It Was Greed That Even Death Feared

“Wow, even so, you two are no ordinary people! Among the Knight Order, only the higher-ranking knights, or perhaps us Ten Swords, can hunt Titanos Mare without injury! The Adventurers’ Guild is not blind, is it?”

“Ah, haha. No, no, it was just luck. Right, Lazaar?”

“Ah, yes, that is right. Exactly. It was not as if we faced it head-on like you would, knight-dono.”

The First Knight continued pulling the cart while smiling in great satisfaction, and Tooyama and Lazaar walked a few steps behind her with courteous smiles.

The strange trio made their way back.

“Hoheh, I see, I see. So you had some kind of strategy! Is that not splendid?! Challenging a great monster with wisdom, courage, and madness! Mmm, adventurers! Good! Very good!”

With that beaming smile, she looked like nothing but a girl her age.

However, the girl, who seemed no older than fifteen no matter how one estimated, kept lightly pulling the cart that Lazaar and Tooyama had barely managed to pull together.

“H-haha. Knight-dono, are you interested in adventurers?”

Seeing her cheerful and innocent manner, Lazaar asked as if he could not help it.

It was a trigger for a cheerful, peaceful conversation. At the very least, Lazaar had not the slightest ill intent.

“—No, of course not. As the angel’s sword, there is no way I would be.”

The expression slipped from the girl’s face. She became completely expressionless. Her voice had no intonation either, cold and heavy.

The atmosphere immediately froze.

“Lazaar-kuuun, for some reason, her expression just vanished all at once. Can you take responsibility for this?”

“I-it could not be helped! With that flow, anyone would ask! A-and Naruhito, your voice is too loud. She will hear you.”

“Ah, crap.”

Tooyama and Lazaar began fussing.

Their goal had been to somehow reach the city peacefully and say goodbye to this knight, but unexpectedly, in their first attempt at communication, they had stepped on a landmine.

“You two.”

At Stolu’s cold voice, Tooyama and Lazaar, who had been fussing, froze stiff.

““Yes.””

The two adults waited quietly for the girl’s words.

You do something about this. No, you do something about it. Tooyama and Lazaar exchanged intense eye contact.

“You look like you are having a lot of fun. You are close, are you not? ……Fufu, I pray you will always remain that way.”

Stolu narrowed her eyes and looked at the two of them.

People made similar faces when looking at something dazzling and when looking at something enviable.

““Ah, thank you.””

Safe. Somehow, they were safe! Tooyama exhaled, and Lazaar wiped his forehead.

Good, now the topic should somehow change—

Just as Tooyama was about to open his mouth,

“Fufu, even so. When speaking of a Lizardonian and a black-haired Imperial citizen together, it reminds me of the rumored dragon slayer! Do you know of him? The adventurer slave who killed the dragon that suddenly appeared in the Empire two days ago!”

The topic did not change. Nothing had changed. Rather, it had struck directly into a topic concerning the people involved.

Stolu smiled innocently.

Tooyama and Lazaar, who could not smile, nevertheless had to seriously deceive the girl as adults.

(Study this, Lazaar. My communication technique.)

(I have nothing but a terrible feeling about this. I can already see how this will end……)

While whispering to each other, Tooyama approached Stolu.

He planned to somehow steer the conversation away from topics like the dragon slayer and other things that might be probed into with light conversation.

“Ah, haha. I have heard the story. Um, knight-sama, are you—”

“You may call me Stolu, black-haired-san.”

“Ah, thank you. Stolu-san, are you interested in that dragon slayer?”

“Yes, of course. Dragons are pillars in the Human Realm. Great, superior beings born since the time of the Second Civilization. A human who destroyed a dragon, a supreme existence to us knights. There is no way I would not be interested.”

“Huh. So dragons are that special?”

“Yes! Exactly! Originally, the Angel Church Knight Order split from the Kingdom’s Dragon Cult! There is indeed something special about our admiration for dragons! They command flames, rule the great sky, and are guardians of the principles of this world who regulate the balance of the world! To challenge such beings and demonstrate one’s power to the world is, in other words, the greatest manifestation of faith that carves the angel’s glory into the world!”

“Hm, I see. No matter the world, dragons become that kind of target.”

Through the activation of his otaku skills, information about the existence known as “dragons” in the modern world he had come from raced through Tooyama’s mind.

A trial, or a calamity, or a god, or nature. Though there were some differences in that existence between East and West, that imaginary being had been created in every era and every cultural sphere.

The common point between this world and the modern world was that dragons existed as supernatural things.

Tooyama turned his thoughts over, so he did not notice immediately. When he glanced beside him, Stolu, who was pulling the cart with a rumble, had her lips lifted in a grin.

“An existence who killed such a dragon. Yes, I am very curious indeed……… Mufufufu, I would like to ask him for a serious match once.”

