Chapter 27. Canada Bombing Operation (2)
Before long, we had gathered enough of the product called “Canada,” and Diego was finally ready to leave on a business trip to Lisboa.
I assigned Raul as his escort and even let them use the Benedicta.
At Marcel Harbor, the Canada was in the middle of being loaded onto the ship.
I called over Captain Adrien, who was supervising the loading.
“Adrien Asel! The fate of our territory rests on this voyage. Help Diego and make sure the mission succeeds.”
“Of course! Even if it costs me my life, I will make sure this voyage succeeds!”
Anyone listening might think he was about to cross an entire ocean.
In reality, it was just a two-night, three-day one-way voyage.
I had only said that to emphasize how important this trip was.
Diego would be handling all the actual work by himself anyway.
I waved toward the Benedicta as it departed.
I could only hope that this trading trip would give our territory's budget at least a little breathing room.
The port city of Lisboa.
It possessed the largest harbor in the Kingdom of Iberia, and rather than having a single lord, the city was ruled by a council of nobles.
In a way, it followed something similar to a parliamentary system.
Itana Bonmati, Chairwoman of the Lisboa Noble Council, was listening to her aide's report inside her office.
“…And that concludes today's report. Ah, one more thing. Marcel's lord's ship has entered the harbor. We confirmed it from the heraldic flag.”
Chairwoman Bonmati showed immediate interest.
“Marcel? As in Eric Marcel's Marcel?”
“Yes, the very Marcel you've often been curious about. However, Viscount Eric Marcel himself didn't come. He sent someone called his Chief Economic Secretary.”
“What did they come here for?”
“They said they came to do business. We confirmed that cargo was being unloaded from the ship.”
Chairwoman Bonmati lightly bounced her crossed leg while thinking for a moment.
“Hmm. I'd like to meet this secretary, at least. Arrange it in my schedule.”
“Yes, Chairwoman.”
After the aide withdrew, Chairwoman Bonmati rose from her chair and walked toward a cabinet.
She picked up a bottle resting on one of the shelves.
A label on the bottle read:
[Eric Marcel's Sailor's Disease Medicine]
Underneath it was written in smaller letters:
[Logistics are like the veins of the world. They must not be stopped by something as trivial as sailor's disease.]
Chairwoman Bonmati gently traced the words with her finger.
Eric Marcel… I've always wondered what kind of person he is. What a shame.
She placed the bottle back and returned to the mountain of documents on her desk.
Meanwhile, after arriving in Lisboa, Diego and Raul unpacked their belongings at an inn.
“Raul, hurry up. We need to go look around the auction houses.”
Because the inspection at the gate and the examination of their cargo had taken so much time, Diego was feeling impatient.
“Why are you rushing so much? Unless the auction house has grown legs and is planning to run away, let's wash up and eat first.”
“I just have a feeling we need to move quickly.”
“So this is why His Lordship sent me with you. He must have recognized my calm and relaxed personality.”
Diego looked at him as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard, then began preparing to head to the bathhouse.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
—Knock, knock, knock.
Raul picked up his hammer and shouted cautiously,
“Who is it?”
“I am a servant carrying a message from the Chairwoman. Is Marcel's secretary here?”
Raul opened the door.
“The Chairwoman?”
“The Chairwoman of the Lisboa Noble Council has invited the secretary to dinner this evening. You may accompany me in about two hours.”
“Why does the Chairwoman want to see us?”
“It is simply for friendly交流, so there is no need to be overly cautious.”
Raul looked back at Diego.
We absolutely have to go!
Diego conveyed that message with an intense look.
Raul nodded.
“Understood. We'll bathe, dress properly, and wait.”
“Very good. I'll return in about two hours. By the way, which one of you is the secretary?”
“Both of us.”
“Understood.”
After the servant left, Diego snickered.
“Heh. ‘Dress properly’? I didn't know you could talk like that.”
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No. You just sounded like an old man.”
“You little bastard.”
After joking around, the tension between the two disappeared, and even at the bathhouse they spent most of their time fooling around with each other.
When Raul and Diego stepped outside the inn, a servant from the Bonmati household was already waiting for them.
He opened the carriage door.
“Please get in, Secretaries.”
