Episode 10: “The Emerald Covenant”
The main street.
I strolled along, passing various shops… bakeries, shoe stores, weapon shops, and finally, I arrived at the plaza.
In this world, there isn’t some carelessly thrown together “Merchant Guild that operates worldwide!” like you’d find in a typical “Let’s Become a Novelist” fantasy. Guilds do exist, though.
They’re called Brotherhoods. In this world with its thin concept of welfare, people in the same trade form “Brotherhoods” to help each other like family.
For example, if someone gets injured and can’t work, there’s no welfare from the government. But the Brotherhoods collect funds and provide something like relief money.
You can think of it as an American-style system where the private sector handles welfare.
So, these Brotherhoods…
Have power dynamics, and this is what you might call the “rank system” of merchant guilds in a typical European-esque fantasy world.
For example, there are those who have permanent shops in buildings, even when the weekly market in the plaza isn’t happening.
These are the old-timers who’ve been around since the town was founded, passing down their skills to their descendants – the “established businesses.”
Having a shop within the city walls means you’re a high-ranking artisan or merchant.
Or rather, cities like this are incredibly closed off, so having proof that you’ve lived in the city for many years is a big deal, you know?
The next highest rank is people with permanent stalls.
Permanent shops have to pay taxes to the lord regularly, after all.
And finally, there are traveling merchants and stalls.
These are the guys who only open shop when the market is held every week.
These guys get away with paying less in taxes, but they tend to be weaker. Well, they’re outsiders without citizenship, so they don’t have much of a foundation. Can’t be helped.
And of course, these guys are outsiders who haven’t even formed a Brotherhood, so their position is very weak.
If they try to pull off shady business or act too cocky, the surprisingly militant other Brotherhoods will beat them half to death and kick them out.
So… where do I fit in?
“Yo, Granny Mary. I brought you a souvenir.”
“Came, did you, brat?”
I belong to the “Emerald Covenant,” a Brotherhood for those in plant-related trades…
“Hey, hey, no need to call me a brat, okay? I’m also a member of the Brotherhood, and a master craftsman.”
“Hmph! I still don’t recognize you! Sure, the rights to the soap you invented are huge. I understand why the Lord-sama gave you citizenship as a special case. But this town is our town! Don’t you outsiders go getting too big for your britches!”
…However, this is just how it is.
Maybe it’s because I’m a changeling.
In terms of status, I’m like a Jewish doctor in the Middle Ages.
A troublesome and suspicious outsider, but if you use me well, you can make a profit, and it’s not impossible to serve royalty…
Naturally, I’m viewed with suspicion, and people try to manipulate me.
My status is low, since I’m a wandering changeling, so I’m looked down upon.
But by not giving up on communication and sharing some technology and materials, I’ve managed to stop being turned away at the door…
“Ah, Granny! You can’t talk to Dru-san like that!”
Oh, it’s Ralph-kun, Granny Mary’s grandson, and a figurehead of the Emerald Covenant.
He’s still a timid and delicate boy.
“Dru-san is the only ‘soap maker’ in town, and he taught the soap-making technique to our apprentices! If you’re both master craftsmen, you’re on equal footing!”
“Quiet, Ralph! Why are you such a softie? You have to hit them hard! If you don’t, the lower ranks will start complaining!”
“B-but, you were praising Dru-san earlier, saying how amazing he is…!”
“Ralph!… That’s your problem. Your ability to get along with people is commendable as a person. But! As the head of an organization, there are times when you have to hate even people you don’t dislike! Think about that!”
“Y-yes…”
Ah, that’s right.
Granny Mary, who puts on this “obnoxious old woman” act, actually recognizes my abilities.
She’s a skilled apothecary herself, so she understands the amazingness of my medical knowledge and the high-quality, uniform medicines I make using magic.
But unfortunately, there aren’t many people who can look at skills objectively, regardless of background, like Granny does.
Most artisans are harsh on outsiders.
So, Granny Mary, who’s in a position to lead the artisans of the Emerald Covenant, has to pretend to dislike me, no matter how she feels inside. For the sake of the other artisans…
“But well, I don’t hold anything against Granny or the other artisans, so I’ll treat them fairly.”
But that’s not my problem.
I’ll fulfill my obligations as a resident and artisan of this town, but I don’t intend to be overly humble.
Saying that, I pushed the fruit pie I brought as a souvenir onto Ralph-kun.
“Wow, it looks delicious…!”
And also, a ceramic bottle filled with dried, powdered medicinal herbs.
“…Ascol Leaf, is it?”
Granny opened the lid of the ceramic bottle, scooped up some of the powder with a small spoon like an ear pick, examined it, put it on the back of her hand, and said.
Ascol Leaf…
A precious medicinal herb, worth a gold coin for just one of these palm-sized bottles.
It’s a single-leaf plant with yellow leaves that only grows in the south, and its medicinal properties are effective for infertility, such as irregular menstruation.
Because of its medicinal properties, it’s especially popular with those in power, and the medicine made from this small bottle, worth a few gold coins, would sell for at least thirty gold coins.
“According to the Emerald Covenant’s rules, the materials for insufficient medicines are to be shared within the Covenant, right? I believe the war in the south has been prolonged recently, and Ascol Leaf has been hard to come by.”
“…Tch, here!”
Oh, gold coins… five of them?
She’s giving me quite a markup, isn’t she?
It should only be three coins.
She must be grateful after all.
“Thanks, see you later.”
“Hmph! Don’t come back!”
After showing my face at the Brotherhood, I looked around the shops on the main street…