77 - Episode 3: Marianne's Street Vending and the Spear Maiden
The City of Add, located in the northeast of the Kingdom of Albestein, is a crossing point for the major arteries running through the kingdom.
Originally a post town, it developed from long ago due to the high influx of people who stayed or established bases here, as it served as the final large-scale supply point when crossing into other countries.
The interior of the country has been in turmoil due to the recent instability of the situation, but the City of Add has remained somewhat insulated from the recession because of such an independent stance. Even amidst the waves of recession, this city, which is close to trade with other countries, still retains a fair amount of vitality, and amidst such crowds, a particularly loud voice rings out.
It is the voice of a tout. In a corner of the open-air market along the main street, a girl dressed in a red-based dress with silver hair was calling out to people and attracting attention while slapping a lectern with a folding fan. At the girl's transparently beautiful voice, passersby began to form a crowd of onlookers, wondering what was happening.
"Come one, come all! Step right up and take a look! I shall show you a variety of goods sourced from far to the southeast, the Leonesta Empire!"
It was Marianne. She seemed to be planning to sell the goods she had spread out in front of the lectern. She picked up a small bottle and began to deliver a smooth pitch.
"First, this! Named the Celestial Maiden's Lotion! The Yourei Falls at the foot of the Garg Mountains in the west of Leonesta is also known as the Celestial Maiden Falls. This cosmetic was made based on the miraculous divine water collected from those Celestial Maiden Falls. The effect is instantaneous upon application! From spots, freckles, and skin irritation to marital harmony, it cures everything, and your future will undoubtedly be rose-colored! Worried about the effect? But it is alright! These cosmetics were produced with the involvement of Atelier Formula, which has been growing rapidly recently with the momentum of a bird falling from the sky. Right now, I shall even include the Celestial Maiden's Face Powder! Oh my, Marie-chan is so generous! ----Now, everyone together!"
"Oh my, Marie-chan is so generous!"
"Who is generous-bellied! ----Now then, as I was saying, these items, starting with the cosmetics prepared here. I shall let you have them cheaply, only for those of you here today. Starting from one silver coin!"
There was a boy observing the street vendor's performance from a slight distance.
As expected of someone who worked for a trading company in their previous life. No one would think that at the root, she was a communication-disordered person one step away from being a shut-in NEET...
It was Geoglyph.
The Three Idiots, having arrived at the City of Add, had split up to take action. Marianne was securing travel funds that would be necessary from here on through business. Later went to the Adventurer's Guild. And Geoglyph went to gather information in the city. After doing some questioning to a certain extent and returning, he happened upon Marianne's touting.
She is good at wearing masks, Marie. ...Well, considering her past experiences, it cannot be helped.
Not limited to Marianne, the Three Idiots knew the darkness each of them carried. After regrouping after coming to this world, while talking about various things, it became like peer counseling, and they poured out the contents of their hearts.
Previous life is previous life, let us live this life happily----their mentality was not so childish as to be able to settle it so simply, nor were the lives they had cultivated blessed.
If it had been a reincarnation alone, the three of them thought the new start would have been a bit more gloomy.
Because the three of them are together, they can be idiots, and that is the reason they are sticking with it even when caught up in such troublesome things.
"Yo, Sensei. How is it?"
"Ah, welcome back, Rei. How about your side?"
While watching Marianne's business for a while, he was called to from the side. When Geoglyph turned his gaze, Later was there. When asked, he shook his head.
"As I thought, it is no good. I cannot take requests without a guild card. To reissue it, a transfer process to this adventurer's guild is necessary, and while that transfer process itself is possible, this is the Kingdom of Albestein, right? They said it would take two months at the fastest even if I apply."
The occupation of the Three Idiots is adventurer.
Therefore, if they were to earn travel funds, taking requests would be more steady and quicker. However, they had left their guild cards at the base in the Empire. Without this, which also serves as identification, entry into cities becomes more expensive, so they also had a hard time when entering this City of Add.
