‘No way. It couldn’t be.’
This time, Lancel refused to believe it. No matter how unpredictable Marigold was, there was no way she could have become the leader of a bandit group in just two years.
After gathering his thoughts, Lancel tried to enjoy the harvest festival again.
But for some reason throughout the festival, Lancel couldn’t focus on anything—not on the sweet aroma of fruit wine, the sizzle of roasting meat, the dances on the fields, or even the music playing.
It wasn’t until a shadow loitering by front of the notice board appeared before him late at night that he finally resigned himself to the truth.
“Ugh, how many of these things did they stick up?”
There stood a 19-year-old Marigold, grumbling as she tore down a wanted poster of herself.
‘I knew it would come to this.’
Lancel picked up a wooden stick from the ground and tapped Marigold’s head with it.
“Got you, bandit leader.”
“Eek!”
Marigold instantly scrambled back five steps before tripping face-first onto the ground.
“Ouch!”
Lancel crouched down to meet Marigold at eye level, who was now clutching her nose and sat hunched over.
“That bounty’s going to be sweet, bandit leader Mary.”
“N-no, that’s not it! It’s a misunderstanding! It’s all a setup! I’ve never done anything wrong! I’m just a poor, unfortunate person! Please, spare me… huh?”
Marigold, who had been muttering with her eyes tightly shut, suddenly met Lancel’s gaze.
“……”
“Care to try making up some excuse?”
Marigold stared blankly, offering no response.
Each time Lancel flicked the space between her eyebrows, Marigold simply blinked silently.
“My benefactor…?”
Tears began to fall from Marigold’s face like the droppings of a chicken.
6.
“Waaah… sniff… gulp.”
Lancel waited in a nearby inn until Marigold, who had been clinging to him and sobbing for quite some time, finally calmed down.
“Why do I always end up in such a state when I reunite with you, my benefactor?”
“That’s what I should be asking. Why are you always on the verge of death whenever I see you?”
At this point, it was more surprising that she was still alive.
“Stop crying and tell me what happened before I drag you to the guards myself and trade you for 25 gold coins, bandit leader Mary.”
“I-I-I’m being framed! Baron Bake, that wicked man, he stole my money and framed me!”
“What are you talking about?”
“When I took over the guild, the right to collect its debts came with it. But it was all a scheme by Baron Bake and the guild! I was completely unaware and got framed as a bandit leader…!”
“Explain what happened step by step.”
Lancel wiped a bead of sweat from his brow as Marigold’s trembling voice poured out her story like a waterfall.
She gulped down a glass of ice water to calm herself, then continued.
“A year ago, I got lucky and made a lot of money. It happened after I acquired a shipwrecked vessel, but… ah, you don’t need to know those details, my benefactor!”
“You didn’t invest in another pirate ship, did you?” Lancel’s eyes narrowed, and Marigold quickly changed the subject.
“After working at the guild, I realized that to truly make money, I’d have to become the guild master myself.”
“Sitting back and collecting commissions as a master is quite lucrative.”
“Exactly! You’re right, benefactor!”
Marigold’s face lit up with agreement, but her expression soon darkened.
“So when I heard that a famous guild in this region was being sold outright, I bought it.”
“For how much?”
“Twenty-five gold coins…”
Coincidentally, that was exactly the amount of Marigold’s bounty.
“And along with the guild, I also acquired their right to collect 150 gold coins from Baron Bake.”
“So Baron Bake framed your guild as being the leader of a bandit group?”
“Yes! That’s exactly right! My benefactor, you… you believe me, right?”
“……”
“You… you do believe me, right?”
Lancel had actually sensed this coming.
Since learning how Marigold had suddenly become accused of being a bandit leader, he had a feeling something like this was brewing.
‘If you eliminate the creditor, your debts disappear.’
Having lived in this world for centuries, the behavior and schemes of nobles he’d witnessed firsthand went far beyond mere debt evasion.
