I Became A Black Merchant In Another World

Upon my return to the Medici Baron territory, I was warmly welcomed by all my vassals.

“Young Lord, welcome back!”

“You must have had a hard journey!”

“We’ve prepared a feast to lift your spirits!”

The glances aimed at me were practically dripping with honey.

I mean, I’d rather get this kind of attention from Chloe or other beauties, not from a bunch of old geezers.

Still, since they were welcoming me, even if it felt a bit creepy, I didn’t hate it.

Wait, are they curious about how much money I brought back?

“I believe you all have already guessed how it went.”

The vassals here would know just by looking at the crew’s expressions that I made a fortune from this trade.

I purposely took out documents detailing the profits slowly, building suspense to increase their excitement.

Albert, the highest-ranking among them, spoke up on behalf of everyone.

“Young Lord, please share the details soon. Don’t keep the old folks waiting too long.”

I held the documents and began to read.

“The net profit we gained this time, after deducting the rewards for the crew, ship repairs, purchasing goods, and hiring mercenaries, amounts to 12,000 gold coins. With this money, we can pay off all the debts the Medici Clan owed to the Farnese Count due to our marriage arrangements, and still have money left over.”

The officials clenched their fists upon hearing my words.

Some gripped so tightly that their hands turned white, but smiles were plastered on their faces.

They seemed so happy they probably didn’t even notice the pain.

After all, the debt that could have strangled the clan is gone.

It would be strange not to be happy in such a situation.

In this heated atmosphere, Albert asked on behalf of everyone.

“Even if you did something as risky as smuggling, I doubt that Alcini would just hand over a massive amount of 12,000 gold coins’ worth of spices voluntarily. How did you manage that?”

Spice trading guarantees huge profits.

If you buy a gold coin’s worth of pepper in the Sultanate and sell it in the Toscan Empire, it can easily sell for 30 gold coins, and that says it all.

“If you smuggle to other countries, the price can even reach 50 gold coins.”

“I pretended to take down a pirate crew that was harassing the Alcini clan, and as a reward, I was able to get spices, such as pepper allocated to other clans. I sold them to the Kingdom of Granada.”

The vassals here are, in a sense, like my father’s friends.

However, once it’s known that I dealt with pirates, someone will surely come after me using that as an excuse.

I wanted to keep this fact hidden from even my allies as much as possible.

But now that I’ve brought the Medici Clan’s subordinates into this, hiding it is impossible.

In that case, it’s better to just come clean.

Now, a military official asked.

“So how did you recruit this pirate crew? Did you threaten them with the Medici Clan’s power?”

“Come on, I only had one merchant ship. How can I threaten a pirate crew?”

If I were to exaggerate, a pirate ship has the battle power of 2 or even 3 merchant ships of the same load capacity.

This is because merchant ships need to carry a lot of goods, making them slower and equipped with minimal cannons.

Sure, with cannons onboard, they have decent defense, but against a ship specially modified for combat, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

“I gathered some intel before taking down those guys and found out they were relatively ethical pirates who only pillaged heathen ships.”

To put it differently, these guys only raid cities in enemy territories.

There were groups like the Knights of Malta and the Cyprus Defense Force in the Albania Continent doing the same in medieval Europe.

So, by the ethical standards of this world, they’re somewhat decent pirates.

“I had a need for sailors to conduct naval battles in my territory, so I turned them all into my territory residents.”

“Young Lord, you’re truly remarkable.”

Everyone praised me genuinely.

Personally, being the second of the Medici Baron Clan brings me closer to them, and publicly, my success helps the Medici Baron Clan, so their happiness is pure.

For the next two hours, I shared my exploits and how the finances would improve.

Just as I finished my story, a voice called us from outside.

“The food is ready. Please eat before it gets cold.”

I, too, was in a hurry and hadn’t eaten properly, and the vassals seemed quite hungry, so everyone hurriedly made their way.

That day, I got so carried away by the atmosphere that I overindulged.

