WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Ode of the Brave ◈
Chapter 161
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Just over two months had passed since Ricart left. It was the span from the beginning of summer to the beginning of autumn.
A little over two months was enough time for seeds to sprout and crops to grow to a certain extent.
The seeds Ricart had sown while traveling back and forth to Beringen before leaving had also germinated, bringing change.
Adelivari, once the king’s retreat, was crowded with outsiders. Nords mercenaries, peddlers, large war merchants, suppliers who provided them with goods, and day laborers.
War meant vast amounts of money and manpower on the move. And since it inevitably brought chaos, maintaining order and harmony was extremely important.
Conflicts between townspeople and farmers, locals and outsiders. Countless contracts and their fulfillment, problems arising along the way, different notions of law born of different cultures, and subtle, complicated interests.
Marie was the one who soothed, settled, and held all that confusion together. Her friends and companions helped, of course, but in the end, she was the one who had to take responsibility and make the final decisions.
It was by no means easy.
For example, if a Nords mercenary got into a fight with a trading company and someone was seriously hurt, she could not simply pass judgment.
One side would say that beheading the offender was the only fair outcome, while the other would insist they had done nothing wrong.
No matter how rational her ruling was, one side might believe she had taken the other’s side and simply leave.
It was a society with no notion of the individual, where everything centered on the community. Communities came in many forms, not just villages. There were fighting communities like the Nords, guilds such as blacksmith associations, trading companies, bloodlines, and more.
Feudalism looked like a very simple, tiered structure from the outside. But within it, communities divided by class, profession, and status were tangled together in countless complicated ways.
So while rational and sensible decisions were important, what mattered more was the charisma to make people follow her words.
She could not simply threaten to kill everyone, nor could she plead and allow herself to be dragged around.
Ironically, Marie’s greatest strength was her bloodline. The imperial blood she had once considered so cursed gave her words at least some weight.
She had the unusual and remarkable distinction of being a Sword Master, but that alone could not make people follow her. Without her bloodline, they might have dismissed her simply because she was a woman.
Perhaps bringing people together was more important than fighting with actual swords and spears.
To put it harshly, maintaining harmony and order among people was so complicated, stressful, and maddening that risking one’s life in battle almost seemed preferable.
If combat forces were the tip of the iceberg, beneath the surface lay vast amounts of money, people, desires, and energy supporting them.
It was around the time red and yellow autumn leaves colored the trees and fallen leaves began piling on the ground. Just before Ricart faced the Second Prince.
“The Nords are cutting down nearby trees without permission to build huts. We need to stockpile firewood starting now to prepare for winter. At this rate, people outside the city may freeze to death.”
Mayor Markwin spoke from his seat at a large table.
Several others sat around the table in the meeting room, where soft white light streamed in.
There was Bremen, once a guide. Bori, who acted as something like Marie’s secretary. Herbert, who had once served in Adelorne’s Northwestern Border Force and now led a force that maintained public order. Lester, captain of the rangers, was there as well.
Each had their own duties and helped Marie, but they were also representatives of various interest groups, or communities.
For example, as mayor, Markwin naturally served as the voice of the local people’s complaints and demands. It was not a role Markwin had been deliberately appointed to fill. It had simply become inevitable.
Whether she offered solutions or mediated conflicts, one of Marie’s most important tasks was listening to people’s voices.
It was far more painful than it seemed.
She did not show it outwardly.
With her hair neatly swept up and her gaze steady, Marie spoke.
“I said we would provide them with the right to live here and housing in exchange for lower wages. To build proper homes, they would have to buy construction materials too, and Mayor, you know that is not feasible. Their cutting trees and building huts is no different from what I guaranteed them. Please persuade the residents.”
From the Nords mercenaries’ perspective, they had shown unusual restraint. They had been promised something before, so Marie could not now tell them not to cut trees.
And surprisingly, Roy was the one who conveyed the message to them and persuaded them.
The Nords were blunt and difficult to deal with because one never knew when they might become violent, but for some reason, they listened to Roy.
