This merchant made his living as a moneylender.
The man he had originally lent money to had fled, and while the merchant made sure he paid the price for his flight, the money itself never returned. Thus, the debt was passed on to the man’s daughter, who had been put up as collateral.
Fortunately, she was a beautiful girl with fine features. If she used her body to its fullest potential, he estimated she could earn the sum back within ten years.
Then, that girl became Spirit-possessed—a living calamity.
...I wanted to scream, "You’ve got to be joking," but somehow I managed to survive while keeping the debt active. With only a few days left until the end of the first week we had agreed upon—this happened.
"Chi-ssu!"
The disaster—the girl—arrived. I used every ounce of willpower to stop my legs from bolting for fear she had come to kill me. I logically forced my heart into believing I was her ally, and while hiding the cold sweat soaking my back, I managed a forced smile.
"Er, wh-what do you need? There are still a few days left before the promised date..."
"I managed to earn a good chunk, so here’s a partial early repayment-ssu!!"
"I-is that so? That is truly gratifying."
I felt a wave of relief as soon as I understood her business. Moreover, it seemed she had no intention of defaulting; she actually intended to repay it properly. Oh, what a blessing. I’ll treat myself to a thick steak today, and maybe some fruit for dessert.
"Here, five gold coins-ssu."
"...? M-my dear, did you mean... five silver coins?"
"It’s five gold coins-ssu, you know?"
I almost misheard her, but a merchant wouldn't last long in the trade making a blunder like that.
Five gold coins... that was half of the ten million zeny debt I had originally held over her.
And a week hasn't even passed yet...?
The girl lined the gold coins up on the table with a triumphant look. Just what on earth did she do to earn this much in less than a week? Surely they aren't counterfeit—no, even if they were, I have no choice but to accept them. If I refuse, there's no telling what she might do to me.
Perhaps my decision to purposely avoid gathering information had backfired, the merchant thought, a twitching smile plastered across his face.
"U-umu. I have certainly received them."
"Tha-nks-ssu! Well, see you next time!"
"Eh, ah, yes. Of course. Oh, this satisfies the repayment promised for this week, so you’re all set."
"Got it-ssu!"
Her business was done. With a light step, the girl took her leave.
Well, her business was technically finished.
But I felt somehow unsettled.
Three days passed.
The merchant finally gathered some information.
He hadn't actually wanted to know, but the rumors were everywhere.
The Spirit-possessed—especially that girl—stood out. Particularly those "parts" of hers that made one wonder how they could have possibly grown like that given her life of crushing debt.
"...They were genuine gold coins. And to think another Spirit-possessed has actually come to this town..."
Apparently, another Spirit-possessed had started helping the debt-ridden girl, and together they were clearing out Adventurer's Guild requests at a frightening pace.
They were even finishing tasks that were originally meant for multiple high-ranking parties. Just the two of them.
Was it some kind of mutual assistance between their kind? Did they have some secret means of communication known only to the Spirit-possessed? Otherwise, it was impossible for two such rare beings to congregate in one place.
They didn't even pick and choose their work; as long as it paid, they took it, even taking on harsh, filthy jobs like cleaning the sewers.
According to a complaining guild clerk, they’d had to separate the request boards for regular adventurers. However, since the pair were also clearing out requests that had been gathering dust for years, the guild seemed to view them as a net positive.
"...Well, if two people do the work of twenty adventurers, I suppose earning a few gold coins is child's play..."
It was a testament to their sheer power. In any case, once she paid off the rest of the debt, I would wash my hands of her. I’d return to honest business and live a quiet life. I couldn't afford to be greedy; greed was a direct path to the grave.
"Chi-ssu! Is the merchant-san here-ssu!?"
"I'm coming in-o~!"
"Hyah-ha!"
The merchant felt the blood in his veins turn to ice. Why? For what possible reason? If it was for early repayment, I just processed that the other day. Surely they didn't earn even more gold coins in such a short time—wait, why has the number of Spirit-possessed disasters—girls—increased to three?
Am I going to die today? The merchant fought back the urge to burst into tears. Masking the fact that his legs had turned to jelly, he slowly sank into his chair. He couldn't stand even if he wanted to. Think. Survive.
"Hey! Tell me-o! Where is the Pleasure District-o!?"
"Ah, merchant-san. Here's five more gold coins-ssu."
"Heh, so this is the merchant's base. It's actually pretty nice. Looks like you're loaded."
Hiiieee!? The merchant could only scream internally. However, he maintained his professional mask. Keep smiling. I am an ally, not an enemy. That smile was his only lifeline.
"...Ah, er. May I... address your requests one by one?"
"The location of the Pleasure District first-o!"
"I'm here to pay off the rest of the debt. Here, five gold coins-ssu."
"Is that pot something I can break? Or is it off-limits?"
