Chapter 107

「Hey, you’re late.」

In the shadowy alley, a Grond trading employee was late for the appointed time and his partner reacted with irritation.

A generic man appeared with a large hood over his head.

He looked around and snuck into the place, showing that he was a bit fearful to be there.

「S…sorry. It took a while to get away from prying eyes.」

「Do you have the list with you?」

「Y…yeah… this, shows the stores and traders where the messed up goods are going, a copy of the peddler list.」

The hooded man took out a document which the Grond employee received.

「Okay, here’s the reward for the list.」

「Okay! I’ll finally be able to buy myself a woman! Hee hee!」

「…you can get something like this in the government office easily, who knows why it’s needed.」

The laughing hooded fellow retreated and looked with discomfort at the Grond employee.

「Okay, if you need any more help, let me know.」

Since he didn’t want to remain there any longer, he withdrew with a smile on his face as the Grond employee left the place quickly as well.

「Hee hee…okay, that’s done.」

Arriving at a place with no people, the man’s smile disappeared.

As the man said that, he took on a completely different appearance, as the shape of the man quickly changed shape into one of a rabbit-human magic beast.

「Phew, just stuff like this makes this whole operation hard.」

「Thanks for the hard work, do you want to drink an MP potion just in case?」

「Master…」

A man wrapped in a robe emerged from the shadows.

He had in his hand a vial with blue liquid inside.

「My MP use won’t increase so that’s okay.」

「I see. Anyway, looks like our plan has taken one more step.」

The man’s smile turned up as he seemed to have an evil look on his face.

「Yes, you’re right. How did you do master?」

「Yeah, there was trouble but I got out of it. I’ll tell you about it back in the boarding house.」

He made an ambiguous face as he bit down on his words badly.

「I see, master. My side went well too. The only hard part was Shuria filling herself up on sweets and meat.」

「Hahahah, sounds like Shuria. Well, as long as you were able to get out of there without anyone noticing.」

「No, she filled her belly and now we can’t eat the food I made…I can’t forgive that!」

「Oh, that was the problem.」

He was a bit disappointed.

「From now on master, could you just buy food as we go along?」

「Yeah, okay.」

The beast girl and the coldly sweating fellow exchanged awkward smiles at each other.

☆

Shuria was out in a store by herself eating a snack made of wheat and goat milk, lightly baked, and covered with honey.

In the middle of work, while she was waiting for her master to come back, she sat here taking a break.

「Hnnn…this is great.」

Minnalis had told her not to eat before dinner, but she was going to eat what she wanted.

Even more, compared to usual, she would hide from Minnalis and go out with master and eat things at roadside stalls.

Minnalis would intentionally let that go, and then pout to Kaito and use that to flirt with him.

Shuria just wanted a secret date with Kaito, so it was like two birds with one stone.

However, because Minnalis was getting more and more serious with her pouting, you couldn’t let this continue any more.

「Something sweet during work. This is the greatest reward.」

She had already almost forgotten all the things she could have if she just asked for them at Yumis’, these last few days being so fun.

Because of all the being tied up and lack of freedom, it was more than a drop of ecstacy…it was more like intoxication.

「Phew, delicious food!」

She had eaten all the food on her plate, and breathed out heavily.

While Kaito was planting the seeds of his plot here and there, Shuria and Minnalis were growing the sprouts with the rumors that they were spreading around as they went out to buy.

With all these different operations, it was like the fun they had preparing for the harvest festival a long time ago when she lived there with her mother and Shelmee.

Just like the preparations you make get you excited in anticipation for the final day to come, this event was just like long ago.

The only thing slightly different than back then was that the festival was full of loud shouts and so on.

「That expression of planting seeds now sounds really perverted!」

「…what stupid thing are you going on about now?!」

「Ah, Minnalis, welcome back.」

Ah, she said noticing them return as Minnalis called her from behind.

She was shocked for a second, but her plate was put away so she had dealt with the proof.

「Did you do well changing it out?」

「Yes, that magic storm was a bit much to deal with, but it worked just as planned, and the exchanges did well, so it went along just as master planned.」

Minnalis sat in front of Shuria with a smile.