Her entranced face was exactly the smile of a strong person who certainly enjoyed combat.

The presence prickling against his cheek resembled killing intent. This girl, too, possessed the pressure of an overwhelming lifeform that monsters exuded.

(……………………)

Tooyama silently asked Lazaar for help.

(I told you. I told you.)

Shaking his head side to side, Lazaar repeated this in a hushed voice.

Rumble, roll. The wheels turned.

The Church’s sword, whose young appearance displayed a smile containing chilling beauty and ferocity, and the adventurers who had accidentally stepped on a landmine continued down the road.

Whisper, whisper. Lazaar and Tooyama exchanged secret words through eye contact.

(Naruhito, what is with you, between the dragon incident and this conversation? Do you have a hobby of doing the sick dance on top of Viola Patch larvae?)

(Huh? What? Viola? Are you trying to say tap-dancing in a minefield? Crap, I just said minefield.)

Without noticing such whispers, the angel’s sword was in high spirits. She continued rolling along the cart loaded with giant snakes as if it were nothing.

“Now, it should be coming into view soon! The East Gate is currently sealed, so let us enter through the South Gate! Fufufufufu, this feels kind of like being an adventurer, so it is fun!”

“……Stolu-san, why did you become a knight?”

Tooyama asked without thinking. There had been no need to step in.

“Hey, Naruhito.”

Lazaar’s voice admonished him, and Stolu smiled at Lazaar.

“Mufufu, I do not mind. Mmm, it is a simple story. I was born because it was decided that I should be so. Everyone lives according to the fate established by the angel. That is all.”

This time, there was no cold anger, no joy in battle, and not the slightest presence that felt frightening.

The girl simply spoke of something obvious as if it were obvious.

“……I see. Thank you for answering.”

“Mufufu, no, not at all. Well, actually, I did have a little interest in the way of life called being an adventurer! Seeing you today made me think, just a little, only a little, that perhaps that way of life might have been fun too, or perhaps not! Now, the South Gate is this way! Let us go with enthusiasm!”

“Whoa, she started running.”

“……How can she carry that weight so lightly with that physique…… I am truly glad we did not become her enemies. ……Hey, Naruhito. That question you asked her just now—”

“……Nothing. It was nothing. Just, well. They’re everywhere, aren’t they? People who make themselves unfree.”

Tooyama remembered something from a little while ago. A place he could no longer return to, the time when he had briefly been somewhat like a student.

—Because it was decided that I should be so.

—Because I have to do that.

“They’re everywhere.”

He narrowed his eyes and watched the cart advancing with a thundering trail of dust.

“Wait, how far is she planning to run?! Is she going to go all the way to the gate like that?!”

“H-hurry, Naruhito, we will be left behind! I doubt she will steal it, but somehow, I feel that if we leave her alone, things will become troublesome!”

The two hurriedly chased after the cart, which had become quite small before they knew it. In the sky, small clouds floated faintly here and there.

………

……

…

“No good, Manager. The Merchant Guild’s reply will take time. We still don’t know anything definite about those two adventurers from earlier.”

The commercial district, the lively open-air market. This was a market opened to Merchant Guild members who did not yet have shops.

Food, daily goods, weapons, armor, souvenirs, sundries. All kinds of stalls crowded together here, making it one of the adventure city’s highlights.

“Hmm, I see. And what about rumors in town?”

Dromora, an immigrant from the Kingdom and the merchant who had lent Tooyama and Lazaar a cart free of charge, was also a dreamer who did not yet own a shop.

“Hmm, every rumor that seems related to those two’s appearance is too absurd, so it’s kind of hard to judge.”

The investigation of those two had been entrusted to Bise, the sole subordinate of Dromora Trading Company.

That pair had too many distinctive traits. Dromora had thought information would gather immediately if they investigated, but apparently it was not so simple.

“I do not mind. Tell me everything.”

“Hmm, you remember the rumors going around when we came to the Empire, or rather, the notice, right? The adventurer slave who killed a dragon.”

“Ah, there was such a story. But was the search order for those slaves not canceled just yesterday or thereabouts?”

Dromora asked while polishing goods displayed at the stall, wooden carvings and tableware he had brought from the Kingdom.

“Yeah, yeah, that. Those two are like that too. A pair of black hair and a Lizardonian. Apparently, they were involved in all of it: the incident caused by the dragon at the Adventurers’ Guild yesterday, and then today’s morning trouble between Wenfilbarna and the dragon. There are also rumors that they came out of the slums. It’s all a mess. Gulp, gulp.”

Bise answered while drinking directly from the water pitcher.

Dromora narrowed his eyes, thinking that much was fine after making him run around town in such a short time.

