A Satisfying Sale and an Unexpected Reunion
I'd just finished a good deal and was ready to rest when... what are you doing here?
Still, I'm a decent person.
It was already water under the bridge, and they'd even apologized. I wasn't the sort of woman to keep harping on about it.
That aside... legendary monsters really do fetch an absurd price.
If I could find more like them next time, I might just make another killing overnight.
This world has plenty of legendary monsters besides the Serpent Dragon.
Whether they truly live up to the legends or are simply rare, I couldn't say.
I'd have to see one first.
Besides, I probably wouldn't even be able to spend all the money I was about to make from this Serpent Dragon alone.
The haul from this deal was over a billion won—enough to last me about forty years, right?
Or maybe some sudden expense would come up and I'd blow through it in no time.
After that, the lord and I chatted about this and that.
When he suddenly asked if he should introduce me to his son, I was a little flustered, but he must have noticed the awkward look on my face, because he dropped it and changed the subject.
About thirty minutes must have passed like that.
A knock came from the door on the opposite side.
I tilted my head, wondering what it was, only for the lord to flash a sly smile.
"A deal isn't finished until the payment is handed over and the goods are received. Come in."
At the lord's word, the two maids waiting at the entrance pushed the door open with a creak.
Through it strode a burly, muscle-bound man pulling a cart that looked like it belonged in a restaurant kitchen, heading straight toward us.
On top of it sat a small box.
Don't tell me... the money's inside that?
"This is the payment for today's transaction."
"Ohhh... are you giving me the box as well?"
"Of course. Don't be shy—take it."
"Then I'll gratefully accept."
Refusing at a moment like this would only make the lord lose face.
Better to just take it with thanks.
But... it was decorated with gold and jewels, looking ridiculously expensive.
Just how rich was this lord, handing over a box like this to a trading partner?
I was staring at it blankly when the lord suddenly stood and offered me his hand once more.
"Thank you. In all my years, I've never had a deal as satisfying as today's."
"You can still have plenty left even after giving me this much... merchants really are on another level."
"Well, I have connections to the royal family and power brokers all over the world. That makes it possible."
True enough.
An elf like me with no connections of my own could never have sold it for more than this.
"Next time I'm short on cash, I'll come sell you the rest."
"Please do."
I reached out and clasped the lord's hand in return.
Heh. At least I'd secured enough money to last me a good while!
Back in the knights' waiting room at the royal palace, Orca locked the door, clutched her head, and slumped face-down over the desk.
With every passing moment the situation grew worse, yet she still couldn't think of any way to bring Esilly back.
No—forget bringing her back. She didn't even have the confidence to stand in front of her and talk face to face.
After the war had settled into a lull, her workload had exploded. No matter how hard things had been, the fact remained that Orca had neglected Esilly.
"Esilly..."
The saying "cherish them while you have them" was made for moments like this.
Orca regretted, and regretted again, that she hadn't treated the girl who had looked up to her like an older sister better while she still could.
Despite her overwhelming power, Esilly had grown up so upright and kind.
If Knight Commander Orca told her to wait quietly, she would wait without a single word of complaint.
But the end of that waiting... hadn't been a reward.
It had only been another notice to endure and wait a little longer, for who knew how long.
That was why Knight Commander Orca regretted it all the more.
What she should have said back then wasn't "wait," but to rage alongside her and demand better from their superiors.
And more than anything else...
"There's no hope... for this country..."
It wasn't that the kingdom had lost hope because Esilly left.
The fact that the country was still holding together at all was a miracle in itself.
The war had barely ended, yet the nobles showed no interest in relieving the people's suffering.
Instead they rushed to build villas the size of the royal palace in quiet corners of the land.
How could a country like this not be crawling with spies?
There were surely officials taking bribes and turning a blind eye as well.
In that case, word of Esilly's disappearance would reach the Empire in no time.
Once the Empire finished reorganizing, they would invade the kingdom again with twenty full legions.
And then?
The kingdom would turn into hell once more.
"And my life would be the same..."
Orca let out a long sigh.
She had no desire to risk her life fighting for a country like this.
She had been an adventurer originally, after all.
Not even a native of the kingdom—she was from the Northern Continent—so she had never felt any particular patriotism to begin with.
Orca leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling.
For a long while she kept her eyes closed, surrendering herself to the flow of time as she thought things through carefully.
At last she rose to her feet in one sharp motion.
Anyone looking at her would have known she had made up her mind.
"I'll leave the kingdom. And I'll apologize to Esilly."
Whether the apology would be accepted was another matter.