The only good thing is that even though excessive drinking is frowned upon in Korea, on the Albania Continent, it’s seen as a manly thing.

I’m sure rumors will spread that I’m a real man since I didn’t throw up or act weird.

With that thought, I passed out.

As always, Chloe woke me gently.

“Young Lord, Young Lord. It’s time to wake up.”

In the 21st-century Korea, I had to wake to alarm sounds that could tear my ears off.

But now, I can wake up to a voice that brings me peace.

Even though there’s no smartphone or internet, the Toscan Empire is much better in this aspect.

“Got it. Where are my clothes?”

“They’re right here, Young Lord.”

Chloe handed me my clothes with such naturalness.

Then she turned her back, as if deciding not to look while I changed.

“Oh dear.”

I couldn’t even stand up properly and collapsed back on the bed.

Maybe it was because I drank too much yesterday?

Even though I thought the worst was over, I still had responsibilities to attend to as the financial officer of the Medici Baron Clan.

“Are you alright, Young Lord?”

“I’m just a bit dizzy after waking up. I’m fine now, so don’t worry.”

I boasted before trying to get up again, but I still wobbled slightly.

Chloe frowned and turned her head slightly to the side.

“You drank too much yesterday with the other vassals, and you can’t even get up properly. What if you make yourself sick by forcing yourself to work?”

In Korea, or rather, everyone in the Toscan Empire drinks wildly on Sunday nights and curses Deus on Mondays while working. Surely I should be fine, right?

I’m not the kind of person who would fall from that alone.

“If you get sick at all, I’ll be worried, and I won’t be able to sleep a wink tonight.”

Usually, when people say that, they typically sleep just fine.

However, Chloe lost her parents and siblings to illness, so if I catch even a mild fever, she’d genuinely lose sleep worrying.

‘There were times I had to force her to sleep.’

“Okay, I’ll rest in my room today. So don’t worry.”

If it’s not urgent, it’s okay to put things off for a while, right?

Chloe smiled brightly at my words.

Then she immediately went out to tell a maid that I’d be resting today.

But since I couldn’t fall asleep, I was considering reading a book when…

“Young Lord, do you remember? You said if I study hard, you’d reward me.”

I had pondered what to give Chloe as a reward several times even on the ship.

Would I bake a cake that no one in the Toscan Empire has tasted, or buy her a pen to encourage her to study harder?

I was just mulling over things, but she asks for something now. What could it be?

“Can I use it now?”

“Say anything.”

“Today, I’d like you to rest comfortably in this room with me. After your long journey and overindulgence, you need to rest to avoid falling ill.”

Thinking about it, since I took office as the financial officer of the Medici Clan, I haven’t really spent quality time with Chloe.

Being a lonely child, she has probably felt lonely a lot.

“Sure, let’s rest today, and later we can go somewhere fun.”

“Yes.”

Suddenly, Chloe clenched her fists and blushed a little.

“Y-Young Lord, there’s something I really wanted to try. Can you do it?”

“What is it?”

“A knee pillow… since you must be tired, I can do it for you.”

It’s that thing couples do in cartoons, hoping it explodes with cuteness.

“My mother used to say she felt comforted when she did that for us when she was tired… and it relieved my worries so I could rest well.”

As someone who wants to become close to Chloe, it’s an offer I can’t refuse.

So, I immediately rested my head on Chloe’s thigh.

Lying back and looking up, more than half of my view was blocked by her chest.

What kind of cup is that? At least an F, maybe even a G?

Someday, I’ll settle this with my own hands.

But oddly enough, just a moment ago, I didn’t feel remotely sleepy, yet suddenly, drowsiness hit me hard.

Amidst my fading consciousness, the last words I heard were:

“I wish we could stay like this forever.”

Before long, I had finished all my duties as the Medici Clan’s financial officer and headed straight back to Florence.

As soon as I returned, I received an urgent contact from the Duke.

---