Chapter 94

The piracy I engage in is similar yet distinctly different from what the European powers like England, France, Spain, and Portugal carry out.

First, the piracy I conduct is akin to historical piracy, acting as a predatory act to diminish the supply and commercial capabilities of specific hostile nations.

However, unlike traditional piracy, I do not divide the plundered goods among the crew of the pirate ship; instead, I give everything to them.

Moreover, even though the hastily arranged half armor for the entire army may be considered second-rate, I lavishly distribute incentives, including breastplates, food, various supplies, and even gold coins…

In effect, I have abandoned the original purpose of piracy—economic advantage through plunder.

However, if this continues, the feudal lord Duke Maxburg will undoubtedly face a strong impeachment for failing to ensure the welfare and safety of the people living in his territory. Ultimately, Maxburg will have to resort to the worst option: war with me under unfavorable circumstances.

If he does not, he will become a lord who abandons his justification and duty, and such a lord will be repaid by ambitious vassals like me with rebellion.

Lost in thought, I heard someone knock on the door of my office.

“Who is it?”

“It is Brime, the admiral of the Black Fog Pirate Fleet. I have come to give Your Excellency my final report.”

“Come in. I have much to discuss with you.”

Brime entered my office and naturally took a seat in the chair in front of my desk, just as the butler brought in snacks, sandwiches, and black tea.

“Please begin your report.”

“Yes, then I will start. We have raided a total of 30 merchant ships heading to or from Maxburg to other territories, of which we captured 18. The plundered items include Romanian wine, ham, beer, crafts, iron, timber for barrels, spices, and sugar, valued at around 5,000 gold coins, and we captured 23 out of 30 captains while killing 7. Additionally, 1,000 crew members aboard the ships have been either sold as slaves per Your Excellency’s orders or protected without hiring them as our crew.”

Plunder worth 5,000 gold coins and the capture of 18 ships… Everything the pirates bring in is negotiated at smuggler’s rates.

Selling just the goods would net approximately 2,000, or even 3,000 coins in profit.

With an additional 5,000 coins, I could cover the costs of the ships and repairs.

“Well done. As promised, you can keep all the payment this time as well. However, in exchange for the provisions provided, we will take the 1,000 crew members, and I will pay a fair amount for the 18 ships, so ensure they are handed over for repairs in the North as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

“And there weren’t any dead from scurvy, were there? If they had taken the medicine I provided, not a single one should have died from scurvy…”

At my words, Brime’s face brightened with a hint of excitement.

“Thanks to the medicine you provided, not a single crew member died from scurvy! This is a miracle. Our fleet usually loses about 5% of our crew to scurvy without doing anything, so it’s wonderful that this time, no one died. This medicine is truly a blessing from Deus.”

“Thank goodness that no one died, which saved us some money.”

“While it’s unfortunate not to have received the 50 gold coins, we can now reduce the deaths of our skilled crew and captains. Can we continue to receive this medicine?”

“It’s 600 grams per silver coin. If you want it, I can provide as much as you need.”

“…. That sounds good. We will continue to buy, and… when can we expect our payment?”

“I could pay you now, but haven’t we not finished the accounting yet? We need to determine the price of the goods. And I asked if you could gather information about the situation in Maxburg by interrogating the captains… how is that?”

Hearing those words, he smiled and handed me a report.

Inside were details beyond my imagination, leading me to one solid conclusion.

Is Maxburg’s child at this point burning with anxiety to the extent of fainting from high blood pressure?

**

In the office, adorned with walls featuring an eagle snatching a fish symbolizing the Maxburg family and a desk made of the finest marble from Itarica, along with a chair made of ebony wood, I began to read the letters sent to me by nobles and merchants, having dismissed all subordinates and attendants.

[To His Excellency Duke Maxburg, I, Count Bremen, your loyal minister, report that recently Brime’s Black Fog Pirate Fleet has been attacking our merchant ships, causing great losses to the merchants and the good noblemen who employ them. Baron Albhime has lost 10 tons of sugar to these pirate ships, lesser than rats, and is now bankrupt. Additionally, the remaining nobles and merchants are suffering massive losses, and several small to medium-sized trading companies affiliated with our domain are already on the verge of financial ruin. I am currently attempting to calm the situation, but it’s merely a stopgap. A swift resolution is needed, and if a resolution isn’t reached in time, I foresee the dissatisfaction of other vassal lords reaching new heights.]

[To His Excellency Duke Maxburg, I, a humble merchant from the Medica family, write to you. Our family has built a long-standing trust with Your Excellency and your house, and based on that trust, we have continued our transactions at a loss for the past five months. However, as lowly merchants, we cannot continue dealings that do not yield profit, so it seems we can no longer maintain trade with Your Excellency. Therefore, after writing this letter, I have ordered the immediate withdrawal of 25 of our subordinate trading companies. If no action is taken regarding this matter within a month, we will initiate legal proceedings for the repayment of the total 100,000 gold coins and 150,000 coins in interest that Your Excellency and your vassals owe us.]

[Mayor Heintz of Lothringen reports that due to the bankruptcy or withdrawal of numerous trading companies, food prices in our city have doubled, and it seems a riot is imminent. If swift measures are not taken, our city is in danger. If you cannot defeat the Black Fog Pirate Fleet, please temporarily reinforce us with 3,000 troops.]

After reading through the letters filled with such contents, I felt two emotions.

One was anger towards the Croilet scoundrel who instigated all this, and the other was despair over the peril facing my domain.

Especially the Croilet scoundrel… How did he figure out that I purposely sent a knight who had been expelled from the Northern Alliance to sever ties with those Northerners?