Later had gone to negotiate whether they could get a reissue or a temporary issue after explaining the circumstances, but as he said, while it is possible, it seems necessary to exchange documents with the Imperial branch of the Leonesta Empire for identity verification. Since it crosses countries, it takes two months at the fastest to complete. In terrible cases, it seems to take about a year. The Three Idiots currently have no money, so they cannot wait that long.
"If you register as new while already having a card, it seems that when the double issuance is discovered, even the original card is revoked and you can never register again. Even to re-apply, I would have to go to the Empire's guild where it was first issued..."
"In the first place, it is strange to assume such a situation. Still, in that case, it might be better to head toward the Empire while doing odd jobs as a laborer."
"That is true. It looks like we will end up doing day labor wherever we go. With three horsepower, we should manage somehow. ...The rest depends on how much of Marie's assets sell and how much we can relax----"
He cast a glance at Marianne, who was pouring out her pitch.
"Then, three copper coins! Take it, you thief----!!"
The price continued to drop, but no one tried to buy.
"This might be tough..."
"Yeah..."
It seemed that business was not going well.
●
It was the matter of that night.
"Ugh ugh... my, my clothes, my jewelry, my cosmetics... for such a pittance..."
Having moved locations, in a corner of a cheap inn in the City of Add, Marianne was lying down in a fetal position, sulking. Since their funds were insufficient, they had taken a cheap four-person room.
After that, in the end, Marianne's possessions did not sell at the street stall. Having no choice, she went to a pawnshop in the city and exchanged them for cash. She sold a considerable number, but even so, it was only five gold coins. If said to be five hundred thousand yen in Japanese yen, it might not seem like much, but being thrown into an unknown foreign country and having to cover travel expenses for three people, this was somewhat precarious.
"They took advantage of us."
"That is not it, Rei. Commoners who come to street stalls cannot afford them, and pawnshops set prices after properly appraising. This country is currently poor."
The items from Atelier Formula, which Marianne fully funded, are of high quality because previous life knowledge is included. Later thought they had been ripped off because the pawnshop took advantage of them, but Geoglyph denied it.
"Is that so, Sensei?"
"Yes. Originally, the Kingdom of Albestein was a wealthy country that thrived on the production of magic stones----"
The Kingdom of Albestein is an old establishment on the continent boasting a history of several hundred years since its founding.
Magic stones have been a specialty product since the beginning of the founding, and because their quality is better than those obtained from magic beasts, and they are uniform and the supply is stable, they are highly evaluated by magic guilds and alchemy guilds all over the world. Geoglyph does not know the details because the mechanism is a state secret, but it seems the royal family holds the control rights to the veins where magic stones are mined.
However, in recent years, perhaps they failed in that control, the amount of magic stones in circulation rapidly dwindled and ceased. Because they stopped circulating all at once after a certain point, the whole world was hit by confusion. That said, magic stones can also be obtained from magic beasts, so other countries were able to cover some parts by raising the status of adventurers.
The problem is the Kingdom of Albestein. Magic stone mining, and naturally, the industries related to it, all stalled across the board. Consumption cooled down, and the economy decelerated sharply. Due to the effect of the economy not circulating, they took quite reckless policies to cover for it. In the end, because the king died of illness at such a critical time, it called for further confusion.
"I see. Since they couldn't mine magic stones anymore, and they relied on that main industry, they had no choice but to sell off the country piece by piece. Like a country that prospered only on oil, and then the oil ran dry?"
"That is a fitting analogy. Thanks to that, there are many unsettling rumors. Recently, that the Prime Minister's faction staged a coup, or that the last royal, the Fairy Princess, fled."
"Ugh. Heaven forbid... I do not want to be in a country with such situational instability."
"I agree. That is why it is best to get out quickly, but..."
Geoglyph cast a glance at Marianne, who was still sulking on the bed, but she was still muttering unsettling words like 'It is impossible... to sell our products at such a low price...' or 'When I return to the Imperial Capital, I shall perform a hostile takeover of that pawnshop... prepare yourselves...'.
