Volume 4 - CH 7

Chapter 7 – Future Objectives

Once we were back at the dungeon entrance, I let Maguro and the carriage out of the subspace.

“Now, let’s get going. Can you guys help me with the preparation?”

“Sure, but…why not just teleport us all directly to Perdis?”

Tendo asked me, wondering.

“Hmm, sure I could. But then again, we are not particularly in a hurry, so I thought maybe we’d just take our time traveling back.”

“Haha, you’re right. It would be nice to take it easy.”

“Now you get it.”

I laughed as I fed Maguro and petted it.

When Maguro had finished eating, we boarded the carriage and set off for the royal capital of Perdis.

Although the number of people accompanying us had increased, there was no problem at all because my carriage was equipped with a door that led to the subspace.

And so, our leisurely journey began.

～

It’ll take a little over a week from here to the royal capital of Perdis.

There’s nothing else to do on the way, so I’ll take it slow while making sure everyone keep up with their training.

I’ll have to be careful not to neglect my equipment and training, too.

Now, the question is what to do after we get to Perdis.

I’ll need to look into the magic circle for our return back home, but I can’t spend all my time on just that as well.

So, what should I do…?

When I asked Tendo and the others, they said they were going to look for knights and strong adventurers in Perdis to train with.

“We’ve learned from this battle that we’re still not strong enough. We need to become stronger.”

Well, I’m glad that they’re overflowing with motivation.

I’m sure they’ll become strong enough to defeat the Demon King in the near future.

“Great, I’m looking forward to it. In the meantime, you’re welcome to use my mansion as your base.”

“Thank you, that would be very helpful.”

It’s no use having such a large mansion if it’s not being used.

Hmm, so I guess we’ll be acting separately.

Accompanying them in that endeavor kinda feels wrong.

If Tendo and the others are trying to become stronger in their own way, it would be better not to interfere.

Perhaps…I think it would be interesting to try to create a trading company.

The quality of the potions, weapons, and magic tools I make is high if I do say so myself.

And more importantly, if I develop products based on ideas from my original world, I can imagine them dominating the market.

The problem is manpower…but I could just use slaves for this.

By using slaves, not with bad intentions obviously.

I’ve never had a good impression of slavery, but like in the case of Ephyr, I can help those who are unfortunate and doomed by buying them.

So I would like to do the same thing this time, buy people who have become slaves for unjust reasons.

I would like to be able to treat them in a civilized manner, pay them wages, and allow them the opportunity to buy themselves out when they save up enough money.

They could also choose to remain as employees if they wished, in this way, I will have no need to worry about shortage of staff.

Naturally, criminal slaves are a no no.

I proceeded to tell everyone about the idea as soon as I could.

“Wow, I think it’s a very good idea, Haruto!”

“Exactly. I think it’s great that you can save people who are in the same situation I was.”

“Yeah, when I heard slaves, I was a little taken aback, but I think it’s a great idea.”

“That’s right! “We’ll help you with the product development as well, if that’s okay with you!”

Said, Finne, Ephyr, Tendo and Asakura.

The others seemed to be of the same opinion.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you all, I’m glad you approve.”

After that, we continued our journey, talking about the store, training, all while taking it easy, and arrived back in the Kingdom of Perdis within a week as planned.

～

When I arrived at the capital, the first thing I did was to go to the royal castle to meet with King Dillan.

It would have been fine to go back to the mansion, but I wanted to give him another report on what happened in Glicente and discuss the establishment of a trading company.

As we approached the castle, we got off the carriage and were walking towards it when the gatekeeper spotted Iris and me and called out to us.

“Princess, Master Haruto, and even the hero.”

By the way, I am acquainted with this gatekeeper, Thomas.

As I visited the castle many times, we got to know each other well enough to make small talk.

“Mr. Thomas, is Dillan around right now?”

“His Majesty should be in the castle today.”

“Thank you, may we come in?”

“Of course you may.”

With that, Thomas opened the gate for us.

When we went through the gate, we were not met by the usual guiding soldiers, but by Zebastian, sir Dillan’s butler.

“It’s been a while, Lady Iris, Master Haruto. This way, please. His Majesty is waiting for you.”

“…How did you know we were coming back?”

“We received a report that you had entered the capital. After that, I felt your presence approaching, so I came up to greet you.”

…Makes sense.

His older brother, Sebastian, who now works as a butler in my mansion, is pretty strong, close to level 100…and the younger brother, Zebas, is not bad himself.

We started walking with Zebastian leading the way, and soon we arrived at the guest room.

