It took me several months to make all the necessary arrangements. While preparing documents in my office, I stumbled upon an alarming truth. Someone has been hoarding food supplies for several years now. At first, the amount was negligible. However, the amount continued to increase exponentially over time. Are they preparing for war? It was the first thing that came to my mind. Then, who was it? Rowan and I tried to track down that person. However, something strange happened. The movement of the grains was too unusual. It was not collected in one place. Instead, it was dispersed to every region. If one were to prepare for war, they would gather it in their home base. But that was not the case. They meticulously hid their track almost perfectly. We could not track their exact distribution channel or their final destination. Some grain was shipped to the neighboring countries. They also imported the grain from other countries. At first glance, it appeared to be a regular international trade by the merchant. I, too, took notice only when I conducted a thorough review of the personnel in preparation for Lilia’s safety.
Initially, I suspected that someone was manipulating the grain price. There has been an abundant harvest in recent years. Yet, the market was not flooded with excess grain, and the price did not drop significantly; only after a thorough investigation was this brought to light. However, when I checked the movement of the weapons, armor, and iron, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Their movement was to be expected in peacetime. While I was unsure what to expect, Iris brought me even more disturbing news. In addition to the grain hoarding, the medicine supply was also targeted. They even imported it in bulk from other countries. And Marquise Larose was also shifting his industry from crops to medicine. Looking at the old reports, he was one of the two who provided the most grain to them. He was one of the leading figures of the emperor’s faction. Was it the emperor? I could not decide. However, this adds to the list of my agenda for the next meeting. I seemed to have more reason to visit the royal capital this time. Another leading grain supplier was Count Issac. He was from our faction. I needed to meet both of them before my audience with the emperor.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Hoarding both food and medicine, yet not iron ore or war supplies. What are their targets? It is not for war. Are they trying to manipulate the market? is it only the greed of the merchants? I couldn't help but think that way until I saw Iris pouring tea for me.
“Is there something on my face, Master?” Iris asked me as she tilted her head in puzzlement.
“No, I think I found my answer. Thank you very much. You are a great help.” Yes, thanks to her, I was able to find a definite answer to this riddle.
“I am not sure. But if I could be of help, I would be honored.” She said, smiling.
It may be similar to the plague of that time. They may anticipate that another plague may hit us. During that time, a sudden great famine hit us, followed by the plague. It took out around one-fifth of the eastern region’s population, including my wife and daughter. She was visiting her parents' house after giving birth to our daughter. Then, the plague hit their domain. Her hometown was hit hard as more than half of the population died in just one week. Everyone in the mansion dies. Only her brother, who was in the capital with me at the time, survived. This plague took one-tenth of the population of this continent. We learned from this plague that the demon king's resurrection and the calamities will hit us soon. Since ancient times, the demon king's advances have been followed by calamities shortly after the great plague. Were they preparing in anticipation of another plague?
If so, we, too, needed to prepare, I thought to myself. I must visit Count Issac and Marquise Larose as soon as possible. Should I consult with the emperor, too?
