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KAORU CHAPTER 68: THE TECHNIQUE OF EMPTY CICADA (UTSUSEMI)
『Hmm, should I collect the goods from that store now…?』(Oram)
First thing in the morning, Earl Oram decided to visit the drug store that he just bought yesterday.
As expected, he planned to do it as soon as he signed up the contract.
Even he withdrew yesterday after signing the contract, he didn’t mean to leave it untouched.
Yes, first of all, he will collect items of the store that seems to be useful to him.
Instruct the tenant not to sell what he wants to collect and lower the price.
Other items will be sold at a high price, and half of the sales will go in his pocket.
For an Earl, the sales of small shops are insignificant.
The reason he bought that shop isn’t for the money.
It’s just 【to acquire that store and “all” of its handled goods】
All.
Yes, material routes, medicine manufacturing methods, glass roofing and pottery acquisition routes, everything.
And it’s not bad to have that shopkeeper.
She is somewhat young, then again, she somewhat suits in his strike zone.
It is about time to arrive…
『We arrived』(Coach)
As the coach said so, the escorts in the carriage got off first and confirmed the safety of the surroundings with the cavalry escorts. The Earl stomped on the prepared staircase and got off the carriage slowly.
Then he opened the door of the target drug store and stepped in slowly…
『『Welcome!』』(Emil + Bell)
How strange, he was greeted with two aligned un-familiar voices.
『Huh……?』(Oram)
And the Earl opened his eyes wide looking at the surroundings.
… There is nothing.
Item shelves that were lined up along the walls, the medicinal pots that were lined up there, the glasswork, the ceramics, the items that he didn’t understand well, everything.
Inside the shop, there is only one table, there are several items like lunch boxes arranged on it.
The clerks are 1 young man between 16 and 17 years old and a girl between 11 and 12 years old.
There is no shopkeeper girl and her little sister.
『What …!?』(Oram)
Earl Oram is dumbfounded.
After plenty of seconds solidified, the Earl cried out loud to Emil.
『Wh… wha… what is this!?
What about the medicines and ceramics!?
Where’re those girls?』(Oram)
Emil calmly plugs his ears to defend from the shouting and then he explained.
『Oh, if you ask about the manager, she is in the shop』(Emil)
『Where is she!? I can’t find her anywhere!』(Oram)
Emily calmly rephrased on the face of the angry Earl Oram in detail.
『She is in the branch office.
Whatever you say, we can’t live if we are in a deficit here.
We will not be able to keep our promise with our suppliers if we have to tell you everything about them.
That’s why we decided to sell only the things that we do not mind tell you everything.
In the morning, we will sell lunch boxes for lunch, mainly for hunters.
So, at a reasonable time, we will close the store and we will also go to work.
30 box lunches with the price 3 small silver coins each. If we sold out, we would get 90 small silver coins.
If we kept selling for about 20 days a month, we would get a total of 18 small gold coins.
Since half of it will be paid for the rent, it’s 9 small gold coins per month. Well, it’s a reasonable amount of money.
If it sells out every day though…
So today, from here on, this head office has become a warehouse / residential and lunch box store.
And the drug store has moved to the branch office』(Emil)
『Wha… what are you saying!?』(Oram)
Yes, after that, Kaoru required the Real Estate Agent and asked for an empty shop to be rented instantly.
The Real Estate Agent tried to claim that 【It’s not my responsiblity】
Yes, Kaoru knew that he would not admit it and would say such a thing.
And then Kaoru took out the agreement from the item box
Then she let him read the contract and pointed to the part
“if the shop I lost credit, they must temporarily provide the tenant an empty shop.
…On the same day.”
Of course, from the beginning, Kaoru didn’t intend to open there for a long time.
So, even if she called it the head office, it didn’t mean anything, as long as she got another place she could use immediately, …no matter where.
And, it’s the 【Atelier Riette Mk-Ⅱ】 that will be provided under the condition of unqualified rent service, with the first week free of rental fee.
From outside, she called it 【branch】 or 【second store】, but in Kaoru’s head, it’s 【Mk-Ⅱ】.
Kaoru was still pondering whether to make it 【G】 or 【Mk-Ⅱ】
And Emil was supposed to guide Earl Oram to the branch office when he made a noise at the head office.
Even if Emil ignores him, he will search for it without permission and he will find it soon anyway.
If so, it will be better for Emil to guide him there quickly and clean everything up.
It’s such a judgment.
『Bell, even this is just a branch store. But if we have too many un-sold lunchboxes on the first day, Kaoru will be sad』(Emil)
Yes, in fact, these lunch boxes,
It wasn’t made with the potion ability, Kaoru made it with her own hands together with Bell.
Of course, there are also spices that produced within a moment with her ability, but Kaoru thought 【It’s something different】
Kaoru adhered to that.
『…I understand』(Bell)
Even Emil may get dangerous from the way there, Bell waves her hand to part with him lightly, it’s like there’s no emotion.
It’s by no means ruthless.
If this is something else, Bell would keep insisting to go with Emil.
