Survival Strategy for Weak Territories! ~ My Territory Will Be Destroyed No Matter How Many Times It Is Repeated. How Can This Be Saved? ~ - Chapter 27

“Well, I don’t want to keep thinking about it. First of all, I want all the employees of the Saga Company detained. Do not allow them to take any property out of the company.”

“Yes, sir.”

Leaving  Brynhilde in charge of the seizure of the Saga Company, Klein decided to head for the Hermes Trading Company.

This time, he was going to change things up and go in from the front, fair and square.

『I was almost poisoned at your store, and you didn’t apologize?』, was the reason he was going to use.

“I’m sure I can get a concession or two out of the old man.”

“I wish you the best of luck.”

The little tricks would be until after I arrive at the store.

I told Brynhilde that I was going to honestly visit them.

It’s normal for people to protest if their company’s going to be confiscated.

Since they will protest anyways it doesn’t have to be Klein who’s going to confiscate it.

The secretary obeyed without any particular intervention.

Seeing that Brynhilde easily went to seize the Saga Trading Company, Klein laughed at the guards.

“Well, it’s going to become chaotic.”

“Ha…. Again?”

“I might get you to do something, but basically I’ll take care of it.”

Hans, who had been entrusted with the torture during the day, was still looking blue.

He looked a little relieved when he heard that Klein would take care of most of the things.

-But he was the escort of Klein so he also had to see the scene…

Perhaps having come to that realization, the guards led by Hans proceeded with a pale face.

Anyways, the die was already cast.

Since he visited the Hermes Trading Company earlier than last time and got in while revealing his status as a lord, even the tough-looking guards greeted Klein with a polite response.

Klein and his party were taken to the back of the building, where they were shown into the nobleman’s reception room.

When Klein and his three guards entered the room, the owner of the Company was already sitting on the sofa.

“Oh, Klein-sama, welcome to my humble store.”

“It looks like you’ve been drinking.”

Jean Hermes was waiting for them, smiling and sipping a glass of wine.

This attitude was different from Dominique’s, even though he knows he will be pursued for the assassination case. This put Klein on high alert.

“Would you care for a drink, Klein-sama?”

“No, let’s pass on the drink.”

Since the nobleman said that he wouldn’t drink the wine was quickly cleaned up.

When tea is brought instead, the discussion begins.

“Now, let’s get right to the business.”

“Yes, that’s right. It is only natural that you would ask about the incident that took place in a restaurant owned by our company.”

The smiling old man Hermes, made his move before Klein did.

He took out a box from under the table and put it in front of Klein.

-Are you trying to be done with this by giving me a bit of money?

But it wasn’t something Klein would ever think of.

Inside the box, which was opened carelessly, were two heads.

“These are the people who were bribed by the Saga Company and put the poison in the wine. We have punished them, please see for yourself.”

“You sure move fast.”

“Yes, because trust is the first priority for a merchant. …… This person has been with the company for 20 years. This person was the one I entrusted with the leadership of the branch, but I never expected …… this to happen.”

Klein who saw these heads was shocked inside for a second. The guards standing behind him were already pale.

“Truly a shame”

“We’ve already disposed of the traitor after an internal investigation to find the culprit.”

Said the smiling old man.

There was an eeriness about him that I couldn’t quite grasp.

He was a man who, when he was done with his work, would easily kill even his own men and offer them their heads.

Seeing him smiling and offering their head, Klein changed his perception of the man.

“…… I see.”

“Of course, I don’t expect to get away with just a few heads. I’ll pay you double the compensation, and I’ll do everything I can to accommodate you.”

Then Klein had a hunch.

This was not an apology.

If you listen to what they have heard from the Saga, there was no way that they have good intentions.

As soon as they took the share, it was obvious that they would make unreasonable demands on Klein as well.

If he refused to comply, that would make Klein their enemy.

If that happens, the Asgard Territory will be starved within a few months.

“I see.”

It was a good theory, but for now, the first thing to do was to get the information out of him.

Klein’s smile resurfaced on his face.

“Well, I’ll be relying on you in the future… So the Chairman didn’t know anything, right?”

“Ehh, of course.”

He planned to poison a noble, so he must have known that his life was in danger.

And his accomplice, Saga has already been captured so there was a high chance he had spilled the beans already.

He can still pursue them for supervisory responsibility.

If Klein had a more impulsive personality, he could have been beheaded on the spot.

But judging from Klein’s background and personality.

He would have rationally chosen the path that would yield the most profit.

“”

If he had planned his plan with that much calculation in mind, he was a clever man.

While Klein was thinking, Hermes made his next move.

“The main culprit is  Saga, but it’s also the fault of my company. I promise to give you a 30% discount on the foodstuffs that are in short supply, and I promise to supply twice as much as I have so far.”

And if they reached for the property as an apology, the poison would spread throughout the entire Asgard Territory without their knowledge.

In exchange for the large sum of money, the territory would have to depend on the Hermes Trading Company to survive – a luscious poison.

The fact that they immediately switch to trying to win me over as soon as they see that their attempts to kill the noble have failed shows that they are flexible.

“Hmm… Can you transport those goods?”

“Yes. I’ll call in support from other parts of the country.”

If Klein had not been regressing. If he had not been getting the situation from multiple sources.

If he had not known That the Laguna family, was in partnership with the Hermes Trading Company.

He would have easily fallen into the trap and sacrificed his people again. Klein closed his eyes and thought.

He pondered for a few seconds.

“”

He opened his eyes, looked straight at Hermes, and said,

“Well, it’s not a bad deal.”

“This is the sincerity of our Company. Oh, I’ll throw in some gold too.”

However, the assumptions made so far are only hypothetical.

The current Klein was a completely different person from the original.

“Klein-sama, from now on until the future, I want to be on good terms with you.”

The old man in front of me pretended to apologize.

He must be thinking that I’m falling for his trap.

Pretending to be tricked and to gather information, Klein knew that this was the best way to go.

–But, however.

Hermes was smiling with his eyes narrowed like a crescent moon.

When he saw the dark pupils peering out – for some reason, Klein couldn’t help but lose his self-control.

“”

He reached out his hand to Hermes’ head, which was still smiling.

He grabbed the white-haired head with all his might and slammed his face into the table in the reception room.

“Paha? W-what??”

He held down Hermes’ face so hard that the table creaked.

He held down at the old man in front of him and said,

“It’s not a bad deal – but don’t joke around, old bastard. I’m not going to fall for your smooth talk.”