Published at 20th of February 2020 6:52 am

Chapter 12 – Two Merchants

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

MTL: uniquegasuki

Editor/ Proofreader: (not proofread)

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「We will now commence the purge of our enemy!!」 (Haruto)

With a serious expression, Haruto issued this command to Lora. In their hands, they each are holding a broom. This broom is a weapon that will be used against the hidden enemy lurking in the storehouse (warehouse).

「The enemy’s war potential is unknown. There are probably at least 30 of them so expect a strong resistance. However, do not falter! It is either us or them!」 (Haruto)

「Haruto-san……」 (Lora)

「What is it?」 (Haruto)

「They are only cockroaches.」 (Lora)

「Dare not speak their name!」 (Haruto)

Why is it that the two of them are going about exterminating cockroaches? Because it is necessary in order for them to clean up the storehouse. Since the seaweed ash will be delivered to them in a week’s time, they must have the storehouse cleaned. However, many roaches are lurking about in the storehouse. That is why Haruto and Lora have decided to exterminate the cockroaches.

「Do you dislike them? I’m okay with them because I used to live in the back alley.」 (Lora)

「Ahh, in the past one of them leaped at me and it…… in my mouth……」 (Haruto)

Haruto suppresses his urge to think about it. Certainly, it has become a trauma for him.

「Now that I think about it, my compulsion from cleanliness might be the result of the fear I have for them.」 (Haruto)

Hearing him speak so heartily about it, Lora gave a suitable response.

「I understand. Haruto-san, please don’t push yourself. It will be troublesome if you end up vomiting so leave the roach…… those critters to me.」 (Lora)

「I’ll be counting on you.」 (Haruto)

Haruto and Lora entered the storehouse together.

◆◆◆

The storehouse (battlefield) is dim and dusty. Haruto reached from the light switch but Lora stopped him.

「You should turn on the light when you’re ready.」 (Lora)

「Understood.」 (Haruto)

The two nervously prepared themselves for when the roaches will be revealed.

After a few minutes passed, the two advanced into the storehouse (battlefield). What awaited them inside was the creeping noise belonging to insects. A few minutes later, their nervousness was lifted as the tension Haruto felt was interrupted; at that time, a black shadowy figure passes by Lora’s line-of-sight. Lora doesn’t miss this chance, she brings down the boom onto it. The cockroach senses that its life is in peril and increases its speed. The speed of the boom that Lora swung down accelerated as it approached the floor. As a result……

A whacking sound is heard. The roach is caught by Lora’s broom; however, it had twisted its body on impact, resulting in the roach’s body being wedged in the broom’s brush end. Somehow, the cockroach was able to escape from the broom by spreading its wings but as it was flying away, the roach was pushed upwards from below by the broom. Lora had already predicted the cockroach’s escape route. The roach that had been pushed upwards ended up clinging onto the broom but that judgment was a mistake. Lora smiles. The broom is rotated and then is swung against the floor before the roach that had clung to the broom could escape. It is exterminated. This all happened in a span of 5 seconds. The matter of life and death had been decided in an instant.

「Phew, that worked out. I would never have expected it to avoid my attack by turning its body. 」 (Lora)

Lora looked at the cockroach’s plump corpse. Chances are, it had been feeding on the dust in the storehouse.

「Then, while we are on a roll, shall we continue.」 (Lora)

Lora cheerfully said to Haruto. Although, despite having gotten rid of that roach, Haruto’s still appeared tense.

「I stepped on one……」 (Haruto)

It seems Haruto had stepped on a cockroach. Death had visited him by mere chance.

As such, they continue to exterminate the cockroaches. Lora’s broom and Haruto’s shoe became wet with blood (bug goo).

「Why must this happen to me?」 (Haruto)

Haruto was on the verge of tears. The bottom of his shoes is covered in roach goo. This left him experiencing an indescribable feeling.

After 2 hours, there was a small pile containing 15 cockroach corpses. With a calm expression, Lora tossed the roaches away by the roadside.

Now that the cockroaches had been removed, they proceeded to clean until lunch time.

◆◆◆

「We are finally done!! Now this place can be used as a storehouse. All that is left is for us to secure olive oil. Do you know of a good place where we can stock up on olive oil?」 (Haruto)

「The Ainsworth company deals in agricultural produces. If I’m not mistake, their head office is a short walk from here.」 (Lora)

「Then, should we head there now?」 (Haruto)

Upon Haruto’s suggestion, Lora made a slightly clouded expression.

