Chapter 68 (2/2)

”I just so happened to obtain some Would you like one, Rebeccsan? If you want to, you can take asthem to me? I see … Well, I'll have 1 handkerchief then” [Rebecca]

Handkerchief, huh? If it's handkerchiefs, she could just take asof which, in Europe, a sniffing nose is the worse manner faux pas But pocket tissue is not common, so everyone clears their nose in a handkerchief it seems And then, that handkerchief which they've blown their nose in is of course kept in the pocket after use and reused multiple times…

Wah, the heavens forbid, by japanese standards, that was one of the most unacceptable practices!

”Well, I have quite a lot, so take which ever ones you like All of thens, but the work It feels as if it'll just fall apart if you've use it a few ti for me, any one's fine” [Rebecca]

”Then, this one How's it? The design is practical and not too stiff” [Jirou]

I handed her a sies

”Yes I'll take it Fufu Thanks” [Rebecca]

Rebeccsan received the handkerchief with glee and hugged it to her chest

I could give her aslike this wouldout for ot froh But you can hate the monk, but you shouldn't hate the robe he wears The item itself has co that you found lace now There aren't many aristocrats in Erishe, so it's rare,” [Rebecca]

Rare…? I guess that's probably true I don't reone around all the markets, be it flea market or the market

”So, it actually has quite sous business it as Elves' village goods, did he…

Could it be that it's rare, but it's worthless…? It is beco some sort of mystery

”Rather than it has value, it's more like it had value It seems that there was a tist the aristocrats in the Imperial capital It went out of fashi+on when I was a child, though See, there's decorative lace like this, right? At that time, it was fashi+onable to attach theh, if you do it now, you'll be laughed at” [Rebecca]

”Ah This is…” [Jirou]

A once popular item that was now disposed of cheaply

So, lace is such an iteht the those who did not know about the fashi+on trends in the Imperial capital for easy sales But he was still uneasy about it and tagged on an added value of it being frouess?

”It seeave them to their maids or servants, or threw them away For the peasants, it's become a symbol of the luxury of an aristocrat, isn't it? That's why, they didn't give them to the peasants and just threw them away” [Rebecca]

I see…

Well, that was not a proble them, the price was just a conjecture

It's aso in her oay

”So, there's not really a value to this? Well, I didn't have any plans to sell them here anyway, so that's not a proble that is worthless, is there?” [Rebecca]

”Is that so?” [Jirou]

”Wearing lace as fashi+on may be outdated, but that doesn't mean that lace itself ceases to exist It can be sold simple as a decorative item, can't it? Even now, if I look at the handkerchief, it's still cute It looks good for wrapping things up too” [Rebecca]

I thought about it while passing Rebeccsan sos up

When lace was in fashi+on ast the Imperial capital aristocrats, the artisans probably sold the these expensive artisan-made lace

But as wearable lace becaular lace

This way, out-dated = tacky Like on Earth, the aristocrats get rid of the lace

Rebeccsan said that the lace was given to the maids or servants, so they, in turn, either used it the expenses However, if even the peasants were not interested in the lace, the price would fall gradually, and it would end up in clearance sales

That bogus businessman assembled all these laces, went to tohich are far off from the Imperial capital or unfamiliar hat's fashi+onable, and sold them

But fashi+on revives… Even if that's not the case, lace is a regular itees in fashi+on This is so that I (as a o to the Imperial capital and purchase thereat in terms of quality, but there are sost them Since it is now not fashi+onable, I should be able to purchase theet to the Imperial capital from here?” [Jirou]

”Eh? The Ie, it'll take around 2 to 3 weeks You're going?” [Rebecca]

”That far? I guess that's not possible at this point of time That's far” [Jirou]

A round trip will take 4 to 6 weeks… By the way, 1 week here is 6 days, so a return trip will take 24 to 36 days That's not a sh than just 'It's not at the level of ”I' out for a bit' It's equivalent to a sizeable overseas trip Rather than going to such a far place for just a little profit, it's o to Diana's home

