Dunbrook's Carrot Market Star
“Just like you suggested yesterday, I baked a pizza topped with spinach and tomatoes, and it turned out so delicious! Do you happen to have any more spinach left, teacher?”
“Of course. The flavor came out so well that even eating it raw tastes like it has sugar in it.”
“Ohoho! You’re quite the joker!”
“I’ll take some of this spring onion, please. I can’t handle how spicy it is, but my parents say it whets their appetite.”
“Thank you. We’ll have plenty until winter sets in, so just let me know whenever you need more. Haha.”
Patrick’s crops were as popular as ever today. The housewives, who had discovered the joy of cooking with new ingredients thanks to a fairy tale or two, didn’t hesitate to open their purses. More than anything, some people simply enjoyed the novelty of having something like a market on the island.
“Goodness, you’re right.”
“I heard only the teacher set up a stall. Is this part of the lessons too?”
“Well, something like that. It’s good for the children to gain all sorts of experiences.”
“As expected! If I were twenty years younger, I’d have thrown myself at your feet and begged to become your disciple. What a shame!”
“It’s not too late. How about joining as the youngest member?”
“Hahaha! Give me some of that, then. My wife is quite fond of raspberries.”
Quite a few men who had been scarce the day before were now present. They must have taken an interest after hearing about it during last night’s meal. In just a couple of hours, more than half of the vegetables, fruits, and pickled items Patrick had brought were sold.
“Look at that. Business, huh? The basics are selling good stuff cheap. Just look at the teacher—almost everything’s gone already.”
During a brief lull in customers, Patrick strolled around the front yard of the Village Hall, checking how much stock the children’s stalls and Josh’s goods had left. Though their stalls had empty spots here and there, most items remained unsold. At least Amy’s bread had sold quite well.
That’s only because people find the kid cute for bringing something she made.
Ahh—me, a man like this. If I’m even good at business, what am I supposed to do? Can this island even handle someone like me?
With one hand on his hip and the other at his temple, Patrick struck a deliberately serious pose and muttered nonsense like, “The name of this sinful man is Patrick!”
“Wow, Ben! You got so many silver coins!”
“Yeah. Five of them! But I have to give half to Dad. That was the deal.”
“Still! That’s more than two left!”
“I’ll buy you something tasty later.”
“Promise?”
“Of course!”
The children’s innocent voices drifted over. Their pure admiration and praise, completely free of malice, somehow wounded the fragile heart of an adult who had been indulging in narcissism.
“……How many silver coins did you say?”
“Five!”
“……”
What Ben had brought was wine of lower marketability. But no matter how poor the quality, since the boy had asked to sell something for the first time, his father had carefully selected and reselected what to give him.
— Honey, isn’t this enough?
— It’s fine. The sweetness didn’t come out as expected, so it can’t be supplied to stores, but it’s decent enough for ordinary people. If Ben sells it cheap, there’ll be buyers.
— Right. Since it’s his first time selling something with his own hands, we should give him something that’ll actually sell. Heh. I didn’t realize he’d grown so much already.
As the island’s only brewery, the types of alcohol it handled were well known to the villagers. Naturally, conversations like that had taken place.
— Ben, is this really the right price?
— Yes. Dad said since it’s not very sweet, I could sell it cheaper.
— Really?
— Would you like to try a sample? Dad packed an extra one for tasting.
— Sounds good!
……Mm! Not bad. I’ll take one bottle.
Ben wasn’t the only one. Josh sold cheap clothes and fabrics with “mainland” designs that were hard to find on the island. Tommy had gone around the village drawing people’s houses and gardens, making them exclaim, “Isn’t this our house?” and happily buy the pictures. Amy’s bread and cookies needed no further mention—their popularity owed much to her older sister, who was already famous in the neighborhood for her baking skills.
“Don’t tell me you all got silver coins too……?”
When Patrick asked in a trembling voice, the children proudly pulled out the gleaming coins from their pockets.
“Ta-da!”
“Look at this!”
“I earned this money myself, teacher!”
Even Josh sheepishly lifted his pocket from behind the children and smiled shyly.
“……”
Where had the glory of that model customer with a manners temperature of 61 degrees gone?
Patrick lightly clutched his own light pocket and lay down beside the stall with a complicated heart.
Patrick, who had dreamed of becoming the star of Dunbrook Island’s carrot market but had to abandon that dream. Ironically, however, the market in front of the Village Hall became a regular event after that day. Even if it wasn’t about making money, the villagers had reached an unspoken agreement that gathering regularly to share what they needed was more convenient than going door-to-door for barter.
Though unintentional, a market had somehow appeared in the village.
“Hoo— Is this really okay?”
Patrick tilted his head as he watched the scene.
I thought exile destinations were supposed to be rural villages without markets.
If this gets noticed the wrong way, won’t I be forcibly relocated?
