“...I’m going to have to punish him when he gets back!”
“Sei-nee is definitely on to me...”
Only because of her, that she would let Bard go around secretly to do his business.
For that reason also, Seirun is an important childhood-friend, and a sister-like person.
Tyros greeted Bard, who just arrived at the town, with an energetic voice.
He was the 3rd son of the famous tailor in the town, fine looking, and a very kind person; kind of cheating in a way---but he treated Bard as a friend, rather than the son of the feudal lord.
Of course, it would all be becauseof the memories of his previous lives, Bard gained knowledge and elegance that no other child could have at his age.
Bard brought Tyros behind, as if he was Bard’s underling.
“Hey! Bard-sama! Take a look at this! It has become so huge!”
At the farm, two kids seemed to be having fun while spraying water.
“It should almost be the collecting season. I’m glad they don’t need too much care.”
“I asked my dad but, I heard it’s not really something edible.”
The curious Porco had apparently collected information on his own.
“Well, I guess, if you try to eat it raw. The nutrition values aren’t so bad though.”
Although all three of them were older than him, because of Bard’s memories from the past lives, he could not help but see them to be very young.
Tyros, the oldest one of the three looks into Bard’s face with a curious look.
While feeling a little awkward seeing how single-minded they are, Bard sensed a sense of mission as he replies.
“Yeeeahh!”
Apparently he was very curious as to what the identity of the crops was.
After pulling out a largely swelled crop, Bard leads the horde to the side of the farm, towards a small wooden hut.
“Got it!”
“Hue hue hue. The time has come. The time for me to use the present knowledge cheat code in order to make loads of money!”
Until then, Bard had a full on multiple personality disorder.
They would conflict with each other, and come out whenever one of them emerged a strong feeling towards something.
The hard training that may have even ended his life forced the boy’s mentality to strengthen, and the personalities all decided to work together, in order to survive.
Recalling the days that he would never want to recall, Bard tries to shake it off his head.
“(If this shall complete...we will collect money, then purchase a new farmland.
Seeing Bard act oddly like this, Margo, Porco and Tyros whisper to each other.
“Seeing that face really makes me feel reassured that he is a child, like us.”
What Bard was growing at the farm was called sugar beet.
Since it produces many leafs, it is often used as a salad, with the leftover root being fed to the livestock.
With the warm climate of Aurelia, sugar was only produced in the southern area, in the Kingdom of Sunphan, and other countries close to the sea.
Thus in this world, beets were not recognized as a source of sugar, yet.
Bard gave orders one by one.
“Hmmm… I heard it has a light flavour and it doesn’t taste that good...”
His stubbornness is what characterizes Porco, and he might become a great mercenary like his father.
“That’s it?”
“I’m sure we won’t get too much, but it will definitely surprise you guys.”
Unsatisfied, Porco raises the heat and waits for ten minutes when, the soup squeezed through the root began to form a gel like substance.
“Hey, can I eat this? It’s done, right?”
Then suddenly Tyros and Porco shove their fingers as well.
“Sweeeeeet!!”
On this warm continent, it was very rare and expensive to obtain pure sugar from sugar canes.
“Wow! Damn! Bard-sama! I’ve never had such a sweet thing!”
“I had some doubts but...this is amazing...”
Watching the three, Bard smiles with a sense of fulfilment.
“What’s wrong with Bard-sama?”
“He is thinking of something very difficult.”
“He seems to be in pain to me…”
It must be repeatedly told that, he who cornered the ‘Dokugan-ryu’ Date Masamune (With less than 1/100 of soldiers) had an inexcusable fetish.
In reality, there were other samurais who were told to be a miser.
However, Sanai would go through a ritual once a month in the deepest room of the house.
“Damn! This feels amazing! This is what I’m living for!!”
The reason why Sanai, known to be an expert in both war and politics, had to change his masters often may be due to his unspeakable fetish.
“Do not tell anyone about this sugar, got it? If you dare spread it, I will exclude you from this group, and I will never hire you as a servant. This is part of your training of becoming my retainer in the future.”
“It’s okay!”
Porco, Margo and Tyros all nod.
~~
Although small, with a very elegant and neat atmosphere, the merchant shows a big sign that says, ‘Savarin Corporation’
“Somewhat, I guess.”
“I see it went well, Bard.”
A slim nose with small lips and beautiful eyes make her look more like an ‘experienced lady’ rather than a ‘beautiful girl’.
