The next day involved patrolling the villages surrounding the fort, including a stop at the village of Disnald to negotiate business with Nandal.

“Can I go back to the orphanage now?” Yang asked.

“After the negotiations,” Heisen replied.

“Then hurry up,” she urged, quickening her pace. Despite appearing like a six-year-old, Yang displayed an abundance of childlike excitement.

By her age, many people would have left their parents and started working. Since she couldn’t stay at the fortress indefinitely, Heisen allowed her some freedom for the time being.

Upon entering Nandal's trading house, Heisen was met with a bustling atmosphere. Everyone was busy yet productive—a sign of a successful business.

“Second Lieutenant Heisen, have you reviewed the list?” Nandal asked.

“Yes. We will take everything. Also, please deliver these to the Cumon tribe,” Heisen said, handing over some parchment.

“What is this?” Nandal asked.

“It’s a technical data sheet. It details the effects, size, shape, and suitability for different magicians,” Heisen explained.

“That’s impressive,” Nandal commented.

“I asked Yang to compile their characteristics in advance. It should meet their needs to some extent,” Heisen added.

Yang had made several trips to the Cumon tribal settlement since the ceasefire agreement. Officially, she acted as a translator for Private Edal, who was nearly fluent in their language. In her spare time, Yang had worked on this task, achieving unexpected results.

Queen Basia of the Cumon tribe had developed a fondness for Yang and even proposed adopting her as her daughter. Heisen had politely refused, though Yang was furious at his decision.

After reviewing the wand’s specifications, Nandal nodded.

“Understood. I will ensure these are delivered.”

“If they find them appealing, they can purchase them. If not, I’d like to sell them on the black market. Do you have a strategy for that?” Heisen asked.

“Yes, but I doubt it will be necessary. The Cumon tribe wants these so badly that they will buy them unless the price is too high,” Nandal replied.

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of overcharging, but I also won’t let them underpay,” Heisen assured.

He planned to sell at twice the purchase price, including the cost of raw materials, making the actual profit only half. After checking the price, Nandal nodded in agreement.

“This is reasonable. It was much cheaper than I expected,” Nandal affirmed.

Relieved, Heisen turned to Yang.

“Yang, inform Queen Basia. We buy gems here but selling them on the black market could harm our reputation.”

“I understand, but I think they will buy them,” Yang said.

“It’s about showing that we have other options. This increases our leverage and reduces their bargaining power,” Heisen explained.

“Understood,” Yang replied.

“Nandal, is a 10% commission acceptable?” Heisen asked.

“Yes, we make enough money elsewhere. We can even accept less,” Nandal suggested.

“So, in exchange for a lower commission, can you issue a promissory note? We need time to extract money from the empire. I’ll add another 10% for this,” Heisen proposed.

“We can do that, but are you sure?” Nandal asked.

“Why?” Heisen inquired.

“Well, we made a significant profit. Taking more seems greedy,” Nandal explained.

“That’s fair. We handle most of the administrative, shipping, and procurement tasks. It’s dangerous work, so the profits are reasonable,” Heisen said.

“Yes, but we made a 30% profit, just like you. I felt it was unfair,” Nandal admitted.

“I think that’s fair. If we could secure that amount, we wouldn’t need a promissory note. We must repay the loan money,” Heisen stressed.

To maintain a balanced partnership, it was important to keep financial relationships clear.

“If it’s acceptable to you, then we’ll proceed. Feel free to ask for anything,” Nandal agreed.

“Thanks, I will,” Heisen said, shaking Nandal’s hand firmly. Nandal was a trustworthy merchant, and Heisen hoped to see him grow into a dominant trader in the area.

“By the way, Nandal, have you considered becoming a military supplier?” Heisen asked.

Nandal’s expression darkened instantly.

“I understand if that’s too much for now. Maybe later,” Heisen suggested.

“That’s not the issue. It was an attractive offer, but Cabadao Trading Company monopolizes that business. Competing with them would be very difficult,” Nandal explained.

“Then let’s start with supplying food to the 4th Company,” Heisen proposed.

“Isn’t Second Lieutenant Heisen part of Team 8?” Nandal asked in surprise.

“I am currently in charge of a company. Of course, I will verify the quality and price first,” Heisen said.

“It’s an offer I’d love to accept, but are you sure?” Nandal asked.

“Yes. I’ve ordered an increase in food budgets for each squad, so we need to manage costs. More competition will lower prices,” Heisen explained.

“But won’t Cabadao Trading Company cause trouble for you?” Nandal inquired, concerned.

“Why would they?” Heisen asked, puzzled.

