"Disarm...? What do you an? Why disarm?" Fael asked with wide eyes.
The official continued without a hint of expression, "Our lord granted permission for a gathering of rchants from various cities, not a eting of ard factions. From what I’ve heard, six trading companies are gathering. How many ard guards do you think that adds up to when they all et?"
"...." Fael’s mouth hung open in surprise.
The official calmly added, "I don’t know the exact number, but I’m sure it exceeds the legal limit quite a bit."
Ian let out a faint chuckle. He hadn’t expected such a reasonable explanation. Perhaps it was because they were in the central region, where the rules were stricter.
If I rember correctly, Imperial law allows each trading company to bring around a dozen guards. rcenaries can only be hired when traveling outside the city.
Ian wasn’t fully versed in the details of imperial law, but he knew enough. Even if each rchant brought only ten guards, that would amount to sixty heavily ard fighters gathering in one place. Add in the porters and drivers, and that number could easily double. If there were malicious intent, it would be more than enough to cause chaos in the city.
The official added, "It would be a different story if you were just passing through. However, since you have a purpose for visiting the city, you need to comply with the law. If you disarm, your guards won’t be considered ard personnel, and we’ll return all weapons when you leave."
"That’s perfectly reasonable, but... there are a lot of valuable goods in the carriages that we brought for trade. How are we supposed to protect them without being ard?" Fael asked.
"Are you saying that Basmut’s security is unreliable?" the official’s voice turned cold.
Fael quickly shook his head. "No, no, not at all. If I didn’t trust the city’s excellent security, I wouldn’t have requested the eting here in the first place. Not only is this city a key hub with both land and river routes, but its excellent security was also a major factor in our choice."
"Then you understand there won’t be any issues. Of course, we’re not asking for a full disarmant of all guards. The previous companies were allowed one personal guard to remain ard. For your company..." The official glanced down at the bottle of wine in his hand before adding, "We’ll allow two."
Acting like he’s being generous while sticking to the legal limit.
As Ian pondered the situation, Fael released a sigh of relief. At a minimum, Ian and Philip wouldn’t have to disarm. Ian had no problem keeping his weapons in his pocket dinsion, but Fael didn’t know about it.
"Thank you for your generosity," Fael said, motioning to the driver to have all the guards, except for the two personal ones, surrender their weapons. Soon, the trading company’s guards and porters ca forward, loading their arms onto the supply wagon.
Fael suddenly asked, "By the way, how many other trading companies have arrived?"
"Yours is the fourth."
"Four?"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"No, no problem. Could you tell how many arrived by land and how many by water?"
"Three by land, one by water."
Nodding, Fael thanked the official with a smile. By then, all the weapons had been loaded into the supply wagon. Fael spread his hands and looked at the official. The official nodded his head slightly to the side, signaling that they could proceed.
"You can now enter. The eting hall you requested is located in a mansion on the southwestern outskirts of the city, which our lord uses as a villa. I trust you will use it with care."
"Of course. Have a good day," Fael responded, gesturing for the drivers to move ahead. He then began walking through the gate, evidently planning to walk the rest of the way.
Ian, watching the official smiling at the wine bottle, shrugged and trudged after Fael. As they passed through the city walls, Ian loosened his helt slightly.
"Could there be an issue with the ship’s schedule…?" Fael mumbled ahead.
Taking in the city’s view, Ian asked casually, "Is there another problem?"
Fael turned and smiled. "It’s nothing. Just that we’re almost at the agreed ti, and I thought we’d be the last to arrive. Delayed departures aren’t unusual, though. At worst, they’ll be an hour or two late."
Ian chuckled, glancing at the old castle tower that seed to overlook the river. "From what I’ve seen so far, I wouldn’t trust your intuition all that much."
"You sound like Bor," Fael replied with a chuckle. "You saw for yourself, didn’t you? The lord here is incredibly strict. I even sent a heap of gold with the request, and look how cautious he still is. I guess it’s no surprise—too many outsiders co through, so he’s bound to be suspicious."
Shrugging his shoulders, Fael added, "Still, it’s reassuring. At least now we know why the city’s security is so tight."
"Well, let’s hope your intuition is right this ti," Ian said dryly, before briefly eting Fael’s gaze and adding, "If I were you, I’d still be prepared for the worst."
"You’re quite the worrier, aren’t you?" Fael laughed heartily, turning onto a wide road leading to the outskirts.
They had only taken a few steps when he hesitated.
"... But what exactly is this worst you’re talking about?" Fael asked in a whisper, glancing back to ensure the wagons were still following.
Despite his confident words earlier, Ian’s response seed to have unsettled him, especially with their weapons surrendered. One of Fael’s strengths, despite his stubbornness and lack of intuition, was that he ultimately listened to advice.
