Chapter 35
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
To secretly buy a magic catalyst, I got a letter of introduction from Frederica, the daughter of a powerful person in this city, to Ms. Wendy, the daughter of the merchant guild master who runs “Hooters.”
The woman in front of me, who brought me to this reception room, claims to be Ms. Wendy. She’s wearing a slightly tight uniform that shows off her nice figure.
Naturally, there’s one question that comes to mind.
”…Are you really Ms. Wendy?”
Iris seems to recognize her, but how did she confirm that?
As I think this, the self-proclaimed Ms. Wendy speaks up.
”We haven’t been stopped by the guards, have we?”
”Isn’t it because you’re related to the merchant guild?”
When I ask this, the self-proclaimed Ms. Wendy shakes her head.
”Ordinary employees don’t come to this floor. If they do, they must be accompanied by someone in a position of authority, and even that is confirmed by the guards.”
It seems like a pointless system if the guards are in on it… but in reality, it wouldn’t work unless all the guards were in on it.
”I see. So, cleaning on this floor is…”
”Ah, that’s not done by the employees here. It’s handled by maids hired at home.”
It seems this floor is treated specially.
”I understand now. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
Thinking about it, there aren’t many places where someone in full armor can walk around without being stopped on a floor that only related people can enter.
As I bow my head in thought, Ms. Wendy seems a bit flustered and tries to stop me.
”Ah! No, it’s because I did something unnecessary!”
”I can’t deny that… but why are you dressed like that?”
When I raised my head to mention this, she took out a certain envelope from her pocket.
It looked like it had been opened, but… wait, where did she pull that from?
There shouldn’t be a place to hide something like that in such a tight uniform…
Putting those questions aside, Ms. Wendy explained the reason for her disguise.
”It’s a letter of introduction from Ms. Frederica… She said you can achieve quite a lot in just one day, so it wouldn’t hurt to be on your good side.”
”Huh? You’re the daughter of a big merchant guild that runs such a large store, right? Isn’t it unnecessary for you to act so flattering?”
While the overall size of the merchant guild is unknown, if she is the daughter of the guild master who owns such a big store in a limited city area, she shouldn’t be in need of money, and there’s no reason for her to flatter me.
I wonder what Frederica wrote in the letter.
She doesn’t touch on my true identity, which she hasn’t seen, and I’m curious about how that part is conveyed… but it might be rude to ask to see the letter.
That was the kind of question I was thinking of when I asked, but she shook her head again.
”No, no. While profits ultimately lead to money, there are various ways to connect to that. The fact that Ms. Frederica took the trouble to introduce you like this means you must have something special about you.”
”Ms. Frederica just thinking that by me earning a lot of magic stones, it makes it easier for her to support the orphanage, which in turn helps herself earn more.”
”Even just that is beneficial for me, since I’m helping that orphanage too. Well, you can think of it as me trying to make a good impression, just like the other female staff.”
”Since we’re the ones asking for a deal, you don’t have to do that…”
”Well, if you could help me in some way, that might lead to benefits for you too… so it’s good that we’re doing this, right?~♪.”
Ms. Wendy smiled sweetly as she said this.
So, what this means is… if I find something valuable in the dungeon, she wants me to prioritize selling it to “Hooters.”
Well, honestly, aside from the magic items for dispelling that Iris needs, I don’t really care about the rest…
”It depends on the situation, okay?”
I just said that.
In response, she pointed to the sofa where Iris was sitting, encouraging me to take a seat.
”Yes, I understand. Now, shall we get to the main topic?”
Ms. Wendy, keeping her appearance the same, shifted the conversation to the business deal. However, the negotiation itself wasn’t that complicated. We agreed on having Seria deliver the catalysts that could be bought with the available money.
Iris only needed catalysts for fire and water, but considering the possibility of outsiders seeing what we were doing, we decided to buy a small amount of catalysts for earth and wind magic as a cover for Seria’s practice.
We wrapped up the discussion without seeing the actual items, but since this customer (us) came through Frederica, the daughter of a powerful person, they wouldn’t provide low-quality items. Ms. Wendy also mentioned that she was confident in the quality because she was the head of the department that manages quality.
I specified an amount that wouldn’t seem strange to have delivered, so buying a cart was difficult. I decided to just ask about the price and think about making it myself.
In the middle of this, she questioned why I hadn’t ordered any food.
