12
My Villains Chapter 12
4. South Harbor (3)
Indeed, a merchant without conscience is no different from a thief or a swindler!
In a world without the internet, finding a trustworthy merchant was an incredibly difficult task.
Moreover, this is the damn medieval era, so there are no police, prosecutors, financial supervisory service, or fair trade commission.
In other words, even if I suffer an injustice, there's no one to rectify the situation!
The only way, if you can call it that, is to go to the lord of the city and beg for justice.
But would our lord suddenly grant justice to a stranger he's never seen before?
So how on earth do you protect yourself from being backstabbed here in South Harbor?
Ellen gave a clear answer to my concern.
"Just don't expect anything."
"Huh?"
The answer seems too simple compared to the serious concern?
Ellen and I were now passing through the square heading towards the trading post. It was to buy supplies for use in the sewers.
"Why? Is it difficult?"
Hmm, looking at the kid's expression, I feel the urge to smack some sense into them.
It's a talent to be able to look down on someone while having to look up at them.
"Explain properly before you speak. What do you mean don't expect?"
"Don't rely on people. Think of everyone else as robbers or murderers and act accordingly. Isn't that easier?"
"...You're quite extreme, aren't you?"
At most a middle or high school student, this budding youngster has the air of a woman who's been through three divorces. This kid must have had quite a tough life.
As I folded my shoulders to part the crowd, I suddenly furrowed my brow.
"Wait. You're not treating me as a potential criminal too, are you?" This little... I mean, this cute kid....
To treat me, who hasn't even paid a fine or penalty in 30 years of life, let alone commit a crime, like this.
"You're really going too far. We owe each other our lives, isn't this too much?"
"...Don't worry. I think you're somewhat better."
"What?"
So this kid can say such nice things too?
Somehow feeling touched, I looked down at the kid intently.
"What are you looking at? Stop blocking the way and let's go quickly."
Tch, that little pout just now was a bit cute.
Well, so what if she can't use skills? As long as she's cute, it's fine.
In fact, Ellen's advice to be suspicious of everyone wasn't entirely wrong.
If you're wary and suspicious of everything, you're less likely to be backstabbed. But how can you do business that way?
That's why before leaving the inn, I had already asked Daria about the reputation of the merchants.
-For general goods... Old man 'Oreg' in front of the trading post sells a lot of different things. Our inn often uses his shop too.
I was worried because there were quite a few differences between the game and reality, but Oreg was the same.
In the game, Oreg is the only general goods NPC in South Harbor.
In reality, there were several other general goods merchants besides Oreg, but it seemed I didn't need to worry about them.
The problem was the blacksmith, but either Daria didn't know well or couldn't remember, as she only mentioned unfamiliar names.
In a way, it's natural, as Daria is an inn clerk. It would be stranger if she had connections with armor or weapons.
So the blacksmiths Daria knew of only dealt with things like hinges or locks at most.
Of course, those blacksmiths probably work with metal to some extent, but my goal was to buy new equipment.
So after hesitating for a moment, I asked in a nonchalant tone.
-Do you happen to know a craftsman called 'Ilton'?
In the game, Ilton is an NPC who buys and sells all kinds of equipment and also repairs them.
He mainly sells common items, but occasionally makes and sells magic items too, so if he exists in reality, he would be extremely skilled and equally famous.
But....
-Ilton... Ilton? Well, I'm not sure. I mean, I don't know everyone in the city.
Strange. Why doesn't she know?
I'm not sure if my memory is wrong, or if it's a difference between the game and reality, but....
For now, finding a skilled blacksmith became the priority. If that doesn't work out, I planned to visit the location where Ilton was in the game.
Anyway, Ellen and I arrived at Oreg's general goods store about ten minutes after leaving the inn.
As soon as I stood in front of the store, I pinched my nose. It was because of a bizarre smell that seemed like a mix of food waste and black ox medicine.
"Ugh, what's this smell?"
"Seems like they're brewing herbs."
Unlike me who instinctively pinched my nose, Ellen was savoring the strange smell, twitching her nose.
"Herbs? Ugh, it's terrible."
"They must be using magical ingredients. Looks like we've come to the right place."
Saying that, the kid smoothly disappeared into the store.
Not wanting to make a fuss over this level of smell, I followed suit.
As we entered the store, the first thing that caught our eye was a table piled high with miscellaneous items like braziers, bellows, glass bottles, brass pots, and ladles.
Next to the table hung a large cauldron, boiling with a viscous and seemingly toxic liquid.
A quick glance around revealed high shelves divided into compartments lining the walls. Hmm, it had the atmosphere of a junk shop or a used bookstore.
While Ellen and I were looking around the store interior, an old man appeared from between the shelves behind the table.
He was a skinny old man wearing a black robe that reached his ankles and a brown hat.
"Who are you?"
"We came to look at some goods. Are you Mr. Oreg?"
"...What, mercenaries?"
"Haha, that's right. We came on Daria's recommendation from the Ship's Horn Inn."
When dealing with the elderly, it was best to be polite and maintain a smiling face no matter what.
Of course, if I weren't in a position of need, I might have retorted, ‘Who are you to speak informally to strangers?’ But right now, I was the one in need.
However, Mr. Oreg, regardless of my cute smile, eyed us warily before suddenly flinging open his robe.
"Look, can you see?"
"Pardon?"
Mr. Oreg pointed with his wrinkled, thin fingers at the glass bottles and beads hanging inside his robe.
