The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 271 Evil Boss Nigel (20) - Noa's Rights "But you know, if he keeps churning out things that don't match this era's technological level like that, won't the economy and industry end up getting ruined later?" "A demon worrying about human society's economy and industry, now that's refreshing in its own way." "Do you really want to die?" "To answer seriously, while it could affect the economy of one region, continental-scale chaos won't occur." "Why?" "Simply because the quantity is small. No matter how specialized Nigel's clone is at reproducing items, there are limits to that ability. If you mass-produce item A, the capacity to make items B or C decreases accordingly. In the end, daily production is fixed. Especially since he's been continuously saving some of it. Most of it is consumed within the single city of Shurabasti, and even if it spreads more widely, the Markanda region would be the limit. Only a tiny fraction would spread beyond that." "Since the performance is incredible, couldn't that small quantity cause disputes?" "Most of the products Nigel sells are food ingredients like bread and beverages. They're items that disappear once someone eats them. Things like kitchen knives might last relatively long, but they're difficult to handle in various ways for proper combat use. Above all, those are 'mass-produced' items, which is what makes them meaningful. Don't you know this too?" "Well, weapons that the dwarves make when they're really determined are better than those." "Weapons for one special hero and weapons for hundreds or thousands of soldiers are different things." "Still, seeing the things Nigel created, they might try to reproduce them, right?" "There's nothing particularly problematic about reproducing food items, and other technologies can't be suddenly mass-produced just by seeing the finished product without any foundation. Well, technology might develop indirectly under their influence, but I don't think that level would be bad." "...In addition, is this clone selecting products considering all of this?" "There are excellent selection criteria in this world called 'uneasiness' and 'somehow this appeals to me'." ─Excerpt from a conversation between a certain Crown Prince and Greater Demon─ *** One day, Nigel thought to himself. 'Hmm, has the time come to fold up shop?' The goal of becoming the greatest merchant dominating Markanda had already been achieved. Due to quantity limitations, he couldn't open multiple branches or massively increase the number of employees, but considering only reputation and political position, his trading company already had no competitors to catch up with within Markanda. In other words, there was no longer any reason for him to continue lingering here. Spreading modern civilization and watching people's amazed reactions was certainly enjoyable, but he couldn't continue staying like this for a hundred or thousand years. Moreover, the timing was just right. Those targeting his goods had even attempted physical warfare, hadn't they? This time he had somehow managed by hastily distributing blade-proof clothing and such, but as long as he remained here, similar incidents would occur time and again. Living in constant anxiety and nervousness was not the life Nigel had hoped for. 'Still, it wouldn't be proper etiquette to just leave without saying anything.' Even when leaving, showing at least minimal consideration for those who would be left behind would be basic courtesy, wouldn't it? Thinking that this level of compensation would be satisfactory enough, Nigel smiled contentedly. Originally, when one's head was a bit lacking, the world tended to look easy. *** "From today, you are no longer slaves!" The moment my master uttered those words, I felt a shock as if the sky had collapsed. I think the other slaves, that is, my comrades, must have felt the same way. The reason we didn't immediately fall to our knees, shed tears, and cry out 'please don't abandon us' was because the shock was so enormous that we couldn't even manage to move. While everyone including myself stood frozen in bewilderment, my master continued speaking. "Of course, you probably can't believe it easily. So, I'll show you directly with your own eyes." Saying this, my master took out and showed us several documents from a box that was placed beside him. Those were the contracts written when buying and selling slaves. My master took out a match and set fire to those contracts. "Ah, aah!" Sighs leaked out from here and there. If this had been the estate of another slave owner, those sighs might have been screams of joy. How could they not rejoice at the moment when the invisible chains binding them disappeared? However, that was not the case here. The slave contracts were not chains, but rather proud evidence that we were held in our master's embrace. Since my master had healed the brands carved into the slaves' skin saying they were unsightly, the moment those documents disappeared, there was no way to prove that we were slaves. But not now. Faced with the sight of the evidence that we were members of Nigel's trading company burning away, no one could maintain their composure. While everyone was lost in bewilderment, only repeating meaningless sounds like "ah, ah." Observing our state, my master let out a soft chuckle. "Is it so good that it brings you to tears? Well, I suppose it could be, since you've been liberated from the tedious life of slavery." "Tedious" - the moment my master uttered that word, my comrades' gazes quickly turned toward each other. They were looks searching for which bastard had uttered such nonsense. Regardless, my master continued speaking. "Now that you've become freemen rather than slaves, you also have the freedom to choose your occupation. That is, you no longer have the obligation to work here by force like before." "Those who wish can leave the company, that is, Nigel's trading company, and naturally severance pay will be provided as well. It won't be a disappointing amount." "Of course, you might have this doubt: 'Won't the trading company collapse anyway if I, who brings in the goods, disappear?' Naturally, I've prepared countermeasures