Death March — Fixed

“Tek here, the heavy responsibility of mortgage that you get when you’re buying a house is often called one of the three trials of life. As such, buying ‘my home’ may be a serious thing, even in another world.”

 

“Anti-Poison Magic Potion is out of stock? Wait a minute, haven’t some Alchemy Materials just arrived from the Royal Capital last week?”

“Yes, the Guild exclusive Alchemists had done their best to compound them, but the Fang of Conflagration bought them all, saying that they were going to subdue the Cockatrice.”

“Che, those Red Iron Plate guys, huh.”

 

A real Cockatrice, huh?

 

I might want to see one of those.

 

However, people usually imagine a Cockatrice using petrification, but it can also use poison too, huh?

 

“Therefore, I recommend going to the Apothecary or Alchemist stores in the city--”

“Those stores are under the backing of the Viceroy, so they’re twice as expensive as the Guild Store, y’know. Hey, isn’t there one left at least?” The man harasses her.

 

The female employee looks troubled, “We have Magic Potions for Spider or Ant poisons, but there is no more General Antidotes left.”

 

“I don’t have the money to buy several kinds. Can’t be helped, give me two Spider poison Magic Potion, and also three Low-Rank Healing Potion.”

“Yes, one Low-Rank Antidote is two silver coins, and one Low-Rank Healing Potion is one silver coin.”

 

It’s quite cheap.

 

The male Adventurer pays by lining coins up on the counter, it looks like he isn’t good at calculation.

 

“Next please.”

 

“Ah, excuse me, I wasn’t actually queuing.” I apologize for standing in a misleading place.

 

I asked if they would purchase Medicines or Potions, but since they already had exclusive Pharmacists and Alchemists already, they would only buy items that were in shortage.

 

“However, most of the items are in shortage. Medicinal Plants won’t grow on the outskirts of this city, and although we have Alchemists and Materials gathered from the labyrinth by the Adventurers, the consumption is too intense and we have chronic shortage.”

 

Looks like the plentiful ones are only the ointment for stopping bleeding, and alcohol for disinfecting wounds.  It seems that if you have Magic Potions that are shortage with quality that’s higher than a certain level, they would buy it at eight times the Guild is selling.

 

When I took out a Diluted Magic Potion for her to judge, it was worth 1 silver.

 

“Even though the healing barely qualifies, the stability is wonderful. This shouldn’t go bad or deteriorate even when it’s taken into the labyrinth.”

 

Magic Potions can spoil, huh?

 

I have to check the Magic Potions in Arisa’s Item Box, and everyone’s Fairy Pouch (Magic Pouch) later.

 

That reminded me about the White Dragon Stones which I had brought quite a few from Seryuu City, when I asked her if I could sell it, she asked if they could buy it all instead.

 

When I was sending letters to Seryuu City the other day, I heard from some merchant that the shortest route, the northern route, had been blocked. So, they were going to the southern roundabout route which would take some time.

 

“No, that story is already settled since the Hero has exterminated the Demon, but--”

 

“A Dragon?”

 

According to her, it seems that a Dragon has nested in the mountain pass that’s located in the Zetsu Earldom, which is between the Lesseu Earldom and the Royal Capital. As a result, the northern highway of the Kingdom has been completely blocked, and the circulation of goods stopped--that’s bothersome.

 

“Since the Kingdom Conference will be held next month, the Kingdom knights and even the Shiga Eight Swords have been deployed to subjugate the Dragon, so please bear with it for a while.”

 

If I compare the two Shiga Eight Swords that I met in the Duchy Capital and Heiron, the Black Dragon, I’m confident that the blockade will continue for quite a long while.

 

Well, putting aside that situation, let’s go back to the trade.

 

I bought 18 kilograms in a small barrel for 10 gold coins back then, it has decreased to only 10 kilograms after I removed impurities and made it into a very fine powder, yet it can be sold for 20x the initial cost.

