Kamisama Shop de Cheat no Kaori

Chapter 214. The Freeman And A New Journey

Early in the morning, Cherina met up with the Veliero Merchant Guild’s caravan and headed straight to hand over the items to the Kazmus religion.

Left behind, we hurriedly prepared for our journey.

Thanks to the camper and the SHOP’s abilities, it wasn’t much of a hassle.

Hagg replenished some metal supplies, and the rest went to buy daily necessities that couldn’t be purchased from the SHOP.

This time, since old man Spawn was with us, we couldn’t rely entirely on our abilities. The necessary items were already tossed into the camper.

Our remaining funds were running dangerously low, though…

“Hoh, so this is the artifact carriage?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty handy.”

Since we had already explained the means of transportation during the drinking party, Spawn was peering into the vehicle with great interest.

Still, his flashy green outfit was a bit too much.

“Hmm. In my line of work, I’ve seen more artifacts than most, but this feels different from any of them.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. It’s as if it was brought from another world, if you will. Not that it’s possible, of course. Hahahaha!”

Spawn laughed cheerfully, but I was inwardly startled.

This guy’s intuition is way too sharp.

“If you see this, it’s easy to believe that there was once a far more advanced magical civilization in ancient times!”

Sorry, but this isn’t from this world.

I felt like I was imprinting a false understanding of archaeology on the old man, but I couldn’t correct him either…

As we moved the camper out of the carriage area, onlookers quickly gathered.

Perhaps due to the large population, the crowd was sizable.

“What’s with this carriage? Did it just move on its own?”

“Someone must be pushing it, right?”

“It looks like a boxy carriage.”

“Doesn’t seem like it can carry much cargo.”

“Look at that! There’s glass on the driver’s seat!?”

“No way, even on the cargo bed?”

“I peeked inside earlier, and there were chairs and a table in there!”

“You’re kidding! So this is a noble’s carriage?”

“Maybe a wealthy merchant… I wonder what kind of rich person rides in this?”

“Hmm. I’d love to have a carriage like this.”

“That’s already reserved for me to buy.”

“Buy it? How much would it even cost… huh!?”

I turned toward a familiar voice in the crowd, and of course, it was Aggai Arabant.

“Oh, it’s you, Aggai.”

“Akira. I heard you were setting off, but so soon?”

“Yeah, we plan to leave by noon.”

“I see. I came to invite you to lunch, hoping to chat a bit before you left.”

“Ah, sorry. I appreciate the thought, though.”

“No, a merchant values speed. Prioritize your work.”

“Isn’t that a soldier’s saying?”

“Isn’t business a kind of war?”

“I see. You’re right.”

“Sorry to bother you while you’re busy. Make sure to come back.”

“Yeah. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Aggai left as quickly as he had appeared. Once I figured out how to handle him, he might turn out to be a good business partner.

…Well, he’s from the continent’s top merchant guild, so he’s probably the best business partner you could ask for.

“Hey Akira, wasn’t that the branch manager of the Arabant Merchant Guild?”

“Yeah. He’s interested in buying this carriage.”

“You’re amazing.”

“Am I?”

“Think about it. If you wanted this carriage, would you personally come here multiple times? He’s the head of the continent’s largest guild! Normally, you’d leave it to a capable subordinate.”

“Hmm. Maybe it’s just because he happened to find it himself?”

“I feel like you’re a bit out of touch with the world.”

“I’m aware, but am I that out of touch?”

Just a little, maybe?

“Hahahaha! That outfit! Your lifestyle! And this carriage! Friends with elves and dwarves! A beautiful guild leader! If there’s anything normal about you, I’d love to hear it!”

“Uh…”

Cherina couldn’t even retort that she wasn’t the guild leader.

As I explained the precautions for riding the vehicle to the old man, everyone who had gone shopping returned.

“Did you get what you needed?”

“I managed to get some good iron through a blacksmith I’ve helped a few times.”

“That’s great.”

Actually, Hagg had not only been maintaining everyone’s weapons but had recently started repairing the vehicle too.

At first, it was nerve-wracking, but he was completely unfazed, even reforging the car’s springs after they broke in rough terrain.

Metal isn’t something you can easily restore to its original performance, though…

In any case, the saying that dwarves are enchanted by metal isn’t wrong. Excluding electronic parts and plastic, he could reforge original components, which was no joke.

If a Japanese engineer heard about this, they’d probably be utterly baffled.

It all started when a screw holding the bumper broke due to metal fatigue after the Goblin Hazard’s reckless driving.

Well, if you drive like that in a non-military vehicle, it’s no surprise a screw would give out.

Hagg quickly replicated the same screw as a reference.

Hmm. Dwarves are truly fearsome.

Or maybe Hagg is just exceptionally skilled.

Either way, we’ve been relying on him for maintenance ever since.

Of course, he enjoys it, so it’s helpful, but please… don’t try to disassemble the engine…

“Did everyone get what they needed?”

“We didn’t have much to buy in the first place. We’re all set!”

Lalaila answered cheerfully, and Yutis nodded in agreement.

If I asked about feminine-specific items, I might get accused of harassment, so I just made sure to give them some time.

“Now we just wait for Cherina to return…”

“No need. I’m back.”

“That was quick.”

“The Veliero caravan doesn’t employ incompetents.”

“I see.”

As expected of the guild that supports the western nations.

Now that they’re free from national constraints, they’ll likely rise to become a major guild soon.

“Shall we set off, then?”

“Oh! I’m looking forward to this!”

“Then take the passenger seat.”

“I want the passenger seat too.”

“Then it’s you and Lalaila. The rest of you, get in the back.”

“Cookle might get sulky soon, so I’ll ride the griffon.”

“Got it. Let’s go.”

And so, we free men set off for the elven nation, the Green Garden.

◆

“Hey Lalaila, since we’re here, tell me a bit about your homeland. Especially things we shouldn’t do or things that might offend people.”

“Hmm… I don’t know about the past, but modern elves aren’t that different from humans.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. It’s not like we’re closed off. It’s just that the settlements are scattered across a vast forest, so it’s hard to negotiate with other nations. But on a settlement level, exchanges are quite active.”

“I see.”

“That’s why large-scale interactions are rare, which might be why people think we’re closed off.”

“Makes sense. But doesn’t that make you vulnerable to attacks?”

“When something happens, representatives gather to come up with countermeasures, and all the tribes cooperate.”

“Oh?”

“For example, in a war, warriors from each village would form a temporary army to deal with it.”

“Ah, I see.”

Normally, a hastily assembled army wouldn’t be effective, but seeing Yalai and Lalaila, it seems the cooperation among their kind is strong.

Plus, their individual abilities are high, so they’d make a formidable force.

“There’s an old story about a human army that attacked once. It was a huge force, but the elves won.”

“Oh?”

“I don’t know the details, but the human army entered the forest and suddenly lost coordination, and the elven warriors picked them off one by one.”

“Wait, are there even large roads in the elven forest?”

“Not really.”

“I see.”

“What’s up, Akira? What did you figure out?”

The old man asked with interest.

“Nothing, just that a highly skilled, organically operated guerrilla force would be unbeatable in a jungle.”

“…Huh?”

“What?”

“Never mind. Forget it.”

“Akira, are you knowledgeable about military tactics too?”

“No, just an amateur’s ramblings. Really, forget it.”

Guerrilla warfare in the jungle. Even the U.S. military struggled with it. Not that I could say that…

Trying to steer the conversation away, I urged Lalaila to continue, and the camper sped off, kicking up dust as we raced toward their homeland.

And then.

I was reminded of my own unlucky streak.