“Is it really that valuable……?”
Piesta’s enthusiasm made me pull back a little.
I knew high-purity mithril was reasonably valuable.
But it hadn’t seemed like the kind of thing to make someone’s eyes light up like that.
Even in the Embance Kingdom, it was expensive but generally available.
“A standard furnace can’t produce mithril of this purity. What technique did you use?”
“……I could hardly tell you that. It’s our most important trading asset.”
“Fair enough.”
Makina cut in from the side, and Piesta reluctantly let it go.
Could it be that this kingdom didn’t have mana furnace technology?
That was quite an advantageous card to hold in negotiations.
“But what would you exchange for something this fine? The Kobolds didn’t use currency, if I recall.”
“We’ve introduced currency in Isvall as well, actually.”
“Then the balance could be paid in gold coin.”
“We haven’t set an exchange rate yet, so physical goods would be preferable for now.”
“I see……we can settle that in time. Better to decide once trading has stabilized somewhat.”
Piesta rested a hand on his chin in a thoughtful gesture.
But from the direction of the conversation……
“So — you’re willing to permit the trade?”
“……People do occasionally come to this nation to trade. As long as they’re not under the Goblin King or the Orc King, who are at odds with us, granting permission isn’t a particular issue.”
“Thank you!”
“Though I’m only granting permission to trade. This kingdom is not recognizing your city, let alone offering it protection.”
So he drew that line clearly.
We hadn’t expected protection anyway, so that was fine.
If anything, being offered protection would have been far more troublesome.
Given the gap in national power, we could easily find ourselves absorbed outright.
“I’ll issue your permit now. Come with me.”
“Yes!”
“And while we’re at it, I’ll introduce you to a merchant. Coming on your own, you’d very likely get turned away at the door.”
That was more considerate than I expected.
Almost too considerate — enough to make me suspicious.
Piesta must have sensed it, because he said:
“The Blaze Shadow in the Bleached Bone Swamp has been a headache for us too. My people had been suffering casualties because of it — couldn’t exterminate it with that fog in the way. Consider this my thanks for dealing with it.”
“I see — that makes sense.”
“Besides, the timing is what it is. Weapon materials would be welcome.”
The timing is what it is?
What did that mean?
Were they on the verge of war with the Goblin King or someone?
From what Mumul had said, Elves had a strong dislike of Goblins.
“……Oh, look at that!”
“Wow……! That’s beautiful!”
While I was thinking, we’d reached the center of the city.
Stalls lined cobblestone squares, and at the heart of it all was a large fountain.
Some kind of light-based magic instrument must have been built into it.
The pillar of water glimmering in seven colors was truly beautiful — fantastical, even.
There was no shortage of other things I’d never seen before either — strangely shaped street trees, glowing shop signs, and more.
This was a Mage Kingdom in name and in fact.
And then——
“Ohh……gorgeous women.”
“Stop gawking, it’s embarrassing.”
“Yeah, that’s Henry’s department, not yours.”
A few Elven women had happened to walk past.
Ganz had openly stared, and immediately received a thorough scolding from Alicia and the others.
Though as a man, I understood the feeling……
The Elven women were beautiful of face, certainly, but they were also extraordinarily well-endowed in other respects.
“Master, what are you thinking about?”
“Hm? No, nothing, nothing at all.”
“Very well. That said, this nation’s magical technology seems quite advanced. Besides magic stones, let’s try to buy spell tomes and magic tools as well.”
“Right, sure……”
Makina’s eyes were distinctly cold.
Her mood did not recover until we’d collected the permit and found our way to the merchant.
――〇●〇――
“A lord from a new town, you say? My, my……”
The trading house — said to be among the finest in the kingdom — that Piesta had introduced us to.
Its owner looked at us with an expression that was difficult to read.
The suspicion was obvious. So was the condescension.
Getting Piesta’s introduction really had been the right call.
Without it, we’d never have been taken seriously.
“To be direct — we’d like to do business. What we can offer is primarily mineral ingots. What we want is livestock, some foodstuffs, spell tomes, and magic stones.”
“All of those are within my firm’s reach. Whether I can provide them depends on whether you can meet the price.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.”
I produced the mithril ingot I’d shown Piesta earlier.
The moment the owner saw it, his expression changed.
“……I do beg your pardon. What do you need, and how much of it?”
“We have a list.”
Makina immediately produced a sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to him.
The owner read through it, taking notes as he went.
“Let me see. Everything except the magic stones and spell tomes — three ingots in total, perhaps.”
I had no real sense of whether that was a fair price……
Accepting whatever he named didn’t sit entirely well with me, but at this point trusting him was the only option.
Fortunately, we still had plenty of ingots to spare.
“That’s acceptable.”
“Magic stones and spell tomes vary enormously in value depending on size and rarity, so that would depend on what exactly you’re after.”
“Standard content is fine for the spell tomes. For magic stones — as large as possible, please.”
At the request for the largest available magic stone, the owner folded his arms and fell into thought.
Was there nothing suitable on hand?
We were starting to look anxious when he finally spoke.
“There is one magic stone — quite exceptional — but……hmm……”
“We genuinely need it, if at all possible.”
“I see. Then perhaps we should talk.”
With that, he took a sip of his tea.
And then, in a grave tone, he began to speak.