Chapter 152 Inducing Profit
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The day after Emperor Rai’s summons and Marie’s endless meddling, Ayumu Sanai had barely made it back to Keldan when disaster struck again. He had thought himself free, yet Empress Sarendra herself waylaid him and forced down a third cup of bitter black coffee.
Half a day wasted. And thanks to that delay, Ninim scolded him mercilessly. “Where were you slacking off, huh?” she snapped, as if he had chosen this torture himself. Cruel. Utterly cruel.
Still, amidst the headaches, Ayumu managed to push through a few duties as lord. That was when his eyes caught the placement chart for Keldan’s Free Market district.
”…Hm?”
The stalls were meant to be assigned by lottery to keep things fair. Yet glaring from the chart was the truth: the entire prime stretch of market stalls was dominated by People of Birene.
”Hey—Ninim! What the hell is this?! You packed all the best locations with People of Birene!”
It was favoritism, plain and blatant. If unchecked, other merchants would abandon the Free Market altogether.
But Ninim snapped right back. “What’s wrong with it? People of Birene are discriminated against everywhere else! At least in Keldan, you could treat your vassals kindly.”
She even doubled down: “I did it for free, out of kinship! We deserve preferential treatment after everything we’ve suffered!”
And the finishing blow—”Besides, yesterday you were lounging in the Imperial Court, sipping luxury coffee, while I was working here. So why exactly am I the one being scolded?”
That one stung. She wasn’t wrong. Coffee was still a decadent luxury, far removed from the cheap staple it had become back in Ayumu’s original world. Here, it symbolized indulgence. And she had him painted as the wastrel.
She pressed harder: “It’s thanks to us paying taxes that you can hand out tips in the Imperial Court without shame. Isn’t that true?”
Ayumu tried to resist. “No. This isn’t right. Favoring one group isn’t equality.”
”I don’t care! I don’t care! I don’t care!” Ninim flailed, wriggling like a child denied a toy. Normally poised and sharp, she now rolled on the floor in tantrum, her malnourished frame betraying her age.
”Stop it already! You’re sixteen, this is embarrassing!”
She shot back with a sly smile. “Then… you’ll grant People of Birene the rights to the prime stalls, won’t you?”
Of course, Ayumu refused.
Her eyes filled with tears. “Ugh! Then we’ll all strike!”
He froze. Surely she was bluffing. But no—Ninim meant it. And when she called, the People of Birene answered. Rilina, Nanari, Luruna, even the maids—every one of them joined the strike.
In a single day, Ayumu and Sashima collapsed. Without maids, the hall became unlivable: unwashed dishes, no hot water for bathing, no clean clothes. For Ayumu, showers were non-negotiable. In the face of domestic collapse, he surrendered completely.
The result? Seven-tenths of the prime Free Market stalls now belonged to People of Birene.
Some Elandric and Yugan residents approved of Ayumu at least putting up resistance. But far more, especially the nobility, mocked him.
”So, the Count of Keldan can’t even silence his own subjects?”
”Come now, don’t be harsh. For one of such low origins, perhaps noble rank was too heavy a burden to bear.”
Their smirks and whispers burned. Ayumu wanted to shout—”Would you have stood firm if your aide were a former Imperial Court Bureaucrat?!”—but he bit his tongue. He was still the newcomer. If he made a scene, they could crush him easily.
So he let it pass.
(But I’ve memorized every one of your faces. Just wait.)
Still, coward that he was, Ayumu did nothing. And once again, the supposedly mighty lord was outmaneuvered.
Notes:
• Empress Sarendra – Aare’s mother who expresses quiet resentment towards Aare’s existence.
• Sashima – Family name of Hiyori. A quiet, caring girl from the library committee, empathetic toward Sanai. She followed as a Barrier Technique Adept.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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