Chapter 20

As Isaac walked down the corridor of the Nelson estate, the sound of his leather shoes tapping on the stone floor echoed with each step. Isaac, dressed in his usual light armor, held a bright yellow bouquet of flowers instead of his usual sword.

After walking for a while, he finally reached the door leading to his destination and took a deep breath, looking nervous. The sunlight streaming in through the open window was warm, and the occasional breeze that caressed his cheeks was pleasant. As the gentle breeze touched his cheeks, Isaac closed his eyes and held the bouquet, whispering a prayer to his god of war:

"O Ormashior, please grant me courage..."

He then opened his eyes and placed his hand on his chest, where his heart was beating rapidly against his will. He took another deep breath, combed his short, neatly cut golden hair with a hand comb, and after a few seconds to compose himself, he said to himself, "Alright!" and slowly opened the door.

"Ugh, that scoundrel is so persistent! After I give him the gift, he should just leave, but why do I have to listen to his boasting? He doesn't understand that I have no intention of marrying a mere merchant!"

In a corner of the Nelson estate's well-maintained garden, a girl who looked about fifteen was lying face down on a wooden table. She was complaining irritably to a young maid with noticeable freckles on her face.

The girl was surrounded by shrubs that were just tall enough to hide her head when she sat in the chair, so no one could see her when she was lying down. She was wearing a high-quality, frilly white dress, and her dark brown hair, which flowed down to the middle of her back, was lustrous and beautiful. Her well-defined face and almond-shaped eyes were striking, and she was sure to grow into a beauty that everyone would envy. However, at the moment, her beautiful face was twisted with frustration, and she was kicking the table legs with her high-quality leather shoes.

As Lise kicked the table, the copper cup with a handle on the edge of the table rattled.

"But, Miss Lise, if you dislike it so much, why don't you refuse the gift and clearly tell him that you have no intention of marrying him?"

The maid, Eira, spoke to Lise, who was still kicking the table, with a slightly tired expression. Lise turned her face sharply towards Eira and glared at her.

"Eira, if I do that, I might not get any more gifts. If I pretend to be delighted with the gifts from that foolish merchant and other men, and then casually brush off their marriage proposals while smiling and slightly praising them, they will keep bringing me gifts. Besides, if I clearly refuse their marriage proposals, they might start rumors that I have a crush on Isaac. My father already seems to want Isaac and me to get married, so if I show any weakness, he might really make it happen."

Eira sighed inwardly but bowed her head slightly and said, "I'm sorry." This kind of exchange between Lise and Eira was common, and Eira often wished she could just be a silent object. However, if she didn't say anything, Lise would get angry or sulk, so she had no choice but to go along with the conversation. Lise continued to grumble for a while but then reacted sharply to the sound of the garden gate opening from a distance. She quickly sat up, straightened her clothes, picked up the cup on the table, and started drinking elegantly.

"Hello, Miss Lise. Oh, are you having tea?"

Lise, who had completely erased her previous frustrated expression and was standing at a 45-degree angle to where Isaac would appear, put down her cup and smiled softly at Isaac, who was walking towards her from behind the shrubs.

"Yes. The greenery of the trees is so beautiful that I asked Eira to prepare tea for me while I enjoyed the view. Would you like to join me, Sir Isaac?"

When Lise invited him, Isaac looked genuinely disappointed.

"I am honored by your invitation. However, I must inspect the new fort being built along the border with Barbeau. It's a shame, but I must decline your kind offer..."

Lise had already heard from Nelson that Isaac would be inspecting the fort today, so she muttered, "Yes, I know," and then covered her mouth with her hand, feigning surprise as she looked at Isaac.

"Oh, such a long journey... You just inspected a distant village the other day, and now you have to inspect a fort. Father really pushes you hard..."

"Hehe, that's true. But I'm really grateful that they entrusted me with such an important task as inspecting the fort, even though I'm still young. It's a difficult job, but I don't mind as long as I can be of help to Mr. Nelson."

Isaac said this with a genuinely happy smile, and Lise, who was momentarily taken aback, said, "Thank you," and smiled at him like a blooming flower. Isaac, who had been trying to keep his composure and manage a normal conversation, suddenly turned bright red and looked around nervously when she smiled at him.

"N-no! Well, I brought this bouquet, hoping you would like it!"

He then handed the yellow bouquet to Lise.

"Oh, what a beautiful bouquet! Thank you, Sir Isaac."

