Three Heads Are Better at Scheming

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Race level increased. You acquired 1 SP.

Job level increased. You acquired 1 SP.

Race level has reached the required value. Evolution is now possible.

Job level has reached the required value. You can change Jobs now.

【Staff】 level increased.

【Scythe Arts】 level increased.

You learned Death Severing, a Scythe Arts technique.

【Intelligence Super-Enhancement】 level increased.

【Spirit Super-Enhancement】 level increased.

【Archaeology】 level increased.

【Appraisal】 level increased.

Your tamed monster's Race level increased.

Your tamed monster's Job level increased.

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After that battle, we returned to the capital in triumph after receiving our reward from Felfenil-sama. Most of the noncombatants who had remained on the home front celebrated the victory, but the families of those who had died in battle grieved bitterly.

I asked Iris to erect a large stone monument in the center of the capital's plaza and held a grand memorial for the fallen. Thanks to them, the continent had been spared from becoming a place where Hell Beasts roamed freely.

Every item in the container Felfenil-sama had given us was useful and made by the ancient civilization, making them extremely valuable. Under normal circumstances, people would have fought over them, but there was so much to choose from that we were able to distribute them without any particular disputes.

As for the distribution rules, each person from the four participating Races was allowed to claim five items. The families of the fallen were given priority in choosing. About eighty percent of the magic items were claimed this way, leaving the remaining twenty percent for us.

Don't underestimate the leftovers. They were merely items the others had not needed; their performance was beyond question. We took up to five items we wanted and stored the rest as clan property in the treasury.

We had of course prepared rewards for the Azure Scale Pirates, who joined the battle midway, and the Kontra Trading Company, which had hired them to bring us this far. Specifically, the Azure Scale Pirates received Metallica weaponry modified by Iris, while the Kontra Trading Company received the right to establish a shop in one of the capital's prime locations.

These rewards had not been my proposal; both were things they had requested. The Azure Scale Pirates' request was simply a means of strengthening their forces, but Konrad's was unexpected. He apparently intended to establish himself in earnest in business on this continent.

"Sorry I'm late."

I had been told in advance that Konrad wanted to discuss a business deal today. However, work had piled up precisely today, and I was later than the scheduled time. Thus, I apologized as soon as I entered the palace's finest room, where the negotiations were to take place.

"You finally made it, Izam-kun?"

"Is this the part where I say, “Thanks for your hard work,” Your Majesty?"

On an obviously expensive sofa Konrad had brought with him sat Konrad and another woman. She was none other than Ann, the leader of the Azure Scale Pirates. I had been told from the beginning that she would be joining these negotiations, so there was no problem there... But was it really appropriate for her to be the most relaxed person in the room?

Apparently, the reason her title was “leader” was that she did not yet have a ship. She seemed to have firm convictions about titles and had told me to call her leader until she got one. Everyone had their own particular quirks.

Her crew members were extremely gentlemanly outside of battle. They spoke politely not only to me, but also to the NPCs walking around nearby. Many people, like the young man I had defeated during the event, believed that players were superior, just as they believed that the strong were superior. Compared to that, they could be called conscientious players... though their icons were bright red.

"I'm sorry I was late. So don't tease me like that, Boss Ann."

"I like a man who can apologize honestly, Your Majesty."

"Have you gotten used to this city? There may not be much to see in a place with nothing in it."

"No, no, it's surprisingly interesting. Just watching you lot is amusing enough. So let's get this business meeting started, shall we, Chairman-san?"

"Hmm. When I'm dealing with you, you always take control of the pace. Oh well. Let's skip the preliminaries and get to the point."

In contrast to Ann's bold grin, Konrad gave a wry smile. However, he soon composed himself and caught the eye of Sebastian, who was standing behind him. Sebastian then spread a single map across the table.

"A map? No, this is a nautical chart."

"That's right! It's a chart connecting the Luxresia Continent and Flama Volcanic Island. It cost me quite a bit to buy this!"