“Hmm, far too absurd. It is difficult to imagine that adventurer slaves could become adventurers in such a short time. However, their combination is too distinctive to ignore…… Enough. One should not measure others by half-baked information.”

“It’s rare for you to pay that much attention to one person, Manager.”

“For merchants, information is sometimes something that must take priority over all else. Now, it should be about time.”

Clack. Dromora returned a wooden cup to the product shelf and sat in the chair behind the counter.

As its name suggested, the open-air market continued moving beneath a cloudless blue sky, with the city’s vitality becoming heat.

A good city. It had truly not been a mistake to come from the Kingdom to the Empire.

Dromora read the power of the land and city where he intended to put down roots from that liveliness.

“Manager, was it really okay to lend that cart to those two adventurers for free?”

Bise, having emptied the water pitcher, cut in while fiddling with his curly hair.

Dromora sat deeply in the chair and answered with a wave of his hand.

“Hmph, there is no problem. There was the black-haired man on one side. That one has investment value. Those eyes and the way his mind works. If anything, he is less an adventurer and more a person on our side.”

“What do you mean, our side?”

“People who will do anything, no, accomplish anything for profit. People with those eyes often do not personally do dangerous things, but he appears to be an exception. From only part of my words, he sensed what I sought, and at a glance, he saw through the structure of my business. Well, an investment of one or two carts is cheap enough.”

“Ohh, high praise. Manager, do you seriously think those two will bring back that second-rank luxury monster, Titanos Mare?”

“Of course not. Though I said that, I do not have such high expectations. This is advance investment. At this stage, if they can hunt one or two Giant Boars, we may evaluate them as quite capable adventurers. For people like us, who have no ties to this city, direct transactions with adventurers are unavoidable if we are to grow the trading company.”

This was a touchstone. He had not confirmed their adventurer rank, but judging from their equipment and number of personnel, they should be third-rank at best, and probably fourth-rank adventurers.

Just the right rank. Whether in the Kingdom or the Empire, adventurers who became second-rank often tended to become arrogant because of pride and the like.

Dromora knew from experience that handling equal business relationships between individuals was easier with people around that rank.

“Well, in the Kingdom, the Guild didn’t function, so that part was easy. But the Empire’s Adventurers’ Guild seems to be run by quite a sharp person.”

“Hmph, that was predictable. Even with the existence of the Kingdom, where heroes and champions are born, the Empire still persists because the quality of its people and politics is high. Excellent human-resource development through Imperial Capital educational institutions, a centralized system run by the Emperor and the House of Nobles on the premise that the people are foolish. As a human nation, the Empire is truly the best.”

As Dromora spoke, he once again confirmed that the governance of this nation called the Empire was going well.

The vitality of this city was nothing other than proof of that.

Many shops lined the main street, and though there was a gap between rich and poor, aside from the dark side called the slums, there was no fatal poverty. No, rather, even the bottom known as the slums seemed to function as a kind of receptacle to hold back the impoverished classes.

It was truly a country where people could naturally live as people.

It was a country completely different from the Kingdom.

“The Kingdom is, well, that.”

“Hmph. The masses rely entirely on the idol called the hero, who may or may not be born, the royals and nobles have nothing to boast of but blood and past glory, and the Dragon Cult has learned to drink the sweet juices of politics. That country will not last long.”

There was no heat in Dromora’s tone as he spoke of his former base and homeland.

“Well, but if the Kingdom gets dangerous—”

Bise sat in a chair without a backrest and exhaled.

“A ‘hero’ will probably be born. But they misunderstand. Historically, heroes are born only when humanity’s survival is in danger. Even if the nation called the Kingdom is about to fall, if the Empire is safe, a hero likely will not be born. The royals and nobles do not understand that.”

Incompetent people trapped by elitist thought who even brought it into politics.

Dromora had completely given up on the Kingdom.

“Hihhihi, man, I was right to follow you, Manager. Even though you finally climbed all the way to being a royal purveyor in the Kingdom, you threw it all away. Seriously hilarious.”

“I had no attachment to a ship that was certain to sink. Besides, that Sixth Princess…… the dragon-mad princess has already infected the royal family. Sorry, but I prefer remaining human.”

Clicking his tongue, Dromora drove the voice and figure of the poisonous woman that surfaced in his mind out of his head.

Evil always appeared in this world with goodwill and smiles. Fools did not notice that its contents were made of poisonous mud, and sages were killed by that poisonous mud.

Because Dromora was a coward, he was one of the few sages who had managed to prolong his life.

“Man, I trust your foresight, Manager.”

“Hmph. Well, it is likely thanks to Kotoshiro, the familiar of contract and commerce, that we safely made it this far. I will visit the Angel Church’s branch shrine again someday. I shall do my best to flatter it so that it will continue watching over my trading company.”

“……Hehe. That sounds good. Oh, oh, it’s starting to get noisy.”

