Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 134. Three Companion And Negotiation

“I want to give you another job. The defense of this town. Of course, the reward will be double the going rate… no, I’ll guarantee triple.”

“I must decline.”

I responded without hesitation.

The mayor of Hanshon Town, Dodor Messara—30 years old but with a face like an old man—nodded in satisfaction and then paused. He slowly raised his head.

“What did you just say?”

“I said, I must decline.”

I repeated myself, word for word. Dodor’s face immediately wrinkled. Now I understand why he insists on mentioning that he’s 30.

“Unless my ears are ill, it sounds like you’re rejecting my direct request.”

“Our job is to conduct investigations, not defense. Why the sudden shift to defense work?”

“With two famous warriors appearing, it would be inefficient to assign them some trivial task. As mayor, I believe I must place them in the most effective roles.”

Without answering his question, I succeeded in guiding the conversation my way.

“I see. Well, I was requesting these two warriors’ help as a coincidence, but they are indeed remarkable fighters.”

“Oh, by the way, are you the one who owns that outrageous carriage?”

“I was so nervous I forgot to introduce myself—I’m Akira, a traveling merchant.”

“Hmm… never heard of you. I thought I was familiar with the goings-on in this area.”

“I’m from the Pilatus region.”

“Ah, that backwater kingdom.”

Dodor’s words made one of my eyebrows twitch. Considering that boar of a king, I can’t blame him for saying that, but it still irritated me. I’ll have to be careful not to let it affect my behavior.

“For someone from there, that’s a rather luxurious carriage, isn’t it?”

“It’s an artifact inherited from my father’s time. Until recently, I didn’t even know how to use it, so it’s not well known. By the way, you wouldn’t happen to have done anything to my carriage…?”

“You’re quite rude, aren’t you? I haven’t laid a finger on it. I only heard that the glass control seat is valuable and caught a glimpse inside.”

“I sincerely apologize for that.”

Damn. I should’ve closed the curtains. Though the lock’s on, so they couldn’t have searched inside.

“You merchants are really something… No, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding. Triple the reward means three times the scouting fee, not the defense job’s rate. I’d even be willing to add more on top, paying each of you individually.”

Ah, so the defense job is 10,000, and scouting is 30,000. He must think we confused the two. But I have other questions to ask.

“I see. But what exactly do you mean by defending the town? If it’s just goblins, shouldn’t we simply eradicate them? Since that wasn’t part of the original request, we couldn’t select that option, but if it’s a new task, we’d be willing to take it.”

Dodor’s face wrinkled further at my question.

“…Well, yes, if it’s just goblins, they should be eradicated…”

“Indeed. If left to us, the two renowned warriors will ensure the goblins are wiped out… at the very least, we guarantee their collapse.”

“……”

Dodor sipped his tea gracefully, but the wrinkles between his eyebrows didn’t smooth out.

“I would ask you to keep this confidential…”

“Of course.”

“The truth is, it’s not just an ordinary goblin settlement. It’s a large-scale colony… there’s a high possibility of a Goblin Hazard.”

“What…!”

Alright. This is the information I was most curious about. And it’s clear the mayor is well aware of the situation.

“It’s rumored that the goblins are in an abandoned mine. Do you have any idea of the scale?”

“…Perhaps hundreds. Maybe even up to a thousand.”

“That’s…”

Dodor spoke with a bitter expression, as if he’d swallowed a bug.

“In that case, scouting would require capable people, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, yes, you’re right about that.”

“From what I observed at the tavern, I believe all the capable people have been assigned to merchant escorts.”

“……”

“Let’s do this, then.”

“What do you propose?”

“We will proceed with the scouting mission as originally planned.”

“And?”

“Once we return, we’ll accept the defense request as well. Naturally, we’ll expect the agreed-upon payment.”

“Hmm… merchant, that was your aim from the start, wasn’t it?”

“Hahaha, I’m a greedy man.”

“Honesty is a virtue, but it’ll make people dislike you.”

Despite his words, a small smile returned to Dodor’s face.

“Let’s finalize the contract, then. Ah, for the defense request, just a simple memorandum on the payment will suffice.”

“Understood. I’ll leave the rest to my staff.”

“Very well.”

We shook hands with smiles. The negotiation was successful.

I thought that was the end, but Dodor’s gaze lingered on me. I’m not interested, old man.

“By the way, your outfit—it’s quite a unique design, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. Since I was meeting the mayor, I pulled out my best attire.”

Turns out he was looking at my clothes.

…The real reason is my shirt got ruined in the goblin fight.

“It seems to incorporate traditional designs, but with a modern twist, focusing on comfort. Whoever designed it must be quite the talent, no?”

Ah, so he’s interested in my clothes.

“This is a prototype from the famous Veliero Trading Company. I was lucky enough to acquire it through a connection.”

“Veliero, you say…”

“You’ve heard of them?”

“Anyone who does business or works in government around here would know them. Their products, especially salt, are top quality. They’re like the conscience of Pilatus.”

“Hearing that would surely make them proud.”

I didn’t miss the slight twitch of Dodor’s eyebrows.

“You know the lady in charge?”

“Perhaps… I was fortunate enough to meet her daughter.”

“I see…”

“This design is hers as well.”

“Not only does she have her mother’s business acumen, but she can also create such innovative designs? She’s quite a remarkable woman, isn’t she?”

“Indeed. She’ll no doubt achieve even greater things.”

“Hmm… she might be more than just a merchant after all. After all, that witch—no, never mind.”

Oh, I heard that. And I couldn’t agree more.

“One more thing… would you consider selling that outfit? We’re about the same height, after all.”

“Now that you mention it, we are.”

Hmm… should I take a chance?

“It would be rude to sell you used clothes.”

“I assume you’re using some kind of cleaning tool? Nobles wouldn’t mind, given the quality.”

“But this is my special outfit…”

“Then I’ll offer a fitting reward.”

This old man isn’t very good at negotiating, is he? He’s just throwing promises around. I recalled the state of his house. He might be a rich heir.

“Well… I’d like to keep this private, but…”

“What is it?”

“I happen to have another outfit just like this…”

“Oh! You do?”

“However, it’s another prototype, and it’s not yet in circulation…”

“Hmph. Merchants always say the same thing.”

“Haha, you saw right through me. But if you’re still interested, I’m willing to discuss it.”

“…Very well. Let me see it.”

I paused to think.

I hadn’t yet purchased the traditional outfit registered in my SHOP. There’s no guarantee it will look exactly the same, and buying it would leave me with half my money. If I can’t sell it, it might interfere with future plans.

Noticing my hesitation, Dodor mistook it for reluctance and pushed forward.

“Don’t worry, you won’t regret it.”

He hurried me along, clearly eager. Oh, he’s definitely going to buy it.

I gave a quick signal to the other three.