A Stroke of Unexpected Luck
“Spices, you say?”
“Yeah, I’ve got some on me.”
“I truly cannot fathom your sense of humor. Even the Imperial Palace struggles to procure high-quality spices, and you, of all people, are claiming to have…”
Thud.
While Robert was busy shaking his head and acting all high and mighty, I pulled a sack of spices out of my Inventory.
“…Huh?”
“Go ahead, take a look.”
I’d originally brought them for my own consumption, but I figured I could at least sell them off.
Robert opened the sack and was struck dumb with shock.
“H-how on earth do you have this much spice…?”
Black pepper, turmeric, and other basic ingredients I’d swept off the shelves at the local mart. But here? These weren't just “basic ingredients.” They were all high-end culinary luxuries. Honestly, the people here were the impressive ones, managing to make food taste decent with nothing but salt, sugar, and a pinch of seasoning.
“I have my ways of sourcing things.”
I’d already confirmed that pepper was used here—it popped up in meat dishes at A Cafeteria from time to time. Though, to be fair, it was absent from most dishes.
“Shall we talk while we eat? You and me.”
“I suppose your story is worth hearing.”
At least I’d piqued Robert’s interest.
“Even so, spice trading is fraught with difficulties. You are aware of that, right?”
“I have no idea!”
How would I know something like that? That was exactly why I’d dragged Robert into this.
“You didn’t fall into some kind of trap, did you…?”
“Hey, absolutely not. What are friends for?”
“Isn’t that the line people use right before they fleece their friends?”
“As if.”
I’ve always considered myself a trustworthy person.
“First off, if these are indeed spices, and if you can move them a few times, you should be able to afford a staff of your own.”
“Ohhh!”
A staff was a high-end luxury item in this world, second to none. It seemed the right way to buy expensive things was to sell expensive things.
“However.”
Mm. I knew that was coming. Robert put on his merchant face and continued.
“Entering the market inherently means taking on various risks. The most dangerous part is…”
“Yeah?”
“Assuming you’re sneaking out of school to procure these spices, other merchants disguised as bandits will be targeting your supply route.”
“Ah, that’s not a problem!”
Robert was talking about getting ambushed outside of Reinhardt. But I had no intention of leaving Reinhardt in the first place.
“Not a problem? This isn’t a game. The other side could even hire assassins! You’ll need to hire high-level escorts!”
“You’ll understand once you come over to my side later… Ugh, forget it, just move on.”
I’ll just have to kidnap him to the modern world later or something.
“Haa, well, if there’s a way, I suppose there’s a way.”
Okay, dodged that bullet.
“Then, next. Testing whether these spices are poisonous. I’ll handle that.”
Ah, right, that too. I had to keep in mind that their physical constitutions might be different from mine. I’d eaten with Aris and Adrian plenty of times. But Aris had a unique magic that cleared status ailments. And Adrian… well, I don’t think she’d get sick from eating anything. And thanks to my current Trait, I couldn’t even feel most poisons.
But wait… “You’ll handle that?”
“Did you not know? The Carter family is famous as both merchants and mages. That foundation is built on this unique magic.”
Robert raised his staff.
“Merchant Magician, Detecting.”
He touched his staff to one of the spice jars.
“Hmm. Toxic if consumed in excess.”
“That’s how it is naturally.”
After testing everything else, Robert spoke.
“Well, you won’t die even if you eat all of this. I’ll help with the distribution. Since this will be business with nobles, leave the trivial details to me.”
It seemed I’d passed. But the most important thing remained.
“So, how about the profit split?”
“Fine, I’ll help. My commission is 50% of the net profit.”
“20%.”
“20%!? Then there’s nothing left for us! I’m still just a name until I inherit the family business. I can’t do business at a loss.”
“I don’t know about that. 20%.”
“I’ll go as high as 40%.”
“Ah, don’t sell it then.”
The safety of the spices was already guaranteed anyway.
“If I go out to the School Market, people will buy it if they want it.”
“Then you’ll have to sell it at a ridiculous dirt-cheap price!”
“Then so be it.”
I was relaxed. I had plenty of spices. He didn’t know it, but I had plenty of ways to make money without teaming up with him. I could sell the dagger Karnaroff gave me, too. Of course, I wouldn’t, because I felt like I’d die if I got caught selling it.
“Haa. 30%.”
“20%.”
“25%. Anything below that is truly a losing business for me.”
Hmm. “Ugh, fine, I’m being generous! 22%.”
“Are you a devil!?”
In the end, Robert came at me like he was ready to die for it, so I settled for 25%.
“So, when are we selling?”
“Well, the first semester has to end, obviously.”
“What.”
Then this is meaningless!
“We don’t have a client. We can’t leave the school right now. The best course of action is to arrange it after the vacation starts.”
“I need a staff to use now!”
Specifically, a staff that can withstand at least one hit of dragon mana!
“Can’t be helped. How did you even break your staff in the first place?”
“I fired a strong spell, and it just died on its own.”
“…I’ve never heard of such a thing. What brand was it? Valerius? Aetheria?”
