Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Second Hero (1)
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The next day.
As previously discussed with Lartania's lord, the Tiinus Merchant Group promptly departed the territory exactly one day later.
Inside the merchant group's carriage, Adria gazed at five vials of potion nestled within a somewhat extravagant box.
The box, bordered in gold and fit for gifting to a king of a nation, was an artifact currently trading at a premium price. It had the absolute ability to protect whatever valuables were placed inside.
In other words, potions weren't what this box was originally meant for—precious metals and gems would have been more appropriate.
However, the reason she'd placed the potions inside was obvious: they were worth that much.
'Coma recovery potions... five of them.'
As Adria fiddled with the vials inside the box with a renewed sense of wonder, her secretary's voice chimed in.
"As expected of you, ma'am."
"Hm? What is?"
"The coma recovery potions. You managed to snag five of them for a mere 100,000 gold. Your business acumen is truly impressive."
The secretary nodded emphatically, as if genuinely awed by his employer's prowess—and in conclusion, he had a point.
If she put those coma recovery potions on the market right now, they wouldn't fetch just the 100,000 gold she'd paid; she could easily get 150,000 or even 160,000.
And if Adria could lay the groundwork just a bit—arrange some hype—they could sell for a whopping 200,000 gold.
In short, she'd bought items that could double in value for only 100,000 gold, making her deal look incredibly shrewd.
But that was only on the surface.
"Is it, now?"
Adria recalled the words of Lartania's lord from the day before—the man who'd handed her the potions. More precisely, his business proposal.
'To be upfront, I can make these coma recovery potions. In other words, I can produce something no one else on this continent can.'
'And if you want, I can supply them exclusively to you from now on. Provided you agree to the three conditions I've laid out.'
Adria remembered the conditions Kim Hyunwoo had followed up with.
'First, keep the fact that I can make coma recovery potions a secret. You're the only one who needs to know.'
'Second, after you sell the potions I supply, hand over 60% of the remaining profit to me.'
'Finally, for this batch, I'd like upfront payment. Around 100,000 gold should do.'
"Hmm."
Having recalled Kim Hyunwoo's full proposal, Adria pondered with an intrigued expression.
'He really is something.'
Adria had already grasped his intentions in making that offer.
'He wants to sell without showing his face to the world.'
It was undoubtedly a smart move on Kim Hyunwoo's part.
From what she'd gathered, Lartania territory had far too many vulnerabilities to openly sell coma recovery potions.
'They could just roll in with military force. And even if national interests blocked that, political pressure from all sides would follow.'
Either way, Lartania would end up in a dire predicament.
That's why he'd shelved the idea of selling directly from Lartania, instead passing the potions to her and offering a generous 40% cut of the profits.
Forty percent.
It was practically half.
'There must be material costs for Lartania's lord to produce them.'
...Of course, Kim Hyunwoo simply used blue stones to craft them, but Adria had no way of knowing that, so she naturally assumed as much.
As a result, she found him coming across as a seasoned merchant.
People, by nature, valued the tangible over the intangible.
Take the coma recovery potions: they saw the item's obvious worth but overlooked hidden values beyond that.
This held true even for shrewd lords and merchants—especially with something this lucrative, which tended to cloud judgment.
But Kim Hyunwoo?
He'd factored in those intangibles without hesitation, offering her 40% of the profits.
It was a huge cut, no doubt.
Yet, coolly considered, by handing the potions to her, he stood to gain more than that 40% in other benefits.
By entrusting them to her, he could sell quietly, dodging all external military and political pressures.
And right now, even as she mulled over that massive 40% profit, Adria was already scheming proactively on how to sell them.
That wasn't all.
On top of that, by demanding 100,000 gold upfront, he'd subtly conveyed his expectations.
'I want at least 100,000 gold in return.'
From his perspective, even if Adria sold them for less than 100,000, there was nothing he could do about it.
But Adria intended to deliver over 100,000 gold in profits, just as he'd hinted.
Or rather, Kim Hyunwoo had maneuvered her into thinking that way.
In his pitch, he'd balanced talk of supply and demand, casually mentioned other items for sale, and even shown her some—all to get her moving.
In essence, he'd not only motivated her but tested her as well.
Test her qualifications to partner with him in business.
"Ha."
