Failure Is No Longer an Option

Shivering against the cold, I led the three of them to the governor's manor.

Same as last time, we'd shown up without an appointment, but the guards let us through without a word.

It seemed Jacob had given them standing orders.

"A free pass, huh? Must be nice being so important."

"Only this time. Normally, I'd need to make an appointment and wait. I'm nowhere near important enough to just walk in. Just a small-time merchant running a little shop."

Saying it out loud was a bit depressing.

Kassad was a decent-sized city. To have any real influence on its governance, you'd need enough revenue and recurring profit to rank among the upper echelon of the Merchant Guild.

High revenue meant strong influence over trade. Recurring profit translated directly to the taxes you paid.

In other words, it made you impossible to ignore.

Yohane held a respectable position among the Guild's younger members, but to the upper ranks, he was no more than small fry.

The major merchants who dominated Kassad earned in a single day what Yohane made in an entire year.

That said, the adventuring business he'd built around Azu and the others had recently gained real momentum, and his numbers were growing fast.

The initial investment had been a huge loss, but they'd delivered unexpected results time and again.

And it wasn't just money. They'd brought him connections he never could have forged on his own.

That kind of value couldn't be measured in coin.

For instance, the Alsarm tax exemption privilege he currently held. If he sold it to one of the major merchants, he'd be rich overnight.

But he'd lose their trust in the process, so that was out of the question.

The money Azu and the others earned was reinvested.

After updating their equipment and supplies, there was plenty left over.

He'd used it to acquire an inn.

On top of that, he was branching into agriculture using fragments of the Earth Elemental Stone.

He couldn't touch the enormous vested interests that generated staggering profits, but he could feel his scale as a merchant steadily growing.

He'd barely gotten started, and profit was still a long way off, but this was the sowing phase.

No cause for concern.

Neither would produce huge returns, but neither carried huge risk, either.

These were winnable bets.

After answering Finn, I found myself lost in such thoughts, and before I knew it, we'd arrived at Jacob's room.

The hallway was frigid as ever.

Stone walls were sturdy, but they made poor material for a building you wanted to live in during winter.

I knocked twice, and just like last time, a voice called for us to enter.

"Here we go."

I said quietly to the three behind me, and they nodded in silence.

Coming alone last time had left me feeling exposed. Having reliable allies at my back was reassuring.

I let out a small breath and opened the door.

Inside were Jacob and two knights.

One of them I recognized.

If I recalled correctly, he was the man who'd served as Jacob's right hand. Now that Jacob had been appointed both tax collector and acting governor, stationed permanently in Kassad, his subordinates must have followed.

Jacob must command real loyalty.

Finn tensed slightly at the knights' presence, but her disguise was flawless, and we hadn't come here to attack him. I wanted to avoid any unnecessary trouble right now.

I raised my right hand in front of Finn to signal her to stand down.

The knights had been discussing something, but they stepped back and clasped their hands behind them.

If things stayed this way, they'd overhear everything we said.

"Don't worry about them. They keep their mouths shut, and I trust them."

"Understood."

"You're earlier than I expected… Sit down."

I nodded and sat.

The sofa was large enough for all four of us.

"Did you bring what we discussed?"

"Yes. Here."

I produced a pouch from inside my coat.

It wasn't a magic tool, but it was a special bag crafted from the stomach of a rare monster.

It greatly slowed the deterioration of whatever was stored inside.

I placed it on the plate that sat on the desk.

"So this is the specific cure for poppy seeds…"

"We weren't able to gather extensive empirical data, but we've confirmed its efficacy."

"Compounded by the former state alchemist Ramiza Mortet herself. I doubt there's any error."

At Jacob's words, Ramiza-san reacted.

She wasn't the sort of person who should have been idling away in this city.

She was someone who'd been recognized even in the Royal Capital.

"That's ancient history. In the end, I couldn't save anyone."

"… Is that why you've stayed in this city? Never mind."

Jacob took out the pouch, broke the seal, and pinched a bit of its contents.

A faintly bluish powder clung to his fingers.

"I'm neither an alchemist nor a pharmacist. This medicine will be sent to a specialized institution in the Royal Capital. A specific cure for narcotics is a matter of great importance. Until the results come back, its use is prohibited. I trust that's clear?"

He'd laid down the law: no rash moves until the results were in.

So Ramiza-san's endorsement alone wasn't enough.

If Ramiza-san happened to be lying, it could easily blow up into a matter of personal liability for Jacob.

His caution was entirely understandable.

Several days had already passed since the Luido bunch had collected the poppy seeds from the abandoned church.

If they'd moved quickly, they might have already begun refining them.

There wasn't much time. But I had no choice but to comply.

I could ignore proper procedure, but that would be grossly irresponsible for someone running a business.

Yohane's position was no longer Yohane's alone.

If he were left destitute, his employees' futures would change drastically too, and there was no telling what would happen to Azu and the others.

He was in a position where he had to find the best solution within the rules.

"Don't look so grim. This case has already been flagged for top-priority processing. As I mentioned before, there is a very concerned party when it comes to narcotics. The results will come through far more quickly than if I were handling it myself."

"… May I ask who?"

I'd been told it was royalty, but last time he'd refused to say more.

"The Second Princess. Her Royal Highness Princess Tianis Deiancle has assumed ultimate authority over this matter."

The Second Princess.

A figure so far above the clouds that even Jacob could not easily secure an audience, let alone Yohane.

And apparently, she was involved.

This had escalated beyond anything I'd imagined.

What would happen if I fumbled this?

I had no regrets. If anything, I was here brimming with eagerness to avenge a past disgrace.

All I'd done was send Azu on an errand.

It occurred to me that Azu might just be the one most loved by trouble.