Volume 9 - CH 3

Chapter 3 – Merchant Guild and Messenger

We entered the inn and were assigned to our respective rooms. After unpacking our luggage, we decided to gather in my room to decide our future plans. While I was relaxing, the members of Girasole arrived one by one. They are so fast, aren’t they?　

“I’m sorry, Wataru-san. I thought it would be over by now, but it looks like there will be more trouble. It’s hard to move, isn’t it?”

It’s been over half a year since then. The enduring power of popularity is amazing. Alessia-san probably didn’t think it would go this far.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s okay if we can build an orphanage; it’s easier to talk about it when everyone is popular. Please leave the Lucca walk for another time.”　　　　

I can ignore a little attention, but attention like today’s makes it a hassle to go out and walk around.

“It’s too bad because I wanted Wataru-san to see Lucca.”

“Haha, please take the time to show me around once things settle down.”

“Yes, leave it to me. What are you going to do after that?”

“Well, I’m going to take it easy, so the Girasole should go to your families. The last time there was a war, you didn’t get to relax, did you?”

“I’m glad to hear that, but I’m afraid I don’t have to. It’s a nice place to stay, but it’s safer to have an escort.”

“Don’t worry. I will summon the rubber boat. Ines and Felicia will attack from inside the boat, and they will be able to handle any opponent. You’ve come all this way, so please show your face to your family.”

I’m a caring man. Besides, I haven’t given up hope of getting Girasole to join the harem, so I have to make a good impression on their families. …Let’s give them some donuts and muffins as a gift. Just let them know that we are holding off on signing a contract, and everything will be fine.

I also wanted to give them some alcohol as a souvenir, but I’m afraid it would cause a fuss if I removed the labels. The taste is guaranteed by the gods. It will make a good impression, but I won’t serve the liquor until the contract is properly signed.

“Thank you, Wataru-san. I’ll take you at your word. We’ll stop by the Adventurer’s Guild, but is there anything else we should do?”

“Uh, yes. I want you to go there and ask them for information about the war in the Empire. It would be better to ask the Merchant’s Guild about buildings for the orphanage, so let’s all go there tomorrow.”

After a brief discussion, I saw Girasole off as they returned to their parents’ house.

“What are you going to do today, Master?”

“Hmm, not much to do, so I think I’ll just relax in my room. Ines, Felicia, is there anything you would like to do?”

“I’m interested in the food at the inn.”

Felicia agreed and said that the only thing she was concerned about was the food, so we decided to relax in the room. I just realized that I had brought Rimu just like that. Well, it would be a shame to hide Rimu in the room while Fuu-chan and Beni-chan were there, so I guess there was no problem.

I relaxed in my room, played with Rimu, and had my meals brought to my room… The seafood was very tasty. But to our palates, accustomed to a variety of spices, the other dishes seemed bland. That’s it; we became gourmets.

At night, the Girasole came back. They looked cheerful, so I guess they were happy to see their family.

“Welcome back, everyone. How was it?”

“Yes, everyone was happy. At first, they were happy to see me. But Wataru-san’s souvenirs took all the conversation away from me.”

“Me too. My mother and sister asked me how to make them, and it was hard for me to say no because it was before the contract.”

The other members nodded in agreement with Alessia-san and Claretta-san. The power of the donuts and cupcakes seemed to be great. My reputation must have improved.

“Hahaha, I’m glad they liked it. Did my reputation improve?”

“Well, I don’t know. I told them it was from Wataru-san, but I think they only remember the donuts and cupcakes.”

…That’s not what I had planned. It seems it was too powerful. I should have left it at one or the other. Then my impression might have been memorable.

“That’s too bad. How was the Adventurers’ Guild?”

“Oh, you mean the war. It seems that the war is almost over. But there are a lot of illegal slaves, and they are in trouble. There are a lot of people who have been forcibly kidnapped, so they have no choice but to release them one by one, and it’s taking a long time.”

A lot of illegal slaves? The Empire is not doing so well as far as I’m concerned. The God of Commerce-sama said that charity would help those freed from illegal slavery… There’s a lot to be done to keep the problems from getting worse. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to see too much of it.

“Even though it took a lot of time and effort, I’m glad the victory was decided. They are a troublesome country, and I hope they are thoroughly crushed.”

