"Whew… Thanks to you, I was able to catch my breath. I appreciate it."
"Don't mention it. Friends help each other out."
We exchanged a bit of small talk for a while. It was mostly about who might have turned the city into a warzone and for what purpose. Jack, seemingly eager to show off his international knowledge, enthusiastically held forth on the rivalry between the royalist and noble factions in the Kingdom of Sardinia, the temple's scheming, and so on. It seemed his nerves had finally unwound now that he believed we were out of danger.
Shortly after, the carriage came to a halt. It was the entrance to a forest on the outskirts of the city. We climbed down from the carriage and sat on the grass. In the distance, beyond the city walls, smoke was still visible. Jack clicked his tongue at the sight.
"Tsk. Pavia has traditionally been at odds with the temple. The Count of Pavia even went so far as to loudly criticize the temple for bearing responsibility for the Great Plague. Since the temple has repeatedly opposed slavery policies, they may have carried out this attack as an example."
I nodded along, pretending it was a perfectly plausible theory. In truth, it was all I could do not to laugh. I had the overwhelming urge to tell him, "It was all to steal your slaves." I barely managed to hold back. Laura, who had been sitting beside us the entire time listening to our conversation without a word, kept staring at me with a fixed gaze. Ignoring that was proving quite difficult too—reading human emotions directly wasn't possible, which made it awfully tedious.
Jack casually glanced out the window and spoke.
"The slave market is going to be sluggish for a while."
That was certainly true. After an incident like that, even if the mastermind was never identified, people would be reluctant to go near the slave market for some time. I put on a concerned expression and asked.
"Your business won't run into trouble, will it?"
"To be honest, it will."
Jack sighed.
"This auction was delegated to me by my father in the form of a trade deal. My father's trading house gains prestige by supplying expensive slaves, and my trading house gains prestige by reselling them. As you know, performance is everything in the Merchants' Guild… It's all about giving and taking."
Jack laid bare what were obviously sensitive internal affairs that would be problematic if they came to light. It was a testament to how much he trusted me.
"Jack, from where I'm standing, this isn't just some ordinary deal. Your father gave you an opportunity. He's testing whether you have what it takes to pull off a major transaction."
"…I think so too. Damn it, things have gotten complicated."
"So here's what I'm thinking. What if I purchase that slave?"
Jack's eyes went wide.
"You? Are you serious?"
"Merchants never lie about a deal."
Jack's expression turned visibly anxious.
"B-But Lady de Farnese is expensive. It would be a terrible burden for you..."
"Hmm."
Was he saying that because he genuinely intended to refuse?
I took a quick glance at Jack's Status Window.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Name: Jack Orland
Race: Human Affiliation: Medoranum Trading Company (under the Lombard Trading Company)
Alignment: Good (+45)
Level: 5 Reputation: 58
Occupation: Merchant (E)
Leadership: 10 Might: 5 Intelligence: 23
Politics: 20 Charisma: 9 Technique: 6
Affinity: 50
Current Mindset: 'If only it could work out like that... But still, I can't dump my own mistake onto a dear friend. However...'
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
'Well, well? Hahaha.'
At this point, I couldn't help but let out a gasp. Was he genuinely worried about our friendship? Sincerely? In a situation where he might betray his father's expectations and deal a serious blow to the trading company? If I were Jack, I would have been racking my brain trying to extract the highest possible price from the other party.
'Jack. You're not cut out to be a merchant, not down to the bone.'
That said, from my perspective, it was better in many ways. There was something endearing about this person who had seemed like nothing more than a fool at first. I felt like I wouldn't have to worry too much about putting on an act in front of him. A man who could understand perfectly even when you spoke nonsense — that was Jack.
"You're not... agonizing over this because you don't want to burden me, are you?"
When I scowled, Jack waved his hands in a panic.
"Ah, no! It's not that... I just..."
"Oh, you are something else, aren't you? I'm a merchant. I pursue profit in everything. The reason I'm trying to purchase Lady de Farnese is because I've identified that much commercial value in her."
I winked one eye shut.
