Chapter 42: The Greedy Merchant (2)

“ You haven’t contacted the lord of Kanas yet, have you?”

At Raion’s question, Fordman answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“ Absolutely not. Of course, over there, they’re desperate to meet me—since I revived the village by producing Chers and Jagir. They must be fuming. Anyway, I won’t meet him until you give the order.”

Ask him one question, and he’d answer ten.

That was Fordman’s worst habit, and since Raion knew it would never change in this lifetime, he decided to ignore it.

“ From now on, if anyone asks who owns the goods you’re selling, tell them this name.”

“ What name is that?”

“ Dragonia. That’ll be my other name from now on.”

“ Sounds fancy! Got it. Then I’ll even engrave the name onto the products themselves. How’s that?”

It was basically the same concept as ‘Made in Korea.’

At that suggestion, Raion couldn’t help but let out a sound of admiration.

“ You really do have a knack for ideas.”

No one on the Phalon Continent had ever distributed goods in that manner before—it was bound to feel fresh and original.

“ If I engrave the name exactly as it is, it’ll look amazing, right? Krrr∼!”

“ You can handle that however you like.”

“ Understood. I’ll make sure it looks great. Still, I wish we had some new products besides the recipes, Chers, and Jagir.”

It had already been four years since those items first went on sale.

Of course, through traveling merchants who crossed national borders, they were selling quite well even in other countries.

Fordman was talking about finding a new product to keep that momentum going.

“ True enough. It’s about time we thought ahead and released something new. I’ll think about it. Come find me when you next come to Kanas.”

“ It’ll take about three months after I sell off these goods. I’ll do that. Oh! But why did you sell items to these people?”

The carriage was loaded full of goods brought to sell in Filat Village.

But since he couldn’t sell them there, he’d have to haul everything to the next village.

“ I didn’t expect that the ‘greedy merchant’ those villagers were cursing about would turn out to be you. Not that I would’ve refused to sell to you even if I’d known.”

The people had suffered massive damage from the monster attack.

Even though Raion had provided funds and weapons, they were still lacking daily necessities.

In the end, he’d had no choice but to sell them at a minimal, non-free price.

“ Greedy merchant? I only charged what matched the situation and actual costs!”

“ Still, doubling or tripling the price is a bit much, don’t you think? It’s one thing if it’s nobles—but don’t do that to villagers like these. You’ve already made plenty by now.”

Fordman tried to say something more but instead let out a deep sigh.

“ Understood. Then I’ll finish preparations and get going. I need to sell off the Rickbird and Tugpig meat before it spoils.”

“ Don’t tell me you bought those at dirt-cheap prices from a Kanas Territory village too?”

At those words, Fordman flinched.

Just as Raion said, the meat he had was from when he’d left the Kanas Territory.

Naturally, he’d taken advantage of their poverty to exchange it for goods at a bargain.

“ I only paid slightly below market price.”

“ Sigh… Anyway, try not to push your luck too far. Ah—while you’re here, could you help me get rid of some monster corpses?”

There were a huge number piled up from the last attack.

If the village had been in good condition, they would’ve dismantled them right away and sold them elsewhere, but that wasn’t possible yet.

“ I don’t deal with goblins. Too much waste material.”

“ But kobolds and Saliva Wolves should be quite useful, shouldn’t they?”

“ You have them? Where?”

Kobold and Saliva Wolf hides were tough, perfect for making clothes and shoes.

Their bones could also be used to craft tools, and especially Saliva Wolf meat was famous for its taste—it could even be sold for food.

“ Wait a second. Warehouse!”

Raion activated his ability, opening the Warehouse (倉庫) and pulling out a pile of kobold and Saliva Wolf corpses he’d collected during the attack.

At that sight, Fordman’s eyes went wide as he stared intently at Raion.

“ You can use magic like that as well?”

“ Think of it as spatial magic. Anyway, will this much be fine?”

There were more than thirty kobolds and thirty Saliva Wolves—over sixty monsters had attacked Filat Village.

“ Wow… Were there no Trolls or Bear Wolves? Their hides and bones fetch quite the price.”

The mentioned Trolls and Bear Wolves were mid- to high-tier monsters, belonging to the rare species category.

Even a single one of them could have completely wiped out the village—if Raion hadn’t been there, that is.

“ If you don’t plan on turning the village into rubble, it’s best not to even think about that.”

“ I was only saying, I didn’t mean it literally.”

“ Anyway, you can keep the profit from selling the monster materials. Just leave behind the meat we can use for food here.”

“ That alone will be good business for me, so I’ll do that. Your Highness, when are you planning to head over to Kanas Territory?”

Fordman asked while taking out his dismantling tools from the carriage.

