After we finished dinner at the village chief's house, a discussion about business awaited us.
Rufe, our resident Little Witch who was currently posing as a merchant of the beast-ear race, began her negotiations with the chief.
"Our village is a rural place with nothing to its name but wheat..."
"...Mm-hmm."
"The peddler who usually visits us is apparently taking a leave of absence after being attacked by mysterious bandits..."
"...Mm-hmm."
"If you can transport our wheat to Edelweiss, Rufe-san, there is a merchant guild the village is well-acquainted with. They should be willing to trade with you..."
"...Mm-hmm."
"So, regarding the village's wheat—would this much be acceptable?"
"............I don't have that much money."
"In that case, how would a barter for the remainder suit you?"
"…………My only product is Saint Nectar."
"S-Saint Nectar!?"
"I have plenty of it, so I don't mind giving you some."
"…………Uh, you mean you'll exchange wheat for Saint Nectar... no, you're actually willing to give it to us?"
"That's fine with me."
The village chief looked like a pigeon that had just been blasted by a pea-shooter.
In contrast, the Little Witch remained completely expressionless.
Even with my own lack of business experience, the reality was clear: this was a negotiation between two total amateurs.
"—Then, Rufe-san, it's a deal."
"…………Understood."
The village chief and the Little Witch shook hands. It seemed the deal was struck.
Apparently, we were now set to provide the village with Saint Nectar in exchange for a shipment of wheat.
Wow, that exchange rate was absolutely absurd!
Nowadays, Saint Nectar was worth its weight in gold. Despite its astronomical value, she had just traded it for an equal volume of wheat.
Since it was the Little Witch’s debut as a merchant, I didn't interject, but it was a bit painful to watch. Well, she was a beginner, so it couldn't be helped.
Besides, while this was a "real" negotiation, we weren't actually professional merchants. Furthermore, whereas any other merchant would have to buy that expensive nectar first, I was the one producing it. Since I could generate an infinite supply, giving it away didn't really hurt my bottom line.
This village had been kind to us, so providing them with a little extra nectar wasn't an issue.
—In fact, procuring this wheat might actually be a stroke of luck!
If we delivered the wheat to the village's contact, we could convert it into cash there. In other words, we would gain an immediate connection to a merchant guild in Edelweiss.
Edelweiss was my—Iris's—hometown. I might be able to gather information about my family home, the House of Duke Edelweiss, through that guild!
The only thing that worried me was the talk of bandits appearing around Edelweiss recently. According to the chief, these bandits were specifically targeting food rather than gold or valuables, and they had already hit the wheat stores of other villages.
Since Edelweiss was a major city, it was protected by both the local Vigilante Corps and the Ducal House Knight Order. The surrounding area should have been quite safe, so the news of bandits was unsettling.
Then again, for a group like ours, mere bandits weren't much of a threat. Even if they tried to block the road, the Wood Horse Golem could simply bowl through them with brute force.
Because of that, we would take full responsibility for delivering this village's wheat to Edelweiss.
With the negotiations settled, we retired to the village chief's guest annex.
It was late, and the inside of the building was pitch black. We had an early start the next day, so we decided to head straight to bed.
Even while she slept, the Little Witch didn't undo her cat-ear transformation to maintain her cover. I treated myself to the sight of her adorable ears one last time before closing my bud and falling into a deep slumber.
The next day.
After the exchange of Saint Nectar and wheat was complete, we climbed into the wagon. The village chief approached to offer his final farewells to the Little Witch.
"To think we would receive such a vast quantity of Saint Nectar... As the representative of this village, I cannot thank you enough."
"No, it's fine."
"They say Saint Nectar is a panacea that can cure any ailment. With this, the village's sick will surely be saved. But tell me, how did you ever come by so much of it?"
"Selling Saint Nectar is my job. I'm the one who started it."
"You... you were the one who started selling Saint Nectar, Rufe-san!?"
"……Yes. I am the original Saint Nectar seller. The reason it became so famous is also thanks to me………… probably?"
Come to think of it, the Little Witch was the one who first suggested selling my nectar.
I remembered the shock I felt when I realized my nectar was going to be sold—my jaw had practically hit the floor—but I never imagined it would spread across the entire Kingdom of Gardenia. I couldn't have dreamed things would turn out like this back then.
