How to Use the Lord’s Future Diary-Chapter 47

Chapter 47
-That’s really that delicious?
“Yes, Father. You won’t know unless you taste it yourself. I definitely want to introduce this to the residents of Haken Castle as well.”
-The deal itself was already confirmed. The problem is the price. Ha, that’s the real issue.
After exchanging brief greetings with me, the Lord of Haken asked Irene for her thoughts on tasting Horned Rabbit meat.
It seemed he intended to reflect the local evaluation in the transaction.
This was where the mistake of the Lord of Haken, in sending Irene here, became clear.
This woman, how should I put it—she didn’t seem to care much about the profits of Haken Territory at all.
From Haken Castle’s standpoint, they should have done whatever they could to lower the price. Yet Irene, already completely captivated by the charms of the Horned Rabbit, blindly heaped praises upon it.
So favorable that it was suspicious.
At this rate, it would have been better if they had shared their opinions beforehand, without me present, before starting negotiations.
Still, from my position, it wasn’t exactly a bad thing, so I simply observed in silence.
-Well, fine. If the meat really is of such quality, then we should pay a price that matches.
“I’m truly glad to hear you think so.”
-We’ll trade at a price 10% higher than pork. That should be enough to satisfy Johnson, right?
“Like that?”
-Let’s not waste strength over such trivial matters. There are plenty of things we want to discuss further with Johnson in the future.
“10% is reasonable. But instead, I’d like to ask for something else.”
-What is it?
“Magical power.”
At first, I had only thought about receiving a decent price.
But my thoughts changed.
After seeing something like the Mana Communicator with my own eyes, how could I not?
I wasn’t sure if this was the Lord of Haken’s intention, but because of the existence of the Mana Communicator, the balance of this negotiation had tilted quite a bit toward Haken.
Even if I lost a little in the deal, I wanted to obtain Haken’s advanced items.
Who knew what other things were hidden in Haken’s lands, but even just the Mana Communicator had limitless applications.
Getting even a few would make the deal unquestionably worthwhile.
“I’d like the price to be 10% lower than the meat we usually trade. Instead, I’d like Haken Castle to send us a Magical Engineer. Whether it’s by dispatch or migration, I’ll leave the method up to you.”
-I see, so that’s how it is.
“And, if possible, I’d like to be exposed to more of Haken’s advanced items.”
10% cheaper than what we had usually traded.
Considering the excellent quality of Horned Rabbit, it was quite an impressive price.
But think about it.
Most of the meat that went to Haken originally came from Levelium.
Raising pigs required a lot of resources.
Omnivores, just like humans.
In times like these, how could that ever be easy?
Not to mention the labor costs of raising pigs.
But our territory?
We just caught Horned Rabbits straight from the fields and butchered them.
The cost-performance gap was overwhelming.
Which meant that even if we sold at 10% cheaper than Levelium, we wouldn’t lose anything.
‘If I could use this as a pretext to maintain good relations with Haken, and secure their magical power and items, there’d be nothing better.’
The Lord of Haken also seemed to want to solidify cooperation with us.
-Fine. The details will need discussion, but we’ll move in that direction.
The Lord of Haken gave his approval after some time had passed.
Naturally, he would have had many things to consider.
The result was acceptance.
He seemed to acknowledge that it was a win-win deal for both sides.
“Then how will the delivery work? It’s not exactly easy for us to carry goods all the way to Haken…”
-Ah, of course. I was thinking of Rubina, how about that?
“Rubina?”
-If Johnson carries the goods only as far as Rubina, we’ll take care of the rest.
‘Rubina? The Lord of Haken mentions Rubina?’
Rubina was a small territory attached to the southeast of the Forest of Illusions.
In terms of distance, it was actually closer to Johnson Territory than to Levelium.
But I had never once considered Rubina as a trading partner.
The Lord of Rubina Castle was known to be extremely closed-off, and the size of the castle wasn’t large either.
Even if a deal was struck, the volume they could handle was limited, so I had never given it thought.