However, this time, it’s concerned with the safety of Kaoru-sama.
Bell doesn’t have any fighting ability, and the best she can do is defeating one enemy with a secret knife in surprise. But she may also become a hostage and hinder everyone.
If that is the case, she’d better remain here to protect Kaoru-sama’s castle, the temple. And in the worst case that Emil passed away, Bell will take the role the shield of Kaoru-sama instead of Emil and continue to protect her until the day when she can meet him again with the goddess of this world, Celestine.
That was Bell’s loyalty.
And even if she makes a mistake, she should not disturb Emil’s own loyalty and fulfill her own responsibilities.
Because they are saved by the goddess, they are members of the Goddess’ Eyes who pledge allegiance to the goddess!
Too heavy.
Without knowing Bell’s determination, Kaoru was tending Atelier Riette Mk-Ⅱ.
And Riette-chan is sitting on her knee.
*Chirin* (Door Bell SFX)
『Welcome~ (Irasshaimase~)!』(Kaoru)
『We~l~com~e (I-ra-ra-chi~ya ~imache~)』(Riette)
Yeah, Riette-chan, it was decided that she will do the traditional performing art a little more.
『Oh, isn’t it Emil, what’s wrong? Oh… Earl-something-sama…!』(Kaoru)
『It’s Earl Oram! Hey, Young Girl, why are you doing this…?』(Oram)
『Well, if you are being threatened unreasonably and asked for the secret of money and goods,
You will not comply, just like me as well, won’t you?
Because I’m not stupid …』(Kaoru)
『Wh…what…!?』(Oram)
The Earl looks surprised, but is it really such a surprise?
『I have not broken the promise.
I guarantee everything written on the contract, and I will pay half of the sales of our lunch boxes every week to the Earl, right?』(Kaoru)
As I said so with a flat face, The Earl yelled at me with a red face.
『What, what are you saying? Toying with me like that.
Do you know what will happen if you make me angry?』(Oram)
『I do not think so though』(Kaoru)
『What?』(Oram)
Yes, I do not think so.
『If you buy this building again, I will just move to another building.
And if you buy the next building, I will move to another house from Mr. Lt. Colonel’s parent’s property.
And if you cause trouble again, I will move within the military premises.
They just need to lend me a private room and I can start it over there…』(Kaoru)
In addition, I can also make a stall-type mobile store, but there is no need to expose everything to him.
Perhaps, Earl Oram has also considered the effort and number of days to move the shop and probably thought that I could not be able to change the store.
However, when he looked at the shop where I relocated easily overnight, he should have noticed his idea was wrong.
『Mu, mung …』(Oram)
Army and nobility, their business is different.
However, if a noble dared to cause trouble to a helpless girl who was in the care of another noble’s son. The other noble won’t remain silent, he is also an Earl, the father of Mr. Lt. Colonel.
And if in the worst case, the rumor about his arrogance will spread all over the country.
And for an aristocrat who respects honor and body, it won’t benefit him.
Furthermore, if I move the shop to the military premises, he can no longer cause trouble to me,… completely.
The only thing he will get is the ridiculous stigma from lightly harassed a young girl with his common sense.
『Besides, if you cause us too much trouble, I will close the store and move to another country.
I came from other countries, so, I don’t have to live in this country, by all means. I can just go to another country, I have enough money and connection to re-open the store anywhere.
And before moving to another country, I will apology to our customers, the citizen of the capital, Lt. Colonel, the King Army, the City Guards, and Royal Guards.
Because I can’t bear the impossible demand from Earl Oram so I must close down my shop suddenly…』(Kaoru)
Even the Earl still has a red face from angry, he remains silent.
Well, if such a thing happens, his reputation in the Capital will crumble. He will get all the grudge and hatred from King Army, City Guards, and Royal Guards.
In the military, there are some rules for the aristocrat, his siblings, and various other stakeholders.
Of course, there will be some for the large merchants as well.
Earl Oram has tried to utilize the Military Disease medicine under his control to make a connection and now he would turn those 【people who he tried to make a connection】 to his enemy, just to get resentment and hatred instead.
… As a noble, it would be a fatal mistake.
The principal, the family, and the factions to which he belongs.
No, his factions will drive him out immediately and other nobles will hesitate to connect with him.
Is it okay for Kaoru to appear so bullish to a noble?
Yeah, this country is pretty decent, no matter how much power a noble has, he isn’t allowed to hurt the merchants who have benefit for the country.
If the country allows such a thing, there will no merchant doing business with the aristocrat because the noble can easily attack the Rich merchants and others.
As a result, the country cannot be established.
And why does the Earl not ask his guards to kill the girl who makes a fool out of him?
No, Francette and Roland have seen Emil leading the noble entered the shop with his guards.
They have entered the shop at a long time and are taking a position to slash their sword at any time.
They are pretending to be an ordinary customer, but their air says differently.
Perhaps, even the amateur escorts might understand that.
Somehow, the escorts kept sweating away from a while ago.