Vol 2 Chapter 10.1 (2/2)

「Erm――」

「Marita-sama, it belongs to this gentleman here. Without even a greeting… such conduct is not admirable…」

Before I could cut in, the butler-san chided the princess, seized the White Magic Crystal and put it back on the counter table.

「I-I know. Can’t I even get a little excited?」

「If so, very well.」

The princess, the standing of whom was clearly superior, couldn’t defy the butler-san. It was quite amusing. I was looking at the princess while holding my laughter back.

「What…?」

「No, nothing.」

Being laughed at probably hurt her feelings.

Woah! This girl is pretty scary.

――While I was thinking that, the princess clasped the hem of her dress with both of her hands and greeted impeccably.

「I’m the Lord Albert・Duo・Ballad’s daughter――Marita. He’s the butler, Logins・Crowe. Excuse the impoliteness just now.」

「Nah, it’s fine…」

「Now that it’s behind us, Logins shouldn’t have any issue.」

The princess, my first impression of whom was that of a tomboy, could act like a princess, too, huh?

Although Logins-san was sullen, with the princess’ relaxed tone, he nodded and greeted us.

When Lim and I were done introducing ourselves, Logins-san explained the situation.

――Fumu… The self-defense crystal, which had been processed into a pendant, had shattered due to an unforeseen accident (※Marita was the cause).

They were looking for a replacement. However, they were troubled with only the small ones.

Right then, I came with a large White Magic Crystal… That was the gist…

I wasn’t sure as to how tough a White Magic Crystal was, but it wasn’t something that could shatter just like that. What the heck did she do?

Well, I would sell it if they wanted. After all, that was what I came here for.

「Erm, how much would you buy it for?」

She was the daughter of the lord. She would buy it at a generously high price――

My hopes shattered the next instant.

「Ara, I’m unable to set a fair price. Didn’t you come here to sell in the first place? If I bought directly from you, I would feel bad for the shop’s staff.」

Oh well… It seemed to be her honest opinion…

If the shop bought it, they would first have it processed into jewellery by an artisan from the Industrial District and then set the price of the finished article. Only then would they be able to make profit.

If I sold it directly to Marita, she would have to rely on a skillful artisan for the finished article.

In the latter case, the shop would be out of loop.

However, wouldn’t Marita be incurring loss in the former case?

The price of the finished jewellery would be quite high.

No, these might be the words to keep me from hesitating to sell the White Magic Crystal and further increasing the price.

Oh well. There was no need for me to behave in such a petty manner as to hesitating and increasing the price.

Or rather, racking my nonexistent brain and reading the other party’s though pattern was unbecoming.

Although she looks shrewd, what do I have to be seriously worried about a 12 year old kid for?

Therefore, I brought my train of thought to a halt and requested the male shop clerk to proceed with the sales procedure.

After showing my Adventurer ID, I inquired the amount.

「Let’s see… Such a size isn’t readily available on the market… So, how about 350,000 Dalas…?」

……Wha?

Before I could restart my brain, that had hanged, Marita spoke to the male shop clerk.

「Hey, although I have expectations in regards to the price after it has turned into a finished article, shouldn’t its price be a bit higher?」

Are you… serious…?

I was caught off guard by the first offer, but then came an attack.

Marita was an awful kid.

「We cannot hope to match Marita. Then… how about 380,000 Dalas…?」

This time, Marita smiled as if she had agreed.

「In a business, everyone should stand to gain. You must endeavour to put a smile on everyone’s face――is what my father always says. I found something I was looking for, so I’m glad. This shop will be able to gross profit, too. And you――」

Suddenly, Marita turned around and pointed my way.

「Will be able to sell at a slightly higher price. Isn’t it great?」

As if saying, ‘I have completely recovered from the earlier disgrace,’ the way she stuck her nonexistent chest out looked charming.

No way… Isn’t this princess a nice princess…?

To conclude with merely that, I might be considerably soft.

I refuse. Although I could use all elemental magic, I didn’t have such an element as that. That was why I persistently believed she was a nice princess.

When I was about to consent to the offered amount, Marita spoke once again.

「By the way, where did you get a White Magic Crystal of such a size?」

「Marita-sama, he might have been blessed with such an opportunity due to being an Adventurer. That question was intrusive――」

「Ara, it was just on my mind.」

Even though Logins-san was trying to restrain her, it didn’t seem like her curiosity could be suppressed.

Time to tell the story, that we had agreed upon, of how I obtained this White Magic Crystal.

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