Chapter 65: The Wildflowers

The weapon shop alley in the capital had grown especially crowded these days.

There was a noticeable increase in visits from lower-ranking nobles and soldiers, but the supply of leather armor was far too short to meet the demand.

“There’s none here either? How can this be?”

“We have to prepare at least 300 sets by next week!”

“And there’s no news from the merchant guild about any shipments coming in! What on earth is going on!”

A voice full of frustration rang out.

A man who had already visited five merchant companies clutched his head and muttered.

“Just who went and bought it all up...?”

He was Baron Bronn, entrusted with overseeing supplies for this major operation.

He had come to purchase additional armor beyond what the nobles already possessed, but now he found himself in an unexpected predicament.

At that moment, an elderly peddler spoke up.

“The other day, some place called the Golden Hawk Merchant Company... They bought up every last set, I heard.”

“Golden Hawk?”

Bronn’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar name.

“Where’s that?”

He immediately began tracking down the merchant company with his subordinates, eventually heading toward the old outskirts of the capital, following a winding alley.

After much searching, they arrived at a shabby one-room office, with nothing but a weathered sign and decaying windows.

Inside sat a young man in tinted glasses, one leg crossed over the other.

“Is this the Golden Hawk Merchant Company?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Where is the company master?”

“I am the company master of Golden Hawk, actually.”

Was this youth, who looked like nothing more than a carefree playboy, truly the one who’d bought up all the leather armor?

It seemed strange, but Bronn was the one in need, so he did his best to speak carefully.

“I heard you recently bought up all the leather armor in this area. Where is it? I’ll buy it from you!”

But the company master waved both hands.

“Oh dear, you’re too late. The armor’s already on its way to another country.”

“...What? An—another country?”

“I heard there’s a shortage of leather armor in the Cocoon Kingdom these days, so I thought I might get a premium if I sold it there. That’s why I swept up the entire stock and sent it off.”

Bronn’s face went pale.

“When did it depart?”

“About three days ago, so it should be arriving at Middle Road by now. As you know, it’s a lot of armor, and it’s heavy, so it takes some time.”

“Th—that... Bring it back!”

“Excuse me?”

The company master looked incredulous.

“You mean you want me to turn back a wagon that’s already left? Do you know how much I paid for those porters?”

“Listen here, bring it back at once! I’ll buy it all!”

“Well... Truthfully, it may have already crossed the border...”

“I’ll pay extra! No, I’ll pay more than the extra!”

As Bronn pleaded desperately, the company master scratched the back of his head, looking troubled.

“Hmm... If you’re really willing to pay that much, it’s not impossible. Ha, but honestly, it doesn’t really appeal to me.”

Bronn, growing anxious, resorted to his final tactic.

“I’ll pay more than more than the extra! However much it takes, just bring it back!”

At last, the company master nodded and opened his ledger.

“Very well. I can get it back to you within a week. At these terms, we won’t be taking a loss.”

A loss? Hardly.

The original price, plus extra, plus extra on top of that, and yet another extra...

How could selling at four times the price possibly be a loss?

Bronn felt like he’d been thoroughly swindled, but he had no choice.

If he failed in his responsibility to procure these supplies, the Marquis would undoubtedly be furious.

Besides, this was no ordinary task they were preparing for!

He’d even been given ample funds and told not to hold back, so as not to hinder preparations.

“How many sets are there?”

“Three hundred.”

“Exactly what we need!”

“Yes, here. Please sign.”

Like a man possessed.

Bronn had no choice but to scribble his signature on the contract.

Once all the paperwork was complete—

“Good, I’ll take them all. How much?”

Suddenly feeling uneasy, Bronn asked.

The company master, who’d been tallying up the numbers, grinned.

“Ten million Cron in gold, sir. It was supposed to be twelve million, but I’m giving you a special discount.”

“Ugh.”

At the price, Bronn could only clutch his neck in shock.

---

Puhaha!

In a corner of Boronia Palace.

Laughter rang out in Rohan’s office.

“So, you really sold it at four times the price?”

“Yes, yes, I did. I thought I’d push a little more, but the offer came pouring right out.”

William shrugged his shoulders proudly.

“To think you made me play the part of a merchant master, Your Highness... I was a bit hesitant, but in the end, it was quite fun. The look on his face when he panicked...”

“Who else but you could have done it? Should I have made stiff old Martin do it? Or innocent little Jennen?”

“Well, you have a point.”

The two of them laughed for a while.

“It was a brilliant scheme, Your Highness. Buying up the leather armor in advance was impressive, but the fact that you thought to resell it like this is truly extraordinary.”

Thanks to that, Rohan’s purse had grown fat, and the surplus in finances brought peace of mind to his steward, William.

“To think a neat ten million Cron would just fall into our laps! It feels like a dream.”

The Marquis would never suspect a thing.

He’d never dream that his own funds had ended up in Rohan’s hands.

“Your Highness, do you think they’ll try to act soon? It would be quite a mess if they realized we’d tampered with the armor.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Rohan smiled lightly and rose from his seat.

“I’ve found a way to make them act immediately, on the very day they receive the armor.”

“Sometimes, I swear... Your Highness is like a wizard from legend.”

How did he come up with these schemes so effortlessly!