Lise took the bouquet and held it to her chest lovingly, smiling at Isaac. Isaac turned even redder at her smile and said,

"I'm honored that you like it! Well, I must be going now!"

He bowed deeply and hurried out of the garden. Lise watched Isaac's retreating back until he was out of sight, then handed the bouquet to Eira.

"Eira, put half of these in my room and give the other half to you... Why are you looking at me with such a pitiful expression?"

Lise pushed the bouquet into Eira's hands and stood up, stretching.

"Ah, I'm so tired. I don't have any more appointments today, do I?"

Lise sighed and took out three identical blue gems tied with leather cords from her pocket.

"Well, let's sell two of these in town and go shopping with the money. If you want anything, Eira, just let me know, and I'll buy it for you."

"Miss Lise, I think Sir Isaac is a wonderful man, but is he lacking as a potential husband?"

Eira, looking at the bouquet and Lise alternately, asked. Lise grunted and then, after a moment, looked in the direction Isaac had gone and said,

"Well, he's a good person. He's handsome, kind, and capable. I think he would take good care of me if we got married. But I just can't bring myself to do it."

"Why not?"

"Because he thinks like my father. Even if he marries me and takes over the Isteer family, he probably wouldn't indulge in luxury. I don't want to live a life of frugality like my parents for the rest of my life, even if I don't want to spend money like water."

Eira remained silent.

Meanwhile, in the commercial district on the outskirts of the city, Yoroshii and the others had set out to sell the Arcadian bugs at a higher price in the upscale commercial district in the city center. As they approached the city center, the buildings around them became more impressive, and many three-story buildings and even large structures like cathedrals were visible. The people walking on the streets were also dressed more elaborately, and there were occasional sightings of guards.

Yoroshii and the others looked around and found a grocery store, then entered it. Inside the store, there were several items on display that they hadn't seen in the grocery stores in the commercial district, and the prices were quite high due to the recent increase in food prices.

"Welcome, what are you looking for?"

As soon as they entered, a middle-aged man, the owner, appeared from the back. He was wearing clothes that looked like they were made of high-quality material, indicating that he was quite wealthy.

"Well, I have some Arcadian bugs to sell. Would you be interested in buying them?"

"Oh, Arcadian bugs, huh? We haven't had many of those lately."

The owner took the small bag of Arcadian bugs from Barretta and checked the contents. He then held the bag by the bottom and rolled the bugs around, examining their size and color.

"Hmm, I can give you 15 al for eight of them. How does that sound?"

As expected from a store that deals with high-end ingredients. The buying price in the commercial district was 12 al, but this store offered 15 al, which was 3 al higher.

"Hmm, 15 al... Can you offer a bit more?"

"Um, I'm sorry, but 15 al is the highest I can go."

Barretta, who had thought it would be a waste to sell at the same price as the first store since they had come all the way to the upscale commercial district, had asked hopefully, but it seemed this store wouldn't go higher than 15 al. Barretta told the owner that they would check other stores and put the Arcadian bugs away before leaving the store.

"Let's try the next store, then."

"Um, I have a suggestion. While Barretta is selling the Arcadian bugs, I could go buy the nails. It would save time, I think."

"What? You want to go alone?"

When Yoroshii suggested this to Barretta, who was about to head to another store with renewed enthusiasm after learning they could get a higher price for the Arcadian bugs, Barretta looked at Yoroshii with a worried expression.

"It's fine. Each store has price boards or stones, so I don't think they'll overcharge me."

"I'll go with you, so don't worry!"

Seeing Yoroshii and Mira looking at each other and smiling, Barretta chuckled.

"Alright. Then, I'll leave the nails to you. Here's the money..."

"No, I have money. I brought some items from the country that might sell well."

As Barretta was about to take out the money from the bag where they had just sold the firewood, Yoroshii lifted his sack, showing that he had brought some items.

Barretta looked at Yoroshii's sack and then at Yoroshii, feeling a bit anxious about what he might be selling, but then thought that Yoroshii wouldn't sell anything bad.

"Alright. If you need more money, come back for it. Nails usually cost about 40 al for a bundle of 100."

"Got it."

Yoroshii nodded and watched Barretta enter a different grocery store. He then looked around the square, found a store that looked like a general goods store, and headed there with Mira, still holding her hand.

"Hello, I have something I'd like to sell."

