Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki - Book 4: Chapter 10-2: Compromise

「Today’s feast is for our honored guests. We can’t afford such a lavish meal every day; we only eat like this a few times a year, during festivals.」

「I see, that’s good.」

There aren’t many reasons why she would be happy that Erucy’s living standard was low.

「By the way, I heard a story like this once.」

Pretending to engage in small talk, I decided to probe.

「Long ago, there was a poor village. This village had been guarding a family heirloom for generations. It was of great historical value, and many people from the neighboring big city came to try to buy it, offering large sums of money and wonderful things, but the villagers refused no matter how much wealth or treasures were offered. They said they couldn’t sell what their ancestors had left them.」

It was a story from a village I had visited in the past.

「One day, a merchant from the neighboring big town arrived. This merchant didn’t mention the heirloom at all; instead, he started giving away soft bread, wine, and lovely, comfortable clothes as if they were nothing.」

「Initially, the villagers were delighted. Their previously harsh and impoverished lives suddenly became prosperous. The merchant’s visits continued for about two months, approximately once a week.」

「And then, once he had gained their trust, the merchant suddenly started demanding the heirloom in exchange for the goods he had been giving. If he had made such demands from the first day, the villagers would have refused. But the villagers, having grown accustomed to luxury, couldn’t bear to return to their old way of life. They wanted white bread, pretty clothes, and delicious wine. After the village’s representative refused, the villagers snuck into the village’s storage and stole the heirloom, selling it.」

People can endure when they don’t know any better. Once they become accustomed to luxury, they can’t bear to go back.

「After that, it followed the usual pattern. After selling all the heirlooms, the villagers had nothing to pay with, yet they still desired what the merchant offered. They sold their ancestral land for next to nothing, becoming serfs to the wealthy people from the prosperous town that the merchant was from. Young people left the village in droves, and they began selling themselves into slavery under harsh conditions. And so, the village was effectively conquered without the need for any violence.」

「Cyril-san, you are quite knowledgeable. That was an interesting story.」

As I thought, she hadn’t shown any changes in her expression, although the woman in men’s clothes next to her was another story, I could even hear her inner voice.

「Awawa, Ojou-sama, he has caught on to us, he read us completely!」

I wonder why she keeps this disappointing girl at her side. Does Azul’s trust in her stem from her abilities as a bodyguard? Her abilities while tailing me were indeed exceptional; if it were anyone other than me, she wouldn’t have been discovered.

「This story has a lesson for leaders: do not underestimate culture. You must know that culture can be a form of invasion. To prepare against external threats, you need not only military strength and food reserves but also to improve the lives of your people.」

「I agree with that. Erin’s development is also due to culture. People come to Erin because there’s everything there. The people who gather bring wonderful things, and these new things attract even more people. It’s a positive cycle that drives Erin’s development.」

「It’s an enviable story.」

Where there are people, more people gather. When neighboring villages sell goods, they naturally have to buy goods in return. So, no matter how you look at it, Erin, with its large market, is the top choice.

In fact, I use all the money I earn in Erin. Erin will continue to prosper.

「If you accept my offer, Erucy, too, can come under Erin’s protection and receive the same benefits. As I mentioned at lunch, we’ll provide soldiers for defense and efficiently manage Erucy’s operations. We’ll also arrange for regular visits by merchants. We won’t engage in underhanded practices like you mentioned. Even if we wanted to, we couldn’t do it. We’ll sell at fair prices. If there are other appealing products besides maple syrup and Erucy wine, I’d be willing to buy them. With the payment, you can buy what you want, and we both can be happy.」

That’s a very welcome offer. In the future, I plan to produce large quantities of paper from the leftover hemp leaves and stems left from making “the medicine”. Hemp is an excellent material for paper, so if we can process it and sell it in Erin, Erucy will become even wealthier. In addition, I plan to make lightweight plastic from hemp in the future.

Even so.

「You asked for my answer before you departed, but I would like to give you my answer here. Erucy does not intend to come under Erin’s protection.」

I decided to reject Azul’s proposal.

「Is that so? If you refuse, you won’t be able to do business in Erin from now on.」

「Yes, we’ll figure something out.」

For now, I’ll send the potatoes and turnips that I made the fire foxes grow in the glasshouse during winter to Bell Erucy to solve the immediate food problem. In the first place, those were surplus food, I planned to process them into long-term reserves for in the event we find ourselves under siege after we build Erucy’s walls, but I’ll have to give up on this plan.

With the time earned from this, I’ll make plans to increase food production. Right now, in Bell Erucy, we’ve started growing hemp. We may need to convert some of Bell Erucy’s fields into potato fields.

In addition to the food production plan, I’m considering having a third party handle the purchases on behalf of Erucy in Erin and providing money to people in villages near Bell Erucy to try to make purchases from the Empire.