Chapter 85
Dein and Eri arrived in the capital of the Bismarck Empire, Germanium. As the largest city and capital of the empire, it was a place bustling with countless people.
Recently, the adventuring party led by the hero had failed, causing a slight decrease in the crowds, but it remained the empire’s largest city nonetheless.
Being the largest city in the empire meant that Germanium was also the largest market in the empire. Naturally, it was a city where many merchants came and went.
“There are so many people.”
Unlike Dein, who was visiting Germanium for the first time, Eri was familiar with the scene. Even while walking, there were people who recognized her and greeted her.
“Eri, aren’t you too famous…?”
“Ah… If I want to move around comfortably, it’s better to have a high adventurer rank, right? So I’ve been active a bit…”
“What?”
Dein asked Eri.
“So what’s your rank now…?”
“AAA.”
Triple A. Eri said this as she showed her adventurer card, which indeed had three A’s stamped on it.
With a rank like that, it was only natural for her name and face to be known in the system. While it was true that it made things easier for her, there were concerns as well.
“But… this mission doesn’t match that kind of reputation.”
If her name and face were known, it would be difficult for her to move around freely. While she might be using a pseudonym, her face was recognized, making it hard to change her identity.
Just as Dein was troubled, Eri offered a different opinion.
“Maybe that’s for the best?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re going to a famous merchant guild, right? They might not entertain someone of ordinary status. If an AAA-ranked adventurer came to speak, wouldn’t they treat you appropriately?”
Hearing Eri’s words, Dein thought there was some truth to that. It would come with risks, but the status of an AAA-ranked adventurer was treated on par with those referred to as ‘elite’ among the knights bestowed by the kingdom.
If a person with that status brought something, the likelihood of trust increased. Evaluating the situation as a whole, Dein concluded that Eri’s point was quite reasonable.
“It seems there are more benefits than drawbacks.”
“Really?”
“In any case, I’ll handle the behind-the-scenes work, and you can act as the focal point in front. It’s better for you to be more famous.”
With that, Dein decided they would walk together until they found a place with fewer people. He then said to Eri.
“Let’s part ways here. I’ll scout the most important place and return.”
“Okay.”
Dein donned a cloak that covered his whole body and put on a hood. He concealed his nose and mouth with a cloth, leaving only his eyes visible, and vanished into the darkness.
“Be careful.”
He left those words of concern for Eri as he disappeared without a trace. Watching Dein vanish, Eri smiled softly.
“You be careful too, Dein.”
Eri moved on, heading to the meeting place where she would reunite with the returning Dein shortly.
—
“Teacher!”
Seere welcomed Nahun back from the Demon World with open arms. Seeing Seere come out to greet him personally, Nahun smiled warmly.
“Did you come to welcome me?”
“Yes!”
“Thank you. So, did the discussion go well?”
“Yes, it went well. There’s a contract, so go see it yourself!”
Nahun nodded. It was remarkable how Seere had improved to the point of confidently facing the Demon King in negotiations, making it hard to find the previous naive Seere.
“You did well.”
As Nahun passed in front of Seere, he instinctively reached out to pat her head. However, when he reached out like usual, he felt something strange.
“Huh!?”
“What?”
Nahun turned his head at the unusual sound coming from Seere and saw her face flushed with an awkward expression. He quickly checked where his hand was caught.
It was a horn. His fingers had snagged on her horn, which had grown a bit larger. The problem was…
“H-Huh…”
The horns of a demon king were said to be extremely sensitive. Regardless of gender, they were reported to be several times more sensitive than different body parts.
Nahun had heard this fact from Cain and was well aware of it.
“I’m so sorry, Seere!”
Nahun urgently apologized. He quickly retracted his hand, but Seere was already blushing deeply and unable to say anything.
Nahun was left to ponder how to resolve this situation, but his mind felt blank with embarrassment.
“Uh… Are you okay…?”
That was all he could manage to say. After taking several deep breaths, Seere seemed to gradually regain her composure.
After a little while, when the warmth in her cheeks had subsided, Seere opened her eyes and glared at Nahun. Nahun quickly offered another apology, seeing her piercing gaze.
“I forgot that your horns were growing, and I reached out as if it were normal… I’m really sorry.”
“…You were trying to pat my head, weren’t you?”
“Y-Yes.”
Seere slightly lowered her head. Then she spoke while presenting her crown to make it easy for Nahun to pat her.
“Please do it.”
“Um… okay.”
Even after that mishap, seeing how much Seere still wanted to be patted, Nahun couldn’t help but think she was an adorable child.
As he carefully slipped his hand between her horns to pat her head, it seemed that Seere was wholly unbothered by the earlier incident.
“Hehe…”
Nahun smiled more comfortably at that scene.
‘Such a cute child.’
She was indeed an endearing disciple. Nahun inwardly worried about whether someday, when this child stood at the pinnacle, she would show such a side to him again.
‘Surely she wouldn’t cast me aside as unnecessary…?’
As Nahun was engulfed in his most useless worry, Seere spoke up.
“Did you take care of everything you needed to in the human world?”
“Ah, that. I’ve done everything I needed to do. Now it’s up to Dein and Eri to see what they do.”
“Those humans are indeed useful, but will it be okay?”
“It will be fine.”
Nahun felt at ease. Knowing what kind of figures Dein and Eri had shown as companions of the hero, he had no doubts about their abilities.
“They’ll manage this comfortably.”
—
Dein had quickly gathered valuable information about the merchants of Germanium. Though he returned without leaving any trace, there was a slight odor of bl**d on him.
