As my vision shifted, I found myself inside a building, with Frank standing right in front of me.
“Is this the industrial zone?”
“That’s right.”
Well, I had thought about it, so it makes sense.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
A voice came from behind, and I turned around to see Cedric had also teleported over.
“Alright, let’s go.”
After Frank said that, we stepped outside the building, and it seemed we were on top of a hill, giving us a view of the town.
“Whoa, this is completely different from the commercial district.”
The industrial zone consisted of large factory-like buildings and five-story stone office buildings lined up together.
“The industrial zone is where they produce the goods sold in the commercial zone. Think of it as more of an office district rather than just a place for factories,” Cedric explained.
“So, after graduating, do people work here?”
“That’s right. For instance, if you were like Senior Joan, with an alchemy qualification, you’d likely get hired somewhere.”
I see…
“What about me?”
“You’d probably end up as a test subject or a security guard?”
A test subject…
“Is that all combat jobs amount to?”
“You get paid well though. Though, considering you’re from a good family, you’ll figure something out.”
Coming from one of the top five noble heirs, that was a bit of a backhanded compliment…
“And what about the bear? Where do we sell it, or can we actually sell it?”
“Under normal circumstances, you’d hand it over to a salvage shop.”
“Can we just show up and ask them to buy it?”
“No, that won’t work.”
Cedric shook his head.
“You mean it’s impossible?”
“Exactly. In the past, we had brokers dealing with these kinds of transactions, but they were too unscrupulous and eventually got shut down. Nowadays, we rely on trusted contacts to handle the distribution for us.”
“And how exactly does that work?”
“We have long-standing relationships with certain businesses. For example, the expensive coat I’m wearing? It’s from a shop my family has only ever dealt with. We’ve bought from them for generations, and the owner and I have met numerous times. Understand? These are trusted acquaintances.”
Is Cedric being bourgeois right now or what?
“So, do bear buyers exist? Like fur traders?”
“No, not directly. But businesses like salvage shops might have connections that could offload it further down the line for the right price.”
“Oh, I see… But I don’t have those kinds of connections!”
Maybe Mother or Father would know someone.
“Of course, we have some students who lack such networks. In those cases, you could always ask the teacher or even a classmate for help.”
“Classmate?”
I pointed at Cedric.
“Exactly, that’s the idea. But this time, we’ll rely on another classmate over here.”
Cedric pointed to Frank.
“Classmate?”
I echoed, following Cedric’s lead, pointing at Frank as well.
“Right… Cedric is only an example; it’d be problematic if someone like him received a bear. Let’s say it belongs to a less privileged crowd.”
“I get it. You rich kid.”
Cedric was just flaunting his wealth.
“Yeah, I admit it crossed my mind… Regardless, as Frank said, families like ours do have connections. And in this case, my family’s forge is better for handling something like a bear.”
“What kind of shop does your family run?”
“A blacksmith.”
Oh!
“Are they weapon makers?”
“That’s right.”
Seemed like a better prospect than Cedric’s fancy coat shop.
“Anyway, let’s go. Oh, Tsukasa, there’s a vending machine over there. On you?”
Even for a bourgeois guy, he’s stingy…
“Sure, I’ll treat you. But if I ever end up on the streets, remind me of this day and buy me a meal.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. And I wouldn’t offer you a meal—I’d hire you.”
It pays to have good friends.
So much for considering a life as a NEET. Although, in the future, I’d probably still rely on my cousin Erik.
I kept my promise and bought drinks for the two of them. We began walking downhill into the industrial zone, cans in hand.
“There aren’t many people around here.”
I only spotted a few adults, and no students in uniform were visible.
“Students rarely come around this area.”
“Huh… feels weird.”
As we were walking, Frank stopped in front of a building that looked like a factory.
“Here we are.”
“A factory?”
“More like a workshop, kinda like this place… uh—”
Suddenly, a loud shout caught our attention. Turning around, I saw a rather burly white-haired man—or maybe a grandpa—standing there. It was hard to guess his age. While he had gray hair and wrinkles on his face, his muscular physique made him seem younger.
“Hey! Isn’t that Frank?”
“Ah, Klaus, that’s exactly where I was heading!”
So this is Frank’s contact. The blacksmith guy, huh? He certainly looks the part with that hammer.
“Well, that makes sense. Why else would you be here? What do you want? Looking for weapons? Or did you kill something?”
“It’s the latter.”
“Hmm… and who’s this guy? I know Cedric, but who’s this one?”
Klaus pointed at me.
“Oh, he’s a classmate. Started school in May.”
“Huh… what’s your name, kid?”
Klaus asked.
“My name’s Nagase Tsukasa! And Nagase is my family name.”
“Nagase? I think I’ve heard that name somewhere before…”
Wow!
Could our family finally be getting some recognition?
“It’s one of Japan’s prestigious families. Unfortunately, it’s famous for being so obscure.”
“Wait, famous, huh? And prestigious? Nagase, Nagase… oh, I think I remember. Someone with that name used to attend the academy.”
“Was it a relative?”
“Tsukasa, Klaus here used to be a teacher at the school,” Frank said.
“Ah… so this guy was a teacher?”
I whispered to Frank.
“…Exactly,” Frank replied quietly.
“Could you hear that, you brats…? Anyway, I didn’t make a great teacher. But tell me, what’s your father’s name?”
“My father is Nagase Makoto.”
“Makoto… oh, the dumb couple guy?”
Wait, dumb couple?
I’m getting a bad vibe from this conversation.
“Hey, please don’t tell that story. I really don’t want to hear anything about my parents’ shenanigans. That was a horrible thing to say.”
“Yeah, it’s best not to tell those kinds of things to impressionable teenagers,” Klaus admitted, suddenly looking very serious.
“So true.”
“If I were in your position, I’d punch my parents.”
Is it that bad?
Man, my parents are seriously weird.
Thank you for reading!
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