blueteamnovel CH 59
CH 59
Chapter 59 – Katharina and the new retainers
“Katharina, your designated request has arrived.” (Wendelin)
“That’s unnatural, Wendelin-san! Aren’t you the person, who nominated me for the request!?” (Katharina)
“Well yes, actually, now that you mention it. Although it has been designated under my name, it’s not like I have taken part in that at all.” (Wendelin)
“Do you think such irresponsible argument will work!?” (Katharina)
“Roderich works his men unexpectedly hard, you know.” (Wendelin)
◆◇◆◇◆
Quarreling with Ina’s group from the first time they met, Katharina, who is the daughter of a fallen noble, caused a competition in hunting, but going on the exploration of the underground ruins, doushi discovered, together with us afterwards, it reached the point of her acting together with us even while she says this or that.
By being someone, who believed that a noble should be like this, her speech, conduct and style are like that, it might be off in some respects since she isn’t a genuine noble.
And, with her apparently aiming for the restoration of her household by using her magic, her personal principles have many items, which have been derived from her always wanting to stand out from society.
Trash-talking Ina’s group in front of me and challenging me to a competition happened for such reason as well.
However, the competition’s result didn’t matter anymore.
With that doushi arbitrarily cutting in, neither me nor Katharina could win against him.
『In fact he joined the mediation and put a damper on the competition deliberately, didn’t he?』
『Going by his appearance, you wouldn’t be able to expect that from him at all.』 (Katharina)
I didn’t comprehend doushi’s real intention, however it’s a fact that the competition and such truly ended up not mattering at all.
Given that Katharina also frankly apologized, although it happened in her usual tone, afterwards, it finished with the quarrel having ended with that already.
Since I repeatedly receive public works requests from Roderich, Katharina joined Erw’s group in the Demon Forest for some reason.
『Burkhart-sama is probably busy as well. I shall give everyone an escort.』 (Katharina)
Her tone had the usual feeling, but that seems to be caused by her hiding her embarrassment.
Once she actually leaves together with them, she seems to be hunting and collecting while enjoying the noisiness in the group of 5 women.
『Hey, Wend. I want at least one more male member, but…』 (Erwin)
『You can search by yourself. There is the adventurer’s guild. If they seem to be good, you will get my approval too.』 (Wendelin)
『Don’t put it like that! I’m discussing with you because it’s not that easy to find one.』 (Erwin)
As result of us performing a competition in hunting against Katharina and doushi, it reached the point of many adventurers crowding the adventurer’s guild branches, which were built at various places close to the Demon Forest.
The large amount of monster raw materials fruit types, cacao seeds, precious medicinal plants, etc,, which was obtained in that competition, yielded a large amount of money in the auction sponsored by the adventurer’s guild’s headquarters in the capital.
Especially for those albino sabre-toothed tiger specimen the royal family ended up paying a huge amount of money to obtain both of them.
The other sabre-toothed tigers were won by several big nobles. In the current royal capital the mood apparently ended up turning into 『Stuff like the head of a flying dragon is the norm. Although you call yourself a noble, how come you don’t have the pelt of a sabre-toothed tiger in your house…』
As result of that, nobles provide requests to the adventurer’s guild baiting with a large amount of money as reward. To answer that, a great number of adventurers came gathering here.
The magic airship’s fare is at lowest one gold coin.
Even if they have to pay that, they have realized that the Demon Forest is a delicious hunting ground.
Even if sabre-toothed tigers are impossible, the prices for other monsters are high as well. If they also gather a certain amount of fruit types and cacao seeds, their profits will be great.
At present it seems that cities are rapidly finished in the vicinity of adventurer’s guild branches.
And, there’s one more thing, the existence of those underground ruins.
It’s probably correct to call it a large outlet mall from the era of the Ancient Magic Civilization.
Finding even eight large underground storages with installed magic-powered warehouses for putting away their stock, a large amount of goods was sleeping in them in the same state as back in those days.
There were many miscellaneous goods for living and such, but with the clothes and underwear to be far atop in quality compared to the current items, those should achieve quite the high price, especially since there’s a number of those.
In fact, the shirt and trousers, I’m wearing right now, are at a level, where it won’t be strange in any way, even if a high-ranking noble wore it as dressing gown.