“Oh my, Mage! It’s been a while since I last saw you!”
Just then, someone he could ask appeared.
“I didn’t know you were here and ended up going all the way up to your house. Haha!”
“It’s hot out, so you made an unnecessary trip. If I’d known you were coming, I would’ve gone to meet you. By the way, you look well. Did something good happen……?”
It was the soldiers who visited once a month. This time the veteran soldier had come in person, and even after making a wasted trip he was grinning, so something good must have happened.
“It seems my luck is finally turning around.”
“Pardon?”
“Actually, starting last month, I’ve been attending the vassal council meetings. Hahaha!”
“The vassal council?”
When Patrick’s eyes widened, the new soldier quickly explained.
“It’s a meeting hosted directly by the lord. All important matters of the Eltron territory are decided there, Mage.”
“Does that mean…… you might become the captain of the guard soon……?”
“Hahaha! So you think the same, Mage?”
Apart from offering congratulations, one question floated in Patrick’s mind.
What on earth does the lord see in that guy?
He wasn’t someone you could call a born villain. Having seen him often, Patrick had grown somewhat fond of him; there was a simple side to him, and he showed a subtle sense of loyalty.
Still, he doesn’t look like someone who should be entrusted with anything important.
Given his work attitude—where the lord showed no interest in exiles, making it questionable whether he had ever come to check on the island even once—and the fact that he had accepted bribes from exiles to change their destinations, plus pocketing unauthorized bonuses……
If a guy like this becomes captain of the guard, the territory’s security will be something to behold.
Personal friendship was one thing, ability was another. A rational person should be able to separate the two.
“By the way, Captain of the Guard.”
But the title that came out of Patrick’s mouth had already changed. Again, ability and friendship were separate matters.
It doesn’t cost money to flatter someone, after all.
At the words “Captain of the Guard,” the veteran soldier’s mouth split ear to ear. He waved his hands a few times, then nodded slyly.
“It’s scary if other people hear. Hahaha!”
“There’s something I’m curious about. I thought you might know, Captain.”
“What is it? It’s a bit embarrassing to say myself, but if I don’t know something, no one in our barracks will. In fact, even though my official position wasn’t captain of the guard, the work I did was practically the same. Hehehe.”
“Oh my, of course! That’s why I prepared a gift like this. After all, you’re someone doing great things for the territory. It’s nothing much, but……”
Patrick casually handed over a high-quality, well-designed shirt from Josh’s stall to the veteran soldier and asked,
“You mentioned that exile destinations are decided to be small villages without markets, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then, is there a set scale for what counts as a market? I’m someone who can’t live breaking the law, so I opened a stall to teach the children, but I’m worried it might be seen as a market too.”
The five or six stalls spread out in front of the Village Hall were clearly not enough to be called a “market.”
Still, I have to make sure. If the law can be twisted either way, I might get caught for no reason.
Patrick had no intention of giving up his life on this island. Who in their right mind would leave a neighborhood with such good-hearted, friendly people?
I shouldn’t do anything that might get me kicked out just for trying a hobby.
Besides, there was an even bigger problem. If money kept circulating in this village and it started to develop, what would happen to my exile status?
With a tense heart, he waited for the veteran soldier’s answer.
“……If a market suddenly appears in an exile destination……”
After clicking his tongue for a while as if weighing various things in his mind, the veteran soldier nodded as if he had reached an answer.
“They’d probably receive a pardon.”
“……What? A pardon?”
Wait, what was he suddenly saying?
“As far as I know, there’s no specific clause about relocating exiles even if an exile destination suddenly develops and a market appears, or if a completely ruined village disappears.”
“I-is that so?”
“But there is this: if exiles who aren’t of bad character—relatively mild ones—perform meritorious deeds during their exile, they can have their crimes pardoned.”
“Is that true? Really?”
“Soldier, Soldier! Does that mean our teacher isn’t a criminal anymore?”
“I hope so! It’d be fun to go sightseeing in the city with the teacher!”
“Right! He can’t even ride a boat. Poor thing.”
The children who had approached unnoticed and been listening chimed in one after another, unable to hold back.
“Are there actual cases?”
Patrick was desperate too. He liked life on the island very much, but not being able to go out and not being allowed to go out were completely different matters.
“Hmm…… Has something like that happened in our territory? I’m not sure. Ah! I don’t know if it’s true, but a long time ago there was a mage who was exiled for some wrongdoing.”
“A mage?”
“Yes. But that mage created several new spells in the exile destination and received a pardon. They say that for those achievements, he not only got pardoned but also received a title and a noble rank…… It’s such an old memory that I don’t remember the details, but there definitely was such a case.”
In that moment, a new goal was born for Patrick.
“I have to perform meritorious deeds……”
“Still, magic probably won’t work, teacher.”
“We’ll see about that!”
As always, Patrick skillfully ignored Ben’s objection and said only what he wanted to say.