Chapter 88

The carriage prepared for us was of the highest quality. It was painted black with gold trim applied throughout.

“If anything happens, I’m leaving things to you. I don’t think there’s any chance of them harming me, though,” I whispered into Yoshioka’s ear as he saw me off.

“The only thing they want is your finger, Senpai,” he replied.

“Yeah. I think we’re being watched, too. Be sure to be careful so your identity isn’t revealed. Report this to Lady Clara via radio for me, Yoshioka. I think it’s better if we don’t have any direct contact.”

“Understood. Take care of yourself, Senpai.”

I couldn’t see them, but it never hurts to be wary of prying eyes.

“Don’t be shy, get in! A dinner has been prepared at the court as well!”

Prompted by Henken, who wore a boisterous smile, I climbed into the carriage. The coachman tried to take my trunk, but it contained cosmetics, watches, teacups, and glassware.

“These are valuables, so I will carry them myself.”

Henken stared at me with a puzzled look as I hugged the trunk to my knees.

“I apologize, but before your meeting with Her Highness the Princess, we will have to inspect the contents of that bag.”

“I don’t mind that at all. However, there are many fragile items inside, so please be careful.”

“Understood.”

It was just a hunch, but I felt that this man named Henken was the type of person who could be trusted. He had a face that gave the impression of someone steadfast in loyalty. He seemed to have a personality ill-suited for schemes. I decided that while we were riding in the carriage, I might as well deepen our acquaintance.

“Actually, there are two blades inside this bag. I think it would be better if you kept them for me, Sir Henken.”

“Blades, you say?”

“Yes. They are one of the products we deal in. Though the quantity is small, I brought some of particularly excellent quality so that we might delight everyone’s eyes.”

“That piques my interest.”

As expected, he showed interest. The reason I brought such products was simply because I had been requested to do so. I had assumed I would just be made to show off the techniques of the “God Fingers,” but the order was to bring the products I dealt with to the palace. Perhaps even Henken didn’t know about the beauty services. He seemed to think of me as nothing more than a merchant dealing in rare goods.

“First, please take a look at this.”

The first thing I took out was a hunting knife made of stainless steel. It had an overall length of 268mm, with a blade length of 138mm. The sharpness, the balance when held, and the appearance were all extremely beautiful. The handle was made of a highly heat-resistant material called phenolic resin. A knife of this quality would rarely be seen in this world. Back in Japan, you could buy it for 9,000 yen.

“T-This is!”

Henken let out a cry of surprise after removing the case. He immediately inspected the blade using the lamp installed inside the carriage.

“It is a knife developed for hunting. Its size is convenient to carry around on a daily basis, wouldn’t you agree?”

As I spoke, Henken nodded repeatedly, his eyes never leaving the knife.

“Please, go ahead and test its sharpness.”

When I handed him a piece of parchment, he took it with a serious expression. As he touched the blade to the edge, the parchment was sliced through cleanly.

“Amazing… Sir Shonai, how much does this cost?”

Should I charge the usual 12 times the price for the knife?

“It is 108,000 Marques.”

“I’ll take it!”

He was quite enthusiastic, but I didn’t expect him to buy it on the spot.

“I-Is that alright?”

“For an item of this caliber, it is only natural that it would cost over 100,000 Marques. As a warrior and a hunting enthusiast, I even feel a sense of fate in encountering such a knife.”

If he was that moved by it, I had no objections.

“The greatest joy for a merchant is to be able to sell their wares to someone who truly understands their value. Please, accept it.”

“I see. I will bring the payment by tomorrow. Is it alright to bring it to Sir Kawagoe at the Hotel Berilin? I shall write a receipt immediately.”

We concluded the contract right then and there. Like a child who had just been bought a toy, Henken immediately strapped the knife to his waist.

But I still had one more blade. To be precise, this next one wasn’t a knife, but a Japanese kennata.¹ It was a piece handcrafted by a bladesmith, one by one. It was quite substantial, with an overall length of 470mm and a blade length of 300mm. The lacquered handle and the ripples of the temper line on the blade were beautiful.

“As I mentioned earlier, there are two blades. Please examine this one as well.”

I handed the box containing the kennata to Henken.

“That’s right. I was so excited that I completely forgot.”

Henken accepted the box with a bashful smile.

