Chapter 8

When the sun had passed its zenith, I walked through the central square of the viscount’s domain with Mirei.

The square featured a large fountain, which served as a place of rest for the townspeople.

A little higher than the central square stood a large but modestly maintained building.

This was the temple of Iblis, widely worshipped across the continent.

Mirei and I passed through the wide-open doors of the temple and entered the chapel.

A few townspeople were praying to the statue of the goddess enshrined at the front of the chapel.

"Hello."

A sister in a nun's habit greeted us kindly.

Mirei and I nodded slightly in response.

"Hello, my name is Elly. This is Mirei.

We recently moved to this town and started a merchant guild, so we came to pray for the success and safety of our business.

May we pray for a while?"

"Of course, please do."

After a brief word with the sister, Mirei and I sat on a pew in the chapel and began to pray to the statue of the goddess.

How much time had passed?

After finishing our prayers, we stood up and headed towards the entrance.

Near the entrance, the sister and a man in clerical attire were having a conversation. The holy symbol hanging from the man’s neck suggested he was the bishop who oversaw the temple.

"Oh, are you leaving?"

The sister and the bishop, noticing us, ended their conversation and smiled.

"Yes, thank you."

"Not at all, may the goddess bless your future endeavors."

The bishop also prayed for us.

At that moment, the sounds of children playing could be heard from outside the temple.

"Oh, are those children's voices?"

"Yes, there's an orphanage next to the temple. The children spend the morning doing odd jobs around town and weeding the barracks, and they seem to have just returned."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, the lord provides various forms of support, but there are orphanages in other places as well.

We feel ashamed that we are causing the children to work so hard due to our own inadequacies."

"No, the children will surely feel your dedication."

"Hehe, thank you."

I took a few coins from my cloth bag and offered them to the bishop.

"Then... may I make a donation?"

"Thank you very much... what?!"

The bishop was taken aback.

I had offered him ten gold coins.

It was a considerable amount of money, far more than an ordinary person would casually donate.

"Well, I can't possibly accept such a large sum..."

"It's fine.

To us merchants, the people who become our customers are invaluable.

And the children are the future customers and assets.

Supporting the orphanage that raises these children is a natural duty for us as merchants."

Touched by my words, the bishop wiped his eyes and expressed his gratitude.

With the bishop and the sister seeing us off, Mirei and I left the temple.

As we walked through the town, which was beginning to tilt towards dusk, I spoke with Mirei.

"So, everything is in place, then?"

"Yes, all the contacts we planned to make with the baron's household maids were completed yesterday."

"Good, how about the feedback on the soap?"

"We have already received several inquiries."

The soap handled by the Tretor Guild had been subtly distributed by Mirei to several influential people, including nobles, and as a result, we had received several contacts from women who were sensitive to beauty.

"We will start selling it tomorrow as planned.

The price will be slightly higher than existing soaps, and we will limit the number of sales, carefully selecting our customers."

"Yes. But is that really okay?

With that soap, we could sell it at a higher price, and even the two of us could increase the quantity a bit more, right?"

"It's fine. First, we will aim to brand the Tretor Guild by limiting the number of sales and carefully selecting our customers."

By establishing the perception that "soap means Tretor Guild," we will lay the groundwork for the guild's future expansion.

"Let's make a profit, shall we?"

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