Raising the Grand Duke of the North as a Farmer Behind Dad’s Back - Chapter 38

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 38
That was the moment.
Whoosh!
Haniel, who had buried her face in Basil’s lap, tilted her head slightly and glared at him.
‘Hey.’
‘I know, I know.’
Basil let out a soft cough at the child’s piercing glare, invisible to Duke Rowen.
‘I nearly lost the upper hand there.’
He ran his fingers through Haniel’s fine hair as he thought.
‘Right…… I definitely said the deal with Duke Rowen must be sealed right here and now.’
“You can’t just let Duke Rowen leave like this! You understand, don’t you!”
“Why not? It doesn’t seem so bad to sell him a sample first and let him verify the efficacy himself.”
“Oh no, if we do that he’ll inspect it and go ‘this works like this, that works like that’ and then haggle the price down!”
“Ah.”
“Besides…… the Eastern Territory is practically swarming with Holy Knights and Imperial Palace officials right now. They want to see this Crop Disease purified!”
If Duke Rowen were to return to the Eastern Territory with that ‘sample’ under these circumstances?
“The Imperial Palace or the Temple would surely swoop in immediately. They’d force us to sell! And they’d slash the price mercilessly!”
Frankly, Basil had absolute confidence that no one could strong-arm him into anything…….
‘What she fears is the Temple showing up at our Territory.’
He read Haniel’s fear clearly.
And so he had made up his mind: he must sell the Cure Remedy to Duke Rowen right here, right now.
Looking at Haniel, that resolve crystallized anew.
‘Well, then. How do I break through this situation?’
The stubborn old man looked anything but ordinary.
If he tried even the slightest trick, the duke would catch him in it—but there was no sign of that. He was straightforward.
‘What should I start with…….’
That was when.
Squirm, squirm.
Haniel, who had been pretending to sleep while gripping Basil’s hand, wrote something on his palm.
R. U. D. E. N.
‘Ah.’
It came back to him.
To be honest, this was Basil’s first time conducting a deal between nobles.
But a few days ago, he had rapidly studied the fundamentals of negotiation with Ruden.
“Ruden! How do you seize the initiative in your first deal?”
With a very enthusiastic six-year-old child.
“Hmm. First, it’s important to sell what the other party needs.”
Basil glanced at the Cure Remedy Recipe lying on the table.
‘Required goods: the Cure Remedy.’
Got it.
“But, but! Even if it’s something the other person needs, if it’s your first deal it might not be easy! What if we mess up and get taken for fools……?”
“Hmm…… then it might be good to add a classic lure on top of it.”
“For instance……?”
His palm tickled again.
O. N. E. D. E. C. I. S. I. V. E. M. O. V. E.
Basil shrugged casually and spoke.
“Let’s return to the subject of the deal then. So you’re saying the Duke wants to purchase a sample first? Yes, it’s a reasonable enough proposition, but…… well.”
“What do you mean?”
“The quantity of the primary ingredient…….”
That much of an opening was enough.
The Duke was a man of thoughtfulness and experience. He would surely grasp the meaning without much difficulty.
“What? Surely the primary ingredient isn’t…… in sufficient supply? What exactly is this ingredient you speak of?”
Basil smiled faintly and opened the pouch that lay on the table.
“For your eyes only, Duke.”
A Golden-Brown Mushroom peeked out.
At the sight of this mushroom unlike any he had ever seen, Duke Rowen’s eyes widened.
“This is……!”
“A Spirit Medicine that has endured all the contamination and cold of our Northern Territory for the past two years.”
Hearing this, it looked far more potent than before.
“And yet the quantity……. Tsk.”
“……So the harvest yield really is insufficient?”
“It’s more the collection process itself that’s…… tsk.”
Rowen clicked his eyes toward the ceiling.
From that reaction, he could surmise—
‘The gathering is difficult, and the supply of raw materials is severely limited.’
He swallowed hard.
‘Wait, then shouldn’t I secure that material first?’
If he failed to monopolize that ingredient here and now……
purchasing only the Cure Remedy Recipe later would be utterly worthless.
“Since this mushroom is such a precious material, naturally I intend to hand it over only to whoever purchases the Cure Remedy Recipe.”
The Duke swallowed hard.
“Your Highness. I wonder…… might I ask the price of the raw material?”
“Of course.”
Basil slid a piece of paper across.
