YM778.TV (305) Church merchant and Haru’s skill
Chapter (305) Church merchant and Haru’s skill
We started preparations for the trip to Mount Landau.
Today, I’ll buy whatever we need as we browse through the city.
“First would be —”
“Ichino-sama. I wish to go to the Church, may I have permission?”
“Church? If you wish to change jobs — can’t you do it yourself?”
I asked Carol after checking that there was nobody nearby.
In fact, Carol’s job has been changed back from Succubus Queen to Peddler.
“I require proof of job as Herbalist before I can purchase tools to create medicine.”
Job certificates huh? We certainly have to visit the church for that.
Miri probably has tools to make medicine too but we might as well purchase new ones.
“All right, let’s go to the Church — Here, Carol. You can use this.”
I said and passed Carol some notes.
“These are?”
“Oh, so even Carol doesn’t know. These are money. Called Goats bills and they are used in place of coins in this country.”
“Paper can be used as money — ”
Haru stared at the Goats bill curiously.
Coming from Japan, I have the impression that paper bills have a higher value than coins but naturally in this world the residents don’t truly trust that paper can be used as money.
” … Ichino-sama, how much is this?”
“There are twenty 10,000 Goats bills so 200,000 Goats. About 2,000 Sense.”
When Carol changed her job in Belasra, it cost 100 Sense but the job change fee we paid was for a job change from Commoner to another job.
I heard that it cost 1,000 Sense when changing jobs apart from Commoner and Jobless so I assumed it was more than enough.
“2,000 Sense … erm, Ichino-sama. Carol is no longer Ichino-sama’s slave.”
“Hn? Yeah, that’s right. Eh, but you are still wearing the slave collar?”
“Carol is only wearing this as an accessory … erm, so about this money …”
” … Hn?”
What was she trying to say?
Was 200,000 Goats insufficient?
“With this, all the money Carol possess comes from Ichino-sama.”
“Yeah, that’s correct. But that money can’t be used in this country.”
” — Carol currently has nothing to give Ichino-sama in exchange for this 200,000 Goats.”
” … Hm?”
What was Carol trying to say?
Carol has nothing to give me?
” ………… Ah, that’s what you mean.”
I finally understood.
I see.
I paid for Carol’s meals and job change fee until now because Carol was my slave. In other words, as Carol was no longer my slave, she should be paying for her own job change fee. That was probably what she wanted to say.
” … Carol, I didn’t pay for your meals and job change fee just because I was Carol’s master.”
” … Eh? That — ”
“It was because you are a companion on this journey. Putting that aside, I have no intention of changing my relationship with Carol.”
In fact, she was still calling me Ichino-sama. She still affixed -sama even though she was no longer a slave.
The Home Return spell as well.
Haru and Carol’s Home Return point was still registered as My World.
To them, the home they return to is my world, the exact same home.
“You mean you will treat Carol as a slave even without the slave collar?”
“I mean even when there was a slave collar, I thought of Haru and Carol as my family, my kin. We lived in the same home, ate the same delicious food and laughed at the same things. That’s family no matter how you put it.”
” … Family … In other words, you mean to marry Carol?”
“Marriage!?”
The unexpected confession rattled my heart.
“It’s a joke, Ichino-sama. Thank you very much, that made me very happy.”
Carol said and smiled sweetly to me.
Joke — a joke huh.
I was really surprised because of how unexpected it was.
“Master, it seems like Carol has changed a little.”
Haru whispered to me.
“That’s right — Carol may appear that way but she says quite amazing things with a natural tone.”
Among the girls around me, perhaps Carol was the most carnivorous.
“Let’s head for the Church for now. The location is —”
“Ichino-sama, the Church is that way.”
Carol pointed west.
… Why was Carol more familiar with the town than I was even though she just arrived here.
The Church was a lot smaller than expected. Apparently, this country has three Churches and this was the smallest Church. The prices were the cheapest accordingly.
We entered the Church but unfortunately, the priest was occupied.
A well-dressed merchant-like man was offering a deal to the priest.
When we entered the Church, the priest said ‘Please wait a moment’. It was a small church that didn’t even have a reception so there was no helping it.
“I wish to buy this pure gold Goddess Statue for 50 million Goats.”
There was a golden Libra-sama Goddess Statue placed in the Church. It was a 1:16 scale of the actual Goddess so it actually looked more like a figurine.
Buying a Goddess Statue for money … I can’t tell if that is piety or a sin.
“Carol, 50 million is —”
“Unprecedentedly expensive. Even after considering the artistic value, that Goddess Statue should only fetch half of that, around 25 million Goats. In the first place, a Church selling a Goddess Statue is frowned upon so the priest is probably at a loss.”
I see, so it was expensive after all.
“But a Church is not allowed to sell Goddess Statues —”
“That is not true, priest-sama. Using this money, you could hire a goldsmith to create a new Goddess Statue and it will be fine. An even more splendid Goddess Statue. The believers will be even happier if you do so. You could even use the remaining money for Church repairs.”
” … Bu-but.”
“It doesn’t matter if you refuse, I —”
The merchant said and took out bundles of 50 million Goats and arranged them on the table.
I could see that the priest’s eyes were nailed to the 50 million Goats.
Ah, it looks like he will be able to buy it. But —
Immediately after I had that thought.
Haru moved and twisted the merchant’s arm.
“Ouch-chhhhhh! What are you doing, this beast!”
“Priest-sama, do not be fooled! Those bills are all fake.”
“Fake!? Fake bills!?”
I inadvertently raised my voice.
“Wh-what are you saying. These are unmistakably real.”
