Chapter 181

Here comes Daike and Frict.

The guards standing to greet them turned their attention to the sound of their footsteps.

But their fellow guards already had a vague idea of the outcome.

Working in the same profession, they met everywhere in the territory. After work, they returned to their lodgings, and meals were no exception.

Sadly, even the sound of their footsteps was not cheerful.

Their slow, dragging steps clearly indicated another predictable failure.

Noticing the atmosphere, Daike spoke up.

“Don’t worry. It’s not like this year is over yet, right?”

“Yeah. We don’t need to be so down just because a few days have passed. Let’s wait a bit longer.”

With Daike’s attempt to lighten the mood, Frict chimed in.

However, they couldn’t be overly optimistic either.

“It’s been months like this. And now you want us to wait more… When exactly are we supposed to wait?”

“Hey.”

“I never imagined getting a single grape from Shatren would be this difficult. Has anyone here actually seen a single berry? Strawberries too! Have any of you even seen a strawberry leaf?”

Unable to hold back, someone shouted, causing silence to fall again.

Among them, not a single person had ever seen the two specialties of Shatren.

“We came here for those things too. We’ve stayed for such a long time. We’ve been waiting desperately. If this is how it is… Maybe… maybe…”

-Snap!

Seeing no other choice, Daike grabbed the arm of the agitated man.

“If you steal, they won’t trust you. Even if nobles made reservations. You’ll still end up behind bars.”

“Frict, but—”

“Listen to Frict. During the off-season, you can’t get them anyway. Harvests are low.”

“When the peak season comes, production will increase. There will be more stock. I know it’s urgent, but calm down.”

“…Okay.”

The excited companion calmed down.

The reason why his fellow guard was in a rush was something Daike and Frict understood well. They were in the same boat.

But if he got caught stealing, he’d be expelled from the village, and the specialty items he wanted to obtain would be taken away again. In short, it would be irreversible.

They decided to inform their companions of the conclusion they reached during their walk here.

“Don’t get too anxious. As I said, production will increase during the peak season. This time, it’ll increase even more.”

“More?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The Shatren Territory increased the land for growing grapes and strawberries. They plan to buy the existing crops externally.”

“Oh…”

For the guards, who were feeling gloomy, this was like rain in a drought.

If the number of planting areas increased, production would naturally increase. With the peak season overlapping, there might be much more produce this time.

“So, everyone, don’t get too anxious. Got it?”

“Let’s go back!”

With the two of them calming the dangerous atmosphere, the guards went back with a little hope.

The next day.

A letter arrived for Daike.

But the contents of the letter were alarming.

“Daike, your younger sister—”

It was news that her illness had worsened since she was in the hometown.

Though he told his companions not to panic, Daike became the most urgent person at this moment.

After finishing his work, he secretly went to where the residents were gathered.

“Huh? Aren’t you one of our territory guards—”

“Strawberries. Can’t you reserve some?”

-Kacha.

Cutting him off sharply, he put his moneybag forward.

He emptied all his money onto the wooden desk.

But the resident shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but the price is insufficient. You know we need more for reserved purchases of strawberries.”

Due to the skyrocketing demand for Shatren’s specialty products, prices had also risen.

To secure a definite purchase, one needed to make a reservation, and these reservations were increasingly necessary due to frequent noble interest.

That’s why the prices of strawberries and grapes, already expensive, had doubled.

“…”

“Wait a bit more. If there’s anything left, I’ll sell it to you first.”

Sourly, Daike had to leave the exchange empty-handed again today.

As his heart raced, his hands felt unbearably light.

“No. Prices will drop eventually. They always do.”

Since the peak season was coming, and the news of expanded fields had come, prices would surely drop. With luck, strawberries might be available even without a reservation.

Gripping his fist, he tried to ease his anxiety.

Just then,

A man walked out from nearby.

“The name of the disease your younger sister has is Helketa I, correct?”

“!”

“It’s a rare, special disease. Without making a special medicine by gathering various ingredients and drinking it, there’s no way to recover. It’s not a fatal disease at the early stage, but if left untreated, the mortality rate increases over time.”

His hair stood on end.

This rare disease wasn’t well-known, but this man had accurately pinpointed its characteristics.

“Who are you? How dare you—”

“Strawberry prices won’t drop as you think.”

“What did you say?”

***

Why did he need Shatren strawberries?

It was because he needed them to make medicine for his sister’s disease in his hometown.