"You’re asking the obvious…" Ian replied with a low chuckle. "The worst-case scenario would be getting attacked here tonight, wouldn’t it?"
"No one would be crazy enough to do that, right?"
"I don’t know about that. If I were them, even if I couldn’t kill you all, I could make sure the bla falls entirely on you."
"... You’re not joking, are you?" Fael murmured, his mouth slightly agape.
Ian just shrugged. "It’s just a possibility. If things go smoothly and everything wraps up before nightfall, you won’t have to worry."
"But... if, by chance, things don’t go smoothly," Fael swallowed nervously and moved closer to Ian, "what should we do?"
"You’re asking the obvious again. You should inform the others and prepare for the situation," Ian replied.
"That’s exactly what we can’t do! You’ll understand when you et the other rchants, but revealing sothing like that would be just as bad as the worst-case scenario. It would destroy the alliance, and our company would be finished. The big trading companies already have their eyes on us."
"If that’s the case, there’s not much we can do."
Ian nodded casually, having never expected much in the first place. All he cared about was completing the quest and the request. He had never counted on their help, anyway.
Fael, looking even more anxious at Ian’s indifferent attitude, asked, "Is there perhaps a backup plan?"
"There is… but it won’t be easy either."
"Go on, tell . Of course, I expect nothing to go wrong, but in case sothing happens, I’d like to at least try."
"First, give so space."
"Ahem, right." Fael, who had been standing practically glued to Ian’s side, coughed awkwardly and took a step back.
So this is why Bor was so worried.
Ian clicked his tongue inwardly before speaking.
"If it cos to that..."
***
The eting place provided by the lord was a large mansion with a spacious garden. Just as the official had said, it was clearly the lord’s villa. The space was likely chosen for its large grounds, which could accommodate several carriages. Naturally, there was also a sizable stable.
Carriages from the other trading companies that had already arrived were parked in the garden. The Ark Trading Company’s carriages pulled up alongside them. As porters unloaded crates and the guards took the horses to the stables, Fael frowned.
"So the Salt Trading Company is running late?"
He said this just a few minutes after exchanging smiles and greetings with the other trade rchants.
A Vantruian rchant, dressed in flowing robes, nodded. "We were the closest, so we got word just before leaving. Seems there was an accident with the ships getting tangled up. They’ll be about half a day late and asked to pass on the ssage. They also asked to not start the eting without them."
"Late and still worried about losing out on sothing, huh?" The Imperial rchant, seated diagonally across on a wooden crate, twisted his mustache and muttered irritably. He had a sowhat fussy deanor.
Another rchant, standing across from him and sporting a golden nose ring, nodded in agreent. "All the companies that took the longer overland route made it on ti, yet the ones who took the river route are mostly late, except for one."
"So, it looks like the eting won’t start until late afternoon," Fael muttered, glancing back at Ian and clearing his throat.
Feeling embarrassed, huh?
Ian didn’t even snort—he wasn’t surprised by any of this.
"The Swift Trading Company should be here soon. They’re probably getting their weapons confiscated at the docks right now, just like us," the Vantruian rchant added with a laugh.
The rchant with a mustache snorted. "Late is late. For a rchant, trust is everything, and those two have already disqualified themselves from leadership."
"Agreed. We’ve got plenty of issues to discuss, and we’re starting off behind schedule."
At that mont, Ian finally understood why Fael had been so secretive about everything. The rchants were already busy calculating their strategies, even before the eting had started. It wasn’t surprising that none of them had grown their companies into massive enterprises, despite being stationed in key locations throughout the central region.
Just like Fael’s poor intuition, each of these rchants likely had their flaws. This alliance was likely their way of covering for each other’s weaknesses.
In any case, the pieces are falling into place.
While the rchants continued their idle chatter, Ian quietly observed their guards standing behind them. Like Ian, they were all ard. Northerners, Imperials, Vantruians—there were a variety of races, but they were all human.
I expected at least one beastfolk….
Then again, hiring them would be expensive. Beastfolk had a reputation for demanding paynt that matched their pride, just like Charlotte had back when she worked for the Libra Trading Company.
"...."
At any rate, there were no signs of dark magic among them. One of the Northern guards caught Ian’s gaze and gave him a slight nod of the chin—a typical Northern greeting. Ian noticed that the man also had black hair and eyes.
Honestly, I don’t look like a Northerner at all, Ian mused, though he calmly returned the nod and shifted his gaze. The unard guards were gathered around the wagons, and the porters, having finished their tasks, were resting. Even among them, Ian felt no sign of tainted magic or curses.
