of luck that he survived, there was no doubt that his return from that terrible event was a saga that would catch the ears of anyone who heard it. It was a story told by the person himself, so it was more powerful and realistic than if it had been told by a bard.
“… I walked around the city after the commotion subsided, and it was terrible. The beautiful royal capital, Terra Ruale, was a mess. Buildings were broken down all together like this. People piled on top of each other and collapsed…”
Holger had heard this story five times already, and no matter how many times he heard it, he never seemed to mind, or at least he never seemed to dislike it.
“The Order did a good job, at least in fighting back against such a monster. … Yeah? What were we talking about?”
“Uh, about the Duke gathering his troops…”
“Ah, yes, that’s it!”
” You are not wrong about the measures against her. A village in his territory was attacked by a horde of undead, and the duke seems to think that she is behind it.”
“I guess so. If that’s the case, I guess she’s finished this time. Ha-ha-ha-ha!”
“Kahaha!” Ulrich thought he was laughing, but his laugh was stifled by the flesh of his face.
“The last time, she suddenly appeared in the middle of the city and went on a rampage, but I knew they wouldn’t fail us twice or thrice. The royal knights and adventurers will be out there, and the Duke’s soldiers are strong. This time, His Majesty will rid Ciel-Terra of the shadow of the former king. We must exterminate the pests as soon as possible!”
“Yes. It will work out well, I am sure.”
“And so will be the great and prosperous times to come.”
The two men smiled as they thought of the glorious days ahead for Ciel-Terra.
“We owe everything to the wise decision of His Majesty and the Duke. I can never thank them enough. In contrast, the dark-faced Predecessor! The last one… was such a disaster, but it was a heartbreaking thought to see those heads being chopped off. Well, for me, it was like a mourning battle for the hundreds and thousands of gold coins that were slain by the Federation. Now our country and my trading company are safe. I hope that the former king’s family will enjoy a happy reunion beneath the tomb, drinking slime tea, a specialty of the Federation. Bwahyahyahyahyahyahyah!”
Incidentally, slime tea was often quoted in ethnic jokes related to the Federation, and it was “something like a drink” treated as ghetto even by the locals (some people stubbornly continued drinking it, claiming that it had medicinal effects, but many alchemists denied any medicinal effects).
“Haha…”
Holger laughed, but his laughter was cut short.
A thunderous roar.
The headquarters of the Toman Trading Company, a fortress-like structure of solid masonry, shook.
Holger crumpled from the couch to the floor in a pool of blood.
It took Ulrich about ten seconds to realize that the explosion had magically broken down the outer walls, the corridor and the walls of the room, and that in the aftermath the flying debris had struck Holger in the head and cut it in half.
” … I was right.”
“Eh?”
A cold, blazing girl’s voice came from behind a thick cloud of dust.
“I can’t … rest in peace when there’s still an abundance of these people…”
The sound of shoes clacking on the stone floor echoed.
“Ha, Aah, Aah, Aaahhh!?”
Ulrich clutched the back of the sofa and let out an ugly scream.
A headless girl wearing a white dress with a fresh blood rose painted on the skirt entered the room.
In her right hand was a red sword that looked like it had been carved out of a jewel.
In her left hand was her own head. Her silver hair was shining and beautiful, but her innocent face was expressionless with anger. In her silver eyes, a murderous intent was shining as cold as a frozen lake.
The monster of that day was there, seemingly having emerged from Ulrich’s story.
“I’m a little bored right now. The subcontractor is working. So I thought of a good idea. Play a game with me.”
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