Once I had finished deodorizing the streets and shops affected by the spill, the victims each offered their thanks or gave me small tokens of appreciation. I accepted them gratefully, making sure to promote my own shop one last time before finally heading out of the city.
"Wait a moment!" a voice called out.
I stopped just as I was passing through the gate and looked back. It was the owner of the pungent preserved food that had caused all the trouble. He was currently on a carriage, undergoing a passage check.
"Thank goodness. I caught you in time..." he panted.
"Do you have some business with me?"
"I wanted to thank you for what you did earlier. I went back to the site of the spill to find you, but they told me you had already left."
This man and the other victims had been taken to the guard station—not to be arrested, but to confirm the damages and arrange for compensation. While they were tied up there, I had cleaned the streets and started deodorizing the shops of the people who had returned first. It seemed this man had been the last in line to be processed, which was why he had missed me.
"Ah, if you're heading out through this gate as well, why don't we travel together for a bit? It looks like you're on foot. You're welcome to ride in the back if you don't mind the cargo bed."
In terms of raw travel speed, I was faster on my own, but this was a chance encounter. Since he was offering the ride as a gesture of thanks, I decided to accept.
"So, Mondo, you've been a peddler for twelve years... that makes you quite the veteran," I remarked as we traveled.
"Haha, I wouldn't go that far. There are plenty of folks who've been at this for thirty or forty years. I feel like I've only just reached the point where I can stand on my own. My route is mostly in Retile... I wonder if you've heard of it? It’s a village on the shores of Lake Latoin."
" I don't know Retile specifically, but Lake Latoin is the largest lake in the country, isn't it?"
The lake was a known habitat for various monsters I used for training, so it had been mentioned in the documents I received from the guild. There were numerous fishing villages along its coast, including Shikumu Village, the hometown of an adventurer party I had met previously.
"Shikumu is almost directly across from Retile," Mondo explained. "I usually travel a circuit selling daily necessities to those small villages."
"Oh? I thought you sold food?"
"Are you talking about the shappaya? That's actually a specialty of my hometown. My father is a fisherman, you see. He told me, 'If you want to leave home instead of taking over the family business, you'd better find a way to sell our goods and contribute to the village!' Now, every time I go back, he forcibly loads me up with those barrels."
"I see. That sounds tough."
"The problem is that they just don't sell. If you wash them thoroughly with water before grilling or boiling them, the smell dissipates a bit... but they're still incredibly stinky. My father never actually scolds me when I can't move the stock, but it's still frustrating."
"I saw you trying to sell them to the Saionji Company earlier."
"You saw that? I really hoped I could strike a deal with them, but the smell was the deal-breaker. Oh well, I'll just keep making my rounds and do my best. By the way, Ryoma, which way are you headed?"
A fork in the road appeared in the distance. I was heading back to Gimul, which required a left turn.
"I'm going right," Mondo said.
"Then I suppose this is where we part ways."
"Wait, you're going left? In that case..."
The carriage came to a halt. Mondo jumped down, rummaged through the cargo bed, and pulled out a tightly sealed barrel.
"Please, take one of these. Think of it as a token of my gratitude and a prayer for your safety. If you carry this with you, wild animals and monsters won't bother you much—especially the ones with sensitive noses."
I felt that the ride had been thanks enough, but his gesture seemed so genuine that I couldn't bring myself to refuse. He claimed it would act as a monster repellent during my journey... though at this point, it was being treated as a chemical deterrent rather than food.
I couldn't help but wonder if his father had been forcing the barrels on him for that very reason.
"Thank you very much."
"No, thank you. Take care and have a safe trip."
I watched Mondo’s carriage until it disappeared from sight, then I broke into a run down the road toward Gimul.
The following day.
Because I had stopped to gather medicinal herbs along the way, I didn't arrive back in town until around noon. I went straight to the shop to catch up on business, and it seemed the laundry was still operating as smoothly as ever.
However, there were two unusual reports waiting for me. First, a rare appointment for a meeting had been requested—and the person asking was Serge.
"I don't mind, of course, but did he say what it was about?" I asked.
"He only mentioned it was regarding a magic tool," my staff informed me.
Ah, the music boxes. I wondered if something had come up. I decided I would just deal with that when we met.
"And the second thing?"
"A letter of thanks and several gifts have arrived from the village where Fina and the others grew up."
A letter of thanks? I couldn't recall doing anything that warranted such a formal gesture.
"It seems the girls have been writing home regularly," Caulm explained. "The letter expressed their deep gratitude for the generous treatment their daughters have received. We've moved the gifts to the second floor."
"The second floor?"
I had designed that floor as a temporary storage area for laundry, but since our turnover was so high, customers usually picked up their clothes immediately. The room had become a vast, empty space. For them to use that entire area, they must have sent a staggering amount of goods.
Caulm told me he would bring someone to explain the details, so I headed upstairs ahead of him.
"Wow... this is incredible."
The second floor was packed with mysterious hemp bags. There weren't just a dozen or two; there were scores of them. From the texture, they seemed to be some kind of grain, but the scent wafting from the back of the pile was familiar. Was that sesame?
I focused my eyes.
Appraisal: Semisa Seeds. High in oil and nutrients. Relatively easy to cultivate, but they possess a strong, unique aroma that intensifies when heated.