“It’s Zebas. I’ve brought Lady Iris, Master Haruto and the heroes.”

“Come in.”

When Zebastian called out, sir Dillan’s voice came from the other side of the door.

Inside were Sir Dillan and Lady Amalia, the queen.

“It’s been a while. Iris and Haruto.”

“We’re back, Mom, Dad!”

“Yeah, I’m also glad to see that both Sir Dillan and Lady Amalia are doing well.”

After a brief greeting, I decided to introduce my new companions.

“Sir Dillan, this is my new companion, Kusel.”

Kusel got down on one knee and gave her greetings.

“My name is Kusel, I used to be the deputy knight captain of the Glicente Kingdom. I’m currently working with Haruto as an adventurer.”

“I see. I’ve heard about you from Haruto. Please take care of him.”

Dillan said to Kusel gently.

“And—”

Zero stepped forward in response to my words.  

“I am ‘Gran Kalamiras, The Smelting Dragon’, ruler of the Nargadia Labyrinth. I have been given a new name by Master Haruto, and now go by ‘Zero Kalamiras, The Smelting Dragon’. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Human king.”

As expected of Zero.

Even when introducing himself to the king, he crossed his arms and kept his arrogant attitude.

…Well, saying “pleased to make your acquaintance” was probably his own way of showing courtesy.

But Dillan didn’t say anything about it, rather his mouth was kinda frozen in place.

“Haruto, by Smelting Dragon Gran Kalamiras, you don’t mean…”

“Hmm? What do you know about Zero, Dillan?”

“It’s the name of a dragon from the age of the gods! I believe he’s well known as the primordial dragon, the dragon progenitor that made even the gods tremble with fear. Although his existence hadn’t been confirmed, he is considered to be a calamity class disaster…I’ve heard rumors of a dragon sleeping at the lowest floor of the Nargadia labyrinth, but I never thought it would be the Smelting Dragon Gran Kalamiras!”

“Oh, is that so…anyway, on a different note, I’m creating a trading company.”

“Oh really, you are—hey, don’t you change the subject! That’s a calamity class disaster standing in front of me!”

Dillan shouted like he just blew a gasket, which made me wonder if it was really something worth making such a fuss about.

“I wouldn’t worry about that, since he’s already under my command.”

“Right. Moreover, there is also Behemoth whom you summoned, and currently under your command as well.”

As Iris said nonchalantly following my words, Dillan’s eyes widened as if they were going to pop out.

“…What? Behemoth? Iris, you mean the one from the folklore and fairy tales?”

“That’s right! Amazing right! Haruto is so cool!”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Amazing.”

Dillan was not sure how to respond, but he said something like that.

Lady Amalia, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be fazed as she kept smiling and simply said, “Oh my”. In a way, she might be the most amazing person in the room.

Dillan was stunned for a while, but then he shook his head and looked at me.

“Ahem! So? You want to establish a trading company?”

“I mean, money is no object, so I just thought it would be fun.”

“I see…meaning, this is why you came here today?”

“Yeah. I came to report my return and to ask for the requirements to establish the trading company.”

Dillan’s face became serious as I answered.

“I see.  Specifically, how far have you gone in preparations?”

“Well…the merchandise is pretty much decided. I’m planning to use slaves as employees, as for a good spot, that’s the challenge I’m currently facing, so I will appreciate some recommendations. Also, if I could get the necessary permit for setting up the trading company, that would be great too.”

Dillan placed his hand on his chin and asked.

“Hmm, slaves…how are you going to treat them?”

“I’m going to pay them fair wages, and adopt a policy where they can buy their freedom once they’ve saved up enough. Of course, if they wish, they could remain as employees…some of them may have been enslaved for unjust reasons, and I’m hoping that this could also save them.”

Dillan was pondering while Lady Amalia next to him expressed her approval by saying “oh my, that’s quite good”.

“Well…since it’s Haruto, I don’t have to worry about you buying up criminal slaves. All right, I’ll allow the establishment of your trading company. Do you have a particular location in mind?”

“Let’s see…I’d like to avoid the aristocrat district because some goods will be available to the general public. However, I do want to sell goods aimed at the nobles as well, so I would like to find a place where both nobles and commoners can easily visit.”

“All right, I’ll look for a place with those conditions. Do you have a budget in mind?”

“None, I’ll leave the decision to you.”

Dillan nodded his head and turned to Zebastian.

“I understand. I’ll get working on it right away.”

Zebastian, who understood his intention from just that, bowed and left the room.

