An Unexpected Arrival
“Whoa. You really can run, can’t you? This is quite the windfall.”
The young man—still carrying a hint of youthfulness—urged the fine horse beneath him to greater speed. Though the animal’s build and expensive saddle clashed with his somewhat shabby clothes, his skill in the saddle was clearly first-rate.
“I don’t know where they tied the horses up, but setting up a barrier and feeling safe is a mistake.”
A sword hung at his waist, its shape unusual. Though as long as an ordinary blade, the edge wavered like a ceremonial weapon, and a black gem was set into the pommel. The scabbard was missing; only a strip of cloth loosely wrapped the blade. Whether it had never existed or had simply been lost was impossible to tell.
“I only stopped by because I heard the hero’s companions were coming, and now I’ve even picked up a fine horse. My luck really is something.”
He glanced back from time to time, but with each passing moment his expression grew more relaxed.
“More importantly, the Summoner of Deception. I came to check things out after hearing the boss and the others got taken down, but I never expected him to be that impressive.”
He couldn’t help but be astonished by the reputation Anak the summoner had spread throughout the Ayman Kingdom. He had known there was a summoner among the hero’s companions, but many regions and people were unaware of even that fact. He himself had only known of the summoner’s existence; he had never heard the details of what the man had accomplished or what sort of person he was.
Yet here in the Ayman Kingdom, the summoner called the Summoner of Deception, the Second-Best Strategist, and the Nightmare of Orsia Hill was legendary. Tales of how he and the hero alone had faced an elite unit of the Demon King’s army, or how he had commanded a great host of over a hundred summons—these were stories the people of the Ayman Kingdom all knew, even if they were new to him.
“No wonder they ended up like that after picking a fight without recognizing who he was.”
The young man knew that even now, on quiet nights, the boss and his brothers would sometimes cough reflexively or deliberately make their drinking parties louder than necessary.
“Well, at least this job went smoothly, and I even got a good horse out of it. Everyone will be pleased.”
He looked down at the strange sword at his hip and smiled.
“I don’t know why things like this keep happening even to people like us, but like the boss said, it’s not my place to worry about it.”
“With this, the transaction is complete.”
Long black hair, skin like white jade. When the man smiled, his counterpart found himself smiling back without realizing it, then quickly composed his expression.
“…Ahem. As expected of the Cruse Merchant Guild. To transport this much cargo so quickly.”
“Actually, we’re a little behind the schedule we had originally planned.”
Julian del Cruse, vice-leader of the Cruse Merchant Guild, was already the one who truly ran the organization.
“I look forward to our next deal as well.”
After receiving the signed documents, he bowed politely to the other party and left the room.
“Vice-leader.”
Outside, guards and aides were waiting for him.
“Everything went well. We have a few days until the next schedule, so let’s give everyone a short rest.”
“Understood.”
The aides and guards brightened. They had been pushing hard and were all a little worn out, so the word “rest” was welcome indeed.
Julian headed for his lodgings. After dismissing his aides and guards, he entered his room. A large mirror stood inside—clearly something he had brought himself, given how luxurious it looked compared to the rest of the furnishings.
Good work, Juli.
The reflection smiled at him. Compared to the calm, refined figure he presented now, the one in the mirror looked more mischievous, and the voice carried a slightly lower, rougher tone.
“You could handle it yourself sometimes, you know.”
When he spoke with a hint of complaint, the reflection in the mirror casually looked away.
I could, but you’re better at it.
“It’s just signing documents. What’s the difference between better and worse?”
Then why didn’t you ask me?
“I did. But you kept pressing the button.”
To ordinary people it would have been a strange, alien sight, but for the siblings Demian del Cruse and Juliana del Cruse—who shared a single body—this was everyday life.
Don’t worry about the small details. Once this job is over, we’ll have plenty of time to rest.
She smiled helplessly and rubbed the ruby on her necklace. At the same time, the slightly playful young man in the mirror transformed into a graceful young woman.
Could you take care of this afternoon’s tasks for me?
“That works. I heard there’s a famous orchestra in town. Want to go listen?”
Brother!
“All right, all right. Documents, inventory, taxes, tolls, wage ledgers—I’ll handle them.”
Demian removed his outer garment and changed into fresh clothes. Today he wasn’t wearing a skirt or anything particularly feminine, but the atmosphere around him was impossible to change.
Knock, knock—
Just as he finished changing, a knock sounded at the door.
“Vice-leader!”
At the urgent call, Demian hurried to open the door.
“What is it?”
“S-someone riding a phoenix wishes to see you, Vice-leader.”
“A phoenix?”