Suddenly, Bise raised his face and turned toward the central street of the open-air market.

Dromora followed suit, standing from his chair and narrowing his eyes.

“Hm? A crowd?”

“H-hey, look at that. Titanos Mare……! It’s been a while since I saw one hunted.”

“There’s only one person pulling the cart?! And that silver armor with the star armor craft…… A Church Knight?”

“What are those people walking beside her? They’re not knights.”

“Adventurers? Adventurers are making a knight carry their luggage?”

“No way. A Church Knight would never do that. You’re kidding……”

“Who are those guys? A Lizardonian and a black-haired adventurer?”

“I feel like I’ve heard of that combination somewhere……”

The noisy market grew more and more heated. An adventurer who had hunted big prey was likely advancing down the main street. This was also the route to the Adventurers’ Guild.

“Something’s getting noisy…… Eh? A Church Knight pulling a cart………… M-Manager! Manager?!”

What was different from usual was that the commotion was drawing closer and closer.

He could see a cart beyond the crowd.

“What is it? How noisy. No matter whether other people are making a fuss or not, what matters to a merchant at all times is a steel spirit that never panics. Even if a Church Knight is pulling a cart, even if a dragon is rampaging before my eyes, true calmness means not changing one’s expression at all—”

Dromora sighed at Bise’s noisy voice. He still lacked training, training.

Dromora glanced outside again with one eye.

“Black-haired-san! Lizardonian-san! That stall over there is fine, yes? Wow, it has been a while since I came to the commercial district, but it is lively, and that is best of all! This, too, must be thanks to the angel’s blessing.”

““It sure is.””

A lively, bouncing girl’s voice and the voices of exhausted men reached him.

Before he knew it, the cart in question had stopped before him, splitting through the crowd.

Or rather, this was his cart. Dromora’s face stiffened.

“………………Excuse me?”

Dromora’s eyes widened despite himself.

“Ah, the shopkeeper old man. Hello. We came to return the cart like you told us.”

It was the black-haired man. The adventurer from earlier hid his exhausted face in an instant and smiled.

The distorted smile made with narrow eyes was the sort of smile unique to people who carried a hidden agenda in their bellies.

“………Seriously?”

However, Dromora did not care about that. What mattered most was the result loaded on that cart.

A black body and a beautiful eye on the forehead.

The second-rank monster, Titanos Mare. Two of them were certainly on the cart.

“Manager, your cigar’s backwards.”

“I am not smoking a cigar. Ahem, well, well…… Adventurer-dono from earlier, I am glad you kept your promise. Not that I was worried you would run off with it.”

Casually brushing aside Bise’s murmur, Dromora somehow adjusted his attitude.

His mind finally caught up to the situation.

It was genuine. His eye had not been wrong. While somehow suppressing the laughter threatening to well up inside him, he understood the situation.

The black-haired and Lizardonian pair of adventurers had hunted Titanos Mare.

“I don’t want to make enemies of someone who thought up this kind of business structure over a single cart. And while I’m here, I want to negotiate a deal. I hope this merchandise meets your standards……”

“Whoa, Manager, this is seriously Titanos Mare…… First time I’ve seen the real thing.”

“K-kahaha. Ah, of course. Adventurer, just as expected. No, beyond expectations.”

“Ah, that’s go—”

“Oooh! Amazing, amazing! Lizardonian-san, do you know this?! This is bottle craft, something only a few craftsmen in the Kingdom can make! It is called a bottle ship!”

“Indeed, it is splendid. It seems a waste to place it as merchandise at a stall.”

The carefree girl’s voice and the Lizardonian’s voice interrupted the conversation.

“………If you like, I can have my young employee show them the shop’s goods…… Rather, why is a Church Knight pulling your cart?”

“Ah, yes, it would take a long time to explain, so please ignore it for now. It would help if you could do that……”

Dromora signaled Bise with his eyes.

“Sure, sure. Young lady and lizard-san, this way. Yes, yes, the baaad adults are going to have a baaad talk now.”

Bise nodded repeatedly, broke into a broad smile, and called out to the young female knight.

“Mmm?! Evil?! That is no good! Mm, but my Justice did not react to black-haired-san, so there is no problem!”

“Ah, crap. Come to think of it, this kid is a Church Knight……… A Church Knight?! Why?!”

Bise was only now surprised by how incomprehensible the situation was.

The more one knew what Church Knights were, the less this current situation would make sense.

“Mufufu! That reaction is not bad! Yes, I, hiding nothing, am the Angel Church’s First Knight, Stolu Pula! Wah, this cup is cute!”

“W-wow…… I-in other words, you’re an amazing person?”

“Forgive me, shopkeeper-dono. This bowl, what material is it made from? Wood? Could this also be Sea of Trees material?”

