Chapter 9. (The content is Gaiden-ish.)

“Mariaaaa——-!”

The door of my room was opened with a loud bang. –

“Dad! The door will break if you do that every time! Can you open the door more quietly?!”

“I-I don’t want to hear that from you, that’s not it! You, what do you think you’re doing?!”

His body was as big as a bear, and his voice and att.i.tude were bigger than even that, I direct my gaze at him.

“… What did I do? Did I do something wrong?”

“Did you do something you ask? Of course, you did! Maria, why did you kick Echigo-san of Yameto?!”

“Echigo? Yameto?”

… Huh? Echigo? What’s that? I’ve heard that somewhere before…

…………….

……………

AH!

“Aaah! That pervert merchant!”

“Don’t ‘Ah! that pervert merchant!’ me! Do you know that I have an important business there? And you kicked him in public like that! Do you want to destroy me?!”

Our house runs a store in this commercial kingdom Sorbania. In Orkena… No rather, in the world of trade, it was known as a kingdom created by merchants, and also known as the big three commercial cities.

“B-But dad! That Echigo or something merchant, he had that bad face you know? Furthermore, he touched my b.u.t.t!”

“Now you discriminate others by their face! No that’s not it… In the first place, if you’re the woman of Merchant city, Kato, you should’ve to bear with it and have some resolution no?

“Bear with it? No way.”

“Don’t raise your legs!”

“Legs only?”

“Don’t try to be a smart a.s.s here! Just from touching no need to cause a ruckus, it’s not like you lose something. Instead, why not get a lot of money as much as possible from it?”

“Of course if it is money then I do get them.”

“… ”

“Since he touched my b.u.t.t, I settled it with money.”

“If that the case then, why did you kick him?”

“His face is kind of bothering you see…”

“In the end, it was about the face?!”

No no, it was true you know, his face was really bothering. He stroke my b.u.t.t while looking happy making him looked like a frog, who won’t get bothered by that?

“Well, it’s not like I don’t understand your feeling… But you know, Maria. You are already at that age, you know? Before long, you will grow fat like your mother, and n.o.body wants to touch your b.u.t.t you know?”

“… Just leave me alone.”

“No, I cannot. In the first place, no matter how much time pa.s.ses you’re always doing a business that is hard to believe. How about following Mi-chan step? She got a good husband no?”

“… Mizuri have nothing to do with this!”

“Of course it is! Mi-chan, she is the same age as you! You’re almost 25 years old now,

yet I haven’t heard any relations.h.i.+p story from you, to think I was happy back then for having a cute daughter…”

“Mother is the one who gives birth to me though?”

“I was the one who raised you!”

“That statement is unfair!”

“Anyway! Velor will inherit my business! You don’t have to do sham-like business anymore, just hurry up find a good man and get married, and make this father of yours happy.”

After saying that, he turned his body and about to leave my room.

“… Well, eventually. Anyway, I’m going out for a bit.”

“Oi, Maria!”

“I’m out~…”

“Oi wait a minute! At least use the door, not the window!”

She jumped out of the window with his father voice behind her back saying “I don’t want to hear any rumor about this anymore~…”

———————————————————-

“…Ah, how annoying.”

Kato was a city with a long history. It was one of the ancient capital when the kingdom of Sorbania was still a weak state, the city was made on the premise that it would be attacked by the enemy country, thus the design looked like a maze, in the past Maria got lost a lot when she was young…

“What do you mean by marriage… Stupid…”

That said, she was the daughter of a merchant. And right now she was twice higher than when she was young. There’s no way she got lost in the city anymore.

“Ah~. How boring~”

When she was young her father would say, “When you grow up, you will become a female merchant!”, but before she noticed he started to act like a normal father saying “Hurry up and get married!”.

… It was not like she didn’t know her father feeling.

Her house runs the ‘Search Firm”… Even in Kato, it was considered as one of the big business in the city. It was one of the twelve big commerce in Kato, and his big brother Velor Search was a young excellent merchant, having a great reputation in Kato.