So, her claim was accurate. She was the founder of the trade and the person responsible for its fame.
That effectively made the Little Witch the "Original Saint Nectar Merchant." When it came to this specific trade, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her the most venerable merchant in existence.
The village chief then handed her a letter of recommendation.
"With this, the inspections at the gates of Edelweiss should go smoothly. The people at the merchant guild won't treat you poorly, either."
I read the letter along with the Little Witch. It stated that the village had officially requested that the beast-ear merchant, Rufe, transport their wheat to Edelweiss.
—Wait, "beast-ear merchant"?
The Little Witch touched the cat-ears on her head and whispered to me.
"Do I have to keep pretending to be part of the beast-ear race?"
"Well, it's written in the letter now. We can't really back out of it."
"N-No way…………"
Her cat-ears drooped despondently.
It was official: the Little Witch was committed to acting as a member of the beast-ear race even within the city of Edelweiss. Personally, I got to continue enjoying the sight of her ears, so I didn't think it was a bad deal at all.
Finally, the village chief gave us one last piece of advice.
"If you go to Edelweiss, you should seek out my son. I’m certain he will be able to help you."
We had a lot to do in Edelweiss, so having more allies was a welcome prospect.
"Well then, Rufe-san, Alraune-san, Fairy-san, and Treant-san—take care."
"……You too, Chief."
With that, we left the village behind. The covered wagon pulled by the Wood Horse Golem rolled through the wheat fields. Our journey had begun once again.
I looked over the cargo inside the wagon and spoke to the Little Witch.
"I never expected we’d end up as wheat transporters."
"…………Yeah. But it felt like I was a real merchant. It was actually a little fun!"
I could tell just by looking at her. She had genuinely enjoyed her taste of the merchant life.
Even if her talk with the chief hadn't been much of a "negotiation," it was still her very first business deal. For someone as shy as she was, she had worked incredibly hard, and the chief had been a kind first partner.
Stopping at that village had clearly been a wonderful experience for her. Seeing her grow even this much made me feel the pride of an older sister.
"I was nervous since it was my first time, but I managed to pull it off. Maybe... maybe I actually have a talent for business!"
"Mm-hmm, you might. You were great, Rufe."
I reached out with a vine and patted her head. Her cat-ears were so soft and fluffy.
"I could even do the arithmetic because Teacher Pandia taught me. I was so happy I could actually use what I learned."
"Yes, yes. You're a very good girl, Rufe."
Taking advantage of the mood, I sneakily wrapped a vine around her tail as well. Thanks to her new role as a beast-ear merchant, I had full permission to touch her ears and tail as much as I wanted. I really did owe that village chief a thank-you.
"…………Hey, Alraune…… that tickles a little."
The way she muttered that with a bashful look was simply too precious. I couldn't help but pull her into a tight hug with my vines.
Sometimes, when people see something overwhelmingly cute, they feel an impulsive urge to squeeze it. They call that "cute aggression," and apparently, the phenomenon exists in plants too.
As I tangled her up in my vines, she hugged my flowerpot in return. She whispered something that took me back.
"Being wrapped up in your vines like this reminds me of when we used to camp out in the forest, Alraune."
When the two of us first arrived in Dryades' Forest, we lived with nothing but the clothes on our backs. Now, we had a wagon and were traveling the world while playing merchant. You really never know where life will take you.
Our peaceful journey continued for a while after that. At night, we found lodging in small towns or camped by the side of the road. The Little Witch seemed to be relishing her first long-distance trip.
However, one thing remained a constant source of concern.
As we drew closer to Edelweiss, rumors of bandits became more frequent among the travelers we encountered. The village chief had been right; not only were peddlers being attacked, but the fields of nearby villages were being systematically pillaged.
Furthermore, those bandits—who had been reported quite far away just a few days ago—seemed to be moving closer to Edelweiss every day. It was as if the city itself was their ultimate target.
Then, just as our destination was finally coming into view, the rumored bandits appeared before us.
As we traveled down the main highway toward Edelweiss, we saw a line of wagons stopped up ahead. Like us, they appeared to be merchant wagons bound for the city.
The problem was that the entire line was currently under attack.
"Hey, Alraune. Are those the bandits everyone was talking about?"
"It looks like it. But... something’s wrong."
Those weren't just ordinary bandits.
Next time: Duke Edelweiss's Territory.