第１５０７堀：商売も色々なやり方がある (Part2)
"Nina is right. If they knew the background, they’d never touch the deal, but if they view it as a standard transaction, they wouldn't think twice. And since it’s a legitimate trade, there’s no reason for merchants to refuse. Still, if the survivors are sourcing goods individually, wouldn't that cap their growth? This data doesn't seem to narrow it down to any specific culprits."
There was no room to argue. It was the literal truth.
I’d been careless, too. I’d assumed that after such a massive upheaval, merchants would be wary of any sudden surge in large-scale transactions, but looking at it through Nina’s lens, it seemed like a perfectly plausible scenario.
Just as fraud never disappears from the world, there will always be someone ready to be deceived.
Above all, because they were disguising it as ordinary commerce, no one would suspect a thing.
Furthermore, in small nations far from the headquarters, vigilance is naturally lower, and it’s doubtful word of the guild's collapse had even reached them.
But the problem remained: while it’s natural for buyers and sellers to exist, this alone left the pool of potential suspects impossibly vast.
The enemy—the dark guilds—would surely be cautious, scattering their procurement points to avoid detection. Even in the documents Nina provided, there weren't many merchant guilds showing such extreme growth.
"That’s true. However, let’s think deeper. The dark guilds certainly want to scatter their operations to keep their identities hidden. That’s a given. But the sellers? They would be moving with the intent to monopolize those trade routes entirely."
"Well, that’s only natural."
From a seller’s perspective, you want to secure a monopoly and reap the profits.
It stands to reason they would pull strings to make that happen.
However, if they did that, it would create problems for the dark guilds, so they wouldn't allow it.
"I learned this from Yuki—or rather, from Earth. There are ways to expand trade routes without using your own guild’s name. If you buy out other shops and bring them under your umbrella, you solve that problem."
"Ah, I see. We rarely do that around here, but... in that sense, it certainly has its merits."
A conglomerate, or perhaps a financial clique—would that be the easiest way to describe it?
It had its own share of issues back home, but this felt like a diluted version of that.
Usually, there’s little point in such a strategy.
If you buy out a shop, the logical step is to use your own guild’s name to aim for further heights.
Having your guild’s name plastered everywhere is, in itself, a mark of credibility.
There is almost no reason to buy a shop and leave the name unchanged, acting only as a silent owner or superior.
But as Nina suggested, this wasn't about putting the other party at ease; it was about creating a merchant guild tailored to the client's specific needs.
It satisfied the client's demand for decentralization, while in reality, all the profits flowed into a single entity.
"In other words, there’s a guild using this method to consolidate those profits?"
"Exactly. On the bottom of the third page of the report, the investigation shows that the Danaddemi Merchant Guild is pulling the strings."
"The Danaddemi Merchant Guild... that’s Bamai’s outfit, isn't it?"
"Correct. Whether intentional or coincidental, that guild has been posting blatant profits since the destruction of the Rumel headquarters. I know the history behind that guild; it could be seen as a reprisal against the dark guilds, but there’s also a possibility they are connected."
"I can't deny that. Still, you can't conclude they’re linked to the dark guilds based on that alone."
As Nina said, it could just as easily be that they caught wind of a lucrative opportunity and moved to capitalize on it.
I wanted more concrete evidence, but...
"To reach a conclusion, I want you to negotiate with them. Tell them you want to investigate where the goods they sold ended up."
"Ah, I see where you're going with this."
If Bamai was willing to cooperate, he’d be happy to look into it. If he was hostile, he’d play dumb or refuse.
Or perhaps he’d try to trap us and strike.
Either way, since we’ve already set things in motion, we’d be investigating independently anyway, so it wouldn't be a waste.
"Understood. I didn't expect you to move so quickly after returning, though."
"Considering you’re already poisoning the enemy’s ranks through the 'Idiot Princess,' what are you complaining about? I’ve been investigating this for a while now, so you should have expected it."
"I suppose you're right."
It seemed our steady, painstaking investigation was finally bearing fruit.
Those who want to do business, those who want to sell on a grand scale—they will always pull every trick in the book.
That’s just how the world works, everywhere.
The intent might be different from the dark guilds, but at the end of the day, it’s all just business.