The Luxresia Continent was where we had started, while Flama Volcanic Island was, if my memory served me, where the Dwarves' nation was located. As one would expect of a nautical chart, Sebastian's chart had various symbols and lines drawn over the sea rather than the land. It was obvious that the sea was its primary focus.

An accurate nautical chart would be essential for operating ships, so I could understand why Konrad had spent a fortune on it. I had heard that he intended to focus on maritime trade, so he must have judged it a necessary expense and an investment in the future.

However, I could not understand why he was showing us a chart he had spent so much money to acquire. Konrad, were you perhaps trying to make us do something shady?

Unlike me, Ann stared intently at the nautical chart with the corners of her mouth raised. What looked no different from an ordinary map to me might have appeared to her as a priceless treasure.

"Chairman-san, who did you have to pay off, and how much?"

"Well... let's just say I paid enough to buy a fairly respectable noble title."

"Whoa! That's lavish! As expected of the merchant-sama with the most assets among all the players!"

"Uh... Sorry to interrupt your excitement, but could you explain the value of this nautical chart in a way I can understand?"

I raised both hands in surrender and asked the two of them to explain. Since I had no idea how valuable this nautical chart was, I could not keep up with a conversation between two people who were speaking on the assumption that I already understood.

"Can't be helped. See these lines drawn across the chart? They're the shipping routes used by merchant vessels. There are several, but look here."

Ann pointed to a particular area of sea on the chart. A small island seemed to be floating there, and a shipping route passed right beside it. It did not appear to be a supply base, so there had to be something else worth noticing about it.

Even when told to look there, I still could not see any difference between it and the other areas. I had never traveled out to sea from the Luxresia Continent, and I had never even been to Flama Volcanic Island. There was no way I could understand it.

"Pirates operate in these waters. Not us—an NPC pirate band. They're famous wanted pirates, and supposedly they've amassed a huge hoard of treasure."

"Hmm? There's a shipping route that deliberately passes through waters where pirates operate? Do they pay tribute to be left alone?"

"It's even worse than that. The pirates and a certain merchant are in cahoots. The merchant supplies the pirates, and the pirates take goods stolen from other merchants and sell them. The pirates get supplies safely, while the merchant acquires merchandise for free and makes enormous profits. It's a perfect win-win."

This was unbelievable. It was outright criminal. The pirates attacking merchant ships and plundering them were merely the perpetrators, while the merchant behind them was using them to steal his competitors' merchandise. It was certainly profitable, but the method was utterly vile and despicable.

"Expanding into maritime trade was a good idea, but I realized it's difficult to enter the waters between the Luxresia Continent and Flama Volcanic Island, which are the most profitable of all. That merchant keeps coming to “say hello” and applying subtle pressure... Honestly, I can't do business like this."

"I see. So what do you want us to do? Wipe out the pirates and make off with their treasure?"

Under normal circumstances, that would be the obvious conclusion. However, would a merchant as capable as Konrad, someone who went beyond the limits of an ordinary player, really make such a simple proposal?

I glanced at Konrad, whose expression suggested that he was thinking of something truly wicked. He was planning to use this to make us do something rotten, wasn't he?

"That's one of the objectives. But while we're at it, wouldn't you like to make the crooked merchant, the pirates, and the players all eat their words?"

"The players too? Sounds fun. I'm in, Chairman."

"...What kind of plan is it? You already have the whole thing mapped out, don't you?"

Konrad grinned and began explaining the scheme he had devised. After hearing his plan, I thought it over carefully before agreeing to it. I had no particular interest in punishing the crooked merchant and the pirates, but I liked the idea of using the players who got involved for all they were worth and making them go to all that trouble for nothing. It was exactly the sort of thing a villain would do.

However, I suspected that some of my companions would not be enthusiastic about it, so I would leave participation up to each of them. We would need to prepare, and we also had to decide when to put the plan into action. Proper preparation was important in everything.

After that, the three of us continued to review and revise the plan. We kept the basic outline of Konrad's scheme intact while improving it based on what Ann and I knew and our respective circumstances. Our three-way scheming continued for some time afterward.