“This one seems to be a bit larger. A large knife, perhaps… G-GAAAAH!!!”

The coachman turned around to check inside the carriage at the strange cry Henken let out. I wasn’t doing anything; this middle-aged man was just getting excited all by himself and letting out a roar.

“This… is beautiful.”

Bladesmiths really do great work, don’t they? Henken was staring at the naked blade in the box, completely enchanted.

“Marvelous.”

He offered only a few words of praise, but he seemed to like it even more than the previous knife. The kennata was over ten times more expensive.

“May I ask the price?”

Was he actually planning on buying this too? He was a charming guy, so I wanted to give him a discount, but I couldn’t lower the value of my products. I decided to stick to my standard multiplier of 12.

“This one is 1.2 million Marques.”

His eyelids twitched, but Henken didn’t seem all that perturbed. He seemed to accept the price. Since there were no other dangerous items, that was all the merchandise I had to offer. I was fine with letting him inspect the rest in a well-lit place later.

We both ran out of things to say, and silence enveloped the carriage. Because Henken’s voice had been so loud, the current state felt even quieter. The only thing ruling the world was the sound of the wheels carving into the cobblestones. For about five minutes, I stared blankly out the window.

“Would it be possible to wait until next month for the payment?”

Henken’s words were so abrupt that I didn’t understand their meaning at first.

“Eh, are you referring to the kennata just now?”

“Yes. I may never encounter such a masterpiece again. If that is the case, I want to buy it even if I have to pay 1.2 million Marques.”

So, the silence was because he had been thinking about the kennata the whole time. It really didn’t seem like this man had any intention of harming us. Someone planning to imprison me wouldn’t be talking about next month’s payment schedule.

“Understood. I will hold it for you, Sir Henken.”

“I am grateful. My apologies for the unreasonable request.”

Perhaps having gotten that off his chest, Henken became talkative once again.

Chancellor Count Nurenberg opened the door to the room of the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Saxens, Anneliese.

“Your Highness, the person I spoke of yesterday will be arriving soon. Please prepare yourself.”

The Princess turned around and let out a weary voice.

“Ugh, do I really have to see them?”

Internally, Chancellor Nurenberg felt like punching this princess, but he didn’t show a hint of it on his face, instead wearing a pleasant smile.

“Has the Princess not heard? It is about Baroness Petersen. They say she obtained magnificent beauty overnight.”

“I’m not interested.”

Anneliese muttered listlessly. She was 159 centimeters tall and weighed 57 kilograms. The slightly chubby princess stood up from her chair as if it were an immense burden.

“Count Nurenberg, what is the point of doing this now? The Prince of Francea has chosen the Saint over the Princess. Shouldn’t you just leave the marriage to the Saint of Grossel?”

Her Highness was in a bad mood. The fact that the Prince of Francea preferred the Saint over her was infuriating, but it wasn’t an impossible story to believe. The Saint was stylish and a beautiful girl beloved by all. And what about herself? She was well aware that her figure was short and squat, a target of mockery for everyone, and frankly, her face fell into the “ugly” category. It couldn’t be helped that the Prince was drawn to Juliana rather than her.

However, the Chancellor seemed determined to marry her off to Francea. Recently, he had been forcing her to diet, and she couldn’t even eat snacks to her heart’s content. Thanks to that, she had lost 4 kilograms, but…

“Why must it be me? I am so sick of this life.”

Nurenberg sighed, soft enough not to be noticed.

“Regarding Juliana Ceberai, the result of scrutinizing various information is the conclusion that she is unsuitable for marriage.”

For the first time, Anneliese felt curiosity toward the Chancellor’s words. Unsuitable for marriage? That kind, beautiful, and stylish Saint? What on earth had happened? Nurenberg had originally thought that if he could just get by with Juliana, he would. But he had received reports that the Saint had been involved in murder and, more recently, was harboring a one-sided infatuation with a low-ranking soldier and pursuing him. He couldn’t even deny the possibility that she was already having a physical relationship with that soldier.

“Tonight, I have had that merchant bring various rare goods. Surely there will be something that catches Your Highness’s eye.”

“…Understood.”

She had wanted to continue reading the novel she had in progress… The Princess set the romance novel she held in her hand onto the table and began to walk, very reluctantly.