"Thank you for the meal."
"Drop by whenever you like. You’re always welcome here, business or not."
As I prepared to leave the Saionji Company after an impromptu lunch, Pioro offered those kind parting words.
"Thank you. I’ll be sure to come again."
"I’ll be waiting. Next time—"
"Yes?"
Pioro started to say something, then stopped. A look crossed his face that suggested he had just hit upon an even better idea.
"Ryoma. Regarding our next talk... actually, I have business in Gimul the month after next. It’s for that merchant gathering I’ve mentioned a few times. Why don't you join us?"
"The gathering you attend? The one with Serge and Oresto? I haven't heard many details, but I can't help feeling like I’d be out of place."
"What are you talking about? You just closed a massive deal with me five minutes ago. You might be charging off in your own unique direction, but you’re a fine merchant in your own right, Ryoma. Besides, your name was already a topic of conversation back at the meeting before last."
"I never heard a word about this!"
"Of course you didn't. Information is life for a merchant, no matter what they sell. Every one of us—myself included—works ourselves to the bone every day to get accurate intel a second faster than the next guy. There is no way a shop run by a child with the backing of the Ducal House wouldn't be a hot topic. Especially not when that shop is doing as well as yours is."
It was an unassailable point. I didn't have a single word to offer in rebuttal.
"The size of the shop or the profit margins don't matter for this gathering. It’s common for members to introduce new faces to expand their information network or build a better environment for their own trade. Just come with the intent to show your face and see how things work."
"...Please let me think about it. I still have the matter of the curse to deal with."
"Oh, right. That was a thing. I forgot, sorry."
"No, actually, I prefer it that way. It’s a curse that doesn't feel like anything to those I’m close to or who trust me, so your forgetting is a good sign."
"Then let's leave it at that. You can join the gathering on the day of as a walk-in, and I’ll be arriving in Gimul a bit early. I’ll get in touch once I’m in town, so you can give me your answer then. And regardless of the meeting, we’re grabbing another meal."
"Understood! I’ll be the one to show you around then."
"I'm counting on you."
I climbed onto my Mimic Slime, which was currently disguised as a Take Ostrich, and set off from the Saionji Company. It felt like a bit of a bombshell had been dropped on me at the last second, but for now, my priority was getting back to Gimul. I could decide on the meeting after consulting with Calm and Eleanora.
And just like that, I was back in Gimul. Since I had covered the distance from the Sea of Trees to Lenaf in a single day, the trip from Lenaf to Gimul felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. If I really pushed it, I could probably manage ten round trips in a day.
As I rode through the city, matching the pace of the surrounding horse carriages, I overheard a heartwarming conversation between a mother and her child.
"Look, Mommy! A funny monster!"
"Oh, that is rare. Wait... the person riding it is the boy from the laundry shop."
"Hello there!" I called out.
It was the same in Lenaf—a Take Ostrich from the Sea of Trees was a rare sight that naturally drew eyes. Furthermore, since so many people in Gimul knew me, they identified me almost instantly, and I found myself being greeted quite often.
I returned the greetings while maintaining my pace, occasionally stopping for a brief chat. In contrast to my high-speed travel outside the walls, I moved through the city at a leisurely walk until I arrived at the house that served as both my office and Eleanora’s residence.
When I stopped in to report my return, I was immediately shown into the reception room of the first-floor office.
"Welcome back, Master Takebayashi."
"I'm home. I managed to return safely once again."
"I am glad to see you are in good health and without injury. You seem to be slightly ahead of schedule. How did the negotiations with the Saionji Company go?"
"They were concluded successfully. However, I have another matter I’d like to consult with you about... though it might take a while. Let’s check the situation here first. Is there anything that requires my urgent attention? Any reports from the shops?"
Eleanora replied without a moment’s hesitation.
"Regarding management, there are no urgent matters. Any issues that arose were handled by the individual shops, and I found nothing suspicious in the periodic reports. However, there is one thing: a request for a meeting arrived from Perdor Beckentain."
"The architect? Is he in town?"
"Yes. He has been staying at a local inn for some time now to begin work on the arena construction in the neighboring town. When I informed him you were away, he left his contact information. He wishes to commission an anti-curse magic tool and a stone statue to decorate the finished arena. His guard, Master Foster, was quite insistent about the tool, while Master Beckentain himself spoke with extraordinary passion about the statue. They both requested to speak with you as soon as you returned."
I imagined Perdor must have approached her with the same terrifying intensity he’d shown when we first met. Eleanora’s otherwise perfect report faltered for just a fraction of a second.
"I understand the request, but why come to me for those things?"
"Both requests stem from that incident the other day. Regarding the magic tool, the one they originally possessed apparently broke, so they need a replacement immediately. Master Foster mentioned that while he tries to be careful, Master Beckentain tends to act impulsively when a building catches his interest. Apparently, he has rushed toward cursed structures several times in the past."
"After seeing him once, I can easily believe that."
"Given Master Foster’s position, I can understand why he’d want his master to wear a protective tool, even if it’s just a stopgap. However, he also seems to have high expectations for your work specifically. Their original tool was damaged when they crossed the boundary of your anti-intrusion rope, which led him to conclude that you could create a more powerful magic tool than the original creator."
"Ah, that time... Well, I don't mind making and selling them a few. As for the price, I’ll leave the negotiations to you, Eleanora. Just follow the conditions Rosenberg previously laid out."
