The Ear's Price
We returned once more to the farm village of Kron, where the merchant caravan had paused briefly before moving on.
"How long do you plan to stay in this village?"
"I'll leave once I feel we've prepared enough."
Kron was far larger and more sprawling than Cashu Village, where I'd first met Helga. Just counting the private homes made the difference obvious, and plenty of adventurers like us were coming and going. Being a farming region, ordinary folk had no real trouble earning or spending money, so the whole place buzzed with life. It definitely felt wealthier and more advanced than Cashu. I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to linger here for a while. Compared to Cashu, the difficulty seemed much more manageable. For an F-rank adventurer like me, this was as good an environment as I could ask for.
The mining request I picked up at the general store paid a base of seven gold.
Even after the guild's cut, the E- and F-rank jobs I'd imagined came out to seven gold. It meant that what passed for D-rank work back in Cashu was only E- or F-rank here.
Prices really do swing wildly from village to village.
I'd learned that in this world the value of gold coins varied drastically depending on the town and the territory. In a prosperous place like this, it made sense to grab as many jobs as possible and stockpile coin.
"Everyone worked hard, so rest up properly."
"Master, you're the best~"
Syucali beamed at the promise of downtime. She had a habit of holing up for days whenever she returned from an outing. Never mind that sleeping with me should have left her bursting with energy.
"I want to hunt monsters right away."
In contrast, Vera—fresh from a proper rest in noble territory—practically crackled with vigor.
"That red ratman especially."
"It won't come inside the village anyway~ Let's take our time setting the traps~"
Syucali preferred to prepare at her own leisurely pace while Vera itched to get to work. Getting everyone to move with one mind was never easy. Tuning and managing all these different personalities was part of my job.
"Syucali, you rest. Anyone with energy left will head to the adventurers' guild for requests."
"As expected~ Only the black-haired one thinks ahead."
"Ah…! Please don't abandon me!"
Syucali must have remembered being left alone in the room last time.
"You're exhausted."
"I can hold it in!"
"You look fine on the surface, but mentally it'll wear you down."
"Ah…"
"Stay in the room until you've recovered. Or spend the time crafting traps and potions."
"Hehe… understood~"
There was no need to push ourselves just because we'd reached the village. True rest meant letting each person do what they wanted, reorganize, and recharge. While we were here I wanted everyone to move freely on their own.
"Master, what about me?"
"Eos…"
There were always exceptions. I remembered Eos asking the same question before and answering that the only thing she wanted to do while resting was take revenge on the silver demon tribe.
"Just follow me around."
"Yes, Master."
The mental fortitude of the demon race was beyond imagination. Warriors and knights relied on physical stamina, but mages lived by sheer force of will. I'd never once seen Eos look tired. Even when she'd faced Margaret, she'd simply lost consciousness from the overwhelming magic and otherwise remained perfectly composed.
"Then I'll follow you too?"
"Yeah."
While Syucali recharged alone in the room, Vera, Eos, and I would tackle the village requests one by one as a three-person party.
We left the inn and headed for the general store.
-Ting… Ting…
"Welcome."
"Back again, I see."
The store owner greeted me warmly the moment he spotted me.
"The luminous mushrooms you sold me last time worked wonders. Hehehe."
I'd been able to blend the male-enhancing luminous mushrooms with blue ore to create a potent tonic. Judging by his thoroughly satisfied expression, he'd clearly reaped the benefits.
"I happened to gather quite a lot this time."
"Oh! Show me at once."
His face said he'd buy them no matter the price now that he'd witnessed the herb's effects.
-Thump.
"Hehe…! This many!"
"Is it too much?"
"Not at all! I'll take everything!"
Knowing which herbs fetched the best prices, I'd harvested only luminous mushrooms. The deal filled my coin pouch again. Including Isabella's commission, I was looking at roughly six to seven hundred gold.
"I’d like to purchase some information. Where should I go?"
"Information, eh…"
I slid him a silver coin.
"Hehe… Come with me."
I signaled Eos and Vera to wait and followed the owner alone.
"Have you heard of The Ear?"
"First time."
"Even if you hear, pretend you didn’t. Even if you know, pretend you don’t. It’s a famous information syndicate in these parts."
The information network known as The Ear.
"It stretches across every village in the area with Kron at its center."
"So the surrounding villages are all under The Ear’s influence?"
"That’s right."
I finally understood why the farm village of Kron had grown so prosperous. With an information organization firmly entrenched here, they could preemptively deal with problems and manage the entire region. They might even be doing the lord’s job for him.
Even if you hear, pretend you didn’t.
Even if you know, pretend you don’t.
-Click… Creeeeak…
I followed the owner through a door and down a flight of stairs. The fact that they’d built an entire underground complex showed how determined they were to keep secrets from outsiders.
At the bottom lay a massive passage open at both ends. Haggard figures drifted about while half-dressed men tried to seduce women in the corners.
"Keep walking straight and you’ll hit a tavern and a brothel. Ignore them and keep going until you see a sign with an ear."