‘bl**d smell…?’
As Eri cocked her head in confusion, Dein unhesitatingly shared the information.
“The first place to check out is here.”
“The Ernanth Merchant Guild? Ah, I think I’ve heard of it. The Western Adventurer Guild and the Northern Adventurer Guild in Germanium probably trade with them.”
“Then that’s even better. The guild master might know you.”
Eri nodded in agreement. Dein now provided Eri with various pieces of information she would need to meet the guild master. He informed her of the guild master’s name, background, personality traits, major items handled by the guild, and the financial scale of it all.
“Did you do that much research in such a short time?”
“It wasn’t difficult.”
Having stormed the information guild of Germanium and stolen all the confidential documents stored in the guild master’s safe, it was only natural that he had ample material.
Dein had already become proficient to the level of a companion of the hero. Generally, there weren’t many people who could respond adequately when he was serious about making a surprise attack, except those chosen by the gods like the hero or a few superhumans.
The master of the information guild was no different. Though he was a capable person in his own right, he had not been able to resist Dein’s ambush at all.
Dein handed the materials to Eri, who was unaware of these facts.
“Memorize this.”
“All… of this!?”
“Of course. To avoid being flustered in any situation, it’s essential to understand the information. There’s a saying that knowing yourself and your enemy means you’ll never be defeated in a hundred battles.”
“Uh-huh…”
Following Dein’s advice, Eri began memorizing the information he had given her with tremendous focus, just like during the five years she studied magic.
Gone was the moment of whining, and Eri kept her eyes glued to the document without looking away. Dein couldn’t help but chuckle at her earnestness.
“Let’s depart as soon as you memorize everything.”
Eri answered with a slight nod. After about 20 minutes, having memorized the extensive material, she spoke.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Eri placed Dein behind her as they visited the Ernanth Merchant Guild. Upon her arrival, the owner, Bergo Ernanth, personally came out to greet her.
“Hello, Mr. Bergo.”
“AAA-ranked adventurer Eli! I’ve heard that name quite well. Recently, you’ve shown remarkable growth, and the guild master boasted about you to me.”
“Ahaha, is that so?”
As expected, upon arriving at the Ernanth Merchant Guild, Eri received quite the warm welcome. Her established reputation was definitely aiding her.
“And who is the person behind you?”
“Ah, this is my companion. Please, say hello, Daniel.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
Dein spoke in a deep, altered voice, hiding his face. Even if someone recognized him, they would find it hard to believe that this was Dein.
“It’s you, Daniel. Nice to meet you. But Eli, I hear you’ve come to propose a good trade to us?”
“Ah, yes. I’d like to discuss it in a quieter place as it’s a bit sensitive to bring up in a crowded place.”
At Eri’s request, the initially warm smile from Bergo slightly altered.
“In a quiet place, then this must be something significant.”
“It’s an artifact invented by my teacher.”
“Oh, your teacher’s….”
“However, I haven’t offered it to any other place yet.”
Exclusivity was one of the terms that merchants loved most. With a grin, Bergo guided Eri to a VIP room.
“Is this quiet enough?”
“This room is enchanted with triple soundproofing magic. No one outside can hear what we discuss in here.”
“That’s great.”
Eri sat across from Bergo and pulled out a pouch from her belongings.
“What is that?”
“There’s something inside. Would you like to take a look?”
Eri slid the pouch over, and Bergo cautiously loosened the drawstring and peered inside. As he checked the contents, his eyes widened in surprise.
“An artifact!?”
“You’re indeed the guild master; you recognize it immediately.”
“No, wait a moment… Are you saying this level of magical power can fit into something this small?”
“It’s the result of my teacher’s research.”
Having personally examined the orb, Bergo gulped.
“What on earth does your teacher do? If they could research something like this, they’d surely be well-known….”
“Oh, my teacher is anonymous.”
“Excuse me?”
“They don’t reveal themselves to the outside world. They always conduct their research quietly, so the technology has never been presented at any conferences. But there’s been a need for some funding.”
Eri pinched her thumb and index finger together to resemble a coin.
“They asked me to sell it because they need quick cash.”
“…How many of these artifacts do you have?”
“About two pouches worth.”
Although saying it was only three pouch’s worth made it sound small, they were fairly substantial artifacts, so the quantities weren’t as few as one would assume.
“I’ll buy them all.”
“Huh, all of them? I only wanted to sell one pouch, and I wanted to check the value of the others at different merchants….”
“Our Ernanth guild is the largest guild in Germanium. There isn’t a place that can offer a better price than us!”
“Is that so?”
Eri smiled brightly. Then she received the remaining two pouches from Dein and handed them over to him.
“Then let’s do that. I just need the money, after all.”
“Thank you, Eli! If you have any other magical items you wish to sell, please come to our Ernanth guild first.”
“I’ll consider it.”
Bergo ordered his secretary to bring cash immediately, and the secretary handed Eri a substantial pouch filled with gold coins. After checking the amount, Eri smiled brightly and stood up.
“Yes, this should satisfy my teacher.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It was a very satisfactory deal for us as well.”
Bergo personally escorted Eri and Dein to the exit. Eri, waving goodbye, turned to Dein with a grin.
“Let’s go to the next merchant, Dein.”
“Sure.”
The three pouches they had in total were not all they possessed. There was an order from Nahun to distribute to at least two more guilds, so it was only natural they wouldn’t hand everything over to the Ernanth guild.
From the response of the Ernanth guild, it didn’t seem too difficult to distribute to other guilds as well. Eri smiled and headed toward the next guild.
For Nahun’s plan.