“W-wow, so much information. There’s so much information.”

Faced with too much information, Bise’s vocabulary was becoming small and cute.

“……That side seems to be all right.”

“Is it really all right?”

At Dromora’s words, the black-haired man muttered. Dromora, having completely entrusted that playgroup over there to Bise, decided to force the conversation onward.

“It is all right. There is no problem. Now then, let us begin negotiations again. First, the cart. Thank you for returning it safely. I am glad it seems to have been useful.”

“Yes, thanks to it, we were able to transport the prey. I hope you’ll like it……”

“Hmm, do not look at me with such people-eating eyes, my friend. To think you truly brought back Titanos Mare…… Just to confirm, did the two of you do it?”

“Yeah, my partner is extremely skilled. It wasn’t easy work, but it wasn’t impossible.”

“Splendid…… Incidentally, how much did your expenses amount to? Ah, I have no particular ulterior motive, but it would help if you told me for future reference……”

Now, what will you do? Dromora slightly narrowed his eyes as he appraised the capable man before him.

He hoped the man would find the intention hidden in his words. With such a hope in mind.

The eyes with which Dromora looked at the man before him were exactly the same as when he appraised merchandise.

“Zero.”

“Excuse me?”

All such thoughts and schemes vanished for an instant.

“Zero. We didn’t spend any money. We didn’t prepare any special tools either. We hunted them with Lazaar’s prey knife and my trump card.”

“………………”

His astonishment lasted only a moment. Dromora turned his mind. What did this mean? Had this man read his intention and then given that answer?

The intention hidden in Dromora’s words. In other words, by confirming expenses, he was implying that he was willing to pay that expense, essentially that he intended to propose a retained contract.

People from the Kingdom favored such indirect methods. When conveying love, they used letters; when conveying murderous intent, poison; and when conveying profit, they hid their hearts in a forest of words.

“You don’t believe me? Well, I don’t blame you. It’s compatibility, old man. The team of me and Lazaar had very good compatibility with this snake monster. That’s all there is to it. Well, if you can’t trust us, then it can’t be helped. We can take these snakes to the Guild—”

“Wait!! Please wait! ……Oops.”

He had shouted far louder than he expected. Seeing the black-haired man grin, Dromora clicked his tongue inwardly.

At this rate, the man would seize control of the conversation. In his heart, he wanted the Titanos Mare they had brought so badly he could almost reach out from his throat.

Its hide could be used in workshop weapon crafting, and above all, the noteworthy part called the jewel eye on its forehead was an item even nobles desired.

Through this merchandise, many effects could be expected, including expanding into new sales channels. But what Dromora wanted most of all was—

“………Hypothetically, what would you do if I said I wanted to formally conclude a contract with you?”

“……Oh, a contract?”

A certain light appeared in the black-haired man’s narrow eyes. Calculation and appraisal. Dromora correctly understood his own current situation.

The one appraising and choosing was not himself. It was the man before him.

“Enough. In a transaction with you, superficial exchanges are unnecessary. You are the one who decides. You are the one with choices. I acknowledge it. The moment you hunted Titanos Mare, our power relationship was decided.”

But he did not intend to lose. Lose to gain profit. That was one of Dromora’s iron rules in business.

He had finished appraising the man before him. Intelligent, skilled in hunting, and quick-minded. Rather than rolling him around with his own tongue and sucking out profit, it would be far more delicious to bring him into his own circle and share profits together.

Dromora judged so. This speed in changing direction was precisely what had raised him into one of the Kingdom’s leading royal merchants and allowed him to successfully escape the Kingdom ahead of others.

“There is no need for boring concealment with you, my friend. At present, I have no backer and no independent supply route. I have not yet established any foundation for business in this country.”

“Your shop seems to be fairly prosperous, though?”

-Waaah! What is this, what is thiiis?! A dog figurine made of wood even though it is this small! So cuuute!

-Mm! This is a wooden carving popular in the Kingdom. There are many varieties, from monsters to animals, but because they are handmade by one popular craftsman, no two are alike. They are rumored to be human killers for people with collecting habits—

The black-haired man grinned while pointing at the knight and lizard man making a fuss as they looked at the stall.

“Only for now. All of that is merchandise I brought from the Kingdom. It is nothing more than merchandise prepared to bridge the gap when I came to the Empire. What I need is a new foundation rooted in this land.”

“……Let me hear the contract terms.”

“It helps that you are quick to talk, my friend. To put it simply, I wish to buy your and your partner’s skills. I do not intend to create a direct employment relationship. However, I want all the monster materials you bring back to be wholesaled to my Dromora Trading Company.”

“……That’s an aggressive proposal. We have plenty of other options.”

“That is correct. As I have said many times, you are the ones with choices. I have no intention whatsoever of infringing on your freedom. I can only show you the profit I can offer you.”