“… As for me, if I married to Rigvuet house, it would be perfect.”

Rigvuet family was one of Kato merchants, a business mainly trading spices. Search Firm deals with everything, but when it comes to spices it was relatively weak.

Certainly, getting married, support the husband then give birth to a child and nurture it. The virtuous wife who wait for the husband to return, it was not a bad life but…

“I have no such characteristic…”

She said that and sigh.

“… Oh! Oi Maria! What are you doing here?”

Voice called her caused her tension to drop. When she directed her gaze toward the voice, she saw a familiar face.

“Oh, Kaito. How are you doing these days?”

“Well, business as usual I guess. Hahahaha.”

“… I see, good for you then…”

Kaito parents house run the

the Aztec Firm, the second largest business in Kato. Kaito himself who succeeded as jewel trader has quite a good eyes in the business.

… Though for him, he just wanted to play around with the Onee-chan in the bar. As the elder said, what one likes, one will do well.

“Oh right, I heard that the princess of Westeria got married?”

“… Ah. There was that huh?”

” ‘I do not need expensive jewels. However, I want you to whisper words of love every single day’ that was what she said, and the young people go kyaakyaa over it. But you know, even if she said that in the end, all girls love s.h.i.+ny things after all?”

“Well, I like mackerels more.”

” Well anyway, jewels with too high of quality is hard to sell, but something lower would be easily sold. Just to make them go, ‘iyaa~, I feel like a princess’…”

“… I guess so.”

“Right! Also, check this out, my future branch shop.”

“That some fort.i.tude you had. Was your business that profitable?”

When a business people think about opening a branch office, that means the business people had some money to spare.

“Oh? Maria, you don’t know? ”

“About what?”

“About Terra…”

“Terra?”

“Rondo de Terra. a port city in the Flame Kingdom.”

‘.. Where is that?’ Floated inside her mind.

“You, aren’t you the daughter of a merchant? And here you don’t even know about this news…”

Whatever you say, what I don’t know then I don’t know.

“Well, listen. I heard this from…”

———————————————-

“Dad!”

After separating herself from Kaito, she ran toward her home with all of her might, then she opened the door of her father study room with a bang.

“… What is it? So noisy…”

His father was drinking tea made by her mother while murmuring, ‘what’s wrong with you being this noisy as soon as getting back’…

“Money! Dad, lend me some money!”

“… There goes, asking for money as soon as getting home. What’s wrong? Do you want something with it?”

“That’s right! I want to do something, but I have not enough money! Please, dad! Lend me some money!”

“… It’s rare for you getting this excited. So? How much do you need? If it’s just a little bit then I don’t mind, so?”

Saying that his father sips his tea again.

“10,000 White Gold!”

“Pfft———-!”

Her father spat the tea out.

“*cough* You, how much do you think 10,000 white gold coins are? Do you know how long 4 people family could live with it? Many years! Are you trying to buy an island or something?”

“Not an island! But this!”

She strikes a paper on her father’s office desk.

“What’s this… “Information regarding branch opening in Terra”… Terra? Ah that Terra? The one that the previous King’s daughter ruled over?”

“That’s right! She’s the current Flame Kingdom Queen’s

Kingdom Queen’s Elder Sister!”

“The elder sister of the current Queen you said… You, do you know how much it would cost to open a shop here? 3,000 white gold coins per year!”

“What’s the relation of that with this?”

“Think about it with common sense, would you?! This is Kato! One of the three big cities within Sorbenia, and even in Kato, it is only 3,000 per year! Even if Terra was located in the Flame Kingdom, it was not the kingdom’s capital, Terra was just a rural city, you stupid!”

“The stupid one is dad! Look at it more properly! It’s not 10,000 white gold coins per year! People are free to open a shop there!”

“… What did you say?”

“In Terra, it’s free to open a business! You just have to deposit 10,000 white gold coins, and in ten years, they would return it! And furthermore, they would return it not 10,000 white gold coins, but 10,100 white gold coins!”