「That’s great to hear! Hee hee, I can’t wait to see the day it all comes together!」

「Right. That was just what the master was saying. I don’t think I could do it alone without getting caught and tortured.」

「Yeah…I mean, even though I’ve heard it explained, there are parts about it I don’t understand.」

Minnalis nodded at Shuria’s comment, while Shuria tilted her neck.

「First of all, what’s all this talk of『reminted currency』? Why is everyone up in arms about it? Money is money, right?」

「Yes, just as you said. However, in order to ensure its value, there are certain printing technologies, and in addition, the authority of the country as well. If you decrease the amount of real metal in the currency, it means that the country’s come to the end of its monetary reserves. In other words, there is trust built into the currency. Do you understand?」

「Um, hee hee hee, I think?」

She was bad with slightly confusing explanations.

Kaito was an awesome guy, but Minnalis was pretty good at understanding what the heck he was saying.

「Hm…so you don’t understand that either. I see, um you know how the correction rank of the plates that master uses is completely different from a meaningless stranger’s plates?」

「Ah, now I think I’m getting it!」

「It’s just like that. Okay…now back to work. Let’s pick out the ingredients we’ll use for dinner.」

「Ah, meat! Meat is good!」

「Really? Then let’s have fish instead. You like the desserts of this place more than my cooking, anyway. Enough to sneak away and eat by yourself…」

「Wha???」

How did she know? I got rid of the plate!

「The nose of a beast can’t be fooled easily, Shuria.」

Pwish, as Minnalis touched her beast-like nose.

「Ah…Minnalis, please forgive me…」

「As if…geez…」

Minnalis stood up and walked away, while Shuria got up and scampered after her.

☆

A bar before the sun went down.

It was almost time for people to begin collecting around this bar, and you could already hear the laughs of people inside from the street.

From the operation difficulty changing in using magic beasts and magic due to the magic storm in the street, only a few peddlers with strong armed guards were out on the street to sell.

In order to waste time in this pleasureless world, there was only liquor, girls, and gambling.

The bar was a natural place for all of these.

「That’s why some male spirit that has it in for traders is going around and stealing their money!」

「It seems there are other stories of this ghost messing around with others.」

「Hah hah hah, I see!」

In the middle of the loud bar, another laughing voice arose.

「Another great story to drink by. I don’t know if it’s the work of spirits or ghosts, but it does make you notice. Interesting gossip and all. Those girls.」

「Well, we’re just small-time peddlers trading information in order to survive. The money that all these large-time traders have it’s just a little to them, but for us it would be a huge loss.」

「Yeah, you lose money here and there, but after a discussion tomorrow, we’re leaving this place and going back to the imperial city. Why did this magic storm have to happen now?」

All of the other male traders listening sighed.

「Ah, I heard the road to the imperial city is full of monsters and dangerous.」

「Yeah, and the person we’re talking to tomorrow is the Grond Trading Company that girl was just talking about.」

「Oh, is that so?」

「Yeah, that trader’s so big he’s a power-player, and I can’t believe that someone would raid a major trader for such a paltry sum and risk their life like that…people are going to be scared to stock things in a place like that.」

「…well…」

「The imperial government themselves are using that place to put their money. The stuff I was thinking about selling and getting sold off somewhere else isn’t going to get a penny from me now. Ah, gulp, gulp gulp…」

The trader tilted back his wooden cup and slung back all the liquor in it.

「…sorry, no need to whine. Ah…I can finally be safe again after tomorrow’s transaction is over.」

「Well all the peddlers and traders that have a store unlike us can’t be safe without having security watching their stuff…must be tough.」

It took a lot of money to provide security to watch over these businessmen with little margin.

It’s even hard to ensure that things aren’t stolen even with the security paid for. Everyone was trying to stay alive.

「It will be fine. Other places have the magic storm as well, but it won’t last forever.」

「Oh, yeah. Well then in expectation for tomorrow, I’m going to get back to the boarding place before the sun goes down. I’m going to take a big loss if I don’t get these things sold. I have go get ready.」

「It’s tough for all of us, hang in there.」

「Yeah, you ladies too. Stay strong. I bet it must be tough to be traders and sisters at the same time.」

The men stood up and goddled down the salted beans that they ordered with their liquor.

