Let's try Asking
Father told me that the family would help Laurels, so Abel should continue contacting the Delm Company as usual and report to us afterward. However, since there’s a chance he’s being watched, he should pretend he’s discussing work with Henry and give the report to Henry in that context.
Also, if the other side somehow knows he was brought to the study, he’s to say that he was seen feeding Tonmi and Uga to the slime and got taken to the study, where he was warned, so he can’t make any moves for a while—those were Father’s instructions.
I added, “If they threaten you by saying, ‘Don’t you care what happens to your family?’ you should say that a new product was developed and the company president went to the capital.” It’s actually true that Raziel is going to the capital for branch opening discussions, so letting them misunderstand is fine.
After Laurel left, Father asked why I mentioned Raziel. I explained that the president of the Delm Company seems to be conscious of Raziel, so it might be an effective tactic. Since the puncher was actually completed and the development of a new product is also true, misleading them might buy us time.
“Father, does the Laurel Barony have any specialty products? Why does Viscount Zardane want to acquire their land?”
“There shouldn’t be any specialty products. And since they’re in debt, they can’t just acquire land without permission—they need royal approval. So it’s more likely they plan to place them under de facto control by forming a marriage alliance.”
Back in my room, I had Georges bring me a map of the country.
Though it’s called a map, it’s just a simplified one—not as detailed or accurate as in my previous life.
I looked for the land belonging to Baron Laurel and Viscount Zardane. The Laurel Barony turned out to be right next to the land of Marquis Carlton.
“The Laurel Barony seems to have a railway running through it. And the manager of the straw paper project on the northern side is Marquis Carlton.”
The straw paper project is led by the country, and the two marquis houses manage the north and south, respectively. The other marquis house must have been left out since it's under the Chancellor's authority.
Georges explained that they buy surplus straw paper from each domain, print notices and official communications from the government, distribute them across the country, and manage the contents of the straw paper created in each region.
I see. So because the Laurel Barony is next to the Carlton Marquisate and has a railway, it was chosen as the storage site for straw paper. Normally, land suitable for growing wheat or other crops would be prioritized for farming, so perhaps Marquis Carlton offloaded the hassle of examining and storing straw paper content onto their neighbor, Baron Laurel.
They probably left the laborious and space-consuming task of management to the Laurel family and just receive the reports. And if there’s a railway, they can quickly retrieve anything they want to check, and reporting to the capital is easier too.
For Baron Laurel’s household, which has no special local products, this is a stable source of income, so they likely agreed. But why does the viscount want this land so badly? There may be something else going on.
Since I had already sent more curry powder to the Northtrad family, maybe I should ask Brigitte, who is well informed.
Brigitte, who was apparently staying at the Marquis Carlton’s mansion in the capital, sent a reply in just four days—and it was a thick letter. What on earth did she write so much about?
I began reading the letter. This is…
I gathered the family in Father’s study.
“Hardt, did you find something out?”
“I received a letter from Brigitte, the second daughter of the Carlton family. It says that Viscount Zardane’s eldest daughter accompanied the eldest daughter of the Carlton family on her study abroad trip. And with the Carlton family’s eldest daughter now engaged to the second son of a duke from the Empire, Viscount Zardane’s daughter is also reportedly arranged to marry into an imperial count’s family. Apparently, this count’s family has grown wealthy through trade with other countries.”
“So then they need a railway and a warehouse to sell the count’s trade goods here in the Aranfes Kingdom?”
According to Father, Viscount Zardane probably wants to imitate what the Northtrad family is doing. And since the goods are from a country other than the Kingdom, there’s no overlap with what Northtrad handles. If the items are selling in the Empire, they might sell here too—or so he might be thinking.
However, if there’s no railway, managing and transporting trade goods is inconvenient, and instead of bringing everything to his own land, it would be more efficient to manage them in a territory that has railway access.
That’s why he likely proposed a joint venture to the financially struggling Laurel Barony, offering funding for the straw paper storage facility.
But in reality, he probably wanted to use the straw paper warehouse for his own trade business. By trapping the Laurel family in debt, he could then force their cooperation—either by marrying his son into the Laurel house as a son-in-law, or by marrying his daughter to them and using the marriage as a pretense to manipulate the Laurel family as he pleased.
What do you think about this chapter?