“Would it not be better to buy firewood from elsewhere? We cannot exactly transport stone.”
Bremen supported Marie’s words.
Markwin spoke again.
“Ah, I must have made it sound misleading. The problem is not the residents, but the merchants. There are already signs that they intend to raise the price of firewood. I suppose it has to do with what happened last time...”
Markwin trailed off.
Still, everyone in the meeting room knew what he meant without him saying it.
He was referring to the time a Nords mercenary had beaten up the head of a trading company. Marie had sided with the Nords then.
Both sides had been partly at fault when the incident was examined. But Marie had supported the Nords because they were not a force that could be replaced.
It was important to receive goods at good prices from reliable trading partners, but merchants could be replaced if necessary.
That did not mean the merchants had no complaints, nor that there would be no trouble as a result.
“Do they bear a grudge against Marie?”
Bori asked.
“If you want to call it a grudge, then perhaps. But merchants are not that simple. They may be acting purely for profit.”
“They acted like they would give us anything because Marie was from the same hometown.”
The merchants who supplied Adelivari with necessities and food were trading companies from the Kelbron region, Marie’s hometown.
“From their perspective, they may have thought Marie would favor them because she was from the same hometown. Things turned out differently from what they expected, so perhaps they feel betrayed.”
“Haah...”
Marie, who had maintained an unwavering expression, finally sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.
Bori glanced at her with concern, then asked again in search of a way through the problem.
“What happened with finding other suppliers?”
“Ernberg is too far away, and war is already brewing elsewhere, so prices have already risen there. They may be worse than the Kelbron trading companies, but they will not offer better prices.”
It was frustrating. She could not simply kill them all because they were infuriating.
Merchants existed in a symbiotic relationship with them. Without them, goods could not be brought in from outside.
If she killed them all, their immediate survival could be threatened. Worse, if they gained a bad reputation among merchants, it might become difficult to find anyone willing to supply them.
Marie agonized over the matter for a while before something came to mind.
“What about the Benicio Trading Company? The people who delivered a letter to me from Tujis. They said they wished to meet soon, did they not?”
“I am not sure. Their definition of ‘soon’ was not exactly precise. And is there not an old saying that one should not deal with southern merchants? You can never know what is in their hearts.”
“This is not the time to be bound by old sayings. Send them word. I am not saying we will immediately change suppliers, but we need a card of our own to weigh against them. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to be led around.”
“Would it not be better to establish a line of communication first?”
By a line of communication, Markwin meant someone who could connect them with the merchants, much as the mayor conveyed the local residents’ voices to Marie and relayed Marie’s intentions back to them.
At present, Marie had no such person. No one who could properly coordinate opinions with the merchants or negotiate terms.
“We discussed that last time, but we could not find a suitable person. More than anything, they need to be someone we can trust, but there is no one we can trust...”
She had received decent support from the security force, the mercenaries, and the local residents. The problem was the merchants.
And the more fundamental problem was that they were running short on money.
They had borrowed money from Beringen Academy and even from the Viola Clan. Those people had helped as much as they could out of old affection, but even those funds were rapidly running dry.
“Forgive me, as I do not know much about these things, but is the most urgent matter not Sir Ricart, your husband, rather than the merchants?”
Lester, who had spent the entire meeting merely occupying a seat, finally spoke.
They had received news that Prince Lotharius was blocking the bridge and preventing Ricart from returning.
The meeting room fell silent.
Lester was right. If Ricart could not return, all of this was meaningless.
With things turning out this way at the very end, everyone felt as though they had a thorn lodged in their throats. Ricart had come leading a real order of knights. He had accomplished that incredible feat in only two months.
“If negotiations take place, I believe they will take a long time.”
Markwin spoke cautiously.
It was the sensible opinion. If the bridge was blocked with a river between them, there was no way forward except negotiation.
Even those unfamiliar with military matters thought the same.
“Should we not at least send word? I’ll go.”
Bori spoke to Marie.
But Marie shook her head.
