Unexpected Income (2)
“I didn’t have many sets prepared to begin with, so I couldn’t have sold that many anyway. Haha!” Patrick flashed a bright smile as he held up his fingers to show just how little stock he had left. “If the quantity is too small and the commission isn’t worth your while, I completely understand……”
His ears drooped like a drenched cat, disappointment written all over his face.
“……In that case, how about selling them on consignment instead of buying them outright?”
“Consignment?”
In the end, Oren proposed the opposite: consignment sales. As a merchant, he knew Patrick’s household medicine sets would find buyers. ‘But they’ll never make real money.’ Still, something about refusing the wizard’s request felt wrong. His merchant’s instincts warned him—don’t make an enemy of this man. So he offered consignment instead of outright purchase. It was the perfect middle ground when he wanted neither loss nor the awkwardness of rejection.
Consignment deals were common with small workshops run by artisans.
—I’ve designed some new fabric……
—Take a look at this bow, this shield! They may not be masterpieces, but they’re quite good, aren’t they?
It didn’t require much space, so there was no real risk for the merchant group. ‘Even if there is a loss, I’ll have earned his goodwill. That’s profit either way.’ The merchant’s abacus had made its decision.
“Yes. We’ll sell these items at our trading company for a set period. If any remain unsold, we’ll return them to you later—along with the proceeds.”
“And in exchange, I pay a commission?”
“A small one, yes. The downside of consignment is the possibility of leftover stock. The upside is……”
“If they sell well, my profits increase!”
“Exactly.”
“Wonderful. Let’s do that. Thank you, Oren.”
Regardless of Oren’s little scheme, Patrick thought the proposal was quite reasonable. ‘This is basically a flea market setup.’ Having once dabbled in selling household goods at flea markets in his youth, Patrick asked for a moment.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!”
The wizard emerged with his usual radiant smile, a large bundle wrapped in cloth.
“What’s all this?”
The emergency medicine sets had already filled an entire cart, so this couldn’t be medicine.
“Ah, I made a new batch of soap and ended up with quite a lot.”
“Soap?”
“Yes. I heard it doesn’t make much money and that not many people would buy it. But since it’s consignment, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
Oren nodded. “The prices are written inside. They vary by type.”
“Understood. Heh. Then I’ll see you next month. I’ll bring the remaining stock with me.”
“Thank you. Oh, and if the sales are good enough, could you perhaps bring a tailor with you when you come?”
“A tailor? Ah! Haha, of course, Wizard. I’ll arrange it.”
Even as he mused that wizards’ minds were beyond ordinary comprehension—and their spending habits equally peculiar—Oren couldn’t help but smile. There was something oddly likable about it.
***
“Oh, looks like the Dunbrook brewery sent over some liquor today!”
“Heh. That’s right. How many do you need? Three crates?”
“I still have some left from last time, so just two will do. Boy, load them onto the cart!”
“Yes, sir!”
The innkeeper visiting Oren’s trading company purchased liquor from the Dunbrook brewery.
“Are the mercenaries starting to drink less? I figured it would happen eventually, but it’s happening faster than I thought.”
“That’s not it. The rainy season came recently. Mercenaries don’t move around much during this time.”
“If they’re not moving, what else would they do but hole up in inns and drink?”
“Exactly. So they go back to their usual drinks. Liquor like this from Dunbrook Island actually sells better when new customers arrive. Just wait and see. By autumn, they might be buying six crates instead of two. Hahaha!”
The slogan claiming that every bottle of liquor fulfilled a child’s dream still seemed to hold its charm.
“What’s this?”
“Ah, that’s an emergency medicine set made by the wizard who came up with the liquor bottle idea. There weren’t many, so we put them on consignment.”
“Oho—”
“Why? Interested? They’re not particularly potent.”
“Still, I might keep a couple at the inn.”
“At the inn?”
“Even if they don’t do much, if I advertise that we stock medicine made by a wizard from the capital, some mercenary group might take the bait.”
The innkeeper, who dealt with mercenaries daily, knew that they held the highest respect and admiration for intellectuals. Those who lived close to danger valued information, strategy, and tactical wisdom above all.
“This is also something that peculiar wizard made? Soap?”
“He said it’s a face-washing soap with herbs in it. Want to take one?”
“Our inn guests aren’t exactly the type to care about such things.”
“Thought so. Heh.”
Whoosh—
A figure suddenly darted past Oren and the innkeeper, who were chuckling as if they hadn’t expected anything in the first place.
“Is this really the face-washing soap made by that wizard?”
“W-well, yes.”
Oren took half a step back as he answered, startled by the young man’s gleaming eyes.
“It was definitely made by a wizard exiled from the capital?”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
“What’s it good for?”
“……? What’s soap good for? Obviously for washing away dirt……”
At Oren’s words, the young man’s voice trailed off in disappointment. “Is that so?” Still looking reluctant, he rummaged through the pile of soap until he spotted small print behind the price tag and called Oren over again.