Realizing this, Adria couldn't help but chuckle with amusement.
Ever since her caravan came under "his" protection, she'd never once been in a position to be evaluated as a merchant.
Yet here she was, already being sized up.
By a lord, no less—not even another merchant.
For Adria, it sparked both delight and pure curiosity.
'Just what kind of person is that lord?'
Through their conversation, she'd realized he possessed merchant knowledge on an extraordinary level.
Knowledge so profound it piqued the interest of someone like her, who proudly ranked among the continent's top three merchants.
Since he was a lord, not a merchant, Adria had harbored that curiosity for a while—but she soon shrugged it off.
She could dig into it later, after acing his little evaluation.
And so.
"Did you leave the gift as instructed?"
"Yes, just as you said—quietly."
"Good."
'Teaming up with him was definitely the right call.'
Adria smiled as the carriage rolled on.
At that very moment.
"This was left outside?"
"Yes. Word is the Tiinus Merchant Group left it behind."
Kim Hyunwoo stared quizzically at the box Elena held—the goblin extermination squad had just returned per his request. He opened the box she'd placed on his desk.
"...What's this?"
His jaw dropped at the sight of the substantial assortment of precious metals and gems inside, his eyes landing on the card in the center.
[A modest gift. -Adria-]
"Whoa..."
Kim Hyunwoo admired the straightforward note, wondering why she'd given it—even as he marveled.
'Figures a big merchant caravan would be this generous.'
He soon grinned and nodded in satisfaction.
Jewels like these could tide the territory over for a month in an emergency, if cashed in.
'Her stats checked out, and pitching that business deal was spot on.'
The reason he'd gone beyond just selling the potions yesterday and proposed a partnership?
It stemmed from Adria's status window, which he'd glimpsed when she luckily stopped at the tavern.
He'd seen she had the top merchant trait "Merchant's Instinct," plus "Trust and Doubt," which gave advantages in trade.
Merchants with "Trust and Doubt" rarely betrayed if treated fairly, so he'd made the offer.
'Selling them solo could've caused trouble.'
Losing 40% of the profits stung a bit, but it was fine.
Even if she sold at bare minimum, he could craft more with blue stones—pure profit for him.
'Proposing five per three months won't turn it into a money printer, though...'
He knew supply shortages drove the price, so he had no plans to flood the market anyway.
Smiling contentedly at his swelling coffers.
"Lord."
"Yeah?"
"Don't you think someone too obsessed with money comes off as... a bit cold?"
"...Huh?"
Kim Hyunwoo blinked in confusion at Elena's sudden question.
"I mean, folks who cling too hard to gold just seem kinda heartless, you know?"
Elena averted her gaze subtly as she spoke.
"...Well, I suppose there's something to that."
Though puzzled by her out-of-the-blue remark, he nodded along.
Her affection level was still unmeasured—a key metric for him.
"Right?"
Seeming pleased by his agreement, Elena's otherwise blank expression cracked into a faint smile.
As they exchanged a few more words and she turned to leave the office, Kim Hyunwoo called out.
"Oh, wait."
He stopped her, approached, and...
Pok.
"...What's this?"
"A gift."
...pinned a blue brooch to her.
"For all your hard work. Thanks."
At his words, she stared blankly at the blue brooch.
"Ah."
"?"
She seemed to ramble incoherently for a moment.
"Th-tha... Um, th-thank you?"
With that awkward thanks, she shuffled out like a rusty tin robot.
'It's expensive, so no wonder she likes it.'
Chuckling at her reaction, Kim Hyunwoo gratefully set aside the jeweled box from Adria.
"Alright, paperwork's done. Time to kick off real territory development."
He geared up to tackle the postponed upgrades.
And.
"Hee..."
Out in the hall, Elena gazed at the brooch her lord had given her, letting out an involuntary squeak.
Her face flushed crimson—though she didn't even notice—as she toyed with it repeatedly, her expression beaming with delight. She started toward her room with quick, eager steps.
Then—
Shiver!
"!"
A sudden chill hit her. Her face hardened as she scanned around.
"..."
Nothing.
'...What was that?'
Elena frowned, glancing about suspiciously.
Lately, she'd felt this eerie sensation often.
But nothing ever turned up.
'...Just my imagination?'
With lingering unease, she walked on.