“…”

“They will lend the land and building for free! And they will return the deposit within 10 years! Dad, you said you want to open a shop in the Flame Kingdom?!”

“…”

“Dad, do you hear me? I will do my best! I will enlarge our business there! This is my lifetime wishes! Please lend me money!”

“…”

“Dad?”

“…No.”

“Why?!”

“Naturally. Think about it, it is too good to be true letting people open business for free, how are they going to make a profit with no tax?”

“T-There is some tax. It’s depending on the profit! And they won’t take the shop.”

“Ho hou? So, are you sure they will pay the money after 10 years? Are you sure they are not going to run away with it?”

“B-But, they lend us the land and building? If worst comes, we could insist on its right!”

“Even if we obtain land and building, in such remote city, there’s no profit in it. Also, are you sure you can sell goods with that much worth?”

“About that… No… But, even Kaito going to do this!”

“This is this that is that he has nothing to do with my judgment!”

“Dad!”

“Listen, Maria. 10,000 white gold coins are not a small money. It is an amount where your dad and brother have to work hard.”

“… I know that, but…”

… Silence fell between them for a moment. Then her father opened his mouth.

“… Listen, Maria? How about you settle down soon? I know you have some business talent. However, unfortunately, you’re a girl. Isn’t there’s a saying that ‘marriage is one of woman’s happiness?”

Saying that her father was about to raise his body from his chair. –

“… Woman happiness… I don’t need it.”

“… Maria.”

“I, I’m Maria Search! A daughter of a merchant family! My happiness is a merchant

is a merchant happiness!”

“Maria!”

“What?! I hate you D”

“… What’s wrong with you two, being so noisy…”

Abruptly, a handsome face interrupted from the opened door.

“… Velor.”

“… Oniichan.”

“Don’t be too noisy, You guys disturbing the neighborhood, anyway, did you both have a fight or something?”

He said that with a sleepy yawn. Many said “Velor was a child picked up under the bridge” because his handsome face didn’t resemble our mother and father at all… He was the eldest son of the Search house, the successor of the business.

“… Perfect, since you’re here, how about beating some sense to this little sister of yours?”

“About what?”

“Maria said she wants to open a shop in Terra. Furthermore, She also needs 10,000 white gold coins. What do you think?”

Her father told his brother about the issue.

“…”

… Her brother was tougher than her father. She was sure that he would reject her idea as well.

“… Sure, why not?”

See? Eh, wait, what did he just said—?

……………

…………..

…………Huh?

“V-Velor! What are you saying!”

It seems like she didn’t hear it by mistake since she heard her father panic voice. Huh? Really?

“I heard the rumor at the last meeting. Anyway, Terra is doing something amusing. I thought of going there to see about it a little, but if Maria wants to go there then its perfect. Go there and try open some business…”

“O-Oniichan! Errr, are you sure?”

Somehow she doubted what happened.

“I never thought you will get married here, and your reputation here is bad. Go and see another place.”

Saying that his sleepy face changed. Toward his brother who shows serious gaze, she also strengthens her att.i.tude.

“… Be that as it may, in the end, Terra Lord is a royal princess. To maintain her status, she would definitely pay the deposited 10,000 white gold coins. In other words, we could make 100 white gold coins even without doing anything.”

But still…

“That 10,000 white gold coins would remain dormant. If it’is me then I would double that amount in ten years…”

That word was not him speaking as the eldest son.

“… Now then, how many you’re going to pay back with that much money?”

… It was him as a merchant.

“… If it’s me then I will turn it, tenfold!”

“… Is that so? Fine then, I will look forward to it.”

Saying so, both brother and sister grinned toward each other.

As for her father, he was looking at the two of them while saying “ah, my era is already over… Although I’m happy, somehow I feel lonely”.

Economic Knowledge 4.

Tax Haven.

Tax-Free or Low Tax country or region. The word “Haven” is not meant to be a heaven, but rather a Shelter.

It was a method to attract companies toward a country or region without any special industries. –