Chapter 41

On our way north, we stopped at a town.

"Huh? A commercial pass?"

When we tried to enter the town, a guard at what looked like a checkpoint demanded toll and commercial taxes from us, so I showed him the commercial pass issued by Reute Village...

"We don't accept that! Pay up quickly!"

"But—"

Despite Luftharia's attempts to negotiate, the guard only insisted on the money. I tried to step in and negotiate, but the guard wouldn't budge.

"Stubborn guy!"

The guard was practically bristling with hostility towards us. Hmm... There must be a reason for such a strong stance.

Since I started trading in this world, I've learned a few things. One is intimidation, using threats or force to get what you want, or exploiting someone's weakness to get a higher price. This works on people who underestimate you.

The second is negotiation, where you talk things out and adjust prices to maintain good relations. This works on people who aren't hostile.

When neither of these methods work, the reason is usually...

"The lord of this place must be a real piece of work."

I muttered this while looking at the town, and the guard's expression changed slightly.

"Don't speak ill of Lord! You'll be charged with disrespect!"

I see. This is a case where the problem lies at the top. In such situations, neither intimidation nor negotiation works.

The guard can't back down; if he does, he'll be punished.

The only way to get him to lower the price is to cause a commotion or wait for the lord to show up. But... I don't see the benefit in taking such a risk.

"Alright, I understand. You must be having a tough time."

I handed over the amount the guard demanded. He looked taken aback.

"Oh... That's fine then."

He muttered, almost to himself.

"I'm sorry..."

"It can't be helped."

Is this under the jurisdiction of the Trash King? It seems this country has its share of corrupt lords.

I thought about selling the food I had loaded on the cart, but decided against it since the sales would be taxed.

We booked a room at an inn, which was much more expensive than in neighboring towns.

In this town, it seems taxes are applied to almost everything—daily necessities, food, weapons, armor, crafts, and even the inn rates. Everything is overpriced.

It's a tough place to live.

Commerce is in decline, and the market lacks vitality. The tax burden must be extremely heavy.

"I'll gather information on which village might buy that food."

"Understood."

"Hey! Master, I'm waiting for souvenirs!"

"You want more souvenirs even though we have so much food?"

Despite the high prices here, Phyllo was demanding souvenirs... I left Luftharia and Phyllo, who was in human form, in the inn room and went to the tavern.

Incidentally, I changed my shield into a book shield and entered the tavern in casual attire.

There, I saw someone I recognized, someone I didn't want to see.

"..."

He had a bow, but for some reason, he was also carrying a sword, and his outfit was plain and of poor quality. He also had a small bow similar to my book shield, which could be disguised. If I hadn't known him, I might have mistaken it for a gauntlet.

One of his companions or followers was wearing a conspicuous suit of armor, while he himself was hiding in the shadows. That's the kind of setup he had.

Yes, it was Yggdrasil, the Bow Hero, having a conversation in a corner of the tavern.

He didn't seem to notice me.

What were they talking about... I moved closer to eavesdrop.

"The lord of this place..."

It seemed they were gathering information about the lord's bad reputation from his companions. According to them, the lord had raised taxes beyond the national policy to enrich himself, accepted bribes from neighboring merchants, and hired bodyguards to punish anyone who objected.

Another typical story of a corrupt lord.

"We need to teach him a lesson."

Whoa!

I nearly slipped and fell at Yggdrasil's words. I wasn't sure where to start with my criticism...

He's hiding his identity for no reason, and I don't know what he's trying to achieve. What kind of general is he?

Does he think he's on a mission to reform the world?

From what I've heard, there are no rumors of the Bow Hero doing anything significant.

In terms of results, I'm also called a saint of the divine bird, so I can't really talk. But in my case, I have the reputation of the Shield Hero, and I still get wary looks if my identity is revealed. Recently, I've been passing off as a saint to avoid trouble.

At least, I can't think of any reason for Yggdrasil, the Bow Hero, to hide his background.

Is this related to that... national request?

But Yggdrasil has too little information. There's no news of the Bow Hero solving any problems.

Is he intentionally hiding it...?

"Then, everyone, let's go."

After finishing their conversation, Yggdrasil and his group left the tavern and disappeared into the night.

...By tomorrow, the lord of this town will be deposed.

Probably after causing a commotion at the lord's mansion, one of his companions will reveal Yggdrasil's identity and lecture the lord. The news will reach the Trash King, and the lord will be replaced by someone else. It's a predictable ending, like a traveling lord in a period drama from my world.

...Is he not a fool?

Getting involved would be a hassle.

I briefly searched for information on where to sell the food, then returned to the inn that day.

Souvenirs for Phyllo? There's no way I'm buying them in this overpriced town.

