Volume 4 - CH 16

Chapter 16 – Negotiations and a Better-Than-Expected Response

Two days after leaving the village, in the early afternoon, we returned to Barletta… inside the carriage, large scales were wrapped in cloth and propped up on top of a rubber boat.

We walk through the gate and go straight to the adventurers’ guild.

“I need to speak to the guildmaster. Could you please arrange for me to speak with him?”

“Is there an emergency?”

“No, but it’s a big matter. I can’t talk about it here.”

Well, Alessia-san’s nervousness increases when she comes to the adventurers’ guild, doesn’t it? She looks 20% more tense than usual.

“Do you mind if we go to another room and talk about the contents first? If it’s not an emergency, I’d like to ask you what it’s about.”

“If this information leaks out, it will cause big trouble, and the fewer people who know about it, the better. If you can’t make arrangements, I will go to the merchant guild or the cathedral, so either tell the guildmaster, or you can make the decision yourself.”

“I understand. I will go and tell him. Please wait a moment.”

“Alessia-san, is it not okay if we talk to the guild staff in the other room?”

“I don’t mind talking to them to a certain extent. The guild staff is connected to other adventurers, and sometimes information is passed on to them. It would be a problem if this information gets out and the place is destroyed, wouldn’t it?”

“Is that possible? It’s difficult to imagine.”

“Most of the guild staff are very serious about keeping secrets. But it is true that in the past, information has been passed on many times, and it has caused problems. This time it is important information, so we have to be careful.”

While we were talking, the receptionist returned.

“The guildmaster says he will meet with you. Let me show you the way.”

The receptionist led us into the guildmaster’s room. A strong-vulgar-looking old man is sitting in front of a desk… Is he the guildmaster? He looks like a yakuza boss to me.”

“I heard it’s an important matter that you can’t even talk to the guild’s receptionist about? That made you doubt a staff I trust. I’ll beat the crap out of you if it’s a stupid talk.”

Wow, scary! Is it okay for the guildmaster to be like that?

“What’s with that lad there? He’s not good enough for the A-rank party, is he?”

“He’s a merchant. Can you please clear the people here so we can talk about it? If you don’t want to listen, I’ll go to the merchant guild. That’s fine with me.”

“This is my trusted man here, and you’re telling me you don’t trust this guy too?”

I told the receptionist that the less one person knows about it, the better. It is your choice to listen to what I have to say and tell your trusted man. But I don’t personally know your man. Therefore I want to talk to the guildmaster alone.”

“Tsk, alright. You stay away from here.”

Wow, Alessia-san is kind of scary. Is it that important? No, I heard that even the royalty and nobles of other countries are looking at it with bloody eyes. It’s definitely important.

“You see, I’ve sent him away. If you talk nonsense, I’ll seriously crush you people.”

“It’s okay to threaten, don’t worry; you’ll be so busy you won’t even have time to sleep.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to it, so get to it.”

Why is this guildmaster being so belligerent?

“I’ve found a precious herb cluster. Claretta, please.”

Claretta-san lays out the medicinal herbs she collected in front of the guildmaster. As the medicinal herbs are lined up, the guildmaster’s face is tinged with surprise… They must be quite precious.

“Oh, come on, are you serious? These medicinal herbs are in a cluster? What are you going to do? Isn’t this important? Do you want me to call the pharmacists’ guild? We have gotta set up some protection. Where are the exact locations?”

“I’m not finished yet. I need you to hear me out.”

“Oh, you’re not done yet, huh?”

I don’t know how to say it, he looks like a yakuza boss, but he’s a delinquent on the inside. It’s hard to understand why he could be a guildmaster.

“Hah, you’re the one who started all the fuss, so just shut up and listen to me.”

Alessia-san is irritated. But is it really okay to be like that to the guildmaster?

“Hey, hey, you can’t talk to the guildmaster that way, can you?”

“It’s too much trouble; let’s go to the merchant guild. Wataru-san, please.”

“Eh? Do you want me to speak to them? I’m just an F-ranked merchant, you know?”

“It’s better than talking here. I can’t talk to someone who doesn’t understand when I say it’s important.”

With that, she quickly left the room. Well, what are we going to do with this atmosphere? Even the guild master is freezing up, you know?

“Ufufu, Master, let’s go.”

“Eh? Ah, yes, I’m coming.”

As I walked out the door, I heard yelling and the sound of something being smashed. Is this okay? Aren’t we making enemies with the adventurers’ guild? Are Alessia-san and the others going to be alright?