"Of course, I also have a personal desire to help you — I won't deny that. But my goodwill toward you is nothing more than a small driving force. If it weren't befitting the path of profit, I never would have even considered buying Lady de Farnese."
"Lolita..."
Jack gazed at me with dewy eyes. It was the look of someone thinking, 'You really are the coolest guy!' If he'd gone any further, he might have started a whole new religion devoted to me. I wondered if those running successful companies in the original world ever felt this way.
"Hmm, the highest bid was definitely sixteen hundred and fifty gold, wasn't it?"
I tossed the words out casually, as if treating him to something.
"Tell you what — let's settle on a clean two thousand gold. How does that sound?"
"Two thousand gold?!"
Jack nearly jumped out of his skin.
"What? Is the amount too little?"
"Ah, no! Not at all! It's too much!"
"If the auction had gone ahead as planned, it probably would have gone up that high anyway."
"No way! Even if it had, the auction's been called off now. The auction house doesn't need to factor in labor costs, so it should go for less. I'll sell it for fifteen hundred gold."
This time, it was my turn to frown.
"Don't be ridiculous. A product deserves a fair price. Two thousand gold."
"I can't even imagine that an auction sets the most accurate price for a product. If anything, introducing a competitive element drives the price up. Asking fifteen hundred gold for a single slave is already an outrageous price."
"Since when is De Farnese an ordinary slave?"
Jack shook his head firmly.
"Fifteen hundred gold. I absolutely won't sell for more than that."
"You're being completely unreasonable."
I threw my hands up in defeat. A bizarre scene unfolded where the buyer was bidding the highest price possible and the seller was quoting the lowest. Jack's gullibility truly knew no bounds. When you thought about the future Laura was headed toward, two thousand gold was nowhere near enough—twenty thousand wouldn't even cut it.
"Fine. Let's agree on sixteen hundred gold."
"You really are... Alright. I'll sell it for sixteen hundred gold."
Jack spoke with a look that said he had no other choice. Well, well. That's what I should be saying to you, you world-class mark. I shook Jack's hand with a laugh that was both amused and pleased. Jack grinned and spoke.
"Where shall we handle the transaction?"
"Well, it's a hassle, but let's just do it right here."
Jack tilted his head.
"What do you mean? You have to register slave ownership with the authorities."
"...Oh, really?"
"Of course, filing the paperwork directly with the authorities is tedious, so it's best to just handle it through a nearby merchants' guild."
"..."
The warm, fuzzy feeling I'd been carrying around froze in an instant.
"I see. Right."
Even I could hear how cold my voice had gone.
Oh no, this isn't good.
I brightened up my voice again. My mind spun rapidly. A suitable lie was found in an instant. The only thing that had grown since I fell into this world was my ability to lie.
"Jack. I'm sorry, but could we not finalize the contract here?"
"…Is something wrong?"
"You know I have the medicine to cure the Black Death, right?"
"Of course. How could I forget that?"
"That's why the Merchants' Guild in Pavia is keeping a close eye on me. Apparently, they want to get a foothold on me somehow. I give off the smell of money from a mile away, so naturally, they've gotten greedy."
"Ha, the nerve of those bastards!"
Jack was indignant.
"They're always like that! They're the ones who should be protecting merchants, yet they're the ones pressuring them instead!"
"I hate to say it, but there's nothing I can do about it. That's why I'd rather not deal through the Merchants' Guild if I can help it. I can't even begin to guess what kind of obligation they'd try to saddle me with…"
"Ahem."
Jack clutched his forehead. I could guess why he wanted to go through the Merchants' Guild. What Jack needed right now wasn't so much capital as it was results. He could get funding from his father, but as a merchant, he had to achieve a certain amount on his own. If he could close a two-thousand-gold deal at an event hosted by the Merchants' Guild — the very body that managed merchants' track records — it couldn't get any better for him.
The trading company I'd called my own was nothing more than a phantom firm. Even if we dealt through the Merchants' Guild, I doubted they'd recognize my identity. More importantly, I didn't want to stay in a human city any longer than necessary. Who knew when my true nature as a demon would be exposed?
