I Reincarnated But Will Try To Live Without Using My Cheat Ability - CH 283

After all, it seemed to have become a bit thorny.

I didn’t notice it myself, but…

Whenever Mil’s annoyed with me, she obviously spends more time attached to me.

I wonder if it is a sign that I don’t notice it either.

When I asked her about it, she laughed and didn’t answer.

That made my head a little cold.

I can’t seem to get my head around it.

I don’t think it’s anything bad, though.

Then I got a report that Isabeau had just arrived here.

I asked them to call her up as soon as possible.

This time, I needed to dispatch an Ears’ member, so I asked Kiara to accompany me.

Isabeau was waiting for me in the reception room, and we exchanged a brief greeting.

“Thank you for coming.”

Isabeau turns her sales smile to me.

“No, if it’s a call from an important business partner, I’ll be happy to come over.”

I’m not going to waste your time with idle chatter.

“I have a few favors to ask of you.”

“Anything we can do to help.”

“First of all, you know that there is a demon tribe in the back regions of Ravenna, don’t you?”

Isabeau’s eyes narrow slightly.

“Yes, of course.”

“I’m not asking you to spy on them by making a deal with a demon tribe… or something like that. The demon tribe has a relationship with a merchant. I want you to get information about what they are trading with them.”

Isabeau closed her eyes a little.

“To be honest, it’s difficult. If you were a merchant, you would not give out information about your customers so easily. Just as we would not divulge information about Ravenna to any other customer.”

We know that.

In a way… that’s the expected reaction.

“I understand. It’s an unreasonable request. Let’s drop the subject.”

Isabeau seemed a little surprised that I pulled out of the conversation so easily.

“Perhaps you were testing me?”

I shook my head.

I don’t want to undermine their credibility by doing that.

Some people would be furious.

In the play “Bancho Sarayashiki”, Okiku was not cut down because she broke a plate.

It was because she broke a plate to test his affection.

The discomfort of being tested and the anger of having his precious dish broken were amplified, and Aoyama Harima became furious.

“You shouldn’t test people carelessly,” he said.

“No, you have the loyalty of a merchant. I just wondered if it was possible if that merchant was a business rival or a hostile force that was doing something illegal and interfering with our business.”

Isabeau pondered for a moment.

I watched her, fretting inwardly, and eventually nodded her head in understanding.

“I see. I’m sorry, but… we don’t have that kind of relationship. I apologize for not meeting your expectations…”

It doesn’t seem to have offended her.

I crossed a dangerous bridge because I’m a feudal lord…

If I were a commoner, I would never do that.

“No, actually, there is one more thing. This is the main issue.”

Isabeau looked alarmed.

“What is it that you want to talk about?”

“I need to keep an eye on world affairs. I wonder if you can hire a few of our family members to work for you. We would like to see the world through the eyes of a merchant.”

Isabeau’s expression disappeared.

“If you need information, I can gather it myself.”

“I don’t think I can ask you to do everything for me every time. I also have no intention of starting a business. And, Ms. Isabeau, I don’t think it’s a bad idea for you to have a direct line of communication with me.”

Isabeau thought about it, but then looked at me and nodded.

“I understand. I really can’t match Lord Alfred. So you will help us with our business?”

“Yes, they can read, write, etc., so please use them. Kiara, please consult with Ms. Isabeau about who to send.”

Kiara smiles.

“I understand.”

I leave the rest to Kiara and return to the Office.

Mil smiles at me who returned.

“Did it go well?”

“Yes, we’ve cleared the minimum.”

“Did you get any information about the demon tribe?”

“I can’t do it directly. Even other merchants refused to give me information about their clients. But I was able to extract the key to think.”

Mil tilted her head.

“Really? You couldn’t ask her, could you?”

“But I can sort of understand. They’re not hiding their trade with the demon tribe. They are not doing anything illegal. They are not hostile to the Floquet Chamber of Commerce, which began doing business in the same Ravenna region. And that trading company has not contacted us.”

Mil nodded.

“Yes, I can see that much.”

“I don’t think they’re doing that big of a deal. If they were, other business associations would have entered the market. If the demon tribe refuses to trade with anyone other than that trading company, other trading companies will take notice of us. If the trading company with which we are doing business is also an important partner of the demon tribe, they will at least try to restrain the Floquet Chamber of Commerce. Or they would try to contact us to get information.”

“That’s what one would usually think. But aren’t they secretly trading expensive items?”

“In that case, they will look into us. Since our territories are adjacent to each other, it is natural that they would at least investigate us. We are an important business partner, after all.”

Mil looked astonished.

“That means, they don’t have that much money or strong armaments. You think we are about the same in terms of personal strength as when we fought before.”

“That’s right. They’re associating with them because they owe them. That’s how it is, I guess. Because of that level of information, I think Ms. Isabeau also prioritized the merchant’s credibility. If the information was more serious, she would be a little more worried. She was surprised by my question, you know.”

Mil couldn’t help but chuckle.

“It must be hard for Ms. Isabeau too. If Al gets to you, even if you don’t tell him, he’ll pull your information out of you.”

“It’s a technique that worked only because it caught her by surprise. I can’t read it off if she was expecting it. Anyway, it means that we don’t have to desperately try to find out information about the demon tribe. But that’s not the same thing as being vigilant.”

If they had some new weapon, I would have to search for it at will.

I’m glad I don’t have to do that anymore.

“Well, I guess we’ll go back the week after next as planned.”

“Yes, unless there is a major incident, we will go through with it.”

“Well, I’m done interviewing Al for the accident investigation.”

I guess she really was nervous about interviewing me.

She can’t help it, though.

“Strangely enough, after this accident, people started voluntarily making suggestions.”

Mil started laughing.

“Oh, that. Now I know exactly how far I have to go to make Al uncomfortable. Until now, I had thought it would be a bad idea to make sacrifices, too.”

I didn’t mean it that way, but…

I guess I showed too much dislike for sacrifice.

“I see… it doesn’t work. It’s not every day that a society welcomes voluntary proposals. I guess we inevitably go to a standstill.”

“And, as scary as Al is, you do succeed at new things. I was holding back, thinking that everyone else’s proposal would have to be just as good.”

I couldn’t even say a word.

It’s really hard to be on top of people…