Chapter 389

About the Official Merchant of Juneb Viscountcy
We decided to put the matter of the Saltas Company on hold for now and return to the capital of the Juneb domain.
It was already a bit too late in the day to set off anyway.
Besides, it seemed Alizée had something else she wanted to discuss.
I wonder what it could be?

“I’ve gathered everyone here today for one reason. I’ve investigated the official merchant of this land through the Trade Guild.”

“You were with me almost the entire day, weren’t you? You did that yesterday?”

“Yes. It was quite easy to investigate. A messenger from the Trade Guild also arrived earlier, so we’re ready to act at any time.”

Wow… as expected of her.
Alizée is genuinely scary if she’s your enemy.
Let’s keep on good terms.

“So, Alizée. What did you find out?”

“Yes, Marquis Vardmoi. The merchant in question makes donations to the orphanage, and in return, receives orphanage children as laborers. That alone is not a problematic contract. However, it seems that some of the children who graduate from the orphanage are being sold to slave traders.”

“What!?”

The first to react was Viscount Juneb, who governs this land.
If illegal or borderline slave trading was happening right under his nose, there’s no way he could ignore it.
Still, the fact that Alizée uncovered all of this in just one day is honestly terrifying.

“Well then, what would you like to do, Viscount Juneb?”

“That goes without saying! That merchant is to leave our domain immediately!”

“But… would that really be enough? As the official merchant, he likely has ties to many of the town’s shops. It’s also possible he’s involved in under-the-table dealings—specifically, unrecorded transactions.”

“Hmm, you’re right… That’s a concern. What should we do…”

Viscount Juneb seemed ready to explode in anger, but he regained his composure once he considered the current state of affairs.
Still, the idea of orphanage children being sold into slavery… I just can’t forgive that.
There has to be a better way to deal with this.

“This is where Lady Lily’s newly established trading company comes in.”

“Wait, the Saltas Company?”

“Yes. Let’s expose all the financials, including the hidden ledgers and the funds flowing to the orphanage.”

“Do you really think it’ll be that easy?”

“Leave that to the Trade Guild. We’ve already secured evidence of the under-the-table dealings.”

I see. So as long as a capable successor is in place, the rest will fall into line.
And the one to take over will be the up-and-coming Saltas Company, run by a Silver-ranked merchant.
Yeah, this setup makes sense.
It can be decided even without the agreement of the Kiblinki Saltas, so it’s a pretty smooth plan.
Alright, I’ll have Alizée move forward in that direction.

What do you think about this chapter?