The Kerbe Merchant Guild
"Jiren, I want you to get a sense of how the market here operates. Don't overthink it—just listen carefully to what people are saying and remember it."
Jiren rolled his eyes this way and that, then nodded.
...He understood that, right?
Joseph eyed him with some concern before turning away. Still, this was the same kid who'd retained specific details about Caladon, of all things.
"Derik, find out if there's anything like a mercenary guild in this city—and whether any of them handle magic-related work."
The presence of great merchants meant large sums of money changing hands, and wherever large sums flowed, significant armed force naturally followed. This wasn't even a place ruled by a noble, so Joseph was fairly certain mercenary activity would be thriving here.
"Yes, sir."
Derik nodded with a look of eager confidence. That expression actually made Joseph a little uneasy, but there wasn't much he could do about it now.
"...If it starts looking dangerous, just come back."
"Understood."
Derik nodded again, and Joseph finally turned his gaze to Auk.
"Auk. Check whether there's anywhere in the market selling artifacts. If you're not sure, just ask around for shops that deal in unusual goods."
"Understood."
Auk was a complete novice when it came to magic, but having watched Joseph work these past few days, he nodded all the same.
Joseph studied his soldiers' faces. They couldn't hide their excitement, the corners of their mouths twitching. Coming from a country village to a great port city by the sea—of course they'd be thrilled.
"I know you're in high spirits, but if you wander around the way you did in Doran Village, you'll get the back of your skull caved in. Don't do anything unnecessary. Just do what I told you and come straight back."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers answered with vigor. Joseph looked them over once more and let out a small, wry laugh. He suddenly remembered the moment he'd first arrived at Valois Castle.
This... I suppose there's no helping it for now.
When noon arrived, the soldiers who'd gone out to survey the city returned to the inn. Something had clearly happened to each of them over the course of the morning—every last one of them wore an expression like he'd aged a decade.
"Did something happen to all of you?"
"No, sir..."
What Joseph had actually meant was did you go and cause trouble, but fortunately that didn't seem to be the case. It was more likely that none of them had ever been through a crowd this dense before.
"So? How did the assignments go?"
At Joseph's question, the soldiers glanced at one another. Then Jiren scratched his head for a moment and spoke up first.
"I'm sorry. Honestly, I don't really understand how the market works."
"Hmm. That so?"
Joseph had more or less expected this. Market research required knowing what to look for in the first place. He hadn't seriously believed that Jiren—a village boy from a place where even bartering was a rare event—would come back with a thorough report.
"That's fine. Just tell me what you saw, as it was."
"Well... there were a lot of warehouses down by the harbor with mercenaries standing around them in droves. I asked around, and they seemed to belong to the Calimala Merchant Guild and the Black Seal Merchant Guild."
"Calimala and Black Seal?"
"Yes. From what I gathered, those two guilds have this place in a stranglehold. About half the merchants in the city are said to be lined up behind one or the other."
"Hmm..."
Anyone who maintained their own warehouses at the harbor was clearly operating on a considerable scale. And they apparently wielded major influence over even the smaller merchants in the city.
Warehouses at the harbor... so they store goods brought in by ship there?
And then, quite possibly, they used the local merchants to distribute those goods. In other words, they were the big players who controlled the entire distribution network.
Which means those two might be the ones actually running this city.
Joseph's instincts told him he ought to make their acquaintance. Depending on how he handled things, they could become reliable trading partners—or competitors he'd need to watch carefully. The fact that there were two of them at that scale, though, sat a little uneasily with him. Were they keeping each other in check?
I'll look into it more carefully later.
For now, he had no other information, so any judgment could wait. Joseph nodded and turned to Derik.
"What about you?"
Derik recounted what he'd learned about several mercenary guilds. Even so, his tone was strangely lacking in confidence.
"Why are you shrinking into your own voice like that?"
"Well... the places I mentioned are mostly small operations. I heard there are bigger ones too, but... they just told me to start with the small ones, and nobody would give me a proper answer."
Derik scratched his chin, trailing off in embarrassment. A kid in armor wandering around asking after mercenary guilds had apparently been mistaken for someone looking to sign up. He seemed mortified that he hadn't managed to get any real information because of it.
That's amusing.
Joseph let out a quiet laugh. It reminded him of being mistaken for some young hopeful who wanted to become a mage, back at Valois Castle.
"How did the mercenaries on the street look to you? Their quality."
"There were some who looked strong at a glance, but honestly, there were also ones who wouldn't last a single punch."
"That much of a spread?"
"The weak ones mostly pull guard duty at the harbor, from what I heard."
Joseph nodded at that. Anyone building warehouses at a harbor would have goods of every kind moving through every single day. Naturally the demand for people to guard those goods was high, and mercenaries had multiplied to fill it. Which also meant that even the mediocre ones could easily get a foot in the door at a mercenary guild.
"Still, if they're only middling, I don't think we'd lose to them."
Joseph's soldiers might have been country boys who knew nothing of the world, but when it came to a fight, they wouldn't be found wanting anywhere. They'd spent months under intensive training from castle soldiers, and they'd survived by tangling with demonic beasts with their lives on the line.
"Are you thinking of hiring mercenaries, sir?"
"No. I have no such intention."
Joseph didn't particularly trust mercenaries. The ones who'd turned bandit and ambushed him for his Holy Relic had originally been mercenaries too. Even that seasoned-looking mercenary who'd hunted the ogre alongside him had passed Joseph's information along to Manir.
