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Chapter 34 – Boat Trip to the Royal Capital
Wataru, who had witnessed the traffic accident right in front of his eyes, could not shake off the shock for some time.
He ran down the alleyway with his whole body tense, and when he finally arrived in front of the Jizo statue, he felt a heavy mental fatigue in his entire body.
Maybe they don’t realize that they’re moving a hunk of metal at high speed.
They should give up their licenses if they’re too old to drive properly.
The government should do more thorough cognitive testing.
He had a lot to say.
But Wataru was more concerned about his identity being revealed.
Or rather, his greater concern was that the existence of the potion would be discovered.
The transformation accessory was the result of magic, and it not only distorted people’s perceptions but also allowed him to fool cameras and mirrors.
Considering this, there are very few elements that could give him away, but at the same time, they have the weakness of being very vulnerable to direct contact.
Or, in the case of someone with extrasensory perception like Aire, there is a possibility that he might sense something off.
Even if he can disguise his appearance, he can’t change his voice or mannerisms, which are unique to him.
If the girl he saved was still conscious, there was a possibility that she might notice something off about his appearance.
However, the transformation accessories are surprisingly useful in many ways.
It’s now impossible to imagine doing anything without them.
“I wonder who that woman was…”
“Is something wrong, Master?”
“No, it’s nothing. Do you remember how the shop that sold us this transformation accessory disappeared in an instant?”
“That was a strange experience.”
“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary, Aire?”
“I don’t know. She seemed like a normal woman to me, so I was surprised.”
“This may be a ridiculous question, but didn’t you feel anything strange? Like a magical presence or something?”
“I understand. I can’t use magic, but I know how to protect myself, and I can tell if someone is a mage or not.”
If that’s the case, then her ability to go unnoticed, even with Aire’s keen powers of observation, is pretty suspicious when he thinks about it.
But she doesn’t seem hostile, and the items she’s sold him haven’t malfunctioned.
He can’t help but feel that their encounter was somehow orchestrated.
He decides that one day, he wants to thank her properly.
For now, he decides to focus on what he can do.
He didn’t want to worry anymore before his long-awaited sightseeing trip to the capital.
On top of that, he had to transport a large amount of sugar, visit the Welcome Trading Company to replenish their stock, and collect payment.
He was going to be very busy.
“I think we’ve transported all the cargo. Thanks for your hard work, Aire.”
“It’s not heavy, but it’s a pain to go back and forth so many times. This car? It would be nice if we could just drive through the gate.”
“No, that would cause a commotion. I’m just glad we can push the cart through.”
“Can’t they overlook it since it looks like a horse-drawn carriage?”
“Fufufu, that’s impossible. But I’d like to try it sometime.”
“It looks fun to get all the attention. All right, you did a good job, Aire. Let’s get some grilled meat skewers later.”
“Oh, thanks, Master.”
Since she had worked so hard, he wanted to reward her a little.
Aire’s mood changed immediately, and she hugged him.
Her arms wrapped around his waist, and he was enveloped in a sweet scent.
Aire often does this kind of physical contact, but Wataru still can’t take it for granted.
He can’t help but get nervous every time, and Aire sees through him.
Well, it’s not only yesterday or today that she noticed him getting excited or looking at her chest or her bottom.
Wataru feels like he’s being played, but he has no choice but to give up.
He delivered sugar to the Welcome Trading Company and received cash.
This time, there was a gap between deliveries, so he had to replenish a large amount of inventory at once and ended up with 500 gold coins.
To be honest, carrying so many coins is heavy, bulky, and difficult to count, so he really appreciated the convenience of paper money.
Each coin is about the size of a 500-yen coin, but 500 of them are quite heavy compared to paper money.
Here, people carry them in cloth bags, but he was beginning to wish for a coin case.
As usual, it was Aire’s job to take care of the purse.
He couldn’t imagine anyone stealing from it.
She was much more trustworthy than Wataru, who just walked around with it.
Wataru walked along, thinking seriously about a coin case.
The size of gold coins and the percentage of gold used are probably standardized, so it might be worth trying to make one.
Any organization that handles large amounts of money would find it useful for counting.
Even tools that seem obvious once you know about them can be surprisingly hard to make.
This isn’t limited to innovative products—the laundry board, for example, was invented during the Taisho period. [T/n: 1912-1926].
Buttons weren’t widely used until the 12th or 13th century.
Before that, they were tied with belts or strings.
Product development like this is better outsourced than Wataru struggling to make it himself.
There must be factories that can make them in batches of hundreds or thousands.