“I agree. I hope they won’t even be able to think about rebuilding the empire.”

Alessia-san agrees. I hope this will be the catalyst for the human supremacists to become more tolerant.

“For now, all we can do is build an orphanage; let’s do our best.”

When the war in the Empire is almost over, there is no need to get involved. It’s no joke to get involved in another war, so that’s good.

………………

The next morning, after breakfast at the inn, Girasole leads the way to the Merchant’s Guild. We still get a lot of attention. Most of the attention is focused on Girasole, with occasional glances at Ines and Felicia, and finally Rimu.

I notice that they don’t look at me, even when I don’t erase my presence, whether I’m happy or sad; it’s very disturbing.

I enter the Merchant’s Guild and speak to the receptionist, showing her my guild card. She is confused when she compares my F-rank guild card to Girasole’s. …This is interesting.

I would consider moving up a rank if it were more of a hassle, but in this situation, I think it’s fine to leave it as it is.

“Well, I’d like to buy a big house. Is that okay?”

“Huh? Yes, a house, not a shop?”

Oh, I see; I am a merchant. Normally people would think of a shop.

“Yes, a house. I’m thinking of buying a big house and building an orphanage.”

It’s nice to see a beautiful lady in distress. She probably doesn’t want to deal with F-rank merchants who don’t make sense, but she seems to think she can’t be indifferent because Girasole is behind me. If it weren’t for Girasole, I might have been kicked out.

“Well, I see on your guild card that your headquarters are in the Southern City of the Latina Kingdom. Is there anyone in Lucca who can be your guarantor? We need a guarantor if you want to buy a house or a shop.”

…I don’t know anyone like that. I never thought about it.

“Is it mandatory? Is there any way I can get one?”

“No, there is not.”

That’s a firm answer. I have no idea what to do.

“Alessia-san, I wasn’t expecting this. I didn’t think about a guarantor.”

“I didn’t know that either. When I was in town, I stayed with my parents, and since I’ve been traveling, I’ve been staying at an inn… I’ll ask if I can be your guarantor.”

“Excuse me, please.”

Alessia-san asked and was easily granted permission. Can it be an adventurer? Or is it because it’s Girasole? The receptionist said she would show us some properties in the back room.

“What is your budget?”

I wonder how much a house costs. In Japan, a mansion costs hundreds of millions of yen. I heard there are a lot of war orphans, so there will be a lot of children. It would take a lot of staff. It would be better to have a very big one like a school to spend the budget.

There was a letter and money left at the church from the God of Commerce-sama, so it’s probably okay.

Claretta-san was very excited when she found it. The letter said that they would give 100 platinum coins for now, but the goal is 1,000 platinum coins, so there is plenty of money in the budget.

“Let’s see, about 10 platinum coins?”

“Ten platinum coins? It’s going to be a pretty big property, are you sure? And you mentioned an orphanage earlier, but since it’s in the noble district, I don’t think it would be suitable.”

Ah, it’s going to be a big mansion in the noble district? That’s troublesome. Kids running around in the noble district… It will cause a lot of trouble. I think it would be better to build a new one.

“Then is it possible to have a new and bigger house built in a place that is not in the noble district? The bigger the better.”

“That would be difficult. In this walled city, there is no land as big as a mansion in the noble district.”

…Huh? The orphanage plan was easily disrupted. There is a way to build many small ones, but it will be terrible because we won’t be able to keep an eye on them. …What should I do?

“Um, although it’s not possible in Lucca. I think it is possible in the city of Cagliari, where the Royal Navy headquarters is located. It is currently being rebuilt, but the Naval Headquarters has the highest priority, and there should be plenty of land available in the city. However, the entire Kingdom of Brescia is short of carpenters, masons, and materials, so it would be difficult to begin construction immediately.”

Is it safe in the city where the naval headquarters is located? The last time I checked, it was in terrible shape, but I think it’s safe to say that the Empire is probably gone as well. Should we just secure the land first?

“Um, do I still need a guarantor if I buy land in the city of Cagliari?”

“You will need one. If it is in this city, the guarantee of the members of Girasole will be enough, but the city of Cagliari is under the direct control of the Brescian royal family. If you want to buy a large piece of land, you will need an introduction from a nobleman. And although you say you are buying land, what you are really buying is the right to use the land.”

