Chapter 180

Ponpoko
While Alicetia was triumphantly exterminating monsters and raking in profits in Ostland, Ponpoko was diligently fulfilling his duties.

He had his own sense of pride. Ponpoko had lost to Alicetia, who wasn’t even a professional merchant, during the sales drive at the founding of the Viceroy Company. He couldn’t accept that outcome.

He was a born merchant. Alicetia, on the other hand, was born royalty. Therefore, on the stage of commerce, he believed he ought to be the victor. Otherwise, his entire life would feel meaningless.

He was not incompetent. Under his leadership, the merchant company he inherited grew to three times its original size. It was simply that an unexpected betrayal by his son occurred, something Ponpoko could never have foreseen.

He had even considered the future of his son who didn’t wish to inherit the company, planning to appoint him as a branch manager or something similar. Even if the boy didn’t align with his ideals, he was still a merchant Ponpoko had raised with great care. But the boy betrayed him.

Now, except for Roy, his sons were starting over as peddlers. There was no support of any kind. Just being allowed to live could be considered a lenient punishment.

Still, Ponpoko wasn’t particularly concerned. He was confident they would eventually succeed as merchants in their own right.

While worrying about his sons, Ponpoko had come to a certain noble’s domain. He was meeting with the lord of that land.

There was a reason for his visit. This particular lord was not on Alicetia’s side.

Not an enemy, either. To oppose Alicetia recklessly would earn the disdain of other nobles. However, this territory had a decent number of craftsmen. Ponpoko had come to negotiate the construction of a factory to produce parts for magic tools in the area.

He explained the benefits: increased tax revenue from the factory, job creation. He also described the expected environmental impact and the countermeasures Alicetia had developed. With that, approval was given easily. No lord dislikes the idea of higher tax income.

"Then, I look forward to working with you going forward."

"Indeed."

He was a seasoned merchant. Once a large-scale factory was built, magic tools would become more affordable and widely available to the populace. That alone would bring massive profits. Ponpoko had already made a fortune by turning sugar from a luxury enjoyed by nobles and wealthy merchants into a common good. That experience had not gone to waste.

And Alicetia was the ideal master for someone like him. They shared the same vision. Ponpoko believed sugar should be accessible to commoners. Alicetia believed magic tools should be accessible to commoners. They were aligned in their values.

Moreover, Ponpoko had been entrusted with vast rights and privileges by Alicetia. It wasn’t just about capital. Being a subordinate of Alicetia was practically the highest possible status for doing business in Arland. No one could dismiss Ponpoko lightly.

He skillfully used this status to win over nobles who didn’t align with Alicetia. While bringing profits to the Viceroy Merchant Union, he also constructed factories in neutral noble domains, granting those nobles the favor of increased tax revenue.

Alicetia was fundamentally lenient. Especially toward her own people, she had zero suspicion. But nobles were complex creatures, and noble society was a den of vipers. Ponpoko was working behind the scenes to increase Alicetia’s allies, ensuring that when she faced difficulties, those nobles would support her. Naturally, he did so while turning a profit. That was what a capable merchant could accomplish—balancing both goals.

The technology Alicetia brought was also incredibly appealing. What excited Ponpoko the most were the construction machines. They allowed for unprecedentedly efficient construction. Production had already begun on a small scale, and construction had already started on a large-scale factory under Alicetia’s supervision.

“Still, the mana furnace is a marvelous thing.

With that, magic tools can be used freely… and by charging citizens for mana usage, even the country can profit. There likely aren’t many people left in the palace who are hostile to the princess.”

It had already been decided that mana furnaces would be installed in the capital cities of noble territories. Even though the general public hadn’t been informed, Ponpoko knew all about it. As a result, many fools sought information from him.

But Ponpoko’s loyalty to Alicetia, who had saved his life, was absolute—so strong that the word “betrayal” did not exist in his vocabulary.

That’s why he was working to reduce the number of nobles who would hinder Alicetia.

The scale of the Viceroy Merchant Union was rapidly expanding. Subsidiary companies were increasing by the month. However, since they had absorbed small and mid-sized companies first, there were few merchants capable of dealing with nobles—that was the bottleneck.

Still, even the major merchant companies had already decided to form business partnerships with the Viceroy Merchant Unionn. The Union had already launched the magic tools industry. In other words, it had triggered an industrial revolution. Merchant companies throughout the country were being forced to reform in order to keep up.

Efficient industries led to job loss and riots, just like the Industrial Revolution that started in Britain. Alicetia countered this with public works—massive national-scale projects.

Plenty of companies had gone under. But just as many were rising up to take their place.

Moreover, when a company collapsed, recruiters from major firms would come crawling with flattery—they were that desperate for workers.

Rather than creating mass unemployment, the Alicetia Parade had overheated the economy and caused a labor shortage. The current problem facing merchant companies was a lack of manpower. They simply didn’t have enough people.

And yet, Alicetia continued to crank out invention after invention, ordered factories to be built for them, and commanded mass production.

