Chapter 38

I have to come up with some solution to the current situation.

No matter what, I can't calm down until I knock down that Noswell.

Since they won't come even at this low price, there's no point in playing around with the price any further.

The unexpected influence of the Kalko family and Noswell's reckless words and actions have caused this.

I didn't think they would openly threaten like this.

I need to approach from a different direction.

I crush the tobacco leaves with my fingertips and put them into my own kiseru.

Instead of the usual one leaf, I stuff in three and light it with magic.

"What's the matter, brother?"

"I thought if I sent out some smoke, it might attract customers."

The tobacco leaves I made have a particularly good scent.

With the blue othium attracting attention now, even a small strategy like this should have a significant effect.

It won't be the decisive blow, but it should shake things up.

I use magic to create a breeze and control the smoke, making it pass through the crowd evenly.

A few people glance over and start to move, then stop when they see Noswell.

The Kalko family name is a big stopper, but it's having an effect. It's not negative. I should continue.

If I build a solid foundation, the atmosphere should change and the flow will come.

Many people are getting frustrated with the slow progress of the line due to the poor handling on the other side.

A small trigger will bring the opportunity to collapse.

Another man leaves the line and heads this way.

If one person breaks, others will follow.

However, the man stops halfway and looks at Noswell.

This won't do.

I need something more to push things forward.

I glance at Noswell's stall.

"Noswell... I'm just going to scout the enemy..."

One of Noswell's lackeys, a tall man, snorts and wobbles out of the stall.

Noswell quickly grabs the tall man by the neck and pulls him back.

Come on, fall apart, fall apart.

But it's still not enough.

The foundation should be solid. I just need one trigger.

A few people should do it. That alone should change the flow.

"Hey, there you are! Hey!"

Galia's voice rings out.

But it's not just Galia. One after another, people who attended my coming-of-age ceremony appear.

My father and the clan leader are there too.

There are nearly twenty of them.

"Can you sell us those tobacco leaves?"

"I didn't expect to see Abel at the exchange fair. I thought you weren't interested in such things."

"Why isn't there a line? Did you sell out, hey!"

"Make sure you have my share, right?"

The overall atmosphere has changed.

If only one or two people left, it would be hard to break away, but with that many, they probably thought they could blend in.

Noswell strides out of his stall.

"Hey! You guys, do you understand...?"

"Don't worry! There's still plenty left!"

As I shout, the line at Noswell's stall starts to break apart.

Nearly a fifth of the people move over in a rush.

More people join in, drawn by the movement.

"Hey! F, f*** you! Hey! I'll remember your faces! I'll report all of you to my dad!"

With this many people moving, there's nothing he can do.

No one is paying attention to him anymore.

Noswell stands there, his face red, and is dragged back to his own stall by a lackey.

"Amazing, with this, we can get ten times the amount for the same cost!"

"They banned the clan leader's magic ore because they didn't understand its value. Plus, they're so uptight, it's not moving at all."

Customers start to crowd around.

Compared to before, it feels like a dream.

As I'm in a daze, someone calls out, "Give it to me quickly."

I hurriedly take the magic ore and hand over the tobacco leaves.

"Give me a hundred bundles! No, two hundred!"

"Hey, raise the price! I won't be able to afford it!"

If they buy in hundreds, it will be gone in an instant.

I only prepared about two thousand bundles this time.

I thought it would be enough, but many people here treat the tobacco leaves as currency or assets.

It's better to limit the number of bundles each person can buy rather than change the price.

I want to spread it out as widely as possible.

"Sorry, only ten bundles per person, please!"

I keep making exchanges one after another.

If I don't know the market value of what they bring, I can just go with their offer.

I'm not trying to maintain the original value.

I wasn't really pursuing high profits, but things are going smoothly on that front too.

Meat, fruits, fabrics, and pots are piling up behind me.

There's a mountain of rare metals I wanted for alchemy.

The space is running out, so I hired a child to buy five more carpets.

