"It's the pirates that have appeared in the Land of Waves sea area in recent years."
"What happened with those pirates?"
When mentioning the pirates, Tazuna felt both nervous and angry; his son-in-law had died at the hands of those ruthless pirates.
"I heard those pirates were recruited by the Daimyo."
Kich stared into Tazuna's eyes.
"What?"
Tazuna stood up straight in shock, looking at Kich in disbelief.
"Keep it down, Tazuna."
"Oh, oh."
Only then did Tazuna come back to his senses, realizing his reaction was too intense.
Although it was unlikely anyone would be eavesdropping, it was better to be cautious.
"Why would you think that?"
Tazuna frowned.
"It's not what I think, I'm just repeating what I heard."
Kich sighed.
"Who did you hear it from?"
"I heard people on the street saying it when I went to the town to buy groceries yesterday. Do you think this is true?"
Kich wanted to inquire about Tazuna's opinion.
About the pirates in the Land of Waves sea area, there were various rumors regarding their origins. The most recognized theory was that they were victims of the wars in the Ninja Realm, forced to flee their homes due to the turmoil, and seek survival in other countries. However, unable to fit into the local environment, they evolved into pirate forces.
But if these pirates were actually a force nurtured by the Daimyo of the Land of Waves, then the nature of the situation was different.
"Don't say that carelessly, hasn't the Daimyo organized several campaigns against the pirates before?"
Tazuna argued.
"But haven't you wondered why every time they've organized militias, the campaigns against the pirates have failed?"
Kich also didn't want to believe it, but thinking about the past campaigns against the pirates, it made him suspicious.
"But the Daimyo has paid to keep the peace, hasn't he?"
Tazuna still refused to believe it.
"It's just shifting from the left hand to the right hand."
"This... who did you hear this from?"
"People on the street say so."
"..."
Tazuna was a bit dumbfounded; although it sounded like twisted logic, it somehow seemed to make some sense.
He had never considered these questions before.
"It's important to have evidence for these things, don't spread such rumors."
Tazuna advised Kich.
Kich nodded repeatedly.
"Don't worry, I won't spread them around. Well, it's getting late, I'll be leaving now."
Kich stood up and left the room.
Tazuna remained in the room, lost in thought, then shook his head.
"How could it be, Kich must have been deceived..."
The Daimyo who always considered the people of the Land of Waves, how could he be the culprit behind the country's economic depression and rampant pirate forces?
◎
Two days later, it was the day to sign the contract.
Tazuna was barely keeping calm, but Kich, who accompanied him, was swallowing hard as he looked at the gigantic steel cruise ship positioned at the harbor.
This kind of cruise ship was beyond his understanding of ships.
Seeing the immensely nervous Kich, Tazuna wondered whether bringing him along was a mistake.
But two people were always better than one; seeing such a huge object was astonishing even for him.
He gained a deeper understanding of the strength of the Land of Demons.
No wonder they could acquire such a large piece of land in the Land of Waves for construction.
Tazuna increasingly felt that Ichihime, who entrusted him, wasn't from an ordinary merchant family.
Following the guard up the gangway onto the cruise ship, they arrived in a conference room where Ichihime had been waiting for some time.
After the guard brought Tazuna and Kich into the conference room, he exited the room.
Apart from them, there was a witch in the conference room acting as a maid, serving tea to the guests.
"Sorry, Mr. Tazuna, initially I planned to visit personally and sign the contract, but I'm swamped with affairs here, so please forgive me."
After seating Tazuna and Kich, Ichihime still apologized, rubbing her temples with a slight hint of dark circles under her eyes.
"It's alright. Miss Ichihime is busy with business, I understand."
Tazuna waved his hand, sitting cautiously.
"So, who might this gentleman be?"
Ichihime looked at Kich beside Tazuna.
"He's Kich, an old friend of mine and also acts as my assistant."
Tazuna introduced.
"Hello, I'm Kich."
Kich stood up, awkwardly bowing to Ichihime.
"No need for formality, Mr. Kich, just make yourself at home."
Ichihime said with a smile.
Then Ichihime turned her gaze towards the witch.
The witch understood, took out a printed contract from the side and placed it in front of Tazuna.
Tazuna quickly opened the contract and read through its contents.
Kich also leaned in to take a look.
Although there were some words he didn't recognize, Kich could still understand the general meaning.
Ichihime sat there, sipping tea, patiently waiting for Tazuna to finish reading the contract.
About half an hour later, Tazuna finally finished reading the entire contract.
"So, how is it, Mr. Tazuna? Is there anything in the contract that needs changing? If there's anything you're unhappy with, we can discuss it."
"No, I'm very pleased; it feels like we're getting a great deal."
Tazuna quickly said.
The contract's contents were concise and clear: all they needed to do was work hard.
Be it material procurement or daily meals during work, they would all be provided, which greatly saved money for many workers.
After all, not every client provides meals.