Chapter 78 The Man Growing Comfortable with Business
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Three weeks had flown by in the blink of an eye since the attainment of Quester level five.
The farm area had continued to operate without a hitch since that time. This, of course, meant that Resource Points were steadily flowing in every single day.
”Right then… I think I’ll manage the scale of the farm area at about this size for now…!”
Expanding the grounds any further would simply mean there were too many things for me to oversee. While I could manifest many maids, they were quite useless when it came to repelling the occasional demon monster.
”It’s splendid…! We’ve no more troubles with our diet, either!”
”Well, things like seasonings are still an issue, though…”
Rice, too, was something I couldn’t grow. I still had to pop over to Japan every now and then to stock up.
Lately, I had been tremendously busy setting the Dominion in order, but the time was fast approaching when a trip back to Japan might be warranted.
Incidentally, all Resource Points gained up to this very day had been invested entirely into the expansion of the farm area and the increase of the workforce. Thus, there was not yet a great deal of surplus left over.
However, the expansion of the farm area would cease for the moment. Starting from today, the phase of accumulating Resource Points would finally begin.
”Ami-chan. I’d like to consult you about the schedule from here on out…”
”Yes, what is it~?”
”Today, I’ll go sell the fruit in town again. And then, starting tomorrow, I’m thinking of going to Japan for about a week.”
”Oh, I see, I see.”
”When I return, I should have quite a large number of Resource Points saved up… and then I’ll begin the grand renovation of the Dominion.”
”That sounds wonderful!”
Resource Points were being earned at an unprecedented rate, so Ami-chan was generally in high spirits. Well, as for Ego Points, those were being accumulated bit by bit.
After lunch with everyone, I used teleportation to reach the town. The members accompanying me were Eme-chan and Ami-chan.
This was my third time doing business here, and the nervousness I had felt during the first trip had considerably softened.
”Oh!”
”We were expecting you to arrive soon!”
As we walked down the thoroughfare, people quickly gathered around. It seemed that the fans of the fruit from the Demon Forest had grown in number far quicker than Liliarette had anticipated.
”Ah! You’re the rumoured fruit seller! Do you have any melon!?”
”Ah, yes… I’ve brought three today as well.”
”Sell me one!”
The limited-edition melon’s fame was also on the rise, it seemed. The number of customers seeking the melon had increased, and today, too, they sold out in a flash.
At this rate, when I came to sell again, the entire stock would probably be gone in an instant.
”Well then, let’s head back once we finish our shopping.”
”Wait right there!”
A sweet, piercing voice struck my ear. Turning my gaze, I saw the two girls I had first met when I came to town—along with a man who looked like an elderly butler.
”It’s been a while… do you remember us?”
”Ah… yes. The ones who bought the melon…”
”That’s right. It seems even a demon monster has some level of human intelligence, doesn’t it?”
Today, the pink-haired girl had her hair in twin side-up styles, while the silver-haired girl wore high twin tails. If my memory served me right, their hairstyles were the reverse of last time.
”My Lady. Such language is unseemly,” the elderly butler spoke to Aristina.
She made a face as if she had chewed on ten bitter gourds, but she met my gaze squarely.
”Did you come to sell fruit again today? The kind you supposedly grew in the Demon Forest?”
”That’s right. Although they’ve all sold out, so I was planning on finishing my shopping and going home…”
”What!?”
”Sold out…”
The two girls’ eyes widened in astonishment. It was rather cute.
”I… I see. And? When will you be coming to sell next?”
”Well… I’m thinking of coming to sell once I’m able to harvest again.”
”Hmm… so you will be coming again?”
”Then, when you come next, be sure to reserve some for us.”
Having said their piece, the three figures walked away. What was that all about…?
”Fufu. They must have been very fond of the melon from last time.”
”Ah… they came all this way just to tell me to set some aside because they definitely want to get their hands on it? Just for a reservation?”
”This is our third time coming here… and we always do business in the same spot. Perhaps they arranged for word to be sent to them immediately if we were to show our faces?”
