Side: Neko Mimi

As dinner time approached, I busied myself wiping the tables, straightening the chairs, and cleaning the floors in the dining hall. It was then that the door of the inn was flung open with force.

A middle-aged man, seemingly just shy of forty, burst in. Gasping for breath, he looked around the inn in a panic.

Usually, the lady of the house would be at the reception, but she wasn’t there now. So I approached the man to see if he needed assistance.

“Are you looking for a room?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. Are you a servant here, or perhaps a slave? In any case, is there a woman in a maid outfit staying here?”

The image of that beautiful maid and the boy flashed through my mind, but I wasn’t sure if I should share that information.

“May I ask who you are?”

“I am a member of the Furenzu Commerce Guild. We primarily deal in magical appliances. If you’re worried, could you please let her know I’m here? She’ll understand.”

Given his insistence, I couldn’t just dismiss him. I asked Furenzu-san to wait and headed to the room where the two were staying.

By the time the 5 PM church bells rang, they should have been back in their room.

I reached their door and knocked. After a pause, Mei, dressed as a maid, answered.

“Is there something you need?”

“Yes, a Furenzu-san from the Furenzu Commerce Guild has arrived and seems to wish to meet with you both.”

“I see. We will come down.”

Mei and Edson emerged from the room. Together, they descended to the first floor where Furenzu-san and the master of the house were already in conversation.

They must have come to the dining hall to prepare for dinner and perhaps that’s when they started their discussion.

“We apologize for the delay.”

“Hmm, so this is the head of the Furenzu Commerce Guild?”

“Ah! Well, I must apologize for my foolish son’s earlier rude behavior—”

I wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but Furenzu-san bowed repeatedly, and Edson showed a generous attitude, seemingly telling him not to worry about it.

But it felt odd since Edson looked like a child. And just after a brief exchange of greetings, the three of them headed to their room.

“Hey!”

Suddenly, the master’s stern voice called out to me, making me jump. Had I done something to upset him?

In any case, staying silent might only worsen his mood, so I hurried over as he beckoned.

“You, find out what they’re talking about.”

“Um, should I just listen in on their conversation?”

“Are you stupid? That’s exactly why beast slaves are no good. Aren’t you a Neko-jin? Your hearing should be better than ours! Use those ears to eavesdrop!”

“Eh!? But, they are guests, aren’t they?”

“That’s why I’m telling you to do it without getting caught.”

It was absurd and utterly dishonest.

“If you manage to overhear their conversation properly, I’ll reconsider your dinner cancellation. But if you mess up, it’s three days without food!”

This meant that refusing would result in three days without food, in a situation where I was lucky to eat three times in ten days.

“I, I understand. I’ll go…”

I had no choice but to comply, as my body lacked the strength and will to resist.

But still, I hesitated in front of the room. Eavesdropping was clearly wrong. Yet failing meant not eating and possibly facing more violence. What should I do…?

Caught off-guard, I accidentally let out a shriek. It was unexpected; the door suddenly opened, and the boy addressed me… I thought I had concealed my presence well, but perhaps my hunger was affecting me, making me less cautious.

“What’s wrong? Is there something you need?”

“Uh, well… I was just curious about what kind of conversation you were having with the merchant dealing with magical devices…”

How foolish of me to blurt that out… Now they definitely look suspicious, and there’s no way I can eavesdrop anymore…

“Hmph, is that all? Well, you might find this surprising, but I was just discussing the Interdimensional Storage Bag I created on the side… though it seems ‘magic bag’ is easier for most to understand. The commerce guild is interested in purchasing it.”

“A magic bag, you say?”

“Yes, it only holds about 1000 kg, but they’re offering 500 gold coins for it…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop, Edson-san, you shouldn’t say any more!”

Furenzu-san hurried over, interrupting him. It seemed like it was a conversation not meant for others to hear, which I could somewhat understand.

“Alright, alright. That’s what we were discussing. Are you satisfied now?”

