Chapter 225

So, without hesitation, I accepted the request to obtain a VIP entrance ticket for the Silverheart Company.

After all, how could I turn a blind eye when a junior I know is in trouble?

Besides, once you accept a request, even a moment of hesitation feels like a waste of time.

The VIP ticket won’t spoil, but the fresh food sold inside is losing its freshness in real-time.

So, I took Yuri and Mina and headed straight to the market to find the newly established shop run by goblins.

“Is there really a shop run by goblins here?”

“Yes. The shop is called the Coconut Company.”

Following Mina’s guidance, I shifted my gaze and saw a signboard of a shop I had never seen before, located in a building that had been empty in the market I usually passed by.

In front of the shop, goblins, whom I had only seen a couple of times while living in Astram, were gathered in groups, trying to attract customers.

“…It really is a shop run by goblins.”

“Look! Those goblins look so sinister!”

“Indeed! Listening to Mina, it seems like their enthusiastic soliciting is just a facade, and they must be plotting something suspicious!”

“Is that so…?”

Mina and Yuri were convinced that their judgment about the goblin shop couldn’t be wrong, but to me, it just looked like they were genuinely trying to attract customers.

If they were really plotting something, they wouldn’t need to go to such lengths to draw attention.

What caught my attention was something else.

“Rather, they’re hardly getting any business…”

Despite the goblin employees coming forward and diligently trying to attract customers, no one passing by seemed to pay any attention to the Coconut Company’s stall.

In fact, it seemed like people were deliberately avoiding the area.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed guards patrolling nearby, their routes oddly overlapping with the Coconut Company, clearly aware of the shop’s presence.

“Of course. A shop run by goblins is suspicious, so no one would want to use it.”

“The guards are also doing an excellent job. They’re strictly patrolling the area around the suspicious shop. Truly a model for guards.”

Is that so?

It seems that not just Mina and Yuri, but the entire city of Astram, distrusts the existence of a goblin-run shop.

While only a few, like Mina and Yuri, acted on their suspicions, it seemed that everyone around shared the same sentiment.

The merchants nearby occasionally glanced at the Coconut Company with looks of discomfort or unease, and the guards patrolling the area openly showed their suspicion.

The residents also deliberately avoided the area around the Coconut Company, taking detours around the market.

The entire city of Astram seemed to view the existence of the goblin shop negatively.

Despite knowing that the entire city didn’t welcome them, the goblin employees of the Coconut Company continued their enthusiastic soliciting without faltering.

“Come on! Customers! Take a look! To celebrate the opening of the Coconut Company in Astram, we’re selling various items at a discount!”

“Rare items you can’t find in the eastern continent! Crafts imbued with the culture of the western continent! Plenty of rare sights to see!”

“Hey! You’re being too noisy! Do you think you’re the only ones doing business in the market!?”

“Oops. Hahaha. Sorry!”

Despite the blatant indifference and even hostility from the surroundings, the goblins, as if they had iron faces, cheerfully brushed it off and continued their soliciting without faltering, even though no one paid them any attention.

To me, they just seemed like people trying to live their lives diligently despite the discrimination against their race.

“Hmm… It’s suspicious. If they were being ignored to this extent, ordinary people would get angry… But they don’t seem to care about the discrimination. It’s almost like evidence that they’re up to something.”

This is already too late.

Mina had already reached a conclusion and was fitting evidence and interpretations to match, falling into a state of confirmation bias.

Even I couldn’t tell if the Coconut Company was really up to something suspicious or if Mina was barking up the wrong tree, but it’s not good to slander others without clear evidence.

It’s wrong to judge someone based solely on their appearance or public reputation just because they’re a race you’ve never seen before.

I regretted it so much that I cried tears of blood.

….

I wanted to observe the situation and investigate carefully, but given Mina’s state, it would be better to change the plan.

After all, if you treat others or races with prejudice, you’ll end up regretting it later.

“If the Coconut Company is so suspicious, I’ll investigate it directly.”

Seeing is believing.

You can only know if your prejudice is wrong or right by experiencing it yourself.

“What are you…? K-Kurt!?”

Instead of answering her question, I immediately headed towards the goblins soliciting in front of the Coconut Company.

“Welcome! Feel free to browse! We’re having a discount sale to celebrate our opening!”

“I’ll look at the products later, but I’d like to tour the Coconut Company. Is that okay?”

“Kurt!?”

“What are you suddenly saying!?”

Yuri and Mina couldn’t hide their shock at my sudden action.

So, I chose a direct approach.

If I could see inside the Coconut Company, I could find out if they were really up to something suspicious or if they had come to Astram purely to make money.

…

…

…

And so, we entered the Coconut Company.

Entering the Coconut Company was surprisingly simple.

I thought I’d have to use various methods to persuade them, but the goblin soliciting at the entrance said he’d ask the branch manager and quickly guided us inside.

“What on earth are you thinking!?”

“What am I thinking? Investigating the Coconut Company is the task at hand, right? Then there’s no need to go around in circles; we can just investigate openly.”

“There’s no way they’d allow that…!”

As we waited in the reception room and talked, a goblin soon appeared.

The goblin’s appearance was quite unique.

The goblins in the eastern continent, including Astram, usually live in poverty, unable to form proper social communities, and at best, remain as the lower class of society.

Even the goblins working at the Coconut Company, being part of an organization, dressed neatly.

But even they couldn’t match the unique attire of the goblin who had just appeared.

The goblin was wearing a white shirt with a black jacket, reminiscent of a tuxedo but simpler in design.

It was almost like a business suit from my previous life.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Tirmel, the branch manager of the Coconut Company in Astram.”

“Oh. I didn’t expect the branch manager to appear personally. I’m Kurt. An adventurer.”

Yuri and Mina, while openly wary, introduced themselves.

“Oh. The young lady of the Blossom family and the heir of the Silverheart Company. What an honor. So, what kind of tour are you requesting?”

“Well, a company from the western continent is rare. The heir of the Silverheart Company here wanted to see what a western company is like.”

“K-Kurt. There’s no way this will work…”

Mina looked at me with a worried expression.

“Hmm. The Silverheart Company is the largest trading company in Astram. Very well. The Silverheart Company could become a good business partner in the future, so it wouldn’t hurt to build a good relationship now.”

“Eh… Really?”

“Yes, of course. Of course, we can’t show you everything about our business know-how, but we can show you how the Coconut Company operates.”

“See? If you ask openly, it surprisingly works.”

“This is unbelievable…”

Tirmel readily accepted our tour request, and Mina looked disappointed, as if she hadn’t expected to enter the Coconut Company so easily.

…

…

…

And, unnoticed by the three of them, Tirmel secretly smiled sinisterly.