kscans

Chapter 181 - The Lord and I, 5. After the Audience

"Somehow I managed to get through it without being rude..."

It was Yuri who let out a sigh of relief. They were in the carriage on their way to Laurenzen, having left Baron Darren’s residence.

"The Baron is a man of great magnanimity. He would overlook a few mistakes made out of inexperience. That aside, your greeting was splendid, Yuri-kun."

"I’m glad to hear that..."

Although he had nearly fifty years of interpersonal experience counting his past life, he had never dealt with a nobleman before. He had been secretly terrified that a clumsy response might get his head chopped off.

"And he seemed pleased with your gifts, did he not?"

"Yes. Thanks to all of you."

"Well... we did have to think about it quite a bit..."


The first thing Yuri, a shut-in faced with the high-difficulty quest of meeting a lord, thought of was that he should bring a gift to win the lord's favor. He was told it was not something a child should be thinking about, but if it meant avoiding displeasure, he was not one to shy away from a little cunning.

Adon and Old Man Audel understood Yuri’s anxiety, so they had no intention of arguing about the act of bringing a gift itself. ...What they wanted to have a say in was what he would bring as a gift.

"Yuri, I’m telling you right now, all handmade items are forbidden."
"Aww..."

Kudol stated it as if there was no room for discussion, and not only Adon and Old Man Audel but the other members of the party nodded in agreement. This was Yuri, who had produced a string of dangerous items like Magic Stone Tools and the Mottled Blade Sword. Their trust in him in this area was non-existent. Yuri’s protest was overruled.

"...But if processed goods are not allowed, then I have nothing to offer."
"Crops or raw materials. You should limit it to that."
"And only after we’ve inspected them beforehand."
"It would be better not to carelessly bring out materials from the magical beasts of Salt-Sour Mountain, right?"

Yuri thought that simply presenting raw, unprocessed materials might be a rude gesture towards a lord, but everyone was united in their cry for caution. Yuri had no choice but to agree.

"But even if you say materials, what should I offer? Something like Rosewood?"
"...It would be wise to avoid that."

Following Adon’s advice that it would be troublesome if the source was investigated, Yuri removed the Rosewood heartwood from his list of candidates. In that case, maybe materials from magical beasts? He suggested materials from the well-regarded Lucca, but...

"...It’ll cause a huge scene, so don’t."

Kudol shot that down. And that was not all...

"Yuri-kun, I’m telling you beforehand, you should also avoid things like Gambit Grizzly pelts or organs, okay?"
"We agreed you were supposed to be hiding your combat skills, didn't we?"

After being shot down in quick succession, Yuri, in desperation, blurted out the idea of Magic Bone Tools, but...

"I told you, no crafted items. ...Katra, Dalia, save the questioning for later. You too, Nagara."

He was cut down swiftly by Kudol.

"...To be safe, how about wood honey, rock salt, and magic stones?"

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Old Man Audel stepped in.

"...Are magic stones safe?"

Kudol said doubtfully, but...

"Compared to the other items, their impact will be small."

When told that to his face, it was quite difficult to argue. There was also the point that Yuri's abilities might be exposed, but the response to that was that it was already too late.

"No... perhaps the lord hasn’t heard the stories of Yuri’s heroic deeds. It’s quite a distance from Laurenzen to Darrens."
"It’s only a matter of time. Wouldn’t it be worse to be stingy here?"
"When you put it like that..."
"Yuri-kun. Do you even have any magic stones?"

He did have them. He obtained them without fail whenever he defeated a magical beast, and since he didn't know what to do with them, he had an excess. His stock was currently decreasing as he was using them for the bullets of his automatic rifle, or rather, his magic rifle, but he could spare enough for a gift to the lord.

"I have some... but what kind of magic stones would be good? Should I choose by attribute?"

Yuri had no ill intentions whatsoever. But... to have him so casually come out and say he had the luxury of choosing which magic stones to offer, as a standard adventurer, one would be forgiven for feeling a little dejected.

"...Any magic stone will do—ah, no, wait. Don't bring out any ridiculously huge ones."
"Aww... but to offer a tiny little magic stone to a lord..."
"Just do as we say. If you don’t want to get dragged into trouble."
"...Yes..."


And so, after that exchange, he presented the items proposed by Old Man Audel to the lord. The items themselves were not particularly rare, but in terms of quality, they were a cut above the rest, and the unsuspecting lord was exceedingly pleased.