Yoroshii entered the general goods store and called out to the back. The store was filled with various items, such as wooden trinkets shaped like animals and polished copper hand mirrors. The further back in the store, the more expensive the items seemed to be, and there were even necklaces with greenish stones like turquoise.

Mira spotted a copper hand mirror in the back and exclaimed, "Wow!" as she ran over, carefully avoiding touching it and looking at her reflection curiously.

"Sure, what do you have to sell?"

An elderly woman, presumably the owner, who was sitting in the back and keeping records, stopped her work and came over to Yoroshii with a kind smile and rubbing her hands.

Yoroshii took out two wooden ocarinas with about ten holes each from his sack and handed one to the elderly woman. These were handmade ocarinas he had bought for 2,980 yen from a small general goods store in Japan, and they had a nice glossy finish from the varnish.

"Can you buy these?"

The elderly woman took the ocarina and examined it closely, feeling its texture with her hand.

"Hmm, what are these called again? I'm getting forgetful in my old age... Hmm..."

"Ocarinas. Do you know them?"

When Yoroshii asked the elderly woman, who was tilting her head and looking at the ocarina, she said,

"Oh, right, ocarinas. I'm getting so forgetful in my old age. Hehehe."

Yoroshii thought to himself, "Ocarinas exist in this world too. It's a good thing I brought them."

"So, I want to sell both of these ocarinas. How much can you offer for them?"

The elderly woman, who had been stroking the ocarina, frowned and thought for a moment before saying with a slightly reluctant expression,

"Recently, ocarinas haven't been selling well. Even though they're made of shiny, rare wood, they're not very popular as decorative items because they're so small."

Yoroshii wondered if the elderly woman was mistaking the ocarinas for something else and laughed, saying,

"No, no, ocarinas are musical instruments, not decorative items."

He then put the ocarina to his lips and played a few notes. The sound caught Mira's attention, and she ran back to Yoroshii, looking up at him and saying,

"Wow, such a beautiful sound... I want to try."

Yoroshii, not noticing the elderly woman's reaction, smiled at Mira and said,

"Here, give it a try."

He handed the ocarina to Mira, who immediately put it to her lips and played a few notes happily. Yoroshii watched her with a smile and then turned back to the elderly woman, who was trying to hide her surprise and smiled kindly, rubbing her hands.

"S-Sorry, I forgot. Ocarinas are musical instruments. But as I said, they're not very popular and are hard to sell... How much are you looking to sell them for?"

"Hmm... Let me think."

Yoroshii crossed his arms and thought. Since the firewood he had brought from the village sold for 62 al in total, the wooden ocarinas probably wouldn't be more expensive. The elderly woman had mentioned that ocarinas existed in this world and didn't seem to be very expensive.

Yoroshii decided to name a higher price, hoping for the best.

"20 al each, how about that?"

"Wh-What!?"

The elderly woman choked on the price Yoroshii had named, which must have been completely unreasonable. Seeing her reaction, Yoroshii quickly corrected himself.

"Ah, just kidding! How about 20 al for both?"

"20 al for both!? Alright, I'll get the money right away! Please wait a moment!"

The elderly woman hurried back to the back of the store and returned with two copper coins.

"Here, 20 al. Hmm, this isn't enough for the nails..."

Yoroshii took the two 10 al copper coins and handed the ocarina Mira was playing to the elderly woman. He thought for a moment, recalling the contents of his bag.

Meanwhile, the elderly woman, who had received the two ocarinas, was stroking them with a satisfied smile. Yoroshii, seeing her, thought,

"She must really like ocarinas."

He then looked around the store again and noticed various colored stones in the back. Some of them looked like small sapphires, though they were not very clear and the craftsmanship was rough. He looked into his bag and took out a round piece of rose quartz about 2 cm in diameter. He had bought it from a souvenir shop near the home center he usually visited, where it was sold with other stones in the power stone section. He had bought a few, thinking they might sell well in another world. The rose quartz, cut into a perfect circle by a machine, had a beautiful translucent pink color, but because it was mass-produced, it only cost 250 yen per piece.

"Can you also buy this? How about it?"

Yoroshii handed the 250 yen rose quartz to the elderly woman, who put the ocarinas on a nearby shelf and took the rose quartz with trembling hands.

"Y-Yes! I can buy it!"

The elderly woman stared at the rose quartz in her palm with intense interest and smiled slyly, which surprised Yoroshii. However, after blinking, she was smiling kindly at Yoroshii, so he thought he must have imagined it.

"Good