187

There was still a bit of distance to cover, but the natural destruction had progressed enough that I could sprint at full speed, so I reached the river before evening.

On the opposite bank, a group sitting around a campfire looked bored.

Among them… I confirmed that Boobs Lady and Rena were there.

This time there were eight of them, double the previous number, but those two were the only women.

Every last one of the men was armed, but there was one chubby middle-aged man dressed in a way that did not fit this place at all.

They seemed to be stirring after spotting me, but one of them alone waved at me.

“Argos.”

It was Rena calling my name in a voice utterly lacking in tension.

It was hard to judge whether she was a big shot or just an idiot.

Beside her, Boobs Lady was making a displeased face.

I had thought we had reconciled… but apparently a little more communication was needed.

In that case, I supposed I would get another look at those splendid fruits today as well.

Jokes aside, I waded forward without caring about the river’s depth and arrived at the opposite bank.

The chubby old man was fidgeting, but first came the transaction with the earlier guests.

I headed straight for Boobs Lady, raised a hand lightly in greeting.

The only one who returned it was Rena beside her.

But I wondered if she could still keep that attitude after seeing this, and when I sat down and set my backpack down, what I pulled out was Imperial wine.

And not just one bottle—two, and I had even chosen labels different from last time.

Boobs Lady’s eyes widened at this stylish consideration.

But just as she reached out, she pulled her hand back.

Now then, hand over the goods.

As if to say she understood my actions, she took a bag from her pochette, and we exchanged items.

It reminded me of exchanging presents back in my student days.

At any rate, when I checked the contents, I confirmed that the two kinds of potions were properly inside what looked like cotton padding.

I quickly tucked them away in my backpack, and when I looked at Boobs Lady, she was rubbing her cheek against the wine bottle.

My prediction of “so she really does like alcohol” had hit the mark.

That was why I chose to press the attack here.

I had handed over only one bottle, and the other was still in my hand.

Then I produced yet another bottle of wine from my luggage, this one with yet another different label.

Boobs Lady pointed at me and was left speechless, while Rena beside her smiled and pinched her large butt.

“I know! I know already!”

Guessing that she was probably saying something along those lines, I dangled the wine bottle in front of Boobs Lady.

I got scolded to handle it carefully, but if my memory was correct, this label had been the most common one.

Well, I had no intention of breaking it, so I gently set it on the flat surface of a rock, then quickly showed her what I had written in my memo pad.

“There is actually one more trade I want to make.”

The moment she saw that sentence, Boobs Lady made no effort to hide her displeasure.

At the same time, the men around us started murmuring.

It was probably something like, “This guy wrote words!?”

Their reactions were all basically the same and not very impressive, so they lost points.

Still, the chubby old man looked somehow delighted.

“To be honest, that is certainly appealing. It sold for quite a good price, and if it is a different brand, all the more so. But you see, I do not want to get involved with you any further.”

Hearing someone tell me to my face, “I do not want to get involved with you,” was a bit of a shock.

It seemed I was the only one who had thought we had built a decent relationship.

Just as I began wondering what I ought to do about these boobs, she started speaking with a grave expression.

“I’m a hunter. Even if the name changed to adventurer, at the root I’m still an exterminator. Monsters are meant to be killed. But then there’s you. You imitate humans. You write words, understand speech. And then, to top it all off, you’ve started talking.”

She continued speaking while looking straight into my eyes.

“You’re a deadly poison. As long as we live in Seizeria, monsters have to be killed. So I won’t have anything more to do with you. This is goodbye, Argos.”

Her will, as she clearly presented this farewell, was firm, and I understood that I ought to respect it.

However.

(So today will be the last day I get to see Boobs Lady’s boobs…)

How sad, I thought, looking at her cleavage as I wrote my reply.

“I thought you would make a good trading partner, so this is unfortunate.”

While showing her the memo, I picked up one of the bottles of wine I had set on the ground and offered it to her, saying in my native tongue, “A parting gift.”

She made a displeased face as she looked at the offered bottle… or rather, she seemed torn over whether she wanted to reach for it and whether she was allowed to take it.

So I wrote this in my memo pad, which was starting to run low on pages.

“I seem to recall that Imperial books mentioned a custom of drinking or giving alcohol at partings.”

“That’s exactly why I can’t accept it.”

My hand stopped as I was about to write more at Boobs Lady’s words.

In other words, because I was a monster imitating a human, she could not allow herself to acknowledge that and therefore could not accept it?

As long as she recognized me as a monster, it seemed a line still had to be drawn.

I thought for a while, then nodded.

I understood her feelings.