“And what is that profit?”

The black-haired man’s eyes narrowed. Sharp and cold. Eyes in which reason and madness were mixed together. Dromora sensed the qualities of a good merchant.

“Your eyes hold ambition…… no, slightly different. Hmm. They are the eyes of one aiming for an extraordinarily distant place. There is only one profit that can be given to someone with such eyes.”

Dromora inferred from the little information he had about the man before him.

A person with a sharp mind and capable skills, with cruel eyes and cold words, someone not to be underestimated.

However, one fact told him that this was not the man’s essence.

Therefore, Dromora reached the answer by the shortest and fastest path. The essence of the man before him, and the words such a man was weak to.

“Sincerity, adventurer.”

“Huh?”

At Dromora’s words, for the first time, agitation appeared in the black-haired man.

Here. He had to press him with words.

“You are one who aims. You are one who advances. You are neither one chosen nor one not chosen. You are one who seeks, a person who continues reaching for what he does not have. You are the same kind of person as us.”

“You say I’m one who aims. And how are you the same?”

“I will become the greatest merchant in this country. No, I am a man who can become one. In the human world, commerce is nothing other than the human wisdom that makes this world what it is. It is a noble act that distinguishes humans from beasts who merely take and are taken from. I am fascinated by it.”

“You are the same, adventurer. You are fascinated by something. You are a person capable of paying every sacrifice to reach it. If you lend me your strength, I will lend you mine. If you give me profit, I will give profit to you.”

“………Will that benefit you? I find it hard to imagine that you, a merchant, would pass profit to another person.”

“Oh, my friend. You are wise, but you hate the world a little too much. However, you are correct. Therefore, I will say it plainly. If you obtain ten in profit, I will receive eleven. I will use business structures you would not understand and certainly profit more than you.”

This was the critical point. What was needed here was neither rhetoric nor persuasion, but only truth.

Yes, truth and sincerity.

The essence of this black-haired man was not coldness, a sharp mind, or capability.

He was a softhearted person to the core.

The answer had been easy to derive. He had made that Lizardonian his partner, and from their exchange, they had built a good relationship. That was the strongest proof.

Because Lizardonians were sensitive to malice from others, they were equally sensitive to faith and loyalty.

He had chosen as his partner a Lizardonian, a race discriminated against due to their past deeds, and had even formed a friendly relationship with him. What else could the essence of such a human be but softhearted?

From little information, Dromora had nevertheless reached a simple truth.

“However, at the same time, I promise you this. I will not take even one of your ten profits. Rather, I will spare no effort to turn your ten into twenty. I will not hinder or force you. I want a cooperative relationship with you that guarantees only mutual profit.”

That was why he told everything without hiding anything to the cold, sharp-minded softhearted man.

He understood that this was the best method.

“……And you will obtain twenty-one in profit, I suppose. In other words, in exchange for making me money, you’ll make even more money. That’s what you’re saying?”

“Without any concealment, that is the truth. The fact that I have told you everything is, in other words, the greatest product I can present to you, adventurer.”

Their conversation rang like struck metal, and Dromora and the black-haired man fell silent.

The voices of the girl and lizard, their eyes shining at the merchandise, and the voices of the crowd watching them from a distance.

Only the vitality and noise of the open-air market continued gradually rising.

“……It’s Tooyama. Tooyama Naruhito. Call me whatever you want.”

The black-haired man, Tooyama Naruhito, was the first to give in.

In negotiations, the one who spoke first at the final stage lost.

This match went to Dromora.

“Oh……”

“I’ve seen your sincerity. I also understand your talent for business well enough. Okay. From now on, Lazaar and I will prioritize wholesaling merchandise to you.”

“You said all of it, yes?”

Dromora smiled with a pleased expression at the excellent transaction partner before him.

“Hehe, greedy bastard. Case by case. Let us choose. But I promise, we’ll always bring the merchandise here first. Also, while we’re at it, about that cart.”

Tooyama showed a similarly wicked smile at his words, then looked toward the cart.

“Hmph, which of us is the greedy one? Do as you like. I usually keep it secured at this stall. If you need it, you may take it as you please.”

Dromora instantly understood what Tooyama wanted to say. This degree of concession was neither painful nor troublesome.

Therefore, the next words would be the true bargaining point. Dromora waited for Tooyama’s words.

“Yeah, thanks. Also, about expenses.”

“Hmm, regarding expenses, we will pay only in relation to the hunting of monster materials brought to us. Since this is not an employment relationship, may we pay by increasing the purchase price? The Merchant Guild’s audits are strict.”

He had firmly decided on this point. Sufficient benefits to those who brought him profit.

Dromora knew that in the end, returning sincerity and compensation to reliable transaction partners was the cheapest method.

