Chapter 36

I casually took off my costume and then headed to the exchange square with Giselle.

Sibyl was easy to find, as she was near a crowd.

Sibyl was sitting on a carpet made from a monster's hide, looking smaller than usual.

Next to the carpet were a burlap bag filled with incense leaves and a cart for stacking items received in exchange.

I looked around.

I had been told that Sibyl's friend, who was helping to secure a spot, would be here, but I couldn't see her.

"What's wrong, Sibyl? You could have started selling earlier."

When I said this, Sibyl lifted her pale face.

"B-b-because... because..."

Sibyl hesitated and glanced sideways.

I followed her gaze.

Next to us were the three from Nozwel's group.

They had set up a simple stall made of wood.

A long line had formed in front of the stall.

The short one was busily negotiating, while the tall one was organizing the items he received.

They seemed quite busy.

The Kalko family does not recognize the magic ore that the clan leader is trying to introduce as currency.

The main reason the magic ore currency has not been widely adopted is that the Kalko family and their followers refuse to exchange it for incense leaves, which are the most portable and stable in value in this settlement.

It seems that the clan leader and the Kalko family are on very bad terms.

Therefore, all negotiations are barter, and each transaction takes a lot of time and effort.

There should be a rough estimate of the value of each item, but the tall one doesn't usually come to the exchange square.

He seemed flustered every time he was presented with something unusual.

Nozwel, sitting down, occasionally shouted at the two of them.

He sometimes shouted at the customers too.

His comments were not very constructive, like "If you have a complaint, get out!" or "Hurry up!"

He often glared at us as if we were annoying.

No, you should work too.

Those two... they really seem to be having a hard time...

Sibyl seemed to be shrinking because of the line in front of Nozwel's stall.

The people in the line were looking at us suspiciously.

Since we were directly challenging the Kalko family, we weren't being viewed favorably.

It's understandable that our initial impression is bad.

Sibyl's friend might have fled, unable to bear the stares.

"A-Abel, isn't this spot dangerous? We're getting glared at so much..."

"Of course it is. The reason this spot was empty is that everyone was avoiding it to keep the Kalko family happy. Setting up a stall with similar goods here is like pouring oil and jumping into a fire. I might have been scared off and stayed away too.

But taking advantage of this and being the first to set up is not something just anyone can do. I'm impressed, Sibyl."

"But that's not good, right? That's not good, right? That's why I suggested changing the day! Don't blame me now!"

Sibyl clung to my neck, half-crying.

Stop it, really, it's suffocating.

"J-Just kidding, just kidding! Let's start the exchanges right away, okay?"

However, even though we haven't started yet, there's no one in line.

I thought there would be many people here looking for incense leaves, and that we could directly impact the Kalko family...

But it backfired.

The customers can clearly see that we are deliberately causing trouble.

They are afraid that if they join our line, they will attract the attention of the Kalko family.

Maybe I was a bit hasty.

But if it works, it will be a big success.

I have no intention of moving.

I didn't come here to earn pocket money.

I came to weaken the Kalko family so they can't touch Giselle.

It's either a huge success or a huge failure.

"... I'm going back home. Giselle, let's go. Sibyl, keep the stall running for me."

"W-w-what! Are you leaving me here alone again!? In this atmosphere! I'm so scared!"

"I'll be right back... I left some preparations at home."

"That's not possible... I feel like my spirit will break if I stay here alone any longer..."

Sibyl emphasized the word "alone" and glanced at Giselle.

I see, I understand.

"Giselle"

"Yes, brother, what is it?"

Sibyl's face lit up as she heard our conversation.

"Go back home and bring the Otems I was carving yesterday. The blue and red ones."

"Leave it to me!"

Sibyl's shoulders slumped.

Giselle ran off to the house alone.

Sibyl watched her go with a sad expression.

"W-w-wasn't it supposed to be that you would go get them and leave Giselle here...?"

Who's your brother-in-law?

"Hey, don't get too cocky. If you carry two Otems, you'll collapse and can't move."

"...That's true."

I could move them with magic, but it would be dangerous to have two Otems running around the village.

Besides, the Otems I sent Giselle to get are not designed for movement.

They don't have the mechanisms to allow quick reactions.

If someone like Philo ran into them, there would be an accident.

I glared at Nozwel, who was standing at the back of the stall, legs spread and arms crossed, shouting at the two lackeys.

"Do you understand! Failing in the exchange isn't just a matter of losing money! I was told by Dad not to deviate from the set value! Not lower, not higher! I won't accept it if you do it carelessly! Honestly, I could do better on my own!"

Well, then do it on your own right now.

It seems the short one made a mistake in the negotiation.

Nozwel should have corrected it immediately, but I have no reason to interfere.

I'll just watch with a warm eye.

Nozwel seems to want to sell a bundle of five leaves for the equivalent of one monster hide.

I can't say for sure because the values are different, but it's about 5,000 yen in Japanese terms.

This time, the Kalko family seems to have raised the price significantly for their new items.

Incidentally, a bundle of five leaves is about a day's supply.

Many people buy ten bundles at once.

The tall one was receiving a large amount of goods and stacking them at the back of the stall.

It looked like the exchange items would run out before the incense leaves did.

What do they plan to use all that for?

Well, it's time for us to start too.