"It doesn't particularly bother me. But I do want her to learn some self-restraint."

He murmured without expression. His obsession with manufacturing construction machinery was also because of this. He wanted to make factory construction more efficient, even slightly, and reallocate personnel to other areas. Also, because they were building too many factories, the assets of the Viceroy Merchant Union were vanishing at breakneck speed. Though, they were being replenished at the same rate.

Alicetia’s personal fortune was astounding—only she herself wasn’t aware of it. It was rumored to be the biggest spending spree of the century even among allied nations. Even with a large portion of her wealth flowing into the kingdom, Alicetia’s assets continued to grow. She was inventing too much.

Furthermore, for reasons of national defense and economic balance, factories were being built in territories outside of the capital. Building only in the capital would not only incite jealousy from the nobles, but would also be a fatal economic blow if a natural disaster or war damaged it. It was a risk-dispersal measure. Ponpoko traveled through noble domains to ensure these plans proceeded smoothly. He also diligently checked for promising local specialties to sell—and never forgot to bring back sweet treats for Alicetia.

After several days, Ponpoko returned to what used to be his own shop, now serving as the temporary headquarters of the Viceroy Merchant Union in the royal capital.

Currently, the place functioned only as a headquarters, with no goods being sold. Many merchants bustled about, carrying out their duties efficiently.

Ponpoko looked over the list of new hires for the month. He immediately summoned his former head clerk, who had been promoted to secretary.

"Call in the person in charge of recruitment."

"Understood."

With a bow, the secretary left the room. A few minutes later, a man entered.

The man looked pale, constantly wiping sweat with his handkerchief.

"Y-You called for me?"

"Of course I did! What’s with these numbers? We’ve only hired around 120 people this month! That’s nowhere near enough. We’re building factories, roads, bridges, railways—there are plenty of jobs to go around. You need to hire at least twice that number!"

When Ponpoko slammed his desk, the recruitment officer flinched.

"B-But other merchant companies have also started large-scale hiring drives..."

"Then offer better terms. Even so, we’ll still make a healthy profit. Also, send people to other territories to recruit as well."

"Understood. I’ll immediately form a recruitment unit and gather talent from all over the country."

"Don’t come back until you’ve gathered at least a thousand."

The man’s shoulder twitched, but he bowed and quickly left the room. Since Ponpoko had told him not to return until he’d gathered 1,000 people, he couldn’t come back to the capital until then.

After that, he rushed around the entire kingdom without rest, recruiting personnel.

Ponpoko leaned back in his chair and let out a deep breath.

For a change of pace, he sucked on some candy and looked over documents summarizing the current state of operations—and couldn’t help but grin. The Viceroy Merchant Union’s sales continued to grow every month. It had already become more of a major corporation than the Merchants’ Guild.

Railways, roads, and bridges. Those were the main projects, but they also planned to construct buildings for the ministries and agencies that had been expanded. Until now, those departments had been housed within the royal castle, but moving forward, they would have dedicated government offices. Naturally, the Viceroy Merchant Union would be the one to build them.

Dozens of schools would also be built, along with hospitals. The royal capital itself was undergoing expansion.

With skyrocketing revenue, the Viceroy Merchant Union even planned to issue bonuses—but the employees were so busy they lamented not having any time off. The one solace was that they had a break at 3 p.m.

Ponpoko had initially objected to the 3 o'clock Snack Law—a company policy named by Alicetia—since it reduced profits, but it had actually led to a boost in employee productivity.

Their ability to branch into so many fields was thanks to the technological support provided by Alicetia. Books detailing various technical methods were regularly sent, which were then studied and used to begin cultivating many skilled technicians.

With everything prepared for him to fully display his capabilities, Ponpoko was extremely satisfied. Though he had lost his own company, he was now running a business on a far greater scale.

After indulging in this satisfaction for a while as he flipped through documents, Ponpoko left the room. There was still much to be done. He was managing merchants known for their strong personalities—unless he was the most capable of them all, someone else would take his seat. First, he had to inspect the construction of the power tower being built on the outskirts of the New Royal Capital. This tower would supply mana to the capital. If it wasn’t built first, there wouldn’t be enough mana to power magical tools.

"I am the second retainer of Princess Alicetia. I will never yield this position to anyone.

I will repay the debt of being saved by her. I will make sure her name is engraved across the continent—as the greatest investor in history.

The fact that Princess Alicetia picked up someone like me proves that she is a genius investor. I will show the world that truth. That is the only way I know to express my loyalty."

Alicia was number one. That’s why he was content with being second. He wasn’t so tactless as to wedge himself into that bond between master and servant. However, the seat of second retainer was something he would never relinquish.

Alicetia had saved him when his life was in danger. Ponpoko vowed to build up the Viceroy Merchant Union even more, to prove that her choice hadn’t been a mistake.

Perhaps that’s why—several decades later, Ponpoko would go down in the economic history of Arland as one of the key figures who brought about a great economic revolution.

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