Chapter 228

Mina stammers with a confused expression in response to Yuri’s question.

“Uh, I…”

“…”

But in the end, she couldn’t say anything and finally opened her mouth with a weak voice after a long pause.

“…I’m sorry. I think I’ll head back for today.”

Ultimately, what she chose was neither continuing to show hostility toward Tirmel nor flipping her attitude like turning over her hand, but rather postponing her judgment.

But that attitude itself was her own serious conclusion to reconsider the image of the Coconut Company, more sincere than flipping her attitude like a hand.

“…I see.”

“Yes. I’m really sorry for forcing myself to fit in today. It’s just… Once I sort out my thoughts, I’ll visit the Adventurer Guild again.”

“Don’t rush it. It’s important to take your time and seriously think through to reach the conclusion you believe is right.”

At my words, Mina looked at me with a bitter smile.

“Come to think of it, Mr. Kurt, it seems like you knew this would happen.”

“…”

No. Honestly, I didn’t expect Tirmel to be a goblin with such a personality.

“Thank you so much for today. Well then…”

In the end, Mina couldn’t give any answer to Yuri and quietly returned to her dormitory with a dejected look.

Seeing Mina’s dejected appearance, Yuri panicked and thought, ‘Huh? Did I ask a question I shouldn’t have? I was just genuinely curious…’ and followed her back, ending the day’s stalking.

Ah, wait. So what happened to the VIP entrance ticket?

…

…

…

And a few more days passed.

In the end, Mina didn’t visit the Adventurer Guild again for several days, and the whereabouts of the Silverheart Company’s VIP entrance ticket remained unclear.

If I had known this would happen, I should have forced the depressed Mina to give a definite answer about the VIP entrance ticket.

I kept my mouth shut out of consideration for her troubled feelings.

Is a teenage girl’s troubled feelings the issue here?

The Silverheart Company’s VIP entrance ticket is what’s important.

“Really… I should have grabbed her and talked it out back then.”

“Whose story is that?”

“Well, of course, Mina’s…?”

Was I so lost in thought about the VIP entrance ticket that I didn’t even notice someone approaching?

When I came to my senses and looked up, Yuri was standing there with Mina, looking at me.

“Hehe. You’re so kind! Worrying about Mina. But it’s okay. Mina has already fully recovered!”

“Sorry for causing concern.”

Mina bowed her head beside Yuri as she said that.

No. What I was worried about was the Silverheart Company’s VIP entrance ticket…

But it seems like I’ll lose out if I voice that thought, so I better stay quiet.

“…”

“Actually, I went back to the academy and thought a lot during that time.”

As I kept my mouth shut, Yuri and Mina continued the conversation on their own.

“Thought a lot about what?”

“The Tirmel I saw with my own eyes was clearly not a villain. His demeanor and way of speaking were undeniably evil, perfect for arousing suspicion, but his mindset was undoubtedly that of a model merchant.”

“So, all the suspicions about the Coconut Company and the goblin merchant have been resolved?”

“Yes. I was confused because my prejudice against the entire goblin race and the merchant Tirmel I saw with my own eyes were completely contradictory, but I finally realized it. The only thing wrong was my shallow prejudice. Once I accepted that, everything fell into place without a single contradiction.”

“I see. So that’s the conclusion you reached.”

Prejudice is sometimes a convenient tool that allows you to avoid making value judgments about things, but it can also become a fog that hinders making the right judgment.

Over the past few days, Mina, relying not on the convenient but careless judgment of prejudice but on what she saw and heard with her own eyes, finally broke through the wall of prejudice that had narrowed her vision.

With that, Mina bowed her head to me with genuine gratitude.

“This is all thanks to Mr. Kurt.”

“My credit? It’s the result of your own thinking and deliberation. So, is the request to investigate the Coconut Company over now?”

“Yes. I won’t look for any more suspicious information about the Coconut Company.”

That’s a relief.

Mina was able to break her mistaken prejudice about the goblin race, which is good, and I got the Silverheart Company auction’s VIP entrance ticket, which is also good.

This is a good deed.

“That’s great. So, about the reward, the VIP entrance ticket…”

“Instead, I’d like to change the content of the request.”

…Huh?

“…Change the content?”

“Yes. After following and observing the Coconut Company recently, I realized that despite working desperately, the Coconut Company is struggling to settle in Astram due to people with bad prejudices against the goblin race, just like I used to have. So, I want to change the request to ask Mr. Kurt to help the Coconut Company settle in Astram.”

“No. That’s not what the original request was…”

I just need the VIP entrance ticket…

As I tried to subtly refuse Mina’s request with that meaning, Mina looked up at me with pleading eyes and said.

“This is my way of atoning for once having a discriminatory view of goblins and suspecting them!”

“That’s a really great way. But there’s no need for me to join in…”

“I thought about it carefully, and the only person I can rely on for this is Mr. Kurt, who opened my eyes to my prejudice against goblins!”

“That’s right. I believe Mr. Kurt wouldn’t pretend not to know how honest a merchant Tirmel is, even after seeing it together!”

Yuri added more support.

“No. I just need the VIP entrance ticket…”

That wasn’t the deal.

“Actually, at first, I thought it was an impolite request since it’s different from the original contract, but Yuri said that Mr. Kurt is different from other adventurers who only perform requests for rewards, so I dared to ask!”

“That’s right! Mr. Kurt corrected my wrong temperament when I foolishly threw a tantrum about becoming an adventurer! Not only that, but even when Mina was trapped in wrong thoughts due to prejudice, he corrected our thinking despite not being able to offer expensive rewards! Thinking logically, the Silverheart Company’s VIP entrance ticket is practically useless for an ordinary adventurer, but the fact that he accepted the request is proof of that!”

Yuri?

No. Why are you hyping this up?

And I accepted the request because I needed the VIP entrance ticket…

But before I could argue, the atmosphere at the table had already taken a strange turn.

In the eyes of Yuri and Mina, I had already become something like a champion of justice who couldn’t stand by and watch wrongs without correcting them, and Wendy, the receptionist at the guild who was handling business at the counter, secretly gave me a thumbs-up gesture, as if to say well done.

Is this a situation where if I refuse, I’ll become the bad guy…?

“…Alright. You came to the right person. Just trust me.”

In the end, all I could do was force a smile and play the role of the generous person who readily accepted their request.

And so, against my will, I was almost forcibly made to accept Mina’s request.

…

…

…

And so, I found myself leading Mina and Yuri back to the Coconut Company.

After a few days, the Coconut Company was still subtly discriminated against by the merchants and guards patrolling the surrounding area.

The general customers wandering around also avoided the Coconut Company, just like before.

The only thing that had changed was that the goblins, who had been enthusiastically soliciting customers despite the discrimination, seemed to have lost some of their momentum compared to a few days ago.

No matter how strong your resolve, continuous indifference and discrimination will slowly wear down your spirit.

So, we approached a goblin soliciting customers in front of the Coconut Company and requested another meeting with Tirmel.

“Oh… Aren’t you the young lady from the Silverheart Company who wanted to tour our Coconut Company a while ago?”

And soon, Tirmel appeared, with the same sinister and evil-looking smile as before.

“Yes. Thank you so much for that time.”

“No, it wasn’t anything worth thanking. So, what brings you here today? If you want to tour again, feel free…”

“No. Actually, I came to the Coconut Company today not for a tour, but for another purpose.”

“Another purpose…?”

“Well, actually…”

With Tirmel looking at us curiously, Mina began to explain the plan she had thought of on the way.