Chapter 20

"I am Geist, serving as a second-class bishop at the church. I am sorry that I couldn't meet you this summer."

The man introduced himself, bowed gracefully, and smiled.

In the reception room, besides Geist, there were the lord and Lazzette. Lazzette stood by the wall, observing the two people sitting on the leather sofa.

Even the cool space where the potted plants by the window shimmered in the sunlight was ruined by the presence of the lord.

Lazzette had taken a position behind the lord where he couldn't see her, but she couldn't relax because of the guest, Geist.

Geist glanced at Lazzette and deepened his smile. It was a smile that seemed pure and clean, with every detail of his narrowed eyes, curved lips, and the angle of his eyebrows calculated.

Lazzette, surprised, covered her mouth with one hand – to stifle a yawn.

She immediately saw through Geist's smile as fake, being used to Sora's fake smiles.

The lord, who was sitting on the sofa with a haughty attitude, urged him impatiently.

"I wanted to take it easy on the first day. Since you came to see me, it must be for something important. Start talking."

Without changing his expression, Geist took something out of his bag.

Lazzette, of course, and the town's residents were already familiar with it – it was Ogarite. However, the lord frowned, as it was unfamiliar to him, usually residing in the capital.

"What is that? A pillow?"

"No, this is Ogarite, a type of firewood."

Geist corrected the lord's words with a slight, unoffensive smile.

Only Lazzette noticed that even this smile was an act.

"Since it produces less smoke when burned, the frequency of chimney cleaning decreases. If sold, bakeries and bathhouses will surely want it."

The lord leaned forward, sensing the potential for profit. On the contrary, Lazzette tried to disappear from the edge of Geist's vision with a nonchalant look.

"This Ogarite is only available in small quantities. Lazzette, do you know why?"

Geist changed his tone skillfully and called Lazzette's name, drawing everyone's attention to her.

While wishing he hadn't brought up the topic, Lazzette responded with a casual remark.

"Because it's a valuable item."

"If it were valuable, it would be more expensive than regular firewood. However, it is sold at almost the same price. There is another reason."

Geist's narrowed eyes held a mocking light, which Lazzette met with a fake smile, feeling no discomfort.

"Are you, a second-class bishop, enjoying being mean to an ignorant girl from a cold village?"

"Oops, my apologies."

Geist feigned embarrassment with a smile.

Hearing the lord tapping his index finger on the sofa in frustration, Geist gave up on his follow-up.

"Actually, this Ogarite was developed by a village and is being sold while keeping the manufacturing method secret."

Geist handed the Ogarite to the lord and began to explain.

The lord placed the Ogarite on the table without examining it.

"So what?"

The lord's attitude suggested that he didn't care what Ogarite was, as long as it could bring profit. Geist's lips curled up.

"Considering the commercial value of Ogarite, increasing production and selling it through churches in various regions could be profitable. Therefore, I would like to consult with you – we want our church to manage the village in question."

"Are you kidding me!"

The lord's roar made the walls of the reception room vibrate.

It was understandable that the lord was angry, as he was being asked to hand over the governance of a village, no matter how small.

"Without the Kleinzelt family, the church would have trouble securing salt, right? You forget that we abolished the salt tariff for you, and now you still want to take a cut of my profits?"

Geist, seeing the lord's anger, tried to calm him down.

"I apologize. My words were insufficient and caused a misunderstanding. We don't want to manage the village itself, but rather the production of Ogarite by the villagers, which we want to manage through the church."

Geist paused, drank the water from his glass, and continued.

"As our doctrine states, we cannot recognize magic or items made with magic. Since we will be selling it through churches, magic must not be used in production. We will be monitoring this."

Geist bowed, standing up, saying he wanted to be understood.

His sincere attitude was actually shrewd.

The negotiation between the lord and Geist was about the rights to Ogarite.

Currently, the village keeps the manufacturing method secret and monopolizes the sales profits.

The lord manages the Kleinzelt territory, and the village within it should be under his management.

In other words, the owner of the village is the Kleinzelt family, and they have the right to produce and sell Ogarite independently.

Geist's proposal was to transfer the rights to produce and sell Ogarite to the church. However, he didn't offer any compensation.

It was a negotiation that appeared weak but didn't show any weaknesses.

Lazzette, watching Geist's head as he bowed, decided to wait and see when he would offer compensation.

She also wanted to report to Sora later and felt affection for the children over the past year. If there was any danger, she wanted to act quickly.

"I understand your request, but there's no reason for me to grant it. If you want to negotiate, you must offer some benefit. Show it quickly."

The lord snorted, turning to Lazzette.

"Hey, have some tea prepared. This will take a while."

Lazzette left to follow the order and instructed the maid waiting in the hallway to prepare tea.

The maid was from the capital and was a different person from the last time the lord returned home, but Lazzette didn't pursue this. It was best not to stick one's hand into dangerous waters.

When she returned to the room, the lord was frowning, and Geist was smiling pleasantly.

"How about this: the Kleinzelt Earl manages production, and the church handles sales. We want to have exclusive rights to sales. The church will buy it at half the price of regular firewood."

"Wait, there's no benefit for me."

The lord stopped Geist, who had rapidly presented his conditions.

"There is a benefit. With the cooperation of churches in various regions, it will be possible to sell in neighboring territories, such as the Bartz Marquisate, which the Earl usually can't reach. This will naturally lead to wider sales and increased overall revenue."

As Geist said, selling in other territories was difficult for the Kleinzelt family. Moreover, since the church would be purchasing Ogarite, they would bear the transportation costs to other territories.

"Hmm. I don't know how much it costs to produce Ogarite, so I can't promise a wholesale price."

The lord stroked his chin. From his perspective, this was an unexpected profit opportunity, but his expression suggested he was trying to maximize the potential profit.

Lazzette watched the lord and Geist, who were plotting to take the fruits of Sora and the children's efforts. She planned to inform the village as soon as she left the room, forgetting why she was there.

"Then, Earl, let's decide the price of Ogarite after we have the village under control."

The lord shook Geist's extended hand, a sign that the negotiation had reached a conclusion.

"By the way, that maid, Lazzette –"

Geist turned his gaze from the lord to Lazzette.

A chill ran down Lazzette's spine as she saw a predatory light in Geist's seemingly gentle eyes.

"I would like to have her stay at the church for a few days."