We got on a carriage and headed for the merchant guild.

“Dorothea-san, are you sure it is okay for us to go to the merchant guild? Aren’t you making enemies of the adventurers’ guild?”

“It’s not good, but the guildmaster seemed to be in a bad mood, but that attitude is unbelievable. Alessia doesn’t like that type of man, so I guess she couldn’t stand him.”

“I-I don’t understand. But won’t they harass you?”

“Well, it’s alright if we go back to the Southern City. Please make the master of the adventurers’ guild speechless with your negotiations from now on, Wataru-san!”

“As I said earlier, I’m just an F-ranked merchant.”

I still don’t understand why I have to negotiate. I feel like I’m the one who wants to say “No” to them. I don’t want to be involved in such an important matter.

“Fufu, please do your best. If you fail, it’s okay because we’re going to the cathedral.”

Going to the cathedral means going to the center of the country. I don’t want to go there.

We arrived at the merchant guild. We went inside and talked to the woman at the counter, the one with fox ears.

“Excuse me. I have an important matter to discuss. May I speak to the guildmaster?”

“What kind of matter is it?”

“I’m sorry, it’s really important, and I’d like to speak to the guildmaster alone.”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t help you if we don’t know what it’s about. If you don’t trust us enough, we can’t refer you to the guildmaster.”

“Yes, well, I suppose that’s true, but… Then, can you please tell the guildmaster that this is a matter that could involve the whole country and cause a huge uproar?”

I feel like we’re making a big deal out of this ourselves. Suppose I can just tell her to show these Ryu scales to the guildmaster. I think that would have been good.

“If it is something like that, I will tell the guildmaster, but it shouldn’t be a joke, okay? Is everything okay?”

“Hahaha, I’d like to run away now, but unfortunately, I hear it’s something that will cause a big fuss, so please pass the information on to the guildmaster.”

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

Wow, I really want to go home. I really want to go back to the ship. I want to hug and cuddle with Rimu and get my peace of mind back.

“The guildmaster will see you now. Let me show you the way.”

I follow the fox-eared woman into the guildmaster’s room.

“Hmm, I hear it’s a story that will cause a great uproar throughout the country. Let’s hear about it.”

“Oh, yes. Before that, could you please send the people away?”

“Hmm? He is a sub-master of a commercial guild and a trustworthy person.”

Eh? Are we going to send away such a high-ranking person? How can I do that?

“Um, I didn’t know he was such an important person, but I was told that the fewer people who know about this story, the better it is. If necessary, I would appreciate it if I could talk with the guildmaster only.”

I don’t know what to say. Even if I tell only the guildmaster, it is the people below who will eventually make a move, so I think it’s okay to tell them, but is it really something we have to go this far to hide?

“Hmm, I understand. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to stay back.”

“Yes.”

“Now, can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Yes, I have two things to tell you. The first is, Claretta-san, please.”

“This is, these are very rare medicinal herbs, right? Even the merchant guilds rarely deal in them. Is there something wrong with this?”

“Yes, we have discovered clusters of these medicinal herbs.”

“What did you say? Is that true? The value of these herb clusters is immeasurable.”

“Yes, they were discovered by the Girasole, an A-ranked adventurer party. There can be no mistake about it.”

“Hmm? Isn’t that strange? If the A-rank adventurers discovered it, they should have gone to the adventurers’ guild. I don’t understand why they would go through you, an F-rank merchant, to talk to the merchant guild.”

“That’s because we went to the adventurers’ guild at first. The guildmaster was in a bad mood, or maybe he was belligerent, and we left before we could finish our conversation.”

“Hmm, that man is rough, but I don’t think he would easily become belligerent.”

“No, he was belligerent from the moment we met him. But somehow, I felt he was displeased that we told him we couldn’t even talk about it with the receptionist. Then, when we asked him to send his people away, he got in an even worse mood.”

“Ah, he’s very considerate of his subordinates, so he must have been in a bad mood because he felt his trusted subordinate was being doubted. But it is normal not to talk to the receptionist about important matters… so it’s a bit of a problem.”

“So, let me get to the point here if you don’t mind.”

“Hmm? Is it more important than the precious medicinal herb cluster?”

“Yes, and so. May I bring in the related materials from the carriage?”

“Hmm, okay. Shall I send someone from here?”

“No, that’s okay. Ines, Felicia, please.”

I give permission for Ines and Felicia to board the boat.

“”Yes.””

“But I didn’t imagine that this would really involve the whole country. I will talk to the pharmacists guild and the government and promise to dispatch a security guard. The adventurers’ guild will not be involved this time.”

