Volume 7 - CH 11

“…isn’t it expensive?”

I took one look at the numbers written on the parchment handed to me and muttered to myself.

After returning to the trading house, Herman told us to wait a little while for the quotation to be prepared, and we quietly waited in the lobby.

When it was finally completed, it was just a few minutes before dusk. I was the only one who went to the reception room, while the rest of the staff waited in the lobby.

“Eh, it’s expensive? Th-that’s that…”

Herman, who was sitting in front of me, seemed a little panicked, as if he didn’t expect i would say such a thing.

“I’d lose a lot, but if you wish to …… lower the price a little more, I’d be happy to do it for you. ……”

After sighing, I looked up and said to Herman.

“By the way, it took a long time to make this.”

“I, that’s… no, I’m sorry.”

Herman, whose eyes were watering for a moment, said with an apologetic smile.

“It’s been quite a while since I’ve dealt with divine demon slaves… while consulting with the vice-representative, I’ve calculated the price for each person…”

“Consult with who?”

I frown.

“Is there any point in doing that?”

“Eh, yeah… of course. Our company is a business founded by two people, Neg and i.”

Saying that, Herman smiled amiably.

On the other side of his suspicious smile… there was something about his voice that sounded sincere.

I remember that timid vengeful ghost tamer, no matter how you think about it, he didn’t have a shred of merchant-likeness, and he looked like nothing more than a bodyguard, but… is that why he’s surprisingly good at calculations?

I say, feeling a little dubious.

“I mean, why were you so worried about the selling price after all this time? Don’t merchants have an estimate of how much they will sell for once they have paid the purchase price?”

“No, it’s embarrassing……. I had intended to sell it at auction from the beginning, so I had not thought about the price at all, yes.”

“I’m sure there is at least a market price for it. You said you haven’t handled it in a while, couldn’t you have used the previous sale price as a reference?”

“That’s right, but I am not sure what the market price is for such a special kind of slave. In addition, the one time I dealt with them in the past, they were mature male demons, so I couldn’t give them the same price……”

“Huh. Well, that’s fine.”

With that, I leave my seat, still holding the parchment.

“Se, Seika-dono?”

Herman leaned forward slightly and sounded upset.

“As I said before, if you are on a tight budget, we can reduce the price a little more ……”

“Herman.”

I say, looking down at the slaver.

“When is Luglok’s medical doctor coming over?”

************

By the time we got back to the inn, the sun had completely set.

“…”

By the way, the atmosphere of the room is also sinking.

Rurumu and Nozuro were also brought along to discuss the future, but even though there were five of them, no one spoke.

Perhaps everyone is at a loss because the amount of money for all the slaves I told them was much higher than they expected.

“… what are you going to do?”

Amiyu solemnly opens her mouth.

“We can’t prepare such a large amount of money.”

Everyone became silent.

The price for fifteen god demons is more than the average slave’s market price. Such a large sum of money is not something that most people would be able to afford.

Ifa said timidly.

“B-but… if we all borrow from the guild, maybe…”

“I’m sure we could. With our achievements in the Stampede, we might be able to borrow this amount of money.”

But I say let it go.

“But—I have no obligation to go that far. We also have a living. There is no reason to go out of our way to help the demons,  by borrowing money to the point of losing our credibility.” 

“…”

Ifa lowered her eyes and kept silent.

She must have known for herself that no matter how hard it was, it was unreasonable.

“… that’s right. Enough.”

At that moment, Rurumu quietly spoke up.

“Originally, this was our problem. We can’t ask them to go this far and pay for it.”

“That’s right. It’s up to us to figure out where this goes from here.”

Nozuro continued.

“We owe you a lot, i thank you. But don’t …… worry about anything else.”

“I can’t repay you much, but please accept the jewelry I brought back from home. I’m sure they will fetch a good price. ……”

I said to Rurumu, who started to rummage through her pockets.

“I’m sure you’ll get a good price for it. Are you going to give up on your enslaved brothers and sisters?”

Rurumu stopped.

I said,

“You’re not thinking of taking them back by force, are you?”

“….”

“I’ll tell you where the warehouse is, what it’s made of, if you want to take a look at it, and where the guards are located, but I didn’t set out to contact the slavers with that intention in mind.”

“………… then what do you want me to do?”

Rurumu didn’t look me in the eye and said with a brooding expression.