In that case, there was nothing more to say.

Boobs Lady stood up as if our business was concluded and turned her back on me.

It was only with Rena’s voice following after that that I finally remembered.

“Diera.”

At my voice, she turned around.

I had only remembered it, so I had not called her because I meant to say something.

But if this was to be farewell, I figured I should at least say one fitting line, and I made my not-so-great brain work at full speed.

What I came up with was a phrase in Seizerian that I had heard in some line somewhere.

“May fortune be with you.”

Hearing that, Diera turned her back again and started walking away.

I supposed it was good enough that she at least waved her hand back at me.

(Depending on my choices, was there a possibility she might still have remained here?)

At the very least, Rena beside her waved broadly and spoke words of farewell to me.

The possibility had probably not been zero, but a purebred hunter was simply like that by nature.

“They have not changed since two hundred years ago,” I said with lingering regret, letting out a deep sigh.

Well then, I supposed I should hear out the other matter now.

From the fact that only those women had left, it was obvious that the two groups had come here for separate reasons.

Still seated, I turned to the old man who alone was dressed out of place and silently sized him up.

His eyes shining, the old man smiled and stepped one pace closer.

“Nice to meet you, Argos. I am Gust of the Bariyan Trading Company, a merchant doing business in the Kingdom of Seizeria.”

The language he used was the language of the Kingdom of Canaan, which I could understand reasonably well here too.

I had not expected a merchant to have business with me.

Even without him saying it, I knew what he was trying to do, but I was honestly impressed by the decisiveness it took to make that judgment this early.

At this point, I promoted this man named Gust to “an old man not to be underestimated.”

When Gust saw the words I had written in my memo pad—“Is what you want the relics of the old Empire that I excavate from the forest?”—he broke into a broad smile.

“Exactly so! Do you know this? The wine you brought in—after passing into the hands of nobles, it has become the talk of high society.”

He clapped his hands once grandly and affirmed my guess.

Then he honestly admitted that he was after the wine I possessed, and even went so far as to tell me that its value was extremely high.

The question of “Is this merchant really going to be okay?” crossed my mind, but I was soon made to realize that had been a hasty judgment.

“It seems you possess intelligence equal to that of humans… perhaps even greater.”

Thinking back on when I had still been human, I privately took it as sarcasm and soured my mood, thinking, Too bad. I was below average.

“That is precisely why I judged deception unnecessary. For someone like you, who already had a vague understanding of wine’s value, and for someone like you, who understands the concept of nations, a deceptive move would carry far too much risk.”

Seeing Gust abruptly show the face of a merchant, I recognized the sharpness of his insight.

Apparently, I had been the one underestimating him.

Even so, I had no intention of honestly agreeing to a deal.

If he had been a beautiful woman with sex appeal equal to Boobs Lady’s, I might have found one excuse after another to agree, but the one standing before me was a chubby old man.

Did this man truly possess something worthy of obtaining relics of the Empire?

That was what I had to determine.

(Or rather… how about dealing in goods of the old Empire in Seizeria, a nation of magic?)

Even if I said so myself, that was quite a fair point.

I could understand luxury goods like wine, but it was not as if such things would conveniently be found so often.

Besides, unless they were in nearly perfect condition, there would be no point.

(Oh right, I handed over jewelry too, so that as well!)

But that created a problem.

Having explored the town many times, I knew that, basically, most precious metals had already been carried off, so a stable supply would be nearly impossible.

And I had no need for currency.

It would be convenient if I intended to keep trading for a long time, but once I finished exploring the east, I planned to head south.

How had he interpreted my deep thought?

To persuade me, who had merely continued grumbling, Gust began stating the reason he had come to negotiate.

“Do not be so cold. After all, who could ever have expected to encounter a monster that understands human language twice in a single lifetime? I took this as divine guidance and understood it as a business opportunity.”

What first caught my attention was the religious-sounding phrase, “divine guidance.”

Just after I reconsidered and thought it was simply a turn of phrase, I realized there was a far more important part.

That was right—Gust had said, “This is the second time I have encountered a monster that understands human language.”

At the very least, I was certain this was my first time seeing this man.

If so, then where had he encountered that monster that understood human speech?

For an instant my emotions swung sharply, but the suppression function switched them away.

Depending on the information, my route would turn east.

But the other party was a merchant—I could not allow him to drive up the value of that information.

Then what was it I should do?

I let out one breath, then looked straight at Gust and nodded.

“I’ll hear you out.”

Amid the uproar my voice caused among the men, Gust alone wore a smile.

I am not good at this sort of battle, but the painful thing is that I have no choice but to do it.