Chapter 11 - A Hero's Day Off
We're on the first level of the "Labyrinth of No Return", looking for the stairs (route) to the second level, but we've decided to take today off.
I'm also wondering how much the eight jewels I'm selling at the merchant guild's auction will fetch.
I bought Nene for 170,000 gold, so I need to sell them for more than that, but the normal market price is about 25,000 per piece, so I think I can afford it.
"*yawn ......"
When I was in the country of Vernia, I used to wake up rather early in the morning because I went to the kenjutsu dojo in the morning, but today I slept twice until past ten o'clock. Since I have the skill [Clock], I can tell the exact time without looking at anything.
The auction will be held at seven in the evening.
"...... Let's get some food."
There was nothing much to do, so I left the room and went down the stairs.
"Good morning, Alec. Why don't you go wash your face? You look like a squashed frog."
"Leave me alone."
That's all I said to the innkeeper at the counter, and I sat down on a chair in the dining room at the back of the first floor.
"Bread and soup, landlady."
"I know it's after hours, but if you'd like to pay for an early lunch, I'd be happy to prepare it for you."
"I haven't had breakfast here yet."
"It's none of my business. I've prepared the food. It's the fault of those who don't eat when they're supposed to."
It seems that the service for the fee has already been completed. It's a far cry from the service of a first-class hotel.
But I was afraid of upsetting the strong-armed landlady, so I gave up and decided to go to the food stall.
Just then, everyone was also at the stall.
"Yo."
"Uwah, Alec, you came out looking like that ......?"
Serina said, looking at me as if I were an alien.
"Is it bad? I'm fully clothed."
"Yes, but you could be a little more stylish. I'll get you some clothes next time."
"I don't want it, it's too much baggage. Nene, I'll buy you a drink. You can eat whatever you want."
"Ah, yes. ...... Then I'll take these dumplings."
"Old man, give me enough for everyone."
"Sure thing, It's 12 gold, but I'll give you 10 gold for those little girl."
I'll try the dumplings on a spit.
"Oh, it's good."
"It's sweet!"
"It's delicious."
"Delicious."
The women seemed to be pleased. It's sweet and sticky. The color is pure white, but I think it would be even better if you added green tea powder to it.
"Alec, buy me some of that next time."
Lily pointed to a skewer that looked like grilled chicken, but I told her to buy it herself.
"Well, all right. Do you want some, Nene?"
"Ah, yes."
We all bought and ate this as well. It was salt aburi-yaki, which was delicious, but I wanted to try the teriyaki sauce.
"We were going to go look at some clothes, but Alec is coming too, right?"
"No, I'm good Just you guys go."
"Geez."
Serina seemed dissatisfied, so next time, I'll be a little more careful with my appearance.
"Now, let's go home and relax."
I was going to go back to the inn, but it was too much trouble to walk around the town.
"Ow!"
I bumped into a man in leather armor on the street.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
The man had a stern face, but he apologized to me. I'll forgive him.
By the way, I didn't bring my sword with me. I was a little careless, though.
Of course, as someone who has been robbed before, I used my skills [Sense of Small Change] to at least check my wallet to see if it was missing. No problem.
But wasn't that guy a little wobbly just now?
It didn't seem like he was drunk, but maybe he was in bad shape.
In this world, you can get medical treatment at the temple if you pay for it, but it's doubtful how well they can heal illnesses, let alone injuries.
"You're late! What have you been up to?"
The man in the leather armor from earlier is being berated by what appears to be a young shopkeeper.
"I was in a hurry to get here, but ......"
"No need for excuses. The next job that comes up is the fourth layer of the dungeon."
"The fourth layer. ......"
The man was reluctant to hear it, but I guess it's not worth the effort. If that's the case, you should just declare it properly.
Another customer came into the store.
"Hey, shopkeeper, I need you to find me two vanguard warriors. We're going to the third layer."
"Yes, sir. You and you, go ahead."
A tired-looking warrior came out from the back of the store, but his equipment looked ragged. Is this store some kind of mercenary agency?
I was a little curious, so I took a look at the sign above.
It's a black sign with a stylish design that says, "Support your adventure in style, Dreuro overturns the common sense of slavery".
"What do you think, sir?"
"Hmm, he's looks weak, but that's okay. How much will it be?"
"Yes, how about 20,000 gold for the two of them?"
I thought it was cheap, but the man seemed to have a different opinion.
"It's a little expensive."
"Then why don't you rent one for a week? A warrior of this class will cost 100 gold per day per person, or 1400 gold for two people for seven days."
"Oh, that's cheap. Okay, then."
"Thank you! Would you like to pay in advance?"
"Okay."
"Now, please come this way so we can rewrite the slave crest."
The business deal seems to have been concluded. It seems to be a business, but the slaves being used are not very happy.
However it's not my place to complain as an outsider.
Just as I was about to leave, a man in black armor came out from the back of the store.
"Oya, Alec-san."
He called out to me, but I recognized him. It was that guy with the close-cropped haircut.
"Oh, Rick...no, Janatha. Is this your store, by any chance?"
"Yes, it is. If you're broke and in debt, why don't you come work for us?'
