Chapter 99
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The rain is heavy and has been continuing for days.
I’m sick of the relentless rain that shows no sign of stopping and the rain clouds that block out the sunlight.
But the Fog appears, regardless of our circumstances.
Even as the pounding rain mercilessly steals our body heat and visibility is poor, we’re still forced to deal with the Fog.
As a result, the burden on the personnel involved in exterminating the Fog has naturally become extremely heavy.
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Exterminating in the rain, getting soaked to the bone, is incredibly tough. If anything, it’s downright depressing.
Since we’re treated as a mobile unit, our burden is particularly large.
And so, today again, after finishing our extermination and returning to the mansion, we quickly wrap up our baths and meals, and each of us settles into our free time.
「Low, do you have a moment?」
Anon calls out to me as I’m walking through the mansion.
「Yeah, what’s up?」
「It’s about the tough job we’ve been giving to you guys in the mobile unit position during this rain. About that…」
「That can’t be helped, right?」
「I’m glad you say that.
But that’s not all. Omi is waiting too. Let’s go to my room for now.」
Geez, isn’t he being a bit forceful today? — As I’m thinking this, he grabs my arm and hurries to the room where Sensei is waiting.
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Sensei is elegantly enjoying her coffee.
As I enter the room, she gives a light wave.
After brewing coffee for Anon and me herself, she sits down in a chair and gets right to the point.
According to Sensei, as she’s been saying before, the Sealed Domain is progressing faster than expected. From here on, there’s a possibility that the progression speed might increase even further. If that happens, the dungeon might appear much earlier than anticipated.
「It could be within a week, or it could be within a month.
So, Ichiro, you need to start getting serious soon.」
Sensei tells me.
That’s all I have to say — and with that, she nods to Anon.
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And this is what Anon has to say.
No matter how you look at it, there weren’t enough personnel needed for extermination when an irregular event (in this case, prolonged rain) occurred.
Even if personnel could be arranged, we also had to consider the increased consumption of supplies like food that would come with it.
Negotiations had been ongoing from the start with the feudal lord and various merchant associations in the neighboring areas regarding additional personnel and supplies. However, due to the enormous expenditure already incurred for the private armies, mercenary groups, and adventurers that had been dispatched, along with the supplies for them, they were reluctant to provide any more.
Anon had prepared negotiation materials to counter this.
First, based on Sensei’s information and the amount of magic stones obtained from defeating the Fog so far, he estimated the final amount of magic stones that could be acquired. Based on this, he concluded that even after considering the expenditure for our requests, it would not only be sufficient to break even but could even generate significant profits.
Using these as negotiation materials, Anon had been negotiating repeatedly with Lord Boldaf and merchant associations from neighboring urban areas.
However, even though Anon told them they could make a profit, the negotiation partners were reluctant to agree, saying the evidence was thin.
Their true feelings were probably that they wanted someone else to do it, or considering the possibility of needing reconstruction after the Sealed Domain problem was over, they wanted to keep unnecessary expenses to a minimum.
Anon, while showing some understanding of these arguments from the lords and merchant associations, still persevered and continued negotiations tirelessly.
「So, Anon is actually managing things on the ground. In a normal situation, the lord himself should be bowing his head to us and begging for cooperation.」
「Well, that’s the kind of person he is. He loves this frontier, but he has a steady and firm personality. Being steady and firm isn’t usually a bad thing at all. But when it comes to sudden, abnormal situations, inflexibility can often backfire. This situation is a perfect example.」
「You seem to know the lord well.」
Anon replies, 「Ah, well enough, I suppose.」
「Let’s get back to the point. I was negotiating with five merchant associations from neighboring urban areas, including the Goa Trading Company, the largest in this frontier, trying to see if we could manage with the budget by purchasing large quantities of supplies… To be honest, it was quite tough.」
He lets out a long sigh.
I, who can’t even handle price negotiations with a single individual, feel stressed just imagining it.
In web novels where an ordinary high school student gets transported to another world, there are often scenes where the protagonist outsmarts seasoned old foxes (old men) in negotiations and beats them spectacularly.
Think about it carefully.
Being thrown into a world where the culture is different, the common sense is different, everything is different, and still expecting an ordinary high school student to win negotiations against local experts while bearing the handicap of being on unfamiliar ground — it’s an impossible story from the start.
「Good job. We really put Anon through a lot of trouble.」
I truly feel apologetic for always leaving all the brain work to others.
「Originally, Anon shouldn’t have had to work this hard, right?」
To my words, he responds, looking offended.
「What are you saying? You’re the one who said it.」
I didn’t ask what he meant by 「it.」
「You said to help people in need if we can.
Isn’t that what our life is about?
If we think that our efforts will eventually circulate from person to person, then it’s worth the effort.」
I,
I’m at a loss for words.
Seeing my expression, Sensei raises the corners of her mouth.
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I thought the purpose of being gathered here today was to discuss what to do after hearing his story so far, but…
「That’s not it.」
It seems I was mistaken.
「That issue was cleared up the other day. I called you here today to report on that. Everyone might be able to relax a little now.」
Apparently, the other day, there was a request for a meeting from the Margrave and the Goa Trading Company.
「Unlike before, the Margrave and the Goa Trading Company were more positive about negotiations. As soon as we met, they asked for the documents.」
After that, everything happened quickly, Anon concludes.
「Why so suddenly…?」
To my question, Anon raises his eyes for a while, then says,
「They both answered that they were ‘persuaded by their daughters.’」
「Daughters…?」
「Yes. Both Lord Boldaf and Heinz Goa, the president of the Goa Trading Company, have daughters. We don’t know for what reasons or circumstances, or what kind of persuasion they used.」
But, Anon continues,
「It seems they weren’t just doting fathers or fathers doting on their children,」 he murmurs, as if letting something slip.
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