Volume 8 - CH 6

"This is the home of my friend, haah, haah, phew."

Soil, the arms dealer, gets out of the carriage and introduces us, but why are you so out of breath just getting on and off the carriage?

You're not getting enough exercise.

"I see. It's a beautiful house. Is he a nobleman?"

What you see is a large mansion with a garden surrounded by walls.

"No, I know a lot of noble, but he's a commoner himself."

"I see, then he seems easy to talk to."

"Haa."

Soil smiled vaguely, but I guess he's a nobleman. Well, let's try to meet him anyway.

"Frenian, we're here, this is Soil!"

Soil pushed open the gate fence and entered the garden.

I followed him in.

Janatha and Mitsurugi are not here with us. Janatha said he had other things to do, so we parted ways at that store. It's better for me that they're not here, because I feel safer without them.

"Frenian! Where are you!?"

"Soil-sama, the little boy is upstairs."

"Ooh, I see."

The butler tells us, and we go up the stairs. The room is decorated with paintings, and the house looks like a nobleman's home.

It would be strange to be called a commoner in this house.

"Oh, there you are, Frenian, let me introduce you. This is Alec-san, the famous adventurer."

"Well, well, well. It's an honor to meet you."

The fluttering, aristocratic-looking young man smiled and asked me to shake his hand. He seems friendly. I was glad to see that he wasn't embarrassed in the least.

"Nice to meet you."

I returned the handshake with a polite smile.

"Today, I had Alec-san take a look at that thing, and he said he'd like to buy it if the price and conditions were right, so I brought him along."

Soil told him the situation with a smile.

"Hey, I've been wanting to meet and talk with you for a while now!　I was wondering if you could tell me about your fight against the calamity."

Well, that's what I thought.

I would have liked to just ask the price and leave, but I'm here to get it cheap.

I'll at least talk with him.

"――Something like that."

I cut to the chase and told him about the time I killed the worm. I didn't tell him the story of the log house because it was too much trouble.

"Ooh, wonderful!　So you defeated a powerful enemy with an ice spell!　Blow, wind, cold, cold wind!"

"No, it's an ice spear, but..."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I know. Penetrate it, ice. Pierce it, ice. Oh, my inspiration is growing!"

I heard he's working on a poem, but I don't feel like he's very talented. What I'm saying is also ordinary, or rather, a bit off.

"Oh, that's great, Frenian, you're a bundle of talent!"

Soil praised him with a smile, but I was also praised by this guy. I'm starting to feel embarrassed, thinking I'm a celebrity. Let's get this over with and go home.

"I'm sorry, Frenian, but I've got some business to attend to."

"Oh, that's too bad. Is there any way we can reschedule?　Alec-san, I would love to have dinner with you."

"No, I can't, because I have other plans for dinner. Anyway, about the Flame Sword..."

"Yes, yes, you want to buy it. I'd like to sell it, too. I have no use for that thing."

Hou.

"How much would you be willing to sell it for? I'll consider it if it's between 700,000 and 1,000,000."

I'll give him a specific price.

"Oh, yeah, huh? Soil, didn't you say something like 4 million?"

Frenian looked at Soil.

"Yeah, that's just for when I sell it at auction, if it goes well."

Soil nodded slowly and smiled.

"Oh, yeah, that's right, if it goes well. Hmm, that's a little low. How about two million?"

"Sorry, that's a bit out of my league right now."

I shook my head.

"Oh, too bad."

"Alec-san, I'm sure you'll be able to find the money, if not right now, then over time."

Soil is trying to talk me out of it.

"Well, yes, but two million is still a bit high for us. I'm only trying to buy it to defeat the boss of the fifth layer, so it won't do me much good if I buy it too late."

"The fifth layer boss!　What kind of enemy is it?"

Frenian leaned forward and asked excitedly.

"A snowman."

"A snowman?"

"No, a snowman. Like this, It's two round balls of snow stuck together vertically."

"Hou,hou, that's interesting!"

"Well, you'll have to hear about that from someone else. Frenian, are you sure you want at least two million?"

I'll confirm with him.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, yes, but it's Alec, of all people. I'm willing to go even lower."

"How much?"

It's easier for me to decide if you clearly tell me the price.

"Well, let's see... one hundred, no, one hundred and fifty gold coin (1.5 Million gold)?"

That's very vague.

"If it's seventy, I'll definitely buy it for cash. If it's a hundred, let me think about it. One hundred and fifty gold will depend on the price of the other sword."

I told him clearly what I was thinking. It's not that I want to haggle over the price.

"Let's see, I think seventy is cheap. Soil, what do you think?"

"Well, it's pretty cheap, and if it were an auction, you could probably get a lot more. But, Frenian, you want to sell the sword to Alec-san, don't you?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then why don't you give him a little discount this time, and let's talk about his adventure later. Alec-san would like to be friends with you and talk a lot if you sell it to him at a discount, right?"

"Oh, yes, I'll make you a promise there."

"Ooh!　Okay, so..."

Ah, that was easily decided. I guess it's easier when there's a merchant in between.

"Then I'll leave the money here."

I pulled out my cloth bag and prepared exactly 70 gold coins with my [Sense of Small Change] skill.

"Oh, wait, Alec-san. I'll make the certificate for you, and the settlement will be made then."

Soil said.

Well, it's a big purchase, and you can't just hand over the gold coins.

"I see. So, when you're ready, contact me at the [Dragon's Dwelling Tree Residence]."

Now, the next step is to negotiate with Doria's acquaintance. It would be great if we could get two flaming swords for cheap.

I walked out of Frenian's mansion in a good mood.