CH 160

Words : 933 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

We Told Mr. Kalis About the Ramogi Price Cut As the store was under the duke’s direct control, it was true that they had to understand which direction it was going in. If Mr. Kalis did care about the poor, like Sebastian suggested…then he should be satisfied by the explanation. But as it was important, it was probably best to talk to him in person, instead of notifying him of it through a letter. There were things that couldn’t be conveyed unless you were face to face. “Now, I must get off here…” “Ah, I’ll go with you then. After all, I am quite involved in the matter.” After arriving in Ractos, Sebastian was about to get off near the plaza in order to visit the store, but I stopped him. “…But, surely you do not have enough time?” “I’m sure Leo can make up for it.” “Wuff.” I didn’t want to leave everything to Sebastian either. He already handled most matters related to sales, so I should do what I could. I would just have to hold on tight and have Leo run a little faster to Range village, and then we could make up for any lost time. Sebastian saw that Leo was nodding, and so he agreed to allow us to accompany him. “Ah, Mr. Takumi. Thank you for visiting. And you, Sebastian… So, what brings you here today?” “Kalis. We have an important matter to discuss today.” We took Leo and went to Mr. Kalis’s store. As it was still early, they hadn’t opened yet, and so it was just Mr. Kalis and the employees who were inside. …Except for Nick… I suppose he came later. “Discuss…? What could it be?” “It’s about the sales of the Ramogi. We want to lower the prices a little.” “The Ramogi prices? But they’ve been selling very well, along with the other herbs. I really don’t think it’s necessary…” Mr. Kalis immediately looked at Sebastian disapprovingly. Indeed, it sounded like a very pointless move. It was bad business to lower prices of popular products without a special reason… Besides, there was only so much Ramogi that could be sold a day, and so they were always low on stock. So a price cut was even more strange. “This town… No, it’s to deal with the illness that is spreading through all of the duke’s lands. And also to keep that other store in check.” “I see…” And so Sebastian began to explain the meaning and effect he hoped it would have. As always, Sebastian’s expression brightened, and he became very animated as he talked. Even his eyes seemed to shine like the sun… “Hmm… Indeed. Considering how the duke has always run things, it would seem like an effective move. However…has Mr. Takumi agreed to this?” “Yes. As Sebastian says, it is my hope that more poor people are able to buy the Ramogi.” “Mr. Takumi even agreed to lower his payment in order to make this happen.” “Indeed! Most physicians would ask for more… I see. If that is what the duke and Mr. Takumi wants, then I have no objection. …But our customers won’t be too happy when the prices return to normal later on…” “Ah, that is true…” Mr. Kalis was thinking about what would happen after the prices went back up again. If prices were raised after they had been lowered once, then customers tended to not buy them as much. So it could be quite difficult to recover from that… Especially if it is a great discount. “I don’t think there is much reason to worry about the effect it can have on the market. After all, there isn’t much out there to begin with.” “Because the other store bought them all?” “Yes. And other herbs as well. And so cutting down the prices won’t affect other stores much. …As for when the time comes to raise the prices again, I will handle that.” “Sorry for the trouble.” “No, not at all. I had not even thought about selling to the poor before. However, a merchant won’t last long if he thinks only of making a profit. If we can contribute to the duke and to the people, then this is nothing.” “Thank you.” Mr. Kalis said that he would handle the customers after raising the prices again. Besides, the Ramogi was something that the average person normally bought, so it was unlikely that they would stop buying it completely. In any case, we could just leave it to Mr. Kalis. “So, while that matter is settled, there is still…” “You’re wondering how the other store will respond…?” “Yes. It is well known that this is His Grace’s store. And so they may be prompted to react in some way.” “They may try to interfere, or try to buy all of the stock.” Yes. Such things had to be considered as well. They apparently had enough money to buy all the herbs around town, so they might try and come to this store after the discount. Besides, while we didn’t have to worry about Nick now, there might be others who come to the store and try to obstruct the business. I had no idea what we could really expect from these people, or how far they would go… But it would be a good thing to consider various possibilities and put countermeasures in place. And so I waited to hear what Sebastian would suggest.

CH 160

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