A World Without Jerks
“Huh?”
What I’d given him was saffron. It was a spice with a very unique aroma and a notoriously high price tag. Even at the supermarket, there were only a few bottles tucked away in the high-end section, and it was significantly more expensive than the others. It wasn’t quite worth the gold-standard value of this place, but still. I’d wondered if it was worth the 50 silver I’d charged, but it seemed to have been a massive hit.
“This is worth paying even more for. Where on earth did you get a spice like this?”
“Is it really that good?”
“Good? It’s incredible! Not only His Majesty, but the princes, princesses, and even the nobles were fighting over it! The rumor has already spread throughout the Imperial Palace!”
Listening to him, it seemed the event he’d attended was a regular, grand banquet held at the Imperial Palace. All sorts of talented chefs were invited to showcase their dishes, and there was one dish that had captured everyone’s attention with its unique flavor. It was the dish by Jean Cremore, the head chef of Reinheart... or so the story went.
“E-even the Princess!?”
Aris also dropped her jaw in surprise. Jean puffed out his thick biceps and said, “That’s right. Not only that, but nobles from the highest to the lowest ranks were all clamoring to taste my cooking.”
“Really?”
“Really. It was competitive.”
He said, looking delighted. “It’s a stroke of luck to be able to use such a spice, but it’s been a long time since I’ve received such high praise. Thanks to this, I’ve made connections with several nobles.”
I knew he was a highly skilled chef in the Empire. The praise for the spice was surely due to his skill as well. But at the same time, it was a verification of the potential of the items I possessed.
“Follow me right now! I’ll pay you more!”
“Can’t I take something other than money?”
“Something else? Just name it!”
“Please put me in touch with the nobles who showed interest. I have some leftover spices.”
“Hm? That’s not difficult, but... are you thinking of going into the spice business?”
“I need to start making some real money too.”
“That’s true! A person should play in the big leagues! I’ll help in any way I can! However...”
“However?”
“Only sell a little at a time when I ask you to, alright? There’s so much I want to research.”
“That goes without saying.”
After all, I was the primary beneficiary if the quality of the food went up.
“Then it’s a deal!”
He readily agreed. Client secured!
From there, things went smoothly, like a ship with the wind at its back. Robert organized a list of nobles who were reachable as if he’d been waiting for it. He used his connections to relay our situation and quickly set up a date for the negotiation table.
“For now, there are five noble families who wish to purchase. They all want that red spice, and some have shown interest in other things as well.”
Even so, there was only one noble who had made a purchase agreement at the School Market right away. The others would take a bit longer. It seemed it took time to prepare the formalities and the budget. If anything, the first one had been unusually fast.
On the day of the first deal, I went to a high-end inn at the School Market. Robert said with concern, “Will you be alright? Viscount Oberon has some bad rumors surrounding him. They say he’s part of the radical faction among the nobles, so be careful.”
“Well, are we in a position to be picky? If the vibe is off, we can just pull out.”
I said that and sat down at the negotiation table with Robert. Opposite us were Viscount Oberon and his guard. The guard was a fairly young-looking knight.
“I will purchase all the spices you have.”
“Oh? Really?”
But the next line he uttered was shocking. In a bad way.
“I’ll pay 1 gold as a down payment, and 1 gold later.”
Viscount Oberon said, digging his finger into his ear next to his bloated face. What? Even the uncle from before had said he’d pay more because 50 silver wasn’t enough? According to Robert, the minimum payment I should receive for selling all these spices was 20 gold. It was an absurdly low amount.
“Wait. That’s too little. At least 25 gold...”
Robert spoke up, but the Viscount ignored him and said, “Are you the heir to the Gwangyoung Trading Company? You stay out of this. This is a deal with this one here.”
I knew nobles were arrogant, but to this extent? Isn’t this a bit weird?
“Well, let’s hear what you’re thinking.”
I said it politely, but the response I got was quite something.
“What would a commoner know about spices?”
Hmm. It didn’t look like he had any intention of negotiating. They were basically robbers hiding behind their authority, just without the swords drawn.
“Haha, you folks sure have a lovely way of speaking.”
You want to die?
“So, are you not going to sell?”
“Would you sell if you were in my shoes?”
I raised my middle finger. Unfortunately, this gesture didn’t seem to translate in this other world. When he raised his hand, one of the knights stepped forward. A quite young knight.
“William. Just give them a little scare. Just enough so they don’t die.”
“Yes!”
But faster than he could draw his sword,
Used Status Enhancement Ticket (SSR, 5th Floor). Agility increased significantly!! (D → B)
I had moved behind him and was pointing Robert’s staff at him. Not only had he given up his back in an instant, but he’d even given me time to cast. The momentum had shifted. Of course, it was much more favorable for us.
I said slyly, “Wow, you’re even resorting to threats. I wonder if you can take responsibility for this.”
“U-uh.”