“Now you just need to register the trading company. I’ll take care of that, meanwhile, Haruto will serve as the representative, correct?”

“That would do for now.”

“For now?”

Dillan looked at me curiously.

“Yeah. It’s possible I’ll get someone else to serve as the representative later.”

“All right. Finally, what’s the name of your trading company?”

“Name…I hadn’t decided yet. What should I do.”

Hmmm, yet another naming task…

Seeing my reaction, Dillan took advantage flippantly.

“Hmmm, my official duties for the day are over and now, I have some private time. Let me also help you pick out a name.”

“Thanks…all right then, can each of you come up with a potential name for the trading company?”

Everyone in the room started to think of a name for the trading company.

“How about the Perdis Trading Company?”

Dillan suggested…

“Wouldn’t it be difficult to open a store in another country with that name? Also, people might think it’s a state-run chamber of commerce.”

When I dismissed the idea, Amalia clapped her hands as if to say, I’ve got a good idea!

“Then how about Haruto Trading Company?”

“…That’s a little embarrassing, so I’m going to dismiss it.”

It is usually embarrassing to have your own name as a chamber of commerce. If it is Yuki Trading Company, it might be worth considering…nah, I better dismiss it.

After that, a number of potential names came up, but none of them seemed to fit.

Once you get into such whirlpool of thoughts, it’s damn near impossible to get out of it…

Chamber of commerce, store, business, enterprise…

Oh, I’ve got a good one!

“…How about Ashtaroth Trading Company?”

“Ashtaroth…what does that mean again? Some kind of deity I believe?”

Asakura reacted to my words.

“Oh, yes, that’s right. I don’t remember which deity it is exactly, but I thought it sounded good.”

Tendo chuckled when he heard my random reason.

“Wow, that’s just so typical of you, Haruto. But it sounds good, right?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, though it does bother me that it’s so typical of me…so, what do you guys think?”

I asked, and they all nodded.

“Sounds good to me!”

“Yeah. I think it’s a good name!”

Iris, Finne, and everyone else seemed to be in agreement.

“Then, it’s settled…Dillan, how soon do you think we can get a good location? I’m thinking of going to the slave traders tomorrow.”

“Let me see…I think it’ll take about three days.”

“All right, I’ll be counting on you then.”

After that, while we were talking about what had happened at Glicente and other trivial matters, I realized that the sun had completely set.

I had to go back to the mansion, so I thanked Dillan and Amalia and left the royal castle.

～

The mansion I hadn’t seen in a long time hadn’t changed at all from before…no wait, the whole place seemed to have been cleaned up?

“I’m back.”

“““Welcome back, Master Haruto.”””

I opened the front door and walked in to be greeted by Sebastian, the butler, and the maids Lyla and Mia.

“Long time no see, Sebastian. I went to the castle and found your brother in good health. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Lyla and Mia too. Thank you all for taking care of the mansion while I was gone. I really appreciate it.”

“Those words are more than we deserve.”

All three bowed their heads in reverence and humility, but it must have been difficult to keep a house of this size tidy.

“Oh right, I’d like to introduce you three to our newest members.”

I urged Kusel and Zero to come forward.

“I’m Kusel, former Deputy Knight Captain of the Kingdom of Glicente. I’m now an adventurer. Nice to meet you.”

Sebas and the others reacted slightly to the word Glicente, but quickly bowed their heads.

“I’m Zero, under my lord’s command. Pleasure.”

And when Zero greeted them, they froze for a moment, but quickly returned to their composure and bowed their heads.

Right, I should have known anyone as good as these three, should realize how strong Zero is…

Well, I guess I can explain to them about Zero at dinner.

So, after sorting out our luggage, we had dinner.

We talked about what we’ve been up to since we left, and enjoyed the reaction of Sebas and the others when they found out about Zero’s true identity. When dinner was over, I explained to Sebastian about my intention to start a trading company.

“—So, that’s the plan.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting. But what about the employees’ quarters?”

Sebastian asked.

“My initial thoughts were, since we’ll be starting with just a few, they could stay here, but when the number increases, there won’t be nearly enough rooms. So, I think it’s best to secure lodgings as soon as possible.”

“I understand. I’ll start looking for good potential lodgings.”

“Thanks a lot.”

When the business becomes profitable and sustainable, it can serve as the financier to cultivate my classmates.

By now, they should have just about cleared the Nargadia labyrinth.

I hope they will at least grow strong enough to defeat the Demon King…

As we talked about this, the night was drawing to a close.