She understood perfectly well that what she had done would be hard to forgive.
But she still had to apologize, didn't she?
It had been as good as a betrayal, after all.
"First stop: Free Port City."
Having decided, Orca stood, gathered her clothes, and stepped outside.
A long cloak-like outer garment.
And a hat pulled low over her eyes.
With her heart already gone from the kingdom, she no longer looked anything like a knight commander.
She looked like an adventurer—just one more wanderer touring the continents one after another.
I left the lord's manor humming a little tune.
Having sold the goods and with my pockets now comfortably full, I felt a happiness that couldn't even be compared to the days when money had been tight.
Even when I'd been working as vice-commander, my salary had been so low I'd been a bit strapped.
I'd had a few debts too, so after selling off my assets and paying them off, I'd arrived here with basically nothing.
"Well then, time to head to the inn where Enge is waiting. But... which way is it?"
My subordinates used to call me a hopeless directionally challenged disaster, so in a way this was only natural...
Just hearing the name of the inn where she said she'd wait wasn't enough to tell me where it was.
An inn called Mirror Flower Water Moon...
Pretty name, but I needed to know the location before I could go anywhere.
I shaded my eyes with one hand against the blazing sun and peered into the distance, but...
For a small village there were still a lot of buildings, making it impossible to pick one out.
"Hmm..."
"Unni, I know the way, so don't worry."
As they say, there's always a way out.
Right beside me, holding my hand and eating ice cream, was Erna.
What a cute kid.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot."
I'd forgotten to give Erna her allowance.
Thanks to her, I'd managed to escape the lord's... not scam, but test.
I'd nearly committed the disaster of selling something worth over a thousand gold for a mere four hundred, after all.
I pulled the box I'd just received out of my Inventory and took out ten gold coins.
Then I held them out to Erna.
"Thanks for today, Erna. This is from unni, so take it."
Ten gold coins was ten million won in modern money.
People working the docks in Free Port City earned ninety gold a year, so this was a bit more than a month's salary.
"I'll gratefully accept."
As expected, Erna was mature beyond her years.
She took what was offered without any unnecessary fuss!
Kids are supposed to just accept pocket money from adults.
Even if they pretend to refuse once, everyone knows they'll take it in the end!
"What are you going to spend it on, Erna?"
"I'm thinking of buying a magic tool I've been wanting."
"Unni will buy that for you. There'll be plenty of magic tools once we reach the Labyrinth City, right?"
"I'll introduce you to a good magic tool shop."
"Perfect. Then let's head to the lodging first."
Since I had no idea where to go, Erna took the lead.
She must have been here a few times already—she walked without the slightest hesitation!
Holding Erna's hand, I arrived in front of a small inn with "Mirror Flower Water Moon" written on the sign.
It was a bit on the outskirts of the village.
Enge was more frugal than I'd expected.
Her husband had seemed like the type who spent money freely.
"Mother has lived frugally since she was little, so she always says money should be treasured and used carefully."
"Is that so? Enge gave me the impression of a noble young lady."
"I heard she was the second daughter of a baronial family."
So that was why the way she drank tea looked so elegant.
Once you've learned proper etiquette, forgetting it is actually the harder part.
Standing out here chatting would only make our legs tired.
Still holding Erna's hand, I stepped inside with her.
How to describe the feeling...
The interior had the atmosphere of an old American western movie.
Oh—there she is.
That's Enge, right?
I gave Erna's shoulder a couple of light taps and pointed in Enge's direction.
"Erna, go to Enge first. She's probably been worrying."
"Yes. Please take your time, unni."
Sensing her daughter approaching, Enge turned her head sharply.
She gently stroked Erna's hair as the girl walked over, and the two of them began talking.
By the way, where had the staff gone?
Weren't employees supposed to be waiting at all times?
I'd been ringing the bell for a while now, yet there was still no sign of anyone coming out...
"Yes, yes~ Coming~ How many nights will you be staying? One bed is thirty copper, two beds is fifty copper, and if you want breakfast included that's an extra ten copper."
A staff member emerged from what looked like the kitchen, yawning widely.
I felt like scolding them to do their job properly, but that would just be abusing my position as a customer, so I held back.
But... she looked strangely familiar...
"...Could you be... Sergeant Delua?"
"...........Captain Esilly?"
"It is you, Delua, right?"
"C-Captain, what brings you here?! I didn't desert—I properly retired!!"
Looks like I was right after all.
To think I'd run into her here...
She was a member of the independent unit I had trained from start to finish.
She had been my subordinate, my comrade, and my disciple—the one who had been promoted and transferred to another unit.