“I will not be fooled. Ichino-sama, please call the guards immediately. He might have accomplices outside so Carol please remain here.”
“All right.
“Understood.”
Carol and I nodded at the same time and I left the Church and ran to the nearby guard station.
The guards immediately came to the Church with a magic tool to see through counterfeit bills.
And after investigation, it turned out that just as Haru claimed, the bills were all counterfeit. The self-proclaimed merchant was taken away.
“But, Haru. I’m surprised you could tell that those were fake bills.”
Was there a scent particular to the material they used to make it?
I thought to myself but I was wrong.
“Counterfeit Appraisal, right?”
Carol asked Haru to confirm.
I see.
“Yes. It was a skill I received from Torerul-sama.”
Haru replied.
A skill that Haru received in the Belasra dungeon.
Haru said that she received it from Torerul-sama but in actual fact, Torerul-sama skipped her work and I selected that skill using a roulette.
“But why did you think of using that skill?”
“Didn’t Master notice? That the exchange was strange. So I used Counterfeit Appraisal.”
Ah, I see.
Haru didn’t find the merchant strange but because I found him strange that spurred her to action.
“Ichino-sama found that merchant strange? Carol was wary but Carol did not see any evidence even if he was acting suspiciously.”
“Hn, well. I have a skill called Thought Trace. A skill to channel the target’s emotions to me. That merchant’s emotions were far from sincere. He was laughing at the priest. His emotions were laden with deceit.”
“That’s a convenient skill. Especially in negotiating and gambling.”
Gambling huh.
It would be pointless in roulette or slot machines but this skill might be invincible in poker.
Even if the opponent is a master of poker face, it is quite difficult to suppress emotions.
“Well, since we were caught in Belasra’s gambling hall previously, we shouldn’t go there for now — Haru?”
Haru’s tail withered apologetically.
As though a dog that knew it had done something bad.
“Actually, I’ve been to there three times …”
“You went to the gambling hall?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m okay with it. At any rate, I don’t think you would play recklessly —”
Her tail withered even more.
… Haru-san? What happened?
“Master. Haru-san won 50 times against Gorsa-sama in 120 matches.”
Ooh. It’s a little high for just leisure gambling but wasn’t her winning rate less than 50%?
In that case, there’s no problem — wait?
“Did you bet five numbers bet as before each time?”
It would be bad if her winning rate exceeded 40% against professional dealers.
“No.”
Carol denied it. That’s a relief.
That’s to be expected. No matter what, betting five numbers bet against that Gorsa-san —
“It was one number bets.”
“One number bets!? You won over 40% of the time with one number bets!?”
“I am sorry. I am terribly ashamed. Originally I had wanted to win at least 50% of the time. Even though Gorsa-sama didn’t use any cheat.”
“No no, that’s already beyond the human capabilities.”
“Demon Lo — Miri-sama seemed to have won with certainty even with one number bets.”
“She has long since exceeded the realm of humans so she’s not considered.”
I warned Haru with a motherly tone.
Or rather, just what was Miri doing.
Of course, when she was with Norn-san, they would pass by Belasra if they were heading directly south of Florence but I didn’t expect her to mess up the gambling hall.
… Is Gorsa-san all right?
“Incidentally, how much did you earn?”
“I did not exchange it for prizes. Well, I have plenty of medals but we played with the condition that I will not exchange them for money. But Gorsa-sama was not satisfied with that and I received all kinds of items from Gorsa-sama’s personal collection. Gorsa-sama seemed to have enjoyed it too so I don’t think we should worry.”
Even if you tell me we don’t have to worry.
I guess I’ll apologize to him the next time we meet.
“Carol-dono, job change preparations are complete. Please step into the job change room.”
“Okay! I’ll be going, Ichino-sama.”
Carol lowered her head and entered the room at the back.
Only Haru and I remained.
“Koshmar-sama has a strong impact as always.”
It may be a small church but it didn’t only have Libra-sama’s pure gold Goddess Statue. There were six stone-carved Goddess Statues as well.
I’ve seen most of the Goddess by now.
I first met Koshmar-sama and Torerul-sama. Libra-sama came visiting when I made My World, I received a divine blessing from Koshmar-sama at Dakyat. I’m still overwhelmed by meeting Minerva-sama with Miri.
The one I have not met yet.
“Tet-sama … huh?”
I muttered while looking at the statue of a young girl with a bob-cut about the same size as Torerul.
“Now that I think about it, she appears somewhat similar to Pioneer.”
“Perhaps the manufacturing of homunculi such as Pionia-san and Neete-san is related to Tet-sama?”
“Eh? Is that so?”
“It’s nothing more than a guess. But Tet-sama is the goddess of life. There’s a possibility that she is involved in the ability to give life to the homunculus.”
“That sounds plausible —”
I didn’t even think of that.
Homunculus — the creation of new life.
Regardless of how much she wanted to do it, would Torerul-sama do something so troublesome?
“I wonder if Torerul-sama asked Tet-sama to make them.”
Carol returned just as I reached that deduction.
Her job had been safely changed to 【Herbalist: Lv1】.
“Thank you for waiting, Ichino-sama.”
“We didn’t wait long.”
“Also, as thanks for this time, the priest-sama reduced the job change fee to half.”
“That’s lucky.”
I thought he might as well make it free for us but considering that half of it has to be sent to the Church headquarters, I guess he couldn’t give such a discount.
“Next, we’ll look for medicine making tools … eh, where do we buy those — ?”
“We can purchase medicine making tools in the apothecary on the south street so let’s go there.”
Just how does she know these things!?
When did she research that much?