for that as well." For a moment, everyone couldn't properly understand what he meant. Or perhaps they simply didn't want to understand. Because my master had spoken so casually about 'after he himself disappeared.' At those words uttered as if they were a foregone conclusion, everyone including myself had to trace back whether there had been such content among the things our master had said. Surely our great master wouldn't have mistakenly thought he had already mentioned the related content or forgotten to speak about it, so he must have already said it but we simply failed to realize it. It was truly a despairing matter. "First, this warehouse here! I've created the items we've been selling by category inside! Things with short shelf lives like bread will need to be handled relatively quickly, but other items should last for years if you set daily sales quotas!" "And this here is a production magic tool! Most of the money we've earned so far has gone into severance pay and manufacturing costs for this! Put raw materials on the right tray here and operate it, and finished products will pop out on the scale on the opposite side!" "Of course, it's not without disadvantages! The raw material requirements have increased from 40% to about 90%, the magic tool's lifespan is less than 5 years, and the product types are limited to about ten! Still, it should be sufficient for you to endure until you find new jobs!" After that, my master continued with things like 'the employee dormitories will maintain themselves for a few years' and 'just in case, I've made recipes for products that can be reproduced without using magic tools, so use them when urgent.' From the simple perspective of operating a trading company, these were considerations that were overflowing in abundance. However, to heal the enormous loss of our master's absence, the content was utterly insufficient. "M-master. Then where are you going?" To the question I voiced, my master replied. "Well. I haven't decided what to do yet, but... if possible, I'd like to be able to protect at least my own body without others' help." A single word that seemed like he hadn't thought deeply about it, as if he had just casually spoken whatever came to mind. While I pondered the truth of those words, my master declared to us. "You've suffered a lot under this evil boss. I pray that you'll meet better employers in the future!" My master, waving his hand lightly as if he had said everything he needed to say, departed. That departing figure that even seemed relieved - my comrades and I could only stare at it blankly. Our failure to cry out 'please don't go' and 'please don't abandon us' was not because we weren't sad about the farewell. It was simply because presenting objections or counterarguments to our master's decision was an unimaginable act of violence for us. However, that too lost its effect the moment our master completely disappeared from sight. "A-are we abandoned? Are we?" "N-no...! We can't let him go like this!!" "How much has my life changed!! To tell us to go back to the old ways now!!" It was despair, grief, and a struggle to survive. And that struggle soon transformed into something dangerous. If we were going to let him leave like this, rather than that. Just as some who harbored such extreme thoughts were about to open their mouths, I stepped forward. "─Please calm down, everyone." My comrades' gazes gathered toward me. “C-calm down? Lady Noa. You heard him just now! We've been abandoned by the boss!!” "Yes, it's a very shameful matter. Because our master had to leave due to our inadequacy." Inadequacy. The expressions of those who heard that word became bewildered. I spoke to them. "Our master said earlier, didn't he? 'If possible, I'd like to be able to protect at least my own body without others' help.' Don't you understand what that means?" While everyone was looking troubled, the accountant Mr. Kasim's eyes flashed with understanding. "I see, so that's what it meant." "You've realized it." "In this armed conflict incident, we accomplished nothing. It was the Baharah Family who blocked the threats against our boss. If they hadn't been there, the trading company employees would surely have had to shed much blood." Mr. Kasim continued speaking while trembling all over. "As long as he remains here like this, threats using force will continue, and the employees will inevitably become endangered. So he must leave. That's what our boss was thinking." "Oh, ooh...!" "Such... thinking of us until the very end...!!" Those who belatedly realized our master's true intentions exclaimed in wonder. Those who had been venting their anger about being abandoned by our master now shed tears for a different reason than before. I stepped forward and shouted. "Our master gave us food, shelter, clothing, and a life worthy of human beings!! Is there anyone here who hasn't received his grace!?" "No one!!" "Our boss is our benefactor and savior!!" "Look at what our master left behind here!! To leave such things, he must have given up all the profits he had earned so far! In other words, our master left without keeping even the smallest profit for himself!! Even so, is there anyone who doubts his true intentions!?" "How could we dare doubt our master!!" "Such ungrateful trash should have their necks cut and be killed immediately!!" "Our master left us behind because he didn't want us to be hurt by his existence! So we must become strong from now on! So that he no longer needs to worry about us!! So that no one dares to harm him!!" "Right!!" "Right!!" "Right!!" "And at the end of that! We will once again bring back our master, our boss, our benefactor and savior!!" Waaa──!! !! !! Fervent cheers echoed throughout. Among them were even those who couldn't overcome their excessive excitement and fainted, but no one laughed at them. I suddenly recalled words our master had casually uttered in the past. They were things like air conditioning being a human right, or leaving work on time being a breathing right. Things so natural and obvious that people should naturally enjoy such rights. This was the same. Slaves had the right to choose their master. That was a right that even masters could not deny.