Then the leaving men stopped, and stroked his face, saying:

「H…hey…if you want, you can do some business with me.」

「Sorry…I have someone that I’ve given my heart and soul to already.」

「I have a master that I’m already giving enough to, so no thank you.」

「I see…sorry then…」

The man lowered his shoulders and walked away.

He didn’t say it in a way that was disgusting, but actually restrained himself a bit.

Even if he did well and sold what he needed to, since he was going to take a loss anyway, there was no reason for the girls to mock him as he left.

「Okay, on to the next bar!」

「Sure!」

They left their fruit-water on the table, and left the place for another.

The village right before sunset was painted in the ruddy sunlight.

They looked around for another place to drink at.

「So, where to next?」

「Um, that looks good over there.」

Shuria pointed out one drinking place.

「We can’t go there, that’s a restaurant, it would be weird just drinking there.」

「Uh, I just smelled that wonderful smell of meat!」

「You just ate dessert this afternoon, so I’d be surprised if you couldn’t eat dinner! You’re getting fat!」

「Whaa? You can’t say that!! I’m still growing so it’s no problem for me!!」

「Heh, heh, I’m joking. Well, if you leave any food on your plate at dinner, it’s punishment time!」

「Ah…if you’re just going to yell at me, Minnalis, then it’s fine.」

「Should I just not make you a plate?」

「I’m sorry.」

This kid again.

Master really found a disturbing fetish in punishing this girl Shuria.

「Anyway, we need a bar that fits the description.」

「Hey, girls, you looking for a place to drink? Hick!」

「「…」」

The evening sun lit up the owner of the voice, who was red-faced for a different reason.

「So…hick…drink with me? I know a good place…hick…hick…」

The hiccupping man was a bit too friendly and when he got too close you could smell strong liquor all over him.

「…geez, who is this guy?」

「No thanks.」

Not joking around like Shuria, both of them really held their breath.

「Let’s go Shuria.」

「Sure.」

If you get stuck with a drunk…you’re just going to be stuck with a drunk.

Because of that, we decided to avoid and ignore him and walked away.

「Hey! Don’t ignore me, I’m a C-rank adventurer, Golnda-sama! I’m someone that usually gets the girls saying 『Wow, awesome』!」

「…being proud of being a C-ranked is sad, don’t make us laugh.」

「Well, our party rank is C though.」

「What? Whaddid you say? Maybe you’re bashful because of how cool I am! Hic! Thasso cute!」

He seemed to be getting all the wrong signals, and the fact that he kept following us was creeping us out.

Well, when you get drunk on MP or liquor you can’t be responsible, and it was the master’s unwritten law, so Shuria and I weren’t planning on wasting anymore time with him.

However, he went a little too far, so the story’s different.

「Whoa, my hand slipped!」

「Wha?!」

The drunk guy acted like he fell accidentally and stretched his hand out at my butt. I spun my body away so that he couldn’t touch me.

「This guy…」

Simply being bothered by this guy and the nuisance he was had now turned into hostility.

(My body belongs to master completely, damn this guy!)

And master likes to touch my butt so much too!

Time to kill this idiot!

「Ah, Minnalis is pissed!」

Shuria said beside me, but I was going to do what I had to do anyway.

I wasn’t really going to kill him, but I might break an arm or two to teach him a lesson.

「What? Don’t do that…oh I slipped again!」

I was full with the desire to kill this guy, but since his eyes looked full on drunk, I couldn’t just kill him like that. Then he stretched out his arm again.

Maybe because of the influence of the magic storm, it was hard to use magic in a place like this.

But you don’t need magic to cut off an outstretched arm.

(I won’t kill him, but I will have him feel a little pain.)

That was when I felt someone put a hand on the sword on my hip.

「Hey there, getting drunk and putting you hands on girls is a little too much.」

Clunk, what the hand grabbed a hold of was an old man a bag containing food.

It was Fegner Leelit.