Chapter 5

I have another task at the Commerce Guild.

This is to sell the Dark Wolf’s fangs and fur from earlier.

While I can’t do it myself, Alesia, a guild member, can. Unlike the Adventurers Guild, where anyone can sell items but often has to wait, this place is usually less crowded. Also, prices here can sometimes be higher than at the Adventurers Guild. Although direct trades are possible, since we’re inexperienced with such dealings, we decided to rely on the trustworthy guild.

At the back of a lounge-like room, there was a counter for selling items. Several groups were sitting at tables throughout the room, talking, with free water and tea pots available. It seemed to be a place for merchants to interact and exchange information.

Alesia took out her white, rectangular membership card and showed it to the man at the reception counter.

“Excuse me, I’d like to sell some materials…”

“Yes, Ms. Alesia, correct? Could you please place them here?”

The man took Alesia’s membership card to confirm, then gestured to a cloth laid out beside the counter.

“Oh, yes. Here they are.”

Alesia took out the fangs and fur from a cloth bag.

“This is my first time selling, so I’m a bit nervous,” Alesia whispered to me quietly.

“These are… Dark Wolf materials, correct? Excuse me, did you hunt them, Ms. Alesia?”

The man looked surprised, glancing between the materials, which clearly looked freshly harvested, and Alesia. She quickly waved her hands to deny it, flustered.

These materials came from Dark Wolves that Alesia had dismantled after I took them down. I couldn’t do the dismantling myself, but Alesia had some experience from helping with hunts in her village. I, on the other hand, never really had that kind of experience.

“No, it was Iriya here who took them down. She saved me when I was in a dangerous situation and about to be attacked by monsters.”

As I was introduced, I stepped forward, lightly clasped my hands below my navel, and bowed.

“My name is Iriya.”

I wasn’t sure what the best way to introduce myself was in this situation, so I kept it simple. Although it was Belial who ultimately saved us, he wasn’t here. Of course, I could have handled it on my own, but it was thanks to him that my sisters remained unhurt.

“Oh, n-nice to meet you. I’m Jim, a guild staff member. You’re a mage…?”

The man scratched his head and, perhaps imitating my bow, offered a polite bow before continuing with his question.

“Yes… you may think of me as a mage. I plan to make magic potions and amulets here in this town of Lenant.”

“I see… Ah, well… it’s an honor.”

Wasn’t that response a bit strange? Maybe dealing with a mage makes him nervous? He usually deals with merchants, so perhaps it’s unusual?

Leaving the slightly awkward man to handle the appraisal, the two of us took a seat at a nearby table.

Alesia seemed to be stifling her laughter. Apparently, Jim’s reaction had been odd even to her.

“I hope it sells for a good price—we need the money for lodging too. How should we divide it?”

“Well, you were the one who took them down, so it’s yours… Although, if you could spare a little for helping with the skinning, that’d be nice…”

What a humble person! If it were the court mages, they’d be claiming incomprehensible credits like, “It was due to my great judgment,” or “The result came because I delegated it.”

I suggested that we split it evenly. Alesia seemed a bit hesitant, but she’s been a big help to me, and I’d like her to accept it, especially since I plan to keep learning from her.

As we were politely going back and forth, a middle-aged, average-built man approached us.

“Hey, miss, I heard you make potions? Do you have any intermediate potions? I need about five…”

A bracelet charged with magical power peeked out from the sleeve of his jacket.

“…I do have some, but I haven’t obtained guild certification.”

“Really!? We can handle the registration here, so would you sell them to me? They requested advanced potions, but we couldn’t get any. Intermediate ones will have to do, which is a relief since we’re out of lower-grade ones.”

Judging by his relieved expression even before seeing the items, potions must be in seriously short supply.

“You’re supplying intermediate potions when they’ve requested advanced? Why not use advanced potions?”

I asked him directly about what I found odd.

The man chuckled awkwardly, scratching his cheek.

“It’d be great to have advanced potions, but they’re not easy to come by, you know? Not unless you’re a skilled magic item craftsman…”

“If you need ten, I have both advanced and intermediate potions. However, I can only offer up to eight of each since I may need some myself. I haven’t produced these in this country yet, so this will likely be a one-time offer.”

I took out a total of twenty potions from the item box hanging at my waist, placing them on the table. The advanced ones were in pink bottles, and the intermediates in light blue.

The item box is a convenient bag provided to court mage apprentices, allowing items to be stored in an alternate space for extra capacity and preservation.

“Advanced!?”

Even Alesia was surprised. Come to think of it, I’d mentioned I could make potions and items, but not in such detail. I realized I might have skipped some coordination in my excitement and made a mental note.

“C-could you sell me these? And what do you mean by ‘this time only’!?”

“Iriya, you can make advanced potions?! That’s amazing! Really amazing!”

With the two of them pressing me, I found myself at a loss for words. I’m not great at handling situations like these…

I just had to explain everything, one point at a time.

“Well… First, yes, I can sell them. I’ll limit it to eight of each. The reason it’s ‘this time only’ is that I made these in the Kingdom of  Egdoarm, so I can’t gather the same materials here, which might affect their potency. As for making advanced potions, I can do that without any issues. I’ve done enough research, so I should be able to use the materials I gather here.”

I did it! Now, what’s the next question?

I braced for more rapid questions, but both seemed to settle down, falling into a brief silence as they absorbed my answer.

“…Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to overwhelm you. I just didn’t expect someone as young as you to be able to make advanced potions. And  Egdoarm… you mean that magical nation way up north?”

It’s natural for him to be a bit suspicious. Even flying across open seas on a wyvern, it took me a considerable amount of time. Traveling over land would take who knows how long. And with no diplomatic relations, it’s not a place people usually come from.

“Well… let’s just say I had to escape after catching the attention of a rather unpleasant man. I didn’t feel safe in nearby countries either. I worked in a research facility, so I’m quite skilled in potion, magical item, and amulet creation.”

This background was something Lord Belial had helped me prepare. With my lack of worldly experience, it’s hard for me to come up with good cover stories on my own. To be safe, I decided to keep my status as a court mage apprentice a secret for now.

The man showed sympathy, saying it must have been tough for me.

This excuse is actually quite convenient, as it discourages further questioning. Working in a research facility suits my inexperience with the world, and I can leave it at that without going into too much detail.

After confirming the potions’ effects, the merchant was pleased with their quality and bought eight of each from me. He also gave me his business card, introducing himself as Clément Binal. He mainly dealt in weapons and armor but specialized in magical items that adventurers needed. It seems the Binal Trading Company is well-known among adventurers in this town.

We successfully sold the materials too, making it a promising start. No need to worry about lodging costs for a while.

Feeling refreshed, we left the Commerce Guild.