Cold sweat ran down William’s face. As if he hadn’t expected this at all. No matter how good a knight is, you never come out unscathed if you get hit by magic at point-blank range. I had even finished loading Dragon Mana while he was flustered. William knew it instinctively, too. That’s why he couldn’t move.
“W-William, what are you doing! Quickly subdue them...”
“I-I’m sorry! My Lord, this person is not someone I can handle! Please get to safety!”
Viscount Oberon twisted his body as if he couldn’t understand the situation. Soon, his head seemed to grasp what this meant. A perfect defeat. In momentum, and in skill.
“This is why young ones are...!!” He bit his lip. “D-damn it! Do you think you’ll be safe after doing this!”
“You’re the ones who did wrong, aren’t you? Get lost while I’m asking nicely.”
I guess he underestimated me because I’m a student. Too bad for him.
“Damn it, just you wait...!”
“Leave what you have and get lo... never mind.”
The knight had already run away. It wouldn’t be good to cause more of a scene here. There was no guarantee I’d win if we actually fought. When I checked with Observation Eye, he had the trait Aura User. It was fortunate that they got scared and ran away, but if we’d really fought, it would have been troublesome for us too. Unlike the Tower, these were actual people.
Robert looked at me. I tossed the staff to Robert.
“You’re much faster and calmer than I thought. Usually, people panic in that situation. Did you learn body reinforcement or something?”
What’s body reinforcement? But it would look bad to ask that now.
“It’s basic.”
“Well, you didn’t necessarily have to respond.”
“I know.”
It was inside the School Market anyway. They couldn’t exercise actual force until we attacked first. But I was annoyed by the extortion attempt, so I gave them a scare. With this, it would be hard for other nobles to openly ignore us.
“You must have known that was the better response, too. Amazing. It’s like you’re ten years older than your actual age.”
That was probably my actual age.
“Aigoo, what would you know?”
“Anyway, I heard he was a radical among the noble faction. But to think he’d be that stupid.”
“Noble faction? Isn’t the Imperial History professor also part of the noble faction?”
“That’s right. They want to reclaim the authority of the declining nobility... but to think their only action is to oppress commoners, it just makes me sigh.”
“Was that so?”
Come to think of it, Professor Georgia was like that too. Linia was sleeping in class, but he only singled me out to beat me down. It seemed the noble faction was a group of people who hated commoners.
“Well, there won’t be any more incidents like this from now on. Sometimes there are reckless people like that, but usually, they try to pay the fair price.”
“That’s a relief, then.”
Of course, my heart was different. ‘Nooooo! My SSR-grade Status Enhancement Ticket!’ I’d used it to seize the initiative at once, and I’d actually gained a significant harvest. Agility was also an important stat. It was a stat that even magic-type hunters made sure to hit B in, important for survival and quick positioning. But I couldn’t help but feel it was a waste. I wanted to think about it a little more before using it....
“So, Unni. Did the deal go well?”
“Hm? Well... yeah.”
I stopped by the Western Forest that night because I was supposed to have Adrian adjust my Dragon Eye. I wonder if I’m visiting the Western Forest too often now.
“Sigh, let’s just drink.”
Drinking is perfect after annoying things. We were on our usual rock. I lay down on the cold surface. At that moment, a long tail wrapped around one of my armpits. I was gently pulled across the rock. My destination was Adrian’s lap.
“Did something happen?”
“Ah, Adrian-mamang...”
“Hmm... I’m not sure what you’re saying.”
That’s because I was speaking in my native tongue. I explained to Adrian what happened today. While drinking a bit. As I did, my body felt sluggish, and I felt good. Then I rolled over.
“Ah, but was it still the right choice to use it on Agility?”
Honestly, it was thrilling to coolly subdue the knight and make the jerk eat dirt. But it bothered me that I’d used an SSR enhancement ticket on that. The level of enhancement between SR and SSR tickets was completely different. Even agonizing over what to use it on was part of the fun.
“But you’re really amazing, Unni!”
“Hm? Right? As expected, you’re the only one for me.”
Adrian had been in infinite petting mode for a while now. Constant, pleasant stroking, wings and a tail that were just the right amount of cool and fluffy. And the lip service that came at the perfect timing. Damn it, how perfect are you planning to become...!! You truly are the supreme younger sister!
“Sigh, I can’t even catch and torture them just because they’re nobles.”
“But Unni is amazing! Any other human would have been helpless and gotten hit!”
“Uhe.”
“As expected, you’re our Unni who I can be proud of anywhere.”
“Uhehe.”
“But you know.”
“Yeah?”
“By any chance, could I hear the names of the ignorant people who annoyed Unni?”
“Hm? They said it was Oberon?”
Caught up in the momentum, I answered without thinking. Adrian had been asking me about small things since earlier.
“Hmm. I see.”
The air around us turned slightly cold.
“Ouch, it’s cold.”
I immediately took a coat out of my inventory and put it on. I checked to see if Adrian had done something, but there was no particular change. She just enjoyed the atmosphere with a smiling face. Except for the fact that the corners of her mouth were raised slightly more than usual.