Chapter 63: Conditions for Exchange
Unable to answer my question, he just trembled with a pale face, breaking out in a cold sweat, so I suppressed my killing intent.
“I’m not serving you, you know. Do you think you can just treat Adventurers however you please?”
“Y-you… are you trying to threaten me!”
“Threaten? There’s no need to even threaten you. If I consider you an enemy and bear a grudge, you will die. It’s as simple as that.”
Did he understand the meaning of my words? “W-wait, please wait! I didn’t mean it like that. I just wanted to boast a little, please forgive me. I’ll never speak of you again, so please forgive me, I beg you!”
Even if he says he’ll never speak of me again, if he talked about it at the tea party, it’s the same as shouting it from the rooftops, so it’s too late.
“So, what did you say at the tea party?”
“At the tea party, the conversation turned to prized tea leaves. The boasting about the aroma of tea leaves owned by other houses got on my nerves, and I ended up saying that there was a Nectar with a refreshing floral scent, even better than the aroma of the tea we were drinking. The Queen heard this and said she absolutely wanted to try it, and I couldn’t back down…”
Milene-sama must have a hard time. Not only is he headstrong, but he’s also got a loose tongue.
It can’t be helped that it’s been made public, but if I leave it without a plan, things will inevitably get ugly, so I need to come up with countermeasures.
I had the knight, who was waiting by the wall with a pale face, call Milene-sama.
“I heard how the information leaked, but besides the Queen, how many people heard about it?”
She glanced at her deathly pale father, gave a wry smile, and explained the situation.
“It was at a tea party hosted by the Queen. Most of them were noblewomen and their daughters, but a few related nobles were also mixed in. I was in the middle of a conversation with the lady next to me when the Queen asked about the Flower Nectar, and that’s when I learned what Father had said. At that time, Father also mentioned Honey, and that there would likely be a transaction with you soon.”
“So you mean he spoke proudly about it in front of everyone?”
“The troublesome part is that the Queen became interested and ordered Father to obtain it, but Father escaped by saying the transaction would be through me.”
He’s truly an irresponsible old man. I can imagine the trouble Milene-sama is put through, being jerked around like this.
If I don’t hand over the Flower Nectar, that damn old man will be branded a braggart and his honor will be ruined, but I feel sorry for Milene-sama and Mina who’d get caught in the crossfire.
That said, if I do hand over the Flower Nectar, it’ll go just as that damn old man planned, and he’ll likely gain the Queen’s favor, but I’m scared of what comes after.
If it comes down to it, I can just flee this country, but I barely know anything about this country, let alone other countries.
I need to think of a way for Milene-sama to avoid being shamed as the braggart old man’s daughter, and also ensure no harm comes to me.
The best course of action might be to make them think that Flower Nectar is a rare item, that Milene-sama can only obtain it through me, and that only I know how to gather it.
For that, I need a way to prevent nobles and wealthy merchants in this country from making unreasonable demands, but luckily, the one who showed interest was the Queen.
There’s no way I’m not using this.
“Milene-sama, if a small amount is acceptable, I shall give it to you.”
“Is that alright?”
“It was spoken of in front of everyone, and if you can’t prepare what the Queen desires, your house will be slandered as braggarts. If she sees the actual product, the Queen will understand. If, by any chance, she desires more than that, I will share it with you, but with conditions for exchange.”
“Conditions for exchange?”
“That will be after the Queen expresses her desire for more. More importantly, please prepare tea and a wagon.”
On the prepared wagon, I placed 10 Medium Bottles of Honey taken from my Magic Pouch.
Next to them, I placed a large jar of Honey, about the size of an 8-liter container for plum wine, and an empty container with a thud, surprising the maid.
On the table, I placed the usual container of Honey and a kettle filled with Flower Nectar. I then poured Flower Nectar into two empty Potion containers.
The Potion bottles have a small capacity, about that of a health drink, so if you put a lot in tea, it’ll be gone quickly.
I took an empty teacup, dripped a small amount of Flower Nectar into it, and then added that to tea which already contained about half a teaspoon of Honey. I then offered this teacup, now holding the Flower Nectar, to Milene-sama.
“As you can see, about half a teaspoon is enough for scenting, so please try it.”
Beside Milene-sama, Mina was holding out a cup of milk.
In that moment, Mii-chan escaped to my side, landed on my shoulder, and relaxed.
Even though Mina is a child, it seems being held constantly is painful for Mii-chan.
“It really does have a strong fragrance with just a tiny amount, doesn’t it?”
“If you try to sweeten it with only Flower Nectar, you’ll need more than you would with Honey, so please use Honey for sweetness.”
Luxury-loving royals, nobles, and wealthy merchants would probably mistake such wastefulness as a status symbol, though.
As for the payment for the Honey, I decided to have it transferred to my Commerce Guild account, just like last time. When asked where to contact me if the Queen was pleased with it, I told them I’d be staying at the Ransit Hotel on Rurient Street for about 20 days.