Phyllo said something about me not bringing souvenirs, but I ignored her and spent the day deciphering a magic book. Thanks to that, I learned a new spell.

As the old lady at the magic shop said, there are many support and recovery spells because I'm the Shield Hero...

The next morning.

As I predicted, the news spread that a hired adventurer had secretly inspected the town and the lord had been deposed.

In the middle of the town, I saw Yggdrasil and a beautiful girl chatting with someone.

"Thank you so much."

"Oh, it's nothing. This is a secret, you know."

A secret, my foot!

Hmm.

My suspicions turned into certainty.

I understand why there are no rumors about Yggdrasil. He's the type who hides himself and thinks he's amazing without drawing attention.

Feeling satisfied with that is a bit distasteful.

He's a fool.

He's hiding his identity just to satisfy his ego.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be having a conversation in such a conspicuous place.

At least, he doesn't have any guilt like I do.

Most likely, the woman was someone who was about to be taken away as a tax, or the daughter of an old man who was sick in bed.

It's ridiculous. We quickly left the town.

About half a day later, we reached a village near the border of a neighboring country.

The food on the cart that didn't sell yesterday was quickly bought out. It seemed we had entered an area affected by famine.

However, there were many people who didn't seem to be from this village.

Their clothing was... how should I put it? Slightly different from this country.

"Hey, you guys..."

I had heard that the evil king who oppressed this region had been defeated.

Are these people merchants from that area?

When they saw my cart, they eagerly approached me with a business proposal.

They weren't trying to buy with money but with barter. Herbs were fine, but what could I do with wood or wooden crafts?

I got out of the cart and asked them what was going on.

"I'd prefer money."

If they gave me bundles of straw, ropes, or charcoal, I'd have trouble disposing of them since I had a lot of inventory.

I could buy a large amount of herbs and turn them into medicine.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have much to sell..."

They looked emaciated and on the verge of death.

"...It's probably a gift anyway. I'll do a small food distribution, so take some."

I borrowed a large pot from the villagers.

Since they were also suffering from hunger, they happily helped.

The food was perishable, but it had only been four days since I received it.

I have a skill to prevent spoilage, so it's less likely to rot than usual.

"Thank you!"

Everyone greedily ate the food from the pot.

While they were eating, I asked them what had happened.

Apparently, the oppressive king had been defeated, and taxes were reduced, making life a bit easier for the people.

However, that didn't last long.

The resistance, it seems, raised the taxes again.

"Why? You just defeated the evil king, right?"

"Well, running a country requires money, and to maintain military strength, taxes had to be raised."

I see. The evil king wasn't just oppressing the people; he was trying to maintain the country's military strength.

Without the people, there is no country, but without protecting the people, there is no country either...

If you only gather bad rumors about the king, he might be overthrown.

I don't care about the king's feelings, but I felt a strange sense of kinship with the king who was executed as an evil ruler.

Kings have to do things they know are bad, but they have to do them.

But, the Trash King of this country is just a fool and evil from the start.

"Life is impossible with just a change in leadership. So, we're trying to bring something valuable and come to the relatively wealthy country of Melromarc."

"The king is so sad! He was thinking of everyone first, you know. Who's to blame for our empty stomachs now?"

"Shut up, bird! You're questioning my sanity!"

"Okay."

I scolded Phyllo, who was spewing venom like she was digging into someone's wound.

Lately, she's been getting smarter and more sarcastic.

"Who are you becoming like...?"

I muttered, and Luftharia looked at me with a strange expression.

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind..."

Phyllo said that, but Yggdrasil was involved with the resistance. He might not have been a complete saint from the start.

Anyway, these people seem to be illegally entering the country to buy things like rice.

Food prices have been rising sharply in this area, which is good for business.

I remember Yggdrasil... the general, was supposed to be reforming this area.

He should at least provide some aftercare...

"If things continue like this, another country might attack us... but we can't live because of the famine."

"I see..."

Maybe the famine is spreading due to some wave effect.

"Can't be helped."

I gave a seed of a modified bio-plant to what seemed to be the leader of the group.

"What is this?"

"It's a seed of a plant that grows quickly, modified from a plant that caused problems in the southern part of the country. It should be safe, but be careful. It can be dangerous if mishandled."

"Ah... I see..."

"Next time I come through this area, bring me some thanks."

Since two of the three carts were completely sold out, I gave them the seed as a bonus and left.

When I come back to this area, I might be welcomed enthusiastically.

My identity was fully revealed, and the small neighboring country seemed to have recovered from the famine, and the residents no longer struggled to eat.

By the way, I got a large amount of herbs, so when I heard that an epidemic was spreading in the eastern region, we decided to sell them there.

"Be quiet! Can't you see my bow?"

He might have said something like that.