The Triple-A Advantage
Dane and Eri arrived in Germanium, the capital of the Bismarck Empire. As the empire’s largest city and seat of power, Germanium drew countless people to its streets. Though the number of visitors had dwindled slightly after the Hero-led subjugation force ended in failure, it remained the greatest metropolis in the empire. Being the largest city also meant Germanium housed the empire’s largest market. Naturally, merchants flowed through it in great numbers.
“There are so many people here.”
Unlike Dane, who was visiting Germanium for the first time, Eri looked perfectly at ease. Several passersby recognized her and offered greetings as they walked.
“Eri, haven’t you become a little too famous…?”
“Ah… If I wanted to operate comfortably, a high adventurer rank was necessary. So I put in some effort…”
“What?”
Dane asked her directly. “Then what rank are you now…?”
“AAA.”
Triple A. Eri showed him her adventurer’s badge as she spoke. Three gleaming A’s were stamped across it. With a rank like that, it was only natural that both her name and face had become known throughout the capital. There were certainly advantages to moving about freely, but…
“That kind of fame won’t help with this mission.”
If her name and face were recognized, moving undetected would be difficult. A false name could hide her identity, but a familiar face made changing her appearance far harder. While Dane was still weighing the problem, Eri offered another perspective.
“Wouldn’t it actually be better this way?”
“What?”
“We’re heading to a major trading house. They might not even bother meeting with someone of ordinary standing. But if an AAA-rank adventurer comes to speak with them, they’ll at least hear us out, don’t you think?”
Dane considered her words and found them reasonable. There would be risks, yet an AAA-rank adventurer was treated on par with the elite knights personally appointed by the state. Merchandise brought by someone of that stature would be far more likely to earn their trust. After weighing everything, Dane concluded that Eri’s suggestion was sound.
“The benefits outweigh the drawbacks.”
“Really?”
“I’ll be handling the covert work anyway. Your role is to draw attention from the front. Being well-known will serve us better.”
Having made his decision, Dane walked with Eri until they reached a relatively deserted area. Then he spoke.
“Let’s split up here. I’ll scout the first place we need to visit and come back.”
“Okay.”
Dane pulled a cloak and hood over his entire body. With his nose and mouth covered by cloth, only his eyes visible, he melted into the shadows.
“Be careful.”
Even as he disappeared, he left her with that single, worried remark. Watching him vanish, Eri smiled softly.
“You be careful too, Dane.”
Eri turned and headed toward the meeting point where Dane would rejoin her later.
#
“Teacher!”
Seere greeted Nahen, who had returned to the Demon Realm, with bare feet. Seeing her come out personally to welcome him, Nahen smiled with satisfaction.
“Did you come to meet me?”
“Yes!”
“Thank you. So, did the discussion go well?”
“Yes, it went perfectly. There’s a contract, so you can read it yourself when you get back!”
Nahen nodded. Seere was now handling audiences and negotiations with Demon Kings so competently that her former clumsy self was almost impossible to recognize.
“You’ve worked hard.”
As Nahen passed her, he naturally reached out to pat her head. But his hand met something unexpected at the usual height.
“Hyaat!?”
“?”
Nahen turned at the strange sound and saw Seere’s face flushed crimson, wearing an odd expression. He also realized exactly where his fingers had caught.
It was her horn. His fingers had snagged on the horn that had grown a little longer since last time. The problem was…
“Hng, hnn…”
A Demon King’s horns were an extremely sensitive part of the body. Regardless of gender, they were said to be dozens of times more sensitive than other areas. Nahen had heard this from Kain and knew it well.
“S-sorry, Seere!”
Nahen apologized in a rush. He pulled his hand away at once, but Seere was already too red-faced to speak. Nahen racked his brain for a way to resolve the situation, yet his thoughts refused to cooperate amid the awkwardness.
“A-are you all right…?”
It was the only thing he could think to say. Seere took several deep breaths and gradually regained her composure. After some time, once the heat in her cheeks had faded, she fixed Nahen with a sharp glare. He apologized again under that gaze.
“I forgot your horns had grown and reached out like usual… I’m truly sorry.”
“…You were trying to pat my head, weren’t you?”
“Y-yes.”
Seere lowered her head slightly. Then she presented the crown of her head so he could reach it more easily.
“Please do it.”
“Ah… All right.”
Even after that mishap, Seere still wanted to be patted. Nahen found himself thinking, once again, that she was still such a cute child. When he properly slipped his fingers between her horns and stroked her hair, Seere looked delighted, as though the earlier accident had never happened.
“Hehe…”
Nahen could finally smile with ease at the sight.
‘How adorable.’
She was such a precious disciple. He wondered whether she would still show him this side of herself once she stood at the very peak. The thought worried him.
‘She wouldn’t cast me aside, saying I’m unnecessary, would she…?’
While Nahen entertained the most pointless worry in the world, Seere spoke up.
“Did you finish everything you needed to do in the Human Realm?”
“Ah, you mean that. I’ve done all I could. Now it depends on how Dane and Eri handle things.”
“It’s true those humans are useful, but will they really be all right?”
“They will.”
Nahen felt at ease. Having seen through the game what Dane and Eri had accomplished as companions of the Hero, he had no doubts about their abilities.
“They’ll manage this much without any trouble.”
#
Dane returned after quickly gathering information on Germanium’s trading houses. Though his body bore no visible traces, a faint metallic scent clung to him.
‘The smell of blood…?’
