Since we arrived in the evening, it couldn't be helped.
So, for today's schedule, they said they would like to meet with a noble.
Yesterday, we exchanged basic information.
Specifically, what I asked about was the human cities and countries.
The structure of the Free Guild and whether I could be introduced to Yuki Kagurazaka (Grand Master of the Free Guild).
Then, I noticed a misunderstanding.
I heard that the Free Guild's headquarters is in the capital, but even saying "capital" is a bit much.
The neighboring great kingdom of Balmus or the strongest country nearby, the Magic Kingdom of Salion.
This small country, Brumund, also has a capital. The place we are in now is the capital.
So, which country does the Free Guild's headquarters belong to?
It is part of the council of many small countries around the Jura Great Forest.
Therefore, the headquarters of the council is located in a country that is easy for council members from each country to gather, the Kingdom of Engracia.
In terms of power, the largest country among the council member states is the Kingdom of Balmus, but due to the development of transportation networks, the Kingdom of Engracia became the central country.
Perhaps because of this, the relationship between the Kingdom of Balmus and the Kingdom of Engracia seems to be bad.
Another characteristic of the Kingdom of Engracia is that it is the only one not adjacent to the Jura Great Forest. Therefore, it is less affected by monsters and is stable.
The Free Guild's headquarters would naturally be in a stable country with a well-developed transportation network.
In other words, the "capital" referred to the capital of the Kingdom of Engracia.
Another characteristic of the council member states is that they have adopted the doctrines of the Western Holy Church as their state religion.
In other words, the group of countries around the Jura Great Forest is also within the church's sphere of influence.
The connection between countries through commerce and religion.
Each country has a vote as a council member, embodying equality under the church. Important decisions are made by the council.
Surprisingly, this structure is similar to a federal state.
The method of selecting council members varies by country, but most are from the royal family.
Additionally, the Magic Kingdom of Salion does not have a state religion.
The king claims to be a descendant of a god and does not recognize other religions. They also refuse to participate in the council, maintaining their own power.
They seem to engage in commercial transactions, so there is some interaction between countries, but it's only possible because it's a great country.
In any case.
The story is that the Free Guild's headquarters is in the central great kingdom, the Kingdom of Engracia.
To meet Yuki Kagurazaka, I need to aim for the Kingdom of Engracia.
It seems he will write an introduction letter. In exchange, I was asked to meet with a noble of this country, the Baron Velard.
I naturally accepted the deal and am now in a carriage heading to meet the other party.
The trio (idiots) parted ways last night.
"Please contact me again!"
"Of course, let's travel together..."
"I'll miss you. I'll be surprised by Tempest again!"
They left as if they were reluctant to part.
But, they are those guys. I have a feeling they'll come back with some problem soon.
So, strangely, I didn't feel sad.
While thinking about this, the carriage stopped.
It seems we have arrived.
It's a section with a rather impressive building.
Hughes led me to a slightly smaller, calm-feeling building within it.
"By the way, I don't know anything about formal language or manners when dealing with nobles. Is it okay?"
"Hmm? Ah... I see, that's troublesome..."
Is it okay?
It seems Hughes is also not good at such things.
Last night, Hughes asked about the current situation in the Jura Forest.
He also asked if I knew anything about Beelda and Shizu.
I pretended to know nothing about Beelda.
Regarding the situation in the Jura Forest, I vaguely mentioned that our village is doing well.
Naturally, I said we are dealing with the monsters in the area, and he asked for more details.
For them, it seems they understood the reason why the monster damage is low, and I was convinced.
Regarding Shizu, it's hard for me to remember everything.
I ended by mentioning the promise I made with Shizu.
Hughes only muttered, "Is that so... I leave it to you," and didn't say anything more.
Shizu was a famous A-rank adventurer, known as the "Ruler of Heat," and a member of the headquarters.
It seems she worked as an instructor at the headquarters. When she realized her time was near, she refused to be held back by the headquarters and left in a hurry.
She was an excellent person, so it's a big deal that there is no successor.
That's what he said. Thanks to this, we became quite close.
Trusting such a Hughes, I followed him here. Is it okay?
Formal language and manners are really troublesome.
With such worries, I followed him into the building.
Inside, an old man who looked like a butler greeted us.
If only it were a maid.