Diego handed the servant a small box.
“This is a syrup called ‘Canada,’ produced in our territory. It's a gift for Chairwoman Bonmati.”
“I will make sure she receives it.”
Diego then lightly jumped into the carriage and sat down.
Raul, however, froze in front of the carriage door, his movements stiff and awkward.
“Raul, what's wrong?”
“I-I've never ridden in a carriage this luxurious before. Am I supposed to take my shoes off?”
Diego looked down at the floor.
It was covered in red velvet.
Apparently, Raul was afraid of stepping on it with his dirty shoes.
“Don't act like some country bumpkin. Why are you getting scared over something like this?”
“I am a country bumpkin! I really am!”
Raul was almost panicking.
Diego reached out, grabbed him, and pulled him into the carriage.
Once the carriage started moving, Diego offered him some completely useless comfort.
“You're freaking out over a carriage. You're probably going to faint when you see Chairwoman Bonmati's mansion.”
“You've been there before?”
“No, but I've heard rumors. Supposedly, it's the most magnificent residence in Iberia aside from the royal palace.”
“Ugh… I feel like my chest is tightening.”
“Hehehe. You're not going to die of a heart attack, are you?”
“Save me!”
While the two continued joking around, the carriage entered the Bonmati estate.
The moment they saw the enormous garden outside the window, both of them fell silent in awe.
“Diego, is that a garden or a forest?”
“Looks like a forest to me. Ah, I guess it's a forest with grass.”
“Look over there! There's even a fountain!”
“Damn it. I guess I was a country bumpkin too.”
“Hahaha! Two country bumpkins have really made it in life. We even get to visit a mansion like this.”
Raul laughed loudly, but his face remained stiff.
The carriage continued through the garden for quite a while before finally stopping in front of the mansion.
The servant opened the door.
Diego and Raul stepped down and began walking with stiff, unnatural movements.
“Diego, where are we supposed to go?”
“I don't know. Stop asking me. I can't even see straight anymore.”
The two young men, who had only just turned twenty, were completely overwhelmed by a level of luxury they had never seen before.
“Secretaries, please follow me.”
“A-ah, yes, yes!”
If the servant hadn't guided them, they might have spent the entire day simply staring around.
Before long, they were shown into the dining room.
With the help of the maids, they took their seats.
“Diego, build Marcel's lord's residence like this too.”
“I'm the Chief Economic Secretary, not an architect. And His Lordship would hate it anyway. He's the kind of man who eats rye bread and oat porridge just to save the budget.”
“Pfft— Ah! I'm sorry!”
A young maid who had overheard Diego's words accidentally burst out laughing.
Seeing how flustered she looked, Diego waved his hand dismissively.
“It's fine, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Our lord is so frugal that I can understand why you'd find it funny.”
“I'm sorry.”
The young maid was smacked on the back by a senior maid and sent outside.
After that, Diego and Raul waited in silence for about five minutes.
—Bang!
Just as they were beginning to get bored, the door suddenly swung open and a servant entered.
“Chairwoman Bonmati is entering. Would you please stand?”
Diego and Raul immediately rose from their chairs and straightened their clothes.
Soon, Chairwoman Bonmati strode into the room accompanied by her attendants.
For a middle-aged woman, her walk was surprisingly powerful and confident.
“Welcome. I am Itana.”
Chairwoman Bonmati extended her hand.
But judging from the way she held it out, she seemed to be asking for a handshake.
Normally, etiquette demanded that a man lightly kiss the hand of a noblewoman.
Diego hesitated.
Does she want a handshake? Ah, whatever.
After only a brief moment of hesitation, he took her hand and shook it.
“I'm Diego, Chief Economic Secretary of the Marcel Territory.”
Raul was secretly grateful that he was second.
All he had to do was copy Diego.
“I'm Raul, Chief Security Secretary of the Marcel Territory.”
“It's a pleasure to meet both of you. Now, let's sit.”
Once Chairwoman Bonmati took her seat, the two of them followed.
At the same time, maids began bringing in dish after dish.
“I heard you haven't eaten anything since lunch. I didn't prepare much, but please eat as much as you'd like.”
Didn't prepare much?
More than forty trays had already entered the room.
