Chapter 35

In the garden where Leon had left with Theo, only the two members of the Signori Family remained.

After a long silence, Matriarch Costanza opened her mouth.

“Ludo, you've brought someone with a cunning tongue.”

“Mother.”

“I'm not trying to blame you. It's true that his rhetoric pulls at the heart. Isn't it?”

“Yes, the business plan he brought has a high probability of realization. As you know, there are countless free cities and small nations in this land. That means there are also many soldiers who have served.”

“That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about Mr. Leon Gryph.”

“Ah.”

Randolfo, who had been flustered, quickly regained the demeanor of a merchant as his mother had taught him.

He then calmly recalled his analysis of the product known as Leon Gryph.

“According to the stories I collected from the sailors of the merchant ship I was on, it was Mr. Leon Gryph who boosted morale when the ship was in danger of being captured by pirates, who proposed to raid the pirate island, and who found out the location of their base.”

Randolfo came to a conclusion.

“Leon Gryph is recklessly brave and has the ingenuity to turn a disadvantageous situation into an advantageous one. He is worth investing in.”

“A good analysis, but you've missed the key point.”

“The key point? What did I miss?”

Matriarch Costanza explained to the bewildered Randolfo.

“Luck is very important for a warrior and a merchant alike. And looking at his deeds, it is clear that luck follows him.”

“You are correct.”

“The people of this city have so far regarded pirates as a kind of natural disaster. They thought of them like waves or storms. Even as Tospol, that ogre, has reigned like an emperor in the Golden Sea for decades, making people shed tears of blood.”

At the sudden name, Randolfo looked at Matriarch Costanza in surprise.

It was because a name that should never have come from his mother's lips had been spoken.

Randolfo had never heard his mother say that name even once.

“I thought you had already forgotten that tragedy, Mother.”

“How could I forget? I was just enduring it because it wasn't a profitable venture.”

Matriarch Costanza intimately revealed feelings she had hidden even from her most beloved son.

So Randolfo was flustered.

“It's something the incompetent Fasa navy and the Imperial navy have all failed to do. Only that young man proposes to me to wipe out the pirates. Only Leon Gryph.”

Matriarch Costanza briefly recalled the day she saw her husband off, holding her infant son.

The waters of the Golden Sea had swallowed up countless people of the Signori Family and had not returned their remains.

It was an era of endurance.

If so, it might be time to demand a blood price.

“Of course, I didn't decide to invest just for revenge. Randolfo, count the number of nations bordering the Golden Sea. Think about what benefits there will be after we get rid of the pirates.”

“The trade routes that were blocked or in decline will be revitalized. Then the volume of trade between nations will explode.”

“And our family will have the opportunity to rise to the top position in Fasa. There is no need to miss an opportunity to make money when profit is right in front of us, is there.”

“You are right.”

After Randolfo left, Matriarch Costanza remained alone, lost in thought.

Matriarch Costanza did not believe in the Purgatory and Hell that the church prattled on about.

From the moment she lost her husband, she had stopped believing in God.

However, Matriarch Costanza thought she had seen a dark energy shimmering behind Leon when he kissed the back of her hand.

A violent energy of chaos and destruction.

‘Am I seeing things in my old age….’

It was about that age, but the story was too absurd.

“Come to think of it, there was a royal family member in the eastern Empire named Leon. Could it be?”

Matriarch Costanza already knew about the political turmoil in the Empire's capital through her business's information network.

But after considering the possibility, Matriarch Costanza shook her head.

“No, it must just be a person with the same name.”

The fact that she was having thoughts she normally wouldn't, suggested that the existence of the young man named Leon had been quite a shock.

But it was too absurd a thought.

The Leon of the rumors was a scoundrel who had even given up the throne.

However, the Leon Gryph who appeared in Fasa was a noble figure with a sense of dignity.

There was no resemblance to consider the two as the same person.

Besides, hadn't that royal family member named Leon been found burned to death inside the Grand Palace for having offended the ambitious?

It was impossible for a dead person to come back to life.

If that were the case, Matriarch Costanza’s greatest wish should have already been fulfilled.

“It's nonsense. He's just a lucky young man.”

Matriarch Costanza shook her head to dispel the thoughts, unaware that her speculation was very close to the truth.

In any case, the appearance of such a figure in Fasa was surely a sign of some event to come.

Matriarch Costanza prayed that it would be the ruin of the pirates of the Golden Sea.

***

Pirates are called pirates because they appear at sea.

Therefore, to fight pirates, a fleet is obviously necessary.

However, a ship is too expensive an object for an individual to own.

You also have to hire sailors, and maintenance costs a considerable amount.

As a result, it was natural that most of the ships in Fasa were privately owned, and there were only a few government-owned ships.

But once I secured the promise of full support from the Signori Family, everything went smoothly.

The Shipowners' Union, which I visited with Randolfo, was very welcoming.

“Investment? I will gladly participate!”

“Uh, I suppose Captain Leandro put in a good word for me?”

“No. It's all because of the prize money from the capture. These days, the sailors are throwing money around like it's nothing. Everyone saw that and their eyes have gone wild.”

The representative of the Shipowners' Union, Leonaldo, explained the reason for their favor with a cheerful laugh.

According to Fasa's maritime law, captured cargo seized at sea is divided among the shipowner, captain, and sailors according to their rank.

And this incident proved that the pirates of the Kresven Archipelago had amassed a huge amount of treasure in their base.

