Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 97. Medusa In The Wilderness

The place she guided us to was the most prominent location, visible from both the main street and the central square. Certainly, Cherina had mentioned providing a good location, but wasn’t there a limit to it?

When I softly inquired about it, she replied, “The street vendors here fled the night the revolution broke out.” Quite the situation.

“Well, there’s nothing to be done. Our activities usually only attract reputable merchants and settled residents who have established shops. We don’t reach out to street vendors who may leave at any time.”

She seemed oddly well-informed about internal matters… She must have been getting information through the baron (or his proxy).

Tarps had already been set up over the stalls, with makeshift counters prepared. A young member of the guild who had finished preparing awaited us, startled upon seeing Friena.

“Ma’am?!”

The young lad hurriedly bowed, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand.

“Oh my. Did you set this up all by yourself? It’s very well done.”

With her smile, the lad stiffened like a rock… Like a frog stared down by a snake. Definitely Medusa.

Friena handed the lad a coin and sent him off ahead. I caught a glimpse, probably a gold coin. The lad blushed in various ways and hurriedly ran off. Hang in there, lad.

“Oh, ma’am… Where should I put the wooden crate?”

Someone spoke to us from behind, panting heavily. He was carrying a large wooden crate. My bad, I forgot.

“Akira-san. Where should this crate go?”

“Well… There’s no space to think. Considering that we’ll be standing behind the counter, there’s nowhere else to put it except behind us. Not much of a question to ask, but I pretended to consider it before answering. It’s a courtesy. A service.

“Then, please put it here.”

With a sigh of relief, the man finally lowered the crate onto the mat and took a deep breath.

Well, carrying such a heavy wooden crate would tire even a Velerio employee of the maritime industry. Especially if he had to match the pace of a lady who walked strangely slowly. He wiped his sweat and finally regained his smile, silently pleading with Lady Friena to return.

“Well done. Please take a break at that shop over there for a while.”

With a sluggish movement reminiscent of a slug, I handed the man a silver coin and directed my gaze towards the drink stall at the entrance of the square.

It’s probably a place that serves light alcohol. Next to it was a shop selling sun-dried cups, seems like a win-win relationship.

Although these sun-dried cups were being sold at fixed prices at the stall, with “30 yen” clearly marked on the signboard, which looked so old that you couldn’t tell when it was written. In this country with low literacy rates, it might not mean much, but it could be a proof that they conduct honest business. If someone who could read confirms it, it’s a done deal.

These sun-dried cups seem to be used like disposable paper cups; once they’re used, they’re smashed on the ground and discarded.

After glancing at the nearby stall, the man returned his gaze to the lady. He seemed on the verge of tears. Of course, what he received from the lady in return was a full… enchanting smile.

There was an inexplicable melancholy emanating from the man’s back as he walked towards the stall under the silent pressure.

“Why did you chase him away?”

I inadvertently asked directly. It would be meaningless to use tricks against this witch.

“I don’t mind being asked, but I thought Akira-san might be troubled… I’m sure your elf friend is fine, right?”

Hey, don’t tell me…

“Did you purchase these goods from Akira-san?”

What she pulled out was a 100 yen lighter. Sold at an outrageous price of 1000 yen by the guild. For a moment, I thought I might be accused of overpricing, but I immediately shook my head. It was probably something else.

“Actually, Cherina was regretting purchasing this from Akira-san.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“We received the handover from the guild in writing… Oh, that Japanese paper is amazing. Thank you very much.”

She suddenly bowed her head, and I ambiguously responded with, “Uh, well.”

“But only about the lighter, Cherina came to me directly.”

“…Friena-san, do you smoke?”

Damn, I used “san”… Oh well.

“Yes, of course… I’ll light it for you.”

I sensed an impending urge to smoke in her tone, so I got permission. As I took out my case, a lighter was offered to me simultaneously.

“Thank you.”

I gratefully accepted the flame and took a deep drag. Since she was also packing her pipe with new leaves, I returned the favor with the lighter. We both exhaled long streams of purple smoke.

“Cherina regretted purchasing this lighter from Akira-san. She felt it was her own lack of ability.”

I exhaled smoke without saying much.

“She then cried to me, asking me to handle this product well. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that cute side of her.”

She chuckled, which felt familiar, but the impression I got was completely different. She was definitely a kind of monster. This was it.

Yaralai remained indifferent in a slightly distant place, but he must have been listening with those long ears of his.

“When Cherina thought about how to distribute these lighters, she realized she would be questioned about who made it and where. You can explain about charcoal, Japanese paper, and cassava, but the lighter isn’t that simple. She told Cherina not to disassemble it, but it seems she had her subordinates investigate.”

Probably. Honestly, I hadn’t expected much from that aspect, so I just gave a light warning. But I had indirectly conveyed that the liquid inside was a highly flammable oil, so I don’t think there were any accidents…

“She vaguely understood how the mechanism of this rotating flint worked, but the other parts were a mystery.”

I didn’t understand either. Hardly anyone knows about liquefied butane. There was even news about developers struggling to seal methanol safely for small fuel cell development, which led them to focus on the 100 yen lighter case.

