The Dark Merchant Lacazette (2)

The moment those words left Lacazette's mouth, Rian found himself facing a problem far worse than being broke. Harvesting souls meant killing people — something he had never wanted to do, never even dreamed of doing. And then there was the promise he had made to Audria. That he would spend the rest of his life farming, and nothing else.

As long as you don't plan on using Lagreanir to make a living by the sword, anything is fine.

Rian fully intended to keep that promise to her until the very end.

"You wouldn't happen to take vegetables or fruit, would you?"

"Hmm. Vegetables and fruit..."

"Wait. Before that, I should see if you even have what I want."

"Simply tell me what it is you seek, and I shall find it for you at once. For your reference, given the times we live in, I happen to carry quite a collection of rare weapons and armor."

Rian let Lacazette's words wash right over him. He had only one thing on his mind.

"Can you take me to a place called the King and Queen's Sanctuary Farm? It's on the complete opposite side of the continent from here."

"The opposite side... That distance would require a warp."

Lacazette shook his head without a moment's hesitation.

"I'm afraid that is beyond my capabilities. I deal only in goods that can be held in one's hands."

"That's a shame."

Rian clicked his tongue. Then, as if something else had occurred to him, he looked up again.

"What about land? Can you sell me land?"

"Do you desire dark lands teeming with demonic energy?"

"I'll pass."

"Then you mean human lands, I take it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh dear, how unfortunate. That, too, is a difficult matter. Lands overflowing with virtuous energy are beyond the reach of my hands."

Rian frowned.

"So there's nothing you can actually do? Come on, old man. How do you even stay in business like this?"

Lacazette offered a pleasant smile. He turned toward a chest of drawerss loaded in the carriage's cargo hold. The rectangular cabinet resembled an old apothecary's medicine chest, packed with more drawers than one could possibly count. He pulled one open and flung its contents out into the open.

A bang erupted, and smoke billowed up. The moment the thick haze vanished, a naked female elf stood revealed.

"W-where am I?"

The elf's frightened voice, her dazzling nude form on full display. She shrank into herself, glancing around with anxious eyes.

"P-please, save me!"

"Thanks to the Demon King's army fighting so diligently of late, acquiring elf slaves has become so easy one practically trips over them."

Rian stared, dumbstruck — it was the first elf he had ever seen in his life. Then he snapped out of it and looked at Lacazette.

"So what?"

"No interest in elf slaves, I take it? Then perhaps this might catch your fancy?"

He opened another drawer and flung its contents out as well. Another bang, another puff of smoke, and a magnificent jeweled axe appeared.

"This axe once belonged to a hero who slaughtered millions without regard for race. Is the craftsmanship not truly splendid?"

Rian's eyes were glued to the naked elf's body. He licked his lips without meaning to.

"I'm not looking to buy — just asking out of curiosity — how much for the elf?"

"One thousand souls. That wench has excellent bloodlines, you see."

He's gouging the hell out of people.

"Do locust or ant souls count?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I deal only in souls of value — souls whose death would cause someone to feel sorrow or joy. And the more people who share those feelings, the more that soul is treated as ten, even a hundred, rather than a mere one."

"Locusts are precious lives too."

"To me, they are lives of no value."

"What about animals?"

"Those, too, are worthless."

"No mercy, huh. Then what about monsters?"

"The souls of humans and monsters hold special value. Those I welcome at any time."

Rian scratched the back of his neck.

If I play this right, I might be able to get my hands on some rare goods through this guy...

Lacazette, the self-proclaimed dark merchant. Rian wanted to build a relationship with him — but he was never going to kill anyone just to collect souls. Not in this lifetime.

What now? How do I play this?

While he was lost in thought, Lacazette stuffed the female elf and the axe back into the chest of drawers. Rian circled back to his original question.

"You don't take grain or vegetables?"

"Hmm..."

After a moment's consideration, Lacazette smiled and met Rian's eyes.

"Ordinarily I would not, but I shall make an exception. You are, after all, a most special customer — one I could not find anywhere else."

At those words, a thought suddenly struck Rian.

Did he figure out that I killed the Demon King?

Lacazette glanced at the Uma Girl, who stood without so much as a fidget, and continued.

"As it happens, that child's food expenses have become rather unmanageable. If you bring crops, we shall put them to use as her feed."

"That's a relief. How'll you price it? How much crop for one soul?"

"How about we let the market rate of the crops be determined by that child's tasting, on a case-by-case basis? If she looks satisfied after eating, I shall offer you a generous rate."

"That method just means you get to set the price however you want. You're that girl's master, after all."

"That is not the case."

Lacazette said.

"The Uma tribe is diligent, taciturn, and gentle — but they also possess a stubbornness that will sharply cut off any act that does not align with their nature. If I were to make that child do something dishonest, she would not obey, even if the order came from me. One might call it an unshakable, bullheaded integrity."

He continued with a smile.

"Moreover, a merchant does business on trust. I could hardly afford to lose a special customer such as yourself by doing something that would invite suspicion."

Rian thought it over, then nodded as if he'd come to a decision.

"At least give me a baseline for how much crop equals one soul. That way I can actually prepare."

"Hmm... Regardless of type, let us set it at two hundred kilograms for now."

"Two hundred kilos!? That much?"

"Is it not rather inexpensive, compared to the value of a soul? For your reference, that child eats one ton per day."

"Wow."