Demian reflexively glanced toward the mirror. To anyone else the voice and movements would have seemed ordinary, but his sister was already pounding on the mirror’s surface with both hands, shouting for him to switch immediately.
Switch! Right now!
A playful smile appeared on Demian’s face. He waved lightly at the messenger, telling him to wait outside.
“Understood. Please ask them to wait a moment.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once the messenger left and the door closed, Demian approached the mirror where his sister waited.
“Well then. What should we do, Juli? I don’t know what it’s about, but Anak coming to find us is a first.”
Switch! Press the button right now!
“I don’t want to.”
Brother!
“Why? You said you’d leave this afternoon’s work to me, didn’t you?”
If you don’t switch right now, I’ll strip and run through the streets!
“Little sister, ever since I started walking around in skirts in front of people, shame has ceased to exist for me.”
Demian teased her as though they had returned to childhood.
I’ll go home and smash everything in your room!
“Do you really think your things will be safe? I’ll donate all your skirts and dresses to the orphanage.”
Brother!
“I want to talk to Anak directly for once, too. I won’t flirt as openly as you do, of course.”
Don’t even think about it! If you treat him like a joke, he’ll think my feelings are a joke too!
“Maybe it’ll actually move things forward. A man knows how a man thinks. I might even be able to grant that wish of yours that’s lasted over ten years.”
Stop talking nonsense!
Demian had intended to tease her further, but at the growing seriousness on her face he had no choice but to back down.
“…Fine. In exchange, you handle the next five deals. Got it?”
…Two.
“Four.”
Three.
“Well, all right.”
Demian touched the necklace, and once again he and his sister switched places. The moment the change was complete, she rushed straight to the wardrobe.
What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving?
“How am I supposed to go out dressed like this!”
“Got it. I’ll look for maracas fruit later.”
Riding Erill made travel instantaneous. There was no need to wait at the Kaltic coast; he could head straight to the Nitron region where the merchant guild was conducting business. Fortunately, the caravan had not yet departed, and from what he heard, the deal had already been successfully concluded.
“Look over there!”
“What kind of bird is that?”
“It’s a phoenix! A phoenix!”
Landing a phoenix in a village or city always caused this problem. Whether he wanted it or not, he drew attention, and dealing with the guards and onlookers who rushed over was always exhausting.
It was lucky he had brought the customs pass and the Ayman Kingdom’s crest; otherwise it would have been even more troublesome.
“Please wait just a moment.”
The merchants seemed slightly flustered by his sudden appearance. It was understandable—someone had dropped out of the sky on a phoenix and asked for their caravan specifically.
“Take your time. There’s no need to rush.”
Truthfully, he felt a little puzzled. Quite some time had passed since the messenger had gone to announce his visit. He felt a twinge of embarrassment as he recalled his own arrogance in assuming the senior would come running the moment he heard the news.
“By the way, would it be possible to obtain some maracas fruit or wine made from it around here? My companion is quite fond of maracas fruit.”
When he pointed at Erill while speaking, the merchants all raised their hands at once.
“I’ll go buy some!”
“How much should I get?”
Whether it was because he had already revealed his name and stated he carried a message from the royal palace, or because of awe and fear toward the phoenix they were seeing for the first time, their attitude was genuinely friendly.
“Ah, then could you bring two crates for now? I’ll pay for them myself.”
“Understood!”
Several workers ran off in the direction he had indicated. He had offered to pay, which was only natural, yet none of them had offered to cover the cost themselves. It reminded him that these were merchants through and through, though he quickly thought himself rather shameless as well.
After all, he had been hoping they would. Remembering the Antares still sitting untouched in his study, he felt anew just how greedy he could be.
“Rather than waiting out here, why don’t you come inside? The vice-leader’s lodgings are—”
That would indeed be better. He had originally landed after seeing the merchant wagons gathered in this open lot, and had waited here only to explain the situation to the guards and their commander when they arrived. The guards and their commander had already come and gone. Honestly, he had expected his senior to appear before the guards left, or at latest right after, but now that his prediction had been wrong, there was no need to keep waiting in this spot.
“Yes, that would be best.”
If he was going to talk anyway, it would be better to do so somewhere with proper seating rather than in an empty lot filled only with luggage and wagons. There was no point in making them walk unnecessarily.
“Ah, but what about the phoenix…?”
“When the fruit arrives, just set it in front of her. And as long as you don’t disturb her, that’s fine.”
Through their linked consciousness, he asked Erill to eat the fruit when it arrived and wait nearby for now. She had little else to do in the area, so he felt a bit guilty, but fortunately she showed no particular complaint, already anticipating the fruit that would soon arrive.