Chapter 103

“Today, we drink!”

The bald man suddenly shouted.

His voice was so loud it captured everyone’s attention in the noisy pub.

“What, Sansio. Why are you acting so arrogant?”

“You gonna buy a round or something?”

Sansio looked triumphant.

“I am!”

“Huh? What’s with you? You said you came back from beyond the Drako Great Mountain Range this time; was it a good haul?”

“A good haul? I scraped a fortune. I sold everything!”

“Everything…?”

A few men made eye contact.

They were Sansio’s fellow merchants.

“This guy, what he took this time was…”

“…A ton of leather goods and wine. All of them are expensive, top-notch goods…”

“…And you sold all of that?”

Even a rough calculation amounted to a huge sum.

The fellow merchants dropped their jaws in astonishment. Sansio chuckled, stroking his bald head.

“Hehe, I timed it perfectly with the seventh anniversary of the Cordis Emperor's coronation. My prediction that they would need a sudden supply of goods, no matter how much they prepared, was spot on.”

The specialty of the Bururade Peninsula, where Merion is located, is none other than leather goods.

This was only natural, as the quality of the leather produced and the skill of the craftsmen were among the best on the continent.

Also, it was already common knowledge among merchants that the current Cordis Emperor enjoyed Bururade wine.

But what good was knowledge?

Knowledge itself didn’t make money.

You had to act on what you knew to get it in your hands.

The best goods, at the right time, in the right place.

Sansio earned a great deal of money as a reward for following the three principles of a merchant.

It was enough to incite the jealousy of his fellow merchants.

“Damn it! That’s Cordis money after all!”

“Ah, isn’t Cordis money still money? And you call yourself a merchant?”

“Tch…”

“Just drink! I’m paying for it!”

When Sansio gestured, the pub owner brought out countless glasses filled with beer.

The merchants grumbled but chugged down the ice-cold beer.

It was free and it was alcohol.

No man of Merion would refuse.

Sansio, the bald merchant, was enjoying the utmost happiness.

A thick purse was the first reason, the envious gazes on him were the second, and the delicious alcohol was the third.

Alcohol was always good, but a thick purse and envious gazes weren’t something he could always enjoy, were they?

“…Hey, Sansio, how many times over did you get?”

One of his colleagues asked cautiously.

“Seeing you brag like this… double?”

“Small-minded!”

“…No way, triple? No, three and a half times?”

“You guys are so unmanly.”

Sansio slammed his empty beer glass down with a clang.

He burst into a wide grin and shouted.

“I got seven times the amount!”

“““…What?!”””

After the attention shifted to him, all sorts of voices headed his way.

‘You’ve got to be kidding!’

‘That’s a scam!’

‘Did you come back from a robbery, not a trade?’

‘Baldy!’

‘Well, he does look like a robber.’

Mixed with the incoherent insults, Sansio didn't care.

“Heh-heh-heh, half of the goods I took went to the Imperial Palace. Because, no, thanks to the war on the Horm side, there was a shortage of goods!”

Seven times, seven times… The merchants who were doing the math turned their eyes, stunned.

They were so envious they couldn't stand it.

Sansio thought it was about time to appease his colleagues.

If he didn't, he might actually get a beating.

“Landlord! Bring out all the beer barrels and slaughter a pig, too!”

“We already slaughtered one and are roasting it!”

“Good. When it’s done, you sit here. You have to eat with us!”

“I’m already eating!”

“…Huh?”

Sansio scratched his cheek, looking at the pub owner who was eating his own shop’s meat with someone else's money.

Well, what did it matter?

He had plenty of money.

As long as he was having fun, wasn’t that all that mattered?

He chuckled, and the others laughed along.

Things were going so smoothly they drank, and they drank because they were jealous of the situation, and so it went on and on… Whether they earned money or were sick with jealousy, the beer was cold and delicious.

The men all opened their throats and poured the alcohol down.

The tipsiness quickly rose and their faces turned red.

The sight of their red faces was so funny they clinked their glasses even more.

The sound of clinking was so enjoyable that they opened their throats again.

For whatever reason, they just drank.

“By the way, seven years since the coronation? Has Emperor Ferbias been ruling for that long already?”

“That’s how long it’s been since the Great Emperor’s abdication, then.”

“Hmph, damn Empire. I thought it would just crumble once the Great Emperor was gone.”

“Nah, Continua's son! He's as competent as his father!”

The war with the Empire was only half a century long.

No matter who started the fight, it was clear that both sides had been wounded.

They didn't hide their hostility toward the Empire.

“Don’t be so hard on him.”

“Oh, Shion.”

“Actually, I also went beyond the great mountain range a while ago. I saw Emperor Ferbias during his procession back then.”

“Really? You're young, but you have so much experience.”

Sansio asked.

“So, what does the Emperor look like?”

“He’s handsome. But his forehead was like… the Umba Plains. So unfortunate for a man in his thirties…”

“Ah…”

Sansio, the bald merchant, let out a sigh of ineffable sympathy.

There were a few other men who sighed similarly. Sansio nodded his head.

“In that case, we should be understanding.”

“Even for the Emperor of Cordis, there are some things you can't help.”

A toast to Emperor Ferbias's forehead, like the Umba Plains!

