Chapter 64

At the secret hideout we had rented in the South District, Akito and I disguised ourselves in our usual merchant attire.

Tonight, we had an appointment at Marquis Berlion’s estate to unveil the newly stocked wristwatches. We set off in a rented carriage I’d arranged in advance. At the city gates, our identities were checked to enter the inner district, but thanks to the Marquis’s letter of introduction, we passed through without a hitch.

As I drove the carriage in silence, my thoughts inevitably drifted back to the Saint of Grossel. I couldn’t bring myself to believe that girl was uninvolved in the incident. It wasn’t prejudice or a snap judgment; it was what my “Dog’s Nose” was telling me.

“By the way, did you send that letter to Ria?”

Akito brought me back to reality.

“Yeah, I went to the guild today and requested it. It cost me 3,800 Marques.”

I was appalled that sending a single letter cost the equivalent of 3,800 yen. Since the transportation network wasn’t developed, sending mail incurred quite a hefty fee. To make matters worse, the probability of it actually reaching the recipient was apparently only around 78%.

Still, there was a reason I’d sent that letter to Ria. I was actually sounding her out to see if she would move to the Royal Capital.

While we were currently disguised as traveling merchants, our plan was to eventually establish a shop and a residence within the city walls. Naturally, that residence would be filled with goods sourced from Japan. Fundamentally, we didn’t want the residents of this world to know our origins. Given that, I figured the best move was to entrust the management of the house and our belongings to Ria—someone trustworthy who already knew exactly who and what we were.

She might find the unfamiliar capital daunting, but I felt that working as a steward managing a merchant household’s affairs was safer than gathering magic stones in the Labyrinth of Lagas. Of course, I’d written for her to bring Zotto and Noel along as well, and I intended to pay them a salary more than sufficient for the three of them to live on.

Plus, if Ria came here, the frequency of my summons would increase, which might mean an increase in my number of Skills as well. I figured it was a win-win deal for both parties.

“I hope Ria agrees to it,” Akito mused.

“Yeah. Though leaving one’s hometown can be a scary thing.”

As we talked, the carriage entered the Meersbusch District.

In a living room that was lavishly decorated yet somehow relaxing, Marquis Berlion was enjoying after-dinner drinks with twelve of his closest friends.

Earlier, the guests had been collectively astonished by the beauty of the coffee cups served after dessert, and now they were utterly enchanted by the shimmering brilliance of their brandy glasses. The Marquis watched them with an air of satisfaction.

“Now then, Marquis, isn’t it about time you told us? Where did you acquire those cups and these glasses? While enjoying a bit of suspense is a lady’s prerogative, there is a limit, you know.”

A Countess wearing a ring set with a massive sapphire spoke up on behalf of the group.

“Now, now, I simply wished to savor this sense of superiority for just a moment longer. But I suppose the ladies won’t forgive me if I continue?”

“It isn’t just the ladies. I myself can hardly wait any longer,” a middle-aged man remarked, narrowing his eyes as he raised his brandy glass. This man was a member of the Royal Family.

“If Lord Balthazar says so, then I have no choice but to confess.”

The guests’ attention focused on the Marquis as he finally prepared to reveal the source of these items.

“To tell the truth, these dishes are not of this world.”

The Marquis lowered his voice slightly, and everyone leaned in to listen.

“Do you mean they are the possessions of a Hero summoned from another world?” asked a beautiful noblewoman in her thirties.

She was a Baroness whom the Marquis had long desired as a mistress. Her husband worked for a national research institute, and through that connection, the Baroness had once been privately shown an item belonging to a summoned Hero. It was a small, flat, board-like object with a mysterious texture. Apparently, it was a device for speaking with people in far-off locations, but it was currently unusable as its magical power had been depleted.

“Not quite. I am acquainted with a pair of very mysterious merchants. I was originally introduced to them by the Count of Bremen. They… are reportedly able to summon items from another world.”

Everyone present gasped.

Summoned individuals from another world were granted special powers by the gods known as Gifts. If these extraordinarily distinct items had similarly come from another world, their divine radiance suddenly made perfect sense.

“If such merchants exist, I would very much like to be introduced to them.”

“Of course, Lord Balthazar. Did I not mention earlier that we would have special guests tonight?”

“My, as expected of Marquis Berlion. To think you invited us just to flaunt your shopping!”

The Marquis accepted the Countess’s aristocratic jest with a light smile.

“I shall have priority in selecting items during tonight’s purchase, but afterward, you are all welcome to negotiate for yourselves.”

“But who are they? I have never heard of a technique to summon objects from another world.”

Balthazar, the royal, tilted his head in thought.

“They mentioned they traveled to our country from the Far East by way of the Northern Kingdoms. Apparently, their ship was wrecked, and they washed ashore in Swedas.”

“I see…”

Just as Balthazar was about to press further, the living room door opened, and a steward appeared.

“My Lord, Shonai and Kawagoe have arrived.”

Marquis Berlion’s estate was as gorgeous as ever. To make things more intense, there were twelve guests in attendance tonight. I’d been warned by the steward to be on my best behavior, as there was even royalty among them. Depending on how tonight’s negotiations went, there was a possibility we might even be granted entry to the Royal Palace.

The vagrant murders and the Saint of Grossel kept flickering in the back of my mind, but I had to switch gears and focus.

“Thank you for granting us an audience. We have brought this liquor for you to savor, Marquis. Please, accept it as a gift.”

A little brandy for our royal-tier customer.

“Umu. I look forward to being entertained today as well. Your letter mentioned you’ve acquired wristwatches.”

Judging by the Marquis’s tone, he was already familiar with the concept. I’d already researched that floor clocks and pocket watches existed in this world, but had wristwatches been developed yet?

“So, the Marquis has seen a wristwatch before?”

“Umu. I saw one worn by a Hero who was summoned several years ago. I hear it stopped moving long ago, however. It is said to be stored in the Kingdom’s treasury now.”

I see—so there was a watch brought over by a summoned Hero. The battery must have died, causing it to stop. Come to think of it, Heroes had been summoned to this country too. I might run into one eventually.

In any case, I was relieved to confirm that wristwatches hadn’t actually been developed in this world. Our business model was still safe.

“Today, in addition to the tableware we’ve shown you previously, we would like to present the wristwatches and pocket watches we just discussed.”

Akito had the household servants bring in and set up five additional candelabras. Gems shine brightest when there’s as much light as possible, after all. I’d already bribed the servants with 100-Marques copper coins, so they were remarkably efficient in preparing the candles and tables.

I even had a black velvet cloth ready today. Placing jewelry-like watches on top of it made them look incredibly high-end. Now, let’s see them snap these up.

The first item was a small lady’s wristwatch with a vertical oval case adorned with diamonds. Its defining feature was a rounded bracelet crafted from platinum and gold.

“Is this radiance… Mithril?”

“No, it is platinum.”

“Impossible! I have heard that working with platinum is exceedingly difficult. And yet, to achieve such soft, delicate craftsmanship…”

Everyone squinted, dazzled by the sight.

“What do you think? Please, feel free to try it on if you like.”

Akito encouraged the lady wearing the massive gemstone ring to test it out. Nice move. She looked like the type to be very honest about her desires.

“Oh… it’s wonderful…”

“It suits you perfectly. On someone with such fair, beautiful skin as yours, the platinum truly shines. Please, show it to the others.”

Good, good. The lady with the ring looked absolutely entranced. We were off to a great start. Alright, tonight I’m going to sell, sell, and sell some more!