It really was a crop similar to sesame. On Earth, sesame doesn't smell like much until it's toasted, but these seeds were already giving off a rich, savory fragrance in their raw state.
"Manager, I've brought Jane," Caulm said as he entered.
"Thank you, Caulm. Jane, could you tell me about all of this?"
"I'm so sorry, Manager," Jane said, looking a bit sheepish. "After we wrote home telling our parents how wonderful this shop is, they took it upon themselves to send this. It's wheat and a health-boosting crop called semisa. They said it's to thank you and the staff for looking after us, and to ask that you keep taking care of us in the future..."
Jane paused, searching for the right words to describe her parents' intentions.
"Basically, it's a bribe."
"Well, that's blunt," I remarked.
She had clearly given up on being subtle. While I appreciated her honesty, her phrasing made me want to send the whole lot back immediately.
"Is it common to send gifts like this?" I asked Caulm.
"It happens from time to time," he replied. "Parents want their children to work in a safe environment. Since supervisors aren't always honorable people—especially when it comes to young women—parents are naturally anxious. If the environment is good, they want to ensure it stays that way. If it's bad, they hope a gift will distract the employer from mistreating their child."
"I see... I can understand the sentiment. I'm sure their feelings as parents are stronger than anything I could imagine. But sending this much produce must be a massive burden on the village."
Jane and the others were here specifically because their families needed money. I found it hard to believe their village had such a surplus.
When I voiced my concern, Jane shook her head. "Actually, it's not a burden at all."
She went on to explain the situation. Her village was located northeast of Gimul, near the border of the neighboring territory. Until about ten years ago, it had been a fairly prosperous farming community, primarily producing wheat, potatoes, semisa, and vegetables.
Most of their crops had been sold to the neighboring territory. However, a decade ago, that territory launched a massive land reclamation project. The project was led by the younger sons of the local nobility who couldn't inherit their family estates. Backed by significant funding from the lord, they hired specialists and made the project a massive success. The neighboring territory was now one of the most famous grain-producing regions in the country.
As a result, Jane’s village lost its primary customer base, and their cash income plummeted. Nearby villages already had their own suppliers and couldn't afford to take on new ones. With no new market for their goods, the able-bodied youth had to leave to find work elsewhere.
The irony was that while they had no money, they had more food than they knew what to do with.
"After we set aside the taxes and the food for the village, everything that used to be sold just sits in storage. We have more than we can eat. But I promise, the quality is top-notch!"
"Don't you reduce the harvest to avoid waste?" I asked. "And with so many people leaving for work, isn't it hard to maintain the fields?"
"Everyone is afraid of what will happen if there's a bad harvest, so we keep the stockpiles high. Plus, people are proud of the fields their families have farmed for generations. The village pooled its money to buy magic tools and oxen to keep things running. The extra wheat gets used for fodder, so nothing really goes to waste... but it’s still sad to see all that hard work result in a surplus that just sits there."
Her explanation was turning into a bit of a vent, but it helped me understand. Simply sending the grain back would accomplish nothing.
"...I understand," I said. "However, the next time you write home, please tell your families that they don't need to send gifts like this. I have no intention of changing how I treat my staff based on whether or not I receive presents. Personally, as long as they are diligent workers, I'd even be open to hiring more people from your village in the future."
"Really!?" Jane’s eyes lit up.
I didn't have any personal objection to hiring people through recommendations. As I opened more branches, I was going to need reliable staff. I would need to consult with Caulm, of course, but as long as they worked hard, I saw no problem with it. Besides, I was constantly relying on the connections of the Ducal House, the Morgan Company, and the Guild Master, so I was hardly in a position to criticize others for using their own networks.
"The absolute condition is that they must be reliable people who won't cause trouble," I cautioned. "Even if I hire someone through your recommendation, I won't grant them special treatment. Likewise, I won't allow you to show favoritism to your acquaintances. Of course, if someone has a physical condition or a chronic illness that needs accommodation, I'm willing to discuss that separately."
"Of course! That's more than fair!"
"I'm glad you think so. Caulm, what is your opinion?"
"As long as we are thorough with our interviews and supervision, I believe it’s a sound plan," Caulm said. "As you mentioned, Manager, we will eventually need more staff, and having employees with verified backgrounds is a significant advantage."
"Good. Now, regarding these crops... can we determine their market value?"
"I have already compiled a document with estimated prices," Caulm replied. "For a strictly accurate valuation, it would be best to consult the food specialist at the Commerce Guild."
"Understood. Since you have the data, could you arrange to send a fair payment to the village along with the next letter? I don't feel comfortable accepting this much for free."
"Consider it done."
"Wait a minute!" Jane interrupted. "You mean you're going to buy all of this? That's not right! We sent it without even asking!"
"But sending it back would be a waste, wouldn't it? We can use it for the staff meals, so don't worry about it."
"Well... if you're sure... but at least buy it as cheaply as possible!"
"Then let's settle on a price that covers the production cost plus the shipping fees," Caulm suggested. "Is that acceptable to everyone?"
"No objections here," I said.
"If you say so, then I guess it's okay," Jane added, still looking a bit conflicted.
I was glad we reached a compromise. While this helped for now, I couldn't help but think the best thing for her village would be to find a permanent new market for their crops.