「I think you should go see Wujek first. The Ainsworth company’s top brass, Brunch・Ainsworth (ブランチ・エインズワ) is Wujek-san’s political rival.」 (Lora)

Haruto recalls the details about Clarice’s self-government. It seems Wujek has many enemies.

「Phew, do you see why I was conflicted?」 (Lora)

When doing business, one should at the very least have an understanding of the relationship among fellow merchants. “I should hear what this is about”, Haruto thought.

「I don’t know the full details but…… Wujek-san is the head of the Kingdom’s warring faction while Brunch・Ainsworth is the head of the Empire’s armistice faction. In terms of policy, their opinion is a complete 180-degree difference.」 (Lora)

Although she claims to not know the detail, there sure is a lot of information and Lora began to use technical terminology. Haruto wasn’t able to understand what the Kingdom’s warring faction was nor what the Empire’s armistice faction was. While he has heard of the Kingdom, he has never heard of the Empire.

「I don’t really get it but, Wujek supports the Kingdom’s plan to keep fighting while Brunch supports the Empire’s plan to stop fighting, correct? First of all, I don’t know what the Empire is, can you start from the beginning?」 (Haruto)

When she heard Haruto say this, Lora’s eyes widened.

「You don’t know about the Empire? Oh yeah, you’re from another world. It is not surprising. Alright then. I’ll tell you about this world’s international situation from the beginning」 (Lora)

◆◆◆

「The Empire is a superpower that borders the Kingdom and the City-State Union. In their golden age, they ruled the whole area from the west to the entire mountain range.」 (Lora)

「In other words, the City-State Union and the Kingdom used to be a part of the Empire?」 (Haruto)

Lora replies to Haruto’s question by nodding.

「That is correct. The Empire began to suffer from internal corruption and their national influence started to decline. 200 hundred years ago, the Germanians (ゲルマニス) rebelled against the Empire and established their Kingdom. The founding of the Kingdom greatly reduced the Empire’s influence in the Kiricia (キリシア) region; as a result, the City-State Union became independent. Are you with me so far?」 (Lora)

Haruto confirmed to Lora by nodding. Although it was a simplified explanation, there was no need to go into detail so that was good enough.

「The two countries are hostile towards one another. After the Kingdom had gained independents, the two have gone to war 4 times. The City-State Union’s policy is to stay neutral; as such, there is an unconditional rule that states that we should not be too intimately involve with either country.」 (Lora)

「I see. The City-State Union isn’t a single entity. Is Clarice neutral?」 (Haruto)

When she heard Haruto’s question, Lora showed a slightly troubled expression.

「That is right…… we are more or less neutral. Nevertheless, within Clarice, there are 3 rival factions. The 1st faction is lead by Wujek-san; they are in favor of the Kingdom. The 2nd faction is lead by Brunch・Ainsworth; they are in favor of the Empire. The 3rd faction is lead by Adonis・Wulfstan (アドニス・ウルフスタン); they are in favor of a netural ceasefire between the two countries.」 (Lora)

Again, another person’s name emerged, causing Haruto to frown. In truth, memorizing all their names is a pain but it is an essential knowledge that a merchant must learn.

「As the Kingdom’s troops advance, they would loot and plunder the Empire’s villages and towns. The people that are caught are then sold as slaves to the City-State Union. It just happens that, Wujek-san buys a lot of those slaves. In addition, he has lent quite a fortune to the Kingdom’s aristocrats; therefore, Wujek wants them to continue warring and continue winning.」 (Lora)

As expected, Wujek is quite a bad person; however, it is only natural for a merchant to devote themselves to making a profit.

「Next, about Brunch・Ainsworth; she earns money by selling wine to the east. If the war continues, she fears that the Empire would lose. And, as most of the fine wine are domestic products of the Empire, Brunch-san fears that the price for obtaining wine will drastically increase if that were to happen. Lastly, Adonis・Wulfstan, the head of the netural ceasefire faction, he produces magic tools and sells them. As the war prolongs, magic stones, the fuel for magic tools will continue to rise. Nowadays, because of the war, the price for magic stones has gone up and the demand for magic tools has gone down, causing his profits to decrease. Do you understand the premise so far?」 (Lora)

Lora looks to confirm Haruto’s expression. Haruto nods.

