"What, Kyle's village was attacked by demons?"

 

The second son of the Marquis, Zayed Gandhar Baillord, looked up happily at the news that he had jumped in in the middle of his trivial chores.

 

"What, what!?"

 

The one who shouted was Jabir, the alchemist who had just come to Zayed's room on another errand.

- She is a brilliant female alchemist who has become a loli body due to the failure of the rejuvenation drug.

 

"Noisy, Jabir."

"I'm sorry, but I need to go help you sooner, Master Zayed!"

 

Jabir is panicked. He thinks it's the first time he's seen him lose his composure like this, but Zayed sighs and speaks.

 

"Why?"

"Why, there's an army here!"

"These soldiers are meant to protect this village, why should they be spared for Kyle?"

But that's it!"

"Shut up for a moment, Jabir."

 

Zayed turns to the messenger.

 

"So the village was wiped out?"

"No, I heard that you fought it off on your own!"

"Hmm, I see......

"Why, you're trying to surprise me."

 

Jabir strokes his missing breasts, and Zayed sneers at his mouth in a boring manner.

 

"Wasn't it a big monster?"

"No, that's more than 3,000 cockatrices......

"Huh?"

"Isn't it?"

"Wait, that's all a false alarm, isn't it?"

"It's still a possibility."

"Hmm, then it must be a false alarm. Find out the exact information."

"Huh! We will send a platoon! Permission to do so!"

"Forgive"

"Got it!"

 

The messenger saluted and sped outside. The sound of hooves echoed as the platoon, which had already been waiting for them, rushed forward.

 

"Hmm, the cockatrice must have been a pretty nasty monster, wasn't it?"

"Hmm, the individual strength is enough to deal with with a decent adventurer, but I've heard that petrifying breath is troublesome."

"Is that 3000? Even so, I ...... it is the breath of petrification. It would be unbearable if the soldiers were petrified in one breath."

"Oh, that's a misunderstanding."

"What?"

"The amount of breath you breathe in determines the degree of petrification, and unless you inhale a very large amount, it will gradually petrify from the ends of your limbs. If you inhale less, the range of petrification is smaller, and it's slower."

"Is that so?"

"If you were petrified in an instant, the world would be under the reign of cockatrices."

"Is that so?"

 

Jabir crosses his arms in front of his slender chest and thinks.

 

(Because there is a guy, there is no problem with anti-petrification drugs and anti-petrification drugs, but the materials are troublesome.) No, the adventurers in that town would collect them without difficulty. In any case, I don't think it's enough if there are a few thousand ......)

 

"Whatever it is, I hope Kyle and the others are safe, and so are they."

「...... Hmmm."

 

Zayed returned to his chair without hiding his displeasure.

 

Why are there so many lodgings and no decent tax revenue!?"

"It's not like there's less."

"It's certainly not a few...... But in proportion to the number of inns, and in proportion to the amount of carriage traffic, it will be small!"

"Huh, ......?"

 

Jabir (legal Lori) sighs openly at Zayed.

 

"Most of the horse-drawn wagons that pass through this town are Akindawfirm・・It's luggage."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Now, who was the guild leader of the inn guild in this village?"

"Akindo, right?"

 

Jabeel let out another deep sigh.

 

"Isn't that right, the carriage carrying the Akindō Chamber of Commerce is staying at the inn in Akindō? If you think about it normally, can't you get a discount?"

「...... Hmm...... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

"Of course, we don't exempt them in full, and it's a general discount rate, but it makes sense that the income is small in proportion to the number of inns and carriages."

"What...... Wow! Is there such a stupid story! Whoa! How could that be!?"

"It was Zayed-sama who allowed the establishment of the Innkeeper Guild in Akindaw."

"Oh! Is it my fault!?"

"That's a good enough achievement."

 

Jabir begins to explain in a hassled manner.

 

"It can be said that it has attracted a large number of merchants to a remote area where no one has come before."

"Oh, I see......

(Since the destination is Golden Dawn, it probably didn't affect me that much.)

 

Jabir forcibly swallows the words that come to his mouth.

 

"The size of this village has also developed from the beginning, don't you think it's a good thing to be proud of?"

"I see......

 

Zayed was a little unconvinced, but he ended the matter for the time being.

 

"In that case, we should still take a toll tax."

"Master Zayed, as I have said many times before, it is a foolish scheme of foolishness."

"Why, there are so many horse-drawn carriages coming and going every day! The revenue from the toll tax alone will be substantial!?"

"Well, now that we've built a barrier in this village, we're going to take a detour and that's the end of it."

"I don't understand that! Damn it! Is there an option not to stop at one of the few villages where you can resupply in the middle of a difficult place!?"

 

Jabir (who looks like a little girl, but has a genius brain) lets out a sigh that is ridiculous to count how many times it will be today.

 

"If you think about it normally, that's the case, but in a dangerous frontier, it's difficult to even camp in the open. If you're in a caravan that has been camped out for dozens of days, it makes sense that you'll want to take a break."

Then you'll want to pay a toll tax!"

"Well, that's where some problems arise."

"Is it a problem?"

"Well, normally, when you talk about toll tax, it's either cash or a percentage of the actual tax."

"Yes."

"Isn't most of the goods that merchants carry in their wagons now volcanic ash and lime?"

"Huh?"

"If I were Akindo, I'd strictly order you to pay all toll taxes in kind."

"What happens then?"

"Except for Golden Dawn, there will be a lot of volcanic ash and lime piled up in the village that no one would pay to buy."

「......」

 

Apparently, Zayed has finally figured out what is going on.

 

"I've heard from him how to make alchemy hardening rock, so I can't use it."

"Then why don't we sell it?"

"It's impossible, it would take a certain amount of alchemists. Not only is it difficult to gather the already precious alchemist's crest bearer, but even if you create an alchemy hardening rock in this village, it will only harden."

"What?"

"At present, we have no choice but to place an alchemist in the place where we will use the alchemy hardening rock, bring the materials there, and create it locally."

"Then Jabir can be used in this village......

"I'm in the service of Master Zayed on the condition that I am allowed to do as I please, and of course I will be open to such consultations."

"Gu......"

 

Zayed remembered his contract with Jabir and couldn't help but swallow his words.

 

"That's why I'm going back to my research, and I'm going to have to scrutinize his report."

"Wait, how do we raise tax revenue?!"

"It's the lord's job to think about it, and when we have a little more of an idea, we'll talk to you again."

 

Ignoring Zayed's attempts to say something more, Jabir walks away.

 

"Not at all...... I wonder if Zayed can grow up a little more."

 

Breathing a sigh of relief at being released, Jabir (Grandma Lori) suddenly looked up at the empty sky.

 

"I feel like I'm being made fun of strangely from a while ago......

 

Damn it.