Chapter 6 - In the Case of Franz Lucina <1>
I
In the darkness, a divinely held flame flickered as if to test Franz.
In the dead silence, Franz stood alone, facing the flame. Occasionally, the crackling of the flame broke the silence with a surprisingly loud noise, but the sound did not reach his ears. His eyes, fixed on the flame, had no room for composure; rather, they looked as if he were being cornered.
He had already lost count of how many times he had challenged this flame. The flame exerted that much pressure on him. The swaying flame appeared immensely large only to his eyes.
"Calm down and listen to the voice of the flame."
In the tense atmosphere, a gentle voice reached his ears. It was the voice of his master, Orphe.
The voice brought him back to his senses. He noticed that sweat, which had broken out due to tension, was dripping from his golden hair, and the palms of his clasped hands were damp. He always lost himself like this when he faced the flame.
At this rate, it would be difficult to bring the Fire Spirit under his control, but he stubbornly continued to confront the flame.
"O flame of death and rebirth that incinerates all, grant me your power!"
Despite Franz's forceful cry, the flame remained just a flame. When his master chanted in the same way, the flame would easily change its form...
"That's enough for today. Let's try again next time."
Orphe's words were gentle, but they clearly denied him any further involvement with the flame at this stage. He had finally persuaded the still-too-early Orphe to let him try, but it was no good again.
"...Thank you."
Franz said only that and left the ritual site without looking back. As he left the room, the only emotion he showed was unconsciously slamming the door shut.
Shrugging at the loud noise of the door, his young master, who still looked to be in his mid-thirties, muttered with a troubled expression.
"What an unsociable fellow. It's strange, he's not without talent."
Of course, Franz did not hear that voice.
II
After leaving the village of Vishnu, passing through a narrow national highway, and then walking leisurely along the traveler's highway for two days, Ritz and Anna arrived at their first destination, the city of Saradio.
The city of Saradio, the center of the Saradio Autonomous Region, was also a mere two days' journey from Ritz's hometown, Ciedena Forest. Basically, the name of the autonomous region and the name of the largest city in that autonomous region were the same, and the lord of the autonomous region lived there. Anna's village, Vishnu, also belonged to the Saradio Autonomous Region, but due to its remote location, there was not much interaction.
The city of Saradio was the largest and most populous in the northwestern part of the Yuresla Kingdom. Being located along the traveler's highway, it was also a prosperous commercial city. Where people gather, many shops naturally line the streets, and merchants call out with vigorous voices to the passersby. It was a very lively city. The lord of this city was a merchant, and this was a city of commerce.
In such a city of Saradio, while watching the passersby, Ritz and Anna were having a meal that was neither breakfast nor lunch at a relatively cheap-looking cafe.
Ritz would have preferred to wander around the city a bit more before having lunch, but since Anna, who had never been anywhere other than her village, was captivated by the chestnut parfait she saw for the first time in front of this shop, they ended up eating at this time.
Ritz was munching on a cheap and large sandwich while watching the city's happenings. It had been a long time since he had come to this city. As a child, he was brought here by his father to sell the special products of the Spirit Tribe and buy daily necessities, or he was made to accompany his father when he went to buy interesting-looking food.
The first place he stopped at after setting out on his own journey was, of course, this city. This city was overflowing with people, and it was not difficult to gather information or find work.
But the familiar scenery hadn't changed much. The city's history was surprisingly old, and although the shops inside changed, the exterior of the buildings couldn't change that much. It had been forty years since he had returned to his hometown, so it had been about the same amount of time since he had visited the northwest. Thinking about that made him feel sentimental.
He glanced at Anna, who was eating a light meal in front of him. His original plan was to do some work here and earn some travel money, but his plans had gone awry. Since he was with Anna, he couldn't just do any odd job to make a quick buck.
Most of the work Ritz could do was rough, and it wasn't suitable for a minor to be around. And yet, there were two of them on the journey. That meant twice the expense. Although she was a girl, even if he had Anna put up with a cheap inn, he didn't have much money for the road.
"Ah, is this a world where money is everything?"
Across from the sighing Ritz, Anna, who had quickly finished her parfait, was following the passersby with her eyes, looking at them with curiosity, while cutting the pancakes she had ordered as an extra with a knife and bringing them to her mouth.
