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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Corporate Restructuring
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Usually, when people hear the words "Southern Admiral."
They probably imagine something akin to a soldier.
However, if you dig a little deeper, they'd only be half right.
He was a soldier, but closer to a businessman... If you compare it to real history, more like the captain of a privateer fleet running the "East India Company."
Of course, whether you call it a romance fantasy or a mashup of medieval and Victorian-era civilization levels.
Unlike reality, the scale here was enormous and excessively monopolistic.
But the overall structure was like that anyway.
Now, here's the question.
How does the Southern Admiral generate revenue?
The biggest cash flow naturally comes from maritime trade monopolies and distribution.
Importing southern specialties or foreign goods into the Empire, and exporting them.
Since they monopolized all of it, the money never dried up.
And the second is protection fees and tolls from the "Southern Admiral's" fleet and authority.
In the southern seas—our territory—we collect protection fees in exchange for safeguarding them.
If a foreign ship wants to dock at our ports, they have to pay tolls.
Since the south is the main gateway to the Empire.
The revenue from this business was nothing to sneeze at.
Yeah.
Up to here, it's pretty decent.
Honestly, isn't that reasonable?
A structure with no vulnerabilities anywhere.
I had no intention of messing with these two businesses much.
However, the remaining two were problematic.
Slave trading and loan sharking.
Not only was the revenue unstable, but it also damaged our reputation.
Moreover, consumers and investors were entangled in all sorts of ways, making it hard to just shut them down.
So, these two businesses definitely needed a thorough restructuring.
"Alright, employees of Del Mar Corporation. It's been quite a while since we've all gathered like this."
That's why I'd assembled the executives of the Del Mar Family—or Del Mar Merchant Group.
And not everyone here supported me.
"...Hmph, what's this sudden meeting about, young master?"
"Doing things you never bothered with before."
No matter how much I'd been trained for succession my whole life, compared to them, I was still a greenhorn.
Very few acknowledged me.
"What else? It's about money, obviously."
That's why I couldn't show any weakness in front of them.
I wanted to survive as the Southern Admiral by playing it safe and living off the fat—lavishly.
To do that, I needed to rake in cash now and stabilize the business.
I had to seize firm control of the Del Mar Family's power as quickly as possible.
I had no doubt I could steer it in the direction I wanted.
So, what to do about that guy staring at me with such dissatisfaction?
The answer was already set.
"Rodrigo Merchant Group Chief Manager. What exactly is your problem?"
"...Pardon?"
Rodrigo Merchant Group Chief Manager.
The man in charge of the merchant operations for Del Mar Corporation.
I looked at him and spoke.
"Sorry to say, but our company's operations are in pretty bad shape right now."
"How much do you even know about the company to say that—"
—BAM!!
I slammed the desk before he could finish.
This wasn't the modern world.
It was a "romance fantasy" where fists spoke louder than laws.
In such a world, not leveraging my impression as a muscle-bound golden boy?
That would be downright stupid.
"Shut it, Rodrigo Merchant Group Chief Manager."
My cold voice froze the conference room air.
Exactly as intended.
"I'm talking."
"...?! W-What did you just—"
As Rodrigo floundered, unable to respond.
I seized the moment and pressed on.
"—You have no idea how much damage you've caused, do you, Chief Manager?"
"W-What?! No way that's...!"
"I've gone through all the ledgers recorded so far. But man... What's the point of just hoarding money?"
In recent days, I'd pored nonstop over the family ledgers.
And faced some uncomfortable truths.
First off, this was a "romance fantasy."
For some reason, the bookkeeping and accounting were a total mess.
Transactions weren't always purely asset-based.
Sometimes there was credit, sometimes debt.
But since the Del Mar Family had overwhelming funds.
They hadn't bothered recording those parts until now.
What if the Del Mar Family wasn't so massive?
If we lacked the credit or cash to cover debts?
It could've been catastrophic for the family.
That's why I made this decision.
"First, we're overhauling administration from top to bottom in the Del Mar Family."
The Del Mar Family would change completely.
By my hand.
"Heh! Pretty passionate, huh? So what exactly are you planning to fix, young master?"
Gloria Finance Chief smirked at my declaration.
Honestly, my memories of her weren't great.
No, bluntly put, most of my memories of the executives were bad.
Under my father—who now lay scattered as dust in the sea after his death—"I" had grown up rough.
Forced into the family business from before I even hit puberty, stuffed with knowledge amid the executives.
After that ordeal, it was impossible to think well of them.
Still, Gloria was one of the better ones.
