214-196 Negotiations with the Duke of Nenas (1/2)

After a little more than a day of playing in the streets of Pining, it was time for the appointment with Viscount Nenus.

Today, Mary and Mitya are staying at the inn.

There would be no danger, but there was no way I could bring them without them being part of our party.

I showed the gatekeeper the invitation that had been sent to me the other day, and he let me go straight into the mansion, where I waited for a while in the parlor.

Since I was in charge of the negotiations this time, I was a little nervous.

In terms of simple suitability, Natsuki is the most suitable person for the job, and I had left it to her in the previous negotiation with the deputy, but this is not a common practice, so I tried my best.

In this country, there is a gender gap, not to the point of being male-dominated, but to the extent that people wonder why a woman is in charge of negotiations when a man is.

If they were in a position to negotiate on equal terms, the difference would not be a big problem, but in this case, due to the difference in their positions, there is almost no room for negotiation.

The risk of displeasing a nobleman, even the lord of the region where he lives, for a small amount of money is too high.

In some stories, there are protagonists who talk with nobles as equals, but unless they are so good that they can be crushed by force of arms, equality is unthinkable.

If that's the case, it's better to have a man in charge.

In that case, it would be me or Toya, but if the choice was between the two, it was unanimously decided to be me.

This is simply a matter of appearance.

If Viscount Nenus doesn't like beasts, he'll probably like me more because I'm better looking.

On the other hand, there is a possibility that he will be jealous of my appearance, but we'll just have to think about that when the time comes.

I waited in the parlor for several tens of minutes.

The door opened and in came an elderly man who looked like Viscount Nenus, an elderly man who looked like a butler, and three people who seemed to be his bodyguards.

We all stood up and greeted them.

I'm sorry to keep you waiting.

”No, sir. Thank you for your time.

Actually, it's not much of a wait, is it?

The time of the appointment was vague, mid-morning, but this was unavoidable, as few people had accurate watches.

We came here right after breakfast, and considering the circumstances, I'd say he gave us a pretty early time.

I'm Joachim Nenus. Please have a seat.

Yes.

We did as we were told, and sat down facing Viscount Nenus, who looked at each of us in turn as if he were observing us, and then twisted his head in surprise.

He looked at each of us and twisted his head in surprise. You're younger than I thought, aren't you?

”Uh, yes. We're still young. ......

What should I say in this situation?

Of course, you can't say ”I'm not young,” because you are actually young.

Of course, ”Don't underestimate me just because I'm young” is also out of the question.

Inevitably, my response was rather vague.

Viscount Nenus understood my annoyance, and shook his head with a wry smile.

It's not that there's anything wrong with that, or that I'm doubting you. The adventurer's guild has been in touch with us. So, the sword our family requested?

”Yes. This is the sword we found.

I took out of my magic bag the finely decorated sword that I got from the Skeleton King.

I was about to place it on the table, but stopped myself.

--If I leave it like this, it will scratch the table, right?

The butler, who must have noticed my hesitation, quickly stepped forward and took the sword from my hand.

Thank goodness.

The table in front of us was a very expensive piece of furniture, as expected from a domain famous for its furniture.

It would be a shame to damage it by placing a sword on it.

I'm not sure what to make of it. ...... What do you think?

After a short inspection of the sword handed to him by the steward, Viscount Nenus handed it back to the steward.

It's a good idea to take a look at your own personal life before you make a decision.

Perhaps he had never seen the sword before, considering how he had inherited his title.

On the other hand, the old butler was probably a servant of the Viscount Nenus family from long ago.

Seeing that he was able to make a judgment right away, he probably had seen it before.

I'm sure of it. I'll confirm it's the one you requested.

”Thank you. Thank you. Please sign here.

I spread out on the table the request form that the guild had given me.

If you sign here, you will receive the original request fee, 300 gold coins, in addition to the transportation fee.

”Very well.

Viscount Nenus picked up the pen that the butler beside him offered, quickly wrote his signature on the request form, and presented it to us.

”Certainly. I'll take care of it.

I took the request form and put it in my bag.

That completes the first objective.

Phew. .......

Exhale softly.

”Thank you for your help. I had almost given up hope that it would ever come back. ......

”Yes, you're in luck.

Ha-ha-ha. It's not just luck, is it?　If that was all that was needed to recover the money, I would have sent my men there.

That's a hard one to answer.

Even if it were true, there's no way you could answer, ”Because we're stronger than your soldiers. Of course, I don't know the actual strength.

”If it's ......, then I'm afraid you have the blessing of Lord Adversus.

”Huh?　Are you a follower of Adversus?　If so, maybe we should tell our soldiers to believe in it as well?

I'm not much of a believer, but I do go to the temple from time to time to pray.

”Oh, I see.

In Japan, religion is often frowned upon, but here, God is real and is given a certain amount of importance.

So I tried to say something like that. ...... Is this a success?　Failure?

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I'm not sure what to make of this.

Oops, you told me not to bother you too much. ....... I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

Oh, yes. Do you mind if I offer it to you?

Yes. Yes, of course.

After confirming that Viscount Nenus nodded, Toya took out the sword with the emblem of Viscount Nenus from the magic bag and piled it up on the floor next to the table.

At first, Viscount Nenus was relaxed, saying, ”Oh, a magic bag,” but when the number of swords exceeded 10, his expression became a little sullen, and by the time he had more than 20, his complexion had become a little pale.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that all of these swords bear the emblem of the Viscount Nenas family.

...... Let me check, shall I?

”Of course. Go ahead, check it out.

Oh. Hey.

At the urging of Viscount Nenus, the three guards who had been waiting for him began to check the bottles one by one.

There are certain places you should look.

All they had to do was check for the presence or absence of a coat of arms, and they didn't have to wait very long to complete their checks.

Of course, everything is crested.

Unless Toya makes a mistake and pulls out a different sword, there is no way anything will be rejected.

It's obvious to us, but Viscount Nenus exhaled with a bit of annoyance.

It seems to me that all of these swords are indeed from our family. So how much do you want for them?

”These are all made of white iron and would cost no less than fifty gold coins if bought at an ordinary weapon shop. However, I think Viscount Nenus has a lot of things on his mind right now. So, how about 40 gold pieces per weapon?

This price was decided after consulting with Diora as well as Haruka and the others.

It's a little low considering the added value of having a noble family's crest on it, but even this is enough to make a profit.

In response to this price, Viscount Nenus raised his eyebrows in surprise.

”That's pretty cheap. You're adventurers, aren't you?　I thought you'd charge more. ......?

I'm sure you'll agree.

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