Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord (お気楽領主の楽しい領地防衛 ～生産系魔術で名もなき村を最強の城塞都市に～)

I'm glad we beat that forest dragon without any losses.

Those ramparts you made served their purpose.

That's true. Without them, it might've been a different story.

I have a proposal, Lord Van.

Now that you've made those sturdy ramparts,

why not turn your attention to city planning next?

City planning?

You mentioned before that I should aim to build a city for 10,000 to live in.

Yes.

To accomplish that and fashion an attractive city, we'll need new residents.

I see.

Lord Van.

Bell and Rango have returned with folk from the Mary Chamber of Commerce.

They said they'd buy the materials from the forest dragon.

Great.

First, we'll sell the dragon materials.

Then we'll make a city everyone can enjoy living in.

EASYGOING TERRITORY DEFENSE BY THE OPTIMISTIC LORD

EARNEST MERCHANTS AND RECEIVING A PROUD TITLE

EARNEST MERCHANTS AND RECEIVING A PROUD TITLE

I wonder how much the Mary Chamber of Commerce merchants will buy them for.

It's a dragon.

A large forest dragon at that.

Its scales, claws, fangs, and eyes are all in pretty good condition.

You'll probably get at least 100 platinum.

If I remember correctly, one platinum is worth around 100 million yen.

So 100 would mean...

A dragon is worth 10 billion yen?!

Did I just win the jackpot?

I had my doubts, but...

It's real, all right.

So what do you think?

Lord Van. Please entrust these materials to the Mary Chamber of Commerce.

We're the most reputable traders and have the royal family's backing,

so we'll buy them from you at the highest price you'll get, too.

That's great news.

By the way, how much can we sell them for?

Given the current market, I'd say about 60 platinum.

Huh? I thought I'd won the jackpot.

Wait there a sec. I'll consult with Bell and Rango.

Oh, please hold on a minute.

Those brothers are still young as merchants go. We can offer a proper—

Sounds like we might not get as much as I thought.

They quoted me 60 platinum.

That's crazy.

It's obvious this is all of the highest quality.

You imbeciles!

You two are part of the Mary Chamber of Commerce, too, y'know. Play along!

H-Hold on a second.

As merchants, we should give a proper appraisal.

No other merchants are coming to this remote village for a whole year!

Even if we only offer 60 platinum, that brat has no choice but to sell.

Got it? Now shut up and do as we say!

I can hear you all as well.

Well, one platinum is worth 100 million. I guess I can't blame them for haggling.

Even so...

We brothers aim to do things fairly,

no matter who we're dealing with or what we're negotiating over.

We believe that will lead to greater future profit.

And with Lord Van, it'll definitely pay off!

You dolts...

When the president learns of this, you'll be kicked out of the Mary Chamber of Commerce.

Imbeciles.

They'll regret this!

Are you sure? You'll be kicked out of the Mary Chamber of Commerce.

Yes.

It was the only choice.

Then, hey...

Why not found your own trading company?

Huh?!

You make it sound easy.

I-Is it difficult?

You have to fulfill three conditions to establish a trading company.

First, pay the Merchants' Guild registration fee.

1. PAY THE MERCHANT GUILD'S REGISTRATION FEE

Second, own your own shop.

2. OWN A PHYSICAL SHOP

And third, get an endorsement from a titled noble.

3. ENDORSEMENT FROM A TITLED NOBLE

The first two are easy enough, but that last one's an issue.

The only person with a title who's likely to help us is...

Sure, I don't mind.

Huh? You'll do it?

I hear the Mary Chamber of Commerce is favored by the royal family.

Won't they harass you?

Think about it.

If I found a small trading company as a newly elevated noble,

recognizing it is no skin off their noses.

If anything, it'd be a bad look for the royal family if they didn't.

I see.

Besides, I have no land or knights of my own,

so if I want to climb the ladder,

I need to do things that will get people talking.

If I do this, word will spread that I helped two earnest merchants.