Thanks to this, the owner of the merchant ship I was on and Captain Leandro became overnight millionaires, becoming objects of envy and jealousy in Fasa, and it was rumored that even the most humble sailors were scattering silver coins wherever they went.

Although there were people who looked down on this undignified indulgence, most screamed with happiness and tried to get silver coins from the sailors.

“Mr. Gryph is already considered a man who brings good fortune in Fasa. Our shipowners are also hoping that the same luck will follow them.”

“Who can be sure that such luck will be possible again?”

“The Golden Sea is crawling with pirates. Don't you worry about a thing. Just bring in the money.”

There had been no mention of capitalism having dawned in this world yet, but it was clear that the people of Fasa had already embraced it.

It was true that the Golden Sea was crawling with pirates as he said.

But not all pirates were treasure goblins like the Kresven Archipelago pirates.

You could think of it as self-employment.

If there's a successful shop, there's also a failing one.

It was the same for pirates.

In particular, pirates had a higher probability of failing than self-employed people, because they sometimes encountered the navy, missed their prey, or died in storms.

Still, I didn't add any unnecessary words.

Being treated as a good luck charm was a bit uncomfortable, but as long as I got their cooperation, that was all that mattered.

I didn't only speak the truth, but I didn't lie either.

“Mr. Leonaldo, would you please grace the investment briefing with your presence?”

“The fact that Mr. Randolfo is accompanying you must mean that the Signori Family has already decided to invest. I will gladly do so. However.”

“Yes? Is there a problem?”

“I heard that Mayor Rapacio ordered a lot of gallows especially for the captured pirates. Do you happen to know anything about that?”

“Argh, no. Those guys are still useful.”

***

However, visiting the city hall was the last thing to do.

There were too many places to go around.

I went around to various merchant guilds and the state-owned shipyard, explaining what benefits the pirate subjugation would bring, and created a positive atmosphere among the people.

In fact, for the most part, it was enough just to show Randolfo's face and mention the newly rich Captain Leandro.

When I visited, the city hall staff practically ran out in their socks to greet me and guided me directly to the mayor.

Mayor Rapacio himself was displeased that he was the last on the list.

“You've finally arrived. Rumors are already all over the city that you've been making the rounds. I was wondering when you would come to see me. Seeing as Mr. Randolfo is with you, is the Signori Family really investing? To secure the Matriarch's investment, I must say Mr. Gryph's skills are truly remarkable.”

When Mayor Rapacio spoke sarcastically, Randolfo retorted on my behalf.

“Didn't you also witness the amazing sight, Mr. Mayor? The tax revenue you collected this time must be extraordinary, no?”

“I saw it. Thanks to that, the finance officials are all smiles. However, as a statesman, I cannot help but worry about the rash judgment of the citizens. How long will this amazing windfall last?”

“How about looking further ahead than that?”

“Further ahead?”

“Cleaning up the pirates of the Golden Sea was something that had to be done eventually. And once the sea routes are safe, more goods can be created safely. Think of the profit to be gained from that.”

“Mr. Randolfo can speak easily, but I'm the one who has to go and tell the finance officials. That poor fellow was thinking of building a new aqueduct and bridge in the city with the extra money from this time.”

“It's just a matter of changing the order of things a bit.”

“You're a smooth talker.”

Mayor Rapacio snorted, but he wasn't genuinely opposing it.

Randolfo had said that the mayor had gained a reputation for fairness and support from the citizens because of this incident.

Even if he had been pushed into it, it would have been a satisfactory result.

“So what have you brought?”

“Please take a look at this.”

Randolfo, like a secretary, took out a copy of a proposal and showed it to him.

It was a modern-style report on the predictable demand for mercenaries in Fasa and the resulting profits and outcomes.

How about that, medieval man.

Be amazed by the essence created with all the skills of an office worker.

Do you know how hard it was to make that in a place without Word and Excel?

Mayor Rapacio groaned after reading the proposal.

“I had a rough idea from the list of people you were meeting, but this is beyond imagination.”

“I would like to hold an investment briefing at the city hall banquet hall tonight.”

“What? Isn't today too short notice?”

“The sooner we deal with it, the more time we'll have. Fasa will need time to prepare as well.”

“Right. Time is precious. Considering the Signori Family has stepped in, I think the investment will be established without any problems.”

Mayor Rapacio said so, then tilted his head towards me.

“However, what I am curious about is your identity, Mr. Leon Gryph.”

“My identity, you say?”

Behind me, I could feel Theo tensing up like a cat with its fur on end.

He looked ready to draw his sword at a moment's notice.

He could afford to be a bit more bold, what was he going to do reacting to every little thing.

I'd have to have a word with him later.

Fortunately, that was not what Mayor Rapacio wanted to talk about.

“I heard you skillfully commanded the sailors on the ship. I'm a seaman myself, but those rough fellows are not ones to easily listen to others, so I was very surprised that you managed to do it.”

“Is that so.”

“But Mr. Gryph, you look too young to be a former soldier. Though the friend you have with you looks quite formidable.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“The mayor's thoughts are correct. I've worked in a merchant company since I was young and only recently became independent. What happened on the ship was just a stroke of luck.”

“You mean you're purely from a merchant background? That's surprising. But luck is a very important thing. Especially for those who do great things. In that case, what did you come to this city to sell, Mr. Gryph?”

“My experience as a military advisory group.”

“What? Hahaha. That was a funny joke.”

The people in the mayor's office laughed so hard the room shook.

It was clear they didn't believe me.

Well, they can only laugh like that for now.

Soon enough, they'll find out what I'm about to do.

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