Chapter 9

"Here is the monthly income and expenditure report, Miss Ellie."

"Thank you."

I quickly glanced over the documents Mirei handed me.

It had been three months since we established the Tretor Trading Company, and sales had been steady.

"The customers we selected have made reservations up to the order limit we set.

Moreover, we've received requests from people who have heard about us."

"Things are going well. For new customers, investigate their backgrounds and sell to only a few if there are no issues."

I gave Mirei instructions and then took out another document to sign.

"And take care of this, please."

"Understood."

The document was an instruction to donate a portion of the company's profits to welfare facilities, including the temple's orphanage.

I donate a considerable amount from the company's profits every month.

Thanks to this, I've become quite close to the priests and sisters.

"Well, Mirei, shall we go?"

"Yes, Miss Ellie."

Recently, we occasionally go out for dinner.

Part of the reason is that we're busy making soap and don't have time to prepare meals, but dining halls where various people gather can sometimes provide interesting stories.

Moreover, as someone raised in the nobility, I find the atmosphere of the lower-town dining halls quite novel and enjoyable.

"Oh, welcome. Ellie, Mirei."

"Good evening."

"Good evening, thank you for having us."

We greeted the proprietress of the Salamander Inn, where we've become regulars, and settled into our almost designated seats.

"Two servings of the daily special, and two glasses of watered-down wine, please."

"You two are always so proper. Hey, you guys, why don't you try saying 'please' and 'thank you' once in a while?"

"Hey, that's not fair, proprietress. We're perfectly polite gentlemen."

"If you're gentlemen, then I'm a lady!"

"Ha ha ha."

The proprietress brought our order while addressing the middle-aged adventurers, who seemed to be regulars.

The place was lively as usual.

Today's daily special was sausages, mashed potatoes, bread, boiled vegetables, and soup.

Despite the generous portions, it only cost two copper coins and three iron coins, even with the watered-down wine.

It was quite a bargain.

"How are the competing trading companies doing?"

I took a crunchy bite of the juicy sausages and continued our conversation about the company with Mirei.

"So far, there's no movement."

"Right, keep an eye on them.

That soap is our lifeline right now."

I lowered my voice a bit.

"Especially, the leakage of the manufacturing method would be disastrous."

"I understand. The soap-making method is securely stored in the company's safe, so please rest assured."

"Good. Now that the Tretor Trading Company is becoming well-known, perhaps it's time to start making bigger profits?"

"You're right. We also have the contract with Mr. Lucas, so we shouldn't take too much time..."

After that, Mirei and I talked about various topics, including the company, the city, popular clothing, and stories.

It was a delightful time, something I never would have imagined enjoying when I was consumed by my duties as a noble.

◆◇★◇◆

"Damn it!"

A wine glass, still half-full, was smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces.

The wine and the glass were both exquisite items that required gold coins to purchase.

The man, who still seemed furious, was Gazar Jackman, the head of the Gazar Trading Company, which had gained prominence in the cosmetics market from the Lebric Viscount's territory.

Gazar slammed his fat, rounded arm on the desk.

For about three months, sales had been gradually declining, and the sales of premium soaps had dropped to less than one-tenth of what they used to be.

Of course, the Gazar Trading Company, which operated in a wide range of businesses, wouldn't go bankrupt just because of soap sales, but the visible decline in revenue and the fact that a new company had poached their customers only fueled Gazar's anger.

Moreover, the fact that the Tretor Trading Company was selective about their customers further irritated Gazar.

The Tretor Trading Company claimed they were limiting sales due to production capacity, but Gazar, being a fellow merchant, easily guessed that they were intentionally selecting their customers.

Many of the customers the Tretor Trading Company had turned away were particularly troublesome.

For instance, they would order the Tretor Trading Company's soap from the Gazar Trading Company, even though they had no connection, or complain about the soap they had happily used before.

Gazar wanted to tell them to complain to the Tretor Trading Company, but many of the Tretor Trading Company's customers were influential people, including the wives of baronial families with significant clout in the viscount's social circle.

Because they had fewer customers, the Tretor Trading Company had deeper relationships, making it difficult to take direct action against them.

"Damn it! Damn it! Those little girls!"

As Gazar slammed his frustration into the desk, a knock sounded at the door.

"What is it!"

"S-Sorry to disturb you."

Gazar's irritation grew as he saw the man who entered the room.

"What is it, Granz? Are you here to beg for money again?

How can you show your face here when you don't do any real work?"

Granz was a man who handled accounting for the Gazar Trading Company, but recently he had been asking for money, borrowing against his salary, and taking sudden days off, making him a troublesome employee.

"Well... um..."

"What! If you have something to say, speak clearly!"

"Y-Yes... I have something to report to you, Mr. Gazar..."

Granz approached Gazar with a sycophantic smile.

"Actually, I overheard... the manufacturing method for the Tretor Trading Company's soap is stored in a safe in their dilapidated building..."

"What?"

Gazar reacted sharply to Granz's words.

"Where did you hear this?"

"Yes, I heard it yesterday at a lower-town dining hall.

I was sitting behind them, and even though they were speaking in low voices, I clearly heard them."

Gazar considered Granz's words.

If they could obtain the manufacturing method, they could produce soap equivalent to the Tretor Trading Company's.

No, the Tretor Trading Company was already recognized as a brand.

Selling it as Tretor Trading Company soap would yield higher profits.

If they claimed to have obtained it through illegal means, they could even sell it for several times the price the Tretor Trading Company was charging.

Gazar casually took a gold coin from his desk drawer and threw it at Granz.

"Forget about this, understand?"

"Y-Yes."

Granz picked up the gold coin from the floor, bowed deeply, and left the room.

After Granz left, Gazar picked up a bell to call one of his subordinates skilled in theft and safe-cracking.