"Hey, Princess. Stop sulking and join the discussion already."
"Ngyu..."
The exasperated Later grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and tossed her into the circle, and Marianne sighed as if resigning herself.
"So? What are we doing?"
"This is a simple map that Rei bought for us."
"Uuu... my clothes for such a piece of scrap paper... and what is this, it looks like a child's scribble."
"It cannot be helped. High-precision maps are strategic materials, and we should be grateful just to understand roughly."
"And so, right now, we are around here. We are in the northeast part of the Kingdom of Albestein."
Later, peering into the tattered map, pointed to the City of Add, their current location. Since several major highways are also marked, to return to the Imperial Capital in the southwest from there, they would either go straight or take the southern route. There is also a northern route, but it is not realistic because they would have to cross steep mountains.
"If we go directly, simply going straight and exiting southwest via the royal capital would be the fastest way to return to the Empire, but..."
"Is it the situational instability from before?"
"Yes. I do not know how much the Prime Minister's faction has seized, but in the case of such internal strife, it is common for conservative forces to appear. And they will undoubtedly appear."
"You are certain?"
"Because the people do not welcome the internal strife, and their lives actually remain poor. I also did some light information gathering, but the nobles of the Prime Minister's faction are a gathering of corrupt nobles. There is not a single good rumor, and they do not even do information control properly. If people like that were near my family home, they are the kind of crowd I would dislike enough to beat them up immediately because it would be bad for my older brothers' education."
From the information gathering done during the day, he found that the Prime Minister's faction was promoting centralization by expelling royalist nobles and bureaucrats. However, it seems they let the last royal who should be the figurehead----Fairy Princess Lumilia El Albestein escape, and they are currently searching for her frantically.
And if the princess flowed to the royalists, the royalists would undoubtedly rise up with her as their banner and clash with the Prime Minister's faction.
"In that case, the question is where the conservative forces will raise their banner... but honestly, I do not know. However, if they have a decisive battle, it will undoubtedly be the royal capital. Therefore, the direct route to the royal capital has a high possibility of clashing, so it is better to avoid it. If we pass along safe highways, I think it is better to avoid the central royal capital and go around via the southern route."
In the first place, they do not know where the Fairy Princess, who should be the figurehead, is. They do not know what she was thinking when she fled, how many guards she has, or if she even has the intention to make a comeback.
"As expected, even Sensei does not know the power dynamics of other countries' nobles..."
"Sorry about that. However, based on the information gathered, the most likely candidate is Margrave Radock. Since his territory borders the Empire, he is originally from a military family and a pure royalist. It seems the head of the house died young and the current head is being acted for by his wife, but she is famous even among the Imperial nobles as quite a woman of spirit."
"...If we intend to return to the Empire, we will pass through it. The Radock Margraviate."
"Other routes... are not non-existent, but the northern mountain-crossing route and the long-way route via other countries from the east seem like they would take a lot of effort and time."
"Hey, Geo. Will we not be caught up in this?"
Hearing the story, Marianne, who was concerned that the princess in question might flow to Margrave Radock, who could become her strength, made Geoglyph groan with his arms crossed.
"Hmm... honestly, either way, there is a part that depends on timing. Well, the decisive battle will probably be the royal capital, so let us hope she departs before we pass through, or that they do not rise up until we pass through."
In any case, he said that it is better to leave the country before the internal strife becomes full-scale.
"I feel like a flag has been raised..."
"Stop it."
Furthermore, these unsettling words would be hit perfectly.
●
Now, it was the matter of the next day.
Having formulated the route, the Three Idiots, walking on foot toward the south on a major highway, were looking for a place to take a breath, thinking it was about time for lunch----.
"Hm?"
"Oh?"
"Ara?"
Along with a high-pitched scream, they came across a merchant caravan under attack by bandits. Even calling it a caravan, it was small-scale. It was probably family-run. There were also young boys and girls. There were a few guards for now, but they were facing bandits on a scale of dozens of people. Simply thinking about it, the odds were bad.