The glass bottles were all filled with reddish, sticky liquids, and the beads, whether glass or crystal, had a brown tint.
"Flame tree oil and explosion orbs. If you try anything funny, this whole area will go up in flames, understand?"
...Was he such a cool character? This dialogue was completely unexpected.
And Daria, I thought you liked me? Introducing such a crazy person, just you wait...
Anyway, I nodded vigorously with a sickened expression.
The bomb man—no, Mr. Oreg—observed my expression and asked while closing his robe, "What did you come to buy?"
"Ah, here..."
I fumbled in my pocket and pulled out a piece of cloth. It had a list of items to purchase.
Mr. Oreg examined the cloth for a moment before starting to take out items one by one.
"Looks like you're headed to the sewers?"
"Ah, yes."
I wondered how he knew, but considering the current situation in the city, the sewers were really the only place a mercenary would need to bring a lantern full of oil.
Going outside the city at night would be madness.
"Then take the bull's eye lantern. It should light up enough to see the other side of the sewer."
"Ah, yes. I'll take that."
"Two bottles of lamp oil should be enough. As for torches... Since they might get wet, sulfur-made ones would be better than resin. They're a hassle to unwrap and burn out quickly, but better than becoming completely unusable."
Despite his gruff manner of speaking, Mr. Oreg carefully selected the items.
I thought he was just a cranky old man when he threatened us upon first meeting, but it seems I was mistaken.
Ellen and I helped Mr. Oreg pack the items into two leather backpacks. As we were about to pack the coil of rope, Mr. Oreg spoke, "I only have a map of the second underground level. The first level is guarded by sentries so it doesn't matter, but try not to go below the third level. Dangerous creatures sometimes appear there."
The sewer structure is randomly generated for each campaign, but it always forms between 5 to 8 levels.
And the secret passage leading outside the city is located between the 3rd and 6th levels, depending on the size of the sewers.
So I couldn't really accept Mr. Oreg's advice, but I nodded obediently for now.
I wasn't planning to go down to the 4th floor in one go anyway. Too dangerous.
"Thank you for the advice."
"Don't look for provisions here, go to the Drunken Pony tavern and ask around. They sell biscuits to sailors there. But is this all? Don't you need any medicine?"
Medicine? Could it be?
"Do you perhaps have potions?"
"...What strange things you're saying. Do I look like an alchemist, to be selling potions?"
Mr. Oreg's expression seemed to say, ‘Why would you ask such a thing?’.
It would be like ordering a steak at a soup restaurant. Well, of course. I had hopes for nothing.
"Then what kind of medicine do you have?"
"Let's see... First, you'll need an antidote since Ratmen sometimes poison their arrowheads. This should be able to neutralize most paralytic poisons. You should also take a nerve poison antidote in case you encounter corpse beetles."
"Nerve poison?"
"...Hey, aren't you a mercenary?"
Ellen frowned at Mr. Oreg's reaction and jabbed me in the side.
"Like snake or spider venom. Stop showing your ignorance."
"You can ask if you don't know! That's how you learn, by asking questions."
Mr. Oreg, who had been looking at us as if we were hopeless, spoke while pulling out a basket from under the messy table.
"Take some hemostatic agents and ointment too. I made them myself, but they should be decent. Do you have bandages?"
"Uh... Give us bandages too, please."
Mr. Oreg put a small paper bag, a ceramic bottle, and even bandages into the backpack and asked Ellen, "Is that little one a magician?"
"...Mind your own business."
Wow, indeed, the stormy adolescent girl is really something. Such a cool response to that bomb-maker old man.
I elbowed Ellen and said with a smiling face, "Ahaha, yes, that's right. She looks young but she's a very clever one."
"......Hmm"
Mr. Oreg, who was looking over Ellen with careful eyes, twitched his eyebrows for a moment and then nodded.
"Alright, mind my own business. Here, it's all four silver coins."
"What? Four silver coins? Why is it so expensive?"
This is crazy, it's four times more expensive than I expected! Of course, there are some added items, but isn't this too much?
When I made a shocked expression, Mr. Oreg sighed and said:
"What did you expect? With both land and sea routes blocked, do you think goods would be at their normal price? Don't even think about haggling and just pay up. Or just leave."
"No, but still..."
What should I do about this?
He's the official representative general store owner of South Harbor, and judging by how carefully he selected the items, he doesn't seem like a bad old man... Surely this can't be a rip-off, right?
While I was thinking that, Ellen suddenly says, "Just pay it. We have no choice."
"What? Hey, we still have so many things to buy..."
"Then what should we do? We can't not buy essentials just because we want to buy a pair of boots."
"That's true, but what I mean is..."
I spoke quietly while watching Mr. Oreg's reaction.
"Hey, how do we know if this is the market price or not? Shouldn't we at least check?"
"It's fine. If it's a rip-off, we can just burn down the whole store. There are plenty of flammable goods here, conveniently."
"Hey, hey!"
Ellen spoke harshly, as if wanting to be heard.
This kid, why is she saying unnecessary things?
Hearing this, Mr. Oreg smiled coldly and glared at Ellen.
"I guess our little magician doesn't know what an explosion orb is?"
"I guess you old man doesn't know what a magic tool is?"
At Ellen's bold reply, Mr. Oreg showed a stiff expression.
Their gazes clashed, almost as if sparks would fly. I watched their battle of nerves in bewilderment.
Ah, really. What is Ellen relying on to act so boldly again?