The only concern is the possibility of counterfeit products circulating, but if he can ensure precision and lightness, and most importantly, secure large orders and sell them on a large scale from the start, few people would bother to buy counterfeits.
Excited about this new source of income, Wataru walked to the river in Southern Ship Town.
After enjoying some skewered manga meat along the way. [T/n: Like Luffy from One Piece usually eats.]
Just before boarding the ship to the royal capital, Wataru stopped at a slave trader’s shop.
“Master, are you going to the slave trader?”
“Yes, is something wrong?”
“D-Did you get tired of us…?”
Looking over, he saw that Aire was trembling.
She looked up at Wataru with a suddenly dejected expression, looking nervous.
“Aire, we slaves didn’t contribute enough. Don’t resent him for buying new slaves and favoring them.”
“Y-yeah…”
“W-wait a minute.”
This is suddenly turning into something crazy!
While Wataru is surprised by the unexpected turn of events, Mariel bravely puts a smile on her face and begins to shed tears.
“Or maybe we are no longer needed and will be sold…”
“No way! I’ll work harder and obey any lewd orders you give me, so please don’t sell me!”
“I won’t sell you! What are you talking about?”
“Please give us a little more chance, Master.”
“No, no, I never intended to sell you. I’ll make sure you’re satisfied… What’s that look on your face? Are you two mocking me?”
Wataru, who had been trying to explain his intentions, noticed that Mariel and Aire were grinning and was at a loss for words.
Damn it, he’d been completely fooled!
He was so upset that he couldn’t even bring himself to think about actually selling them.
Now that it had come to this, he would give them the most obscene orders he could think of.
They’d remember.
It had been a while since he’d come to this shop, ever since he’d received a letter of introduction from Baron Moye for Aire.
Since they took such good care of him back then, he decided to express his gratitude first.
“Oh, it’s been a long time.”
“Thank you for your help. Thank you for writing a letter of introduction for Aire.”
“It seems to have gone well. I can tell by your face.”
“Thanks to you. Aire is in perfect shape now.”
“So, are you looking for a new slave today?”
“Yes. But the conditions could be quite difficult.”
“Let me hear it first. What kind of slave are you looking for?”
“A pharmacist who can make acute and chronic potions or a mage slave.
Maso’s face clouded over Wataru’s question.
Wataru had expected it to be difficult since they were specialized slaves, but it might be even more difficult than he had expected.
“Hmm… That’s really quite rare. Normally, such people wouldn’t become slaves.”
“I see.”
“Yes. It’s a profession that’s unlikely to fail unless you’re extremely unskilled or terrible at business. If someone ends up as a slave, it’s a rare case. Maybe you should look for freelance talent instead?”
“Is there such a person?”
“Yes. There are cases where people cannot afford the membership fees to join a guild, or there are no available slots.”
“No available slots?”
“There would be competition for customers, right? That’s why there are limits on the number of guild members in each city.”
Until recently, it was very difficult to obtain a license for liquor stores and tobacco shops in Japan to avoid excessive competition.
Convenience stores often opened in the former locations of tobacco and liquor stores to sell alcohol and tobacco.
Even today, liquor stores, tobacco shops, and other businesses, such as public bathhouses, are subject to restrictions based on linear distance due to sanitation issues.
Similarly, guilds impose restrictions to prevent excessive competition.
Even if you mastered a skill, to become independent, you had to wait for a job to open up or move to a city in need of workers due to disasters such as fires or monster attacks.
Masters would want their children or favorite apprentices to take over the business, so it was difficult for craftsmen to become independent.
Even after hearing this explanation, Wataru still wanted a slave.
Without a slave contract, it would take a lot of courage to reveal the secret of traveling between worlds.
Could he make potions with herbs from Japan?
Or could people from the other world come to Earth and use magic?
There were countless things he wanted to learn and try with a slave.
“It doesn’t matter how long it takes. If you see one, could you please let me know?”
“I understand. Are there any other conditions?”
“Master, regardless of debts or family problems, it might be best to avoid buying someone who has committed a crime. We don’t know what kind of medicine you plan to make.”
“I see.”
“Those are even stricter conditions… All right. I’ll try my best to find someone who meets your requirements, but it will definitely be expensive.”
Maso’s words made Wataru nod confidently.
At the moment, he can manage most of the amounts.
It was hard-earned money, and he wanted to use it for something that would lead to something better.
“Money is not an issue. Please find me an outstanding person.”
He had always wanted to say those words, and Wataru felt a secret satisfaction.
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Good luck, Wataru. This type of slave isn’t easy to find, and will be expensive for sure. Thanks for the treat.
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He didn’t mention that the pharmacist needs to be a hot female lol
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