Since I didn’t have that much money yet, I thought I’d make it with “Imitation.” But since I was trying to order a cart, it seemed like I planned to go deeper into the dungeon, which is probably why she found it strange that I hadn’t ordered any food.
”Are you really okay without food?”
”Yeah, for now. I might ask for some when I go deeper.”
”I see… um, do you have a favorite merchant guild?”
Maybe she wanted me to favor her shop, as she leaned in a bit, emphasizing her chest while looking at me with slightly sharp eyes.
”No, it’s not like that. I just got here to this city.”
”Oh, is that so? Then I hope you’ll favor us from now on~♪.”
Her gaze softened at my answer, and at the same time, her chest relaxed and swayed softly.
”…Well, as much as I can.”
”Geez…”
Iris, who was next to me, looked exasperated, but Ms. Wendy turned to her and asked a question.
”Um, what kind of relationship do you have with Mr. Mose?”
”Huh? Uh, um…”
Iris glanced at me when asked about our relationship.
To put it simply, it would be a physical employment relationship, but it’s hard to say that to someone I just met.
And if I were to explain the details, Iris’s circumstances might be revealed, and it could become known that she is seeking a magic item to lift the curse.
Even if “Hooters” has it in stock, she doesn’t want a record of the transaction, so she probably can’t get it from them because expensive items are likely to leave a record.
After all, if she wants to keep the fact that a noble lady has been cursed a secret, she would want to minimize the number of people who know that she is even looking for a magic item to lift the curse.
So there’s no point in explaining the situation, and if we keep the details vague and just describe our relationship as…
”Well, we’re just dungeon partners, I guess.”
”Uuu.”
Iris seemed a little disappointed with my answer, but it’s better than giving the impression that we are too close.
I can’t completely rule out the possibility that someone might take her hostage to manipulate me if they found out about our relationship.
It’s a complicated feeling, as it seems like I’m overestimating my own importance, but it’s still a possibility, so I can’t be too careful.
That’s why I’d like to keep our relationship looking as casual as possible, but… she seems a little unhappy about that.
I’m going to all this trouble to secure a catalyst for Iris, so you’d think she’d realize that I’m trying to be considerate.
Maybe I need to ‘explain’ this to her when we get back to the inn.
”I see… Oh, sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”
Ms. Wendy, noticing our exchange, said this and quickly arranged for us to leave, bringing our meeting to an end.
After the meeting, Iris and I decided to take a look around the “Hooters” store.
Since Iris had used the elevator, she hadn’t really had a chance to see the store properly.
We skipped the fifth floor, which seemed to be used for administrative tasks and business negotiations.
3rd and 4th floors have weapons, armor, and tools. When I asked a store clerk, they said the items are sourced from multiple blacksmiths.
I don’t really want anything… I mean, if it’s not something that can be seen by others, I can just make it myself, so I just take a quick look at the designs.
The 2nd floor seems to only have clothing, with new and used items displayed in a ratio of about 2 to 8.
It’s a big store, but it’s not a high-end shop, so there are probably a lot of used clothes that are in high demand.
Some stores put items they buy directly on the shelves, but here they always wash them before putting them out, and even so, the prices are normal, so it seems to be popular.
Maybe that’s why there are quite a few female customers enjoying looking around, but… I spotted a familiar face among them.
It’s Linna, an employee from the inn I’m staying at, “Horned Ox Inn.”
”Umm… huh?”
”!?”
She was comparing 2 clothes hanging on a hanger, but suddenly turned her gaze toward me.
I thought she noticed me, but she shouldn’t have seen me as “Mose” before.
So, it’s likely that my armor stands out, and she just looked over because it caught her eye.
Just as I was thinking she would quickly return her gaze to the clothes… she put the clothes back and came over to me.
Iris reacted to her approach.
”Do you know her?”
”She’s an employee at the inn. She shouldn’t have seen me like this before.”
”Oh, then why is she coming over here?”
”I don’t know. It might be a coincidence, and she might not have anything to do with me, but… if she talks to me, Iris, you handle it.”
”Got it.”
Iris quickly agreed, knowing that if the inn staff heard my voice, they would easily figure out that I was “Koji.”
I didn’t mind being seen with other women, but for now, I had to keep the fact that “Koji” and “Mose” were the same person a secret.
Just as we managed to get ready for the minimum response, Linna came over to us.
”Um…”
”W-What is it? Oh, this man can’t speak right now because of some circumstances!”