She was a therianthrope; a human beast.
Only through that, will Masaharu’s last wish, ‘Which is better; dog ears or cat ears?’ gets its answer.
Within the land of Aurelia, human beasts were not uncommon.
Some have much more sensitive senses, and can be physically stronger, but it is very minimal, and is not even close to that of real animals.
Serena, with her very beautiful looks, and who reluctantly took over as a merchant due to the death of her father, was once almost kidnapped by her uncle.
And while remembering, she could not hold the tingling feeling she felt as a woman on the lower body.
The Savarin Corporation opened when Serena’s father, Massoud, who used to be a peddler, and her mother, Lilia, fell in love, in order to have a sustainable living.
If not for the incident, it may have grown to become a much bigger, famous corporation.
After hearing that even the divine magic could not heal the disease, Massoud decided to reach for the black magic, in which he would try to switch his own organs for Lilia’s.
If not for Lilia’s conditions, he would have been able to make reasonable decisions, but it was just not possible.
If you think about it, it is obvious that if such easy treatment were possible, it would be known throughout the land.
Her father was wise, and was able to move to action quickly, but seemed to be missing a screw.
Her uncle said that he will train Serena to become a great successor, so she responded by saying, ‘This company is already owned by me and I’ve already received approval from the guild.’
According to him, 'It cannot be left in the hands of a little girl with no experience’.
He only seemed like a hyena that seeked for assets, which was the truth.
Serena believed she was strong and wise enough to not be deceived by some idiot like him, but few days later she realized that she underestimated her idiocy.
“I’m sorry, but I have high standards for men. You pigs can stay in your pigsty.”
She needed to be quick on her feet as a merchant that just recently took over the job.
“You really think I’m not going to tell anyone about this?”
Any murder with the intention to steal money is instantly a death penalty.
“For the daughter who lost her parents to throw away her life out of despair is not uncommon. If it is through death by drowning, there won’t be any proof.”
Although she did not give up, she knew that this place may become her deathbed.
Although human beasts excel in physical abilities, Serena quickly noticed it was not going to help against these men.
Hearing a high pitched voice like a child, everybody at the scene turned around; there was an angel-like beautiful boy.
“You little brat!”
However Serena, after seeing Bard’s eyes, thought that she was finally safe.
Especially for human beasts, those senses were strong.
“What, y’all don’t want your lives? Man, you make me mad...”
The moment those men reached out their hand, Bard moved in a flash.
Bard reaches into the waists of the closest guy, steals his knife, and without a moment of hesitation, Bard stabs him in the throat.
After taking his knife, Bard throws it at the third guy who was approaching him.
“ ‘Tis a bit hard to use, but it shall do. Let’s do it up, idiots.” Bard, with a expression full of contempt, takes a look at the other men.
For guys who were used to using weak spots to make fun of others, and become socially unaccepted, it was something they could not unsee.
At this time, 2 men understood completely from the atmosphere around Bard that he was not an ordinary boy.
The next moment, Bard’s small body suddenly disappeared.
“Gyaaaahhhh!!”
Without even a single glimpse on the men who were agonizing in pain, Bard throws a knife towards Serena’s uncle.
Serena, who heard the scream that felt closer than she expected, unwillingly leans backwards.
“I’m paying you guys big bucks! You have to kill him no matter what!”
Their malicious intent was incomparable to the other men.
Bard sensed that, those men only took on those who were weaker than them.
He did not hesitate.
They thought they were being mocked; with sophisticated moves, they send out their slashes, but that was it.
“Glahah!!”
The other man was sweating through his entire body due to the fact that a young boy had just killed his partner without any mercy or hesitation.
In the corner of the man’s sight, he saw his employer slowly approaching the girl.
The man who suspected his loss spoke, then quickly started escaping.
The man then quickly ran away as fast as he could, then takes a breather from joy.
‘Clank!’
What struck the man was a flat rock, thrown by Bard.
The ground turned red as the man falls while bleeding from his head.
“D-Don’t move!!”
How foolish.
“Drop your sword! Don’t you care about this girl!?”
To a man with blood running up his head, such logic did not exist.
“I told you to drop your sword! Did you not hear---”
Whether or not he understood what happened before dying…
In a different way, there was no purpose of having a hostage.
Serena bows to show her gratitude.
The moment she thought that, her legs lost strength, and Serena fell to the ground.
