Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 181 (Part 1)

The meeting with Bron’s party had been unexpected, but such encounters were common in the mercenary world. Meeting and parting always coexisted—such was the life of a mercenary.

The mercenaries traveling together now would also scatter once the request was completed. And on some future day, on some other request, they could always cross paths again.

“We’ll rest here for a bit before moving on.”

“Scott can decide that.”

“Understood. We’ll rest here! It’s a bit late, but we’ll move after lunch.”

“Yes, sir.”

The mercenaries escorting Queen Regina settled down in the clearing Bron’s party had vacated. It was a wide clearing, spacious enough to light a campfire and rest comfortably.

“Brother.”

“What is it?”

“Were they people you knew? The ones who were with you before you met us?”

“Yeah. Back when I didn’t know anything about the world, they helped me a lot. You know how I vouched for you when you got your mercenary tags, right? It was the same with me. The mercenary named Bron that you just saw—he was the one who vouched for me.”

Bron had played a big role in helping Rodin get his identity tag. What was surprising was that, even though Rodin now held a platinum tag, Bron’s sponsorship period hadn’t yet expired.

It would still be a few more months before Bron’s sponsorship officially ended. Meaning, if Rodin caused trouble now, Bron would be held responsible.

“Ah, so you met before you became a mercenary.”

“That’s right. We spent a few months together and grew pretty close.”

“It’s been over two years since you last saw each other, then?”

“Yeah.”

Before they knew it, the meal was ready. Rodin accepted the food Karis brought and ate inside the carriage.

The rest break was to last an hour.

Since the surrounding area wasn’t particularly dangerous, the mercenaries relaxed with ease. That trust came partly from their confidence in Rodin, who had an uncanny ability to detect danger early.

Thunk!

The door of the most ornate carriage opened, and Queen Regina stepped out. Prince Arian was holding her hand.

“Your Majesty, you’ve come out?”

“Yes. Scott, has anything happened?”

“No, Your Majesty. We’re resting without issue. It appears there is no danger in the surrounding area at present.”

While the mercenaries were relaxing, they still cast the occasional glance toward Queen Regina. Seeing this, a handmaid moved to subtly block their line of sight.

“That’s a relief. There was another group resting here before us, wasn’t there?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Should I have gone out and explained who we are?”

“There’s no need. The client is someone to be protected. Unless it’s truly necessary, there’s no reason to come forward. Your Majesty.”

During their journey, Queen Regina often asked questions whenever something unusual happened. She wanted to teach her son, Prince Arian, about the world—things one couldn’t learn just from books.

Scott understood this, and tried to explain things in a way Prince Arian could grasp easily.

“I see. That group from earlier—they were a merchant caravan, weren’t they?”

“Yes. From their banner, they appeared to be the Sinclair Merchant Group.”

“Scott, could you tell me what you know about the Sinclair Merchant Group?”

Queen Regina was already well informed about the Sinclair Merchant Group. Even so, she asked the question—for the sake of educating her son, as always.

“Until recently, the Sinclair Merchant Group was considered one of the Three Great Merchant Groups. Now, it’s regarded as the top Merchant Group on the Central Continent.”

After the death of Adolf Berken, the head of the Berken Merchant Group, there had been a major upheaval in the merchant world.

Once one of the Three Great Merchant Groups of the Central Continent, the Berken Merchant Group splintered into about ten smaller groups. Naturally, its scale diminished to the point it could no longer claim to be among the top three.

Conversely, the Sinclair Merchant Group, which had already been one of the Three Great Merchant Groups, absorbed several of those smaller groups. Its size expanded rapidly, and it rose swiftly to become the top Merchant Group on the Central Continent.

In particular, acquiring the southern maritime rights once held by the Berken Merchant Group gave Sinclair wings. With control of the sea route, it now had a path for trade with the Eastern Continent.

Scott steadily explained what he knew about the Sinclair Caravan.

Queen Regina listened silently, while Prince Arian interjected with questions here and there.

“Then, is the Sinclair Merchant Group the largest in the world?”

“No, Prince. It’s the greatest on the Central Continent, but there are larger ones in the Eastern Continent.”

“Really? Is that because commerce is more advanced there?”

“Not exactly. Commerce is much more developed on the Central Continent. However, in the Eastern Continent, all trade is dominated by just three Merchant Groups. Even the smallest rights, divided among hundreds of Merchant Groups in the Central Continent, are monopolized by just those three over there.”

The Eastern Continent was different in many ways from the Central Continent.

It had the Holy Empire, and another empire renowned for its military power. And standing against these two forces was a massive alliance of kingdoms.

Each of these three powers ran their own caravans, which effectively controlled the entire Eastern Continent’s trade. One could say those caravans monopolized the market entirely.

“The Eastern Continent sounds… somewhat closed off. Did I understand that correctly?”

“You understood correctly, Your Highness. People can travel freely across borders, but transporting goods incurs heavy taxes. That’s why even mercenaries must carry minimal equipment there.”

In the Eastern Continent, tax was levied based on the weight of goods. Without considerable funding, it was difficult to even form a Merchant Group to trade with other nations.

And if one somehow managed to get support and form a Merchant Group?

The relentless suppression by the three dominant Merchant Groups would begin. Obstructions would appear everywhere—sometimes even bandit raids masquerading as coincidence.

In the end, the hard-earned Merchant Group would collapse, and only the three entrenched Merchant Groups remained in power on the Eastern Continent.

“It sounds like a system where commerce can’t really thrive.”

“That would be one way to look at it. People can open shops where they live, but forming a Merchant Group to conduct trade is almost impossible.”

Excessively powerful organizations usually become a threat to royal or imperial authority. Normally, governments would try to dismantle such systems through force or reform.

The empires and kingdoms of the Eastern Continent had indeed tried to rein in the three Merchant Groups—pressuring them with military power and altering tax codes.

But they had all failed.

Hyung_Otaku2

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