"Miss, are you not being serious? Won't this come as a loss?" Belal asked with concern, starting to feel that they might scam Ravenan instead.
"No," Ravenna said, shaking her head with a chuckle. "Thank you for your concern, but we have put the price after calculating every cost."
Belal and Bailey looked at each other before Bailey began to urge Ravenna. "We will have this right."
Ravenna looked at the pouch of gold coins that Bailey pulled out from her storage ring to pay her. However, Ravenna quickly stopped her before she opened it. "Miss, please go to the counter and pay there. Also, you don't have to be in such a hurry. We have many in our storage that have yet to come out of the boxes."
"Oh..uh." Bailey became dumbfounded and a bit ashamed. But quickly recomposing herself, she went to the counter with Belal.
"Sir, we will be taking this." Bailey showcased the sword by resting it on the desk.
Nodding his head, Benimaru recorded the item name and price on the notebook. "One basic longsword… thirty gold coins."
"Boss." Belal suddenly asked, in panic. "Why is it thirty gold coins now? We saw it was thirty-five."
"Oh, this." Laughing to himself, Benimaru explained to them the reason. "You are our first customers, so how can I not sell you for a lower price?"
Belal became a bit emotional, not expecting to encounter this today. "But, you are already selling it at a cheap price."
Benimaru chuckled after hearing what Belal said. Shaking his head, Benimaru said to him. "It is true that I am selling it for cheap, but if I can say it, then I am still making profit out of it. So, for me, I am not making any kind of loss. Another reason is, I don't believe in selling stuff overpriced for your own benefit."
Benimaru stared into their eyes and said it with a smile, making them hypnotized by Benimaru's charm for a second. "If my item is good and it is reasonable for others, then it will sell no matter what happens. People have forgotten the main rule of business, which is trust. Without trust, even the world's best item won't sell."
Truth with the lie's butter — a tactic that was used by most cunning men to make his or her victim think their words were believable or even blatant facts. As an assassin, Benimaru had to also learn how to fake out or gain someone else's trust.
Benimaru's words worked marvelously against Belal specifically, whose heart was too innocent to even capture the flaws. "You are indeed wise, boss."
Benimaru just smiled at Belal's praise. Instead, he asked Bailey. "Miss, the money?"
"Oh," Bailey said, waking up from her daze where she was thinking about the stuff Benimaru told them. She quickly pulled out thirty gold coins from her pouch – which made it look empty – before handing them to Benimaru.
Putting those in the cash box, Benimaru asked curiously. "Belal. Will you mind if I ask you a question? Don't worry, I am just curious about it."
Belal froze for a second after hearing Benimaru's request. But he quickly returned to normal and said. "It's okay. You can ask anything. You did so much for us that I can't even refuse."
"Sure, then don't mind me." Benimaru started to like and appreciate Belal's personality more and more. "Sir Belal, care to tell me why you are doing this adventurer's work? From what I heard and saw earlier, I feel you do not suit for such things. If you really needed some money for your livelihood, then you could have just gotten some physical work; you know, with your body, that is very easy."
"Hahaha… as expected of the boss, he is indeed wise. You already caught on to many things." Laughing to himself, Belal became ready to tell Benimaru the reason.
"Actually, I hate to do this more than anyone. I don't like seeing people kill something that has life. I don't like blood, violence, conflict…I just want to live peacefully. Unfortunately, I can't do that." Belal's face saddened all of a sudden.
Benimaru didn't ask anything, just waited silently.
"The money I can earn from doing normal work or doing adventurers' work is vast. If it wasn't about the money, then I wouldn't even have the audacity to think of being an adventurer." Belal smiled to himself; that had a hint of loathing.
Raising his eyebrows, Benimaru asked. "Why do you need so much money?"
"For my mother." Belal answered instantly, not even hesitating a bit. Upon saying the word "mother", a radiant smile appeared on Belal's face. "I need loads of money to heal her. When I have enough money, I will be able to hire the best healer to take away all my mother's sickness."
Benimaru looked at Belal's radiant face in a daze. His words might sound kind of childish to him, but the love and affection for his mother were undeniable, which reminded him of his daughter.
"You know, boss? My mother taught me to stay away from violence, and for her, I am what I am now. Isn't it funny she told me to stay away from violence, but now I am using it to help her while staying away from myself?" Belal started laughing out loud, finding that joke very funny.
Benimaru also chuckled along with him. "It sure is. It looks like you really love your mother very much."
"Yes, I really do. How can I even have the thought of hating her? She is the one who gave birth to me, she is the one who raised me and took care of me when my father abandoned us. Despite giving her such a hard time for my naiveness in the past, she still loved me and took the brunt of anything for me. How can I not take care of her when it is her chance to be taken care of?" Belal boasted proudly, showing off how great his mother was.
Bailey and Tanaka knew about this, so they just showed a bit of emotion. Ravenna and Fiain had zero clues or knowledge about familial connections, so they felt clueless.
However, Belal's boasting worked for Benimaru. He became amazed by how awesome Belal's mother was. Benimaru said with a heartfelt smile, staring deeply at Belal. "I will pray that your mother becomes well very soon, and I am sure she will, she is truly blessed."
"Haha.." Belal rubbed the back of his head, getting embarrassed by Benimaru's sudden praise. He had always seen people take the words about his mother lightly, so he didn't expect much when he said them to Benimaru, but it looked like he was wrong. "Thank you so much, boss."
All of a sudden, something hit Benimaru, making him notice something. "Sir Belal, won't you buy anything for you?"
"I really want to but the shields in your shop are too small for me. Also, that miss told us all the items here are the same, so I didn't bother to ask much." Belal asked, giving a short glance at the shield section.
"I see." With a pensive look, Benimaru rubbed his chin. After he was done thinking, he said to Belal. "Sir Belal, maybe you don't know this, but we can also take orders for custom made items. It is just that we have recently opened the shop here, so we didn't think of trying to have this function open. However, we can open it by starting with you."
"But…" Before Benimaru could discuss further, Belal expressed his worry. "Boss, won't it cost too much money? You know I can't just spend money wantonly."
"It's okay." Benimaru shook his head, denying such things. "I won't take any from you. See it as an offer by me to the first ever customer to my shop."
"Boss, you don't have to do this, or are you trying to take pity on me?" Belal felt a bit heartbroken thinking about it.
"I am going to be a little honest here. I am indeed taking some pity on you, but the main reason in my heart is that, I want to see that smile on your face, Belal. I have never met a person like you. I don't want to see you sad. Also, do you know that blessings from the elderly are more valuable than any object in the world? I just want that blessing, I hope your mother gives me that." Benimaru said this with a tender smile on his face.
Belal froze for a second before tears started to come out of his eyes. Backing down a bit, he gave a full bow to Benimaru and vowed. "Boss, I will forever be indebted to you. If you need anything or get into any trouble, I will be there to help you."
"Huh~ why are you doing this? Quickly stand up, or you will embarrass yourself." Benimaru shook his head and laughed. "Tell me what kind of shield you want fast, so that I can have it made fast."
Wiping the tears from his face, Belal began to describe his ideal shield to Benimaru.