The Princess Will Not Forgive Her Enemies
The inside of the shop was in shambles, with Mr. Ponpoko and his son collapsed on the floor. The attackers had already fled, and the employees were crying as they crowded around Mr. Ponpoko and his son.
"Move! Magic sequence thawing: Heal, Purify, Light of Healing] synthesis... Goddess's Blessing."
Falling feathers enveloped Mr. Ponpoko and his son. When the feathers touched their wounds, the injuries vanished. Within minutes, their wounds had disappeared. Though the one with the most blood loss was no longer in critical condition, consciousness had yet to return.
I asked the employees to help move the two to a bed in one of the rooms. Then, I summoned the newly established Viceroy Guard from the castle to station around the Ponpoko Company.
Although their equipment wasn’t standardized yet, the guards, comprised of retired soldiers, had solid skills. They were seasoned veterans, despite their lack of stamina. They would suffice for protection, and the royal guards had also been deployed for perimeter security, so there was no issue.
About an hour later, Mr. Ponpoko regained consciousness.
"Thank you. I never thought I would be saved too."
"That's not important. I want you to tell me who dared to do such a foolish thing."
This is something I cannot forgive. I hate it when someone harms my acquaintances or family. No matter if the culprit is a god, they will face retribution.
Mr. Ponpoko began recounting the recent circumstances. It seemed that the Locas Company was the most suspicious.
What a ridiculous thing to do. Threatening over sugar? We already have agreements to import it from the Country of Tranquility. The price is only slightly higher than what Ponpoko Company offers. While the production cost was reduced, the transportation cost is high.
In this situation, it doesn't serve as effective blackmail material. However, there is a chance that my acquaintances could become angry and act rashly.
"Will they get angry?"
"They will be furious."
According to Alicia, it could escalate to an uncontrollable situation.
"Honestly, Princess, your influence in the kingdom is incredible. A genius with magic, freely creating magic tools, with a good reputation and a commoner-friendly disposition. Within the royal capital, such a move would be reckless in the extreme.
Outside the capital, however, your fame precedes you, and the Locas Company would likely be crushed."
I didn’t realize I had such an extensive influence.
And as for the noble backing them... well, it’s probably the Council. Only nobles with that much free time would bother with such antics.
In reality, nobles who own territories are eager to acquire airships and wouldn’t be foolish enough to oppose me. The Council members, on the other hand, have no practical use for medium-sized airships. On top of that, they’ve been stirring up trouble regarding the air force.
They’ve been pestering to place their offspring in key positions. Of course, I’d welcome them if they had the ability, but there’s no room for incompetence. Since I entrusted staffing decisions to Captain Pash, I have no involvement, but it seems they persist in trying to get me to intercede.
Why "seems"? Because I refuse to meet with them—it’s too troublesome. Nobles have the privilege of a quality education from birth. Those who squander such opportunities and achieve nothing are unnecessary. As a result, the air force is mostly composed of commoners. Even Captain Pash himself is of commoner origin.
"It seems I’ve caused trouble. I’m sorry."
The only thing I can do is apologize—and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
"No, Princess, you have nothing to apologize for. It’s true that I’ve been targeted, but even without your involvement, the Locas Company would have made a move. The fault lies with me for being too lenient with my own people."
How foolish can these nobles be, to get angry over sugar sales? Perhaps it would be better to replace them with Mr. Ponpoko. From an economic perspective, expanding the market is a good thing. Can’t they understand that widespread sugar use would lead to the evolution of confectionery? How infuriating. This is an obstacle to my 3 o’clock snack law. I’ll ensure those nobles are cornered as well.
"Now, let’s discuss the original plan. I’d like you to refrain from closing the shop."
"I don’t have the funds. At this rate, I’ll lose my sugar-related rights."
"I’ll provide the funds."
"Won’t it cause an uproar if you favor a specific trading company?"
I wonder. Don’t nobles usually have trading companies they’re associated with?
"They’ll make a huge fuss. They freely engage in favoritism themselves but complain when others do. That’s why they’re considered incompetent, yet they remain oblivious."
Alicia muttered this bitterly. Indeed, it’s unfair. They make a scene, escalate matters, and then approach me, saying, “If you want this resolved, what will you offer us?” For now, I’ll leave dealing with them to my brother. Otherwise, I might end up burning them to a crisp.
Still, abandoning Mr. Ponpoko doesn’t sit well with me.
"This is what I wanted you to handle."
I showed him the catalog, but Mr. Ponpoko shook his head.
"The current trading company won't be able to handle it, and the guild will likely interfere. Moreover, we don't have the funds to buy it outright. Even if it sells, if we can't repay the debt by the due date, they'll start interfering with this as well."
"Even if it's on a deferred payment?"
"It goes against my principles. Merchants are creatures that can face ruin at any moment. I won't engage in actions that trouble my suppliers."
Payment is upfront. This seems to be one of Mr. Ponpoko's principles. Persuading him would be impossible. However, handling it elsewhere would be difficult. Among my merchant acquaintances, none besides this one are sizable enough to manage it, and many are low-ranking firms. Furthermore, they are being obstructed by the Locus Company.