'Don't let me down, Jack.'
In one way or another, Jack had grown on me. Even if the humans in this world were somewhat naive, there was a clear difference between being naive and being pure. Jack was closer to the latter. And even though I looked down on naivety — no, precisely because I looked down on naivety — his purity was all the more endearing. I watched Jack's troubled deliberation with cool detachment.
"…Fine."
Jack finally opened his mouth.
"Then let's do this. There's a city three days from here that has a branch of my father's trading company. The Merchants' Guild in that city is practically under my father's firm's control. If we deal there, there's no way Lorita — you — will suffer any unfair losses."
An excellent plan.
Truly the best solution there was.
But, Jack. That is absolutely not the answer I'm looking for.
"Friend. Don't misunderstand me — just hear me out. I'm willing to make the contract for two thousand gold, not sixteen hundred. But here's the deal: just the two of us, in secret. I want a contract between us alone. I don't want to give a single thing to that damned Merchants' Guild."
"I don't want any more money."
Jack furrowed his brow.
"And their Merchants' Guild in that city is trustworthy. I mean it. Do I really look like the kind of person who'd cheat you? Surely that's not what you think, Lorita."
"……."
"I understand your hostility toward the Merchants' Guild. No — nobody understands it better than I do. Those bastards never lift a finger to do actual trade themselves, yet they sit in the shadows and rake in money like loan sharks. They have no honor, no business ethics. But I have the backing to keep the Merchants' Guild's schemes in check."
"Three thousand gold."
Jack stopped mid-sentence.
"What did you……?"
"I'll buy it for three thousand gold. Jack. This is my final offer. I'm saying this sincerely, for your sake. I'm staking our friendship on this. Let's make the contract right here, for three thousand gold."
"……."
"You hand over De Farnese to me. I hand over three thousand gold to you. The deal is cleanly settled. Nothing more after that. No one to guarantee our contract, no one to blame, no one to interfere. It's a one-on-one promise."
I could not spend more than three thousand gold. Between purchasing the magic scroll and commissioning the city arson, I had already burned through a tremendous amount of wealth. To earn even more going forward, I would need a sizable amount of investment capital. To survive in the future, I had to set funds aside. Three thousand gold was the absolute maximum I could currently afford.
My counterpart, however, seemed unaware of just how desperate I was.
"Lorita……I'm not that greedy for money. Whether it's fifteen hundred gold or three thousand gold, I'd be perfectly satisfied pulling in over a thousand gold on this northbound trip. Honestly, I need results to show my father, and to show the people at the trading firm. Everyone around me thinks I'm incompetent. And honestly, they're right. But I don't want to let slip a chance to shed that reputation."
Jack's eyes were earnest.
"I have a dream. It's to become a Great Merchant and truly practice the way of trade. For that, reputation and results are essential, Lorita. I don't want to end up as some wide-eyed kid who chased a dream and got left behind. Fortunately, I already have some tremendous advantages. For starters, my father is a resident merchant of a massive trading firm!"
He spoke as though he were singing.
"What an incredible blessing that is! When you think about ordinary merchants who start out as nothing more than peddlers with a single cart, it's remarkable. If I live carelessly despite having advantages like these, I don't think I could forgive myself. Right now is the time for me to put in the work. Three thousand gold? It might feel fine in the short term. But I want to build my foundation, step by step. Lorita. So that one day, like you, I can do trade that benefits the entire continent."
"......"
"If you don't want to show up at the Merchant Guild, then let's do this. First, come with me to the city. Then send one of your trading firm's subordinates in your place for the transaction. I'll hand over the Slave Mark to him."
Phew. I let out a long sigh.
"Fine, I suppose there's no helping it. You feel that way, and I can't just brush it off entirely."
Jack's expression brightened considerably.
"You understand?"
"Of course. I know that you're always sincere. You might not believe it, but I can see your sincerity clearly. Not just what you said now — you're also uncomfortable with conducting the slave trade illegally. Right?"