I recalled visiting a maid café in my previous life.
There was even a place where just sitting cost a few thousand yen, and I almost got into a fight.
In this other world, I might have seen a real high-class maid.
Well, even if an old maid came out, I couldn't say, "You're fake!"
Guided by the butler, we entered a room.
There was another door inside.
In response to the butler's knock,
"Come in!"
a voice answered.
Honestly, even this conversation seemed troublesome.
It's quite different from the guild, where we could communicate directly through a magic circle.
When we entered, a tall, slender man with long, slanted eyes and a dignified beard greeted us.
"I'm glad you could make it. I am Baron Velard, one of the ministers of Brumund. I hope we can work together."
He greeted me before I could.
"Nice to meet you. I am Rimuru Tempest. I'm a slime, but I want to live in harmony with humans. I'm a bit awkward with manners, so please be lenient."
We shook hands. This custom seems similar to my previous world.
"Relax. I'm just a trivial noble without a fief. You don't need to be formal.
Well, time is not infinite. Let's get to the point.
I want to establish a cooperative relationship with your village, Tempest. The cooperation involves emergency response to monster threats and support for adventurers."
Ahem.
To summarize, Brumund is a small country with weak national power and insufficient countermeasures against monsters.
They are trying to cope through cooperation with the Free Guild, but the organization itself cannot take effective measures.
Fortunately, there has been no major damage so far, but they want to establish a cooperative relationship with Tempest as a precaution.
The support for adventurers from the Free Guild is something I was also asked by Hughes yesterday.
They requested that we provide lodging and supplies to those active in the forest. By making it easier for adventurers to operate, they hope to reduce the damage from the forest.
However, is it really okay to trust a monster country so easily?
There was also something that concerned me.
"Indeed... So, what's the benefit for us if we agree? It feels like we're the ones doing all the work in this 'cooperative relationship.'"
"Of course. There is a benefit for you. The state will guarantee your identity.
In other words, we promise to recognize you and your country, 'Tempest,' as a monster country.
This has been approved by the King of Brumund.
If you cooperate with us, we will recognize you as a country and promise to respond accordingly."
In other words, we will establish a mutual defense system against monsters and promise to cooperate in emergencies.
Neither side will guard the other, but in case of a strong monster attack, we will contact each other and help.
It seems reasonable.
If we receive this, and are recognized as a country, it doesn't seem like a bad deal.
Well, this recognition is only from Brumund, not the council, but it's still significant.
After the Dwarf Kingdom, this would be the second country to recognize us.
"Alright. I accept this proposal."
When I said this, the atmosphere became noticeably relieved.
They must have been in a difficult situation.
"That's good. Here is the approval from the King of Brumund.
Let me prove it's real."
He took out a document from his coat.
By the oath spirit magic, the document glowed, proving it was the king's approval.
The appraisal results were the same.
In this world, fraud in contractual relationships is apparently impossible. Compared to my previous life, such procedures are simplified.
I don't need to meet the king, which is convenient for me.
Most importantly, I can't meet the king of monsters.
This simplification might include that meaning.
I signed the contract, and the agreement between Brumund and Tempest was established.
The guild also acted as a third party, witnessing the fairness of this conversation.
It was very clean.
We then discussed the details of our agreement.
That's when I noticed a loophole in the contract.
"Also, if some force tries to move through the forest, I hope we can quickly cooperate!"
With that line.
Some force. It's not about monsters. The emergency response includes the case where a country attacks.
For example, the eastern empire.
They lied! They tricked me so well!!!
I wanted to flail around. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, what a fool I am!
Good things always have a catch.
Thinking about it, from Brumund's perspective, it seems they are offering cooperation out of the blue.
Even with the trio, they don't chase away adventurers.
There's no need to say they recognize us as a country. They had a reason for saying it.
What Brumund truly feared was the eastern empire crossing the forest to invade.
They probably wanted to use us as a buffer.
They didn't lie. If we are in danger, they will come to help, as it will be their turn next.
If the empire ignores us and invades Brumund, they will need reinforcements.
I was easily tricked.
"You noticed, huh? You're smarter than I thought.
But the contract is made. I'll count on you when the time comes!"
He smiled, a very pleasant smile.
Baron Velard. A man who does his job flawlessly.