「I get the general idea, thank you. Then, we should go see what Wujek has to say before we meet with Brunch-san. In truth, our actions shouldn’t be restricted by him but since I’m indebted to him, it is a matter of courtesy. This could be a chance for us to get along.」 (Haruto)

And thus, their plans for the afternoon was decided.

◆◆◆

「For some reason, I feel nervous……」 (Lora)

「Why would you be; all you have to do is stand behind me and smile. What is there to be nervous about?」 (Haruto)

Haruto and Lora are in Ainsworth’s reception room. They normally would be turned away without having an appointment; however, with Wujek’s letter of introduction, how they were treated changed.

By the way, Wujek had made a wry smile and he did not seem pleased with the matter.

「I thought that perhaps the letter of introducing from Wujek-san was a fake, but this does resemble his handwriting.」 (???)

「Really? Is that so, it seems as if you didn’t mind being tricked.」 (Haruto)

This conversation occurred nearly 1 hour after they were kept waiting. A woman, who appeared to be about 40 years old, entered the room. She wasn’t wearing any make-up. Being flustered, Haruto stood up and introduced himself.

「Good evening. My name is Haruto Asuma. I am starting a business in Clarice. I came with Wujek-san’s letter of introductions.」 (Haruto)

Lora doesn’t introduce herself. It is an unspoken rule that a slave should not give their name unless asked.

「I see, I am Brunch・Ainsworth. What is your business with me?」 (Brunch: So, this is the person Malthus was talking about in the letter…… Malthus isn’t the type of person to carelessly give out introductions. Appearance wise, this person looks average.)

She is neither wary nor repulsed by Haruto. Being in the clear, Haruto breathed out a sigh of relief.

「For now, this is the product I plan to market.」 (Haruto)

Haruto hands over the soap that he had brought. Brunch had a mystified expression on her face as she stared at the produce.

「This is soap. It has the same effect as bubble-berry. The price is 300 Doraria.」 (Haruto)

Upon hearing him say this, Brunch’s eyebrows slightly rose.

「It is similar to bubble-berry…… that sounds wonderful.」 (Brunch: Certainly, if it has the same effects as bubble-berry, that would be amazing…… I can see why Wujek wrote a letter of introductions.)

Although she was considerably surprised, her facial expression didn’t alter much. No matter how great her poker face may be, it is no match for Haruto’s blessing.

「One of the ingredients for soap is olive oil; therefore, I would like a contract dealing with olive oil.」 (Haruto)

Haruto frankly states his business.

「Alright. Let’s form a contract. There is olive oil from rank “A” to “D”, which kind do you need?」 (Brunch: As D-rank is used for food, for it to have the same effect as bubble-berry, it perhaps uses A-rank olive oil?)

「D-rank will be sufficient.」 (Haruto)

And thus, Haruto formed a contract with Brunch. In the beginning, 170 barrels of olive oil will be purchased in 3 months time. Later, the quantity will be determined afterward.

「I have money so I can pay it now, but I prefer to have a deferred payment if possible.」 (Haruto)

After considering things, Haruto would rather pay later as it would be better to have more cash on hand.

With a smile on their face, Haruto and Brunch finished shaking hands.

◆◆◆

「Well now, that worked out splendidly. I had thought that perhaps showing Wujek’s letter of introduction would turn out nastier.」 (Lora)

「You’re right. Perhaps, she didn’t see me as one of Wujek’s associates.」 (Haruto)

Haruto and Lora returned to their shop and drank tea. As their opponent was a veteran merchant, it left him feeling quite tired. Perhaps it was from using his blessing, but Haruto was exhausted. Although, Lora who had stood behind him during that time, she didn’t appear tired at all.

「Ah, I’m sleepy. I want to hurry up and eat so I can go to sleep. Oh, why can’t it be dark.」 (Haruto)

Haruto stares out the window and sees the red evening sun glowing.

As he gazed at the sunset, Haruto almost dozed off.

「Excuse me!! Is Haruto Asuma-sama home?」 (???)

He hears a loud voice coming from the front entrance.

