A Sudden Cauldron of Chaos
I spent some time at the village hall chatting with the merchants and Jerold about this and that.
Jerold had apparently become one of Kenson’s subordinates. He let out a heavy sigh, complaining that there was simply too much work to do.
The merchants had brought goods exclusively for our village. Of course, they were selling them for a price. Their selection was far more varied than last time, and among the items were seeds.
They’d bought them at a discount because the season had already passed. Seeds lose their germination rate the longer they sit. Even if they still sprouted well, once the planting window closed, the only options left were to sell them as next year’s seed stock or simply as grain—and the price would plummet.
“Of course, we’re merchants, so even if we buy cheap, we still charge a set price when we sell. That said, we’re offering these to your village at an exceptionally low rate. You couldn’t get even a one-year-old seed at this price anywhere else. It’s genuinely a bargain.”
Seeds sold for planting were usually high quality. When the merchants said they were selling them cheaply, the villagers’ eyes lit up. Marguerite seemed especially interested.
She kept asking questions, mixing with the crowd—what was this seed, what crop did that one grow—and carefully picking through the selection. Watching her eyes sparkle as she chose seeds was genuinely adorable. The way she got greedy, insisting we needed this one and that one too, felt so childlike that it was endearing.
The seeds the merchants had brought were more diverse than the ones we’d bought last time. There were many crops I’d never even heard of. Actually, almost all of them.
Some were long and flat, others thin and delicate. Just looking at the seeds, there was no way to tell what they would grow into.
Marguerite would occasionally return to me while browsing the seeds. She proudly taught me everything she’d learned from the others. Since we weren’t far apart, I could hear most of it anyway, but I didn’t let on. I listened as if it were all new to me. There was something sweet about a wife who made a point of sharing what she’d heard with her husband.
Ah, she really was adorable. I was so glad I’d gotten married.
Popcorn also seemed curious about the unfamiliar seeds. Together with the baby spirits, he dove headfirst into the seed sacks like a mole, swimming through them and rummaging around.
“....”
Once or twice might have been forgivable, but at this point, we had no choice but to buy everything. No one could predict what might happen to seeds that Popcorn had thoroughly stirred up. If they somehow changed properties the way food sometimes did, who could guarantee that planting them wouldn’t result in something like Jack’s beanstalk—trees of impossible thickness?
After a long while, the villagers and Marguerite seemed to have seen everything there was to see. They turned to me with eager, sparkling eyes. They were waiting for my permission.
Since we had almost no money, we would have to pay with meat. “Village chief, what should we do?” “I think we need the seeds at the very least....”
Their words sounded like they were asking for my opinion, but every pair of eyes was wide and pleading. They seemed to be silently screaming at me: We have to buy them. We need to buy them. We absolutely must buy these. A few of them even had bloodshot eyes.
The villagers were farmers by nature, so their hunger for seeds made sense, but why was Marguerite mixed in with them? When I turned to the merchants, both of them were also looking at me with the same eager expressions.
“I’d like to buy all the seeds, but let’s settle the meat prices first.”
“Eek?” “Huh?”
Both merchants let out strange cries at my words. Wasn’t this only natural? The original agreement had only stated that we would sell; no price had been set. In fact, the merchants themselves had said the price could change depending on the timing.
The villagers also murmured in confusion. The idea of negotiating a price seemed foreign to them.
“Jerold, do you happen to know the market prices for goods?”
“Ah, of course. Not in great detail, but yes.”
Jerold answered with a slightly dazed expression. The villagers had a rough idea of prices too, but they only knew the cheapest, most basic items—cheap fabric, farming tools, beer, and low-quality wine that were essential for daily life. Most of them had lived in small villages rather than big cities, so the only prices they knew were what traveling merchants charged.
Marguerite had only ever moved between the royal palace and the marquis’s mansion, so she knew almost nothing about ordinary market rates.
I asked Jerold about the prices of various items—jewels, books, high-quality meat, and so on. Though he only knew what he knew, it was enough to get a sense of things. The merchants’ goods were more expensive than I’d expected. It was only natural, given how far they had to travel to sell here. From what the villagers said, other merchants either charged even more or offered goods of poorer quality at similar prices. The merchants who came to our village were at least honest.
Still, if our meat was good enough to be sold at the royal supplier, then the price should reflect that. I first warned the villagers.
“From now on, when selling meat, don’t accept goods in exchange. Meat is worth far more than that. Trading it for goods would be a huge loss for us.”
The villagers looked back and forth between me and the merchants. Popcorn had somehow joined them and was mimicking the others, glancing between me and the merchants in turn. His serious little face made me laugh despite myself.
“It’s all right. Even if you do that, these gentlemen won’t suffer any losses.”
At my words, the merchants let out heavy sighs.
“Goodness, the village chief really isn’t someone you can take lightly.” “He looks so gentle and naive, but he’s surprisingly intimidating.”
Before they could start complaining, I spoke first.
“I’m not asking you to pay the entire meat price in cash. From now on, instead of exchanging meat for goods, keep a ledger. Pay part of the amount in money. We might need cash ourselves in the future.”
The older merchant let out a long, weary sigh. “Understood. But honestly, we’re struggling too. Getting here means facing beasts and monsters, the roads are rough, and the wagons break down all the time. It’s no easy task. So please consider our situation as well, village chief.”
“We’re not asking for much. Just increase the amount of meat a little. A tiny bit.”
The merchants kept saying I wasn’t easy to deal with, but they were the ones who never got up without gaining something when they fell. Trying to settle it by increasing the meat quantity was typical of them.