“Handling things here properly is how we help Ricky. And I need you here right now.”
The person who wanted to see him most said that, so Bori could not offer much of a rebuttal.
More than anything, Marie’s judgment had not become clouded. That was what mattered.
“He will not get hurt, right? Is that enough?”
“Yes.”
There was no particular solution.
They wanted to tell him that they were fine, that he should not rush and take his time. But they could not risk anything merely to convey that.
Like most meetings, it ended with nothing but frustration and no conclusion.
Then, when the meeting ended, Beka, Roy’s sister, entered. She was Marie’s student, but serving her was also part of her work.
“Master, someone named Paolo from the Benicio Trading Company has arrived. I showed them to the reception room. What should we do?”
The Benicio Trading Company was the one Marie had just said they should contact.
And Paolo was the merchant Ricart had dealt with in Tujis. Originally the branch chief who managed Tujis’s commercial district, he held a very high position within the Benicio Trading Company.
“I will meet Paolo right away. Check my appearance for me.”
There was not much to fix, but Beka adjusted Marie’s clothing and hair.
Then they immediately headed for the reception room. Marie wore a sword at her waist and was dressed like a duelist.
She dressed appropriately for her station, but she had not forgotten her true calling.
She was a swordfighter.
When she arrived at the reception room, a large person stood with their hands behind their back, looking around the room. Their loose foreign silk robes looked extremely expensive, and they wore a couple of thick rings at each finger joint.
Sensing Marie’s arrival, Paolo turned to her with a faint smile. Perhaps because Paolo had spent so long working under an intense sun, Paolo’s skin was nearly as dark as a Salaman’s.
Just as Marie found Paolo foreign, Paolo found Marie equally unusual.
Unlike other noblewomen, her attire made it clear that she was an outstanding swordswoman herself.
More than that, she was a rare beauty. Her blond hair resembled morning sunlight, and her straight brows, large eyes, sapphire-blue irises, nose, lips, ears, and face were all harmonious without a single flaw.
The only jewelry she wore was the necklace Ricart had gifted her and her wedding ring.
She herself looked like a jewel.
A finely cut jewel.
“It is an honor to meet you, Imperial Princess.”
“It is good to meet you, Paolo. But if possible, please call me Madam.”
“Of course, Madam.”
“Please sit. Beka, bring tea and cookies.”
“Yes.”
Even after Marie told Paolo to sit first, Paolo waited. Only after Marie sat in her chair did Paolo take a seat.
“Do you know who I am, Madam?”
“I know you work for the trading company that kindly delivered the letter.”
“I was personally asked by your husband in Tujis to deliver that letter. I have done good business with him before and wished to meet him again, but given the current circumstances, I believe it would be best for me to wait here. Will you permit it?”
“I can certainly spare a room for you. But I do not think you came here purely for that reason.”
“You are correct. I have come to request protection.”
Marie was puzzled by the somewhat unexpected words. She had expected Paolo to propose a business arrangement or offer to supply goods at better prices.
“...Protection?”
“Yes. We have primarily traded by sea in the south, but now we wish to expand our business inland as well.”
“Is it truly all right for you to say that so openly? It is rather strange.”
“Hahaha... Hiding one’s intentions and speaking in circles is what amateurs do. Like northern and central merchants. I do not wish to be rude to Sir Ricart or to you, and I do not want these discussions to drag on.”
“Very well. Since you have spoken honestly, Paolo, I will speak honestly as well. In my current circumstances, I do not have the means to protect anyone. Besides, is the Benicio Trading Company not quite far from here?”
“If the distance grows, so does our profit. That is for us to manage. All we want is your word. Just one sentence. ‘In my husband’s name, the Benicio Trading Company is guaranteed safety.’ That is all.”
“...That sounds like a king’s decree.”
Paolo’s head was as massive as Paolo’s build. The merchant’s smile was broad as well.
Paolo only grinned and added nothing further.
“Very well. Then what can you offer in return?”
“Everything material. Quality goods at the lowest possible prices.”