The drunkards, having found a good reason, clinked their glasses again.

I slipped away, chuckling.

Standing next to me, the jade-eyed man looked somewhat sour.

“What, Amethus. Are you upset because they insulted your friend?”

“…No, I'm just dumbfounded by your baseless rumor-mongering.”

Rumors, lies, secrets.

The reason for my life!

I gave a playful smile.

Amethus, seeing his master, let out a small sigh.

“Let's get on with our work, Shion. It's too noisy to stay here much longer.”

“I agree. You think I came here because I wanted to?”

I passed by the drunken men.

Everyone was tipsy and offered me and Amethus drinks, but we politely declined.

I soon approached the pub owner, who was happily tearing into a roasted pork leg, and asked.

“Mr. Pub Owner.”

“Huh? Hmm? It’s Shion. What is it, Shion?”

The pub owner mumbled, chewing on the pork leg.

He was inexpressibly happy to be drinking his own shop’s alcohol with someone else’s money.

He had downed eight glasses of beer in an instant and was already feeling dizzy.

I smiled, looking at his unfocused eyes and red cheeks.

“Where is the Head of the Assorted Guilds?”

“Head of the Guilds? Ah, the Head of the Guilds! No, no, no. I was told not to say. Yes, I was told not to say…”

“Who told you not to say?”

“Who else? A blonde-haired, blue-eyed, young… man… oh…”

The pub owner, who was about to down his ninth glass, trailed off.

He looked closely at the boy in front of him and saw golden hair and blue eyes.

He hadn't paid much attention, only thinking of him as an employee of the nearby old bookstore, but now he saw that the blonde hair was truly beautiful.

“…”

“So you weren't supposed to say.”

I scratched my chin.

“Then he's here, isn't he?”

***

The noise was tremendous.

“It’s so loud.”

Veranio complained.

He was hiding in someone else's shop, but even he thought he was being brazen for complaining so much.

Still, the noise was unbearable.

He scratched the three lines of scars on his face.

“Why is it so loud today…?”

A bang sounded close, and then with a resounding crash, the door flew open as if it would shatter.

The sturdy bolt broke, and splinters flew. Beyond the door, I grinned widely.

“Found him.”

“...!”

As expected of one of Merion’s most skilled individuals, Veranio’s movements were swift.

He jumped up and tried to close the door in a hurry.

But it wouldn’t close.

It was as if it was being blocked by an invisible hand and it was.

It was the ‘Fantasy Finger.’

“Why are you hiding here when you have your own guild building?”

Amethus and I strode in.

“A guest has arrived, and you’re not even going to tell me to sit down?”

“…Sit here.”

“No thanks. I won’t be staying long.”

“…”

I ran a hand through my blonde hair.

“How have you been, Head of the Assorted Guilds?”

“…I told you not to call me Head of the Assorted Guilds.”

Veranio grumbled.

“…I’m the Head of the Merion Mercenary Guild, and the Head of the Rogue Guild, and the Head of the Gangster Guild, and the Head of the Night-Workers Guild.”

“Right, Head of the Assorted Guilds.”

I asked nonchalantly.

“Why were you hiding?”

“…Well, why do you think I was hiding?”

He gestured with his chin at the broken bolt.

“I don’t know. I’d appreciate it if you explained it to me.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

How brazen of me! Veranio chose his words carefully, trying to swallow his curses.

“…I thought it might be because whenever you look for me, it’s never for anything good.”

“That’s unfair. I only have good memories of the Head of the Assorted Guilds.”

“…I beg to differ.”

Veranio let out a low groan.

‘Damn it. How did things turn out like this in just one year?’

He had a time when he dominated the back alleys of Merion, including Droea Street.

That was a thing of the past now.

All because Shion and Amethus appeared and turned the whole game upside down.

The memory was so intense that he ran away as soon as he saw me approaching the guild building.

“I’m sorry for scaring you unnecessarily, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

I spoke with sincerity.

I didn’t think Veranio would run away as soon as I approached his guild building.

It made me reflect on my usual behavior.

“I’m looking for someone. And you guys hid them. Easy to understand, right?”

“…You’re saying we hid them.”

“Yeah. The way you erased their tracks is exactly your style.”

“…That’s a tough accusation.”

Veranio scratched his three-line scar.

“…Hiding them, you say. I don’t recall receiving a job like that recently at all.”

“It’s not good to get on my bad side, Veranio.”

“…But what can I do? I’m telling the truth.”

The Head of the Assorted Guilds couldn't hide his dilemma.

I tilted my head in confusion as well.

I was so sure Veranio was deeply involved.

“Tall, with dark blonde hair, and piercing eyes. You don't know him?”

“…Huh?”

“He would have had a woman with him. She also has blonde hair. She’s short and has an average build.”

“…Ohhh.”

I gave a look.

“Amethus, it looks like the Head of the Guilds has been lying.”

“No, no, no!”

The Head of the Assorted Guilds waved his hands frantically.

He knew how sharp the jade-eyed man’s sword was.

He didn't want to know, but he did.

“I didn’t know! I swear, I didn’t know!”

“Everyone says that.”

“There must, there must have been some mistake! Let me explain!”

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