~3rd Person Perspective~
A dusty room in a mine with no sunlight.
The mine supervisor reads the letter and vents his anger at the young merchant-looking man standing slenderly in front of him.
“Are you kidding me? You’re going to stop us from selling the ore!” (Supervisor)
The mine supervisor slammed his fist on the desk and glared at the man who had brought the letter, almost as if he were about to strike him.
“No, I didn’t say anything about ‘stopping’ the sale. We are asking for a temporary suspension.” (Merchant)
“It’s the same either way! It doesn’t change the fact that you’re breaking the contract!” (Supervisor)
The merchant-looking man chuckles sarcastically.
“There’s none of that. We’ve never thought of breaking the contract. That’s why I came here to make this request.” (Merchant)
“Did you really think you would get away with such a ‘request’? The mining industry is a country-run enterprise… and a key industry in this country! There is no way the country would allow such a thing!” (Supervisor)
The two men’s argument went on and on.
But the merchant-like man said something that could break the deadlock.
“There is nothing to worry about. I have already received approval from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for this matter. Of course, the Duke has given his approval as well. The rest is up to you, the supervisor, to approve it, and everything will be all right.” (Merchant)
“Guu…” (Supervisor)
The letter on the desk was sealed with the royal coat of arms, and I knew it was almost certainly from someone in the royal family.
As long as the crown prince and the duke were out there, they must have already done business with the merchant behind the scenes. In other words, the mine supervisor’s grievances here would not change the outcome. The mine supervisor, who simply would not do as he wished, would either be fired, or he would not be able to work for “some reason” – in any case, there was no point in refusing.
While noticing this, the mine supervisor checked the letter from the crown prince.
“…Haa.” (Supervisor)
He then took a piece of paper from a drawer, wrote something on it, stamped it, and slid it messily behind his desk.
The merchant-like man took it, read it over, and tucked it inside his jacket.
“My master will be pleased to hear that you understand.” (Merchant)
With these words, the merchant-like man strode quickly out of the room.
The mine superintendent throws a few words at his back, “They don’t care what happens.”
He didn’t know if the merchant-looking man had heard that.
A moment later, the mine supervisor called his men and issued the following order.
“Hire fewer miners. Then, as soon as the warehouses are full, we will shut down the mines.”
T/N: Welp. Someone needs a taste of the guillotine, but the brazen bull could be used instead. LOL. JK.