Not that I ever expected loyalty from them.
Joseph regarded mercenaries as the sort who'd reverse the point of their blade the moment they spotted an opening. The only reason they'd behaved themselves in front of him was that he was a mage with a well-padded backing. The Roph Merchant Guild, Viscount Folmers, Baron Auger... now, with not a single one of those supports behind him, he had no desire to take unnecessary risks.
Well, I might hire some eventually, if it becomes necessary.
Even so, he preferred loyal private soldiers over mercenaries who might leave at any moment. Of course it was an expensive undertaking—which was precisely why he was putting in this much effort.
"Auk, what about you?"
Last of all, Joseph asked Auk. Auk's investigation was, in practical terms, the most important piece of Joseph's plan. All of this, after all, was for the sake of finding a way to sell the artifacts he was about to create.
"Well... there was a place that sold artifacts. Not a shop, exactly—a guild that handles that sort of thing, called the Kerbe Merchant Guild."
"Oh?"
Joseph's eyes widened. A place that specialized in artifacts was a stroke of good fortune. Through them, he might not only distribute his artifacts but also obtain the materials for ice-producing ones.
"Did you check what they actually sell?"
At Joseph's question, Auk's face grew awkward. He hesitated for a moment, then answered.
"...I went as far as the guild, but they wouldn't let me in."
"Is that so? Why?"
"It didn't seem like a place just anyone could walk into."
Auk said this while glancing sideways at Joseph, gauging his reaction. Something had clearly happened there.
Well, they wouldn't sell artifacts to just anybody.
Even the Roph Merchant Guild, which had been reasonably large in its own right, hadn't possessed a single spellbook. A place that dealt in artifacts—objects created by mages—was likely operating on a scale even greater than that.
Their main clientele is probably nobles and other people of influence.
A place like that wasn't about to open its doors to some country bumpkin who'd shown up unannounced.
Looks like nothing's going to come easy.
Joseph let out a small sigh. The work ahead of him stretched out endlessly.
In the end, going myself would be the fastest way, wouldn't it?
A guild that dealt in artifacts wouldn't receive ordinary people. Conversely, that meant Joseph—a mage—stood a good chance of being accepted as a client. But was it wise to reveal his identity as a mage in a place like this?
Joseph remembered the time Viscount Folmers had searched for him so desperately. There had been the special circumstances of a war, of course, but it never hurt to be careful. Besides, merchants weren't necessarily the sort of people one could trust. The only thing they believed in was money.
Play it safe? Or take the risk?
Joseph considered it for a moment, then reached a conclusion.
I should go, at least for now.
If he only ever sought the safest path, he might never secure the materials he needed for magical research, or a distribution network for his artifacts. Drag his feet too long and he'd fail to put down roots even in Caladon, and end up wandering again.
And if a problem arises...
Then he'd simply hit back with everything he had. He was no longer a pushover. Unlike in the past, he at least had the skill not to be intimidated by a handful of merchants.
Before setting out, Joseph wrapped the gem on his staff in cloth. It hadn't mattered while they were riding in the carriage, but walking around with it exposed now would draw far too much attention. Then he headed straight for the Kerbe Merchant Guild.
"That's it, sir."
Auk pointed toward the inner stretch of an alley, a little removed from the bustling market. Between the buildings, a two-story structure rose into view. Heavy dark stone stacked into a solid mass, with scarcely any windows—and even those few sealed tight behind small, thick wooden shutters. At a glance, it did not look like a place that welcomed outsiders. It felt less like a merchant guild building and more like a small rural watchtower. The two guards standing at the entrance only reinforced the impression.
A gulp sounded from beside him. Derik and Jiren had swallowed hard, tensing at the rigid atmosphere.
These are the same ones who spent months around nobles...
As Joseph approached the building, one of the guards at the entrance turned his head toward him. Then his gaze found Auk, and his brow furrowed.
The guard glared at Auk for a moment before shifting his attention to Joseph. He didn't say anything at first, apparently holding his tongue after taking in Joseph's appearance.
"What business brings you here?"
Joseph met the guard's gaze without looking away.
"I'd like to speak with the master of this guild."
At that, the guard looked Joseph over from head to toe, then swept his eyes across the soldiers standing behind him. A man in a robe carrying a staff, and three soldiers in quality armor. At a glance, they didn't look like ordinary people.
Joseph saw that look and opened his palm. He'd already decided to accept a certain degree of risk. In that case, certainty was better than half-measures.
A small sphere of raw mana rose silently into the air.
⟨ Mana Orb ⟩
The guard's eyes went wide. Then he quickly dipped his head.
"P-please wait a moment!"
The guard disappeared inside the building and reappeared shortly after. This time, a middle-aged man stood beside him.
Oh...
The man wore clothes that looked expensive at a glance, and his thick, protruding cheeks were his most striking feature. The moment he saw Joseph, he rapidly looked him up and down. Then a kindly smile spread across his face.
"Welcome. Please, come inside."
Joseph nodded and followed him into the building.
"Ah—the rest of you will wait outside."
"...What?"
When the guard blocked Joseph's soldiers, Derik stepped forward with a hardened face. But Joseph raised a hand, signaling him to stand down.
"It's fine. Wait here."
"...Yes, sir."
Derik bowed his head to Joseph and edged back. As he did, he locked eyes with the guard, the two of them glaring at each other.
Not bad.
Joseph allowed himself a faint smile as he stepped inside.