‘For the Lord of Haken to bring up Rubina Territory…’
Could it be that some negotiations had taken place between Haken and Rubina?
“Has this been discussed with the Lord of Rubina?”
-Well…
“Recently, there’s been quite a commotion. Ah, Lord Iron, you must already know. The monster rampage from the Forest of Illusions. The Lord of Rubina requested aid from Haken, and Haken saved Rubina.”
-…Ah.
Right. A monster wave was never something that only erupted in one direction.
Monsters had surged toward Rubina as well, and as a result, Rubina had become half-subjugated to Haken.
It wasn’t uncommon for great territories to exert influence over nearby ones, but the central-northern part of the Ribella Peninsula had always felt like a power vacuum.
There had never been much to gain from it.
But perhaps that was no longer the case.
-Hmph. Don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of using this trade as an excuse to stretch my hand into Johnson. I’m not the sort of man to covet the land of an old friend. In fact, Rubina was the one to reach out first. I merely accepted.
“I understand the general situation. Rest assured, I won’t take it the wrong way.”
Rubina.
From the Lord of Haken’s perspective, it wasn’t land of any particular value.
In truth, Rubina was in much the same state as Johnson Territory.
As the Lord of Haken said, it was very likely Rubina had been the one to request first.
‘But this woman. Is she doing this on purpose?’
-Something about this feels strange.
Still, Irene’s subtle attitude kept nagging at me.
It seemed the Lord of Haken was trying to conceal the fact that Rubina had fallen under his influence.
Not out of ill intent, but more like he simply wanted to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding.
But Irene’s subtle contrariness made it all come to nothing.
It even made me wonder if her earlier fuss over Horned Rabbit being delicious was intentional, knowing it would weaken her side of the negotiation.
‘More and more to think about.’
The circumstances of other territories, and how the great territories in the south were moving.
Unless I became an overwhelmingly singular existence, I had to at least grasp the movements of other lords to some extent.
The lack of a reliable source of information was painful.
Well, for now, the priority was to settle this deal securely.
-The sooner the trade begins, the better. How are things at Johnson Castle?
“Looks like it will have to wait until spring.”
-Is that so? If that’s how things stand on your side, then it can’t be helped.
Now that the trade location was decided, the only matter left was the timing.
Haken’s side wanted the trade to begin as soon as possible.
But that was only their wish.
Considering the state of our territory, starting this year would have been a bit much.
We had more than enough stock, but pushing forward into Rubina wasn’t easy.
The winters here weren’t to be underestimated.
Winter was a season when we had to stay alert to the conditions of the Monster Mountains.
The route from Johnson to Rubina was relatively decent, but it wasn’t completely free of monsters, so we’d need escort troops.
There was no reason to send forces outside in such a season.
Depending on the situation, even a small number of troops sent to escort wagons could be sorely missed.
Fortunately, the Lord of Haken seemed to understand our position and didn’t press us to hurry the deal.
-My daughter may be a tomboy that I’d be embarrassed to show off anywhere, but I’ll be counting on you to take care of her nonetheless.
“Father, how could you say such a thing?”
-Be quiet, you! Don’t cause trouble in another’s territory, and please, just stay quiet until you return.
“Don’t worry, Lord Uldea. While she remains in Johnson, I’ll see to it she lacks nothing.”
-Then I’ll trust you with her. As for the details of the deal, let’s leave them to the officials.
“Yes, I understand.”
Thus ended my conversation with the Lord of Haken, with him entrusting me with the care of his daughter.
The foundations of the trade were set. The details would now be handled directly by officials, whether in Haken or Rubina.
Who should I send for that?
Rudick, Peter, or Butler Harold came to mind.
Truthfully, Butler Harold was the most reliable for such a task, so I wanted to send him. But he disliked leaving the main household unattended, so I wasn’t sure he would follow my wishes.
Even for me, forcing such a thing on that elder felt uncomfortable.
‘We really are lacking in manpower.’
At times like this, it would have been wonderful to have someone trustworthy and well-versed in commerce.
Even before starting, my head already ached.
“And you? What are your plans now?”
