Chapter 607: Reunion in the Duchy
Riding atop the wolf-shaped puppet Garo, Tauro and his party, “Black-Gold Wings,” traveled far faster than any carriage could manage, arriving in the Barriera Duchy in just a few days.
Their purpose was to visit Viscount Musai, the son of Duke Barriera and the current acting ruler of the duchy.
Viscount Musai had helped them when they previously visited alongside the Saint’s group, and since then, he and Tauro had grown closer.
Tauro had also been entrusted with a letter from the prime minister—the duke himself—asking him to meet with his son and discuss future matters.
Those “future matters” concerned the governance of Tauro’s new domain, the Giro Sugar Viscounty.
Although the Barriera Duchy was far from Giro Sugar, the duke’s influence across the southern region was considerable.
For Tauro, who would now rule as Viscount Giro Sugar, building good relations with other territories was important. A trade agreement with the Barriera Duchy would help goods pass smoothly through other domains and prevent unnecessary interference.
Since the duke remained in the royal capital serving as prime minister, he had entrusted the management of his territory to his son.
Thus, it seemed he wanted to support the new lord by having his son conclude an agreement with Tauro.
Incidentally, Prime Minister Barriera was still unaware that small quantities of orichalcum were being produced in the Giro Sugar territory; the royal family hadn’t yet informed him.
His support for Tauro stemmed simply from personal favor, recognition of Tauro as a valuable asset to the kingdom after the party defeated a mysterious army in the north using puppets, and a desire to repay the debt both he and his son owed regarding the Saint.
“It’s been a while, Lord Tauro! And everyone else as well!”
Viscount Musai warmly welcomed the group and ushered them into a luxurious drawing room.
“The pleasure is ours. It’s been a while, Viscount Musai. We’ve taken the liberty of stopping by during our journey,”
Tauro replied.
“Haha! No need for such formality between us! It’s already been over a year, hasn’t it? I’m still grateful for what you did back then.”
Viscount Musai hadn’t forgotten the debt he owed Tauro and greeted them with a friendly smile.
“Well, actually—”
Tauro handed over the letter from the prime minister and briefly explained the situation.
“I see… so that’s why you’ve come. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll read my father’s letter now.”
After hearing that Tauro would soon assume his post as lord, Viscount Musai read through the letter carefully.
After a short while, Musai finished reading, looked up, and began to speak.
“So that’s how it is… Still, Lord Tauro, I knew you were no ordinary person from your previous exploits here, but to think you and your team defeated the Empire’s army… Would that puppet named Seth be part of that strength?”
Musai said with interest, glancing at Seth standing behind Tauro.
“He’s become one of my proud companions,”
Tauro replied with a smile.
“This letter instructs me to form a trade agreement with you. We’ll need to discuss the terms, but if I recall, your new territory borders remote special zones and autonomous regions of various races, with many mountainous areas… Very well. Considering your situation, I propose this: normally, when goods are brought here for trade, the Barriera house would take six parts and you’d take four. However, how about reversing it—three for us and seven for you?”
Viscount Musai proposed a profit distribution that heavily favored Tauro.
“…Does that apply to all goods?”
Tauro asked cautiously, surprised by the generous offer.
“Yes. We’re indebted to you. I also know that the economic situation in the territory you’re about to take over has been poor for the past five years. Turning that around would normally mean operating at a deficit for at least three years… However, if we handle your goods under those terms, you might be able to recover in two.”
Musai was well informed about the dire state of Tauro’s domain and was offering genuine support.
“Actually… it seems that a representative from the Garfish Trading Company has been managing the territory in my absence, and it’s already out of the red. So you don’t need to worry,”
Tauro admitted, feeling uneasy about accepting such favorable terms without revealing the truth.
“What!? That land, which was in such terrible condition, is already profitable!? Governance by merchants is truly a frightening thing…”
Viscount Musai was astonished—not because his information was outdated, but because merchant-led administration had turned things around so quickly.
“Yes. So how about we split the profits evenly, fifty-fifty?”
Tauro suggested, deliberately keeping the orichalcum secret.
“…No. Even if it’s profitable now, that land is unpredictable—anything could happen. How about six for you and four for us? Of course, considering your territory’s food situation, we’ll prioritize supplying you with provisions at low cost.”
Viscount Musai still insisted on terms favoring Tauro out of a sense of obligation.
“…Okay. Then for the goods we currently obtain through trade with the remote zones and autonomous regions—our main source of revenue—we’ll use that arrangement. If any new key products emerge, we can renegotiate.”
Tauro was implicitly referring to orichalcum, but Viscount Musai knew nothing about that and agreed to the plan.
The two firmly shook hands, finalized the finer details, and drew up a formal contract.
In this way, before even entering his own domain, Tauro secured a major trade partner in the Barriera Duchy, ensuring that other lords would have no grounds to interfere with him.