In that case, why not say you defeated that dragon, Panamera?

People will talk about that, and it means my family won't find out.

Your thought process has the oddest blind spots.

Dragons are rarely slain.

Even if I said I'd killed it, they'd want to know in detail how I'd managed it,

and their own investigations would lead to you anyway.

What will I do if my family summons me home?

There's one way to avoid that.

Huh?

It's simple. Get yourself a title.

A title?

DUKE | MARQUIS | COUNT | VISCOUNT BARON | BARONET | KNIGHT

All nobles have a title.

I've worked my way up from knight, the lowest title,

but since you're the son of a marquis,

they'd probably make you a baron to start with.

Lord Van, get yourself a title and found a new house.

What is this woman saying?

You just need to declare that you slew the dragon.

All I really did was pin it down.

No way. That would make me really stand out, wouldn't it?

And that dissatisfies you?

You can become famous for being the eight-year-old who slew a dragon,

and use that achievement to earn a title.

That said...

I do understand how you feel, young man.

When I first earned my title, I gained more enemies,

and people trying to use me came out of the woodwork.

However...

I reduced all of them to ash.

To ash?

So if any new enemies show up, don't hesitate to fire your ballistae at them.

A dozen corpses in your wake will stop people opposing you.

I just learned a terrifying tip for navigating life.

But if I claim it was all my doing,

you can't use it to support your own bid for promotion.

Young man.

Are you worried about me?

I don't think I've done anything to have an-eight-year old worrying about me,

so perhaps I misheard.

No, I didn't mean it.

In fact, I'm now worried about my own safety.

Please don't eat me.

You always have an amusing retort.

Don't worry. I won't eat you for another five years.

So to help you grow even bigger,

I'll let you take the glory for slaying this dragon.

I don't believe it.

I apparently only have five years left to live.

Huh?! Lady Panamera?!

She'll endorse us?!

That means...

Yup. You can found your own trading company, Bell and Rango.

All right!

Getting down to it, will you please sell those dragon materials to us?

Of course.

We want to repay you for all you've done for us, so how does 130 platinum sound?

That much?

Thanks. We have a deal.

Right!

Okay, let's go to the royal capital to sell all this stuff.

There aren't any carriages?

Right. The Mary Chamber of Commerce merchants just left with it.

What were they thinking?

They're waiting for you to come crying to them.

If you can't transport the goods, you have no choice but to listen to them.

Then, I'll make a new carriage for you two.

You will?

In that case, you can have my warhorse to pull the carriage.

They're well-trained, and their stamina and speed are on another level.

I bet Bell and Rango are regretting their decision now.

Those foolish brothers.

They'll come crying to us in no time.

Wh-What's that?

Viscountess Cayenne?

That was Bell and Rango, wasn't it?

Why were they with the viscountess?

H-Hold on a sec...

With the cooperation of a noble, they could start their own trading company!

No way!

KINGDOM OF SCUDERIA ROYAL CAPITAL, AUDIENCE CHAMBER

So the social climber is here again.

Still, I assumed you had come to petition me for a higher rank.

Yet you want me to grant a title to someone else?

That's correct...

King Dino.

KINGDOM OF SCUDERIA'S KING DINO EN TSORA BELLRINET

Viscountess Cayenne, I do not see this man you seek a title for.

The man in question is the lord of a remote village.

He's currently safeguarding his village, so he couldn't make it to the royal capital.

Why would you recommend such a man to the nobility?

For his great deeds so far, and his potential that overshadows them.

Oh?

Given your prowess, for you to recommend him means I can expect great things, yes?

Still, what manner of feats could he have achieved in a village so remote,

we haven't stationed troops or knights there?

He slew a forest dragon.

What? Is that even possible?

And he "slew" it? He didn't drive it off?

Is this lord an elemental mage?

No, his magical aptitude is for production magic.

Production magic?

Who is this man?

The son of Marquis Fertio,

Van Nei Fertio.

A lord who is barely eight years old.