Chapter 118 The Councilor Seeks Contact
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
And so, the following day. We had come to town¹ for the first time in a while. Our wagon was loaded with plenty of fruit.
By the way, Liliarette and Iris-chan are staying behind to watch the house. I don’t think there will be any problems, but if Iris-chan tries to run away again, I’m sure Liliarette-desuwa will immediately issue orders to the battle maids.
”Oh, young man! You were safe!”
As soon as we hit the street, the melon uncle called out to us. I see him around here often; I wonder if he works nearby.
It seemed the city guard was no longer looking for me, and starting with the uncle, people began to gather one after another. I began selling the fruit to them.
”It’s been a while since we’ve done business, but… the sales are as good as ever…”
”It’s rare and delicious. Besides, there were all those rumors. Everyone is curious,” Eme-chan said.
Well, at one point the rumor that the guard was targeting me had spread quite a bit…
It was finally time when most of the fruit we brought had sold. I was thinking that today I’d buy some liquor with this money and finally head home to open the outdoor bath… and that’s when the old butler made his appearance.
He made contact after all. Liliarette had read that he would almost certainly approach us here. And we had already finished coordinating our response in case the Kelna Merchant Guild² showed up.
”It has been a long time, King of the Magic Labyrinth³. On that occasion, a member of our house was extremely rude,” the old butler said.
The old butler bowed to me while glancing briefly at Eme-chan, Ami-chan, and Vectra-san.
”Is Lady Iris well?” the butler asked.
”Yes, well. She’s happy to be able to eat luxurious meals and use a magnificent bath,” I replied.
In a sense, it’s a position she earned through her own hard work. Rather than an environment given to her, an environment she seized for herself might be significant for Iris-chan.
”Is that so? It is a relief that you are treating her with care. …If you have no plans after this, we would like to host you at our estate. How would that be?” the butler asked.
It was Eme-chan who stepped forward here.
”Does that girl Aris want to negotiate to take Iris back?” Eme-chan asked.
”…No. The one who expressed the desire to host the King of the Magic Labyrinth is the founder of the Kelna Merchant Guild, who currently serves as a Councilor, Lord Lambdaine himself,” the butler replied.
”………”
I see… it’s that pattern… we had predicted a fifty-percent chance that the Councilor had returned from the capital and remained in town.
The current representative of the Kelna Merchant Guild is the father of Iris and Aris. I had heard he went to the capital for a limited time to support his grandfather.
He is likely in town. But Liliarette thought there was a fifty-percent chance that the Councilor himself had come and was still in town.
And the response for this case had also been considered. With Vectra-san by our side, and since they already know about our teleportation ability, the possibility of them using forceful measures is low.
When I looked at Eme-chan, she nodded as well.
”If that is the case, then we would certainly like to hear what you have to say,” Eme-chan said.
”Thank you. Then, I shall guide you,” the butler replied.
* * *
(He looks incredibly strong…!)
Having been led to a magnificent mansion, we were now in a luxurious room.
A great number of dishes were lined up on the table, and a man dressed in very extravagant clothes was standing at the far end.
”Nice to meet you. I am Lambdaine. Usually, I act like a politician as a Councilor,” the man said.
Since he’s Iris-chan’s grandfather, I thought he’d be a frail old man… but I felt a sort of overwhelming pressure coming from Lord Lambdaine.
His hair is thick, and his eyebrows are dark. His gaze is sharp, and his body is sturdy. It feels like the moment he gets offended, a fist would come flying.
(Come to think of it, Liliarette said it before…. That merchants in the Republic⁴ have rough temperaments or something like that…)
From that perspective, the person in front of me is exactly what you’d call a merchant of the Republic.
We introduced our names in order. The old butler was on standby in the corner of the room.
”I don’t like formalities. Let’s talk while drinking and eating the food and alcohol I’ve prepared,” Lambdaine said.
”Yes. I don’t mind,” I replied.
From here, it depends on the opponent’s move. We’ve come prepared for several possible topics. But before the discussion could begin, Vectra-san opened her mouth.
”Now… I don’t suppose you’ve poisoned the food. However, if my Master complains of any kind of illness, we will slaughter every resident of this town as a retaliatory measure. Keep that in mind,” Vectra said.
Whoa… that’s an incredibly blunt threat…. And I hadn’t even considered the possibility of poison…. In this regard, I suppose it can’t be helped if I’m called a peace-dulled Japanese person.
I mean, regardless of poison, people in town will die just because I complain of feeling unwell…!? That’s a huge responsibility! I feel like the tension in the room just spiked, too!
Depending on how you take it, it sounds like she’s saying if I even get in a bad mood, it’s game over.
Perhaps it was Vectra-san’s way of warning him, “Watch what you say, okay?”
”Bwahahaha! To think someone would use such a transparent threat against me…!” Lambdaine laughed.
It seemed Lambdaine-san correctly understood it was a threat. He was wearing an incredibly scary smile.
”Ah, of course, I wouldn’t do something as cheap as poison. After all, we might be able to have a relationship where we both benefit…? We are in a position where we could become business partners. On our end, we have no intent of hostility,” Lambdaine said.