"Well, thoroughly investigating and bringing down the new Guildmaster aside, this situation isn't ideal. So, how about an alternative?"
"Alternative?"
I whispered to Mr. Ponpoko with a slightly mischievous smile. Mr. Ponpoko hesitated but, after consulting with his recently conscious son, came around to the idea. Roy was enthusiastic.
"Father, this is an opportunity."
This seemed to seal the decision.
And three days later, on the debt repayment date:
"Well then, it's time to collect the remaining money. If you can't pay, this trading company will be taken over by them."
"… Ah, my foolish sons are not fit to run the company. I have prepared the money as promised."
Mr. Ponpoko placed a cloth bag on the table and produced a large amount of platinum coins. I was standing behind Mr. Ponpoko, hidden alongside Alicia using concealment magic.
Furthermore, the people from the Locus Company, who had been alarmed by the uninjured state of Mr. Ponpoko and his group, were even more stunned at the sight of the money. It was indeed a substantial sum. But thanks to the airship rewards, I had amassed immense wealth. By leveraging my avatars for mass production, I had raked in profits. This amount was mere pocket change. On top of that, rewards from funneling magic theories into the Technical Development Bureau added to my wealth. Well, those people seem to have worsened their reclusiveness because of it. Even Eibon hasn’t surfaced from the underground. He's a man who stayed underground for centuries, so it's not concerning. Eccentrics are best confined underground. Sending magic theories periodically should keep him occupied for decades. It's enviable to have a body that doesn’t require sleep, though I wouldn’t want to be just bones.
But I digress.
"Impossible! How were you able to prepare the money?"
"How, you ask? I sold my trading company. I can't entrust it to you or my foolish sons. Thus, I have handed it over to someone reliable. From today, this trading company has been reborn as the Viceroy Company!"
"Greetings. I am Alicetia, head of the renowned Viceroy family. It seems you've been meddling with my acquaintances, haven’t you? Then it's war. You are not among those I am obliged to protect."
As I casually stepped out from behind Mr. Ponpoko’s shadow, my appearance startled the opposing party. Well, it’s not every day you see royalty in such a setting. Even nobles usually summon merchants to their residences.
But both my father and I are proactive. Besides, merchants are busy people. Making them take time out of their schedule is a pointless extravagance.
And these people were already involved in various ‘malpractices.’ In other words, they are not citizens I am obligated to protect. Such individuals are unnecessary.
"I’m not sure what you’re implying. We are merely conducting regular business transactions. Besides, even if this continues, we will prevail. It seems Her Highness does not understand commerce, but in business, selling cheaply is the key to winning."
"Undercutting prices to drive rival trading companies out of business, right? But that alone won’t let you beat me. Who do you think I am? Don’t get cocky just because you’re winning in a few product lines.
I am a magician, a creator of magic tools. With sugar and magic tools, the victory is mine. Can you produce higher quality and cheaper products than my magic tools?"
I could easily crush them. Manufacturing magic tools without using magicians drastically reduces costs. Magic tools are expensive because magicians are rare. And even if he interferes, I can employ people from the slums. The guild’s obstruction won’t work because slum residents are unregistered.
Forceful measures are also impossible. Any attempt would lead to immediate arrest. Touching royal property means certain death.
"Do you mean to suggest the Viceroy family is favoring a single trading company?"
The president of the Locas Company shouted desperately.
"I'm not playing favorites. I just bought a reasonably priced trading company. To make Arland a great kingdom, the cooperation of trading companies is necessary. And if I can buy one, why wouldn’t I?
Mr. Ponpoko made mistakes, but he's a capable merchant. Seeing him crushed here would be against my wishes."
Destroying a citizen-oriented trading company, already scarce as it is, would only harm the citizens. I stand with the citizens. There’s no way I’d let a corrupt trading company do as they please.
"Well, that’s it then. Since the money has been repaid, you’re done here, aren’t you? I have business negotiations to attend to now."
"Indeed. Let us promptly prepare the necessary goods. ‘Things will get busy’ from here on."
"Ugh."
The president of the Locas Company left the premises with a bitter expression.
Once he was gone, Mr. Ponpoko let out a sigh, likely distressed by his children's betrayal.
Honestly, betraying one’s family is unthinkable. Family should always stick together.
"I wouldn’t dwell on it. I'll try to ensure minimal harm comes to them."
"Thank you. But this was my mistake. I must have failed in raising them."
"Well, I’ve never even considered betraying my parents, so I wouldn’t know. But Roy stayed by your side. Not everything went wrong.
Now then, Alicia. Is there a way to bring down that trading company without using authority? While I could crush them with my power, their backers would likely make a fuss."
I turned to Alicia, who had been standing motionless like a statue against the wall.
"Indeed. Those idle individuals will undoubtedly cause a commotion. It’s best to destroy them through a method outside your authority. Specifically, if the residents of the royal capital were to take them down independently, no one could complain. After all, a trading company will collapse if its goods don’t sell. The simplest way would be..."
The method Alicia described was entirely unexpected. I wasn’t even sure if I could pull it off. Honestly, the idea was baffling.
What do you think about this chapter?