"Huh? Oh, right. That's an issue too. If you don't report a slave to the authorities — either directly or indirectly — it becomes a crime."
I gave a wry smile.
"You're incorrigibly upright, Jack."
"Haha. Oh, please. I've still got a long way to go compared to you."
"No. In life, there are many times when you can't pursue the righteous path. There are even situations where you simply can't follow it from the very beginning. I only realized that recently myself."
I extended my right hand. Jack smiled warmly and grasped it in return. We both squeezed each other's hands firmly. Warmth radiated from his grip.
"And yet you still walk the righteous path, Lorita. That's amazing."
"Well. Actually, this is my first time dealing with slaves, so — how does this Slave Mark thing work? How do you hand it over?"
"It's simple. A mage affiliated with the Merchant Guild uses magic to transfer it. That's exactly why the Merchant Guild is so widely used for the slave trade — they can file the report with the authorities while they're at it. If you handle the transaction in that city, I'll cover the mage's fees for free. Haha."
We looked at each other and laughed.
"Is the magic difficult?"
"Well... no. I don't know anything about magic, but if my trading firm's mage was able to learn it, it seems like it's pretty easy. Probably."
"I see."
I shook my head. And then whispered softly.
"Lapis. Cut off his right arm at the shoulder."
"Huh?"
Jack looked at me with a bewildered expression. It took less than three seconds for that face to crumple.
Shlk!
The longsword cleaved through Jack's forearm in a single stroke. He didn't seem to grasp the situation right away. His eyes, brimming with shock, looked at me first. Then they darted to his severed right arm. About a second passed, and then Jack toppled backward onto the grass with a scream.
"Guh, guhaaaah! Guaaaaaah—!"
Jack's body twisted and writhed across the grass. He clutched the stump of his right shoulder with his left arm. An instinctive attempt to keep the blood from spurting out, perhaps. The tendons on his neck bulged grotesquely. The pressure on those tendons translated directly into screams.
"Gck! Guhhaaaah! Guahk! Gua, guhaaaaaah!"
Lapis slid the blade back into its scabbard. Clean work. With her strength stat in the thirties and a mastered swordsmanship skill, her form was flawless. At least to a layman's eyes. I nodded at Lapis to indicate a job well done. Lapis bowed her head in return. It almost looked like she was saying, "It was nothing."
I glanced briefly toward where Laura was sitting. Laura's expression was oddly composed, as if she'd expected this. Then again, if she'd been shocked, that would have been more disappointing. The only person who hadn't predicted this situation was this fellow currently thrashing around on the ground.
"Sigh, Jack… this really is a shame."
"Guhkepuh! Guhuk!? Lorita!? Loritahuuhuk!?"
"I offered you three times. Three offers — that's truly, exceedingly generous. These were offers you should never have refused."
I would have preferred to send Jack off as painlessly as possible.
I meant that sincerely.
"Had I not had any favorability toward you, I would have killed you on the spot. Hold on."
I gently pressed my foot against Jack's stomach. He continued screaming.
"I know it hurts, but you're being awfully loud. Jack! Jack! Can you hear me? Right? I'd appreciate it if you quieted down a bit. There's nothing to be gained from making a scene here. Jack! Shut up! If you ignore my request, next time I'll have your left shoulder cut off too. Understood? I'll slice off your left shoulder as well."
Behind me, I heard the sound of a sword being drawn. I hadn't given any particular order — Lapis had taken the initiative to add her own threat. And sure enough, it had an effect. Jack clamped his lips shut. He still let out the occasional moan, but it was a world apart from before.
"Nngh, ughhh... gnnghh...!"
"Very good. Wonderful, Jack. That's exactly right. Do that and there won't be any more bleeding. I promise."
I pulled my foot away from Jack's stomach. I crouched down. Our eyes met. His pupils were already a mess of tears. I worried he might not even be able to see me. Being considerate for once, I wiped away Jack's tears with my finger. After doing that for a good while, his gaze finally focused on me. I let out another wry smile.
"Now then. Let's begin negotiations."
============================ Author's Note ============================