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Chapter 41: Aina the Iron Fist
The Royal Capital Black Market occupies a massive open area surrounded by wide roads extending from the eastern district.
In terms of size, it was about as large as a slightly oversized forest park, and the number of shops was staggering. Countless people gathered at the Royal Capital Black Market in search of hidden treasures buried among them.
“Quite the energy here.”
“It really feels like the royal capital. Since all the shops are concentrated in one place, it’s even noisier than the street festival, isn’t it?”
The spot Aina and I had rented for our stall was neither particularly good nor particularly bad—just mediocre. Unlike the entrances in the four cardinal directions, where people’s eyes naturally fell, or the central marketplace where the star products were gathered, our location was somewhere in between.
Е n̈ ū ṁ а
If I had to describe it, it was probably toward the northeast side.
The black market had only recently opened, so the great crowds that had gathered earlier had not yet arrived, but a rumbling noise like distant thunder already echoed throughout the area.
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“Ah, right... I just remembered why today’s black market is unusually lively.”
As I idly watched the shop across from us, thinking that customers were still a long way off, Aina suddenly slapped a hand against her palm as if she had recalled the reason for all the commotion.
“What’s causing it?”
“I heard an elf was brought in as a slave. I think that’s why so many people are gathering.”
Ẇeb ń о̆ v е̇l̀ En ǔ m а̃
“Ah... I see.”
An elf slave. A classic fantasy-world cliché, if ever there was one, had apparently arrived at this black market.
Come to think of it, this country had slavery? I only realized it now.
“Is that unusual?”
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“This country isn’t as large as some others, so it’s not something you see very often.”
“Hmm. An elf...”
W е̂ bñо̌ v е l̊ Ên ům̃а̃
From a Japanese perspective, elves were long-lived, beautiful regardless of gender, and skilled with bows. But I wondered how they were regarded in this world.
“...Elves are famous for being beautiful, both men and women. In countries where slave hunting exists, they’re among the first targets.”
“Slave hunting...?”
“...And just so you know, don’t go buying that slave and bringing them back to the team house.”
“Like hell I would.”
I brushed off Aina’s suspicious glare.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Still, as a former Japanese person, the idea of seeing an elf did pique my curiosity. If they hadn’t been sold yet, maybe I’d go take a look later.
Thinking that, I whiled away the time chatting with Aina about nothing in particular.
“Hey, this is genuine, right?”
“Of course. There’s even a guild appraisal certificate here.”
“Those things can be forged easily enough. I can’t buy something this uncertain.”
A few dozen minutes after the black market opened, customers began arriving one after another in search of bargains.
Ŵеb̃ n о̌ v̀еl̇ Ӗ n̄ ū ṁă
When I participated in the street festival before, my first customer had been Rey Castiano, so in a sense, this black market was my first real experience as a merchant.
“How about 1.3 million for a bottle?”
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“That’s the price of a first-grade blue potion. There’s no way.”
Most customers who came to the black market started by trying to find faults with the merchandise in order to drive down the price.
They would question whether the potion was really genuine purple-grade, whether it might actually be blue-grade instead, and so on. After grilling us, they would offer somewhat more than the guild’s fair-market price and try to negotiate.
“...”
Еñ ů m̈ а
“Hey! You’re letting this man do all the talking. What exactly are you supposed to be?”
“...Shut up. If you’re not buying, then leave.”
The person constantly nitpicking at the potions we had on display was an unusually fat man. Judging from his appearance, he was probably a merchant from the royal capital or a traveling trader.
The sun had already set, and the black market should have been pleasantly cool, yet the man was sweating profusely while loudly raising his voice.
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I had absolutely no intention of yielding, partly because this kind of man tried to intimidate people with his appearance and demeanor to force discounts, which naturally made me resistant.
And, quite frankly, even if these had only been first-grade blue potions, 1.2 million would still have been a bargain by black-market standards.
Еnu m̊а̄
“Y-you little—!”
Perhaps because I refused to budge, his gaze shifted toward Aina, who sat beside me.
As he turned his head from me to her, the layers of fat hanging beneath his chin jiggled, scattering sweat everywhere.
Ugh. Just as I was growing thoroughly fed up with him, Aina finally reached the end of her patience before I could say anything.
“SHUT THE HELL UP! If you’re not buying anything, then get away from the stall! You’re getting in the way of business!”
The sudden outburst drew surprised looks from the neighboring shopkeepers, but they quickly looked away.
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In a perpetually noisy place like the black market, Aina’s reaction probably wasn’t all that unusual.
“A mere woman dares—!”
Rather than being intimidated, the fat man seemed enraged that a young woman had shouted at him. His face turned bright red as he became even more aggressive.
Amazing. It even looks like a Kin*dom manga panel.
The only reason he was clinging so stubbornly to us was probably because he knew the potions and appraisal certificates were genuine. Even so, trying to grab Aina by the collar was going too far.
Thinking that, I grabbed his arm before he could lay a hand on her.
Ẇ ë bn о̃ve̊ l Е ñ u ma
“You lit—”
“Take it easy, sir.”
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I cut him off and spoke in a slightly threatening tone.
I couldn’t exactly hit a customer, so I was about to pressure him into leaving through sheer intimidation.
“Bgyuh!!”
At the very moment I leaned forward to glare at him, an iron fist flew in from outside my field of vision.
Ẃе̊ b̃n̊ o v̌_е̇ ĺ Е̂n u m а
The customer’s plump face flattened like a crushed melon. The impact rippled through layer after layer of flesh, sending sweat flying everywhere. His enormous body lifted off the ground and flew several meters backward from where he had been standing.
MurMur MurMur
When a man built like a sumo wrestler went soaring through the air, even the noisy black market couldn’t ignore it. Attention immediately turned toward us.
The large man lay spread-eagled on the ground, twitching faintly. Curious spectators began gathering around.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“...Aina?”
“Ah.”
Ẽn̆ŭmа̃
When I shifted my gaze from the barely conscious man to Aina, she wore the unmistakable expression of someone who had just realized, Ah. I did it.