“Are you telling me to abandon my comrades who were caught like that in a place like that?”

“….”

“… It’s just a matter of someone from the same country helping a fellow countryman who was kidnapped.”

Nozuro said slowly.

“It’s a common struggle in the land of the humans. We’ll go back to being strangers, and you’ll just sit by and watch. That’s all.”

“Sorry.”

I responded.

I don’t care if it’s between humans, I’m not going to stand idly by and let some non-human commit a crime in the land of the …… people.

If you leave the beasts and demons that attack people alone, they will surely eventually end up on you.

Unlike Lakana’s stampede, I had no difficulty in eliminating two demons without anyone noticing. I had no reason to hesitate.

“Don’t do it, unless you want to deal with me.”

The two demons were silent with a somber look on their faces.

As expected, they seem to have guessed the difference in ability from the incident in the forest.

The two have the original purpose of searching for people. They couldn’t risk it in a place like this.

However,…… feelings would be different.

They remain helplessly silent. —- I sigh and say to them.

“I am a first class adventurer.”

“…..”

I mean, I can take on any request, no matter how well-paid.

I continue, somewhat stuttering.

“I’ve told you before, I try to help people I know as much as I can. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to afford. 　I’ll take any of the more lucrative requests, so you can save up some money and buy back your friends”

“……?

Rurumu and Nozuro looked up in surprise.

I explained in the same tone, with my eyes slightly downcast.

“It will take at least a month for Luglok’s medical staff to arrive. I’m willing to buy them, but I need time to prepare the money.”

When I told him that I was willing to buy it, but that it would take time to prepare the money, Herman readily agreed.

It’s enough money for one person to live on for the rest of his or her life. Even gold coins would be a considerable amount. Even the richest man in the capital would not be able to prepare it today or tomorrow.

If you spend a month doing the expensive requests, you should be able to earn some money.

“Why…?”

Without answering Rurumu’s murmurs, I turned my eyes to Mabel who was by her side and said.

“Is this okay? Mabel”

Mabel, who was wide-eyed, suddenly nodded when her name was called.

“No”

“Really”

I let my guard down and laugh.

“Really… it’s nothing to do with you anymore, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Th-still… I didn’t want anyone to be like Nii-san anymore.”

Saying that, I stroked the head of Mabel who was looking down, and she suddenly raised her face.

“But, are you sure? Seika. You didn’t seem to want to get too deep into it, but…”

“If you hadn’t asked me to do it, I wouldn’t have done it this far. Well, I’m fine with it. The rest is up to these two.”

I look at Rurumu and Nozuro who are at a loss for words.

“So what are you going to do?”

“… If you can help your compatriots, it’s a wish.”

It was Nozuro who opened his mouth.

The big demon man looked straight at me and said.

“I would like to ask you.”

The narrow room was boiling.

Amiyu and Ifa also smiled and looked relieved.

“As he said Seika. Thank you.”

Rurumu thanked me with a solemn expression, then smiled softly and said,

Also, Mabel.

“Good”

Saying that, Mabel shook her head, but her face seemed somewhat happy.

“Heh heh, well, let’s all do our best!”

“We’ll be at the guild tomorrow morning. I’ll pick out a good request for you.”

“If I leave it to Amiyu, she’s going to pick another annoying request.”

“Don’t worry this time!”

As I was looking at the girls who were making a fuss, Rurumu came up to me and whispered.

“I was wondering if you might be a lot older than those girls.”

“……. No, we’re about the same age.’

I answer flatly, though I’m startled for a moment.

Rurumu said as if she was lost for words.

“No, it’s ……, that’s what it looked like to me.”

“…….”

It’s obvious, but I’ve never been questioned about my age since I was reincarnated.

You can guess a person’s age by looking at them, so there’s no reason to doubt them. But perhaps… that kind of common sense might not work for demons with long lifespans. Even if they look the same, they can be very different ages.

It’s not like they were able to see through my reincarnation, it’s just a cultural difference.

I replied in a playful way.

“Do I look that old?　That’s hurtful.”

“It’s not about the appearance, it’s about the content…”

“Human beings are more disjointed than they appear. Those children are those children. I am just me.”

“Uh… no, that’s right. I’m sorry.”

Rurumu said with a deceptive laugh.

“I think there are some of us who are a little old-fashioned, you’re a bit old-fashioned.”

“Rude.”

Don’t call me old.