Also, in addition, although they are different from the mode of today’s items, we have found a great number of suits and evening dresses.
Seeing the casual wear, I believe that those are often resembling the items from Earth.
Once I tried to wear a suit with a necktie as test, it was almost completely as if I had returned to my time as salaryman.
If I had something like leather shoes as footwear and a briefcase, it might have been to the degree of me considering to hurry to work.
There’s a large quantity of clothes and accessories for women as well and there was even stuff like gardening supplies for example.
The large amount of seeds of things like flowers, vegetables and grain are possibly a better breed than the ones being cultivated in the kingdom currently? I have decided to confirm that by cultivating them at the experimental farm exclusively used by the Earl Baumeister household.
Previously it was a place reserved for experimentally cultivating cacao and fruit type, which can be found in the Demon Forest.
However, since it looks like it’s necessary to expand it, it was planned to once again recruit for public works.
Also, in addition, there are various living goods, toys, sake, groceries, furniture, books, tools and so on.
Given that the amount is far too big, Roderich’s group was currently still in the process of having the guild’s employees count them.
Originally it would be normal for us to pay the tax after everything was bought by the guild’s side, but as the amount is big, the guild’s side has judged it to be impossible to purchase all of it.
Also, as the feudal lord of this place it would also be inexcusable to hand all of the goods to the guild as it seems a great number of new products can be created, if we research the actual goods.
Because Roderich was particularly annoying about it, it was decided that the guild’s side would only calculate the appraised value and I would pay the taxes in cash.
By the way, the tax for the Demon Forest is 10% of the estimated value.
It was fairly low, but that was the outcome of Roderich skilfully negotiating by taking advantage of the guild’s side.
Besides, the guild has the duty to collect another 10% as tax towards the Baumeister household.
Since the guild’s side has the responsibility to pay taxes to me depending on their revenue, it will finish with me not being burdened as much as I thought either, if you calculate the sum to be deducted from those.
Be that as it may, it was an amount of money, which would bring a normal noble to their wits’ end.
Officially the calculation of the amount of money would follow after this, but that might still take some time since there was the assessment of a large number of magic tools left.
Since it is a storage of an outlet mall, dealing with various goods, it naturally contained a massive amount of magic tool types.
Refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines, portable cooking stoves, ovens, wash basins and so on.
In addition, we have found countless things like the portable magic transmission device, which Burkhart-san has been entrusted with by Margrave Breithilde.
Moreover, their performance and mana consumption efficiency was overwhelmingly better than the items, which are currently appearing on the market in the kingdom.
Furthermore, on the leaflets, which were together with those in the warehouse, was written 『A magic portable communication device you can feel relieved with due to the contract happening on the same day!』 and 『Free contracts for new customers!』
For some reason, the leaflet’s wording reminds me of Japan.
Moreover we have discovered about several hundred magic tools resembling automobiles, trucks, motorbikes and small farm tractors.
Once we checked the merchandise, it was written in the account book, we found, that there are new articles, second-hand articles, articles from insolvency and articles from barter purchases. Although they developed magic tools in the old days, the traders, who have created a stock excess, were apparently forced into quite a severe competition.
If you look at the portable magic communication device for example, the product, which is made by a workshop called 『Sonia』 and is wonderfully highly efficient, had new articles and also second-hand goods, which have no difference in performance, although they have a few scratches.
Also, the product called 『Somia』 is badly refined and has rough mana efficiency. It reminds me of Earth for some reason after all.
Probably it was a strategy to have people buy it by them misunderstanding it as 『Sonia』-made, which is a first-class workshop.
However, even that 『Somia』-make, was overwhelmingly above in performance compared to the existing magic communication devices.
Anyway, it’s something immensely high-priced and precious in this world.
If such storage would be discovered once again, a likewise large number of adventurers would flood the Demon Forest.
However, although it’s a wonderful thing to be lively, I’m simultaneously worried about the deterioration of the public order. I have been hurriedly working on adding guards in order to cope with that.
Accordingly, new soldier and staff candidates joined.
『It’s been a while, Earl Baumeister-sama.』
The first person is Cornelius Christoph von Armstrong, who is the third son of that doushi. (T/N: >> Koruneriusu Kurisutofu fon Amusutorongu