Vol 4 Chapter 87: “Child Rearing” (Vol 4: The Otherworldly Battlefield Arc)

“Ah, welcome home.”

When Sukui and Horo arrived back at the house, a young man standing outside and talking waved at them.

It was the same young man they had met at Pardaa’s house.

He was speaking with Abido, the merchant. While Sukui had finished his errand, he found it surprising that Abido and the young man seemed to know each other. Though they were both probably in their late twenties or early thirties, there didn’t seem to be any obvious connection between them.

“Heh, welcome back, big bro.”

Abido’s expression was a mix of defeat and relief, as if Sukui’s return had rescued him. In fact, he almost looked thankful. The young man standing close by, his face stern, seemed to be lecturing him.

It appeared that Abido had been on the receiving end of a scolding.

“Sorry about this, Sukui. Pardaa told me Abido was up to no good again.”

Apparently, Pardaa had informed the young man about Abido’s suspicious behavior. While Pardaa didn’t think for a moment that Abido would harm Sukui, he hadn’t felt the need to intervene. The young man, however, had been so angry that he rushed over to confront Abido.

Looking at the young man, Sukui couldn’t help but wonder why he was in a position to reprimand Abido.

“Well, it turns out Pardaa was right. Sorry my brother caused trouble.”

The young man introduced himself as Sopra, bowing politely.

Hearing the word “brother,” Sukui finally understood.

“Ah, we’re not blood-related. Both Abido and I were saved by Pardaa when we were kids.”

“I see. I remember Pardaa once mentioned that he used to look after children without families.”

The Knights had mentioned that the area around Pardaa’s house was safe, and it seemed he was somewhat well-known locally. To be able to protect children in a city like this, Pardaa couldn’t have been just a harmless, kind old man.

Sukui and Horo had already sensed Pardaa had some skills, but they hadn’t expected Abido to be one of his connections.

“Actually, this house of yours used to be part of the home where Pardaa raised us,” Sopra said. “I thought Abido had given up his mischief after the cleric came, though.”

It seemed Pardaa had been glad to see the house occupied again, as it held sentimental value for him. Leaving it empty must have felt lonely.

On the other hand, Abido probably resented the idea of newcomers settling into a place so meaningful to him. Sukui had thought it odd that Abido would stoop to petty behavior, but he now understood.

“No worries. In the end, I think we’ve become good friends.”

Sukui smiled, thinking of Pardaa’s connection to the situation. Sopra bowed deeply, while Abido gave a nervous, almost trembling smile.

“Still, you managed to fend off Abido? Even though he’s stopped his mischief, merchants in this city tend to be pretty confident in their strength.”

“It was close,” Sukui said with a straight face, glossing over the details with a lie.

“By the way, Pardaa really seems to know a lot of people. His name carries quite a bit of weight.”

Thinking back to Pardaa’s efforts in raising children, Sukui guessed that Sopra felt deeply indebted to him. Considering how widely Pardaa’s name was known, Sukui realized Pardaa might have helped far more people than he initially thought.

“Yes, before the cleric came, there were many of us who owed our lives to Pardaa.”

According to Sopra, in this city, it wasn’t uncommon for children to die from one day to the next. Yet Pardaa had saved and raised a great number of them.

“Already of age and living alone, but there are plenty around here who grew into adulthood thanks to him.”

It made sense. Pardaa’s habit of looking out for others, as seen in how he had approached Sukui or mentioned Abido, was still as strong as ever.

Sukui nodded, though a slight doubt lingered in his mind.

“That said, this city wasn’t the kind of place where you could survive by simply doing the right thing. We couldn’t afford to be choosy about our methods, but thanks to the cleric…”

Now, they could live honorably.

Sopra mentioned that he was currently involved in city reconstruction, repairing old buildings and contributing to its revival.

Many of those raised by Pardaa shared a similar sentiment: they wanted to repay his kindness by giving back to the city and helping the next generation of children. In that sense, it was only natural that Sopra had scolded Abido for trying to mess with Sukui.

“My bad, Sopra. I just wanted to give him a little scare.”

Though “a little” involved more people than necessary, Abido clearly had his reasons. Sukui didn’t take it to heart.

Relieved, Abido’s embarrassed expression shifted into the sharp look of a merchant.

“Anyway, I’ve finished your errand, big bro. As expected, there are some really high-quality precious metals among the lot.”

Abido explained that most of the items weren’t typically found in this city. That was deliberate—Sukui had chosen rare types, not just because of their value, but to highlight the advantage of being someone who brought goods from outside the city.

“But,” Abido paused.

“Something wrong?”

“Well, you see, big bro, in this city, it’s tough to put a good price on precious metals.”

Sukui thought that made sense. Though the cleric’s efforts had improved things, this was originally a slum.

For people struggling to survive day-to-day, spending a fortune on luxury items was out of the question.

“Of course, turning them into cash isn’t difficult, but getting a price that matches their true value…”

“I chose high-quality items to avoid excess baggage, but perhaps that backfired.”

Talking about fine gemstones and such was a luxury only those above survival’s edge could afford. While they didn’t need to sell at a premium, selling them cheaply wouldn’t be worth the effort either.

For now, Sukui thought, these goods might have to be set aside.

“That said,” Abido said with a sly grin.

As expected of a skilled merchant, he seemed to have a backup plan.

Sukui had always thought highly of Abido’s abilities, and it seemed that faith wasn’t misplaced.

“There’s a traveling merchant in town from Bainte. They’d likely buy high-end goods, and they’ve got an eye for quality.”

A traveling merchant.

Poliviti was a relatively closed-off city, but it wasn’t entirely cut off from trade with the three nearby nations. In the past, such exchanges were justified under the guise of supplying those fighting on the front lines against the Demon Lord. These days, however, it had turned into straightforward trade.

Given Poliviti’s scarcity of resources, it wasn’t surprising that its position in such deals was weaker.

Selling the items within the city might have served as advertising for Abido’s reputation as a merchant, but earning the recognition of a traveling merchant from one of the three nations held similar value.

“I’ve already set up a meeting for negotiations. If you’re free, big bro, why don’t you join me?”

“Me?”

Originally, Sukui had entrusted the precious goods to Abido to help bolster his reputation as a merchant capable of handling high-value items. Introducing Sukui as their source could also carry weight.

Sukui weighed the implications for a moment and decided it was acceptable.

“I don’t mind. Horo, would you like to come too?”

“Yes! I’d love to watch the negotiations!”

Horo, who had been trying hard to follow the merchants’ conversation, beamed at Sukui’s invitation.