Raul had been happy until around the twentieth tray.
But when the dishes kept coming without end, he started getting scared.
They aren't going to cut off my head if I leave food behind, right?
While he was wondering whether he should loosen his belt, Chairwoman Bonmati spoke.
“I just heard that Viscount Eric Marcel is quite frugal. Rye bread and oat porridge, was it?”
“Pardon? Ah… that was just something we were talking about among ourselves.”
Technically, it meant she had listened in on her guests' conversation.
But someone of Chairwoman Bonmati's status wasn't likely to care about something so minor.
“Nobles are often encouraged to spend extravagantly because it creates a trickle-down effect. Does Viscount Eric Marcel reject that idea?”
The moment Eric became the topic, Diego's expression turned serious.
“Not exactly. However, immediately after taking office, our lord used nearly the entire budget to look after the people of the territory. Marcel is currently going through a slightly difficult financial period.”
“Then is this visit to Lisboa related to your territory's finances?”
“Yes. You could call this the first step toward continuously selling products produced in our territory.”
Chairwoman Bonmati gestured.
One of her attendants brought over the box of Canada that Diego had given as a gift.
“I heard that this syrup is one of those products. I assume it's fine for me to taste it now?”
“Of course. It is an honor to have Chairwoman Bonmati personally try it.”
One of the attendants took a bottle from the box.
Using a silver spoon, she first tasted it to check for poison.
The moment she tasted the syrup, her eyes widened in surprise.
“How is it?”
“It's sweet and delicious. I believe it would go well with pastries.”
At her words, the maids brought over trays filled with baked sweets.
They spread Canada over the pastries and presented one to Chairwoman Bonmati.
Diego watched confidently.
He had personally inspected the product, and he had complete confidence in both its quality and flavor.
As expected, Chairwoman Bonmati smiled with satisfaction after tasting it.
“The taste and aroma are quite unique. Impressive. To think you managed to create something like this.”
“Our lord personally came up with this product.”
Chairwoman Bonmati looked surprised.
“He created this himself?”
“Yes. He designed it to increase the farmers' income while also contributing to the territory's finances.”
“Viscount Eric Marcel truly is an extraordinary person. First the medicine for sailor's disease, and now a syrup like this. He must be quite the inventor.”
Diego had already heard about the medicine for sailor's disease.
However, even he hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
In truth, most of Lisboa's nobles were shipowners.
Thanks to Eric, sailor's disease had practically disappeared, so naturally the shipowners praised him.
Chairwoman Bonmati was no exception.
On top of that, she had been deeply impressed by Eric's generosity in spreading that knowledge freely instead of monopolizing it.
Diego thought for about a second before answering.
“He is that compassionate and deeply devoted to humanity. Perhaps as a reward for that, he was even blessed by the God of Abundance.”
“Blessed?!”
Chairwoman Bonmati shouted without realizing it and rose from her seat.
“Is that true?”
“It seems the rumor hasn't reached Lisboa yet. The Deputy Director of the Papal Internal Investigation Office personally confirmed it.”
“Hahaha! Viscount Eric Marcel truly is an incredible man! In all my life, I've never heard of a lord like him.”
Apparently delighted, Chairwoman Bonmati gestured for a maid to bring wine.
“I'm in a very good mood today. I'd like to raise a toast to Viscount Eric Marcel, so please don't refuse.”
Diego and Raul might still have been immature young men, but neither of them was foolish enough to hesitate when such a powerful noble proposed a toast.
“Of course. We're proud to hear you say that as well.”
“Haha! If there is anything you need, say the word. If it helps Viscount Eric Marcel, I'll gladly do it.”
Diego immediately realized that an excellent opportunity had appeared.
He spoke without hesitation.
“In that case, could you help ensure that our products are accepted at the auction house? We naturally want them to receive a fair evaluation, but we're worried about discrimination against outsiders.”
“Of course I'll help. I'm very close with the head of the spice auction house, so I'll speak to them personally. I'll also write you a letter of introduction under my own name. It should make it much easier for you to operate in Lisboa.”
Diego immediately rose from his seat, bowed in gratitude, and raised his glass high.
“A toast to the friendship between Chairwoman Bonmati and Lord Marcel!”