I can't stop laughing. I don't think I'll ever want to go hunting again.

But how will I get all this back?

"Noswell, this is bad! Lower the price! A tenfold difference won't work!"

The small lackey is unusually assertive with Noswell.

"Y, you're telling me what to do? For the Rietta family to do that!"

"It's not just that! If this continues, it will be a disaster!"

"B, but... I have to maintain the value at this level... Dad said... Dad said... If I mess with it, Dad will get angry..."

"It won't be a problem if you don't sell at all!"

"B, but... but... Dad..."

Noswell is shrinking under the small lackey's shouting.

It's rare to see him like this.

Just seeing that almost tearful face makes me feel it was worth setting this up.

The game is over.

But there's something unsettling—Noppo is nowhere to be seen.

From the looks of it, the two lackeys might be stronger opponents than Noswell.

If they're planning something, I need to be careful.

People start to smoke as soon as they buy.

They couldn't wait after smelling it.

"Amazing, it's completely different!"

"The stuff I've been smoking was just leaf mold."

"I can't smoke anything else now. It's cheap, so it's good."

Hearing the positive reviews, more people join our line.

The length of our line and Noswell's line have reversed.

Even those still in Noswell's line seem restless, wondering if they should join us.

This might not be enough.

"Sibby, bring back the leaves you're drying. Even the ones you rejected, put them on the line at a lower price."

"O, okay!"

Seeing our exchange, people realize we don't have much, and Noswell's line collapses into ours.

Finally, no one is left.

Noppo is at the back of the line.

I thought he wasn't here, but he's in our line.

He's holding our tobacco leaves with a happy expression.

Is he planning to trade with those?

Well, it's fine.

It looks fun, so I'll trade with him.

It would be cruel to betray that smile.

Hmm, at the market rate, one bundle of those for ten of ours?

As I continue to negotiate with a smile, I see a man approaching along the line.

He's probably in his early forties.

He has a high nose and a sharp face.

His walk is calm, but he gives off a sense of authority.

He has snake-like eyes and a hairstyle similar to Noswell's.

I get a bad feeling.

"Since I had some free time, I came to check. Well done, Noswell. I guess it's because of the leaves I made, but I didn't expect it to go this well. It's quite lively, isn't it?"

No doubt.

He's the head of the Kalko family, Noswell's father.

The boss has shown up.

Noswell is just a spoiled brat, but this man is different.

Most of the dark rumors about this village are connected to him.

The clan leader mentioned that he's been taken advantage of quite a bit.

He probably has a few tricks up his sleeve in these kinds of disputes.

I can't let my guard down.

Noswell's father comes up to me.

"Noswell, you're not used to this kind of thing, but I'm relieved to see it going smoothly. How does it feel? Your first time?"

"…Sorry, I'm not Noswell."

"Huh?"

Noswell's father looks down at me.

He takes out his glasses from his pocket and stares at me.

His eyesight isn't very good.

He probably thought Noswell was at the front of the line.

"…Did Noswell ask you to watch the stall?"

"Noswell is over there. I'm Abel."

"…Abel?"

Noswell's father looks at Noswell.

Noswell is staring at the sky with a dead look, and there's no one in his line.

Seeing this, Noswell's father seems to realize the situation and his face contorts.

He looks back at me.

"Abel!? Could you be Abel from the Berrek family!?"

Noswell's father's face turns bright red as he shouts.

He looks at Noswell again and bursts into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"

He looks up at the sky and claps as he laughs.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! So, so that's it! Hahahaha! Hahaha!"

…This is getting in the way of negotiations. I wish he would go somewhere else.

Just as I think it might be some kind of interference, Noswell's father's expression changes again.

"Hahaha… ah…"

Noswell's father presses his nose.

Blood is gushing out. He must have gotten a nosebleed from the excitement.

Some of it even got on my clothes. Gross. Why do this father and son keep trying to get bodily fluids on me?

Noswell's father's hand quickly turns red.

Then, like a puppet with its strings cut, he collapses on the