"Don't be silly, I'm only dressed like this because it's my day off. I have money."
"Oh, really? Well, excuse me. If you need me again, I'll be waiting for you."
"Ahh."
I probably won't be coming back here.
That's what I was thinking at the time.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
It was time for the auction, and I had no time to waste, so I went to the venue.
As expected, I was dressed for the occasion. It was the clothes that Serina had bought for me.
"Oya, Alec-san, how do I see you today?"
Janatha again.
"I don't care, but why are you wearing armor all the way down here? You're a merchant, right?"
I'm sure you have the money to buy fine clothes. I think this makes me look more like a merchant to the outside world.
"Yes, because I'm a merchant. As a merchant, you're often targeted."
"Oh. That's because you're a foolish businessman."
When I told him that, Janatha smiled smugly. The fact that you don't feel bad about it makes it even worse.
But today, the bodyguard with him was a quiet and elegant swordsman, perhaps thinking of the TPO.
He was not wearing any armor, and was carrying a long sword on his back. He was a man with long, straight black hair.
He was standing diagonally behind Janatha, and although I should have been in his line of sight, he kept his eyes forward and didn't move a muscle.
He seemed to have a good arm, so I appraised him out of curiosity.
【Name】 Mitsurugi Yahiko
【Age】 27
【 L ｖ】 42
【Class】 Hero
【Job】 Assassin
【 Race 】 Human
【 Gender 】 Male
【 H P 】 341/341
【Status】 Healthy
【Description】
A hero from another world who was summoned by the Gilan Empire.
He is active as a wandering assassin.
His personality is disciplined and sometimes active.
Has a bounty of 100,000 gold.
Oi, .......
You've got another scary guy with you. I thought he was a swordsman, but he's an assassin, and a hero one at that!
I'd like to get some information on this guy, but if I poke around too much, he'll probably figure it out.
Well, his weapon of choice would be the long sword on his back, which would normally mean that he is a very skilled swordsman.
However, at this level, he could choose his job, but is he a slave?
I looked at his left arm, but it was hidden by his long-sleeved clothes, so I couldn't see his slave crest.
"It's started, isn't it?"
Janatha said, and it seemed that it was time for the auction.
I'm more concerned about Mitsurugi, the Assassin hero, than the auction.
It's not natural to keep your eyes on Mitsurugi, so I'll talk to Janatha.
"Did you sell something there? Or did you buy?"
"Both. My slave has acquired some rare items. If there are any other tools that can be used for business, I will buy them. What about you, Alec-san?"
"I'm here to sell my jewels. though I don't participate on buy."
"I see. I hope you get a good price."
"Yeah, you, too."
"Entry number three, our first item of the day, a full plate armor made of mithril!"
"Oh! "Oh!"
The participants were surprised to see that it seemed to be a very rare piece of equipment. I hadn't seen anything higher than steel yet, either.
In the game, mithril is usually treated as a metal stronger than steel.
It's to be expected, but I don't see anyone in my party wearing that kind of heavy armor.
Meena is a speed fighter, using her agility and flexibility, and Ione wouldn't like anything that would interfere with her sword movement. Serina is a fashion-conscious person, so she wouldn't want to wear that kind of lumpy stuff.
I don't like armor that makes it hard to move either.
"Then, this product will start at one million gold."
"1,100,000!"
"1,200,000!
"1.400.000!"
That's amazing. The digits are different.
"You're not buying it, Janatha-san?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I was the one who put it up for sale. The seller is not allowed to participate in the auction. As you may know."
And then Janata smiled triumphantly.
Bastard, you got yourself a good item.
But it looks like you have a lot of slaves in your store, so it's easy to collect rare items.
I think I'll hide a slave in there and just get the item.
"What about you, Alec-san? Would you like to buy one?"
"Even if I wanted to, I can't afford it with my money. You should have dressed your slave, that swordsman."
At this point I decided to turn the conversation around and find out if Mitsurugi was a slave or not.
"No, he's a mercenary, and you don't have to spend that much money on a bodyguard, because I'm not being hunted by a dragon."
"You don't know you know. What if you're being hunted by someone who has tamed dragons?"
"It's impossible to tame a dragon, let alone a wyvern. Mitsurugi, you can handle a flying wyvern, can't you?"
"It's possible."
"That's what he said."
He's instantly answered that it was possible, but then I wondered if he had any long range attack techniques.
"Can you drop even a flying wyvern?"
"......"
I'm sure you don't want to spill your secrets to someone who isn't your employer.
"There are many skills. Oh, I won the bid for 3.2 million gold. That's amazing. It's the first time I've ever handled a rare item with such a high price."
"Well, congratulations. What are you going to do with all that money?"
"I'm going to open a branch office."
"And eventually you'll be a slave king?"
"No, it's not that big of a plan. I just want to give people who are struggling with money a chance."
"Chance, huh?"
I wonder if those slaves, dead-eyed and exhausted, will be able to take advantage of the opportunity.
That's a strange thing to say.
I guess Janatha's only goal is to make money for himself, and he doesn't have any other goal in mind.
He is a money grabber.
I'm sure he's having a great time, but I can't stand to be around him.
I'll try not to go into debt.
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