In Vishnu, Anna had maintained a mature attitude, but now that they were alone, she showed a surprisingly childlike expression. It was probably because, unlike at the orphanage, there was no one for her to take care of.
And for Anna, who had grown up in the countryside, the world was filled with unusual things she had never seen before, from what she saw and felt to the food she ate. So she seemed busy asking Ritz all sorts of questions, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
She was quiet when she was eating, but at other times, she was a naive girl of her apparent age, constantly repeating 'What's that?'. Being looked up at by Anna's sparkling emerald eyes like this every time and being asked questions full of expectation made him feel a little like a father.
Since he was entrusted with Anna, he had to do his best to live up to her expectations as a guardian.
Besides, Ritz thought he was probably like this when he first got involved in human society. No, he might have been worse. Thinking about it that way, he didn't get angry at Anna in this state. He felt a kind of kinship with the naive and long-lived Anna.
Anna's only saving grace was her honesty. Ritz had a complaining personality, so the people who taught him various things must have had a hard time.
What goes around comes around. It's the truth.
Anna was so engrossed in the traffic of people visible from the cafe that her pancakes were scattered all over the place.
"Anna, you're dripping."
"Huh? Oh, you're right~"
Anna smiled shyly, returned the pancake to her plate, and went back to watching the outside.
"I was just thinking how many different kinds of clothes people are wearing, and I got distracted."
"I see."
For her, who had grown up in a small village, even people's clothing seemed fresh and interesting.
"Ritz, what's that frilly, thin cloth? It would be a problem if it gets cold, right?"
Anna turned her gaze from the outside to Ritz and asked seriously. When Ritz looked, there was a woman wearing a silk scarf that was so lightly woven it was almost transparent. The color, perhaps to match the autumn, was a gradient from a bright orange to a deep brown.
"Ah, that. It's a silk scarf."
"Silk?"
"Yeah."
"Is it different from a cotton sweat towel?"
"...A sweat towel..."
Ritz sighed. From the perspective of Anna, a farmer, something worn around the neck was probably either a muffler or a sweat towel. It seemed there weren't many women in Vishnu who dressed up.
"I wonder what it's used for. You can't wipe your hands with it, and it's not warm..."
Ritz, while worrying about the pancake stuck on Anna's still fork dripping maple syrup, answered.
"Even if it's that thin, it's quite warm. And it's a classic pattern for an autumn scarf."
"Classic?"
"Yeah. It's what you call seasonal fashion."
"I see... There's so much I don't know. Hey, Ritz, what does that feel like? I want to touch it. But it would be unpleasant to be touched by a stranger..."
Ritz laughed at Anna's heartfelt mutter.
"It's smooth and comfortable, yet soft. It's completely different from cotton, and it feels quite nice."
"Do you have one too, Ritz?"
At Anna's serious question, Ritz shrugged. If there was a man who had been a mercenary who had something like that, he would like to see his face.
"That's something a woman would have. There's no way I'd have one."
"Hmm."
Anna, who had stopped, started moving her hand again and brought the pancake to her mouth, but she suddenly looked up as if she had noticed something.
"Then, Ritz, how do you know about that cloth?"
Anna asked again, her mouth full.
"Don't talk with your mouth full."
"But I'm curious!"
Exasperated by the insistent Anna, Ritz slowly turned his gaze to the road, and while leisurely watching the women pass by, he thought about what to say, but eventually, it seemed silly, and he answered carelessly.
"You get to touch things like that when you live with a woman."
He answered almost unconsciously, and Anna suddenly dropped her fork on her plate with a clatter.
"What is it, what's wrong, Anna?"
When Ritz asked in surprise, Anna's eyes widened and she asked.
"Ritz, are you married?"
At the sudden question, Ritz almost face-planted into his sandwich. How did it come to this?
"Because you can only live with a woman and have her let you touch things like that if you're married, right?"
"...Uh..."
Oops. He had completely forgotten that Anna was hopelessly childish in that regard. After all, she was the daughter of the church, full of morality and love, and a model of propriety. As he hesitated, Anna was muttering with a difficult expression.
"Oh, did your mother let you touch it? It's okay if it's family. Or was there some other reason to touch it? Like someone collapsed on the road..."
