Chapter 87

#87 Episode: The Tin Knight and the City of Struggle (6)

The quality of the accommodation was excellent. Even though it was a temporary lodging in the furniture district before entering the special district, it was impressive.

Since we had to relocate again anyway, we barely unpacked our bags, and without even taking a breather, our party jumped straight into planning the next agenda. They were really a bunch of impatient folks. You could compare them to a tuna that dies if it stops swimming.

“First, we need to find some money. Is there a Halder Trading Company branch in this city? And it’d be nice to grab some supplies and a new wagon, too.”

Dorothea was focused on getting funds and resources.

“I’d like to check out a bookstore or a tavern. We might find useful intel about the local situation or even info about the champion,” Sophia chimed in for information gathering.

“Oh, and I need a new sword. My armor got seriously damaged during the last brawl in the garden,” Adelheid added for equipment repairs and upgrades.

[‘The Tin Knight’ insists on registering for the martial arts tournament!]

That’s classic Tin Knight for you.

Dorothea raised an eyebrow at the Tin Knight’s suggestion. If you had to put her expression into words, it would be something like, “Really?”

“The tournament doesn’t start for another two weeks. You expect us to just stick around here until then?”

[‘The Tin Knight’ argues that skipping the main event on a new map is pretty much unacceptable!]

[‘The Tin Knight’ shouts that major events bring hefty rewards!]

[‘The Tin Knight’ passionately declares that he’s firing up for victory, even swapping weapons with Adelheid!]

“Huh?”

Adel’s reaction could be summarized in one word: “What?” But naturally, the Tin Knight was too oblivious to care about such trivial matters.

[‘The Tin Knight’ mentions that a showdown between a master and apprentice before the tournament is one of his dreams!]

[‘The Tin Knight’ boldly vows to become Adel’s trial and push the apprentice to their limits!]

“The more you talk, the more pale your apprentice looks in real-time,” someone remarked.

[‘The Tin Knight’ questions if he’s not supposed to snatch the belt from the champion anyway!]

“Yeah, but how is that related to joining the tournament?”

Dorothea leaned back on the couch, crossing her legs. She folded her arms under her chest and slightly lifted her chin, looking rather comfortable.

Unbeknownst to the Tin Knight, Adel, and Sophia, who all thought she looked like some sort of evil overlord, the sister of the Steel Spike Thieves kept talking.

“Let’s say the champion holds one of the kingdom’s treasures. If you beat him in the tournament, do you think he’d just be like, ‘Ah, the real owner of this treasure has finally shown up!’ and hand over the belt? No, you’d have to negotiate with the champion directly to get that belt. It’s got nothing to do with the tournament.”

[‘The Tin Knight’ insists that normally it goes like this: “Want the belt? Then beat me!”]

“That’s nonsense. Why would a pathetic loser give away gifts? Maybe they’d be gnashing their teeth about revenge later.”

[‘The Tin Knight’ claims there’s a world that only true warriors comprehend!]

“I’m no wizard, but I’m pretty sure most knights wouldn’t be thrilled about being treated the same way as you.”

[‘The Tin Knight’ proposes a wager!]

“A wager?”

[‘The Tin Knight’ requests to participate in the tournament if he can meet the champion and it goes as he said!]

[‘The Tin Knight’ declares that if he can get the belt without entering the tournament, he’ll sit quietly while in this city!]

“I see you realize you’re not exactly the quiet type. That just makes it worse.”

Even while grumbling, Dorothea seemed to find the suggestion not half bad, and her expression brightened.

She nodded with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “Alright, let’s do it. A wager.”

[‘The Tin Knight’ exclaims that the stars of victory are with him!]

Listening to their conversation, Adel finally spoke up. “So… should we use a compass to go straight to wherever this champion is?”

“That sounds like a stretch.”

Dorothea replied breezily. “Who knows how that negotiation will play out. Just knowing where the champion is doesn’t guarantee a meeting. We need to be prepared to leave in a hurry, so let’s finish our preps first.”

“Well then, we ought to head to the trading company,” the party concluded and set off into action.

***

“Are you talking about Halder Trading Company? I know it well,” Hindler, who had been standing like a statue near the main entrance of the lodging, responded immediately when asked.

He seemed eager to show off his usefulness as he animatedly explained. “It wasn’t originally that well-known around here, but recently it’s gained a lot of attention thanks to their new products. They’re selling a special elixir crafted with a unique process, and the effects are amazing.”

“An elixir?”

Dorothea raised an eyebrow but didn’t say much else, thinking she’d learn more when they arrived at the store.

Buzz, buzz.

Hinlder’s words about the buzz of the shop turned out to be true, as the area was quite crowded.

In front of the shop, there were two stalls set up. One featured a variety of travel-friendly products like dried fruits and jerky.

The problem was the other stall.

This one was piled high with bite-sized black elixirs, and the seller’s pitch was quite a sight to behold.

“Come on in! Check out the Halder Trading Company’s special, the Witch’s Elixir!”

Dorothea’s body flinched violently.

The Tin Knight, Adel, and Sophia couldn’t help but glance sideways at Dorothea before quickly refocusing on the front.

“One pill and all your fatigue disappears; two pills and your limping leg stands tall; three pills awaken your hidden potential inside you! This miraculous elixir, crafted by the legendary witch using a special method, is right here! If you don’t buy it now, you’ll regret it!”

Dorothea’s lips quivered in disbelief.

A couple of spectators, watching the selling spectacle, chimed in.

“Is that potion really that effective?”

“But legendary witches? Who are they even talking about?”