“Well, you’re quite bold. Understood, I’ll accept gladly,” Nandal said, nodding firmly, though Heisen remained unsure of the exact reason for his concern.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

A few days later, a representative from Cabadao Trading Company requested a meeting. Cabadao Trading Company had an exclusive agreement to supply the fortress with military equipment, food, and other supplies.

Although no law mandated this monopoly, it was more efficient for the military to consolidate their logistics with a single supplier. Moreover, Cabadao Trading Company had strong ties with the military’s upper echelon, making it customary for them to handle these transactions.

"Ensign Heisen, someone from Cabadao Trading Company is here to see you."

"Got it. Let them in."

The man who entered was a well-dressed, portly middle-aged man with a gentle face and perpetually smiling, droopy eyes.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Uday from the Cabadao Trading Company."

"I’m Ensign Heisen. I am pleased to meet you."

Uday’s expression flickered briefly at the mention of “Lieutenant,” but he quickly resumed his usual smiling demeanor.

"I’ve heard that you’ve assigned the food procurement for the 4th Company to someone other than us. Was there something wrong with our supplies?"

"Oh, we found the milk a bit questionable recently, so we decided to make a change."

"I apologize for that," Uday said, bowing deeply.

"It’s fine. For now, we’re using Nandal’s services. If the quality or price is an issue, we’ll switch back."

"Uh, here," Uday said, presenting a lavishly wrapped package.

"What’s this?"

"A token of our apology."

"Thank you. I’ll—"

"Huh?"

"Excuse me?"

As Heisen was about to exit quickly, Uday looked bewildered.

"Aren’t you going to open it?"

"Now? I have a packed schedule," Heisen replied.

"Please, I insist. Just open it."

"Alright," Heisen sighed inwardly. He had little interest in material things and found it hard to get excited about gifts. He opened the package to find an assortment of sweets.

"Thank you. I'll distribute these in the mess hall."

"No, no, look beneath them."

"Beneath?"

Following Uday’s instructions, Heisen lifted the sweets to reveal a small gold coin. Uday’s smile widened even further.

“…”

“This is our apology.”

“Sorry, but I can’t accept this.”

“What?”

“Military regulations prohibit accepting bribes.”

“Bribe? That’s a harsh term. It’s just an apology.”

“It’s not up to us to decide. From an objective perspective, one could view it as a bribe.”

“Let’s not be so rigid.”

“I’m a soldier.”

“Do you like women, Ensign Heisen?”

“Excuse me?”

“If you’d like, I could introduce you to a few.”

“No, thank you.”

“But you’re single, right?”

“I’m not ready to settle down yet.”

“I see. Still, it’s beneficial to broaden your horizons.”

“I’m too busy for that.”

“…I understand.”

“Is there anything else? If not, I have other appointments.”

“Wait, what about Lieutenant Mospizza? Is he okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard you’re managing the company’s budget because he’s sick.”

Uday’s expression grew increasingly serious.

“He’s fine. You can find him in the 8th Squad.”

“Could you lead me to him?”

“Why? You can go on your own.”

“But I also want to talk to you afterward.”

“What about? Let’s discuss it now.”

“No, I mean, I was wondering if Lieutenant Mospizza knows about this arrangement.”

“He probably doesn’t.”

Although Heisen held the rank of lieutenant, Sergeant Buz managed the day-to-day operations.

Uday’s face brightened at this information.

“Then let’s talk together with Lieutenant Mospizza.”

“I’m busy, but alright. Please adjust your schedule to mine.”

“Of course. I’ll wait, no matter how long.”

“Fine. After my meeting with Captain Lorenzo, you can accompany us to training and discuss it there.”

“Are you meeting Captain Lorenzo directly?”

“Yes.”

“Please, let me join you. I must greet him.”

“I’ll check but keep it brief.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

Heisen left the visitor’s room and headed to Captain Lorenzo’s office.

“Excuse me, Captain Lorenzo. Uday from Cabadao Trading Company is here to see you.”

“Greet me? Alright, let him in.”

Heisen brought in Uday, who bowed even more deeply than before.

“Long time, no see, Captain Lorenzo.”

“About half a year, right?”

“Yes. I’ve been rude to Ensign Heisen, and I’m ashamed.”

“Rude? What did you do?”

“Once, our milk supply had a strange odor. But it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t mind.”

“But we’ve assigned the food procurement to a merchant who is close with Heisen.”

“Oh, that was just because we found a good merchant.”

“Many in the military have a close relationship with Cabadao Trading Company.”

“But not for me.”

“We were quite close with Lieutenant Mospizza,” he said.

“I see. That leaves a negative impression on me.”

“What?”

