Episode 88

The morning business was over, and it became afternoon.

A decent number of customers came in the morning.

After Ivas and the others left, people trickled in and bought various things.

And in the afternoon… even more people showed up.

Of course there were familiar adventurers, but many came who were visiting for the first time as well.

Because of that it was frantic. My plan to do smithing in the afternoon was completely thrown off.

Alicia alone wasn’t enough, so Refy was helping out as well.

The problem is… Alicia.

Many people are drawn by her beautiful appearance.

And since quite a few people don’t know who Alicia is, Capri and the others watched closely while helping in the shop.

Of course, I was watching too.

If any insolent person tried anything with Alicia, I’d rush over immediately.

I kept watch with that mindset, and for the most part there was no serious trouble.

I’m grateful Alicia could help, but I still felt uneasy about having her work in the shop.

It’s a difficult spot.

The busiest time was right after noon; now things had calmed down.

Some adventurers start their activities in the afternoon, so surely those people coming by the shop are the reason why customers have increased.

For now, I took out the swords that had been stored in the back room.

They’d sold pretty well, so I’ll have to make more.

…I wonder if we sold around thirty just today?

I can make about fifteen a day at most… at this rate they’ll keep dwindling.

Well, I don’t plan to open the shop on days off, so I’ll have to restock then.

It’s tough, but selling well also means it’s popular.

A desire to do my best welled up inside me.

“We had quite a few customers, huh.”

Alicia noticed me and smiled, wiping sweat from her brow.

The increase in customers was largely because adventurers I met at the market brought along their acquaintances.

I didn’t expect it to be this busy from the first day, so I’m genuinely pleased.

“How much did we make in sales?”

“Probably around 800,000 gold… maybe?”

“I see.”

That’s a lot of sales.

Of course, it won’t always sell like this.

When buying weapons, people usually do it at most about once a month.

However, I also do Enchantment work. Some of today’s buyers might come back to request Enchantments in the future.

With no customers around and me chatting leisurely with Alicia, someone came in.

“Lord Faik, long time no see!”

It was Arme who came in.

Behind her, in her cheerful tone, was Rig.

Rig noticed us and gave a small bow, so I returned the gesture.

“Long time no see. Did you come to stock up on something today?”

Arme smiled brightly in response.

“Yes! We’ll put that aside for now… I was watching! It seems like quite a lot of people came and went, right!”

“Huh, you knew about that?”

“We actually came once in the morning, but it looked busy, so my father and I decided we’d come back later.”

“No need to say unnecessary things.”

Rig chided her.

So they had come outside the busy hours.

I turned my gaze to Rig and asked.

“Did you have something to talk about?”

“Yes. We often bought your goods at the market, and we wondered if we could continue doing so… would that be possible?”

It was a request I hadn’t expected.

“I don’t mind… but I’ve always wondered, do you make a profit with that?”

“Yes, of course. We sell them for more than the purchase price, so naturally there’s profit.”

“Is that so.”

“I have a shop in another town, and I place Lord Faik’s products there. They’re popular—when I put them out, they usually sell quickly.”

“…Is that so.”

I felt a little uneasy.

I thought I was selling at fair prices, but was Rig making a profit buying from me?

“So that’s why I’m asking—could you do that for us?”

“Alright. In return, could you mention my name when you sell the products?”

If, when he displays the products in Rig’s shop, he says something like ‘Faik’s weapons,’ it might bring customers to my shop.

Rig beamed at my request.

“Sure, that’s fine. In return, could you make the purchase price a bit cheaper for us?”

I see, that’s the angle.

That’s a small price to pay for advertising.

“Understood. What rank of swords should I prepare?”

“High-rank adventurers come to my shop. So could you supply products around Direa and Cirea Magic Ore ranks?”

“Understood. Can we settle the price after they’re finished? It varies item by item.”

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll have Arme handle that. I’m planning to leave all procurement in this town to Arme.”

Rig glanced at Arme.

Arme gave a thumbs-up and said with a smile.

“That’s the plan! Thank you in advance, Lord Faik!”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

So that’s why they came here.

And they even chose a time they figured wouldn’t be busy.