Volume 3 Chapter 80 Supporter Evaluation
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After Priscilla gave Mr. Halam’s letter, Kian and the others said goodbye to Maribel and went back to their lodging.
Renaud should be showing up soon, so they hurried out of the warehouse street and into the merchant district.
It was almost 6 o’clock, and the bright morning sun was peeking over the tall castle wall of the Izerland fortress.
The merchant district smelled like baking bread and the sound of hammering. People were starting to come out.
It was a peaceful morning in the fortress city.
Kian and his group walked up the main street, dodging adventurers going hunting and poor boys and girls running to get water.
”Sarah, did you carve that mask yourself? It suits you very well.”
”…”
”Your light armor shows off your good figure. Look, all the adventurers passing by are looking back at you. Sarah is a star on Earth.”
”Everyone’s looking at Rufna. Not me.”
”You’re wonderful for being so humble. There aren’t many shy girls here. You’re special.”
Kian smiled under his glasses, but Sarah didn’t react at all.
She looked away from Kian like she didn’t want to talk.
If he kept bothering her, she’d really hate him.
(But I’ll push it!)
”Sarah, that girl earlier is one of my wives. Fifteen years since I left Azrael, it’s too cruel to say I should live without love. It’s a harsh bind for a man like me. But I don’t mean to treat the girls in my harem differently. I swear to give my passionate love to everyone equally.”
”Why do you sound so defensive? I’m the one who told you to get a cute wife and live happily ever after. I blessed you, so why would I be jealous? I don’t even think about you, and Kian, you should just behave without needing me.”
”But it seems you’re in a bad mood now.”
”That’s because you keep pestering me!”
”──Lady Sarah, aren’t you happy that Sir Kian is talking to you?”
”Huh!? …Uh…! Th, that’s not, it’s not like that!”
”Ah! Wait! By the way, Master! What did Mr. Halam’s letter say? Priscilla thought it was better to refuse, but was it really that unreasonable?”
Sensing the conversation veering off course, Rufna quickly tried to steer it back on track.
Kian unfolded the letter in his hand and let his eyes scan the contents.
The letter was sprinkled with gold leaf, but the golden dust sticking to his hands felt unpleasant.
”As a subsidy, 200 Gold Coins per year, and the provision of a land dragon carriage powered by Azrael’s cultivated earthworms… Are they taming monsters!? That’s amazing.”
”Azrael has been getting pretty big recently. Lord Jibril proposed it a few years ago. Instead of using half-monster horses for rides, why not just use the monsters themselves?”
”Is that so?”
”Yeah. The king isn’t just an idea man; he’s set up a monster breeding program and provided it for free to the allied territories. Our place, Shakerdoust, is obviously being left behind and is late to adopt it.”
Rufna said, dodging a fishmonger’s stall.
Natra continued in a mumble from the back.
”But earthworms aren’t smart. They can only follow simple commands like ‘move forward’ or ‘move diagonally.’ That might work in sparsely populated Azrael, but in the forest-rich western world, they’re hard to operate. The Bloodsucking Kind, on the other hand, can perform complex movements, and some can even fly or cross the sea.”
”Well, if they don’t mistake the people on the carriage for food, or attack everyone passing by as enemies, then Natra’s right.”
”Yes. That’s the cruel part──lower-ranked ones don’t really have much social skill. ──Is that the only support from Boco?”
Kian lowered his gaze back to the document, frowning.
”Food supplies, camping gear, port access on the Azrael coast, and entry rights at the Azrael customs. Also, arrangements to make passing through customs in Châtillon easier.”
Apparently, Mr. Halam’s merchant guild is based in Azrael.
A lot of the benefits they offer seem useful while working in Azrael.
Normally, since Kian and the others are Azraelian, Mr. Halam’s terms would be appreciated, but right now, everyone’s been driven out of their country.
Considering the size of the party, honestly, just Priscilla and Guy’s help should be enough.
”Meanwhile, they’re advertising the Merchant Guild Tigris mine branch, offering some monster materials and rare ores as taxes, and…they’re also asking for some shops to draw customers during summer and winter markets. ──What shops? Are they selling stuff from mines at the market? Like ores or ingots straight from the mill?”
”That’s not it.”
”Oh, it’s craft goods then.”
”No, that’s wrong. I’m just not informed enough. Why don’t you know about our political merchants?”
Sarah’s words were painfully sharp every time.
After 15 years of poverty here, there’s no way she’d have info on a famous merchant guild.
Kian just want her to get in a better mood and go back to her usual kind Sarah.
”Master, Mr. Halam’s merchant guild is involved in more than just mining. They’re into banking, real estate appraisal, insurance, even event planning contracts.”
”Event planning──Oh, I see. If they wanna set up shops at summer and winter markets…”
”Yeah, that’s right. Amateurs don’t know how to do things or how to make money. That’s why they’re the ones getting sold knowledge and skills. It’s all about getting customers with a ‘panda’ support package included.”
”So, what’s written here is telling us to get customers for the guys who asked for the know-how, right?”
”Probably something like that.”
