Chapter 23

"Sorry, it wasn't 'Bōzu.' It was Ars, right? You're asking if a servant beast can use magic? You're asking a strange question."

I had been wondering about this and decided to ask the next traveling merchant who came by.

It seemed that the demand for bricks hadn't decreased, and they were selling as many as I made.

When I asked the traveling merchant my question, he stroked the two-legged lizard-type servant beast pulling his cart and answered.

"Well, I've never heard of such a thing... Probably not, I guess."

One of the things I feel since being reincarnated in this world is the preciousness of information.

There are many things I don't know, living in a rural village.

However, if a traveling merchant who travels around and does business hasn't heard of it, it's probably true.

There might be a servant beast that can use magic somewhere, but at least it's not common.

"By the way, asking such a question means the servant beast's egg hatched, right?"

"Yeah. Mine is horse-type, so it can carry things."

"That's great. Ars, can I see it?"

The traveling merchant showed interest.

It was a smile I hadn't seen before.

Well, sure.

I had already told Valkyrie not to use magic in front of people.

I immediately went to call Valkyrie.

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"This one is great. Really great, Ars. Being able to carry things is good, but more importantly, it looks great. White is a color that important people like."

"That's good. But I don't intend to sell Valkyrie."

"Valkyrie? You're calling this one Valkyrie? But why not sell it? You said you wanted money and bought the servant beast's egg with all your savings."

"That's true, but I've grown attached to it. I want to keep this one around."

Honestly, what really concerns me is that it can use magic.

But I also genuinely want to keep it around.

Valkyrie listens to me very well, probably due to its nature as a servant beast.

Moreover, it is stronger than me, a child.

Considering it as a labor force, it would be a great help to have it around.

The traveling merchant thought about my opinion.

After a while, he nodded and looked at me determinedly.

"I see. Then, how about a deal with me?"

"A deal? What kind of deal?"

"It's about the servant beast. Actually, I have about five servant beast eggs right now. I'll give them to you."

"Is that okay? Servant beast eggs aren't cheap, right?"

"Of course, I'm not giving them for free. I'm a merchant. Here's the deal: I'll provide you with servant beast eggs. You hatch and raise them. Then, I'll buy the servant beasts from you."

"Let me get this straight. You're giving me the eggs so I can exclusively buy and sell the servant beasts, right?"

"Thanks for understanding. That's right. With your servant beast, you won't have trouble finding buyers. Even if I take a loss at first, I'll make it back. We're not strangers, after all."

The traveling merchant grinned and gave a thumbs up.

It seems that the trust I had built from making sandals, which didn't earn much, paid off.

Indeed, there's almost no risk of me running away with the eggs, and from the merchant's perspective, there are few disadvantages.

What about me?

It doesn't seem like there are many disadvantages for me either.

But let's set some basic conditions.

The merchant will provide me with servant beast eggs for free.

I will raise them and sell them only to the merchant.

I will decide the number and timing of the sales.

The price will be negotiated each time.

If I incur a significant loss, I can terminate the contract.

The above conditions will be a one-year contract, and the terms can be changed upon renewal.

When I started listing various conditions, the traveling merchant looked a bit hesitant, but we managed to reach an agreement.

I don't think the content is such that either of us will lose significantly.

There might be some hidden tricks typical of merchants, but that's unavoidable.

In any case, I successfully secured a stable supply of servant beast eggs.

Thank you for reading.

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