Now then, in that case, how much were the expenses this time? But well, the merchandise was Titanos Mare. He could recoup any amount of expenses. The Guild’s purchase market price was seven to ten gold coins, but given the excellent condition of this prey, sending one whole body to auction would easily secure twenty gold coins. Even paying eleven gold coins for purchase and expenses would certainly generate profit. No, perhaps it would be better to process it and get involved in distribution to nobles to increase profit—

“Okay, well, I did say zero this time. You don’t have to add expenses.”

“Excuse me?”

The words splashed cold water over his accelerating business thoughts.

Dromora unintentionally opened his mouth in his real voice.

“Wait. That was, well, are you truly saying it? Titanos Mare? Two of them, without using any tools, equipment, or traps?”

“Yeah, I told you. They’re compatible. That said, it’s not like there’s no danger. Roughly, let’s see. Considering a safe choice, we can hunt about two more?”

“Now, now, my friend. That is a bit much.”

Dromora laughed in his throat.

There were not many adventurers who could hunt multiple Titanos Mares in their lifetime. The ferocity and power of the prey, and above all, their ecology of usually lurking inside nests, were known to make hunting them difficult.

“Huh? Is a pace of four per day not enough? The cart’s probably limited to carrying two. I remember the structure of their nests and the features of their habitats. If finding them goes well, considering transport time, that’s probably the limit even using a full day.”

“…………………Excuse me?”

“Huh? What’s with that reaction? Hmm, hiring people only for transport is an option, but if they’re weak, they’ll get eaten and get in the way. Well, realistically, Lazaar and I should keep hunting them together. Actually, in our current situation, this snake monster is the only prey we can definitely hunt while taking the safest option.”

“Wait. Please wait. My head is starting to hurt. The way you said that made it sound as if you can hunt up to four Titanos Mares a day……”

“No, that’s what I’m saying. We’re going to need funds for all sorts of things. I want to earn a lot while we can. So, old man, let’s start talking about the purchase price for those snake monsters. With sincerity.”

“………Splendid.”

“Huh?”

“F-fufu, if what you just said is true…… then developing exclusive merchandise for my trading company centered on Titanos Mare jewel eyes is possible…… No, wait, wait. This is still only Tooyama’s self-report. I should judge after he brings the next results—”

“Hey, old man?”

“Oops, forgive me. In other words, is this what you mean? You can continuously wholesale Titanos Mare to my trading company? I will believe you, you know? I will start making business plans focused entirely on Titanos Mare, you know?”

“This snake has that much commercial power? Yeah, I won’t lie. Sincerity for sincerity. I’m looking forward to working with you, Manager-dono.”

“H-hmph. Dromora is fine. Tooyama, I shall pray to the dragon that our profitable relationship lasts long.”

“……No, I don’t think you should pray to her.”

“Haha, my friend. You speak as if you were acquainted with a dragon……………… Hmm, ……eh, no, right? Surely not.”

Dromora’s voice gradually thinned.

The abnormality casually shown to him just now and the rumor of the dragon slayer.

Hypothetically, yes. If he was a person with the peculiarity of being able to kill a dragon, then it would not be strange for him to be able to hunt Titanos Mare with ease—

“Knight Stolu! Honestly, why are you in a place like this?!”

A beautiful voice rang out.

A woman’s voice mixed with surprise and clear trust.

She wore the same thin silver armor as Stolu on her slender body, with only a simple cape-like mantle as decoration.

Her ponytail, tied into one bundle like Stolu’s, was long and reached down to her waist.

“Ah! Is that not Cradea?! Look at this! Is this cup not very cute?”

Stolu showed the shop merchandise to that woman with a smiling face.

“Ah, cute…… That is not the point! Honestly, you idiot! You said, ‘I will go find the culprit!’ and went off somewhere, and now what are you doing in a place like this?!”

The slender female knight frowned with her intelligent and beautifully arranged face and pressed Stolu.

“Ah, ehehe. Sorry. I had a few things happen with those adventurers over there.”

“Hah? Adventurers……? Ah, I am sorry. It seems our idiot caused you trouble.”

The adventurers Stolu pointed at, Tooyama and Lazaar, both wore easily understood courteous smiles.

“Mm, no, nothing of the sort…… Right, Naruhito?”

“Y-yeah. She transported our prey for us. Stolu-san, your friend came, right? It might be better to return to work soon……”

“Mm, that is true! Well, it was quite a fun time! I will come shopping when I am off next time!”

“It is an honor to have a Church Knight visit us. We look forward to your next visit.”

Bise bowed with ceremonially proper conduct while letting out a relieved breath.

“Truly, I am sorry. Stolu, you are going to explain how this happened.”

The slender female knight bowed her head again and again. It was immediately clear that she was suffering.

