A Brief Reprieve

After wrapping up the carriage purchase and heading to the shop, Azu told me about a ruffian who'd tried to swap a counterfeit lamp for one of ours.

That sort of thing happened every now and again.

Guys like that loitered around until they drove away all the other customers, so their mere presence was a huge loss.

Handing him over to the guards would've been fine too, but chasing him off worked just as well.

Once word got around that we had someone who could double as a bouncer, he wouldn't be back.

"Well done."

"I'm glad I could help."

I patted Azu on the head.

The guy must've gotten the shock of his life, though.

A young girl, fearless, dropping him with a single hit.

And with very ungirl-like strength, at that.

You really can't judge an adventurer's ability by their appearance.

Underestimate them and it'll literally come back to bite you.

The supplies I'd requested were all prepared.

Salt, oil, spices, bolts of fabric for clothing, bandages, medicinal herbs, and iron.

Staples that any city would need.

Normally, it wouldn't be worth peddling them to another city, but if we brought them to Aquarius now, they'd probably sell out instantly.

If goods that normally trickled out day by day all sold in one go, that was a solid opportunity.

Even factoring in transport costs, the margins held up.

I could supplement with high-value goods like honey to make up the difference.

The bulk discount from upping our order quantities would quietly add up too.

As for the carriage, the purchase itself was settled, but it needed to be built from scratch, so delivery was months away.

In the meantime, I'd just have to keep paying rental fees.

By my estimates, the carriage should be ready around the time trade to Aquarius settled down.

If I could earn back the carriage's cost through this peddling venture, that'd be an ideal run.

I had Azu and the others continue loading cargo onto the rented carriage's bed.

I recorded the goods in the ledger and calculated the cost basis.

After a final check, everything was accounted for.

Hmm, sugar was a luxury, but I should add that too.

"You're free for the rest of the day. We leave tomorrow."

With that, I dismissed them and let them rest.

An immediate turnaround would've done me in.

They each answered and headed back to the house.

I made sure to give them some spending money before they left.

I went home too, but first I had the increasingly seasoned employee restock the items I'd loaded onto the carriage.

"The renovations should be done in about two months."

"Good. Right on schedule."

"What are you going to put in the new space?"

"Haven't decided yet, but let's see…"

It was a brand-new expansion, after all.

I wanted to stock it with high-margin products.

"Maybe soap and fragrances."

"Ooh, fancy! Should we go all out on the layout too?"

"If it boosts sales, I'll give you a raise."

"Really?"

"Of course."

I'd seen Alexia using fragrances before.

If it was popular with women, stocking it couldn't hurt.

I was pretty sure there were artisans who made that kind of thing.

Once this peddling venture calmed down, I'd look into making some connections.

When the time came, getting my girls' opinions would probably help.

New business ventures. Gets the blood pumping.

And since it'd be in a whole new section, the revenue would be pure addition.

There was still land to spare, so eventually I wanted to expand the shop even further.

I left the store to the employee and headed to the living quarters.

Azu happened to be on her way out.

She'd already changed and we passed each other.

Looked like she was heading to the plaza.

The security forces had been reformed, so things were much safer now, and nobody would be messing with Azu of all people. Still, I told her to be careful.

I saw Azu off and went to my room.

The moment I sat on the bed, the fatigue hit me all at once.

I gave myself a mental pat on the back for all the hard work.

I lay down, and before I could even think, consciousness slipped away.

I should at least change my clothes—

 

＊　＊　＊

 

I woke up the following afternoon.

It seemed I'd passed out just like that.

Dammit.

I sat up and stretched hard.

My joints cracked loudly.

I got up and headed to the bathroom.

I wanted at least a quick shower.

When I opened the bathroom door, Elza was inside, just finished changing.

"Oh my."

"Morning, Elza."

"Good morning."

She'd apparently just showered.

Elza's skin was still flushed from the heat.

"If you'd been a little sooner, we could have gone in together."

"Yeah, no."

"Really? You know what they say about bonding in the nude."

"That's for people of the same sex."

Elza laughed at that.

I shooed her out and cleaned up.

Remembering Elza's words at that moment was probably unavoidable.

After changing, I went to the backyard. Azu was tending the garden.

The garden was mainly Elza's project, but Azu helped out too.

She seemed to enjoy growing vegetables.

"I like that you can eat what you grow."

"True. You get more than you would buying them."

"Right? Oh, that reminds me."

Azu told me about her trip to the plaza yesterday.

Things were apparently quite lively again, but she'd also noticed more unsavory-looking types around.

I'd already heard about the recent state of affairs when I went to buy the carriage.

Jacob, the acting lord, was serious about maintaining public order, so no major incidents had occurred. But smaller troubles, like the one at our shop, were apparently on the rise.

The guards were swamped, unlike before.

Prosperity didn't come without its downsides.

That was just the way things went.

Outsiders coming in meant some trouble was inevitable.

All you could do was handle issues one at a time.

At least Jacob was a man you could trust.

Things should settle down little by little.

I had no idea about the new lord they'd eventually send, but for the time being, we'd be fine.

"Oh, right."

"What is it?"

"Security goods would sell well."

Azu gave me a wry smile and said she supposed so.

Strange. I thought it was a brilliant idea.