In this era, “bandit” was a convenient label that could be slapped on just about anyone. A troublesome neighbor, someone you held a grudge against, soldiers from another country, or simply someone who rubbed you the wrong way—if it sounded plausible, the name stuck.
It was common practice to grab someone, chop off their head, and hang it up without bothering to investigate further. People would then simply shrug and pass the accused off as being yet another thief.
“My benefactor…”
“Wipe your face first.”
“Mmph!”
Lancel roughly scrubbed Marigold’s tear-streaked face with his handkerchief.
“Do you have the debt document?”
“Y-yes!”
Taking Lancel’s response at face value, Marigold fumbled in her robes. Finally, she produced a tightly rolled parchment scroll.
“Here…!”
“I brought your meal.”
Just then, the door to the room began to open without a knock. Lancel swiftly shoved Mary’s head under his robe to hide her.
A muffled scream echoed from within the robe. At that exact moment, the maid entered the room.
“…What are you doing?”
The maid stared strangely at Lancel, who was hastily cleaning up the spilled cup of water that he had knocked over in his haste.
“Nothing. Just leave it there,” Lancel replied, pressing Marigold, who was squirming inside his robe, deeper into its folds.
“Y-yes…”
The maid eyed him suspiciously.
“Is there anything else you need?”
Sniff, sniff.
He grabbed the back of Marigold’s neck, who had suddenly started sniffing him, and gently pushed her away.
“Tell me when you remember.”
“The bath is almost ready, so please just let me know whenever you’re ready.”
The maid retreated and closed the door.
Only after the sound of the maid’s footsteps had completely faded did Lancel pull something out from inside his robe.
Marigold, her face flushed with heat from being trapped inside the thick robe, finally emerged.
She seemed to hesitate for a moment before coming out.
‘Must have been my imagination.’
“Anyway.”
“…Yes!”
Lancel snatched the debt document from the startled girl.
“All I need to do is accept this money, right?”
“I-is that even possible?”
“Of course. There’s always a way. I’m a noble, after all.”
Lancel planned to use his family’s power.
* * *
“I have come to collect a debt.”
One morning, when the scent of spring had filled the air, Lancel went to the castle of Baron Bake.
“I’m here to collect the 150 gold coins that Baron Bake borrowed. Please open the gate.”
After shouting for some time at the wooden palisade surrounding the castle fortress, soldiers cautiously peered over the walls.
“Where do you come from?”
“I am from Mary’s Merchant Guild.”
“Mary’s Merchant Guild? I’ve never heard of such a company.”
“Baron Bake will recognize it when he hears of it.”
“Wait here.”
One of the soldiers disappeared and soon returned, now armed with a bow. The gate swung open, and guards rushed out in pursuit.
“Seize that thief!”
“How dare a thief brazenly demand money!”
Lancel spurred his horse into a gallop, arrows whistling past him, tearing through the air.
“Baron Bake! You’ve made a grave mistake!”
7.
“And that’s what happened.”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Lancel recounted his recent adventures to the Dante family, his ancestral home, which he hadn’t visited in years. Beside him sat Marigold, her eyes darting around nervously, clearly ill at ease.
‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve brought her here.’
“So,” Viscount Dante began, a deep furrow forming between his brows, “you invested in this Mary’s Merchant Guild, and Baron Bake, who owed them money, accused her of being a bandit? You, as well? Not only did he turn you away, but he threatened you with arrows?”
“You catch on quickly. As expected of my father. Imagine what would have happened if that arrow had been just a little more accurate.”
“I would have said you deserved it.”
His mother, Madam Nirvia Dante, who was sitting across from him, pressed her forehead. “You dragged some woman here, and here I thought you were finally getting married. Why are you such a troublemaker, unlike your brothers?”
“I’m a free spirit…”
“Free spirit my foot!”
Marigold flinched at the venomous shout.
