Chapter 48: Mayor Harz (3)

Chapter 48: Mayor Harz (3)

“What? You don’t know?

“Yes, according to the veterinarians, moss isn’t their area of expertise to begin with, and they said that they look like fungus spores anyway, not moss.”

“Why would a fungus grow in the fish farms? Is that even possible?”

“That’s what I thought as well.”

“What about the priests? What did they say?”

“They prayed and left.”

“What?!”

“Since it happened at the fish farms, they said that there was nothing else they could do.”

“Then shouldn’t they give some blessings or spray some holy water or something? Don’t they know how much religious subsidies we are providing them with every month? All they did was pray?”

“Sir, the priests aren’t omnipotent, are they?”

“Argh, those worthless religious fanatics!”

“That is blasphemy, sir.”

“I don’t believe in God!”

Harz had never expected much from the priests in the first place. Indeed, thanks to their show of prayer, the fishermen’s anger had been temporarily quelled. However, that was really only a temporary measure. Harz knew that he needed a more permanent solution to this problem.

Then, a soldier guarding the entrance to the city hall notified Harz of a visitor.

“Sir, there’s a noble here who would like to meet you.”

“A noble?”

“Yes. He had three blue stars on a silver identity tag.”

“He’s definitely a noble then.”

However, Harz adamantly refused the request for an audience.

“Not now, though. I’m already busy as hell, do you think I have time to hang out with whatever nobleman?”

Normally he would have agreed, but right now, he had an emergency to take care of. Chatting with some random noble was the last thing on his mind.

He turned to Weil.

“Weil, go and make the necessary arrangements for our visitor. Tell him I’m sorry to keep him waiting, and inform him of our current situation.”

“Understood,” replied Weil.

The soldier hesitated before speaking up with great difficulty. “Um... Mayor, sir?”

“What? You’re still here?”

“The noble said that he would be able to solve the fungus issue that’s threatening the farms...”

“What? Why are you only saying that now?!”

Harz dashed to the waiting room.

* * *

As soon as Harz arrived at the waiting room, he bowed his head toward Henry.

“It is an honor to meet you,” he said.

“I am also honored to meet the mayor.”

“What is your name, sir?”

“My name is Henry Morris.”

Harz’s face twitched.

“He-Henry Morris?”

“Haha, no need to be so surprised. People are often surprised that I have the same name as the executed Archmage, but we simply share the same name.”

In response, Henry held out his identity tag.

‘So it’s true,’?Harz thought to himself.

A silver identity tag with three stars embedded in it. This definitively proved that this person only shared a name with the deceased Archmage, and nothing more.

“I’ve overstepped, I apologize.”

“It’s alright. I should resent my father for giving me such a name.”

“No! I think it’s a very wonderful name.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Ah, I almost forgot! I heard that you are able to help us with our farm situation?”

“Ah, of course. I happened to see some fish farms on the way through, and I saw something that I’m familiar with.”

Harz’ eyes began to twinkle. “Could you elaborate a bit more please?”

“The stuff that looks like coal dust is spores of the Kin Mushrooms, a kind of mushrooms from the Demonic Realm.”

“Mushrooms from the Demonic Realm?”

“Yes. First of all, before I explain, allow me to briefly introduce myself. I was serving as a soldier at the Caliburn Fortress located in the Demonic Beasts’ Forest not too long ago.”

“I see... that’s why you have three stars.”

“That’s correct. At that time, I was the platoon leader of a special task force, and that was when I saw the very same Kin Mushrooms in the Demonic Beast Forest.”

“In the Demonic Beast Forest?”

“That’s right. These bastards are nasty. They latch onto their hosts and absorb their nutrients like a parasite. They also reproduce pretty damn quickly, and they can grow at a terrifying rate if left unattended for even a short time.”

“T-then what should I do?”

“Fortunately, having encountered them a few times, I know how to get rid of them, but...”

“But?”

“Hmm, first of all, I would like to talk to you alone,” said Henry as he cleared his throat.

The quick-witted Weil immediately lowered his head and left the waiting room.

“Now it’s just the two of us here,” said Harz.

Henry bowed slightly. “Thank you for making some space for us.”

“No, not a problem at all. What is your proposition, Sir Henry?”

Harz was also quick-witted. He got straight back to the point without a second thought.

“As you know already by now, Kin Mushrooms are a nasty bunch. I’m not sure how these mushrooms got into Enkelmann, but once they take root, it’s impossible to completely eliminate them all.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes. That’s why I only removed as much as was needed whenever I headed out for missions.”

“So what you’re saying is that constant care is needed?”

“That’s right.”

“Mm...”

Upon realization that this was a bigger issue than he had thought, Harz’s face hardened. Constant care meant a constant budget.

“So... what do you think about acquiring my services?”

“You, Sir Henry?”

“I’m an expert on this, and since I was discharged a while ago, I don’t have any job at the moment. If you hire me, I will ensure that your fishermen will not suffer any more losses.”

“Mm...”

Harz gave Henry a troubled look, worried about this new and unexpected long-term expenditure.

“Can I give you an answer after discussing it with my colleagues a bit more?”

“Certainly.”

“Thank you for your understanding. Then first, I would appreciate it if you could take care of the mushroom spores that have already spread in the farms...”

Harz wanted to put out the urgent fire first before proceeding with any kind of dealings. When Harz revealed his impatience, Henry also hurriedly presented his own conditions.

“That won’t be difficult. By the way, Mayor sir, my reward hasn’t been decided yet...”

“Oops, I forgot the most important thing. So, how much do you think would be appropriate as compensation?”

“Five hundred gold.”

“Excuse me?”

“As compensation for this job, I want five hundred gold.”