Given they were the daughters of the most influential family in this town, it sounded like a plausible scenario.
”I wonder if I should reserve some for them.”
”It’s up to you, isn’t it~?” Ami-chan said.
”I think so too,” Eme-chan said. “Well, knowing Liliarette, she would likely stall for a little more time before agreeing to a reservation, to maintain the upper hand in the negotiation…”
It seemed to imply, ‘I won’t just reserve it because you asked once.’ Well, I would think about it the next time I came to town.
”In that case, Eme-chan. You can use this money to buy whatever you like.”
”All of it again?”
”Well… now that the farm is up and running, I don’t really need money anymore…”
Incidentally, I could also procure seasonings in this town using the money I earned. While some seasonings could only be found in Japan, it was no longer strictly necessary to acquire everything from Japan every time. The ones in this world were quite delicious, too.
By reducing my dependence on Japan in this way, the financial burden would be further lightened.
I went around to various shops with Eme-chan. This time, besides clothes and accessories, she also bought alcohol.
* * *
”You lost him…?”
”Yes. My deepest apologies, Lady Aristina.”
Iris and I listened to Luizef’s report. We had asked him to tail that humanoid demon monster.
This was the third time that monster had shown its face in town. Yet, strangely enough, no matter which inn we checked, there was no sign of him having stayed overnight.
The fruit he brought was completely unknown, and the melon we did eat tasted marvellous. But there was no way we would naively believe the story that he grew it in the Demon Forest. We wanted to find out where he came from and where he went back to. We wanted to figure out if there really was a fruit orchard where he was growing melons, and more importantly, what the real intention of that exotic-looking humanoid demon monster was for appearing in this town.
”He managed to shake off Luizef’s tailing…?”
”Are you getting old?” Iris asked.
”I… I have no words to reply,” Luizef said.
Luizef was supposedly a renowned knight in the past… but perhaps he really was getting old now. He was useless at times like this.
”Aristina. What shall we do?” Iris asked.
”Iris. That fruit… it’s dangerous to just leave it be,” I said.
”I agree with that.”
Although we had only eaten the melon, the combined accounts we had heard suggested further possibilities for that unknown fruit.
It could be squeezed into juice, or used in cooking. Furthermore, it could surely be processed into alcohol.
In other words, it was a source of money. And if such a fruit were to be sold in this town, where many travelling merchants came and went… without a doubt, others who shared our same thoughts would appear. Since there were also many who loved to spread rumours, news of that fruit would surely circulate quickly.
Logically, the most natural course of action would be to offer a high price, buy up all the fruit the humanoid demon monster brought, and monopolise it.
But…! How could one possibly view such a dubious humanoid demon monster as an equal trading partner? On the contrary, he ought to present everything to us free of charge…!
Besides, Father, who was in the capital, would be returning soon. Father was currently in the capital to support Grandfather, who was a councillor… but the plan was for him to be back in two months at the longest.
As a daughter, I would like to prepare a supreme gift for Father upon his return… a money tree.
”Aristina. How about this?” Iris asked.
”What is it, Iris?”
”There was a girl with him who wasn’t all that different from us, wasn’t there?”
”There was,” I agreed.
”So…”
Iris’s suggestion was, to put it plainly, a brute-force approach. I, myself, preferred to use money to advance matters, whereas Iris had a tendency to rely on force.
”Hmm… that sounds interesting, doesn’t it? I was considering a much simpler move.”
”What was it?”
”The other party is a humanoid demon monster, isn’t he? He’s bound to be festering with hideous lust. Don’t you think his seduction would be easy?”
”…I see. That hand could certainly work as well.”
We both shared the desire to secure that fruit before its fame spread to other towns, and to be praised by Father.
We should set some plans in motion before that humanoid demon monster comes to town next time…
* * *
Author:
Shimizu has somehow grown accustomed to the business world. And now that his Dominion is finally entering the resource collection phase, he takes a brief trip back to Japan.