I plan on having some fine town clothes made, so it should take about that much time, which is perfect.
I had the Moran Trading Company’s carriage take me to the hotel. The next day, I went to the Commerce Guild in the Royal Capital, and after checking my balance, I told them I wanted to have clothes made that could be enchanted with magic.
I was shown to a business discussion room with a beaming smile, and I requested the same fabric as my Adventurer’s clothes.
After the measurements were taken, I conveyed my preferences and left the rest to them.
Since they’re town clothes, it’s like a safari jacket style with a hood, but I made some odd requests like slits for fastening a sword belt and hanging a Short Sword, so it seemed like a lot of trouble for them.
I arranged for the fitting to be done at the Ransit Hotel. The fabric and tailoring costs were deducted from my Commerce Guild account, and this time it was a bit expensive at 18,200,000 Dahla.
After all, my balance is a whopping 240,490,000 Dahla, so all my orders are accepted readily.
Somehow, the payment for the Honey is starting to feel like a trivial amount; my sense of money is getting warped.
Well, I also have 10,000,000 Dahla saved up in my Magic Pouch, so it’s not surprising if it’s getting warped.
While I’m spending money, I decided to get a letter of introduction to a magic tool merchant and pay them a visit.
In off-the-rack town clothes, I wouldn’t get a free pass into a magic tool merchant’s shop, so I showed the letter of introduction to be let in.
When I said I wanted to increase the time dilation on my 5-90 Magic Bag and 3-60 Magic Pouch, I was told I’d have to empty them out and hand them over to a magic tool craftsman.
Since it was a hassle, I decided to buy a Rank 5, 360x time dilation one instead. They were surprised that a young guy in off-the-rack town clothes would casually buy such a thing.
A Rank 5 item with 360x time dilation costs 420 Gold Coins, or 42,000,000 Dahla, quite a hefty price.
When I told them I’d pay through the Commerce Guild, I was handed a document with the payment amount and signed it.
A servant immediately ran to the Commerce Guild, returned with a proof of payment, and I was handed the Magic Bag.
From now on, I’ll put non-perishables in the ones with less time dilation, and use the 360x one exclusively for food and game.
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The day before the fitting, I received a message from Milene-sama saying she would send a carriage to pick me up tomorrow, so I asked to postpone the fitting by a day.
When I went to the Moran Trading Company in the carriage she sent, Milene-sama was waiting. She told me that the Queen was extremely pleased with the Flower Nectar and wished to purchase it.
I had thought the light sweetness and aroma of the Flower Nectar would captivate women, but I was surprised by the Royal Family’s offer to buy it all up.
According to Milene-sama, it’s an unparalleled item for gifts to other countries, and apparently, no one knew of its existence.
Until my Honeys started collecting it, I only had Honey on my mind too.
I only realized it was Flower Nectar because I had a memory from elementary school of picking salvia flowers from a flowerbed and sucking the nectar.
Even though Honey is a luxury item and in short supply, a single teacup’s worth is bought for 4 Gold Coins. Just thinking about how much Flower Nectar would be priced at is terrifying.
Conversely, this means all sorts of rabble will come flocking for it, so if I make one wrong move, I might have to flee this country quickly.
“The Queen is greatly pleased with it, and as it’s something that wouldn’t be shameful as a gift to other countries, she wishes to purchase it at a satisfactory price. And about that, you said that if she wanted more than those two bottles, it would be conditional, didn’t you?”
“I certainly did. If you continue to seek Flower Nectar, the condition is the right to move freely within the kingdom. As an Adventurer, I can freely go to other countries, but if word of the Flower Nectar spreads, there’s no doubt that nobles and wealthy merchants will start making demands. I want an authorization that means I don’t have to obey those nobles and wealthy merchants at that time.”
Saying that, I glanced at that shitty old man sitting there with a stiff expression.
At my words, Milene-sama also looked at her father with a bitter expression and nodded.
「Understood. I will try to convey it to Her Majesty the Queen.」
「If that is granted, I will be able to hand over about three Medium Bottles of that Honey. However, you are not to interfere with what I choose to give to others. One more thing, please allow my Tamed Beasts free entry and exit, whether it’s the Royal Capital or territories within the country.」
「If it’s Mii-chan, you’ve already brought her, haven’t you?」
「Besides Mii-chan, I have Tamed two Forest Wolves. They were denied entry in the town of Heinz and the Royal Capital.」
「If they are forbidden entry, what happens to the wolves?」
「I’ve instructed them not to attack Adventurers, and I let them play outside the town.」
「Won’t the Tame break?」
「I don’t know about other Tamers, but mine are fine.」
Not having unreasonable demands thrust upon me by nobles or wealthy merchants, and having the right to take my Tamed Beasts anywhere, would significantly increase my freedom of movement and safety.
I wouldn’t need to go all the way to Zandra for Flower Nectar anymore, and even if I go to nearby towns or villages for Gold Mash, it would be a relief not to have to worry about lords or Guards.