As expected, Harz went into a fury when Henry suggested such an outrageous amount. “Sir Henry! What do you mean, five hundred gold! Isn’t that too much?”

“Mayor.”

“Yes?”

“These are mushrooms found only in the Demonic Beasts’ Forest. I risked my life to develop a method of getting rid of them. How can you say that five hundred gold is too much?”

“T-that’s true, but...”

Five hundred gold for one session of cleaning was an excessive amount. However, Henry knew that he had to declare such an amount to get a reaction of disapproval out of Harz.

‘Of course he’d feel that it’s a waste. After all, once he pays me five hundred gold now, he’ll feel that he has to pay the same amount for subsequent sessions as well.’

A mayor that utilized the budget of the city was not much different from a merchant who utilized their profits for the sake of their own business. Merchants had to accumulate wealth by making profits. Likewise, public servants had to budget as much as they could and build their own performance portfolios. Moreover, numbers above the expected market price tended to create suspicion and dissatisfaction, especially when it came to budget expenditures.

“What would you like to do? As you contemplate over this decision, your fishermen continue to suffer.”

All Henry had done was reveal his price, but Harz had gone from treating him as a benefactor to a swindler. Regardless, Henry urged the mayor to make up his mind.

‘This guy... something smells funny, but I don’t really have any evidence. This is quite the pickle...’

Harz could sense that something was off, but as of now, there was nothing else he could do. Eventually, after much thought, he had no choice but to accept Henry’s proposal.

“Fine. But first, please prove your capabilities, Sir Henry. The reward will be paid after that.”

“An excellent choice.”

* * *

Having received the promise of five hundred gold, Henry and Harz appeared in front of the fishermen like victorious generals.

“This person here will get rid of those malignant mushrooms,” announced Harz.

“Ooh, this person will?”

“Please look at our fishery first! We’ve already lost three fish farms to them!”

“I came here first, what’s with you, old man!”

“Now, now! Everyone, please don’t fight! We’ll start with the nearest place first,” Harz shouted over the commotion.

Rumors had already spread through the city that the farms had been contaminated, drawing crowds of onlookers. But to Henry, the more onlookers there were, the better. The more favorably he was viewed by the public, the more Harz’s worries would deepen.

Eliminating the fungus was easy work. It was simply a matter of absorbing the spores and mushrooms that Klever had sown in the first place. However, while doing that, it was necessary to put on a little show to dazzle the onlookers. Thus, Henry began to sprinkle the farm with a mixture of salt and sand that had nothing to do with bringing the fungus under control.

Seeing this, Harz asked, “What did you just sprinkle?”

“It’s a repellent powder. With this, we can get rid of them more quickly.”

“By any chance, is this the means of extermination that you mentioned earlier?”

“That’s right.”

“Didn’t you say that constant maintenance was needed?”

“It has to be applied regularly. You never know when they’ll grow back.”

“I see... is this repellent powder difficult to make?”

“Yes, that’s why I always have the recipe with me. It’s quite a complex thing to make, which is why I have to check the recipe every time.”

Hearing that there was a recipe for the powder, Harz stopped inquiring about it. Instead, he just carefully watched as Henry sprinkled the powder.

‘Klever, begin.’

- Yes, Master.

Klever, who was hiding in the water, began to absorb the mushrooms.

“Ohhh...!” exclaimed the onlookers.

The mushrooms and spores rapidly vanished, swallowed into Klever’s Chest. It was a wonderful performance.

“What do you think?” asked Henry.

“Mm... the results are certain,” murmured Harz.

Now, Henry had gained Harz’s trust.

Sometime later, after removing the fungus from most of the farms, the fishermen bowed deeply to Henry as they expressed their sincere gratitude.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, we can finally breathe a little.”

“Please, no need to thank me. It was thanks to Mayor Harz’s quick response that we were able to avoid any severe damage.”

“Oh my, such humility...”

When Henry gave all the credit to Harz, the mayor cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ahem. Sir Henry, I, too, would like to express my sincere gratitude.”

“Well, I’m being paid to do this, so there’s no need to be so grateful.”

“Haha, well, that’s true... Sir Henry, by the way...”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while now... why don’t you just sell us the recipe rather than spraying the repellent yourself? I think that would be much more efficient.”

As expected, Harz offered to buy out Henry’s recipe, using the excuse of greater efficiency. However, Henry had already expected this, and quickly rejected the offer.

“That would be a bit complicated.”

“Complicated?”

“I understand why you are proposing this. However, I am not sure about handing over my recipe so easily. After all, it is the fruit of a hard term of military service.”

“I understand. I hope you’re not too offended by my question. By the way, do you happen to have accommodation right now?”

Indeed, Harz was a well-seasoned professional. He showed no signs of displeasure when Henry turned down his offer, and quickly brought up another topic to refresh the atmosphere that could have easily become awkward.

“I’ve just arrived today, so I’ve yet to decide on a place to stay.”

“I see. Well, then if you don’t mind, I have a hotel reserved for you, Sir Henry. May I take you there?”

“That would be great. Thank you, Mayor sir.”

“No, the honor is mine.”

* * *

Weil escorted Henry to his room. Upon their arrival, Weil spoke to Henry on behalf of Harz.

“The Mayor told me to convey his apologies for not being able to dine with you, he is busy with work.”

“No, it’s alright. He’s an important public servant, so that is understandable.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Weil bowed and quietly left the room, but not before he handed Henry a pouch that contained five platinum coins.

“Not bad to have a side gig,” said Henry with a smirk.

With this, all of Henry’s planned tasks had been carried out. He had left behind delicious crumbs of bait all over the place, and all that was left was to relax and wait for the fish to bite.