"Thank you."
"No need to thank me. Men should help each other, shouldn’t we?"
In this world, men tended to look out for the weaker sex—other men. It was lucky the store owner was male. Once again I’d received help from one.
"I hope you find what you’re looking for."
"Please let my party members upstairs know I’ll be a while."
"Don’t worry. I stay in business because I understand young women’s hearts."
I descended the stairs and walked down the passage.
A information syndicate sandwiched between a tavern and a brothel…
It reminded me of a similar atmosphere back in Cashu Village. I recalled Madam Lucina of the tavern I’d visited for that prostitution request. She, too, had mingled with shady characters and traded in secrets. Kron seemed to operate the same way.
"Damn it… Fuck, put it in properly!"
"Ugh… ugh!"
"Your cock’s so fucking limp. You’re trying to charge money for that?"
"I’m sorry… it’s not something I can control…"
"Ptui. Ruined the mood."
"Kgh… ugh…"
Male prostitutes dragged along by their hair. This really was the underside of society.
No matter where you go, light casts a shadow.
The surface of Kron looked peaceful and stable, but underground it was packed with humanity’s darkest, ugliest urges. The fact that the place still operated meant it turned a handsome profit.
-Tap.
"Ow!"
My shoulder bumped into a woman in the narrow passage.
"Hey, missy. You just dislocated my shoulder."
"…"
"I’m gonna need compensation for medical fees."
"…"
"Huh?"
A shakedown. Every place had people who sized up newcomers.
"Hey. My friend’s hurt, see?"
"…How much?"
"What? It’s a guy?"
"Hehe, a man coming down to the dark passage all by himself."
The group that had bumped me drew closer, licking their lips.
"How much to make you leave quietly?"
"Ten gold."
"Fine."
I took out ten gold coins and handed them over.
"Eh? Whoa, a rich young master?"
"Kukuk. Super cool, oppa."
"Thanks for the medical fee~"
They blew me air kisses and turned away. Ten gold might seem like a waste, but paying up was the cleanest solution. Dealing with them by force would have been easy, but the backlash would have been worse. In a place like this, those women’s influence probably outweighed mine. They knew more people here, too. I had no desire to draw attention while operating in Kron for the long term.
But if they get greedy a second time, I’ll have to draw my sword.
Syucali had taught me: the first time, follow their rules. The second time, do things your own way. That was how thieves and people of the dark operated.
-Step… step…
I walked through the passage that reeked of semen and liquor until I found the sign with an ear. I’d expected a drawing, but it was a real, freshly severed human ear. Blood still dripped from it.
-Knock knock knock.
-Slide…
"Who is it?"
A pair of eyes peered through the gap in the iron door.
"I’ve come to buy information."
"What kind?"
"Information on a hero."
"A hero…"
-Ting… Ting… Slide… Creeak… Click…
"Come in."
A woman with a cigarette between her lips greeted me. The moment I stepped inside, the thick smells of blood and sex washed over me.
"Sisters, we’ve got an oppa here who wants to buy information."
"Send him to room four."
"Room four."
I followed her directions and entered the room.
-Click… Thud.
The door locked behind me, revealing a chamber packed with desks and bookshelves.
"What information do you want?"
A green-haired girl looked up from her documents and asked.
"Information on a hero."
"Be specific."
"A hero capable of breaking mana seals."
"…"
At the words mana seals she finally lifted her gaze from the papers.
"It’s expensive."
"How much?"
"Two hundred gold. Leaking information on a hero puts us at risk too."
"Understood."
I immediately counted out two hundred gold from my pouch and set it on the desk.
"You’re an easy oppa to talk to."
She might have been overcharging or testing me. Arguing would only hurt me. She could waste my time, drain my energy, and demand even more money. In the end, the one holding the information held all the cards. The smart move was to flatter her, get what I needed, and leave quickly.
I’d considered leaving a job like this to professional Syucali, but I believed I had to experience everything firsthand. Was I supposed to just sit around twiddling my thumbs when she wasn’t here? No—it was better to act immediately and seize what I wanted. Gold could always be earned again. I could harvest more luminous mushrooms or take on more prostitution requests.
"There is a hero who holds shares in the village’s largest wheat plantation. Her name is Baista."
"Baista…"
"She visits the wheat farm once a month without fail to inspect both the fields and the beer brewery. Go there and you’ll find her."
"Understood."
"Wait, take your change."
The green-haired girl took only a hundred gold and left the rest on the desk.
"I’ll leave the remainder with you."
"Huh? Leave it?"
"If any trouble arises in the village because of me, use it to clean up the mess."
"Oho… So it’s a cleanup fee? Planning to kill someone?"
"If a greedy fool comes looking, I’ll have no choice but to use my sword."
"Oppa, you really do live an interesting life, don’t you?"
"I’ll leave it in your hands."
-Creeeeak…
With business concluded, I opened the iron door and stepped out.
"Mmm… I should look into that man."
The green-haired girl watched the door close, her eyes glittering with curiosity.