「Who could it be calling for me at this time of day!」 (Haruto)

Being annoyed that they had disturbed his sleep, Haruto ordered Lora to refuse the person at the door. While showing a slightly wry smile, she went to answer the door.

「Hello, who is it?」 (Lora)

When Lora opened the door, she saw a tall man with a handsome face, who is wearing glasses.

「Sorry but, my master is absence. Please allow me to receive your message today. Now then, what is your business?」 (Lora)

When Lora looked up at the man, he showed a wry smile.

「I pretty sure I saw him returning. Certainly, it is my bad for coming here at this time without an appointment; perhaps, are you trying to turn me away? Ah, excuse me! I forgot to introduce myself. I am Adonis Wulfstan. I deal in magic tools. I ask that you bring me Asuma-sama?」 (Adonis)

This man who shows a sweet smile is…… “Adonis Wulfstan, it can’t be”, Lora thought. Her eyes widened. Who would have thought that the Adonis Wulfstan would come looking for them?

「Pardon me, my master was currently resting…… it was at my own discretion; I’ll go call my master right away.」 (Lora)

Lora goes to retrieve Haruto who is inside the shop.

「Haruto-san!!」 (Lora)

「Huh? Have your turned them away?」 (Haruto)

「Shhh! The visitor is Adonis Wulfstan. Please, go see him at once. It is my fault for trying to turn him away at the door!」 (Lora)

Upon hearing this, Haruto’s eyes widened.

「The Adonis from one of the three large factions? Why would he come here?」 (Haruto)

「I don’t know! Just hurry and go.」 (Lora)

Having his drowsiness blown away, Haruto heads from the entrance.

「Are you perhaps, Adonis Wulfstan-san?」 (Haruto)

Having previously tried to expel this person, Haruto was being slightly untactful.

「Yes, that is correct. You are Haruto Asuma, I presume.」 (Adonis: This is the person…… he appears to be unexpecting average. Well, I won’t know until I see that soap thing.)

It seems that this person knows about the soap. At any rate, the tone in this person’s thoughts is different.

「Yes, I am. For now, please come in; although, there isn’t much inside.」 (Haruto)

Haruto leads the person to the parlor room.

「Now, what is your business with me?」 (Haruto)

They sit down in a chair and then, Haruto asked what Adonis needed from him. A friendly smile appears on Adonis’ face.

「You misunderstand, I just came to see the person that Wujek Malthus had invested in. I had to see you with my own eyes. Here, this is a gift to congratulated us becoming acquainted.」 (Adonis: I have to see for myself what that miser would invest in.)

Adonis handed Haruto an unknown device.

「This is an alarm. When it detects an intruder, it will make a loud sound. It is rather simple to use, you can place it at the center of the building.」 (Adonis: In truth, it was developed to secure pots but I’m sure it could be used this way too.)

Certainly, having an alarm system would bring Haruto peace of mind. He graciously thanked the man.

「For this…… thank you very much. How can I thank you in return, oh, please take this. It’s soap. I would appreciate it if you advertised it as well.」 (Haruto)

Haruto handed the man soap. Adonis grins and smiles.

「Thank you very much for giving me this.」 (Adonis: This is soap…… I have heard it has the same effect as bubble-berry but I wonder if that is true? Well, I have completed my task today and have met up with the guy. I guess I’ll be heading home.)

「Well now, look at the time, it is late and I should be going. If you need any magic tools, please keep the Wulfstan company in mind.」 (Adonis)

After saying this, Adonis when home.

「Ah, I’m tired. Why is it that I had to meet with 2 renown people today.」 (Haruto)

「Yeah. I was terrified when I tried to turn him away at the door. But, is it not a good thing? Haruto-san, word about you is getting around.」 (Lora)

Lora looked pleased. Certainly, it is a good chance to advertise if a famous person were to endorse the product.

「Well yeah, but it is true that I’m exhausted. This it the first time I had to use my blessing this often. I won’t be having my meal…… I’m going to bed.」 (Haruto)

Haruto looks out the window and sees a beautiful full moon.

「Eh! What about a bath? Looks like it will rain tomorrow……」 (Lora)

And thus, this hectic day came to a close.

====

Income: 0

Expense: 0

Debt: 5 Million

Current Balance: 3.83 Million

(Actual) Assets: -1.17 Million

Other Assets:

16 Slaves

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