”Also, the Merchant Guild Tigris mine is a huge family-run guild. They handle a lot of businesses, dividing the work among the family and splitting the income to deal with taxes. The guy in charge of events should be the third son, Rame. But Rame doesn’t get along with the second son, Higgy, who handles the banking.”
Rufna nodded in understanding at Natra’s explanation.
”We’re only 5 people, including Serena. If it’s about showing our faces to sell, our Nakash group is out. Higgy would want to prioritize sending Master to his favorite client’s shop at his Bank, but Rame wouldn’t allow it. That’s asking for trouble. They’ve clashed a few times before, after all.”
”I see, there’s some complicated stuff going on. Still… Boco, Higgy, Rame. I guess I can remember that the oldest is Boco, but I bet I’ll forget which one is the second son and which is the third in a week.”
”Doesn’t matter who was born first. Knowing they’re brothers should be enough.”
After saying that, Rufna pointed ahead and said, “Ah, take a left at that corner up there.”
Before they knew it, they had reached the end of the merchant district’s main street, with the large, white Adventurer Guild building visible nearby.
The street Rufna indicated they should turn down was lined with several high-end taverns.
Being in a convenient location for accessing the Adventurer Guild, these taverns were undoubtedly expensive lodging, catering to intermediate-rank upper and advanced-rank adventurers.
”Where did you stay?”
”The ‘Izerland Jewel Box’ inn. It has a big bath, a simple casino, and stuff like that. The bartender said it’s part of the famous Châtillon tavern chain…”
Kian pulled the party’s money pouch out of his pocket.
”How much did it cost? Let me know, I’ll pay from the party funds.”
”It’s fine. We’re staying in a fancy room because we wanted to, so it’s on us.”
”No, but…”
Kian furrowed his brow.
Meanwhile, Rufna and Sarah quickly turned left down the street.
Natra tugged on Kian’s sleeve and added,
”It’s from the money we won at Châtillon’s casino. It’s no problem.”
”…how much did you even make?”
”Two casinos. We’re banned from them now.”
”──────.”
”Bwahahahaha! Milady Natra remembers every card, even the order they came in! She was making a killing, playing for like twelve hours straight at night!”
”Don’t talk like I’m some kind of gambling addict, Rufna. You were hanging around there too, rolling dice all the time. We’re both casino pests.”
”But I didn’t get banned! Still, I hopped to another place before they could ban me!”
’These idiots…’
(They’re definitely being watched. I’m never coming into a casino with these idiots again.)
Kian secretly swore to himself, tying a note to one of the bats’ feet and sending it into the sky.
”Kian, what are you doing?”
”I’m sending a message to the last person in our party. We promised to meet up and leave the North Wing together yesterday.”
”That’s…”
Kian nodded at Sarah, who tilted her head.
”Yeah, it’s a girl named Serena, a wolfwoman. She has a complicated situation like you, so it’d help if you could get along with her.”
* * *
Serena was already awake and the bat came back to the inn with a simple note saying ‘Coming now, wait a bit.’
It was still too early for breakfast, so they decided to give Serena the info and then have a group meal together.
The place Natra and Rufna rented, ‘Izerland’s Treasure Box’, had an entrance that looked like something from the Adventurer Guild, all done in polished marble. Just inside, to the left, was the dining area, and if you slipped further left, it opened up to a venue for outdoor standing parties.
The grounds were surrounded by tall, leafy trees.
Since they were just having breakfast this time, they took seats in the dining area next to the entrance.
Around them sat particularly wealthy adventurers from Izerland Fortress, merchants from far-off lands, and nobles, each at their own table, quietly enjoying the morning.
They were eyed suspiciously, but a few recognized Kian, as phrases like “Master Kian” and “the hero who saved the princess from the traitor” could be heard drifting through the air now and then.
After waiting a bit, Serena stepped in through the entrance, prompting them to guide her toward the dining area.
The Wolfman girl was dressed in her usual light gear, complete with a sword inscribed with a magic language.
”Serena, this is Sarah, who’s joining us from today. It’d be helpful if you could call her ‘Okina’ when there are others around.”
”Nice to meet you. I’m Serena.”
”I’m Sarah. Please call me ‘Okina’ when there are people around.”
Standing up from her seat, Sarah took Serena’s hand in hers.
With both Sarah and Natra having removed their masks, 2 identical faces were lined up at the square table.
Serena didn’t seem to care much (or maybe she just didn’t notice) and continued toward Sarah with a slightly nervous expression.
”I was out for a while until recently. From today, I’m back and will be joining you all. I’m good at close combat using swords. Also, I’m confident in my hearing and sense of smell.”
”I’m glad to have such a reliable partner. I can handle both vanguard and rearguard roles, but I might often stay back to provide support, thinking about equipment and party balance. I can heal too, so feel free to rely on me if you get hurt.”
”Yeah, thank you. Ms. Sarah… could it be that you’re an old friend of Kian, Ms. Natra, and Ms. Rufna?”
”Yes. Milady Natra and Milady Sarah are sisters.”
”Come to think of it, they look exactly alike…”
Serena’s eyes widened like she was seeing it for the first time.
Sarah just gave a tired smile.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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