“Fine. We’ll increase the amount a little.”
At my words, the merchants’ gloomy faces instantly brightened.
“Great!” “You promised!”
All traces of their earlier distress and complaints vanished. They really had been pretending to cry. I still had a long way to go.
Once today’s prices were set, the merchants immediately brought out their scales. They urged everyone to weigh their meat, clearly afraid I might change my mind. The villagers moved as if entranced, each bringing their meat to buy goods. The younger merchant pulled out a sheet of paper on the spot and began recording each villager’s name, the amount of meat, and the price.
Marguerite watched with sparkling eyes. ‘I have nothing else to do right now, so I could do it myself, but....’ She always wanted to be helpful to me.
“Marguerite, would you mind helping me?”
When I called her, she smiled brightly. “Of course!”
“Could you check the ledger for us? Most of our villagers can’t read.”
“Got it.”
The merchants and Jerold smiled warmly at the sight of Marguerite sparkling like a child. She carefully explained the price of each piece of meat as the villagers handed it over.
“Eek! It’s that expensive?”
The villagers were shocked, staring at the meat leaving their hands. They clearly hadn’t expected the price to be so high. Someone muttered, “Good heavens, I just made two years’ worth of income in one go.” “Me too....”
Even if the meat sold for a high price, a single piece wasn’t enough to make someone wealthy. If that counted as two years’ income, just how poor had these people been?
For a moment, they stood frozen like statues, staring blankly at their empty hands. Then, gradually, expressions returned to their faces. Their lips curled upward as they smiled silently. In the quiet, voices began to spread.
“Goodness... we’re rich....” “...Now we might be able to raise all the children without anyone starving....”
The number of people murmuring grew, yet the village remained strangely still. Everyone wore smiles, but their eyes were brimming with tears. My own chest felt tight for some reason.
The merchants seemed to feel the same.
“Ah, forget it. We’ll treat everyone today. One barrel of cheap beer on us!”
When the older merchant shouted, the air that had seemed frozen suddenly came alive again. Voices grew loud and cheerful. Kkoma Daejang, Ji-geu, and the other children whispered among themselves before approaching the merchant.
“Mister, how much can we get for our ducks and chickens?”
The merchant smiled. “Well, how many do you have?”
“....” “....” “....” “....”
The children looked at each other awkwardly. “They haven’t been born yet.” “The eggs haven’t come out yet.” “But there are going to be a lot.” “This many.”
When the children held up all ten fingers, the merchant swatted their bottoms. “You little rascals, come back when you actually have ducks and chickens.”
The children cheered and ran off. Popcorn, who had been floating above their heads, was startled and fled as well. Pi, pi. The baby spirit chased after him a beat late.
Realizing how valuable meat had become, people rushed home and returned with armfuls of it. The merchants glanced nervously at me, eager to accept the meat quickly. I sighed softly and stepped in.
“Leave at least one piece behind. I’ve said it many times—we need to keep enough for ourselves to eat. Who knows what might happen when winter comes.”
The villagers drooped their shoulders in disappointment. The merchants’ shoulders sank even lower.
“We’ll keep selling meat from now on. Once we’ve gathered enough through hard work, we can sell whatever’s left next time.”
The faces that had looked as though the world had ended brightened again. The merchants’ expressions turned cheerful just as quickly. These people were starting to resemble each other somehow.
When I suggested it was time to wrap up the transaction, the merchants checked the ledger and handed out a few silver coins in change. One of the villagers who had been quietly staring at the silver in his hand suddenly spoke up.
“Village chief, before winter comes, why don’t we go to the city and buy some livestock? Goats or sheep can be led with ropes, so we wouldn’t even need a cart.”
“That’s a good idea.” “Livestock would be nice.”
Everyone spoke happily, but the brightest expressions belonged to Marguerite and the children.
“It’s a wonderful idea. The city is several days away from here, though.”
The merchant joined the conversation. After glancing at Jerold’s expression, he spoke as if sharing a secret.
“If you want to buy livestock, go to the neighboring country. Our own cities are far from here, but the neighboring country is surprisingly close.” “Besides, there are no checkpoints if you go that way.”
Normally, crossing between countries required passing through checkpoints at the border. But this area had originally been uninhabited wilderness, so no checkpoints had been established yet. The cities the merchants mentioned allowed entry to anyone who paid the toll. Of course, going without direction meant getting lost in forests or fields.
“We merchants know the routes. I’ll draw you a map.”
At the merchants’ words, the villagers all turned to look at me. Even Marguerite and Popcorn stared with sparkling eyes. There was no way I could refuse.
“Then we’ll need to decide who’s going to buy the livestock.”
The moment I finished speaking, every child raised their hand.
“Me!” “I’m the best at handling livestock!” “I’m good at feeding them grass!” “I’m number one at finding grass for livestock, Teacher!”
Pi! Pi-pi-pi!
Popcorn flew right in front of me and raised both arms. He wanted to go too. Marguerite didn’t raise her arms, but her fingers fidgeted restlessly. Choosing who would go to buy livestock was clearly going to be a fierce competition.
Jerold, who had been watching nearby, muttered, “I see... now I understand why Marguerite is happy here.”
There was no time to ask what he meant. Pudding, who had only just noticed what was happening, came running over on multiple legs. Seeing Popcorn with his arms raised high, Pudding extended a long tentacle to raise its own “hand” without even knowing why. The baby spirit, watching this, raised both arms a few beats late as well.
This really was turning into a cauldron of chaos.