Per bundle……
‘Three, three thousand gold? Good heavens.’
The price of two small oxen.
‘How much of this mushroom goes into the Cure Remedy anyway?’
Depending on the dosage…… it could end up costing more than the Recipe itself.
Yet the proportions remained unclear.
To know the proportions…… he’d naturally have to open the Recipe first.
“So, what will you do?”
Basil leaned back in his chair.
“Are you really going to purchase a sample first? The Trade Contract in four days? Hmm…… will you have no regrets, I wonder.”
‘Surely he’s not planning to sell the mushroom to another Territory while I’m deliberating?’
Even his manner—strangely pressed for time.
“What business brings you? I’d prefer to wrap this up within thirty minutes if possible.”
Thoughts of limited supply and potential rivals somewhere out there stirred his anxiety.
Still, this price……
‘With the poor harvest, I ought to economize…… no, but considering the Eastern Territory, money isn’t the real concern.’
Just then, a rather clever idea struck him.
‘Wait. Wait. What if I report this to the Imperial Palace first……?’
Then wouldn’t the Imperial Palace commit funds to purchase the Cure Remedy Recipe?
And then, as happened last spring, they might distribute the Cure Remedy for free…… or at a very modest price.
The Imperial Palace too must be troubled by the Crop Disease ravaging the realm.
His mind raced.
“Ah, Your Highness. Just a moment. Give me just a moment to think……”
At that very instant, Haniel inscribed something across Basil’s palm once more.
Scratch-scratch.
‘I understand.’
Basil steadied himself by gently caressing Haniel’s cheek.
“Ah, one more thing.”
“……?”
“There’s something I haven’t told the Duke.”
“What would that be?”
“The conditions of this transaction.”
“……Pardon?”
Basil gestured with his chin toward another folder on the table.
“Well then, why don’t you look at the Trade Contract first.”
“…….”
Rowen picked up the Trade Contract with mechanical precision.
That was the moment.
“Th—this can’t be!”
The Duke’s eyes widened like saucers.
He had spotted a single clause written in the Trade Contract.
“Wh—what in blazes is this!”
“Still don’t understand?”
Those crimson eyes bored into the Duke’s face like daggers.
“I’m not offering the Recipe to you at all.”
– The principal developer of the Cure Remedy Recipe shall be designated as ‘Rowen’.
“You’re selling ‘achievements,’ in other words.”
* * *
“I’ll take it!”
“At this price?”
“At this price!”
The deal went through.
‘So it was genuine.’
Basil thought this to himself as he cut into his bread.
He was glad he’d run through the simulation with Ruden and Haniel beforehand.
“Even when I said the materials were limited, if the Duke hesitates, the deal’s likely to fall through—isn’t that right, Master Ruden?”
“Mm. Prolonged deliberation tends to lead to refusal. Either that, or he’s got some other angle in mind.”
“So then, what if we showed him the clause in this Trade Contract?”
– The overall development of the Cure Remedy Recipe shall be credited to Rowen.
“The Duke is a man of considerable pride, Your Majesty. If we sell him the ‘reputation’ of having developed the Cure Remedy alongside the recipe itself, he’ll open his purse no matter the cost!”
Basil’s brow furrowed slightly.
“If we’re going to credit the Cure Remedy Recipe to Rowen anyway, wouldn’t it be better to just say so from the start?”
“Because then he won’t feel like he’s gotten a bargain!”
Haniel spoke up.
“He has to agonize, hold his breath, and struggle before finally obtaining it—only then does it have true value. That’s when the Northern Territory becomes genuinely grateful!”
“You’re right, Your Majesty. If you intend to maintain a trading relationship with the Eastern Territory going forward.”
So that’s how it worked.
“Major transactions are, in essence, exercises in psychological warfare.”
“Exactly! People open their purses with emotion, not reason!”
“And psychological pressure proves most effective when emotions run high.”
“Right! So you have to build those feelings up, step by step!”
“…Wait, am I the only one actually learning something here?”
Somehow, he’d acquired two teachers.
‘At any rate, it went through successfully—that’s what matters.’
Or was it merely fortunate?
Ten million gold.
His grip on the spoon tightened imperceptibly.
A sum equivalent to half a year’s budget for a substantial domain.
He’d just earned an enormous fortune.
And beyond that…
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I won’t forget this kindness.”
It seemed he’d also earned the Duke’s trust.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————