Four Hundred Gold
“……One hundred eight orc corpses, confirmed. And this one has its head burst open, but it’s larger, so I’ll pay three times the usual rate.”
Richel tallied the orc corpses with crisp efficiency. “Orcs from Monster Land fetch twice the standard price. Ten gold per corpse.”
Once the calculations were finished, Richel finally straightened her back. Verifying and settling accounts had taken roughly three hours. It would have taken far longer without the territory residents helping on the side. Doing it alone would have carried her well into the evening.
“Hmm. Is that about right?” Albert glanced at Elena. Prices could differ from the world he knew, and after ten years away he had no way of gauging current rates. Elena nodded. It was correct.
Three hours just for that calculation……
Haaaaam…… I could have finished it in one second.
I really should have done it myself.
‘It would be convenient, but there’s no need to reveal your existence.’
Albert turned to Elena. “By the way, is 1,081 gold a lot?”
It should have been 1,085, but the extra headless corpse had lowered the total. Someone must have been offering pig heads as tribute. Heads fetched a decent price after all.
‘I’ll have to make sure to keep the heads next time.’
“It’s quite a sum. An ordinary commoner’s monthly wage is around two hundred gold.”
“Hmm. Two hundred gold.”
Think of two hundred gold as roughly two million won from the other world.
It’s not exact, but close enough.
That was a useful benchmark. It meant Albert had earned ten million won in a single day of hunting.
‘Making money really is the easiest thing.’
At this rate, he wouldn’t have to worry about funds. Monsters were overflowing in Monster Land, after all.
“Still, it’s impressive. Taking down this many monsters.” Richel spoke with genuine admiration. “I’ve heard the monsters in Monster Land are far stronger than elsewhere.”
“Stronger?”
“Yes.” Richel looked at Abel, who nodded in agreement.
“They’re typically three times stronger. On top of that, they possess defensive power that shrugs off most attacks. That’s why people avoid Monster Land.”
“Is that so?” Albert tilted his head, puzzled. ‘They didn’t feel particularly strong to me.’
That’s because you’re far too powerful, Albert.
Even if orcs are three times stronger, it’s still the same level. You wouldn’t notice any difference.
‘Probably.’ To Albert, an EX-rank hunter and the strongest of them all, three times stronger orcs were nothing. Even if an ant became three times stronger, it posed no real threat to a lion. To others they might be objects of terror, but to Albert they were still just ants.
“Do you know why the monsters that come out of Monster Land are so strong?”
“No.” Richel shook her head. “Nothing is known about it yet. I’ve heard the kingdom is buying monster corpses from Monster Land to research the reason.”
There had to be a cause behind the monsters’ superior strength. The kingdom was purchasing corpses for study.
“By the way……” Richel scratched the back of her head, looking troubled. “There are more corpses than I expected. Even emptying the carriage, I’ll have to make several trips.”
She let out a quiet sigh. She had thought the carriage was fairly large, but loading over a hundred orc corpses was impossible. She would have to travel the long distance multiple times.
“Ah, I’ll buy all the daily necessities in the carriage first.”
“Then I’ll deduct that from the payment. The goods you brought should come to roughly five hundred gold.”
“Understood.”
Richel and Abel unloaded the necessities from the carriage and stacked them in one place.
Quite a variety.
They only brought things necessary for daily life.
Clothes, cups, bowls…… all the basics. They packed very thoughtfully.
They must have known the situation in Legrian Territory and prepared accordingly.
‘Looks that way to me too.’ There was food, some seasonings, farming tools, and other such items.
‘They really brought a bit of everything.’
It’s like looking at a general store.
‘You’re right.’
“Haa…… Having to travel that distance multiple times is going to be a headache.” Abel sighed in annoyance. Returning to Legrian Territory was no easy task. Monsters could attack at any time, anywhere. They had been lucky on the way here, but there was no guarantee the same luck would hold on the return trip.
“We have no choice. Still, if we bring these back we can give you a bonus, so let’s do our best!”
“Haa…… Understood. Well, I’m just a hired hand, so I suppose I have to follow my employer’s orders.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Abel and Richel moved to load the orc corpses onto the carriage.
“Hmm. Is transportation the issue?”
“Pardon?”
“From what I overheard, it seems the problem is moving the corpses.”
“Ah, yes. There are simply too many for the size of the carriage. And if we overload it, the horses won’t be able to move.”
“So what do you plan to do?”
“Well, we’ll load as much as we can, go back, then return with a larger carriage……”
At those words, Albert’s lips curved upward. The smile resembled that of a merchant who had caught the scent of money.
“But isn’t it dangerous? I’ve been away for ten years, so I’m not entirely sure, but there are many monsters around Legrian Territory.”
“That’s true.”
“Transporting corpses that reek of blood won’t be easy. We were lucky on the way here, but luck doesn’t strike twice.”
Richel narrowed her eyes. Something about his tone and phrasing felt like deliberate bait. Almost as if…… ‘A merchant softening up a buyer before raising the price.’ Her merchant instincts were sounding alarms.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
Trusting her instincts, she regarded him warily. Albert’s smile only deepened.