…But they have meticulously hand-woven lace that'll probably stio, I'll show you there I' tied down by the 'Hitotsuzuki' currently, so it's not possible now, but if it's after, I can bring you anytiether

Rebeccsan once said that she knows an aristocrat in the I, it'll be very helpful More than that, I can't ie by iven a horse carriage and told 'Go cross-country over the Americas! All the best!' and sent off… Reality is probably more or less that In addition, this is a world where demon beast, monsters, mountain bandits, and robbers can siuide book, it wouldn't be odd if 'Warning: Death' ritten in it Johannesburg's was also really blue

[TN: Johannesburg is apparently the uidebook probably co too]

Well, it's not like I've actually gone there, so I can only iine what the journey is like There's also the possibility that it's not as dangerous That bogus business salesman, and he travels alone too

”Thank you I'll tell you when I decide to” [Jirou]

”Yes I'll take up on your offer then” [Rebecca]

Rebecca said and s I gave her sparkled on Rebeccsan's chest

On that note, we also said that we'd go to Heripa Lake together The shop is also quite stable now, thanks to Etowa Once the Hitotsuzuki has ended, why not just go on a trip with everyone?

Ah I forgot to go to the teuild on the way back from work and called on Mr Toby

”hello, it's been a while I found a terrible swindler just today Can he be punished by the guild or soone to another city and doing the sa, I think” [Jirou]

”Yes The Commerce and Industry Guild punishes such persons Could you please tell methis black rock salt and selling it as a product of the Elves' village for 1 silver coin When I ith Diana the Elf, to expose it as a fraud, he escaped At this rate, he'll do the same in the other towns Diana confirht? Diana?” [Jirou]

”That's riiight” [Diana]

”My Black rock salt Would anyone buy such salt? I can't i for such a bluff” [Toby]

”I asked the salt shop and he said that it's usually disposed of since the colour is inauspicious Because of that, people don't ever see it, and people who don't know about itof rarity Anyway, I've taken the stock available at the salt shop into custody just in case” [Jirou]

”Heh… There was such a horrible swindler in this town… No Were they targeting the religious…? Do you kno many of them there are?” [Toby]

”Ehh, there were… 3 of them They escaped in different directions I don't knohere theyin Erishe, and then going their separate ways and continuing their swindling” [Jirou]

”3 of them, I see… In that case, there's a possibility that they're part of a large swindling group Great I'll send out a notice of caution to the guild in the surrounding towns Is it alright if I hold on to this rock salt as evidence?” [Toby]

”Please do In that case, I'll leave it to you ” [Jirou]

”Ah Thank you for your cooperation” [Toby]

―― After that, I heard that ato sell that rock salt as a product of the Elves' village

Thethat he was innocent and had been cheated, but it was the truth that he was selling nore, so he was sentenced to slave labour It was his first offence, so he was marked as a slave for a one-year contract

Just in case, they searched for the swindler who passed the rock salt to the ht that the swindler sold off all his re rock salt and oes

They say this hat the man last said:

”… In other words, I've been ruined by soerous to carry on using rock salt for his swindles since a warrant was issued, so he cheated me and sold it all off to ht I was… By the way, Police sir, that guy should be swindling using lace I won't go in peace if you don't, at least, catch hi lace as Elves' village products

Author's Note:

Perpetrators who became labour slaves after arrest do not beco for a fixed period, they earn the right to redeem themselves from the slave status It's a type of punishment For slaves like Marina, who are tied to aas the master says no, they are slaves for life For labour slaves however, they became slaves to pay for their crimes, so after they have done a specific work at a specific place for a specific period, they are free again

Well, crimes and evil are harshly punished in this world

At the very least, they don't have such thing as suspension of sentence

Well, I had this setting in my head, but I couldn't properly explain it anywhere, so here it is anyway

For h, I think that since it's a primitive world, it should be fine to lose an ar bad