It was an absurdly good offer.
No, it was difficult to believe. It felt as though Paolo was simply making reckless promises. What does this person take me for? Is this a joke?
When discomfort showed on Marie’s face, Paolo added, “It is worth that much. Your husband’s word, I mean. Though I doubt those youngsters playing games with firewood prices understand that.”
At the mention of firewood prices, Marie wondered whether he had come knowing of the trouble she was facing.
“...Did you investigate us?”
“There is no need to investigate. How could we fail to notice when they are going around the region buying every piece of firewood they can get? Merchants here have changed little, then or now. Though inland merchants are all much the same.”
“Even so, my immediate troubles will not vanish, and I have no reason to trust your words. My husband is in a difficult situation as well, so I cannot make an uncertain promise.”
“You are very direct, just as one would expect from a renowned swordswoman. Good. Then I will tell you directly how to escape this predicament. All the firewood bought up by inland merchants will be delivered to you. Without costing you a single coin.”
“...?”
“How much do you trust your husband, Madam?”
“What do you mean by that? Depending on how I take it, that is rude.”
“My apologies. I did not mean it that way. If your husband fights Prince Lotharius, will he win or lose?”
“He will win.”
“When do you think he will win?”
“...That, I do not know.”
“Do you think it will take a month? Several months? Or a year?”
“I cannot know that. A year seems far too long.”
“I think he will win within a week.”
“I heard there is a river between them, and the Second Prince’s forces have already occupied the bridge. I do not know much about military matters, but that quickly seems impossible.”
“Everyone will think the same. So, Madam, wager on him winning within a week. Buy the firewood at whatever price the merchants demand, starting now. Spend all the money you have saved. Then struggle because of it. And if your husband returns within a week, they will refund the money themselves and hand over all the firewood as well.”
“...I trust my husband. But I cannot gamble.”
“Do I look like a gambler?”
“Give me grounds to believe you.”
“My grounds are what I have seen and heard. The battle against Sultan Yusuf at Sinatria, the fall of the Royal Castle of Basque, and the operation to suppress Snake-Eyed Ashtad.”
Marie had heard about the battles Ricart had fought.
Unlike Paolo, however, she did not know the specific details or how they had unfolded.
If one heard only the results, one naturally thought within the bounds of common sense.
He defeated an enemy force three times larger? He must have made good use of the terrain.
He captured the royal castle? He must have disguised himself and infiltrated it.
Bandits? Those would have been easy to suppress.
Paolo, on the other hand, had informants throughout the world and knew the circumstances in great detail.
And once one knew those circumstances, it became clear that Ricart was beyond common sense.
He had defeated an enemy force three times larger in a direct battle. He had completely occupied a royal capital in a little over an hour. With only around ten people, he had utterly wiped out more than a hundred mountain bandits.
That was the basis for Paolo’s certainty.
And the reason he sought Ricart’s word.
“I know little about military matters myself. But from what I have seen, Prince Lotharius has absolutely no ability to hold out against your husband for long. A week is a generous estimate. Real trade is not about selling what is visible. It is about buying and selling the future. Madam, you must buy the future.”
“...”
Marie was a swordswoman, while Paolo was a merchant. Their fields were different.
Still, a thought occurred to her. If Paolo had been a swordsman, would Paolo not have been someone at least comparable to a Sword Master?
Even so, after managing their funds so carefully until now, she could not readily do something so reckless.
So Marie ended the conversation for the time being and fell into deep thought. When she discussed it with Bori, he said this.
“We are swordsmen. When it is time to make a bold wager, we should make it. I support it.”
Those words gave Marie great strength.
Still, she agonized over the matter all night. Then, as soon as morning came, she released the funds she had managed so tightly and bought firewood at high prices.
She even sold off every bit of the paltry personal property she had accumulated.
The merchants happily sold their firewood for immediate profit. Marie even deliberately shed tears and pretended to struggle, while the people were moved by the sight.
Marie was suffering this much for them.
That was when Ricart crossed the river.
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