“I was thinking of staying in Johnson for a few days. Would that be all right?”
“Is that so? If you wish to stay here, I have no reason to object.”
I set aside the troublesome matters for the moment and asked about her schedule.
The trade date was still far off, so there was no need to think of it just yet.
Dwelling on other matters in front of a guest would have been impolite.
“Um, Lord Iron. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask for a tour of your territory?”
“Our territory?”
“Yes.”
“There’s not much to see.”
“Still. It’s a rare chance.”
“Then shall we?”
I had been wondering how to respond to Irene’s desire to stay a few days. But then she asked me directly for a tour of the territory.
When she made such requests herself, it was actually easier.
There was no need to waste time worrying.
Even though there wasn’t much to see in this small territory, if she wished it, then showing her around a bit wasn’t a bad idea.
“The atmosphere feels very different here.”
“Well, it’s a small territory. There’s much we lack.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant the atmosphere of the people…”
“Did it unsettle you? If so, I apologize. There’s no ill will behind it. It’s just that, since it’s such a quiet place, even a small event makes them gather noisily. And since the territory is so small, everyone knows each other. So when they’re bored, they gather like this…”
“No, I liked it. I could see how familiar the people are with Lord Iron. Even if they joke, I could feel respect and affection.”
“If you think so, then I’m grateful.”
I took a walk around the territory with Irene.
Though there wasn’t much to see, she earnestly observed the daily lives of the people.
To be honest, I liked that attitude.
Compared to Haken, this land was woefully lacking, but I had my own pride in it.
If she had only asked for the tour to kill time, rather than out of genuine interest in the people, I would have been a little displeased.
Except for the way she lost herself in battle, she really was a lady with little to fault.
The problem was the residents.
The moment word spread that we were touring the territory, everyone craned their necks like meerkats, watching us—no, watching Irene.
That much was fine.
The news of an outsider visiting would have spread long ago.
And for people who had never seen a proper cavalry, the sight of the iron-clad knights of the Crimson Comet galloping down the main road must have been quite a spectacle.
Their curiosity was natural.
Especially since the commander of that splendid display of riding was none other than Irene.
A female knight, and beautiful on top of that. It would have been stranger if the gossip-hungry residents of Johnson Territory had left her alone.
But then again…
This was a bit much.
Here was where the temperament of our people showed.
Blunt, headstrong, and overly interested in me.
Never once had I regretted mingling with them freely.
I knew well that even if I treated them with kindness, they would never disrespect or look down on me.
But today, I felt a tinge of regret.
-Ohhh… so beautiful!
-A noble lady in such a shabby territory!
-They look good together!
-A beauty and a bear!
The residents of Johnson, who knew how hard life had been for me after my former wife left, erupted with fervent support at the appearance of this “new face” (a beauty).
Wherever Irene and I passed, a commotion followed.
The way the residents behaved, as if eager to shoot a fantasy version of We Got Married, made my face burn red.
The absurd part was that not long ago, these very same people had been spinning all kinds of tales about me and Leisha.
At this point, I wasn’t sure if they were truly worried about my marriage or just amusing themselves.
The only consolation was that Irene seemed to take the people’s free-spirited behavior quite positively.
“From the people’s attitude alone, I can tell what a good lord Lord Iron is.”
“A good lord? Hardly. I still fall short.”
“Haken is certainly bigger and more advanced, but the expressions of its people aren’t nearly this bright.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course, it’s not something to compare so simply. But one thing is certain—if the former lord were watching this scene, he’d surely be pleased. He’d praise you, saying you’ve done well.”
“Haha…”
-Quite the contrast from before. What’s surprising is that there wasn’t a hint of pretense in her words.
I agreed.
At this point, it was clear this was her true nature.
-Hmph, she really isn’t an easy one. Shouldn’t the lioness be stepping up her game?
‘Step up her game, really?’
Still, I had to admit—Irene was a fine person.
If I had a little sister or daughter like Irene, I would have doted on her endlessly.
They said she enjoyed idol-like popularity in Haken, and I could see why.