NOVEL NEXT Episode 17: Plan What You Sell
I couldn’t help but admire the towering stone exterior walls.
“Sojiro?”
“Ah, sorry. I’m the type who likes to look at stone walls.”
When I was looking towards the wall, Mystia gave me a strange look.
Brownwals, with its large walls, seems to be a human town that produces wood from the Divine Tree Forest, materials derived from magical beasts, and magic stones.
It is surrounded by forests on three sides, and on the other side there is a port that connects to the sea.
And it seems that the path we came to is the one that is the least popular – in other words, the one with the most dangers such as monsters and other dangers. No one will see it.
Musubi flew away somewhere when no one was in sight. Apparently he wants to wait in the forest.
“Spirit beasts don’t appear in human villages.”
“He came to my house.”
In any case, when I arrived at the gate at the end of the road, there was a man in armor who looked like a gatekeeper.
“Hello!”
“It’s rare. I thought a beautiful woman would come, but it would be Elf-dono.”
Mystia greeted cheerfully. Judging by the reaction, it seems like they are familiar to each other. I’ll say hello too.
“Hello”
“Is that man with you? Hey, I’ve never seen him bring someone with him.”
“That’s right. We ended up being together. A lot of things happened.”
“That guy…what’s the big deal? He has a face I’ve never seen before, a handsome man? Where were you born?”
Now that I think about it, it’s natural that people would ask me this, but Mystia didn’t give me much advice or discuss anything…
“It’s the Japanese countryside.”
“Nihon Noinaka? I’ve never heard of it. Where is it?”
“…Mystia, how should I explain?”
Should I explain it from the beginning or try to fool it?
When I turned to Mystia at a loss, the beautiful woman smiled and answered.
“I wonder if someone as knowledgeable as an elf would know about it.”
“If you were as smart as Elf-sama, you wouldn’t be working as a soldier in a place like this.”
The man smiled bitterly. Incidentally, he looks at me as if he sympathizes with me for asking for help from an elf.
Why do you have eyes like that?
“That’s too bad. Well, that’s it. Since you’re an elf who has a good memory of the lord, I should have let him pass me by. But just in case, I have to do some work. Give me your name and the toll.”
“Yes, the toll. I don’t need change, but please remember his name. He’s Soujiro.”
“surely”
He accepted the thumb-sized magic stone that Mystia held out to him and motioned for him to go.
As I passed through the gate and entered the town, I asked about something I was curious about.
“…Is Mystia famous?”
It seems like they are being given preferential treatment, such as being remembered by the lord and being treated as a face pass.
“There are only about six elves who show their faces in the human world.I’ve been showing my face occasionally in this town for about 20 years, so I’m like a local.I can at least use it as a pass for Soujirou.”
“Hmm. What is your relationship with the lord?”
“I only owe him a little money, such as the lord’s scandals in the past, and the fact that I tutored his son. I know because the child from earlier was also a mischievous child. He was a liar! It was pointed at me.”
“Well, I’d like to pass your face.”
“Eh, why? Humans usually say things like that.”
Mystia pouted her lips in dissatisfaction.
As an adult, a beautiful woman who looks younger than me tells me that she clearly remembers the abominations of her childhood.
As someone who wants to forget the idiot he did five years ago, he’s a bit of a tough opponent.
I understood the meaning of the look in the gatekeeper’s eyes.
If you are too dependent on an elf who is smart and has a good memory, you will be disappointed later. It means that the number of fellow victims has increased.
……Let’s be careful.
“Ah, that’s right. I think the human merchant I’m about to introduce will say something like that to Soujirou as well. But he’s serious at heart, so don’t worry about it too much.”
“It’s reassuring.”
If you have trouble negotiating, leave it to Mystia.
The townscape of Braunwals was surprisingly simple.
Although the city walls were made of fine stone, many of the houses inside were about two stories high. It’s not that lively, but it doesn’t feel like a stagnant recession. There was a sense of ease among the people passing by, as if they were mostly acquaintances.
To put it simply, it’s a peaceful place.
The place Mystia took me to was a main street near what seemed to be the center of town, and it was a three-story building with a door that was more magnificent than the others.
From what I saw, most of the first floor seemed to be a warehouse, with employees sweating as they sorted out large items on a wide dirt floor with a large open door.
Mystia put her hand not in that direction, but in the direction of the door, which was obviously meant to welcome guests.
“Thanks!”
“Oh…I’ll go without hesitation.”
Without introducing the store or making any pretense, Mystia opened the large door and entered. I will continue too.
Then, suddenly, an angry voice rang out.
“It’s well done! Look at this masterpiece!”
“Why don’t you stop it! You can’t bring down a monster by drawing it on your precious canvas! You crappy painter!!”
“What an arrogant merchant!!”
A commotion.
An old man who was well-dressed and a large man with a goatee were arguing with spittle.
A large man in his late 40s was showing a framed picture in his hands and shouting something at the old man, and the old man’s vigorous insults were as loud as his voice.
“Acha, are we in a fight?”
Mystia says in a shocked tone. What is this chaos?
“Okay, okay, just a little bit, both of you. We have a visitor.”
The men turned to Mystia, who clapped her hands to assert her presence.
“…An elf is bringing a man. Something that hasn’t happened in the last 20 years is happening.”
“Hey, hey, this isn’t the time to worry about old men.”
The old man rolls his eyes. said the large man as he took the paper in a panic.
A large man in his late forties came to my side with much more nimble movements than he looked.
“What kind of relationship do you have? Please tell me secretly. Honestly, it’s so cool!”
A flying picture frame hit the big man’s head.
“It’s my guest! Don’t just leave your rude imitations on your paintbrush!”
You can’t help but catch a picture that falls through the air.
“You don’t have to go so far as to throw my picture at me!? You think so too!? Look at that guy!”
“Um, it’s a strange monster…?”
That’s all I can honestly say when I look at the picture in my hand.
“That’s my son! I drew it for the arranged marriage!!”
“……sorry”
“Dammit!!”
The big man left with the painting in his arms.
I wonder what that person is.
“No way, that jerk who was making a lot of noise in someone else’s store.”
A poisonous old man approached Mystia and I.
“You were much faster this time, Elf-dono.”
“Something happened, and I needed to get some stuff.”
“It seems so.”
The old man glances at me. His eyes are sharp. Like judging people, like seeing through people.
“First time to meet you. I’m Doraro, the chairman of the business here.”
“Hello, I’m Sojiro Himuro.”
“Hmm…? That’s an unusual name. I may not be pronouncing it properly, but please forgive me. So… Soujirou-dono.”
“It’s okay. Thank you for your concern, Doraro-san.”
“Tolerance is a virtue, but if you’re introduced by the elf Mystia-dono, even though it’s your first customer, you can’t ignore it. If it’s a deeper relationship, you can’t ignore it even more and give him a little preferential treatment, right? If you’re an older person with a short life ahead of you, you’ll feel at ease. Aren’t you willing to tell me the truth? Hmm?”
“Ah, ahaha…”
Smirking, the old man approaches my face.
“Doraro!”
When Mystia raised her voice, Doraro clicked his tongue in displeasure.
“Tch, if you make the elf angry, he’s going to say bad things about me even after I die… I can’t help it. Let’s talk about a deal.”
Although he has a bit of a foul mouth, he is serious at heart. His personality is as described.
“But, well, this is a man who saw the picture and had the same impression as me.At least, I can hope that he has an aesthetic eye. Please sit over the chair. Let’s have a business talk.”
Isn’t that the quickest way to get close? ”
Prompted by words that sounded very businessman-like, Mystia and I started doing business with Doraro.