Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki

「And you also bought a knife. How's its sharpness?」

「It's amazing. It slices through fish effortlessly. After cooking, if you swing it in the air, it goes ‘shh' and blood and fat fly off, sparkling. I can't live without it now… Ouch!」

The woman in men's clothing hurriedly covered her mouth.

I don't sell knives at the stall. I sold them personally to a weapons shop. This woman, who had been tailing me, bought everything I sold.

In addition, she’d been collecting information on everything I purchased. Food, sulfur which was sold as accessories in Erin, and even the wedding dresses. She'd got information on everything.

「Jii, your tailing has been completely exposed.」

「I apologize, Ojou-sama. But this person didn’t seem to be aware of my presence at the time.」

「You will be punished later. Also, you will get a two-month pay cut.」

「No wayy!」

The woman in men’s clothing wailed as if the end of the world had come.

「Please don't be too hard on her. She was the best of them all. Compared to the others, she was quite skilled. It's not her fault; it's the mistake of the person who ordered her to tail someone like me.」

「I see. I suppose you're right. Jii, you're off the hook for this.」

「For this?」

「Yes, if I recall correctly, I instructed you to gather everything the elves were selling, right? So why are you using the elves’ knife to fillet fish?」

「Uh, it was just an impulse! I was planning to buy everything properly within the budget. But when I saw it, you know, it sparkled in the sun, and I thought, maybe I'll just buy it myself, and pretend that someone else bought it. Hehe…」

「Jii, a three-month pay cut.」

「Kill me already!」

She collapsed and started writing on the ground as if it was the end of the world.

「Let’s be clear here. Do you really intend to insist that you, who were tailing me right after I entered Erin and have been following me, are just ordinary merchants?」

There's no way that was true. It might make sense after I started selling maple syrup, but tailing me right after I entered and knowing the state of the elves despite being far away from Erin means they had information about us from the start.

The fact that they recognized my true identity even with my ears hidden means they had information about my face as well. It goes beyond the scope of information a simple merchant could possess.

「Hmm, the plan has gone awry. There's no use in continuing the act. I am Azul Fell Colline, the mayor of Erin, the commercial city of the Colline Kingdom. Today, I have come for negotiations with the elven village.」

「I’m surprised. I had predicted something along those lines, but I never expected the mayor herself to come.」

「Well, normally, I wouldn't come to a remote place like this. It takes a week for a round trip because of the bad roads. My absence for a week is a significant disadvantage for Erin too. Nevertheless, I came because I believed it was necessary.」

「If you had sent a letter, we would have come to you.」

「Well, that wouldn't convey my sincerity. I am the one making the request, after all.」

Azul wore a confident smile. She was a self-assured and strong-willed type, quite different from the people of Erucy.

「While I don't mind doing business, unfortunately, in Erucy there are not many who have the capability to do calculations and handle currency. So, it will be me, the representative, who will place the orders.」

In this era, it was common knowledge that if you had the time to study, you should be tilling the fields. Elves and fire foxes, unless they come from families with some power, hadn't been taught how to read or calculate. We had around 250 elves and fire foxes combined, but among them, less than 20 could handle currency.

「I don't mind. I'll send you a list of what we've brought and the unit prices, so please compile a list of what you want. However, there's a condition. I want the product deliveries to be on an individual basis.」

I found those words interesting.

「That's fine. It's actually more convenient for me.」contemporary romance

I wanted to use opportunities like this to increase the number of elves who take an interest in the outside world.

「Hmm, it's an interesting building.」

「You can call it simple.」

I guided Azul and her two guards to a room in the village chief's house.

The village chief's house was the most decent building in Erucy, and there were rooms for Imperial soldiers to stay in, so it was convenient for their overnight stay.

As I opened the door, Yukino, holding a broom, was desperately reaching out and stretching on her tiptoes to clean.

「Oh, Cyril-niisama, guests?」

「Yes, they’re guests. You can stop cleaning here, go clean the guest room we rarely use, please.」

「Understood. Yukino will do her best.」

Yukino made a cute gesture and left the room.

「Hey, Cyril-kyun… I mean, Cyril-san. That girl is cute.」

Azul said that while watching Yukino's tail as she left.

Certainly, Yukino was beautiful, and her outfit suited her perfectly, making her look incredibly cute. She was my proud little sister.

「I'm glad you think so. She's my little sister, after all.」

「Can I convince you to entrust her to us? We can hire her. We'll provide her with a proper education, and she can have a better life with us than in Erucy. We'll even pay a dowry.」

「There's no way I would sell my family members. Besides, she's a fire fox. She can't be happy anywhere else but in Erucy.」

「There are countless people who would gladly sell their family members if it meant making money. As for the latter… well, I see your point. I apologize. Elves and fire foxes are too well-known. In Erin, you never know when someone might attack you for magic stones.」

done.co