 

I decided to sell two small bottles of the White Dragon Stone, Fine Powder, and five Diluted Potions.

 

***

“There are three mansions that meet your request, Chevalier.” The male Guild staff member, who handles real estate, points at the map of Labyrinth City.

 

They are a workshop in the Craftsman District, a mansion in the wealthy area, and a mansion with a ranch and farm nearby. He told me that the mansion with the ranch nearby had been vacant for nearly 10 years, so it would need some repair.

 

After thinking about it for a bit, I chose the mansion near the ranch since it would be easy to stock vegetables and dairy products.

 

Arisa rolled her eyes, “I can’t believe that you bought a house without even seeing it.”

 

But it was meaningless to worry about the condition of a dummy house anyway, so I decided to quickly buy it.

 

I can just buy a replacement if I don’t like it.

 

It was reasonably priced, at half the Market Price, 150 gold coins, but due to the intervention of the Guildmaster who appeared out of nowhere--it became a further half of that.

 

The reason that this mansion is relatively expensive for its location, is because it’s constructed with wood that is rare in this city. A collector would have jumped on this, but since the repair cost was so high, there was no buyers.

 

The annual tax is 15 gold coins, which is reasonable considering the structure and the location of the mansion. I’m told that a possessor of a Red Iron Plate can also pay 1/2 on tax.

 

In exchange for the gold coins that I’ve taken out of the Magic Bag, I receive the registration documents for the mansion, and a bunch of keys. A person who had the Contract Skill came for the registration process.

 

***

We go out of the Guild building, since I have finished all of my business there. There, eyes full of expectation from the children are looking at us--it’s a bit scary.

 

Lead by the group of little girl baggage carriers from before, there are 30 - 40 children looking at us in the surroundings. Beyond them, the stall owners also seem to watching us.

 

I see, so they clogged the Guild entrance, to the point of getting kicked by the Adventurer, because they gathered for the possibility of being treated to a meal huh.

 

No one is saying anything, but the sound of the growling stomachs of the children fill the tense atmosphere.

 

It’ll be annoying if they keep like this, so I guess I’ll treat them.

 

I give some money to Arisa and the others, and ask them to treat the children to some meals.

 

“Now then, little girls! Chevalier Felspar will treat you to a meal. Everyone, thank him!” Arisa looked at the kids, and announced.

 

“““Thank you, Chevalier.”””

 

I wave my hand to reply to the gratitude of the great number of little girls and the few boys.

 

After saying goodbye to the children who had become full, we went to the house I had just purchased.

 

***

“Ugh, it’s just weeds everywhere.”

“Leave it to me?”

“Equipping mowing equipment!”

 

Arisa complains as she stands in front of the mansion that’s overgrown with weeds. Tama and Pochi are posing with the sickles, that I gave them, in their hands. Nana also takes out a long sickle.

 

They were also like this when we were on the overgrown highway, these three really like mowing, huh?

 

I inserted the key into the big padlock on the mansion’s gate. It’s slightly rusted, but it can be opened with force.

 

Now then, there are about five children in the mansion, or to be more exact, in the private stable on the mansion’s plot of land. They’re most likely orphans who are staying illegally in the vacant house, their levels are low, so I’ll instruct Nana and the others to look at them while they’re mowing.

 

“Nana, take Pochi and Tama to investigate the stable.”

 

“Yes, master.”

“Roger”

“Roger!”

 

The three make their way through the weeds to the stable, cutting a path.

 

The rest of us decided to check the water well. Arisa skillfully mowed the weeds along the way with her Space Magic. The block for hanging the well bucket has rotted and its wreckage is lying on the floor.

 

There is a bucket with a rope laying beside the lid that covers the well, it is slightly wet, the orphans just now were probably using it.

 

“This’s baad.”

“It’s bad!”

“Emergency, so I report! A life is in peril. I request urgent relief as soon as possible.”

 

The three who went to the stables come rushing back here.

 

Apparently, the orphans are not merely illegal residents, it seems.