Those fellows had ensured that the senior members, who could speak Northern Alliance tongue as well as the locals, were forced to eat only Northern cuisine to create suspicion…

“Cunning Croilet scoundrel!! How can he masquerade as a person and engage in piracy that even homosexuals would avoid? A person should have a conscience!! What a revolting political game!”

As I shouted, I soon heard a knock on the door once again.

“Who is it? Did I not tell you not to let anyone in?”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. But this is not the situation; right now, merchants from the Medica family, along with Italian and Benikian merchants, are attacking demanding that debts be paid. And…”

“And what more? Do they think they can threaten me? Before I hang them for treason, I implore you to be quiet, you foolish butler…”

Moments later, the butler’s trembling voice came from beyond the door.

“If the Duke doesn’t resolve the situation, they are stating their intention to inform the Emperor of Romania and all the lords about the realities of the families unable to repay their debts.”

Considering the existing poor relations between the current Emperor and myself, and if information arrives that I am merely being swayed by the merchants…

The Emperor would surely send a letter containing something like this.

“No, my ancestors entrusted the Maxburg family with the assurance that they would adequately protect the subjects living in the Maxburg domain of my Empire… If they are unable to manage that, then we’ll have to reduce that burden.”

And after handing over a certain amount of gold coins, he would likely meddle drastically in our family and my domain.

So I bit my tongue and addressed the butler outside the door.

“Let them all into the meeting room. I will be there shortly.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

**

“What on earth were you all doing, sitting here being robbed by a mere pirate fleet without any response?”

“Isn’t that too much? Thanks to this, our house has lost 3,000 gold coins… No, including the ships, it amounts to about 6,000 coins! Damn it, I’m terrified I might be sent back to Medica’s main house and stripped of my position.”

“I’m saying my son, who was being trained to be my successor, has now been captured by those damn pirates! Because of that damned pirate fleet! I was trying to ensure his education in the relatively safe Frankfurt and Lothringen, only for him to be caught near Lothringen!”

“The losses are severe. As you all know… To recover from this level of loss, we will have to sacrifice several small to medium-sized trading companies. I’ll have to strip my own flesh to survive.”

“I can hardly believe this is reality.”

If my vassals were having this conversation in my mansion, I could strike one of them to shut him up…

But those guys were neither my vassals, nobles, nor merchants… They were agents of a large trading company connecting Itarica and Romania, so I couldn’t kill them.

No, in this situation, if I vent my frustration on them without reason, there would be tremendous repercussions.

Thus, I spoke to them in a voice of authority.

“First and foremost, I sincerely regret the occurrence of this situation. However, from now on, I swear by my name that those wicked pirates shall not set foot anywhere in this land, in the domain watched over by our Lord Deus.”

As a nobleman swore by my name, the expressions of the men shifted from worry to relief.

“Very well. However, the damage we have suffered is immense; while you are under no obligation to compensate for our losses… it is the duty of Duke to eradicate such pirate bands that have caused this bleeding. How do you plan to root them out?”

Like Shylocks, even though I am an aristocrat of a foreign land, I am still the lord referred to as ‘Your Excellency’…

How can they be so disrespectful right in front of me?

Still, I am in a vulnerable position; if I can’t bear this humiliation, the Emperor will surely present me with a greater humiliation and shame.

To avert that, I must ultimately propose a war that yields greater effectiveness and profit than this crisis, alongside the rights I can grant them.

And those rights are, in fact…

“First, according to the information I have confirmed, that Brime’s pirate fleet seems to be funded by Croilet Count. So if I crush Count Croilet, they will naturally retreat. At the very least, they won’t be able to operate as tenaciously as they do now. Thus, I will declare war on Count Croilet’s forces, defeat them, and break their momentum.”

Upon hearing this, the most powerful member of the Medica family asked me.

“However, Count Croilet’s military is currently an immensely powerful force, virtually impossible to defeat with an equal force. Certainly, Duke, should you mobilize troops, it would be double what they have… but is that enough?”

“That’s why I plan to hire the Golden Fleece Mercenary Company, the Red Wolf Mercenary Company, and the Black Beard Mercenary Company. I intend to hire all of them. That way, we’ll be able to fight from a slightly, no, significantly superior position.”

“Their combined forces will number around 5,000 to 6,000, and since they are elite mercenaries, that should be sufficient. However, you will need to hire them for at least two months… how will you cover that cost?”

“That money will come from you.”

Upon hearing this, the gentlemen began to roll their eyes, seemingly calculating the benefits they would gain in return for their funds.

Smiling, they replied.

“Very well. In exchange, we would like rights to receive armor and weapons made of iron from the Count Croilet’s ironworks at one-third of the price they supply them, along with the right to import sugar at half price. Additionally, please grant us unlimited access to Blueport and make it a free city.”

“A mere 5,000 gold coins and turning Blueport into a free city? Have you all lost your minds?”

At this, the merchant of the Medica family smiled condescendingly.

“If you turn Blueport into a free city, we will waive the 50,000 gold coins you borrowed from us, along with the interest. Plus, taxes will go to you anyway, so what’s the loss?”

If I defeat that Siel brat, they are suggesting they will gain trading privileges in the North in exchange; however, as long as I pay taxes, I won’t incur any losses.

And if they dismiss the 50,000 gold coins that have been a burden to us, it’s a much more favorable treaty for us.

But since we’re already negotiating, a little more stinging wouldn’t hurt.

“Shylocks, I accept. But also cover the food expenses for this expedition. Surely, you can do that?”

“Of course, Your Excellency. From now on, we, the humble merchants, will fully assist you until you achieve victory in the war.”