While Eri tilted her head in confusion, Dane relayed the information without hesitation.
“The first place we should visit is here.”
“Ernanto Trading House? Ah, I think I’ve heard of them. The Western and Northern Adventurer Guilds in Germanium do business with them, right?”
“Then that’s even better. The head of the house might already know you.”
Eri nodded. Dane began briefing her on everything she needed to know before meeting the trading house’s master: the man’s name, background, personality, the main goods his house dealt in, and the scale of its capital.
“D-did you gather all that in such a short time?”
“It wasn’t difficult.”
He had raided Germanium’s information guild and emptied the guild master’s safe of every confidential document, so of course the material was plentiful. Dane’s skills had already reached the level he had displayed as a companion of the Hero. When he set his mind to an ambush, few humans could respond in time—except perhaps the Hero chosen by the heavens or those who had reached the realm of superhumans. The information guild’s master had been no exception. Though a skilled fighter himself, he had been powerless against Dane’s surprise attack. Dane handed the documents to Eri, who remained unaware of these details.
“Memorize this.”
“A-all of it!?”
“Of course. If you want to avoid panicking no matter what happens, you need to know the information. As the saying goes, know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll win every battle.”
“Ugh…”
Following Dane’s instructions, Eri began committing the information to memory with intense concentration, the same focus she had shown while studying magic over the past five years. The earlier complaints vanished; she never once looked away from the documents. Dane chuckled at the sight.
“We’ll leave as soon as you’ve memorized everything.”
Eri answered with a small nod. Roughly twenty minutes later, having absorbed the vast amount of material, she spoke.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Eri placed Dane behind her and visited the Ernanto Trading House. Upon her arrival, the master of the house, Bergo Ernanto, came out personally to greet her.
“Good afternoon, Lord Bergo.”
“Lady Eli, the AAA-rank adventurer! I’ve already heard your name. The guild master was just boasting to me about your remarkably rapid growth.”
“Ahaha, is that so?”
As expected, Eli received a warm welcome at the Ernanto Trading House. Her accumulated reputation was clearly proving useful.
“And who might this gentleman behind you be?”
“Ah, he’s my companion. Say hello, Daniel.”
“A pleasure.”
Dane kept his voice low, altered his speech patterns, and kept his face hidden. Even someone who knew him would have difficulty recognizing him as Dane.
“So you are Lord Daniel. A pleasure. More importantly, Lady Eli, I hear you’ve come with a favorable proposal for us?”
“Ah, yes. It’s something I’d rather not show in a crowded place, so would it be possible to speak somewhere quieter?”
Bergo, who had been smiling kindly, changed his expression slightly at her question.
“Somewhere quiet… It must be something important.”
“It’s a magical tool my teacher recently invented.”
“Oh? Lady Eli’s teacher…”
“And I haven’t offered it to any other trading house yet.”
Exclusivity—one of the words merchants loved most. Bergo smiled broadly and guided Eli to the VIP reception room.
“Is this place quiet enough?”
“It’s warded with triple soundproofing magic. No one outside can hear anything spoken within these walls.”
“Perfect.”
Eri sat across from Bergo. Then she took a pouch from her robes.
“What is that?”
“There’s something inside. Would you like to open it yourself?”
Eri slid the pouch across the table. Bergo carefully untied the strings and peered inside. His eyes widened the moment he saw the contents.
“An artifact!?”
“As expected of a trading house master. You recognized it right away.”
“No, wait… Can something this small really contain this much mana?”
“It’s the result of my teacher’s research.”
Bergo took out the orb and swallowed hard.
“Just who is Lady Eli’s teacher? If they’ve developed something like this, their name should be widely known…”
“Ah, my teacher is unknown to the public.”
“Pardon?”
“They prefer not to show themselves. This technology has never been presented at any academic conference because it was developed in complete secrecy. However, a situation arose that requires some funds.”
Eri brought her thumb and forefinger together to form the shape of a coin.
“They asked me to sell it because they needed quick cash.”
“…How many of these artifacts do you possess?”
“About two pouches’ worth.”
Three pouches in total wasn’t a large quantity, but given the small size of the orbs, it was still a considerable amount.
“I’ll buy them all.”
“Hmm, all of them? I was thinking of selling just one pouch and checking the value at other trading houses as well…”
“The Ernanto Trading House is the largest in Germanium. No one will offer you a better price than we will!”
“Is that so?”
Eri smiled faintly. She accepted the remaining two pouches from Dane and held them out to Bergo.
“Then let’s do that. As long as I get the money, I’m satisfied.”
“Thank you, Lady Eli! If you ever have other magical tools you wish to sell, please come to the Ernanto Trading House first.”
“I’ll consider it.”
Bergo immediately ordered his secretary to bring the payment. The secretary handed Eri a pouch filled with a substantial amount of gold coins. After confirming the sum, Eri rose from her seat with a bright smile.
“Yes, my teacher should be satisfied with this amount.”
“I’m glad to hear it. We are also very pleased with this transaction.”
Bergo personally escorted Eri and Dane out. Receiving their send-off, Eri left the trading house and spoke to Dane with a smile.
“Let’s head to the next trading house, Dane.”
“Right.”
They still had more than three pouches. Nahen had ordered them to distribute the goods to at least two or more trading houses, so naturally they couldn’t sell everything to Ernanto. Judging by Bergo’s reaction, selling to other houses wouldn’t be difficult either. Smiling, Eri made her way to the next destination—for the sake of Nahen’s plan.