“…Brand?”
“You… how have you been using magic?”
“Well?”
“Wait. Don’t tell me.”
Robert handed me his staff. A jet-black wooden staff with gold thread woven through it. It looked luxurious, and I liked it immediately.
“Try firing a spell just once.”
“Why?”
“Hurry.”
I fired a Basic Attack Magic at the floor, keeping it very weak.
“Whoa, this is a staff. The mana flows so smoothly.”
I knew it immediately. This was an imported luxury car. A high-end sports car lineup, at that. I pointed my Observation Eye at his staff.
◈ SSR-grade high-efficiency mana conduit.
I shouldn’t have looked.
“Why don’t I have something like this?”
At this rate, should I just climb the Tower like crazy until I get a staff?
“You succeeded in the spell on the first try? No adaptation period…? No, that’s not it. This is…”
“Why, what is it?”
Why are you talking about things only you know?
“You… what kind of absurd talent do you have?”
“What are you talking about?”
I handed Robert his staff back. Come to think of it, if I change my staff, all the variables I put in my reports will change, too. I’d rather just find one staff I can use for the rest of my life. In the end, money is the problem…
“Since you seem to know nothing, I’ll give you one piece of advice.”
Robert looked at me and said, “From now on, you need to find a staff that fits your hands well. I recommend finding one during the vacation.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
He spoke as if all the other staves hadn’t fit my hands. Magic worked just fine with all of them.
“Just think of a way to sell the spices.”
So I can at least afford a Rare-grade staff. Robert shook his head.
“At the very least, I have to go myself. Without the name value of the Carter family, it’ll be hard to find a client.”
“Is it that important?”
“If I don’t step in personally, the nobles won’t even bother smelling the spices. Unless there’s a special catalyst, that is.”
“Is that so…”
Because I’m treated like a commoner.
“Can’t we sell them to the professors?”
Aren’t they nobles, too? When I said that, Robert looked at me like I was insane, so I dropped it.
“If we have a client, I’ll handle all the minor negotiations, transportation, and hiring.”
Robert said that and left. By the way, why are there so few staff shops in the School Market? Even if there are, they’re either extremely expensive or only sell big-name brands. There are tons of places selling swords.
“Hmm…”
How do I find a client? I felt like I could find one if I tried, but the “how” was the problem. Thinking that, I headed to the back of the cafeteria. It was time for the black market.
“Oh, if it isn’t Yumia! You’re here again today!”
The head chef of A Cafeteria. A man with a rugged impression and cooking skills as massive as his thick forearms. He had a mysterious function where if I stopped by when I was short on snacks for my beer and gave him a can or two, he’d produce some snacks in return.
“…You brought it again today, right?”
I handed him an ice-cold beer.
“Kya!! As expected, this is the best. I don’t know which brewery made this, but it’s amazing.”
“Give me some snacks.”
“Of course, I’ve got them ready!”
He handed me a meat skewer wrapped in paper.
“You’re taking quite a lot today?”
“I have someone to eat with.”
“You’ve already found a drinking buddy? You really are something else.”
I wasn’t really “something else.” Even the seniors who’d reached adulthood drank wine. Aside from the fact that my drinking buddy was a dragon, it wasn’t that special.
“Your skewers are incredibly delicious, too, Chef.”
“Hahaha! Even if you’re just saying that, I’m truly grateful!”
I wasn’t just saying it. This guy grilled meat like a god. His skewers, in particular, were mind-blowing. No matter what meat he grilled, it was tender and cooked perfectly evenly. Since it was a buffet, the quality usually dropped, but if you got it directly from him right before closing time like this, it was the end-all-be-all. Not that he couldn’t cook other things, too. Maybe I just liked skewers.
Whenever he grilled meat, I’d take it and just sprinkle some pepper or sauce on it to eat as a snack.
‘I bought lamb skewer seasoning on my way back from clearing the Tower.’
I was planning to visit Adrian today, too. Adrian, who would go crazy with joy even if I just sprinkled ketchup on it. I wondered how she’d react this time.
“Oh? Is this a spice?”
“Yeah. I got a little, but I have no use for it. It’s kind of awkward to sell, too.”
“Oh? Then why don’t you sell it to me?”
“Huh?”
“The food you bring in often has strange ingredients. Spices shouldn’t be any different. I have to present a dish to the Imperial Palace soon, and I need something unique.”
“It might be a bit different, though.”
“Don’t be like that. Come on? How about half a gold coin?”
“Ugh…”
50 silver was a pretty big deal. Without much thought, I handed him a can of spices. It was a decent product that had passed Robert’s test.
“Well, use it however you want.”
The 50 silver falling into my hands felt quite sweet. In any case, he was someone I was close with, so it wouldn’t be bad to give it to him. I thought that and moved on, but…
A little while later, when I went to A Cafeteria for breakfast without a second thought, he came looking for me.
“W-what did you give me?”
He shouted at me with an expression half-filled with joy and half-filled with confusion.
“Huh?”
“My food caused a sensation at the Imperial Palace!”