It’s troublesome. Very troublesome. I can imagine that in Japan, there are a lot of procedures to go through, but I didn’t know that in another world, it would be so much trouble.

I thought it was easy because I had money. I thought, “Please give me this; I understand,” or something like that. I wanted to change it to something else, but since Claretta-san was so happy about the orphanage, it was hard to change it.

Since there’s a contract, I don’t think there’s any need for a letter of introduction or anything like that. What kind of logic is that? It sounds like a system set up by royalty and nobility to maintain their own power or something like that.

“Well… if I want to buy land in the city of Cagliari, can I buy it here?”

“It is possible, but I think the best way is for you to come to the city of Cagliari.”

“I understand; I will think about it. Thank you very much.”

I thank the receptionist, return to the inn, and gather in my room to discuss the matter. What should I do? It was probably a difficult mission for me, who could only think of building an orphanage as a charity project.

“Hmm, the Marquis of Lucca might write a letter of introduction for Alessia-san and the others, but he won’t write one for me, will he? What should I do?”

“Would you like him to write a letter of introduction for me and establish an orphanage in my name? Or do you want me to meet the Marquis and get a letter of introduction from him saying that you are an acquaintance of Mage-sama? If it’s an introduction from Mage-sama, the Marquis can’t despise it. Although there is a possibility that the Marquis will try to contact Wataru-san, I don’t think a letter of introduction will be a problem.”

“I see; I’m afraid that setting up an orphanage in Alessia-san’s name will cause a great deal of trouble since you have no knowledge of it. It’s difficult to meet someone of great stature, but if they know me, it’s too late now. Let’s borrow the authority of Mage-sama and ask the Marquis-sama for help.”

“Is that okay? You don’t have to meet the Marquis; you can use my name. We can handle a little trouble, and if things go wrong, you will help us, won’t you?”

It’s a tempting offer, isn’t it? It would certainly be easier to do everything in Alessia-san’s name. …But this time, when I open the luxury liner, there’s a chance I’ll meet the crown prince.

Maybe I should practice meeting high-ranking people with the Marquis, who seems to be the most effective with the mage’s prestige. If I throw the whole thing away here, my credibility will probably decrease, but if I do my best, I’m sure my popularity with Girasole will increase a bit. I think it’s worth a try.

“It’s a tempting offer, but I’ll make an effort. There is also the possibility of meeting the crown prince. I think I’ll meet the Marquis, whose Mage-sama’s prestige will be effective and practice.”

“Fufu, I’ve never heard of practicing with the Marquis. But good luck.”

“If you put it that way, I guess so. But if the Marquis has directly confirmed the mage’s power, it will not be a terrible thing, right? As for the matter of the second prince, I am filled with anxiety when it comes to meeting the crown prince.”

There was a knock at the door of the room. When I opened the door, I found a dandy uncle who was supposed to be the owner of this inn. He told me that a messenger from the Marquis had come to see me.

What is this? Is it opportunistic to think that a messenger would come just when I decided to meet the Marquis? It’s understandable if I’m told that the gods have something to do with it. Maybe the God of Commerce-sama is telling me to spend the money as soon as possible.

When I meet the Marquis’s messenger, he wants to invite Girasole to dinner. It had nothing to do with me, even though he came to my room. I couldn’t help but blush a little.

I felt sad and backed away. I’ll never forget the embarrassment of being out of place as I walked out of the room in high spirits. I will also never forget the look in the eyes of the messenger who said, “Who the hell is this guy?” I feel like transforming into the mage and getting on board.

I drown my embarrassment by fantasizing about silly things in my head. Meanwhile, Alessia-san talks to the messenger and tells him that someone related to the mage wants to meet with the Marquis.

He freaked out when he found out I was related to the mage. Am I a bad boy for being a little grumpy? The messenger hurriedly said he would go and get confirmation and turned back.

After a while, the messenger came back and said, “The Marquis himself is pleased with my visit.” He said that the Marquis would be delighted if I would join him for dinner tomorrow night. I suppose I should be happy that Girasole was the center of attention and not conspicuous, but I am not convinced. Anyway, it’s tomorrow. Oh, I have nothing to wear…