“I can help with that part.”
“What?”
“You saw it earlier. I can move the corpses using my extradimensional storage, no matter how many there are.”
“……”
Richel’s eyes widened. He was right. All these corpses had poured out of Albert’s storage in the first place. In other words, ‘We can finish this in one trip.’ The multiple journeys could be reduced to a single trip, saving manpower, time, and money. Transport was expensive and dangerous, so few merchants were willing to take the job.
“Then!”
“Four hundred gold.”
“Eh?”
“Transport fee.”
“Y-you’re charging a transport fee?”
Watching her stammer in surprise, Albert replied matter-of-factly. “Nothing in this world is free.”
“That’s true, but…… couldn’t you lower it a little? How about three hundred fifty gold……?”
“Four hundred gold.”
“Three hundred eighty……”
“It’s four hundred gold.”
“……”
He was utterly unyielding, as though four hundred gold had become a point of pride. He had no intention of backing down. Labor costs these days were outrageous. Having lived in an era where delivery fees reached seven thousand won, Albert wasn’t about to discount even a single gold.
“Think it over. Four hundred gold is no loss.”
Richel ran the numbers in her head. ‘Corpses rot if left too long. They need to be sold fresh to fetch full price. If they decay while I make multiple trips……’ That would mean losses. Factoring in the distance between Legrian Territory and their current base, the time required, and the risk of monster attacks…… ‘Four hundred gold is by no means a losing deal. If anything, it’s cheap.’
Moreover, without goods in the carriage, the return trip would be faster. The profit and loss were clear, and there was no loss. On top of that, Monster Land orcs sold for higher prices. If processed and sold to the right buyers, they could fetch two thousand gold or more.
‘I can do this.’ It would take some effort, but that was only natural if she wanted to secure a margin. To maximize that margin, she needed to move the corpses while they were still fresh. With so many of them, paying four hundred gold in transport fees wasn’t much of a loss.
Having finished her calculations, Richel extended her hand. “Four hundred gold. I’m counting on you.”
Albert smiled brightly and clasped it. “Likewise.”
* * *
The deal concluded cleanly. The now-lighter carriage raced across the plains at an astonishing speed, far faster than usual. As a result, Richel and Abel suffered motion sickness they had never experienced before. The horses ran as though they had consumed something they shouldn’t have, completely out of control.
“Huu…… Only six hours for that distance……”
“Ugh……”
After the transaction, Albert disembarked, saying he had business to attend to, then vanished after unloading the monster corpses and collecting his payment.
“By the way, it really is impressive.”
“What is?”
Richel, still dazed from motion sickness, barely managed to open her eyes at Abel’s awed voice. Abel was staring at the monster corpses in admiration, examining them as carefully as an appraiser studying a work of art.
“I was too tense at the time, and there was too much to watch for, so I couldn’t observe them properly.”
Only now could he examine the orc corpses in detail. Pointing at one with his finger, he spoke as though he had discovered something fascinating.
“Look here. Do you see the sword marks on the neck?”
“It’s a clean cut. Is that really that impressive?”
Richel tilted her head. As a merchant, she had little expertise in such matters. But Abel, who had fought countless battles as a mercenary, could only feel horror at the traces left on the orcs’ bodies.
“Do you see how there isn’t a single wound on these orcs besides the severed necks?”
“What’s the problem with that?”
“It’s not exactly a problem. But it’s chilling.”
“Why?”
“These orcs died without even putting up a proper fight.”
Abel ran his fingers over the severed sections. “A single clean strike. Even the most skilled knight would struggle to sever the neck of a Monster Land orc like this……”
“There isn’t anyone who can?”
“There are a few, but they’re rare. And to do it to this many……”
Every single orc here had died from the same attack. They had been slaughtered without resistance, as though it were a massacre. Furthermore…… ‘They all died right where they stood. Whoever killed them must have been extremely composed.’ The traces of overwhelming power were evident. It sent a shiver down his spine. Just from the marks left on the corpses, he could tell how powerful the opponent had been. It was astonishing.
‘Just how strong do you have to be?’
Abel clenched his fist. How much stronger would one need to become to leave behind such traces?
‘It has to be that man.’
Albert. The eldest son of the Legrian family who had returned after running away for ten years. Though he looked somewhat young, his eyes held the composure of a true powerhouse. There was a depth and maturity beyond his years, like gazing into the eyes of an elf who had lived over a century.
“Lady Richel.”
“Yes?”
“About trading with Legrian Territory……”
“Ah, I have no intention of cutting ties.”
Richel seemed to have sensed something as well. ‘He really is my employer.’ She too must have felt it—the powerful winds of change sweeping through the once-stagnant Legrian Territory. Richel possessed exceptional talent as a merchant. Her instincts had surely told her something. Enough to make her think, “As expected.”
“I’ve never seen anyone that handsome before! And on top of that, he has extradimensional storage! I absolutely have to secure him!”
“……”
It wasn’t her merchant instincts speaking. It was a woman’s instincts.