As expected of a child of the church, she seemed to be trying to think of things in a positive light. For Ritz, who had lived a life that could hardly be called proper as a renowned mercenary, there were no words. Although Anna and Anton didn't know, Ritz was a self-admitted womanizer.
However, he would never make a move on Anna. He had never seriously dated a woman, but when he got a large sum of money as a mercenary, he was a pleasure-seeker who specialized in the professionals, playing around in the brothels of the flower district. He had even lived with such women several times. It was a bad habit he had picked up in the forty years since he had left home, but it seemed this bad habit would continue until he died.
But that would probably have to be put on hold for a while, now that he had taken Anna in. After all, he had no money. Even so, he could never tell Anna the truth, so he just laughed it off.
"Well, you know. Adults have their own circumstances. That aside, you just eat your pancakes."
"You're avoiding the question, aren't you? I'm so curious~"
"Don't worry about it. Adult circumstances are adult circumstances. You'll understand when you're an adult."
"I'm thirty years old, I'm not a child, you know?"
"Anyone who spills maple syrup is a child. Just eat properly."
"Okay~"
Anna nodded and started eating her pancakes again. Somehow managing to escape the situation, the two of them finally returned to their quiet lunch while watching the city.
In fact, they were the center of attention in this shop. A tall young man with a greatsword on his back, and a small girl. And what caught people's eyes the most was the basket full of vegetables placed under the table. He was aware that he was being looked at with curiosity, but there was nothing he could do. This luggage was their lifeline for now.
After taking a break while drinking the coffee that came out last, Ritz suddenly brought up a topic with Anna.
"Let me be clear, we don't have any money."
"Yeah, I know."
Anna also nodded seriously while drinking her hot milk. It seemed that her life at the church had made her accustomed to poverty. The fact that Anton had given her vegetables instead of money made the church's financial situation clear.
"To be honest, I'm also worried about where to stay."
He had been a mercenary until now, and he had earned money with just his sword, even when he was just winging it, so Ritz had a decent amount of money. But it was only enough for him to stay in cheap inns and continue his journey while earning money. He didn't have the luxury of staying in a normal inn with a girl of this age.
"So, I have a proposal... The vegetables Father Anton gave us... how about we sell them and take on jobs helping people in this city to earn money?"
Anna's eyes widened. Just as Ritz thought his idea of selling Anton's vegetables was a bad one, Anna opened her mouth.
"We're going to take money from people in trouble?"
What Anna got stuck on was the latter part. It seemed she had the idea that people in trouble should be helped for free. In such cases, a bluff to convince people was one of Ritz's specialties.
"Listen, Anna, think about it. We're also people in trouble right now. People in trouble helping people in trouble, and by doing so, we get helped too. That's a good thing."
"I wonder~"
Ritz further coaxed the thoughtful Anna.
"Helping each other. That's called mutual aid. You learned that in church, didn't you?"
It was a nonsensical argument, but after thinking for a while, Anna nodded.
"You're right. My father always says we should help each other in times of trouble."
It seemed she had been convinced. But regarding the thing he was most worried about, selling the vegetables, Anna had no objections at all.
"If more people get to know Vishnu's vegetables, the village's vegetables will surely sell a lot from now on, right?"
"Probably."
"Then our lives will become a little easier."
"I see, that's true."
She was surprisingly shrewd. And so, they, unaware of the great trouble they would face later, set out to find a place to sell their vegetables.
III
Franz Lucina was lying on a hill on the outskirts of town, staring blankly at the sky. His golden hair fluttered in the wind. The reason his bangs were a little long was to prevent the people around him from reading his expression. His eyes, hidden by his bangs, were the blue of the deep sea, and despite not yet being twenty, his eyes had a strangely cool look.
Franz was not originally in a position to be training as a spirit user. His place should have been not in his spirit user master's house, but in the residence of the lord of Saradio. Franz was the only son of Ville Lucina, the lord of the commercial city of Saradio.
Ville Lucina was a well-known figure among the merchants who came to trade. He was a greedy man who openly demanded bribes from all merchants who did business in this city.
He always kept the Saradio Guard Corps, his private mercenary force, at his side, and was relentless in his pursuit of his own interests. Franz hated his father so much that he couldn't even stand to look at him.