“Lieutenant Mospizza is currently demoted and under Ensign Heisen’s supervision,” Captain Lorenzo said with a wry smile.

Uday’s face turned pale. It seemed that Uday had planned to seek favors from both Captain Lorenzo and Lieutenant Mospizza.

“It seems your plans have fallen through. This Ensign Heisen here doesn’t listen to his superiors,” Captain Lorenzo said with a wry smile.

“That’s not true,” Heisen replied. “As a soldier, I follow orders from above without question.”

“But you wouldn’t follow my orders if you disagreed, would you?” Lorenzo asked.

“If your orders are reasonable, I’ll follow them.”

“See? This guy can be quite a handful,” Lorenzo said dismissively, though his tone made it difficult to take offense.

Captain Lorenzo, though not openly antagonistic, didn’t seem to have a favorable opinion of Uday either. With a composed expression, Lorenzo continued, “You might have had a favorable relationship with Lieutenant Mospizza, but you and I don’t have much of a history. Therefore, I see no particular reason to favor you.”

Heisen chuckled quietly. Lorenzo was cutting the conversation short, not out of disrespect but because he saw no point in wasting more time.

However, Uday appeared agitated, having succumbed to temptation.

“That’s a misunderstanding, Captain Lorenzo. We just haven’t had the opportunity.”

“This is a matter of individual company budgets. There’s no need to make a fuss. The higher-ups won’t comment on this.”

“I understand,” Uday said, clearly wary. From a business perspective, his apprehension wasn’t unfounded. Heisen intended to replace all supplies from Cabadao Trading Company with those from Nandal.

A monopoly made it simple to hoard profits due to the lack of competition, especially with the collusion of the upper echelons. Military budgets weren’t personal funds, so there was little incentive to haggle or purchase efficiently. The focus was on connections with higher-ups, and the quality demands were not particularly high. Heisen aimed to break this monopoly and procure supplies at a lower cost.

“Captain Lorenzo, are you sure about this?”

“There’s nothing to be sure about. The company traditionally decides its budgets internally. I trust Ensign Heisen’s judgment.”

“I see. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Aren’t you going to meet with Lieutenant Mospizza afterward?”

“He’s been demoted to Ensign, right? In that case, it’s unnecessary.”

With a stern expression, Uday left; his earlier smile vanished. Lorenzo sighed in exasperation.

“He was certainly reaping some benefits.”

“From Lieutenant Mospizza, no doubt. But I’ve decided. We’ll move all supplies to Nandal, not just the food.”

“Don’t be too bold. Cabadao Trading Company has strong ties with the upper echelons, as Uday mentioned. Stirring up trouble won’t do us any good.”

“I’ve investigated. Here are the upper echelon members deeply connected with Cabadao Trading Company,” Heisen said, handing over a list.

“You’re a frightening man, gathering all this in such a short time.”

“To achieve anything, you must be well-informed. I didn’t complete this quickly; I’ve been conducting research ever since my assignment here.”

“That’s what’s terrifying.” But let’s see.”

Captain Lorenzo scanned the list.

“Those connected with Cabadao Trading Company include Lieutenant Colonel Kenneck, Major Shomokac, Major Kimard, Major Gondald, Major Shimant, Captain Randall, Captain Goradd, Captain Makador, Captain Delcatt, Captain Makbamal, Captain Bize, and Captain Makazaru... I’ll skip the lieutenants, but you get the idea.”

“Do you understand? It’s clear that the faction backing Cabadao Trading Company is lopsided. Currently, there are two factions: Major Shimant and Captain Lorenzo, under the leadership of Colonel Zilba, and Lieutenant Colonel Kenneck, who effectively controls the other faction, despite Colonel Zilba’s nominal leadership. All those connected with Cabadao Trading Company, except for Major Shimant, belong to Lieutenant Colonel Kenneck’s faction. I suspect Major Shimant is colluding to gather intelligence on Colonel Zilba’s faction.”

“Cabadao Trading Company is clearly trying to raise Lieutenant Colonel Kenneck to the rank of Colonel. To counter this, we need a competing merchant.”

“And that merchant is Nandal?”

“That’s how I see it. Nandal currently monopolizes trade with the Cumon tribe and will eventually undercut Cabadao Trading Company.”

Cabadao Trading Company had long dominated, but this had led to corruption, with the company gaining undue influence over military leadership. Heisen argued that this was unhealthy. Lieutenant Colonel Kenneck now held more power than Colonel Zilba, co-opting around 80% of the majors and captains.

“I understand your point. I’ll inform Colonel Zilba. One more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Can I assume you’re on our side?”

“I don’t belong to any faction. As an Imperial soldier, I agree with what’s right according to military regulations.”