About a year ago, his younger sister fell ill with a special disease. To cure this disease, a special medicine was required, which couldn’t be made with ordinary methods.

The biggest obstacle to treating Helketa I was the Shatren strawberry.

While he had gathered almost everything else, just one ingredient—the Shatren strawberry—was holding him back, preventing him from making the medicine.

Seeking the scarce Shatren strawberries due to the severe famine, he resigned from his previous job and took on a lower-rated position in Shatren, thinking he had to get them quickly.

Thus, he had to get Shatren strawberries somehow.

And now, prices are going to rise further?

The price of the strawberries needed to treat his sister’s illness?

“What… What do you mean?”

“The demand for Shatren strawberries is steadily rising. Even though harvest volumes haven’t changed much, prices keep climbing. Shorter purchasing periods and earlier reservations indicate solid data.”

“But…! They said they would expand the planting area this time! So, there will be more stock, and prices should drop, right?!”

“That’s not true.”

From the darkness, he firmly cut in.

“The main customers for Shatren strawberries and Shatren grapes are none other than the nobles.”

“!”

“Even with prices soaring and supply decreasing, the purchasing period hasn’t changed. That means only those who can pay enough will buy. This means the strawberries are no longer something commoners can afford.”

“That can’t be…”

Daike slumped down.

Yes. He probably knew this already.

He had worked in Shatren for over a year. Among the guards, Daike had stayed the longest, allowing him to notice some oddities.

The fact that reservations were necessary.

The absurdly high reservation fees.

If the sales were solely to the noble class, all doubts would be resolved.

Just as the man in the darkness said.

Shatren’s specialties had become premium goods for the nobility.

-Grr.

“No. No way! That can’t be true!”

But he couldn’t accept it.

Knowing he couldn’t get the final ingredient for the medicine.

Accepting his sister’s death.

“I… I’ve stayed in Shatren for a year. I know prices will definitely drop…!”

That couldn’t be.

As a brother.

“But I understand it’s hard to accept. I don’t feel that way towards my family, so I can’t empathize.”

-Slither.

In the darkness, the figure fully revealed himself as he removed his hood, causing Daike’s eyes to widen.

“You’re…!”

The man who passed the 21st Eastern Nobles’ Meeting and was appointed the current Lord of Shatren, and was once the Lord of Shatren in the past.

Carsein Bargrand.

He stood before Daike.

“I’ll give you a few days. You can check if prices rise or not with your own eyes. However.”

-Thud!

“Wha—!”

“If you change your mind, come to the place written here anytime.”

Carsein threw a small notebook at Daike and left after leaving those words.

The notebook contained detailed statistics of price fluctuations for Shatren strawberries and grapes, along with graphs showing the increase.

And there was a particular gap between the pages.

When he slightly opened the gap, a map of the area appeared.

“Did you really investigate all this?”

Daike looked at the alley where Carsein disappeared, bewildered.

Carsein.

Called a non-noble among the nobles, he was the man with countless labels attached to him.

The one who directly caused the Shatren incident, leading to a major famine.

He never believed the data collected would be anything but flimsy or unreliable.

But the contents of this notebook were certainly not that.

***

-Ding!

▶ Sub Episode. Accepted Agent: Daike.◀

▶ Convince Daike completely and accept him as an agent.◀

-Ding!

▶ Found and completed a pre-event.◀

▶ Daike’s affinity has increased.◀

[Current level: -11%]

‘-11%?’

When he first accepted the sub-episode in the game, the percentage was much lower.

‘…All because of one event starting with Pherdi’s ability, a 10% gap has closed.’

Originally, Daike was an agent that could be accepted only after spending two weeks and nearing the end of the third week.

Considering the time it took, raising his affinity required an enormous amount of time, but closing this gap meant the starting point was much earlier.

“Let’s go back first.”

Now that it’s clear it’s working, there’s a lot to do.

To quickly recruit Daike as a second agent, such preparation is necessary.

Analyzing more thoroughly and needing stricter statistics.

In this era, behind modern times.

Preparing these and setting up contingency plans to avoid traps and consume enemy entities would require a lot of time.

So, I’ll have to work late into the night, enduring nagging. Our fiancée’s persistent nagging.

“But, we can sneak out, right?”

Since she needs soil comparison samples, she’s probably returning to her territory.

She’ll probably be fine. Sneaking out for a whole night.