“Enough,” Viscount Dante said after a moment of deliberation. “Baron Bake wouldn’t have acted without reason, you rascal. You must have done something to provoke him. You’re the worst for creating enemies for no reason.”
“You’re being too harsh on your son.”
“What a mess…”
Viscount Dante waved his hand dismissively, as if plagued by a headache.
No matter how justified Lancel’s actions might be, Viscount Dante preferred to avoid clashing with nobles.
“Enough. Just consider the money lost and forget about it. I’ll send a messenger myself to clear up this misunderstanding. They’ll likely offer a small token of goodwill.”
“It’s about one hundred and fifty.”
“……”
“Gold coins.”
“……”
“Just the principal.”
“……!”
Viscount Dante shot to his feet.
“Who does Baron Bake serve?”
“His Excellency Margrave Chalet. He’s said to be a reasonable man.”
“Prepare yourself.”
Viscount Dante began dressing. Beside him, his wife shook her head disapprovingly.
“Let’s go collect that money quickly. Was it Mary, you said?”
“Yes, yes, Viscount!”
“Lead the way.”
.
.
.
“That damned Baron Bake, who dared to threaten and accuse my precious son of theft, crawl out of this castle right now!”
The thunderous voice echoed across the Barony of Bake.
Everyone, from soldiers to residents, fixed their eyes on the uninvited guests with tense anticipation.
In the fields, freshly cleared after the harvest festival, a group of fully armored cavalry had suddenly appeared beneath the clear autumn sky.
The guards stationed to protect the town didn’t even dare to confront them. Overwhelmed by the aura of a traditional knightly family, the militia-level guards could only scramble out of the way.
The Barony of Bake, a mere rural territory, had no means to resist such a force.
“Baron Bake! Do you not hear me? Crawl out here immediately! Or would you prefer I kick down the gates myself to make myself clear?”
Shortly after this, the gates of the castle swung open.
“Huff, huff!”
“Took you long enough.”
A portly middle-aged man, his back soaked with cold sweat, came stumbling out. It was Baron Bake.
“V-Viscount Dante, the renowned… why would you grace such a humble village with your presence?”
“You shot my son with an arrow, and still you pretend not to know?”
“A-ah, you mean your son?”
“Yes. Don’t you recognize this boy’s face?”
Viscount Dante pointed a finger at Lancel.
Baron Bake’s gaze slid right past Lancel and turned to the woman riding in front of him.
“Mary! You… you bitch!”
Mary grinned smugly at the baron, who stood gaping in shock, as if she sensed an army at her back.
“Return my money at once!”
“Y-you goddamn wench!”
“Mind your tongue, Lord Bake,” Lancel interrupted. “Mary, the merchant, is a member of our Dante Family. Any words or actions directed at her are no different from those directed at our family itself.”
“……”
The fire in Baron Bake’s eyes dimmed. The law of this world was simple: the strong preyed on the weak.
“Now then,” Viscount Dante said with a smile, “shall we go inside and settle this properly?”
“W-wait! We don’t have that much money, Viscount! If you give us a little time, we can pay in installments…!”
“What nonsense.” Viscount Dante surveyed the surroundings, taking in the vast expanse of the Barony of Bake. “Don’t you have land?”
“……!”
Despair flooded Baron Bake’s eyes.
.
.
.
==========
—Sudden event success! According to the interest rate (35%) stipulated in the contract, you have obtained 30 gold coins, 30% of Baron Bake’s territory, and two forests for hunting grounds! The success of Mary’s Merchant Guild begins now!
※50% of Mary’s Merchant Guild’s shares have been transferred to the Dante family. It’s a little disappointing, but having a reliable partner is reassuring! (Charm, Allure, Emotions, and Stamina has gone UP!!)
※Mary’s Merchant Guild is now hiring employees! The initial recruitment target is 100 people! (Charm, Dignity, and Allure has gone UP!!)
==========
It all started on the frontiers.
A trading company with suspiciously deep pockets.
This was the moment that Mary’s Merchant Guild officially launched.