Although he was the only son, it wasn't that he didn't have siblings. He had two older sisters and a younger sister at home. Franz was the only boy among them. Since his father's fifth wife was living at home now, another one might be born, but for now, there were four siblings.
Although it was called home, it was quite large, with the main house where his father lived, and a separate mansion where the women his father had taken an interest in, the women who had given birth to his children, and even their maids, only women and children, lived. The separate mansion was half-jokingly called the 'harem' by the people inside and the people of Saradio, but his father made it a point of pride.
And as a great merchant, he had several huge warehouses, all of which were on the same property.
Franz, who had not liked to socialize since he was a child, always spent his time reading a book in some inconspicuous part of this large mansion.
Hating his home, he had run away a long time ago and was now more of a freeloader than an apprentice at his master's house. He didn't remember exactly how he had come here, but his master, Orphe, always laughed it off, saying, 'You were meant to come, so don't worry about it.' So Franz had convinced himself that it was fine.
His master jokingly called him, who had become a terrible misanthrope thanks to his father, 'a human like a spirit tribe'.
"Talent..."
He just couldn't understand why the Fire Spirit wouldn't acknowledge him. Franz had completely lost confidence in his negotiations with the Fire Spirit, which never went well no matter how many times he tried.
His master said that the Fire Spirit wouldn't turn to him because he was lacking something, but he had no idea what that was. But since he kept saying, 'try to look around you a little more,' it probably meant that something he had never looked at before was necessary.
It was probably human interaction. Franz, who had grown up rejecting human interaction, had reluctantly realized that the hint was in what he had rejected.
But how could he know that?
Without any good ideas, he turned his feet towards the city. There was no one on this outskirts. He thought he would at least do some people-watching.
He had no destination, but he didn't feel like going back to the house where his master was waiting. If he went back home, he felt he would probably take it out on the troubled-looking Orphe. So it was better to cool his head a little more.
Reluctantly, he walked around the city, and the fawning smiles of the merchants caught his eye. It was all too famous that his father, Ville Lucina, doted on him. They probably wanted to get on his good side and expand their commercial rights.
But it was surprisingly unknown that Franz was not at the Lucina house now. Franz rarely came out to the city, and when Orphe had a guest, he would shut himself in his room. Because of that, the merchants still fawned over Franz. Even though there was no meaning to it.
He was already starting to regret entering the city at the entrance, but it was annoying to turn around and leave. Then he had no choice but to move forward. Reluctantly, he paid no attention to anything and mechanically walked forward, erasing the city's clamor from the back of his mind. Then everything sounded like some kind of code, and the words lost their meaning. All that remained was noise.
Of course, Franz knew that fruits and vegetables from the neighboring country were sold in this city, as well as handicrafts from nearby countries, rare fabrics, and even rare creatures. Looking around the city, it was overflowing with goods, and it was said that there was nothing you couldn't buy in this city if you had money.
But he wasn't interested. Franz had no material desires. He had no intention of paying a high price to buy a meaningless decoration or to eat food that wasn't even good.
The city's bustle was a sight he had seen since he was a child, but for some reason, he just couldn't get used to it. Since he had seen the merchants all prostrating themselves before his father and paying him money, he felt a certain chill. Looking at the merchants' faces, they all looked the same, which made him sick. Franz hated this city from the bottom of his heart.
"This much should be fine, right!?"
Suddenly, a human voice jumped into Franz's ear. It jumped into his ear because it was a voice with will, clearly different from the noise he had been hearing until now. Looking at the source of the voice, there was a tall man with black hair and a greatsword on his back. The man was arguing with a merchant with a sullen expression.
The man was clearly not from Saradio. If he were from Saradio, he wouldn't be able to pick a fight with a merchant who had a shop on the main street. The merchants who had shops on the main street were all arrogant towards other people because they paid a high location fee to the lord.
Even so, people bought things there. Because in this city where the merchants' power was strong, if you defied a high-ranking merchant recognized by the lord, the consequences would be dire.
Franz was interested in this commotion. For Franz, who rarely walked around the city, it was the first time he had seen someone other than the people of Saradio. So he was curious to see what he would do against the merchant.