It seemed these Spirit-possessed girls... had absolutely no intention of listening to a word a mere human had to say.
"...Er, the Pleasure District is two streets behind this one. As for the pot, I would prefer you didn't break it; it's a piece of decor I'm quite fond of. And, congratulations on paying off the debt. With this, you are a free woman."
He managed to address all three demands in one breath, prioritizing them by who looked the most impatient. It was a high-stakes performance that only a merchant of his experience could pull off. If he had messed up the order, he was certain he would be dead.
"Oh. Penpen, you paid off the debt-o, right? Boku also found out where the Pleasure District is, so is this merchant already spent-o?"
"He looks like he’s got plenty of money, doesn't he..."
They’re going to kill me. Just as the merchant was about to lose consciousness from pure terror, the girl—the one who had just cleared her debt—intervened. "Now, now," she said, reaching out.
"Alto-shi, don't you know the standard rules for these slow-life games-ssu? Once you pay off the debt, the merchant-san is supposed to sell me even more expensive items and saddle me with even more debt-ssu!!"
"Huh?"
"Ah. Now that you mention it, I guess that is how it works-o. So there's another event-o?"
"That’s a classic, right? And then you work even harder to pay that one off."
"Exactly-ssu! I’m hoping he’ll sell me a ranch or something-ssu. The field at home is getting a bit too small."
Huh? What are they talking about? The merchant nearly fainted, but he caught himself with a burst of desperate willpower. He managed to deduce that this meant: 'If you sell us a ranch, we'll let you live, for now.'
Wait, they want more debt? He tried to fathom their mental state before remembering that they were Spirit-possessed—trying to understand them was a fool's errand.
But a ranch... he didn't have a ranch. Think... is there anything, anything at all... Hah!
"...Ah, n-now that you mention it, on the outskirts of town... there is a large plot of land. There’s nothing on it currently... b-but, if you want to start a ranch, it might be just the thing, you see?"
"There it is! Here it comes! I was waiting for that, merchant-san! So, how much is it-ssu?"
He breathed a secret sigh of relief. He had made the right move.
"...Gold coins—"
"Usually, the second stage is way more expensive than the first debt."
"O-o-o, that’s how it goes-o. I mean, we’ve gotten better at earning money, so it wouldn't be a challenge if it were cheap-o? It's only natural-o."
He was in a bind. That land on the outskirts was effectively worthless; it was only worth about three gold coins at most.
There was nothing there. It was inconvenient, and the monster activity was high.
To be blunt, it was a cursed piece of trash land he’d been swindled into buying years ago when he tried to build a factory.
In reality, one gold coin would be a generous price. But if he was honest, he would be betraying their "expectations." And that led straight to death.
However, if he overcharged them—say, twenty gold coins—and they found out later... he would also die.
"...The land itself, well, the cost price was three gold coins. But based on the market, one gold coin would usually be enough..."
"Eh. That's cheap."
"I could earn that in two days-o."
"...However!! Actually!! Rumor has it there is something hidden deep underground on that land! I don't know if it's true, of course...! I honestly didn't want to part with it...! But taking that into account, plus my own commission... five gold coins...! I'll handle all the taxes and paperwork on my end, so that includes the processing fees...!"
He gave it everything he had. The merchant had gambled his life to add an extra two gold coins to the price. He felt like he’d babbled some nonsense to justify it, but he had committed to five gold coins.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The silence was suffocating. He felt as if he were being asked if five gold coins was the correct price for his life. He began to hallucinate being burned at the stake by those six unblinking eyes.
"Ah, th-that is—"
"Is this the kind of content where the underground is the main feature-o...!?"
"In that case, it’s the type of thing where you have to keep spending money on tools-ssu! I like it! I love it-ssu! I was waiting for a loop like this!!"
"Hmm? Did you say something, merchant-san?"
"Ah, no. Er, we sell shovels here at my shop for one silver coin."
"I'll buy one-ssu!! Ah, I'll sign the debt contract-ssu. I'll pay for the shovel with my pocket change, so make the contract for the five gold coins-ssu!"
"Ah, no! There are procedures to follow, so please wait a few days! Yes! Why not enjoy being debt-free for a little while first!?"
"Good point!"
And so, that was how it happened.
The three disasters left in high spirits. He had already removed the debtor's anklet, telling her it was no longer necessary.
They mentioned going somewhere else. In truth, he didn't care if they ever came back. They could go to the ends of the earth for all he cared.
"...Ah. I-I have to develop a shovel. No, a mining machine? I need to commission the blacksmiths and magic tool crafters immediately..."
On the table sat the five gold coins they had just paid him.
Using this as capital, he would have to develop mithril or adamantite shovels worth at least a gold coin each. The merchant was certain of it. If he wanted to keep his life, he had to maintain the facade.