Whew… that’s a relief. This is also as Liliarette predicted. It seems they are trying to build a relationship by finding points of compromise rather than being hostile.
Seeing Lambdaine-san start on his food, I also began serving dishes from the table onto a small plate. Then, I tried a piece of mysterious meat covered in a mysterious sauce.
(……! Just as I thought… this is prosciutto…!)
It’s delicious. It goes very well with bread.
”Ho… you eat without fear. You have plenty of courage… or were you certain that I would never use poison?” Lambdaine asked.
”No… it just looked very delicious. If it was okay to eat, I wanted to eat it quickly,” I replied.
I haven’t eaten prosciutto in years! And I can’t create it with Dominion⁵ either… I can still only make ‘mystery meat’ when it comes to meat.
”Shimizu, the King of the Magic Labyrinth who makes the Demon Forest⁶ his residence, was it? I see. In the first place, if you had a sane mind, you wouldn’t think of living in a place like that,” Lambdaine said.
No… living in that forest was the result of various coincidences and circumstances, though…
”Kuku… I’m relieved to see you’re more conversational than I expected. I heard you were traveling with a terribly dangerous maid,” Lambdaine said.
”Well… yeah…” I muttered.
If it were Liliarette, would she have spoken consciously to maintain a position of equality or higher? But I was being swallowed by Lambdaine-san’s atmosphere—his presence.
”Now… first, let me apologize. It seems my granddaughter caused you some trouble. To think she would go so far as to doubt Princess Liliarette’s letter of introduction,” Lambdaine said.
”No… that was—”
I was about to say that it was also my fault for not handing it to Lord Lambdaine himself, but Eme-chan cut in.
”Exactly! On our end, we were planning to sell fruit grown in the Demon Forest, use the introduction to contact you at the right time, and even sell you white sugar! But because your granddaughter got greedy, it was all a complete waste of effort!” Eme-chan said.
Unlike me, who was being overwhelmed by Lambdaine-san’s vibe, Eme-chan threw her opinions straight and boldly.
Amazing… I don’t think I could be that aggressive…. I was about to take an attitude of, “I’m sorry too…”
I suppose this is because Eme-chan, like Liliarette, received education as royalty.
”I’d like to hear, for reference, what kind of educational policy you have. In the Republic, are children taught that it’s fine to snatch things from others as long as they are the grandchild of a Councilor?” Eme-chan asked.
”I am aware she did something for which such things must be said. However, I’ve given Iris over to you. On our end, we’d like to settle this matter with that,” Lambdaine replied.
”Eh…” I gasped.
While I was still processing the meaning of what he just said, Lambdaine spoke again as if to drive the point home.
”Iris is no longer a person of the Kelna Merchant Guild. If we can hope for a restoration of relations with the King of the Magic Labyrinth, you can treat her however you like over there. Though, I imagine you’re already treating her however you please anyway,” Lambdaine said.
This is… unexpected. I thought for sure the Kelna Merchant Guild was making plans to take Iris-chan back.
To think they already considered her something they had given to me….
—
Summary:
Shimizu and his companions head to town to sell fruit and are approached by the Kelna Merchant Guild’s butler. They are invited to the mansion of Councilor Lambdaine, Iris’s grandfather, who possesses an intimidating presence. Vectra threatens to kill the entire town if Shimizu is poisoned, leading to a tense but surprisingly diplomatic dinner. Ultimately, Lambdaine shocks Shimizu by revealing he has no intention of taking Iris back, effectively abandoning her to Shimizu’s group to settle their debt.
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Character Insight:
This chapter highlights the contrast between Shimizu’s soft, modern Japanese sensibility and the harsh ‘merchant’ reality of the Republic. While Shimizu is still thinking in terms of ‘rescuing’ or ‘holding’ Iris, Lambdaine views her as a discarded asset used to pay off a diplomatic blunder. Eme-chan’s growth is also evident; her royal upbringing allows her to act as the group’s backbone when Shimizu falters under the pressure of a powerful figure’s ‘覇気’ (Haki/Ambition).
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Behind the Scene:
The author uses Lambdaine to illustrate the ‘rough’ nature of the Republic’s merchant-politicians, a trope where successful traders are often more like warriors or mob bosses than paper-pushers. The mention of ‘mystery meat’ (謎肉 – nazo-niku) is a common Japanese slang term, often associated with the cubes found in Cup Noodle, used here to highlight Shimizu’s limited creation abilities.
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T/L:
Notes:
• 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.
• Vectra – A Unique Individual maid with white skin and white hair. Height 170cm, Bust Size D. Class: Duelist. Attribute: Darkness. Weapon: Star-Strike Battle Axe Volkein
• 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.
• Lambdaine – A powerful Councilor of the Shital Republic and a successful merchant who built his fortune from nothing. He is the grandfather of Iris and Aris.
• Gin – A friend of Kiraurumi who craves excitement and is secretly a ‘lolita enthusiast’ complexed about her own tall stature. She sees the world-saving mission as a ‘plane ride over a river’ of boredom.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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