The Three Idiots also braced themselves to help, but----.
"Hmm... I thought they were outnumbered, but is help not needed here?"
"It looks like she can handle it alone... I would hate to be thought of as a companion of the bandits, so shall we leave her be?"
Among the few guards, there was a particularly strong spear user.
She was a lovely girl with auburn hair in a braid. She had a small body of about 150 centimeters, but she skillfully manipulated a blue spear that exceeded her height, cutting down the approaching bandits one after another. Every time the girl wearing a cloak swung her spear, it looked as if she were dancing, and her skill was visible enough to judge her as a proficient spear user just from that.
Honestly, thinking that she would not fall behind against the likes of nobodies who make a living as bandits, just as Geoglyph and Later were deciding to pass through.
"What are you saying? You two idiots over there. It is decided that we save beautiful girls."
The idiot suddenly became energetic. Even though she had been sulking until just a moment ago, dragging along yesterday's matter, she is a mercenary woman.
"Kaa, when the opponent is a woman, the Princess is like this."
"Being faithful to your desires is fine, but still."
The two were exasperated, thinking that the crying crow had already laughed, but the idiot argued emphatically.
"You are naive. Is this alright? This world is not a game, you know? Magic beasts and bandits do not pop from designated locations. In other words, they must have beds or bases. And----we are currently short on money...! Overwhelmingly short on money...!!"
"That is because of you, Princess!"
Ignoring the two's retort, the idiot continued with a smug face.
"Great people of the past said. Bandits are resources. We shall exercise justice openly, relieve stress by bullying thugs, and while doing so, find out the location of the bandits' base and raid it. We shall seize the hoarded treasures... no, requisition... no, let us reuse them. It is a perfect plan!"
"What kind of dragon is this again."
"I am worried that she will soon be called by the alias 'Robbers Killer'... it is overwhelming."
"Ei, shut up! Having no money is the same as having no head! Since we cannot even do adventurer activities, there are other ways!?"
"That is true, but still..."
"Princess? Try saying your true feelings."
"Long live the aventure with a super-cute beautiful girl!"
"I knew it!!"
"Enough, let us go! Out of the way, out of the way, foreigners are passing through, is what I say!!"
In the end, it was that the idiot, faithful to her own desires, began to run wild as usual.
"Honestly, she gets energetic so suddenly. ----Decode."
The two reluctantly followed the idiot who began to run with her tension pumped up, and at that time, Geoglyph deployed a piece of magic. From the head of the great staff in his hand, a curved blade of light grew. Since it was originally a staff of an ominous shape, it was just like a reaper's scythe.
"Oh? It is rare for Sensei to go melee."
"Look, I spat out all my stock during the Jashin-chan incident, right? Since then, I have been saving them up bit by bit in my spare time, but since I use them as I save them wherever I go, the consumption is still high. So I thought I have to save even a little."
"And so, that Beam Scissors, huh. It is really starting to suit you. ----The Demon King play."
"Do not say that. I am a bit concerned about it."
As a side note, to use light-attribute magic as a melee weapon in this way, there were other candidates like a spear of light or a greatsword of light. However, when he showed it to Latia, the one she praised the most was the great scythe, so Geoglyph, who got carried away and became chuunibyou, tinkered with the magic, and as a result, he optimized it into the Great Scythe of Light.
In fact, the sharpness is good, and he can fire it as a light wave, or scatter the fired light wave into buckshot for area suppression, so most battles are settled with this one magic. The previous-life Geoglyph-san's common sense says it is frustrating that it helps in saving.
"Hey, you two idiots over there! Stop playing around and let us go quickly!!"
"Hey, Sensei. Is it about time we shut that idiot up?"
"I wonder if I should make her do a penalty game with my leader authority..."
The two looked at Marianne with white eyes at her words, of which she had no way of knowing their suffering, but the person herself was.
"Wait for me, beautiful girl----!"
She had become a giddy fool.