Slipping through the crowd of Saradio's onlookers who loved a good fight and commotion, Franz made his way to the front of the line. He hadn't noticed before, buried in the crowd, but next to the tall man stood a small girl with a carrying basket on her back.
"I'm just asking if you could let me sell some vegetables at your storefront for a bit. In other cities, they usually give permission, you know?"
"You country bumpkin. Things are different here in Saradio."
"I'm telling you I'll give you ten percent of the location fee, right?"
"Ten percent is too cheap for selling such paltry vegetables. Give me forty percent."
"Don't be ridiculous! I can't pay that much!"
"Then get lost."
"What's with that attitude? That's not a merchant's attitude. Aren't you the amateur?"
"What did you say? You don't know what will happen if you take that attitude with a merchant on the main street!"
"Like I care! I'm not a resident of Saradio!"
From the tall man's words, Franz understood the general situation. They had come from outside this city and wanted to sell these vegetables to pay for their travel expenses. But the merchants of this city would never accept outsiders.
Franz passed by the onlookers and stood behind the greengrocer. The only one who noticed Franz's presence was that man. The moment their eyes met, Franz realized that the unusual man who was arguing with the greengrocer was not really angry. His eyes were unusually calm. While outwardly angry, his heart was calm.
A person with considerable skill does not show their emotions, but maintains a somewhat余裕のある表情. He had heard that from his master, but this was the first time he had seen such eyes. This is the expression of a skilled person, Franz thought, impressed. It was the first time he had ever seen it.
He was a little curious about what kind of man this man was, what he was thinking, and what he thought of this city. Franz silently approached the greengrocer.
"What's the commotion?"
When he spoke quietly, the indignant greengrocer turned around. And the moment he recognized Franz, he turned pale. He must have seen his father's image in Franz. It was common sense in Saradio that if you dismissed Franz rudely, you would be driven out of this city.
"No, it's... it's nothing, young master."
The greengrocer put on a strangely distorted smile and started pretending to arrange his vegetables as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, what about my business?"
"Shut up, get out of here."
As even the onlookers quickly dispersed, the tall man, who didn't understand the situation, pressed on, but the greengrocer just ignored him.
"What a strange city, Ritz."
So this big man's name was Ritz. At the girl's casual remark, Franz shrugged. This city was indeed a strange city. Originally, merchants were free, but Saradio's merchants lived in fear of the Lucina family's mood.
"Sorry, it doesn't look like we can sell the vegetables."
Ritz crouched down to meet the girl's eyes and apologized with a truly sorry expression.
"It's okay. But it's a shame. We can't make money for the inn like this."
"Well, with what I've earned so far, we can manage for a little while..."
Saying so, Ritz sighed.
"After that, we might have to eat those vegetables and sleep outside."
"Sleeping outside... I don't dislike it that much, so it's okay."
"We'll have to find some work in the next city."
"Yeah."
The citizens of Saradio walked by, avoiding the two of them as if they weren't there. It was also clear that they didn't want to get involved with Franz, who was nearby.
"Hey, you there."
He was called out to casually, but he didn't think it was him and was just spacing out when the man called Ritz clearly called out to Franz.
"What?"
"It doesn't have to be a merchant, but do you know any shops or restaurants that would buy these vegetables? It took two days to get them from the source. If they don't sell today or tomorrow, they'll be no good."
The man, with a truly troubled expression, scratched his head. What caught his eye then was the shape of his ears. They were clearly different from a human's, with pointed tips.
He, who was called 'a human like a spirit tribe,' saw for the first time someone with non-human blood. For the first time, he became curious about who this man was. This was a first.
A skilled fighter trying to sell vegetables in Saradio. And strangely human-like, yet with non-human ears. His actions and appearance were far apart. And these two were not from the city, nor were they merchants. They were the first people Franz had ever seen who had nothing to do with business at all.
"If you want to sell vegetables, I can help."
Franz found himself saying this. He was surprised at himself for saying it, but it went against his principles to take back something he had said once. He noticed that Ritz and the girl were looking at him with expressions like pigeons shot with a peashooter.
"Can you sell them?"
"I can."
"You?"
"You yourselves."
"That would be a great help. It's a real pain to sell vegetables in this city."
The quiet intensity from before had completely disappeared, and the man named Ritz had a happy expression in his dark brown eyes. There was not a single shred of the servility that was always present in the people of the city.
