What Matters Most Is Trust

After receiving the fragment of the Earth Elemental Stone from Duke Baroba, Azu and the others stayed another night.

"Come visit again, won't you?"

"Of course. I'll let Yohane-sama know as well."

After saying their goodbyes to Anatia, they returned to Yohane with Finn.

Yohane had been bouncing his leg while waiting at the inn. The moment Azu and the others walked in, he shot up from his chair and came to greet them.

"Welcome back. I was starting to worry since you were a bit late. And Finn, thanks for taking the job."

"I barely did anything, though."

"That's fine. I hired you in case something came up."

"Obviously."

He paid Finn her commission.

Considered as insurance for their safety, it wasn't expensive at all.

After hearing the details from Azu about what had happened since their departure, he gave her head a thorough ruffling.

Azu accepted his hand, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Well done. I'd wanted to slug him myself, but if you got payback for me, then I've got no complaints."

"He didn't seem to be in his right mind at the end. Do you think the Church of the Sun God really is a dangerous religion?"

She no longer believed the Church of the Sun God was an upright organization, but the fact that they'd attempted to kidnap a noblewoman was still a shock.

"… Something's definitely going on with them. The ones who'll pay for it are the believers who know nothing."

"Up until recently, they only showed their good side, owing to their enthusiasm for proselytizing. But lately, they've been resorting to more forceful methods. They've probably given up on gaining new followers."

"I always thought the whole point of a religion was to grow its flock. That it was the business model, you know?"

"You're not wrong. Without followers, well… you end up like the Church of the Creator King."

Elza laughed.

A joke at her own expense that wasn't really funny.

"I don't know what those people are thinking, and trying to figure it out is a waste of time."

Yohane cut the topic short.

"So, this is the stone fragment?"

Yohane examined the fragment Azu had given him with curiosity.

He fitted the monocle he used for appraisals over his left eye and inspected it thoroughly.

After studying it for a while, he set the fragment down on the desk with a pensive expression.

"… It just looks like an ordinary stone to me. Can any of you tell it's a fragment of the Earth Elemental Stone?"

Yohane directed the question to Azu and the others.

Alexia picked the fragment up off the desk.

"When I hold it like this, I can feel a faint trace of spirit power. The Fire Elemental is reacting to it as well."

As if summoned by the mention, the Fire Elemental emerged from the brooch Alexia wore.

It stared intently at the fragment of the Earth Elemental Stone.

"Spirits have a deep connection with the Creator King, so I can tell right away."

Elza said this and took the fragment from Alexia.

The moment Elza's hand touched it, the fragment glowed faintly.

"It's truly only a trace, but there is spirit power within. If we meet the conditions properly, the Earth Elemental's power will manifest and aid us."

"I see. That's good to hear, but… growing crops is the condition?"

"Yes. To be precise, it's tilling the soil, sowing seeds, and nurturing crops to harvest. Bringing fertility to the land is what Earth Elementals do."

Elza wore a smile as refreshing as a clear sky.

She did like to putter in the garden. Maybe this was welcome news for her.

"I'd been planning to get into agriculture at some point, but I never expected to get pushed into it like this. If we have an Earth Elemental, even from just a fragment, we shouldn't have to worry about crop failure. That keeps the risk manageable."

Yohane rested his right hand on his chin, lost in thought.

"The land money came through. Even with the inn purchase, we've got room to spare. Oh, that reminds me."

Yohane pulled a single sheet of paper from his belongings.

It was a check. He filled in the amount: five hundred gold coins.

The money from selling the Anti-Magic Orb to the duke had already been transferred to the bank.

And there was someone besides Azu and the others who was entitled to a share.

He'd promised to give Kazusa her portion as well.

"Azu, when we're back in Kassad, deliver this to Kazusa. It's her share."

"Understood. I know where she lives, so I'll go right away."

Yohane handed the check to Azu.

It was worth five hundred gold coins, so he told her to guard it carefully.

"You trust her enough to have her deliver it instead of doing it yourself? For a merchant, gold is life."

"That's not quite right. I can say it clearly now: for a merchant, what matters most is trust. I trust Azu, and I trust you too, Finn. With trust, you can climb back from rock bottom."

He said it plainly, looking her in the eye.

Before he'd bought Azu, he probably would have given a different answer.

"I trust you too, Master."

Azu said it without looking away.

Finn glanced aside for a moment, but then turned back to Yohane and gave a snort.

"I trust you too. For whatever that's worth."

"Glad to hear it."

"Tch."

Her click of the tongue was audible. But it was clearly nothing more than embarrassment.

She'd warmed up considerably since the beginning.

"Sounds like we'll have a lot on our plate once we're back. It won't turn a profit right away, but I suppose this is the season for sowing seeds."

"A little rest wouldn't hurt, you know. By the way, I trust you too."

"I suppose it can't be helped. I'll lend a hand. It is my own livelihood, after all… I trust you, so please don't betray that."

He nodded at the words from Elza and Alexia.

Finn's circumstances aside, the rest of them were tied together for better or worse.

"If the portal's going to be available again, let's make today a celebration. Finn, will you be staying for it?"

"Well, if it saves me a meal, sure. I just finished my last urgent job."

He didn't ask what kind of job it had been.

Finn's work was full of secrets, and she wasn't inclined to share.