I arrived at Yoko’s mansion in Village Five via the teleportation gate situated deep within the dungeon of the Village of the Great Tree. Futa was stationed in a room near the gate, and as I approached, she stepped out to greet me.
"Forgive me, were you in the middle of something?" I asked.
"Not at all. Managing the teleportation gate is my primary responsibility. Today is... the day of the auction, isn't it? Are you planning to participate?"
"I was invited, after all."
"I believe it would have been perfectly acceptable to decline," she noted.
"I couldn’t really do that."
"Understood."
Futa made an entry on her recording paper.
"My companions are Galf and Daga, the usual pair."
Galf and Daga, who were waiting behind me, offered Futa a polite bow.
"Noted. Please do your best to protect him."
Personally, I didn't think I needed an escort, but I had learned that wasn't how things worked. I had long since given up on that argument.
I reached for a wallet pouch from a box kept near the exit of the gate room and filled it with a handful of Medium Copper, Large Copper, Silver, and Gold Coins. This was for my personal spending in Village Five.
Usually, whenever I bought something here, the payment was billed to me later in a lump sum. It was essentially running a tab. While I thought it would be simpler to settle transactions on the spot, I was told it would be problematic if cash were constantly leaving the hands of the merchants. Thus, for business between trusted parties, the tab system was the standard.
Even at the shops I owned in Village Five—Kuro and Yuki, Cafe Blue, Korin Sweets Shop, and Sake & Meat Niz—some customers maintained tabs. The only real exception was Noodle Shop Buritoa, which used a meal ticket system. In short, I had learned that credit was the way of the world. And if I thought about it, my dealings with the Goroun Company worked the same way.
So, I had been shopping on credit for quite a while, until a problem arose.
Namely, no one ever sent me a bill.
When I looked into why I wasn't being charged, I was told that since they were only able to do business safely in Village Five thanks to me, they couldn't possibly take my money. While I appreciated the sentiment, that wasn't how a business was supposed to operate.
As I was debating what to do, I discovered that they weren't sending bills to anyone else from my village either—Lu, Tia, Yoko, the High Elves, the Mountain Elves, or the Dwarves. I decided that was going too far and banned the use of tabs. I instructed everyone from the Village of the Great Tree to pay for their goods on the spot.
Fortunately, we weren't hurting for cash. The result was this wallet pouch and the hard currency inside it. Galf and Daga took their own pouches and filled them with coins just as I had. The villagers were gradually coming around to the change, even if it was a bit of a hassle. Yoko, representing the Village Five side of things, strongly encouraged this because it kept cash circulating through the market.
However, this created a new issue. Because we were forcing cash payments on people who didn't want them, we started telling merchants to "keep the change" so as not to burden them with the transaction. We had more than enough money to be generous, but with my humble, middle-class sensibilities, I found it hard to get used to. I honestly envied Galf and Daga for how nonchalantly they could pull it off.
As an aside, I didn't let the children fill their pouches however they liked; I set a strict allowance. It was important to make sure they developed a proper sense of the value of money.
I greeted the gatekeepers and stepped out of Yoko’s mansion. Yoko was currently at the Village Council Hall, so I went to show my face. If I came to the village and didn't visit her, she would only pout later.
While catching up on the latest news from the village, I consulted with Yoko on how to kill time until the auction began.
"How about watching a play at the theater?" she suggested.
"What’s the current trend?"
"Romance stories, mostly."
"Hmm, not really my thing."
"As for the events... today is a thirty-on-thirty Group Combat."
I was impressed they had managed to find that many people. I just hoped they’d be careful enough to avoid any fatalities, even if injuries were part of the game.
"Are you going to watch?" Yoko asked.
"No. If I show up, the participants will just get too fired up, won't they? I'm not even going to leave a comment."
"Perhaps you could relax at the medicinal herb garden?"
"Is it busy?"
"It’s full of patients. People are flocking here from all over because of the rumors."
In that case, I shouldn't get in the way. I asked if they had enough staff and offered to help, but then I realized I’d probably just add to the chaos. It was better to stay away.
"Should I apologize to Lu?" I asked.
"They used the herbs she prizes so highly for the treatments."
"Well, saving lives comes first. It can't be helped. I'll explain it to her when I see her."
"And then there's the..."
"The what?"
"The hair growth agent."
"Er... well, people who worry about that are truly suffering. Let's just call it a medical treatment. Yes, let's leave it at that."
I decided to spend the remaining time at the cafe, Kuro and Yuki. I wasn't sure why Yoko decided to tag along, but I didn't mind.
The shop was thriving, but we managed to find a couple of empty seats. We ordered our drinks and settled in.
"That reminds me, Village Head," Yoko said. "I heard you put a few items up for auction?"
"Yeah, Michael-san said he wanted some headline goods. Don't worry, Lu chose the items, not me."
"That is a relief."
"How rude. I'd like to object, but considering my track record, I suppose it’s fair."
I reflected on my past choices.
"That quirk is one of your charms, Village Head. There is no need to be so modest. This auction itself is a result of that charm, after all."
"Mumu."
The auction was originally supposed to take place in Shashato City. I hadn't particularly wanted to participate, but I had mentioned in passing that I’d like to see what one was like. Unfortunately, I said this in front of Michael-san, the President of the Goroun Company.
As a result, the entire event was suddenly moved to Village Five. That was the real reason I was being so cooperative. I would have been perfectly content just watching, but... well, I was looking forward to it in my own way, so I tried not to overthink it. I decided that the best way to thank Michael-san was to bid a high price on something I liked.
I spent the rest of my time relaxing at Kuro and Yuki.
One final note: When I left the shop, I made sure to place a silver coin on the table and spoke the words.
"Keep the change."
"Um... Village Head? Isn't the profit from this shop technically yours to begin with?"
Kinesta, the acting manager, couldn't help but point out the irony.
"I know," I replied. "It’s practice."
I really needed to get used to it soon.