Beyond the garden, people were coming and going from the stables. Among them, Ian spotted Philip, with his face covered by a visor, walking beside Elia. It seed they had handled putting the horses in the stable. Judging by how long it took, they must have taken additional precautions.
Elia noticed Ian watching and waved her arm high in the air.
Ian smiled quietly at her lack of tension, just as Fael’s voice broke the mont.
"Once things are settled, wouldn’t it be better to send the guards and porters outside?" Fael asked.
Ian looked forward again. The heads of the various trading companies were now focused on Fael, who shot another quick glance at Ian. This was the plan Ian had suggested earlier. If the dark mage attacked or had placed a spy among them, the unard guards would be vulnerable.
"By the way, I see you’ve changed your guard. Did the Northern one who usually accompanied you quit?" a Vantruian rchant asked, steering the conversation in a different direction. Judging by his gaze, he was considering hiring Bor himself.
Fael waved his hand dismissively. "Bor is dealing with a bout of illness. For this trip, I’ve asked two skilled freelance knights I know to handle the security."
"Ah, knights, I see... no wonder," the rchant replied.
Fael quickly steered the conversation back on track. "But what do you think? Without weapons, they’ll just sit around talking. Wouldn’t it be better to send them into the city to relax a bit? The lord would appreciate it, and it’d lift their spirits."
The Imperial rchant snorted. "We can’t just leave the wagons unattended, can we? The goods we’ve brought here are worth quite a bit."
The Vantruian rchant nodded in agreent. "No matter how safe this place is, leaving everything unattended isn’t an option. Well, if the discussion drags on, everyone will end up getting tired, though."
"How about we take turns, sending half of them out on shifts?" the Vantruian rchant suggested. The others nodded in agreent, and they each gave orders to their personal guards.
"We’ll send all of ours out. I doubt we’ll be stealing from each other," Fael added with a smile, glancing at Ian and licking his lips.
"I’ve done my best, but as you said, it wasn’t easy," Fael admitted.
Ian shrugged. Truthfully, even getting half of the guards sent out was a success. Turning to leave, Ian responded, "I’ll relay the ssage."
"Understood. Oh, and… I’ve decided not to trust my instincts anymore," Fael added sheepishly.
Ian smirked. "That might be your best decision today."
Ian walked over to et Philip and Elia, who were approaching. Philip’s voice ca through the gap in his visor.
"Is there a ssage to relay?"
"Send out all the Ark Trading Company’s n. Tell them to have a drink and rest up. Don’t let them overdo it, though. I’ll call them if needed. Also…," Ian’s voice lowered as he stepped closer, "it seems this might be our battlefield."
"Is that your intuition speaking?" Philip asked.
"I sense nothing yet. It’s just a feeling."
"Based on experience, that’s usually the most accurate," Philip murmured, his eyes darkening behind the visor.
"Indeed. It’s a perfect place to spread a curse," he added.
Elia whispered, "Then shouldn’t we try to get everyone out of here?"
Ian shrugged. "Unless you’re planning to break up the eting entirely, this is the best we can do. Whatever happens, as long as we do our part, the rest of the responsibility falls on them."
At that mont, the iron gate of the mansion creaked open with a loud noise. Another group of carriages was entering—it was probably the Swift Trading Company.
Ian glanced at the incoming procession briefly before turning to Elia and adding, "So, prepare yourself as well, Elie."
***
As expected, all the trading companies gathered shortly before sunset. The eting took place in a second-floor conference room of the mansion. Once the windows were shut and the curtains drawn, the space felt entirely cut off from the outside world.
"Then, we’ve decided that the na of our alliance will be the Hexagonal League," one of the rchants declared.
The six heads of the trading companies, seated around a large round table, continued their discussions. It had taken them over an hour just to agree on the na of the alliance. Typical of rchants—they always had to haggle over every little detail.
"Now, let’s discuss whether there are any additional rules to add beyond the three we agreed on beforehand," Fael suggested.
Standing by the wall in the hallway behind Fael, Ian couldn’t help but feel a twinge of impatience.
This is painfully boring…
If this were a ga, it would have been over in a matter of minutes as a cut scene. But in reality, he had to stand here, listening to a tedious conversation that neither interested nor entertained him. Philip, standing next to him, and Elia, between them, looked equally uninterested.
Elia’s presence at the eting had been Fael’s decision. The other rchants had initially objected to an outsider attending, but Fael had appeased them by ntioning that there would be a proposal involving her after the eting. It was likely about sponsoring her research under the alliance’s na.
While this hadn’t been agreed upon in advance, Ian didn’t object. After all, he didn’t expect the eting to go smoothly, anyway. If anything, he found it hard to believe they would make it through the night with no incident.
"..."
And it beca clear that his instincts had been right about an hour later.
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