Doting on His Daughter?

Sitting firm in a shop doing business versus flying around between cities as he did now.

If asked which was more fun, he'd say both.

Watching money visibly accumulate with each sale at the shop was satisfying, and so was mentally tallying up profits while transporting goods.

When his father had still been alive, he'd been sent out to gain experience as a traveling peddler on foot.

That had been truly grueling.

To avoid monsters and bandits, he'd tagged along with military supply convoys or begged merchant caravans with hired guards to let him join.

Back then, he'd helped out with various tasks in exchange for the learning opportunity.

Without a cart, the goods he could carry were limited, yet still heavy on his back.

Because of those experiences, when he bought Azu, he made sure to give her a special tool bag, one enchanted to hold more and reduce weight.

Both adventurers and peddlers earned their living on foot.

Gathering good equipment like that was probably similar to how adventurers assembled swords and armor.

With Elza and Alexia handling the driving, he had nothing to do during the journey.

They'd played cards to pass the time, but Orleans was too strong. He lost repeatedly and gave up because she looked so apologetic for winning too much.

The wind was strong along the way, but they'd spent good money on a solid carriage, so it held steady.

After considerable travel time from departure, they arrived in Alsarm.

Thanks to Lady Anatia, they could transport large quantities of iron ore duty-free.

That alone was profitable enough, but with demand up, selling prices here were higher than in nearby cities.

"This really is a lively city."

"There are so many people it's overwhelming…"

Alexia and Orleans observed the crowds filling the streets.

Right, Orleans hadn't been with them last time they came.

Duke Dantarg's Ateil in the Empire was quite a large city too, but Alsarm right now might be the greatest city on the continent.

"Stand tall. Looking nervous makes you stand out more."

"Finn-sama, that may be, but every few steps I nearly bump into someone."

"Orleans-chan might get swept away by the crowd with her size. Let's hold hands."

He listened to their conversation while taking in Alsarm.

People, goods, and above all money gathered here. More than in the Royal Capital. More than in the imperial capital.

A large population was an overwhelming advantage in itself.

Lately, his own city had been growing and he could feel the improving economy.

A growing city meant opportunities everywhere. The thought was exciting.

They secured a room at a somewhat upscale inn, then headed straight to the duke's residence with the carriage.

The roads within the city were maintained for carriage traffic, making travel easy.

When he delivered the letter from Lady Anatia, he was granted an audience with Duke Baroba immediately.

That was surely thanks to the letter.

The duke he hadn't seen in a while still fixed him with that same sharp, piercing gaze.

Same as when they'd first met. This was probably just his normal expression.

But he also seemed a bit tired.

No doubt the weight of being a duke, compounded by the Church of the Sun God situation worsening rather than improving.

Despite offering an opportunity for the church to explain themselves and even granting a year's grace period as a concession, apparently no envoy had been sent.

Time remained, but in situations like this, the norm was to send someone without much delay.

He'd made it clear that failure to send anyone would mean military action.

Taking no action despite that could be interpreted as a declaration that they were willing to fight.

That was why Duke Baroba was building up military strength as a show of force.

If this continued, he was making clear that all that power would come crashing down on them.

And therein lay this business opportunity.

"It seems my daughter has been in your debt again."

"Not at all. It was an honor to have her assistance."

The letter had apparently contained recent news. Word about the Cat's Paw Inn seemed to have reached him.

It had been challenging, but it had further enhanced their reputation and added prestige, so really, he was the one who should be thanking them.

He caught a slight softening of the duke's expression.

Clearly, he treasured his daughter deeply.

With such a beautiful and kind daughter, who wouldn't feel that way?

His own slaves were hardly inferior, mind you.

There was already plenty of protection here, but after one assassination attempt, he'd relocated her to the Royal Capital. The man positively doted on her.

"That girl and Princess Tianis aren't on bad terms. Kanon, her attendant, has her issues, but she's more than adequate as a guard. As long as Anatia stays in the capital, she should be safe."

"They did seem almost like sisters."

Lady Anatia would tease, and Princess Tianis would react.

Yet she never seemed truly angry. More pleased, if anything.

"When Princess Tianis was much younger, they spent some time together. They're close in blood too, so in a sense, calling them sisters isn't wrong."

"I see."

Lady Anatia was far easier to deal with.

He hoped she'd stay in the capital a while longer this time.

"Thank you for delivering the letter. I'll buy the burning stone and iron ore at market price."

"Thank you. It's an honor to be of service."

He bowed his head.

As expected, the prompt audience had been thanks to the letter.

A hand-delivered letter could be read immediately, bypassing the need for appointments.

After parting from the duke, he had the iron ore and burning stone weighed at the designated location and sold.

They'd packed the tool bags to bursting, so the quantity was considerable, though against the current massive demand, it was a drop in the bucket.

Everything had gone smoothly.

A refreshing change from the constant trouble and firefighting.

Market prices had tracked higher than expected.

They'd made plenty of profit. Perhaps it was worth staying in Alsarm for a while, treating the group to some recreation.