She never hit me, never cursed.
Never shoved a kid into "hands-on work" among the staff.
My impression of her wasn't plus, but not minus either.
"We'll start by purging the parasites sucking the company dry!"
"...!"
"—Or that's what I'd like to say, but unfortunately, we don't have enough intel yet, so that'll be on hold."
So, I continued, playing off her response.
"For now, we'll do something simple and certain."
I pulled out a pre-prepared document from my pocket.
The title was something familiar to a 21st-century soul.
[Form Template].
"This is the 'Maritime Logistics and Trade Report'."
This felt welcoming and familiar.
After all... I'd seen tons of them in my past life.
That grueling time traveling countries for a trading company.
The bittersweet memories of my comprehensive trading firm days were unforgettable.
"From now on, Rodrigo Merchant Group Chief Manager, you'll fill this out."
I handed the report to Rodrigo.
"W-What is this...? Some new magic circle you made?"
"As if. This is a form. A document organized for easy viewing... I'll explain later."
The other executives seemed relieved it wasn't them.
Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed.
Because.
"Of course, the other chiefs have forms too."
"This one's for Gloria Finance Chief, and this for Morio Asset Manager."
""..."""
I.
Had.
Made them all myself!
To straighten out this haphazard Del Mar Corporation, this was essential.
Reports were the company's skeleton, and flesh only attaches to bones.
Unless I could bring a 21st-century computer.
We had to organize as much data as humanly possible.
I was just following that process, so if anyone disliked it.
"If you have complaints, get out. I'll find a replacement."
I was ready to make bold cuts.
"...Fine, let's see what happens."
Gloria Finance Chief nodded at my attitude.
"I'll give it a shot too. But since it's my first time... there might be mistakes."
"...I'll do it as well, Rodrigo. You really take after your father."
Morio and Rodrigo accepted their reports with nods.
"Looks like we've set the direction, then."
I smiled at them.
Then pointed to the door and continued.
"So! What are you waiting for? Accuracy matters in reports, but so does speed."
"Think of it as catching up on neglected housework. Be thorough but precise, and bring it back."
—Zing.
They shot me dissatisfied looks.
—Swish.
But when my hand went to the musket pistol and sword at my waist.
""..."""
—...Step, step.
I watched them file out slowly.
As they left, I thought.
If they'd played nice from the start, none of this would've been necessary.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Meanwhile, Lian de Delua, who had followed Head Maid Mernel, had recently fallen into deep contemplation.
'...Why is everything so normal here?'
It had been a full month since she started as a cleaning staffer.
Her seniors were kind, the food was delicious, and the southern air was fresh.
What could she say? The south she'd imagined was hot, sticky.
And since "that" Southern Admiral was here, she'd thought it barbaric.
Yet the actual south... had its rough edges, but ran more rationally than expected.
Especially.
—Kaaaaah—! Why, why do I have to do this crap...!!
—C-Calm down, Rodrigo Merchant Group Chief Manager. Honestly, filling this out showed us exactly how many embezzlers there are, didn't it?
—That's why I'm pissed!! Why is that guy competent, damn it, why!!
Ricardo del Mar.
The man who brought her—Lian de Delua—here.
'...He's competent?'
The more she learned about him, the more confused she got.
Rumors said the improved work environment was all thanks to Ricardo.
She could hardly believe he was the same guy who'd tried to chain her up and assault her.
'...Whatever. That's not important anyway. Just focus on work.'
No matter how much she pondered, nothing changed.
'They say Kingdom Chewy Cookies are amazing. This month's pay goes to—'
Lian, well aware of that truth, was wiping the wall with a mop as usual.
📋 Recruitment Notice
Position: Admiral's Chief Aide
Role: Assist in overseeing southern fleet and merchant projects, coordinate inter-departmental communication.
Key Responsibilities
• Data collection and organization• Risk management• Protocol and negotiations• Personnel greetings
Qualifications
• Mathematical skills• Language skills• Strong mental fortitude• No seasickness
Preferences
• Nobles with strong foundational education preferred
Salary & Benefits
• 5,000 Gold per month• Night shift allowance separate• Performance bonuses
'Huh? 5,000... That's 2,500 Chewy Cookies...?'
About 50 times a cleaning staffer's pay.
At this rate, assuming she worked 1-2 years straight, she could pay off her own price.
Plus, words like performance bonuses and night allowances tugged at her instincts, even if unfamiliar.
'...Doesn't this fit me perfectly?'
So she pocketed the notice right away.
Just in case.
In hopes it might lead to a whole new life.