Even though I was busy with reconstruction after the typhoon, a strange guest came. He is an elderly man with a pointed chin, a crooked mouth, a mean looking eyes and he got an aura of someone you don’t want to get involved with.
“Pleasure to meet you. My name is Avon Shylock. I am a merchant from Belucca.”
Avon Shylock is the merchant Emma talked about before. He rose to power by bribing Alexei-oniisan, but I think he was exiled for tax evasion. And yet he still calls himself a merchant from Belucca. He’s pretty brazen.
I mean I get it, he can’t introduce himself as an exiled person after all.
I don’t need to hear out people like him, but it’s not a good idea to turn him away without asking any questions and incurring his wrath. I had no choice but to sit down with him at a table.
“I’m here today because I want to talk about the Magic Wand.”
“Oh….…”
“It’s a great product you see.”
What is Shylock-san’s aim?
“It’s not for sale. It’s a promotional item. It’s in a limited edition of 50 pieces and they are given away to customers who visited the beach.”
“Really!? Oh, what a shame!”
Shylock is getting all worked up.
“If it was me, I would have sold them for 15,000—no, 20,000 crown coins per piece each and it would still be sold out.”
“Well……”
“Why don’t you sell your wands to me? You’ll make a killing for sure.”
Don’t say it as if it’s for me.
I really don’t want to do business with people like him. If I were to do wholesale, I would have asked Emma-san a long time ago.
“I don’t want to do business for this one. Besides, the materials for the magic wand are scarce. Mass production is impossible.”
“What kind of materials do you mean?”
Shylock probed, but I didn’t fall into his tricks.
“It’s a secret.”
“Oh, what a waste. It can be sold for even a higher price!”
Shylock held his head, looking like it was the end of the world. He is somewhat theatrical.
“I am willing to work for the Baron. I’m sure we can make a great profit for it.”
Oi, it’s you who wants to make money from it….
I can’t put up with this farce forever. It’s time for him to leave.
“Shylock-san, you’ve been exiled from Belucca, haven’t you?”
“……Y-you knew?”
“Even though this is a remote island, rumors do reach here you see.”
“But that’s a misunderstanding. It’s Earl Dantes who is at fault!”
“Hoh~, my brother……?”
This person seemed to have forgotten that I’m also a member of the Dantes family.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Shylock.
“T-that’s ……, but I’ve heard that Baron Dantes and Earl Dantes don’t get along.”
“That’s one thing, but this is another matter. It’s going to be difficult to do business with someone my brother has banished. What’s more, your crime was tax evasion, right? It’s impossible to trust you enough to suddenly entrust you with business. Please leave.”
“I see…… (Tsk. So cheeky for a kid.)”
Shylock clicked his tongue as he left.
I don’t think he should be showing his true nature in situation like this. Or maybe he already decided that there was no business between us, so he no longer wanted to cover up.
As I was drinking my cold tea, Emma came in.
“Oh, you’re here. What’s wrong?”
“It was such a terrible storm, I came to check on the status of the products.”
“Don’t worry, everything is ready for delivery the day after tomorrow. There was some damage, but there will be no problem with shipments for the next fiscal year onward.”
When I told her that, Emma looked relieved.
“By the way, I think I passed Shylock’s carriage earlier……”
Emma’s face changed from relief to worry again.
“He was here for a business meeting. But he could only end up leaving.”
Hearing my words, Emma breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, I don’t like to speak ill of my peers, but he is a person who should not be approached.”
“I know. I don’t want to do business with people like him either. Besides, I already have the best business partner in the form of Emma-san.”
“That’s a relief then.”
We looked at each other and laughed.
This is also a business meeting, but I feel at ease when I’m dealing with Emma-san.
“By the way, why is it so cool here?”
Emma-san looked around the room curiously. The restaurant is equipped with an air conditioner using my points. I explained what an air conditioner is.
“We have the same thing installed in each guest rooms.”
“Oh~. This will make it feel comfortable in the summer then.”
“Mm. It’s the newest highlight of our Auberge.”
“I’m really amazed by everything on Gandalcia.”
“It’s still too early to be surprised. In fact, we’ve also added a new item, a jacuzzi.”
It needed 10 points for it.
“What is it?”
“It’s a bath with a lot of bubbles. It’s pretty relaxing. I’d love for you to try it Emma-san.”
“In that case, maybe I should come and visit for a non-business trip for the first time in a while?”
“Please do. I heard that drinking a chilled Chateau Gandarcia while soaking in a warm jacuzzi is the best.”
“Hoh~. Should I stay the night then?”
We looked at each other again and laughed.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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