Despite its appearance and price, it’s surprisingly packed with technology. If it were an electronic lighter, I might have been overwhelmed.

I regretted selling it lightly at the time because I wanted money. After that, I had no intention of selling even if I was asked for rarer items. Not that Cherina would ask for that.

“She was considering how to distribute the lighters when she realized she would be questioned about who made it and where. She told Cherina not to disassemble it, but it seems she had her subordinates investigate.”

Probably. Honestly, I hadn’t expected much from that aspect, so I just gave a light warning. But I had indirectly conveyed that the liquid inside was a highly flammable oil, so I don’t think there were any accidents…

“She vaguely understood how the mechanism of this rotating flint worked, but the other parts were a mystery.”

I didn’t understand either. Hardly anyone knows about liquefied butane. There was even news about developers struggling to seal methanol safely for small fuel cell development, which led them to focus on the 100 yen lighter case.

Despite its appearance and price, it’s surprisingly packed with technology. If it were an electronic lighter, I might have been overwhelmed.

I regretted selling it lightly at the time because I wanted money. After that, I had no intention of selling even if I was asked for rarer items. Not that Cherina would ask for that.

“She’s rare in that she usually jumps at immediate profits. She must have found the product very appealing, don’t you think?”

Is it her father who has more business acumen? More than this snake woman in front of me? Hmm. Hard to say.

“It seems it was a good incentive for her? Enough to make her think about changing this country?”

I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

But honestly, even though I’ve read about overnight revolutions in history textbooks, I still don’t feel it. All I remember is the jailbreak and Cherina getting hurt.

“So, what are your plans, Friena-sama?”

“San is fine?”

I nodded briefly while extinguishing the shortened cigarette. She smiled satisfactorily.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it well. Let’s see… since I’ve already pushed Palos-san too hard due to the warships, I’ll let him pioneer the new route in the south, which he has been wanting to do for a long time.”

Palos… Cherina’s big brother, huh?

“Is the southern sea dangerous?”

“We’ll have to explore that route eventually, so the timing is right. Palos is a born sailor, after all.”

I didn’t want my whimsical products to lead to disappearances or anything… But I guess it’s fine.

“Don’t worry. We’ve actually done several advance checks with different ships. Of course, large cargo ships and exploration ships have different structures… But I trust Palos’ skills.”

Since her parents trust him, it might be wrong for me to worry as their guard. He’s reliable.

“I see…”

Trust your family… huh. It’s unimaginable for me.

“So, what are you planning to do now, Akira-san?”

“Well, I was planning to spend the day preparing, but it seems everything’s been taken care of already. So, all that’s left is to prepare the merchandise, so I don’t have anything else to do here.”

It’s hard to say we’ll replenish using containers.

“I see. Will you be moving elsewhere?”

After thinking for a while, I nodded. There was something I wanted to do.

“Understood. Then…”

She started to walk away gracefully, as if ringing a bell, and approached the vendors on both sides of the rented stall.

“I’m sorry, but we’ll be away until tonight, so could you keep an eye out to prevent any mischief? If anything happens, please contact the Velerio Guild. We’ll send someone over by evening.”

I think I saw her giving silver coins to the two shopkeepers.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have been more considerate. Of course, we can’t just leave it unattended.”

It’s not unmanned vending like in Japan. If left unattended, everything would likely be stolen.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll also send someone from the guild tonight.”

“But…”

It seemed they couldn’t be that dependent, as they attempted to deny it softly.

“She’s important to Cherina, after all.”

How exactly has she been portrayed to them?

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“It’s okay.”

She smiled lightly, then suddenly intensified her gaze.

Now that all the necessary arrangements had been made, it seemed like the prelude was over. Now, it was time for the main event. I prepared myself, but as Friena turned gracefully like snow to return to the guild, I called out to her.

“Friena-san?”

She answered with a side glance.

“Don’t worry. I won’t ask anything.”

Her terribly delighted smile was terrifying.

“However… if you want to marry Cherina, revealing Akira-san’s secret is a condition, isn’t it?”

No way.

“That’s beyond my station.”

I decided to respond briefly. She’s undoubtedly an excellent match as a marriage partner to continue living in this world. She probably has what I lack, and I might be able to complement what she lacks, even aside from abilities.

However, there was nothing about the word “marriage” that attracted me.

“You never know what life has in store, right?”

Please don’t give me that eerie side profile.

“Then, let’s meet again, Akira-san.”

The queen glided away as if on ice. Her attendant, realizing this, hastily followed her. At least say something to me…

I leaned against the wooden crate and sat on the mat. As I took out a new cigarette and lit it, Yaralai offered me his pipe.

“Human, hard to understand.”

“Don’t lump me in with that monster.”

Her eyes, like crimson gems, made me feel like she could see through everything. Will Cherina turn into such a monster someday?

“What are we going to do now?”

I lit his pipe and Yaralai exhaled smoke.

He’s so Native American. I wonder if he uses the feathers and hunted game himself?

Those feathers looked a size larger than normal bird feathers. Are there birds bigger than what I know, like buffaloes?

And Griffons can fly, right? There’s probably a lot I don’t know.

“Since we have time, let’s run.”

Huh?

Yaralai is a Spartan too, huh.