William was in awe.

And now, he had complete faith—when Rohan said he’d do something, he did it.

“Your Highness, Jennen Lorance has arrived.”

At that moment, the attendant’s announcement made Rohan turn his head.

“Jennen?”

He’d given Jennen plenty to do recently, and told him not to bother coming to the palace after hours.

“William, go take care of your business.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Curious, Rohan made his way to the reception room.

---

“So this is Goofy Monterjac?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“G-Good heavens. I greet the Crown Prince, Your Highness.”

Goofy.

A man with a round body, short stature, and an impressively curly head of hair.

“He hasn’t been seen at the bookstore for several days. And when I asked around among his old book club friends, they said it had been quite a while. I thought I wouldn’t be able to find him...”

Jennen looked at Goofy.

“But as it turns out, he’d gone traveling to Silvaren.”

“Silvaren?”

Rohan’s eyebrow shot up.

“That place is completely closed off to outsiders. How did you manage to go there?”

“Haha, well, uh, sniff.”

Goofy scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“I didn’t actually get inside. Sniff, I was caught and dragged out before I could get in... Ha ha.”

“Yes, that’s right. He tried to sneak in because he really wanted to visit Silvaren, but he got caught by the northern warriors standing guard and had to turn back.”

“I see.”

Rohan let out a small chuckle.

“It’s a good thing you weren’t caught by Elpyrian.”

“Ahem. I was sure I wouldn’t get caught...”

He was a peculiar fellow.

His appearance was unusual, but even more so was the way he made little sniffling noises and gestured peculiarly as he spoke.

“But why did you want to go to Silvaren?”

Most people wouldn’t even consider going there.

Though it held mysterious magic, it was fiercely guarded by powerful Elpyrian warriors.

Countless people who tried to sneak in, ignoring the ban on human entry, had vanished without a trace.

For Goofy to decide to go alone to Silvaren was nothing short of remarkable courage.

“Ah, well, the thing is, sniff... How do I put this?”

He hesitated for a moment, then exclaimed “Ah!” and rummaged through his bag.

Dried jerky, hard bread, a water flask, a thin blanket...

All sorts of things came out of his bag.

“Found it!”

What he pulled out was a small book, no bigger than his palm.

“Huh? Is that...”

Jennen recognized it.

“Y-Yes, Jennen! I introduced it to you before, remember? It’s an ancient book called ‘Wildflowers.’ Sniff. I tried everything, but I just can’t decipher it, so I was taking it to Silvaren.”

Jennen and Rohan exchanged glances.

Who would have thought they’d see that book like this.

“But, didn’t you tell me before it was written in the ancient Yubrita script?”

“Yes! You have a good memory, Jennen! That’s right, Yubrita script, sniff.”

With a red face, he hugged the ‘Wildflowers’ book tightly to his chest.

“I wanted to go to Silvaren to decipher this script. Because a friend of mine who once translated the title of this book lives there!”

“A friend?”

Jennen’s eyes grew wide.

“A friend... So you’ve met an Elpyrian before?”

Goofy nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness. When I was a child, I met one just once. Sniff.”

He explained that he’d been interested in old books since childhood.

He used to frequent a bookstore specializing in ancient texts, where he once encountered an Elpyrian man.

Curious, young Goofy asked him about the book, and the man told him its title was ‘Wildflowers’ and that it was a fascinating read.

When Goofy asked if they could meet again someday, the Elpyrian replied, “If you want that, you’ll have to come to Silvaren.”

“Anyway, ever since then, I’ve tried to decipher the script, but I’ve never succeeded. That’s why I tried to go to Silvaren, sniff, to meet that friend again.”

“That’s quite a story... Do you know the Elpyrian’s name?”

Jennen asked, and Goofy shook his head.

“No, I don’t know his name. But I remember his face clearly, sniff. He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life!”

“Well, Elpyrians live so long that he’d look the same even if you met him years ago.”

“Right? When we meet, I want him to recognize me, so I’ve kept my figure exactly the same! It’s not at all because I like food.”

He chattered away excitedly.

All the while, his hand continued to help itself to refreshments.

“Hmm... What do you think, Your Highness? It seems he can’t read the language either.”

“So it appears.”

Rohan leaned forward and gazed at the ‘Wildflowers’ book on Goofy’s knee.

“This book. Would you be willing to lend it to me for a while?”

“What? Even for the Crown Prince, that’s a bit...”

Was it because it was a book he’d treasured since childhood?

Goofy reacted sensitively.

“How about this, then? Deep in the royal library there are some ancient books lying dormant. If you lend me your book, I’ll let you borrow three from that collection.”

Of course, they would be transcribed copies, not originals—but there was no way Goofy would know that.

“R-Really?”

He hastily stuffed the cookie in his mouth and wiped his hands on his trousers.

Then he stroked the book.

“This book is very precious to me, sniff. But since it’s Your Highness, I’ll lend it to you just this once. Besides, I won’t be meeting that Elpyrian any time soon.”

Truly, a unique fellow in every way.

“Good, Goofy. Before you leave, let’s stop by the royal library.”

“K-sniff! Sounds great! I’m excited!”

“M-May I come too?”

Jennen, also a lover of ancient books, was starting to get excited as well.