"That's great, isn't it, Anna?"
"Yeah!"
The girl's name was apparently Anna. It seemed the two of them had no objections. On the contrary, they seemed to welcome Franz's participation. Franz sighed, though it was none of his business, wondering if it was okay to trust a stranger so easily. If it were him, he would never trust anyone. In the first place, he had no intention of trusting someone and getting burned.
Franz looked at the two of them again intently. They were a strange pair. He couldn't see their relationship at all. Anna seemed too old to be Ritz's daughter, so were they siblings? But the girl, with her hair neatly braided into one, had normal ears, different from Ritz's.
Then what were these two?
As Franz was thinking about this, a hand was extended in front of him. Franz looked up at Ritz as if to find out the meaning of this. Then Ritz showed a confident, bright smile.
"I'm Ritz Alster. Nice to meet you."
There was no hesitation or distrust of Franz in his face. That, in turn, confused him.
"...You trust me?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem?"
"I was just wondering how you can trust a stranger."
His true feelings slipped out. At that, Ritz shrugged lightly.
"Well, you look pretty emotionless, and it's hard to tell what you're thinking."
Ritz said this clearly. Franz himself understood that he was expressionless and that his emotions rarely showed on his face. But Ritz was the second person to say this clearly to his face. The first was his master, Orphe.
"But you don't seem to be lying."
Franz was struck by that one sentence from Ritz. The person who saw him that way was also the second person after his master. Could this person be trustworthy? The moment he felt that, Ritz asked him back.
"You don't want to be trusted?"
"No. I was just wondering why."
At that, Ritz put on that confident smile again and pointed a thumb at himself.
"It's obvious. My gut tells me it's probably okay to trust you."
"Your gut?"
"Yeah. My gut is rarely wrong."
At that completely illogical statement, Franz sighed from the bottom of his heart. If the world could be navigated so easily, there would be no trouble. But for some reason, this man might just be able to get by like that.
For Franz, who could only see people with suspicion, it was a way of thinking he could never achieve. Ignoring Franz's indescribable fatigue, Anna raised her voice in excitement.
"That's amazing, Ritz! What about me? What did your gut tell you about me?"
"Hmm, that you'd be a lot of trouble..."
"That's so mean!"
"Just kidding, just kidding."
The two of them joked and laughed. He still couldn't read their relationship at all, but they seemed to be on good terms. Such an Anna suddenly turned to Franz. Despite his instinctively taking a step back, Anna stared straight at Franz and extended her hand.
"I'm Anna. Anna Myers. Nice to meet you!"
As he stood there speechless, Ritz extended his hand again. Franz, who had never been greeted with a handshake by a stranger like this before, hesitantly shook both of their hands in turn.
"I'm Franz Lucina."
Just saying that brought a strange sense of embarrassment. After all, everyone in this city knew who he was, and he had never had to introduce himself by name before.
"Nice to meet you, Franz."
"...Nice to meet you..."
Thinking about it, he was made to realize that he had been in a special environment. If he went outside the city, there were people like this. Why hadn't he noticed until now? If he hated this city so much, he could have left.
At least if he left this city, he would have been able to escape the curse of the Lucina family.
Lost in thought, he noticed that his hand was still slightly warm and, coming to his senses, looked at his hand. Then he saw that Ritz and Anna were still firmly holding his hand.
"What...?"
As Franz flinched slightly, Ritz pressed on, looking at him with serious eyes. Anna was also looking at him seriously. Even if he tried to shake them off, their grip was too strong.
"Our inn money and food money all depend on you. We're counting on you!"
"Huh?"
"Please!"
"Huh?"
It seemed that selling vegetables was to earn their living expenses, and he understood that the two of them were on the verge of being broke. He momentarily regretted that he might have gotten involved with some really troublesome people, but it was too late now.
To escape the gazes of the city people, who, unlike the two of them, were looking at him with their usual curiosity and jealousy, Franz released their hands.
"It's not convenient here. Shall we walk?"
"Yeah."
"Okay."
As Franz started walking towards the outskirts of the city, Ritz and Anna followed, carrying the vegetable basket. Without looking at the city people, Franz passed through the city, turned off the traveler's highway into a side road, and headed for a hill on the outskirts of the city.