“Thank you very much.”

We’ve accomplished most of our goals, although I’m not sure if the master of the adventurers’ guild will be so upset.

Ines and Felicia returned with the scales. They remove the cloth from their wrappings in front of the guildmaster.

“A-are these the dragon’s scales?”

“Well, they are actually Ryu’s scales. There were two of these Ryu scales buried on the side of the cluster.”

“Ryu, you say…? I can’t believe it… Do you have any proof of this? If they are Ryu scales, not only this country but also this continent will be in an uproar.”

Wow, that’s a really big deal… Is he serious about the continent being in an uproar? …He must be really serious. I seriously want to go home.

“Proof, is it? Um… Ilma-san, please.”

“Those who can sense the magic of those scales will immediately recognize it. There is a sacred power mixed with the magic.”

“Hmm, I’m convinced of your seemingly nervous response. So what are you going to do with these?”

“Yes, we will donate one of them to the cathedral. And the other one is going to be auctioned off.”

“I see. So you won’t be turning it into your own equipment?”

“They say it will be a national treasure, so we decided it would be dangerous just to wear it.”

“That’s a good decision. I understand. First of all, let’s have the pharmacist guildmaster and the cardinal who can feel the magic power come here. I can’t judge whether it’s a dragon or a Ryu, but even a dragon is a big enough deal. I will only talk to the sub-master about this. I’ll let him make the rest of the arrangements on his own, if that’s all right with you.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

Cardinal, or something, would come up, I’m not sure exactly about the position, but I’m sure he was a very important man… What should I do?

“Umu, now, can you tell me more about it?”

“Yes, did you know that there is a cave about two days away from here where strong winds blow?”

“I believe you are referring to a cave near a small village of timber wholesalers.”

As expected of a master of a merchant guild, he knows about small villages, which is great, but kind of scary.

“Yes, after exploring that cave and the surrounding area, Marina-san, the scout from Girasole, discovered the sound of a strong wind coming from the cliffside. When she checked, she found a large hole, and when she climbed down the hole after scratching out a rope, she found a cluster of medicinal herbs and scales. I could not go down there myself, so I waited outside. From then on, please ask the Girasole’s leader, Alessia-san.”

“I understand. But first, I have a question. That area is not a place for A-rank adventurers to explore. Why did you explore such a place?”

“Yes, it was to find a slime that could use magic. It is said that slimes with magic attributes are found in places where the phenomena of their attributes are strong, so we searched for caves where strong winds blow and the surrounding area.”

“I see. I don’t understand why she would be taming slimes, but the slime the woman is holding is the slime she tamed?”

“Yes.”

“Then, it was Alessia-san, wasn’t it? Can you give me some information about the inside of the cave?”

Phew, I’m done. Alessia-san will take care of all the rest. The guildmaster in Barletta is kind of powerful and tiring. The guildmaster in Southern City is easier to deal with.

After Alessia-san’s talk was over, we were told to wait in a separate room. We were told that we could not leave for the time being.

“Then, I will show you to the room, so please wait there. It may take a little while, but I’m sure we can get through this today.”

“Yes, thank you.”

We entered the room that the fox-eared woman guided us to. I can finally take a break as she offers me a cup of tea.

“Alessia-san, were you sure that was the right thing to do?”

“About the negotiations we just had?”

“Yes.

“I think it was enough. If the pharmacists’ guild master and the cardinal are coming, then the talks should go smoothly.”

“I see. I am glad to hear that. But I’ll leave the negotiations to Alessia-san, okay?”

“Since you have negotiated this far, I think it would be better if Wataru-san continues.”

“Wataru-san, I think so too. The merchant guild master should have talked to the other party based on the premise of discussing with Wataru-san, so it would be a problem if the negotiating partner suddenly changes.”

“Ugh, I understand. I’ll do my best. So how important is a cardinal?”

“In this country, the order is Pope, Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop, Priest, and Deacon, right?　Claretta.”

“Yes, Alessia is right. In the Church, it’s a little more subdivided, but that’s about right.”

“So, someone so important is called to come into the merchant guild today? In the first place, is it really worthy in the eyes of the public?”

“Well, the Ryu scales must be worth that much, right? It was a good thing we didn’t make it into equipment. Besides, I’m sure he’ll come here undercover, not dressed like he’s a cardinal, right?”

A merchant guildmaster, a pharmacist guildmaster, and a cardinal, why do I have to meet all those people? …I have to bring the Girasole’s achievement to the forefront.