With the tools settled, we moved on to the stone statue.
"On that front, he said he was struck by inspiration after seeing the god statue you made for the Ducal House."
"The one from Hughes’s wedding? I’m hardly an artist, though."
"The Ducal House is aware of the request, and they have sent word that it is perfectly fine for you to refuse."
"Hmm... I don’t like having people expect too much of me, but I’m already selling them the magic tools, so I should at least hear him out. Even if I'm going to refuse, I should do it properly."
"Understood. I will send a letter to coordinate a schedule with them. Since they have their own arrangements and you need to rest, let’s set it for three days from now at the earliest."
Knowing Perdor’s personality, I suspected it would be decided for three days from now on the dot. I gave her the go-ahead. That settled the matter of the architect, but the mention of reports reminded me of something else.
"Could you also check if the doctors at the hospital are available? I found some of my grandmother’s research materials and medicine recipes while sorting through her things, and I’d like to share them."
"Sage Mealia’s research? Most nobles would keep such things strictly hidden. Are you sure about this?"
"I’ll be choosing what to share and with whom, of course. But looking through them, there’s a lot that is simply useless to me."
A prime example was the material related to cosmetics and beauty products. According to the notes written in the margins, even a woman known as a Sage had a perfectly normal desire to stay youthful. No matter how old she got, it was clear she deeply loved her partner, the War God Tigal.
Furthermore, she was the type of person who did 'different research' as a way to take a 'break' from her actual work, meaning the variety and volume of her notes were staggering. I wanted to keep the originals for my own study, but it felt right to entrust the things I couldn't use to people who could.
When I explained this, Eleanora seemed to accept it, though she insisted that I keep the originals and only distribute transcripts. She also advised me to hide my grandmother’s name.
"In scholarly circles, the value of a document often depends more on who wrote it than what is written. While the content is certainly valuable, that value is backed by the author’s credibility. Mealia’s name still holds the highest level of authority in the world. If handwritten research materials—especially unpublished ones—were to surface, researchers would flock to them. Even if they couldn't understand the content, nobles would try to claim them for the prestige and asset value alone."
According to Eleanora, even a scribbled shopping list of hers could fetch a high price. It was much like how items belonging to historical figures are displayed in museums back on Earth.
"I understand. We’ll do it your way. As for the originals, I’ll keep them under strict management at the house in the Sea of Trees."
"It is certainly a place where no one could easily reach them, but simply leaving them there isn't enough. They must be maintained properly."
That was a natural concern, as she didn't know about Kormi’s capabilities or the protective magic I used. I explained those details to her, and we reached an agreement: if anything seemed wrong, the documents would be moved or repaired, and if necessary, entrusted to the Ducal House for safekeeping.
Since we were on the topic of Kormi and the Sea of Trees, I moved on to the success of the Kormi summoning curse. That led to the discussion of the Dagashi and Pioro’s invitation, and I spent a while explaining my plans to her.
"I see. I will arrange appointments with Calm, Serge of the Morgan Company, and the Commerce Guild Master Grisiela for the coming days."
"Please do. The gathering is an incredible opportunity, but I can't make an informed decision without more intel. I’ve made mistakes by acting without information before."
Given the caliber of the participants this time, I doubted it would turn into anything as ridiculous as that scam seminar I’d dealt with before. Still, making an enemy of any of these people would be a nightmare. Since I had the time, I wanted to be thorough.
However, since Eleanora was handling the logistics and the basic research, I was free to head home and rest. Compared to my previous life, this felt like less work than a holiday. I was truly grateful. As I prepared to head out, I remembered one last thing at the door.
"Random question, but do you like indoor plants, Eleanora?"
"I don't dislike them. I’ve had more free time lately, and I was actually thinking the office could use some greenery."
"In that case, would you like to try growing this?"
I pulled a flowerpot from my Dimension Home. It looked like a standard ornamental plant, but it was actually a seedling grown from the seeds of a Heat-Radiating Tree I’d found in the Sea of Trees.
Normally, these seeds only germinate in the mana-rich environment of the forest, but I’d discovered that they could be grown elsewhere if fed Scavenger Slime Fertilizer.
Initially, I had heard that the price of winter firewood was soaring, so I’d tried growing these as a substitute for heating. However, it seemed the heat output was proportional to the size of the tree and its mana capacity; a single seedling only provided a tiny bit of warmth.
If I crowded a dozen of them together, the room got reasonably warm, but they took up so much space that it was inefficient. Because of that experiment, I was now left with twenty pots of trees.
"It seemed a waste to just toss them out, and since they look nice, I thought they’d make good indoor plants. I was planning to consult Yudum about them as well."
"Trees from the Sea of Trees are quite precious. They would be perfect as decorations for your office... If this one grows well, I might ask for a few more."
"I can get as many seeds as you want from the forest, so just say the word. As for daily care, just give it Scavenger Slime Fertilizer and plenty of water. They have strong vitality and aren't prone to root rot. Since they grow by absorbing mana, the risk of mana mutation should be low. Still, if anything seems off, don't hesitate to get rid of it."
"Rest assured. I am a former soldier; I know exactly how to handle a plant-type monster."
With that very reliable answer, I finally headed home. Now that the communication was finished, I had to prepare to summon Kormi.
I’m sure he’s waiting for me with bated breath.