Her body finally reacted to the reality that she was almost killed.
A breathless voice fell as Bard suddenly petted her head.
Suddenly speaking a common language, Bard continued to pet her head.
“Dog ears...Real dog ears...this world is amazing!”
Relieved, tears fell from Serena’s eyes, but seeing Bard acting in panic made her laugh.
After recalling such memories, Serena takes a look at the 11 year-old, manly grown Bard.
“Hey, try some of this.”
“Don’t ask for the impossible towards a sample.”
As the unique sweetness melts in her mouth, Serena makes an expression of joy.
She may be a merchant but, Sugar was just not something so easily obtainable.
“How is it?”
“Yes!”
To Serena, this action did not make any sense, but it was clear that he was happy.
So I want to use this as a quick earning in order to move on to the next step.
“Yup, so it’s about time you let me touch your ear--”
“I’m not that cheap of a woman.”
Within her heart, she thought that she wouldn't mind letting him touch her, but she could not take his playful attitude.
“Damn it. Actually though, it’s not like I’m leaving everything up to you.”
Sensing something odd in Bard’s words, Serena changes her expression.
With Bard’s mischievous expression, it strengthens her suspicion.
“How far are you going to take part of this?”
“And how much do I get?”
Serena takes a great lean forward, close to the distance of real lovers to his face, and glares at Bard’s eyes.
“I’m paying for all the funds. You’re profiteering. 15%.”
Bard scratches his head as Serena acts much more stubborn than he expected.
To think that it would be easy for Serena to work on a business that has no PPN...was such a naive idea.
Then---.
“hm?”
For Serena, the only reason why she asked for so much was because she didn’t want everything to go in Bard’s way.
With certainty she knew that Bard’s invention would create a big fortune, she would never decline such an offer.
“If it’s just a little...just for now.”
“(That’s right. This is for the sweet 30%. NOT because I want him to touch my ears...)
Bard’s thin fingers reached out and rubbed her ears, making her let out a moan.
The shaking shoulders and the flat ears as though they were scared of something completely fascinated Bard.
Dog ears are supreme---dogs or cats, the final answer was brought to such question, thought to never end.
“Mmmmmm..kyuuuu”
After granting the long awaited wish of feeling the furs, Bard began to rub the insides of the ear--a pink coloured sensitive area.
“DON’T GET AHEAD OF YOURSELF!!”
As he leaned over to embrace Serena’s head, Bard received a full-force punch straight to his stomach, and flew off 3 metres.
“I told you...I told you it was for just a little bit!...It was my first time...and you didn’t hold back at all…!!” Bard noticed that he went a little too far after seeing Serena completely blushed and with some tears around her eyes.
“It is my fault. I am sorry.”
“Yeees! Unswerving determination for 2 years and I finally get the Fluffy Ticket!!”
“....May I ask what you two have been doing for the past few minutes?”
Bard and Serena both turn around, as they find the clerk of Savarin Corporation, Lelona looking unamazed, with a bit of blush.
Noticing that she had been standing there, Bard and Serena immediately felt a sense of embarrassment and screamed.
“I have nothing I can say to that.”
With that being said, she is just a beautiful woman who is only 26 years old, with beautiful black long hair and a marvelous body line.
Serena always thought Lelona was wasting her chances.
“I didn’t say anything!”
In reality, the Savarin Corporation’s results come largely from Lelona’s office processing skills.
Although this deal is much less than Serena’s offer, Serena trusted Lelona to let her take over.
“That is fine. We will check on a 10 minute basis on whether it is worth it.”
This corporation has the strength to build up Bard’s plan as big as they want.
As if to say that she completely knows what Bard is planning in the future, she grins.
There would be no way for Serena or Lelona to bring such disadvantage for Bard who is the count’s successor, with lots of money.
“If that’s the case, let’s work together as partners from now on.”
“As a return for lowering the reward, I would like you to refrain from playing with our president’s ears. For human beasts, to allow one to touch their ears is identical to letting one have their body. Of course, this would be a different story if you would like to take her as a partner both for business and personally.”
“..Really?”
“Although, it doesn’t seem like our president wouldn’t prefer that...”
"I have said something out of line.”
“Serena seems like a well grown lady in front of Bard, but to Lelona who has been taking care of her since childhood, she seemed to be at a disadvantage.”
“Anyways, can you start by selling this sugar at the imperial city? With that money, I would like you to buy something...as many as you can.”