Episode 32.4

"So how about it, Eda-dono. Could you please cast <Recovery> on this Balin-san here."

Eda groaned 'this again?' inwardly despite smiling outwardly.

This started from a request from Miril, a neighbour.

Miril's husband is a woodworker, and one of the mansions he regularly worked at is the house of Karigos Company's owner. Karigos was curious about Miril's husband who had been looking fresh as of late, then one day he suddenly visited their house on a wagon asking them introduce him to Eda.

At her wit's end, Miril went to consult with Eda. Eda went to greet Karigos, who coaxed her to board a wagon headed for Balin's house.

Apparently Karigos intends to get Balin indebted to him. And at the same time, he plans to manipulate Eda into casting <Recovery> for free.

Eda has had to deal with this kind of schemes a few times already. Still all smile, Eda spoke to Karigos.

"A request for <Recovery> is it. Please send a formal request through medic Norma."

She's speaking politely. Adventurers get looked down upon when they're talking politely out in the fields, so they speak in vulgar language there, but in all other situations they speak politely. As a matter of fact, it's actually rarer to spot Eda not being all polite lately.

"Oh no no. I have personally come fetch you and all after all. Please do go ahead with <Recovery> now. Of course I will be sure to pay the fee."

"Then could you please pay right here and now."

"Well, you see. I thought the amount of cash I have on hand would suffice, that's not the case as it turns out. I will definitely send the money to you later, so please could you tend to our suffering patient first for now."

"I may be a medical practitioner, but I'm still a greenhorn who cannot tell what kind of illness Balin-san has. Do understand that there are many instances where merely casting a <Recovery> doesn't help with long-term illness."

"Oh! Of course. It's fine if you could at least ease his suffering even a bit."

"Then please write an IOU."

"Sure, I will."

Karigos wrote an IOU with a paper and pen he had prepared beforehand.

Eda's brows furrowed when she saw the IOU. It's written in a way that's obviously an attempt to trick her. Karigos might be thinking that adventurers won't understand difficult words anyway.

One gold coin shouldn't amount too much to someone like Karigos. But this kind of people exist among the wealthy. The kind that loathes parting with even a little bit of their money for something they think they can get for free. And they always keep a watchful eye for an opportunity to get their hands on something of value with flattery alone. Karigos saw Eda as an easy mark.

"Written like this, the debt will only be paid if <Balin-shi has been cured>. Please amend it."

Eda's parents have taught her reading and writing. She can read and understand difficult words to a degree just fine.

Karigos rewrote the IOU while looking a bit bewildered and handed it over to Eda.

"Un. Okay this one makes Karigos-san obliged to pay one gold coin if I cast <Recovery> on Balin-san."

"But of course. Now then, go ahead and cast your <Recovery>."

"Please put your signature on it."

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"Wha?"

"This IOU only has Karigos-san's name written once. This won't be treated as a formal document of proof. Please put your signature on it."

Karigos froze for a while but he eventually put his signature on the IOU as his eyes turned reptilian-like.

Eda took her white wand and cast <Recovery> on Balin.

Neither Karigos or Balin noticed how different the <Recovery> was than an ordinary one. It was blue colored.

Balin's pain vanished, erasing the illness he had suffered for years like it was all a dream.

Three days later, Eda and Norma went to visit Karigos.

"Welcome to my humble abode. Balin has gotten much better nowadays. He had actually got <Recovery> cast on him at the temple once, but Eda-dono's version felt nothing like it, he said."

"That's good to hear. Please pay your due."

"Well, you see about that. I'd very much love to pay you, but I'm currently short on money, you see. I'm truly sorry, but once I have the money prepared, I shall contact you on my end, so could you please withdraw for today."

This is nothing more than a harassment.

After finding out he couldn't make Eda act as he wished, Karigos abandoned the idea of trying to curry her favor. He's also going to delay paying the one gold coin fee. He'll keep prolonging to pay every time the period is up, so he won't have to shell out cash from his pocket. He's also secretly hoping he could varnish over the issue and make Eda forget all about it.

In short, he's looking down on Eda.

Getting looked down upon would be the end to an adventurer. Those who dare to do so must be paid in kind and in pain. Adventurers also have to make sure agreements are fulfilled. Otherwise they would be seen as an adventurer who doesn't care about upholding agreements and will often find themselves in similar situations in the future.

"Norma-san. You heard that, right. Karigos-san is short on money so he can't pay one gold coin."

"I did loud and clear. Let's go back then."

Two days later, Karigos's wagon showed up in front of Eda's house.

"You're terrible!"

"What is this about?"

"You! You! What do you have against me you would lie about my company falling into financial distress to Chaney Company!"

"I only told Chaney-san that your situation is such that you are unable to pay one gold coin fee that saved your close friend."

"Why would you do that! They refuse to do business with us because of you! How are you planning to compensate this loss?!"

"It's not like I was lying. You wouldn't pay the promised one gold coin even after three days, then you told me you were short on money when I visited you to collect it myself. I just chatted about that over some tea with Chaney-san and townlord-sama."

Karigos's face turned stiff.

"To the townlord?"

"Yes. 'In that case we must suspend our orders at once', so town lord-sama spoke."

Karigos handed one gold coin to Eda like he was throwing it at her, and left in a hurry, but then he came back just before boarding his wagon and submitted a receipt. Once Eda signed on it, he went off without saying thanks.

(Miril-san's husband probably gonna lose one of his regular patrons.)

(I feel sorry if it comes to that.)

(But I mean, nothing I can do about it.)

During dinner that night, a town lord's messenger came by and asked Eda to come to the town lord's mansion as soon as she could. Norma was also summoned. At first she thought it was related to Karigos, but judging from the messenger's state, it seemed to be something bigger. It's some sort of emergency.