“Excuse me, what does this say?”
“What’s this? Ah, the wizard must have written it. Let’s see……”
It seemed the wizard had written a description of the soap behind the price tag. ‘When did he even write this?’ Wizards, honestly.
“A face-washing soap made with concentrated rose petals and tea tree leaf extract. Soothes the skin……? Helps with troubled skin……apparently?”
“I knew it! It’s not just regular soap! Please wrap up two of these for me.”
The young man paid with obvious delight. ‘I’ll have to brag to my squadmates when I return tomorrow. Haha!’ He was a soldier stationed at Eltron’s lord’s castle. After visiting his hometown on leave, he had come to the city for a change of pace and found something that could replace the “men’s cosmetics” that had recently become wildly popular within his unit.
“Excuse me, do you happen to have any toners or lip balms?”
“They’re right here.”
“Aren’t these for women? I’m looking for men’s products.”
“Men use cosmetics?”
“They’re all the rage in the capital. You didn’t know?”
Oren cleared his throat at the soldier’s words. “Ahem, ahem! Of course not! I-I obviously knew!”
For a merchant, falling behind on trends was as good as admitting to poor information-gathering skills, so Oren puffed out his chest and pretended to know.
“Our trading company plans to start carrying men’s cosmetics soon.”
“Really? When will that be? I’ll let my squadmates know! They’ll all be waiting eagerly.”
“……Squadmates? Well, ahem. Understood! I’ll try to get some before autumn arrives.”
“It would be great if it’s made by that wizard from the capital…… Actually, our squad leader’s complexion has improved a lot after using the cosmetics that wizard made. I tried the lip balm myself, and the chapped spots completely disappeared!”
“I-is that so……?”
Oren had no idea what men’s cosmetics were or what the squad leader was talking about, but one thing was certain. ‘That wizard seems to have spread something strange around.’ No, if he had something like that, why was he trying to sell soap and emergency medicine that wouldn’t make much money?
***
“Is it true, Village Chief? I heard Oren is coming today.”
“He’s arriving earlier than usual, so I was surprised when I got the message too. Heh.”
Patrick grew slightly anxious at the chief’s words. ‘What? Did it not sell? So he’s just bringing everything back?’ He bit his nails, then brightened. ‘No, wait—what if it sold incredibly well? What if it’s sold out? Whoa! That’s it!’ His eyes glazed over with rosy fantasies. If one were to visualize indecision, it would look exactly like this.
‘Heh. His thoughts are written all over his face.’ The village chief simply gazed at his teacher with the fond eyes of a grandfather watching his grandchild.
“Ah, he’s arrived.”
Oren was approaching the beach after switching to a ferry.
“……Huh?”
Hope was slowly filling Patrick’s eyes.
“I don’t recognize that face……”
“Yes!”
“What?”
The village chief assumed the young man Oren had brought was a new laborer, but Patrick recognized him at a glance.
“My tailor! Custom clothes! No more being a one-outfit man! Mwahahaha! ……Then does that mean it sold out? Am I rich now?”
Patrick gulped down imaginary kimchi stew and began running along the beach with both arms raised high. Joy was always more fun when expressed in the most undignified way possible, but the village chief simply shook his head. ‘As eccentric as ever. Heh.’
***
“To cut to the chase, it looks like the emergency medicine sets will take some time to sell out.”
“……Ah?”
Oren’s first words were not what Patrick had expected.
“……Ah! Then the soap must have been a huge hit! I knew it!”
There was no such thing as a fantasy world where soap didn’t sell. Definitely not! Patrick’s eyes lit up again in an instant.
“Well…… the soap did sell a little, but it’s not sold out yet……”
Whoosh—
Patrick’s face crumpled. This was not the story progression he had anticipated. ‘Then this guy isn’t a tailor?’ He had thought Oren brought a tailor because things sold so well, but apparently not. ‘And it was going so well.’ It didn’t take long for his sparkling eyes to turn into those of a dead fish.
“That said, Wizard.”
“Yeees—”
“The soap actually sold quite well for what it is.”
“Yeees—”
Patrick answered half-heartedly, his motivation gone, but Oren’s smile never faded. If anything, the merchant’s eyes sparkled with mischief at the thought of surprising him.
“Let’s make a deal!”
“Yeees— ……Yes?”
“Both the face-washing soap and men’s cosmetics—let’s make them!”
“……?”
Just as Patrick was struggling to understand the situation, the final blow landed.
“I even brought the most talented tailor in Eltron. This tailor will personally make your promotional outfit, Patrick!”
“An outfit? Promotional?”
“Yes! We’re planning to hang your portrait in the men’s cosmetics corner. It’ll give people the confidence that they can look like this if they use it, while inspiring motivation for self-care……”
……? Would that even work? Patrick hesitated for a moment, but—
“……Could you also make silk pajamas?”
—he succumbed to temptation.