In response to a spectator’s query, the vendor answered smoothly. “Oh, if you haven’t tried it, don’t even start! And as for the witch’s identity, I can’t reveal that. She wishes to keep her identity hidden. However, I’m sure you may know her quite well already! Hahaha!”

“The witch from the West?”

“Since the headquarters of Halder Trading Company is in the southeast, it must be from the east or south.”

“Eh, the south is home to the Empire’s best mage. Do you think she’d have time to make this stuff?”

“So it must be from the east, but if there’s something strange mixed in—”

“Alright, alright! What’s up for sale is all that’s on this stall! Once it’s gone, you won’t find it again!”

“Let me have one!”

“I want three!”

“Come on! Get in line! Get in line!”

Watching the elixirs fly off the shelves, Adel whispered to the Tin Knight.

“Uh, wasn’t the elixir the witch mentioned something to feed to horses? It doesn’t seem safe for people to consume…”

[‘The Tin Knight’ argues that merchants will do anything for money, even mix chalk into milk!]

[‘The Tin Knight’ claims that since humans can consume mercury, there’s no reason they can’t consume something meant for horses!]

“I mean, even so….”

Just then, Dorothea stepped forward.

“Hand one over.”

“Welcome, customer!”

Instead of putting the elixir into her mouth, Dorothea grabbed it and crushed it in her palm.

As she checked the scent and texture of the elixir, her eyes turned icy.

It looked like she had plenty to discuss with the owner of this shop.

***

The Halder Trading Company’s Trakus branch wasn’t exactly expected to excel.

Its main territory was in the southeastern Empire, and Trakus was located in the northwestern part of the continent.

Though being part of the same trading company didn’t mean they had to be clustered in similar areas, being closer would have advantages for cooperation between branches.

Thus, the significance of the Trakus branch was not in its sales.

It was meant to be a springboard for the Halder Trading Company to one day gain fame across the Empire.

A reconnaissance point for gathering information from the northern and western parts of the continent.

And the branch manager, Joseph, was deeply dissatisfied with this situation.

“I’m telling you, the head of the company is far too timid. Every time he plans something, he drags his feet worrying about the reactions of surrounding companies and the continental situation, which slows down the growth of the company. Sometimes you’ve gotta act boldly to reap big rewards.”

Joseph was the brother-in-law of Lorenz Halder, the head of the Halder Trading Company, and despite benefitting from this connection to rise to branch manager, he always harbored resentment towards Lorenz.

He believed that if he were smart enough to be recruited, he deserved better treatment than being stuck in this imperial backwater while Lorenz took the credit.

He had a mindset that whatever he received was his due, and anything he didn’t was a loss, making him quite the cunning merchant.

Due to the long distance, the headquarters didn’t have strong control over the Trakus branch (which also explained why Lorenz had sent a relative to manage it—though it ended up being a disaster). Joseph took full advantage of this to make the Trakus branch his own personal playground.

The ‘Witch’s Elixir’ sold at the Trakus branch was just one of those “personalized” strategies.

– Swapping out expensive herbs for cheaper alternatives from similar categories.

– Adding only about 10% of effective herbs and filling the rest with grains and weeds.

– Totally ignoring the advice to use it only for horses and instead selling it as a potion for human consumption.

– Fabricating a tale about an encounter with the mysterious party from whom Lorenz received the recipe.

If Mr. Stromboli, the philanthropist from TikTok, had seen this, he wouldn’t have been able to believe his eyes at this scandalous business tactic.

Joseph felt no qualms whatsoever about engaging in such a dangerously reckless act that could easily tarnish Halder Trading Company’s reputation in the northwestern Empire.

After all, he was raking in good profits.

Sure, occasionally some customers would faint after taking the potion, clutching their hearts, but to Joseph, that was just the fault of the weak customer’s body, not the potion itself.

Even if complaints about side effects increased in the future, he figured he could just slip some money to the higher-ups and they’d take care of it for him.

Joseph had plans.

“Manager! We have customers looking to collect their money!”

“Huh?”

Well, that’s what had been happening up until now.

Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, Joseph frowned.

“Are there guys secretly starting a loan sharking operation without my knowledge?”

“Nah.”

“Then why are they looking for money from us?”

“That’s about the direct order that came from the headquarters a while back, remember? They said not to neglect them and pay them back as much as possible.”

“Eh? Oh.”

Finally, Joseph recalled that order being issued a few months ago.

“How much was the total amount again?”

“It’s impossible to pay the full total, but we could probably return about 30% if we emptied the branch’s reserve funds.”

“Are you out of your mind? You expect me to hand that over just like that?”

“If we bill the headquarters for the expenses, they said they would cover it with interest, so it wouldn’t really be a loss…”

“The storage is practically empty now. Besides, that deal was made down south, right? Why are they causing a fuss here? Just kick them out.”

“I mean, they look trustworthy enough, and they really seem like the people the boss mentioned. Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Since there’s no proper contract or anything, we can just say we found them suspicious and didn’t give them anything. So– hang on a sec, wait a moment.”

Joseph’s eyes lit up, and a wicked grin appeared on his face.

“Those travelers and the boss don’t talk often, right? Besides, the whole witch business was just an assumption based on the circumstances, nothing concrete.”

“Seems like it.”

“Now, what if we gave money to those travelers? And then billed the company for that amount? If we manage to retrieve that payment ‘properly,’ we could double our funds, right? The headquarters won’t have any way to figure it out.”

“…Manager?”

“And hey, didn’t they say that witch has a lot of useful knowledge? If they’re making quite the profit just from that horse medication, imagine what else we could obtain? Huh?”

His subordinate initially had a dubious look but soon found a similar sinister smirk creeping onto his face.

“I’ll prepare for the customers’ arrival.”

“Yeah, let’s go with that.”

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