The merchant gazed out the window. It was a beautiful day—a cloudless, brilliant blue sky.
The sunlight felt pleasant against his skin, and the breeze was refreshing.
"Hah. What wonderful weather."
He narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the sun from his office window. On a day like this, he felt as if something good might actually happen.
"I'm coming in-uo!"
"Yahoo—"
"Hello-ssu."
It had been nothing but wishful thinking.
...I knew it. Those Calamities always strike without a moment's warning.
What little remained of his hair fell out from the sheer stress of it. He was a merchant for whom a hat had become an indispensable accessory whenever he ventured outdoors.
What was it this time? Were they already trying to expand the ranch’s land? Or was this a complaint that they had dug holes and found nothing of value?
...Well, he could only hope his excuses would suffice. Just in case, he had already divided his assets and hidden them in various locations, giving his son a letter detailing their whereabouts to be opened if anything ever happened to him.
"...And so, what is your business today?"
"I want to escort a merchant going to another town-uo. But I was turned down because they said hiding inside the wagon is no good-dao. So, let us ride in your wagon-uo!"
"I want to turn the fossils we dug up into golems-ssu. That means I need a Golem Spellbook. Please get one in stock for me-ssu!"
"Hey, if I bring in a bunch of stuff, will you buy it from me? I finally got my Home, you see."
Yes. The usual, the usual.
The merchant momentarily pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, mentally organizing their demands.
"I shall look for the spellbook; for a price, of course. As for whether I can purchase the items you bring in, that depends entirely on the items themselves. However, please spare me any stolen goods; we run a legitimate business here. Now, as for the escorting..."
The merchant addressed their points one by one, as he always did. And then—
"...Um, please listen to the end without getting angry, all right? The role of an escort is also to deter bandits by making a display of protection beforehand... Since there is a risk that the driver or the horses might be killed by a surprise volley of arrows... taking turns resting inside the wagon is generally the limit of what is acceptable."
"Tsk, you're so thorough about that kind of thing-uo...!!"
"Therefore, the conversation would go much more smoothly if we were to hire a peddler and a wagon to act as decoys to lure out the bandits."
"Oh! You're smart-uo! Just what I'd expect-dao! Then, how much will it cost to hire you-uo?"
Wait, was he being told to act as a decoy and die?
If he hadn't made the suggestion, he probably would have died anyway, but were they still dissatisfied?
"...Ah, unfortunately, given my age and appearance, I am not suited to the role of a peddler. I shall introduce a young peddler of my acquaintance instead. He is a promising individual in whom I have invested."
"Oh, that's the one! That'll work-uo!"
Apparently, that was acceptable. Good. He could just force the job onto one of the peddlers under his thumb by offering to reduce their debt.
That said, there would be no profit for him as a merchant if that was all he did.
"To make the decoy more realistic, it would be best to actually carry some merchandise. If you tell me which town you wish to visit, I can arrange appropriate goods on my end."
"Oh, that helps-uo. Then, anywhere other than Wantos or Frilene is fine-uo. Can I pay for it with this-uo?"
With those words, the black-haired, twin-tailed Calamity—the spirit-possessed girl—set down a massive Magic Stone roughly the size of a human head.
Whoa.
"...W-What is this?"
"Apparently it's the Magic Stone of a monster called a Nega Great Moth-uo. I hunted it while I was passing by on a request the other day."
Judging by the size of the Magic Stone, it was glaringly obvious that this was not a monster one simply "passed by."
Did these three alone hunt the owner of this stone...? As he suspected, there was no doubt that these Calamities possessed overwhelming military might.
"I-Is this fine with the other two as well? Is this not an incredibly precious Magic Stone?"
"Huh, that’s a monster I’ve never heard of. You defeated something like that, Alto?"
"I’ve never heard of a Nega Great Moth either-ssu! You’ve gotta tell me about stuff like that-ssu! What kind of materials can you harvest from it-ssu?"
"Oh, did I not mention it-uo? Well, it was a giant moth that scattered scales everywhere-uo. It was a weakling in terms of elemental compatibility, but its colors were all glitched out and it wasn’t something I wanted to look at up close-dao..."
She hunted it solo. Haha... She was easily three times stronger than he had imagined.
But now, conversely, that was reassuring. Regardless of the decoy peddler's fate, the goods would surely arrive safely. Ah, he would have to write a letter of introduction and a map for the shop in Suriado as well.
"...In that case, for the trade run to the town of Suriado, let us have the peddler carry as much cargo as possible. Of course, while ensuring there is space for all of you to hide in the wagon... perhaps we should even send two or three wagons?"
"...Wouldn't it be unnatural for there to be absolutely no guards for a caravan that size-ssu?"
"Mu... t-true. If we are pretending to be a reckless peddler cutting costs, then one large Covered Wagon would be the best choice... In that case, the amount remaining after subtracting expenses from the sale of the Magic Stone would be..."
"I want you to put the change toward the land costs for Penpen's Ranch-uo!"
"Ah, is that okay? Thanks-ssu!"
"Well, you're always helping me out-uo."
...The change looked like it would amount to about five Gold Coins.
I need to secure that land quickly.
Well, that was only if the Magic Stone sold for its true value, so he would put that thought on hold for now.
"...Very well, I shall make the arrangements."
"Uo—! We'll head out for today-uo! Should we come back here tomorrow-uo?"
"A-Around noon tomorrow, I will have the peddler head toward the ranch... You can meet him directly there."
"Your service is top-notch-ssu!"
As if I'd let you set foot back in here tomorrow...!
The merchant thought this, but he did not let it reach his lips. No matter how much of a Calamity they were, speaking ill of high-paying customers was the mark of a sub-third-rate merchant.
They were now a solid "business partner" and a "VVIP."
Even if his stomach ended up riddled with ulcers, or his hair fell out in clumps, an elite merchant had no choice but to maintain a smile.
Satisfied, his visitors were smiling as well. Good. It seemed his life would be spared once again.
"Alright, tomorrow it is! Then let's go play in the red-light district today! At that one shop!"
"Sounds good-ssu! I'm gonna go play with the big sisters-ssu!"
With that, the storm departed.
...
"...Now then, time to choose a sacrifice. I must have them ready by tomorrow!"
The schedule was tight; he had to move fast.
The merchant began to run through his mental list of offerings—rather, peddlers—to present to the Calamities.