The slender female knight, who dutifully bowed to everyone present, raised her eyes sharply, grabbed Stolu’s small face, and kneaded her cheeks.

“Ow?! Owwww!! Cradea! My face, do not grab my face! My face skin will peel off!”

“Idiot! As if you are that delicate! I finally traced the ‘presence of death’! We are going to pursue the culprit who killed the gatekeepers now, so you too—”

It was somehow a heartwarming space. A space with a very wonderful atmosphere for Tooyama, where a beautiful girl and a beautiful girl joked around together.

However, that ended abruptly.

The slender female knight suddenly began staring at Tooyama.

As if she had noticed something, as if her eyes had been stolen by something.

Ah, when people saw something truly terrifying, they froze.

“………Something wrong?”

Tooyama quietly threw out those words.

“U, u, ah…… N-no way. What are you……? Impossible…… Hah? I don’t understand.”

The pure atmosphere from a moment ago vanished.

The redness that had colored her cheeks disappeared all at once, leaving her deathly pale.

Her eyes, like black obsidian, wavered unreliably.

The slender female knight’s body was clearly frightened.

“What is wrong, Cradea? You looked at black-haired-san and started trembling like that.”

Stolu must have noticed the abnormality. She grasped the trembling palm of the slender female knight.

“……Stolu. Why did you come this far together with these people……?”

The voice sounded as if it had been squeezed out, fleeting.

Her eyes stayed straight on Tooyama and did not move away.

“Eh, hehe, this is embarrassing, but I, um, mistook these two for the culprits of the gatekeeper murders…… As an apology—”

Stolu spoke with an ehehe while scratching her head, but the slender female knight’s voice cut her off.

“No.”

“Eh?”

“It wasn’t a mistake…… What a, what an abominable scent of death…… No, different. A dead person? No, dead but not dead. Alive. Dead, yet alive…… What is this? Is this really human?”

The slender female knight muttered while covering her own mouth.

Her body trembled, and her face was pale. However, the pride of a knight ingrained in her did not let her feet retreat.

“I sense a bad atmosphere, Lazaar.”

“Yes, I think so too, Naruhito.”

Before the obviously strange woman, the adventurers grumbled.

Their tone sounded as if they had given up on the fact that trouble always fell upon them.

“Cradea?”

The instant Stolu called out to the slender knight,

“O-oehhhhhhh!! Oe, puh, oweh.”

Looking at Tooyama, the slender female knight retched. Her revulsion transformed directly into vomit, scattering sparkles across the stone pavement.

“Eh?! C-C-C-C-C-C-Cradea?! Why? Why is this happening? Did you eat something bad?”

“No, that is not it, Stolu. You used Justice’s questioning on the two of them, did you not? Right?”

Wiping her mouth, the slender knight shook her head. The eyes that feared what they truly could not understand were directed at Tooyama Naruhito.

“Y-yes, of course. And Justice found nothing……”

“The questions?! What were the questions and answers?! Did you properly make him answer yes or no?! Was there any evasion, deception, or word substitution?!”

“Nothing like that…… Ah.”

“This is bad. This is bad, Lazaar.”

“Yes, it is bad.”

“Death shows me. The figure of death pointing at him. That horror that laughs even at the curse of death. What is it? How would one have to live to become so, to become like that?! What is inside you…… Ah, ahh, scary. Scary, scary, scary! A boundary even death does not reach…… What is that, furry, deep mist, public archives? No, no! Do not look. Do not look this way!”

“No, you are the one looking this way. Lazaar, is that woman not awful? She looked at someone’s face and vomited.”

“Hmm, if it were me, I would be shocked and bedridden, but you should be fine, Naruhito.”

“You bastard, you’ve stopped hiding your amusing personality, haven’t you?”

Tooyama and Lazaar continued joking lightly.

However, Lazaar was quietly checking their surroundings and preparing to draw the dagger at his waist at any moment.

Tooyama focused his awareness inside his body and was consulting his body about the state of Relic Blade. ……This was bad. Quite a bit of fatigue had piled up. He was not confident he could use it well.

“Cradea, don’t tell me.”

Stolu quietly called out to the slender female knight, who was starting to lose control. However, the girlishness of her voice from when she had been excitedly looking at goods with Lazaar had already vanished.

“This person. It was this person who killed the gatekeepers! ‘Death’ is telling me. Death is cursing him! My Sacrament cannot be deceived. Black-haired adventurer! The deaths of the gatekeepers are pointing to him! They are telling me the murderer who killed them!”

The slender knight pointed. Of course, the tip of her finger was aimed at the greedy man who had overcome even death and arrived in this world.

“……………”

Ah, “Justice” began searching for its target once again.

Those pale-blue eyes turned toward Tooyama.

“Her eyes are scary.”

Tooyama was forced to understand that Stolu’s switch had completely flipped.