This hill, covered in grass and overlooking the small city below, was Franz's favorite place to spend time alone. The city people rarely came this far. And from here, he could see both the traveler's highway and the side road, so he could leave if someone came. It was a perfect place to be alone.
And now he had brought people to this favorite place. He found himself strange.
Sitting down on the grass and confirming that Ritz and the others had sat down, Franz immediately began to explain.
"To put it simply, the commercial rights in this city are a little higher than the general market price. And the area along the highway is even higher. It's useless to try to sell directly."
At this one sentence, Ritz seemed to have understood. The one who had raised the commercial rights was Franz's father, the lord of the autonomous region. He had heard that the commercial rights had become quite high since his father's generation. But that was not something to be said out loud. Franz had no intention of saying it.
"I see. No wonder they didn't want to lend us a space. It'll be hard for us to sell vegetables then."
"Right. I think it's useless."
As Franz nodded, Anna looked up at Ritz with a dissatisfied expression.
"I don't understand. What does 'along the highway' even mean?"
To that, Ritz explained patiently, like a father or an older brother. It seemed this girl named Anna didn't know much. In comparison, Ritz seemed to know a lot.
"I explained it when we left Vishnu for the big road, didn't I? In this country, there's the traveler's highway, a huge road that stretches all over the continent, the national highway, a slightly narrower road unique to Yuresla, and then there are unnamed roads."
"I remember that. But 'along the highway' is in the middle of the city, right?"
"Yeah. The traveler's highway cuts right through the middle of Saradio. That was the road where that greengrocer had his shop earlier."
"A big highway goes through the middle of the city!?"
"Yeah. Most cities that are the center of an autonomous region are like that."
"I see..."
Anna, who had nodded deeply in understanding, now looked up at Franz.
"What are commercial rights?"
"Anna... the conversation won't progress, so I'll explain that to you later. Let's listen to Franz's story now."
"You have to explain it, Ritz."
"I know. Well then, Franz, please continue."
It was a strange feeling, but prompted by them, Franz continued.
"So the morning market is a good idea."
"Morning market?"
"It's the only place where citizens without commercial rights can set up a shop."
That was Franz's only conclusion. From unusual items to daily necessities, all sorts of things were sold there, and of course, there were many vegetables.
"I see."
Ritz also nodded in understanding. But there was one problem with that morning market. The morning market was mainly open only to the citizens of Saradio. To sell vegetables this time, someone had to act as a citizen of Saradio and negotiate.
Of course, the only one among them who could take on that role was Franz, but the list of morning market participants would undoubtedly end up in his father's hands. His father, Ville, would find promising people from the morning market list and offer them a shop. Of course, the return was a large sum of money.
He couldn't imagine what would happen if his father found Franz's name on the list. It probably wouldn't be anything good. In that case, there was no way they could sell vegetables. Above all, Franz himself was uncomfortable with it. Anna looked at the thoughtful Franz with a worried expression.
"Is there a problem?"
At Anna's words, he could only let out a small sigh. He couldn't possibly say that he was worried about being the son of the lord of this city.
Then there was only one way to participate in the morning market. Although he lived on the outskirts of the city, Orphe was a citizen of Saradio. Orphe was the only spirit user in the city of Saradio, but he was quite friendly and understanding. He would surely be happy to hear about these two's situation and would proactively try to participate in the morning market.
"I have to ask my master to register as a vendor for the morning market."
At Franz's proposal, Ritz nodded.
"I'll leave that to you."
"Is that okay?"
"Yeah. I decided to trust you once. I'll leave it to you."
It was the first time he had been told that, and he felt a little happy. Maybe it was good to be trusted. If he was trusted unconditionally, maybe he could try to be worthy of that trust.
As Franz was lost in thought, Ritz, his confident attitude from before completely gone, let out a big sigh and groaned.
"The morning market is decided. The problem is what to do for an inn tonight with the little money we have left."
"That's true. Franz, do you know of a mid-range inn?"
Franz didn't know of such a thing. In the first place, he knew nothing about the city he lived in. He didn't know because he wasn't interested. But he did know of a house where they could stay.
"You can stay at my master's place. My master likes guests."
Saying so, Franz stood up without waiting for their reply.
"This way."