Iris seemed nervous and ended up saying more than she needed to.
Just like with Frederica, I wondered if she tended to blurt things out when she was flustered.
As I felt a bit anxious about the future, Linna responded to Iris’s words.
”Uh, um. No, I actually wanted to talk to you… or rather, I wanted to confirm something.”
”Huh? Me?”
”Yes. You came into this city alone a few days ago, right? Did you get caught up with any strange men?”
It seemed that Linna was concerned about Iris being alone.
In reality, Iris had indeed gotten into a dangerous situation, so her worry was justified.
”Ah, ah! I’m fine! I asked a lot about the city at the inn, and I bought this!”
Saying that, Iris pointed to the red scarf wrapped around her neck.
It was a sign that she had no intention of accepting any invitations in this city.
Seeing that, Linna looked somewhat relieved but still glanced at me as she said,
”That’s good, but… did you meet this person here in this city? Is he a safe person?”
Linna leaned in close to Iris, whispering so I couldn’t hear.
Since she was so close, it didn’t really matter, but Iris responded to her.
”Don’t worry. I was saved from a dangerous situation, and because of that, I can count on his help from now on.”
”Is that so? But, um, he’s not asking for anything weird in return, right…?”
”Oh, that’s not a problem at all!”
”Ah, I see.”
Linna seemed relieved by Iris’s answer, but then her next words shot a sharp look at me.
”Actually, I kind of want it to happen!”
”…This is a public place, right? How did you ask for that?”
Linna turned her gaze back to Iris, asking how she ended up in a relationship with me.
Since she couldn’t speak, it would have to be shown through actions, and while writing notes was an option, it seemed like she suspected I might have forced it.
We hadn’t discussed the details that much, so I was worried about how Iris would respond, but she spoke the truth.
”I asked him for it myself because I believed in his strength, so you don’t need to worry.”
”R-Really? Well, that’s good to hear…”
Seeing Iris confidently smile, Linna seemed convinced and bowed her head to me.
”I’m sorry. I said some rude things, but I was just worried about her.”
”…(shakes head).”
I knew she didn’t mean any harm, and since Iris found someone who might help her in a tough situation, I didn’t feel offended.
So I shook my head, but Linna looked around and… suddenly, she pulled down the neckline of her dress with her finger.
As rubber doesn’t seem to be in use yet, the neckline of the dress is made of regular fabric that doesn’t stretch, so it was forced down, revealing a bountiful cleavage that looked like it was about to spill out.
I wanted to ask her what she meant by this, but since I was supposed to be mute, I just pointed at her chest and tilted my head quizzically.
Realizing my question, Linna explained her intentions.
”Well, I thought that if you were upset by what happened earlier and decided to withhold your cooperation with her, it would be bad for both of us. I could have let you touch me, but I figured you wouldn’t enjoy it through your armor, so I decided to show you instead. If you wish, I’ll be your companion for the night, free of charge.”
It seemed that she had made this offer because she thought that my cooperation with Iris might be affected by her earlier actions.
I thought that it would be better to just mind my own business, but… she must have thought that she could make it up to me with her body.
She is quite popular as a prostitute, so it’s not surprising that she would think that her body could be a solution to this problem.
In fact, it’s true that sometimes a man’s anger can be soothed in that way.
However, since I was hiding my true identity, I couldn’t accept her offer, so I shook my head again. Linna then asked if it was a matter of preference.
”If you don’t like me, I can introduce you to one of the other girls at my workplace. Of course, I’ll pay for it.”
”…”
It wasn’t really a matter of preference, but I couldn’t exactly explain the reason, so… I reached out to Iris, who was standing next to me, and pulled her close to me by the waist, gently stroking her lower abdomen.
”Nn~♡ Nnnuu…♡.”
I could tell from my actions and the way Iris let out a sultry voice that Linna understood. She nodded, seeming satisfied, and adjusted her clothes.
”I see, I was overthinking things. Well, it’s almost time for work, so I’ll take my leave.”
”Oh, thank you for your concern!~♡.”
With Iris all fired up saying that, Linna replied,
”Not at all, wish you happiness!~♪.”
And then she left.
It sounded like she was talking about a wedding, but we weren’t even planning to be a couple.
Just as I was thinking that… Iris leaned in close to my ear.
”Let’s go to my place, okay?~♡.”
”Well, I’ve mostly finished my errands… so why not?”
So, we left “Hooters” and headed to Iris’s place.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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