"If that child finds it delicious, the soul's exchange rate will drop below two hundred kilograms. If she finds it unpalatable, it will go up."

It didn't seem like an unfair deal. At the moment, producing two hundred kilograms of crops without any land of his own felt daunting — but if things went well and he became a major landowner down the line, the situation would be entirely different. Rian accepted the proposal.

"Let's do it that way."

"A wise decision. Now then, is there any particular item you would like me to procure?"

Rian had no need for swords, shields, or slaves. There was only one thing he wanted.

"Rare seeds, farming tools imbued with mysterious power — anything's fine, as long as it helps with farming. Just get me those."

"Oh my, how remarkable."

It must have been an unexpected answer, because Lacazette shook his head with a laugh.

"I had assumed you harbored some grand design — world domination, perhaps."

"Not interested."

"You appear to be a man without greed. In any case, it seems we shall be seeing a great deal of each other going forward, so might I inquire as to your distinguished name, that I may call upon you more conveniently?"

"Kim Rian."

"A rather unfamiliar naming convention."

"I came from far away."

Rian answered as if it were nothing, then asked,

"Where do I go if I want to meet you later?"

"Simply call, and I shall come to you."

Lacazette asked him to wait a moment, rummaged through the carriage's cargo hold, and shortly produced a ring set with a red gem.

"You need only stand upon demon-corrupted soil, slip this onto your finger, and call my name inwardly."

"Demon-corrupted soil?"

"I mean land overflowing with monster energy, such as this place here."

"Does it have to be that? Any other way?"

"I cannot set foot on land where virtuous energy exists. I may only tread upon filthy, vulgar, desolate ground steeped in curses and sorrow. For that reason, I cannot enter lands from which the aura of evil has been lifted, nor human cities where temples have been built."

Rian sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Then I guess we won't be seeing each other. It's not like I can go live in monster territory."

"There is, however, another method."

Rian lifted his gaze to meet Lacazette's eyes.

"What method?"

"There is a method such as this."

Lacazette grinned and clapped his hands together, producing a lewd, rhythmic slapping sound.

"If you summon me from a space lingering with decadent, lustful energy, I can visit you at any time. A steamy room where a man and woman have just finished the deed, for instance. Or outdoors, for that matter."

"What?"

Rian's eyebrows twitched.

"Are you serious right now?"

"Lust is a force capable of bringing humanity to ruin. Where else would you find a space so thick with carnal energy as a place where a man and woman entwine and unleash their desire? A space overflowing with lewd energy. The perfect space for me to breathe. In such a space, even the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gods find it too shameful to watch and avert their eyes. But evil does not."

A gleam flickered in his eyes.

"In short, if you wish to summon me on sacred ground, please engage in a thoroughly messy, thoroughly intense act of passion with a beautiful woman. Do that, and I can rush to you anywhere."

"After the deed is done, you mean?"

"Yes. Please summon me after the act, before the heat in the room has a chance to cool."

"Guess I won't be calling you for at least a few years. I'm single, you know."

"One never knows."

Lacazette grinned and held out the ring.

"Here, please take it. The summoning tool is complimentary."

The instant Rian absently took the ring, an unknown energy seemed to flow into his body like an electric current — and then, out of nowhere, Lacazette screamed and went flying.

"Huh?"

Rian tilted his head, having no idea what had just happened.

"What are you doing?"

"I-I beg your pardon. Ugh!"

Lacazette clutched his aching back, rose from the ground, and hobbled over on a limp.

"The truth is, a merchant's curiosity got the better of me, and I dared to commit a discourtesy."

"What discourtesy?"

"I was rather curious about the true identity of the man who recognized me. I wanted to know, even if it meant overreaching. A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠merchant must, after all, seize information faster than anyone."

"Stop beating around the bush and just say it. What were you trying to do to me?"

"I sent a flow of magic into you, intending to discern the nature of the power dwelling within your body — and I was the one who got hit instead."

"That's pretty rotten of you."

"I swear I had no intention of causing you harm."

"I'm just a regular person."

"That would be rather difficult to believe."

Lacazette straightened his aching back and met Rian's eyes.

"Long ago, I visited the Demon King's Castle on business and had the honor of meeting Demon King Vanderzhaar himself."

He spoke with gravity.

His words were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠startling information for Rian.

He can feel the Demon King's aura coming from me? So that core really was absorbed into me...!

Lacazette offered a sincere smile.

"Having already committed one discourtesy, I shall inquire no further. I shall wait with a glad heart, in the hope that one day you might give me even the slightest hint."

With that, he went to the driver's seat and fetched something.

"Please accept a gift, as a token of my apology."

He then held out a tightly rolled scroll and a long, slender cylinder about the size of a pen.

"The scroll in my right hand is a one-use spell that can silently slay even a high-ranking demon in a single stroke. The small, slender cylinder in my left is a soul vessel, capable of gathering and storing the souls of the dead. Humble gifts, I admit, but I ask that you forgive my earlier discourtesy in light of my sincerity."

"What are you going to try when I take them this time?"

When Rian still wouldn't drop his suspicion, Lacazette let out an awkward laugh.

"I shall never do such a thing again. Please trust me."

Lacazette urged him once more to please take them. But Rian just stared at him in silence, offering no reaction. Then he spoke.

"One more thing on top of that."

"Is there something else you require?"

Rian beamed.

"Seventy percent off my first purchase the next time we meet."