In the front yard of the Beden Merchant Guild’s Milano branch, numerous people had gathered.
This place, which could practically be said to oversee not just the city but the entire market rights of the area, had always been bustling with crowds.
However, considering that fact, today’s atmosphere was notably different, as the types of people gathered here were quite unlike those who usually frequented this locale.
Normally, this spot attracted wealthy lords, merchants, powerful nobles, learned scholars, and clergy, but today’s crowd was a far cry from such elite company.
First off, they were dressed in tattered, shabby garments, clearly living lives of hardship.
Having little power, they often found themselves trampled by those who held sway, and at this moment, each of them was anxiously glancing around, eyes wide with apprehension.
Yet, despite the considerable time passed, the Beden Guild representatives merely instructed them to wait, offering no further updates, which only deepened the unease among the anxious crowd.
Feeling a tad frustrated, they finally began to whisper among themselves.
“I heard that Mr. Santana was excommunicated?”
“I’ve heard the same. They say he’s already left the city.”
“H-how could that be…? Where would you find anyone as admirable as Mr. Santana?”
Having gathered in one place, they lowered their voices and shared their thoughts. All those who had been summoned by the Beden Guild had something in common.
Each of them had been farming land owned by Santana and lived in buildings he rented out, all at significantly lower prices than usual—Santana was practically a benefactor to them.
However, now Santana, who had allowed them to secure a stable human life, was wrongfully accused and banished.
In light of this sudden crisis, everyone there felt an intense anxiety about their futures while harboring deep-seated negative feelings towards the Church and the Archbishop responsible for this situation.
“I heard that the Church plotted against Mr. Santana out of envy for his wealth. They were after his property, it seems.”
“It’s a lamb! They must have been coveting Mr. Santana’s property!”
“Those scoundrels deserve divine punishment… How could such people call themselves clergy?”
“That’s what I’m saying! Even if they’re crazy about money, doing such things to another paladin…”
As they expressed their fury over the current situation, one of them asked, his voice thick with worry, “So… what do we do now? But still, thanks to Mr. Santana, we’ve been able to eat without starving…”
“Well, I don’t know either…”
“I’ve heard that Mr. Santana has transferred lands and houses to the Beden Merchant Guild…”
Realizing that their future was practically in the hands of the Beden Merchant Guild, they began to feel a bit more alarmed. Although they knew the guild had a decent image in the city, they couldn’t shake off their immediate anxiety.
Regardless of their usual reputation, these were merchants chasing profit after all. There was no reason for them to be kind to the poor like themselves.
Just then, as they were voicing their concerns, an elderly man, known as the Branch Manager of the Beden Guild, appeared before them.
“Is everyone gathered?”
“Yes, Branch Manager. Everyone is here without exception.”
“Hmm… I see. Then let’s get started.”
With those words, the Branch Manager began to pull out prepared documents. As they watched, a deep sense of tension filled the air, and the Branch Manager spoke with a voice that still carried authority despite his age.
“Everyone gathered here knows that you are the users of the land and residents of the houses once owned by Mr. Santana. I understand you’re already aware of the situation, but now all of that has come under our Beden Merchant Guild. I shall inform you of the changes regarding this matter from now on.”
“Ugh….”
“Glup…”
The crowd began to cough nervously or swallow hard at the Branch Manager’s words. Whether they would end up landless and sitting on the streets or continue living as they had would be a matter to wait and see.
At this moment, whether they would end up sitting on the street with no land or continue living as they were, was something that only time would reveal.
And regarding this… the Branch Manager continued in a calm voice.
“The locations we purchased this time will be operated by our Beden Merchant Guild in-house, and accordingly, we request that all current land users and house residents vacate the land and houses within the next six months.”
“…sigh…”
“Is this really happening?”
I had somewhat expected it, but still, it was a story that made me sigh.
Although they were given a six-month grace period, this was basically a legally guaranteed time to kick out tenant farmers or renters.
In essence, the Beden Merchant Guild had practically declared that they wanted everyone to vacate land and homes immediately.
“Why not just raise the rent instead of throwing people out like this?”
“What now? If I search for a new place for six months, I might manage to find a house… but land is truly a difficult issue…”
Everyone here was struggling financially.
As such, their savings for the future were almost non-existent and even if there were some, not much at all.
At that moment, as they felt deep anxiety about their future lives…
“Additionally, in terms of compensation regarding this matter, our Beden Merchant Guild declares it will pay each land user and resident a compensation fee of 20 Talents in land, houses, and cash.”
“!…?”
“2… 20 Talents?”
The Branch Manager’s unexpected statement caught everyone off guard.
For them, as tenant farmers barely scraping by day-to-day, 20 Talents was an astronomical sum that would be difficult to earn even in a lifetime.
The offer from the Beden Merchant Guild to provide such a hefty amount as compensation felt like an immense blessing to them.
Just like that, the expressions of anxiety and worry on their faces disappeared in an instant, and they began to bow their heads toward the Branch Manager before them.
He began to bow his head towards the Branch Manager in front of him.
“Th-thank you…”
“Really, thank you. To grant such a grace to someone like us…”
The Branch Manager, receiving constant words of gratitude from those in front of him, cleanly left the place without offering any further words.
However, at that moment… he wasn’t feeling particularly clean about the gratitude he had received.
“They say the bear does the tricks, but the master takes the money… this master role is not as delightful as I thought.”
With such thoughts, the image of that person automatically popped into the Branch Manager’s mind… the likeness of Santana, who had practically made this whole operation happen.
Despite the special circumstances, Beden Merchant Guild had hit the jackpot by acquiring land and buildings, enjoying over 90% profit margins of the original cost.
As they parted ways, Santana left one last request: since they had been able to acquire prime land and buildings at a very low price, she asked that the Beden Merchant Guild ensure proper compensation for the tenant farmers and renters who would be negatively affected by this deal, allowing them to live without issues in the future.
In response, Amaryna vowed to do just that, and the Branch Manager declared that he would follow through as well, ultimately putting this into action.
Thus… even though he was running a business on the side, Santana displayed the mercy of a true Paladin until the very end.
Recalling this, the Branch Manager suddenly started to feel a bit hollow regarding his own life, which he had spent chasing after money for nearly half of it.
“They say the richest are those who give to others, and it doesn’t seem like that’s entirely wrong.”
Feeling a strange bitterness, the Branch Manager began to think about what he should do next to soothe this feeling.
“Well then… the mercy that Santana requested has been resolved, so next, I need to take care of the aftermath that she couldn’t wrap up.”
Santana, a true Servant of the Lord, had earned deep respect even from a merchant like him.
He determined that it was time for those foolish and greedy ones who had driven such a saint away to pay the appropriate price.
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