“Uh, yes! Thank you!”

After bowing, I left the scene. When I descended to the first floor, the master naturally asked for details, and I relayed what I had heard in the room.

“Magical devices, huh… That’s good to hear. Well done, I’ll give you a special treat today.”

The master seemed quite pleased. Although I hadn’t exactly eavesdropped as originally instructed, I had still managed to gather information.

At least now, it seemed I would finally get a meal…

◇◆◇

Side: Edson

“Edson-san, it’s really careless to talk about such things in public.”

“Is that so? It’s just a discussion about a magical device. Besides, she’s practically a servant of the inn; there’s no need to worry.”

“Edson-san, that’s naive. Especially since this is an inn, we need to be careful. We don’t know who might be staying here or if any of the staff could freely enter rooms and steal valuable items.”

So, trust no one, even if they manage an inn. Well, I can understand that, but even if the inn’s security is lax, mine is not.

“And to say ‘just a magical device’ is vastly undervaluing it! As I mentioned before, this magic bag is an incredible item!”

“Oh, right.”

The man had apologized repeatedly upon entering my room and implored me to let his guild handle the magic bag.

When he asked who the creator was, and I introduced myself, he seemed even more astonished.

Unlike others, he didn’t seem to doubt me. It appears Furenzu-san owes a significant debt of gratitude to Mei, and because Mei is my master, he deemed me trustworthy.

“However, 500 gold coins…”

“Previously, when Mei-sama sold it to me, I could only prepare 300 coins, and I asked her to let me pay the rest later.”

It seems they were nearly bankrupt before.

“Then, Mei-sama said it was fine to take just the 300 coins, but I’ve been wanting to apologize because my wife ended up paying only that amount.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. The master may look young, but he’s not petty about such things.”

Though I look like a child, that is true. Yet it bothers me, but well, that’s how it is. I’m more surprised that something worth 300 gold coins is now potentially worth much more, with an additional 200 coins on top.

“No, I can’t accept that. As I mentioned earlier, we would normally buy it for 500 coins, but this time we’re prepared to pay 700…”

“700 coins!”

I was shocked. Considering its value hasn’t changed much in 300 years, 700 coins is a considerable amount.

“Does your shop make a profit at that price? Who would buy it for such a high price?”

“It sold for 800 coins before. It might even sell for more, but if the price approaches 1000 coins, fewer people could afford it, so we thought that price was reasonable. If you’re not satisfied…”

“No, if you can sell it for 800 coins, then receiving about 80 coins seems fair, doesn’t it?”

“Whaaaat!?”

Furenzu-san was visibly shocked. Did I say something strange?

“It might seem presumptuous, master. But it’s too undervalued to wholesale something that sells for 800 coins at only 80 coins.”

“Is that so?”

Now that I think about it, I’m confident in creating magical devices, but I know little about business. Elves tend to be indifferent to money.

The concept of a monetary system using coins seems inefficient to me. When it comes to buying and selling prices, I’m clueless.

“Even so, receiving 700 coins might be too much. The master isn’t that greedy, so perhaps the initially mentioned 500 coins is more appropriate.”

Is that how it should be? Well, I might as well rely on Mei for this.

“Alright. Then let’s settle on 500 coins.”

“No, I feel bad now for suggesting otherwise.”

This man is quite unusual. He’s very humble, and even if I had said 80 coins would suffice, he seems like he would have refused.

“Furenzu-san, we currently have about three magic bags in stock; will that be enough?”

“That many! Oh, that’s more than enough; it will definitely be a highlight! However, 1500 coins is a lot to pay all at once, so may I ask for a little time? Of course, I will draw up the contract today.”

“Then, master, how about we visit their guild later?”

“Ah, that sounds good. Let’s proceed with that.”

It seems Mei ended up wrapping up the discussion. I can’t help but wonder if it’s really alright to receive 500 gold coins for such an item.