—
Summary:
Shimizu, now Quester Level 5, has successfully established a self-sustaining farm within his Dominion, which is generating a consistent flow of Resource Points. He decides to halt expansion for now to focus on accumulation. After planning a week-long trip to Japan to resupply and prepare for a ‘grand renovation,’ he makes his third successful sales trip to the town with Ami-chan and Eme-chan, selling out almost instantly. He is confronted by the two noble girls, Aristina and Iris, who demand a reservation for the next batch of fruit, confirming their strong interest. Meanwhile, Aristina and Iris are strategizing on how to seize control of the fruit supply, having failed to track the mysterious merchant’s movements via their elderly butler, Luizef. They consider both forceful and seductive methods to secure the ‘money tree’ as a gift for their returning father.””
—
Character Insight:
It’s fascinating to observe Shimizu’s growing confidence in the marketplace. He’s moved from nervous novelty to a savvy entrepreneur, using his unique position to generate wealth he no longer personally needs, which gives him a powerful advantage. His casual generosity with Eme-chan shows a true comfort with his new abundance. On the other side, Aristina and Iris’s entitlement and fierce loyalty to their father—expressed as a desire for a ‘money tree’—reveal the cutthroat nature of this world’s elite. Their immediate leap to underhanded tactics, combined with their slighting remarks about the ‘demon monster,’ perfectly illustrates the social stratification and the danger of operating outside the established norms. That they can casually dismiss an older, experienced knight like Luizef as ‘useless’ because of his age also speaks volumes about their youthful arrogance and reliance on power.””
—
Behind the Scene:
The narrative structure here is clever, using the successful business trip as a pivot point: the end of the investment phase and the beginning of the resource-hoarding phase. The introduction of the antagonists’ perspective right after Shimizu’s success creates a delightful moment of dramatic irony—the reader knows the danger he is in, while he remains blithely unaware, thinking only of his next trip to Japan. This chapter expertly sets up the conflict for when he returns, making that grand renovation seem very likely to be interrupted by some rather nasty noble schemes.””
—
T/L:
¹ Quester level: The numerical representation of a person’s adventurer or dungeon explorer rank in this world, indicating their overall skill and power. ↩
² Resource Point: A currency or accumulation unit used for managing and expanding the Dominion, often earned through activities like farming or monster subjugation. ↩
³ demon monster: A general term for monsters that originate from the Demon Forest or are generally malevolent or dangerous entities. ↩
⁴ Dominion: The name given to the protagonist’s private, rule-bound territory or domain, which he manages and expands. ↩
⁵ town: A permanent, civilized settlement outside of the Dominion, where trade and commerce occur. ↩
⁶ Ego Point: A different type of accumulation unit, distinct from Resource Points, likely related to the protagonist’s personal growth or unique system. ↩
⁷ teleportation: The magical or system-based ability to instantly transport oneself between locations. ↩
⁸ Demon Forest: A dangerous, monster-inhabited forested area from which the protagonist’s fruits ostensibly originate. ↩
Notes:
• Ami – A palm-sized fairy-like being from a world separate from both Earth and the isekai realm. She has light blue hair tied in a ponytail, mischievous blue eyes, and tiny wings that flutter behind her. Her outfit consists of a provocative high-cut leotard and a short jacket that looks like a miniskirt from the back, leaving her legs bare. Despite her playful appearance, she is actively searching for a contractor who can protect her from dangerous pursuers in exchange for the powers she offers.
• Liliarette – The other Princess, who sacrificed her ability to walk and her sorcery talent to save her sister, Cleonora. She is imprisoned in the East Tower and is being used as a political and monetary pawn by Viorga. C-cup, true golden hair, waist-length hair, the fringe was a slightly blunt, hair on her left side was braided to the chest.
• Aristina – A young, very cute girl, twin to Iristina. She has pale pink hair tied in high pigtails (twintails) and slightly slanted eyes. She is dressed in expensive clothing with a pretty ribbon on her head.
• Luizef – An elderly gentleman accompanying Aristina and Iristina, dressed in attire suggesting a butler or senior attendant.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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