“ Now that I’ve met you and taken care of business, I’ll be crossing right away.”

As he said that, Raion’s gaze slowly turned toward the Clamen Mountain Range.

* * *

Fordman finished dismantling the monsters, handed over only the meat to the villagers, and set off right away.

Everyone came out to see him off—everyone except Patrick, who was notably absent.

A day later, Raion and his subordinates were also ready to leave Filat Village.

“Are you sure it’s all right?”

The village chief, Ahad, was worried, thinking Raion and his people would be crossing over the Clamen Mountain Range.

“You don’t need to worry. More importantly, if you ever need anything, go to the Blue Sunset tavern at the lord’s castle in Marlen or Praizen, and contact the name Dragonia.”

When they had visited Vaizen Fortress, Patrick had stopped by a branch of “Blue Sunset” and left word with the Eye of the Moon.

From now on, all transactions conducted through the Eye of the Moon would be under the name “Dragonia.”

“I understand what you mean.”

“Before long, there might be a branch of Blue Sunset here as well. When that happens, make sure to prepare a suitable place for it.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

After saying that, Raion climbed onto the carriage.

Seeing this, Dike, who had followed him inside, turned to Monica and asked,

“Are we really heading over the Clamen Mountain Range now?”

“Most likely.”

“But they said there are a lot of monsters there! How are we supposed to cross it? Even the village chief tried to stop us.”

Dike furrowed his small brow tightly—he was clearly worried.

Before long, the carriage set off amid the villagers’ farewells, heading toward the Clamen Mountain Range.

Then Patrick, who was just as anxious as Dike, leaned toward the coachman’s window and asked,

“Are you sure we just keep going this way?”

“Head toward the Deoban Tree that rises above the forest first. I’ll tell you what to do once we get there.”

“As you command.”

Clop. Clatter.

The horses galloped vigorously in that direction.

After a while, they arrived in front of the Deoban Tree that Raion had mentioned.

“From here, head exactly northwest.”

Raion gave precise directions, comparing their position to the Clamen Mountain Range.

Patrick couldn’t help but find it strange—Raion seemed far too familiar with the area.

“Do you actually know the route, Your Highness?”

“Just trust me. And we’re not crossing over the Clamen Mountain Range—we’re passing under it.”

“Under…? You mean there’s a cave that leads all the way to Kanas Territory? How could such a thing even…”

Kanas Territory had long been called the Land of the Cursed due to its centuries of isolation.

If there had truly been a cave running through the mountain range, no one would have called it that.

“Would you believe me if I said I found it by chance in an old manuscript from the royal library? I didn’t think I’d ever need it, but here we are.”

“Is that manuscript trustworthy?”

“If we have to cross anyway, wouldn’t it be worth giving it a try?”

The carriage continued moving forward.

As they drew nearer to the Clamen Mountain Range, Jade—riding on horseback—grew increasingly tense.

Monsters could appear at any moment.

Soon, the carriage reached the point where the steep incline of the mountain began.

The surrounding terrain was lined with tall cliffs—if monsters came from outside, it would be a dangerous place.

“Is there really a cave here?”

When the carriage came to a halt, Patrick looked around, but no matter where he turned, he couldn’t see any sign of a cave.

“It’s completely hidden—that’s why no one ever found it. He really concealed it well.”

Raion said this while thinking of Fordman.

Then, stepping down from the carriage, Raion walked toward a familiar section of terrain.

The cliffs rose sharply ahead, merging into a patch of vines and dense thickets.

Meanwhile, Patrick carefully drove the carriage behind him.

Rustle! Swish!

Raion pushed through the familiar brush and lifted it aside with his hand.

Behind the thick layer of vines—roughly the size of a haystack—a dark, hollow space began to appear.

“It really is a cave!”

Jade, who had come up beside Raion, helped him pull away the vegetation.

The cave was wide enough for the carriage to pass through easily.

Patrick let out a breath of astonishment.

“How could a cave like this exist…”

This cave had been here for ages.

But because of the Clamen Mountain Range’s grim reputation, no one had even imagined the possibility, let alone found it.

Monica, Dike, and Caldein all stared, eyes wide, at the cave that had appeared before them.

“First, Jade—use some branches to erase the carriage tracks as much as possible from the Deoban Tree to here.”

“Understood.”

Jade immediately moved to carry out the order.

Meanwhile, Patrick guided the carriage into the cave, while Caldein and Monica worked with him to remove any remaining traces around the entrance.

They took these precautions in case anyone else might stumble upon it.

“It’s done.”

When Jade returned after cleaning up, Raion engraved a 1st Circle magic formula of Light on the top of the carriage and activated it.

As the spell took effect, the cave interior was bathed in bright light.

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