A noble who has seen it all, tricking someone like me is probably as easy as twisting a child's wrist.
Tch. Can't be helped. I'll let it go...
Even though I was tricked, I wasn't angry.
I felt regret for my foolishness and admiration for the other party.
Well, this is also an experience. If the empire moves, I'll worry about it then.
But, humans can't be trusted.
Monsters are surprisingly honest.
In the future, I need to be more cautious and think deeply when negotiating with humans. I swore this to myself.
Being tricked isn't fun.
Since this is a rare opportunity, I want to propose something beneficial for us.
I took out a mid-level recovery potion from my coat and placed it on the table.
"What is this?"
Baron Velard asked.
"It's a recovery potion made in our village. I want to sell it in this town's market."
Hughes and Baron Velard looked at it in their hands.
Hughes used appraisal magic to check its performance.
"This isn't something cheap from the town.
Hmm, it's a high-quality product sold in the capital.
From the Kingdom of Balmus, it's been blocked by tariffs, so it doesn't come in...
How many of these do you have?"
I told him I currently have 500.
If they buy regularly, I can prepare 2,000 to 3,000 per month, excluding reserves.
This country is a frontline for adventurers, so there is demand.
The Free Guild has a branch in the Kingdom of Balmus, but the number of affiliated adventurers is small.
There are a few reasons, but the main one is the prevailing attitude of looking down on adventurers.
However, adventurers do spend money, and they are useful in reducing monster damage.
Because of this, they recently started trying to attract adventurers, but it hasn't been successful.
Therefore, they suspect that by setting high tariffs on essential items like high-quality recovery potions (potions) and Dwarf-made weapons, they are discouraging adventurers.
For weapons, some support in adjusting tariffs is possible.
If the monsters are equipped, selling them might be fine.
After this discussion, the conversation turned to buying the potions.
At least, I want to make a profit by selling the products.
If done well, it could offset the previous failure.
I was introduced to a merchant named Gald Milmale.
Leaving Baron Velard's office, I visited the merchant Gald Milmale.
In a corner of the market, there was a large store called Milmale Trading.
It seems he is also the president of the market.
He is a registered official merchant of Brumund, but he is also a member of the Free Guild's merchant guild.
It's rare to have licenses from both the country and the Free Guild.
Gald Milmale is one of those rare people.
"Welcome! Thank you for visiting!
Sir, what brings you here today?"
He repeatedly bowed and greeted Hughes.
Thinking about it, this Hughes is one of the country's power players.
"I'm here to introduce someone. Please treat them with respect!
I have business to attend to, so I'll leave."
"Who is this person?"
"In short, a state guest. I leave it to you!"
With that, Hughes left.
Saying "state guest" and then leaving, I'm not sure how to react. But it doesn't matter.
"I'm Rimuru. Nice to meet you! Actually, I'm here to do business. This is the product."
And the negotiation began.
Milmale, being a merchant, quickly appraised it and checked the price.
The negotiation started.
...
...
...
In the end, he agreed to buy them for 22 silver coins if I bring them here.
The retail price here is set at 25 silver coins.
He said he will come to buy them since I told him the location of our village.
If Milmale comes to buy, the selling price in Tempest will be 20 silver coins.
Including the support for adventurers, the selling price for adventurers in Tempest will be 22 silver coins.
We shook hands and signed the contract.
This time, I made a satisfactory contract without any failures.
"However, sir, we can't use carriages to reach your village.
For recovery potions, it might be manageable, but it will definitely be inconvenient..."
That's obvious.
It would be better to improve the road.
"I understand. Then, I'll improve the road connecting Tempest and Brumund."
"Eh? What do you mean!?"
"If we build a road, carriages can come, right?
I think it will take about two months to make it passable. Cutting trees won't take long.
It will take about half a year to complete the paving, but is that okay?"
"Of course! I also want to see how the 500 sell!"
Milmale, rubbing his hands together, a characteristic gesture of those who handle money, replied with a beaming smile.
The road to the Dwarf Kingdom is already complete. We decided to continue and improve the road connecting Brumund.
Thus, the trade between Tempest and Brumund began.
Once the road connecting Tempest and Brumund is complete, Brumund's merchants won't need to go through the Kingdom of Balmus to reach the Dwarf Kingdom.
And Tempest will be at the center of the new trade route.