10.
*Thud—!*
“This… I think this requires some explanation, Tania.”
I shoved the heavy sack I’d dragged across the office floor toward the guild head. It was so cumbersome that I hadn’t been able to carry it properly, forced to haul it the entire way.
“Ageratum, let’s make a contract, shall we?”
“A contract?”
The man, who had been bewildered a moment ago, straightened his posture, a spark of avarice flashing in his eyes.
“Just how much have you looked into things before coming here, customer?”
Even if he knew my abilities were extraordinary, it shouldn’t be easy to treat a young child with this level of seriousness. The guild head, however, possessed a natural aptitude for profit.
“I’m talking about purchasing grain in preparation for the famine next year. I don’t want to miss that opportunity.”
“Well, if you’re investing, the reliability of the information goes up, and I don’t see any reason to refuse. But where would you get the money…?”
The guild head shot me a look that clearly asked, *‘You didn’t steal this from the house you’re staying at, did you?’*
I gave a light shrug and pointed to the sack.
“I’ve been scouring the nearby mountains for the past few weeks and gathered these myself. Go ahead and open it.”
“Ho-ho, I’m curious to see what you’ve found to be so confident.”
The guild head, who had been acting playful, fumbled to open the sack, then widened his eyes in disbelief.
“Mana stones? My goodness, and the purity is top-tier! How on earth did you get these…!”
“The utility of my ability is infinite, after all.”
Seeing his reaction, I curled up the corners of my mouth in a grin.
It had been three weeks since Aiden left home to take care of an urgent matter. In that time, I had retrieved high-purity mana stones from sites that would only be discovered in the future—all located in areas currently infested with monsters.
Since the Empire would eventually launch a large-scale subjugation to secure those very stones, I had committed their exact locations to memory. Luckily, some were close enough to the capital for me to reach quickly.
Ah, you ask how I, someone with zero combat ability, managed to mine mana stones in a forest crawling with beasts?
Naturally, I repeated save-and-load until I was nearly insane, dodging every single threat that appeared in my path. I smiled leisurely and parted my lips.
“So, are you interested in a deal?”
The guild head’s eyes were already half-glazed with greed, but I asked out of courtesy.
“Tania, I’m not such a fool that I’d kick away good fortune rolling toward me.”
“Oh, for the record, I’m not proposing we trade these mana stones.”
“……What? Then?”
“The place where I dug these up is technically private property. But because it’s a nest for monsters, the owner is tearing their hair out, unable to do anything about it.”
In terms of Earth, it was a plot of land teeming with predators. From the owner’s perspective, it was a worthless liability that wouldn’t sell and only bled annual land taxes.
“If you mention a business involving monster by-products and offer to buy the land, they’d welcome you with open arms.”
This might put me at a slight disadvantage in price negotiations, but it would prevent them from suspecting that there was something hidden on that ground.
“I’ll tell you where it is. Verify the mana stones yourself, then either resell the land or mine it.”
“Y-you know of land buried with mana stones of such high purity…?”
“Yes. Instead, with the profit gained from this, ensure you purchase the grain, and give me my cut.”
*This is a big catch!*
The thought was written all over the guild head’s face. Not missing the opening, I beamed and slid the mana stones I’d brought over to him.
“This is a service.”
From the start, this was proof that I knew what I was talking about, and a way to win his favor. Sure enough, his eyes were practically dripping with honey as he looked at the stones. I had to negotiate now, before the effect of his greed wore off.
“So, what percentage do you have in mind, Ageratum?”
“There is much I would have to do. Buying the land, converting the stones into cash, buying the grain, storing it… and the monster extermination costs are…”
He was dragging it out. I knew the longer he talked, the less likely the terms would favor me, so I cut him off.
“The percentage?”
“Tania, this isn’t a problem that can be decided immediately…”
“The percentage.”
“……You’re relentless. Then, how about a 5-to-5 split of the net profit, not the gross revenue?”
Look at that. He caved the moment I pressed him. He had clearly already calculated his ideal share. I asked him with an incredibly serious face.
“Who gets the 5?”
“…….”
I shrugged at his stunned expression.
“I can’t even joke with you, Guild Head.”
“……Anyone would have been fooled by your youthful appearance.”
“Hehe.”
Anyway, 50% of the net profit was much more conscientious than I’d expected.
“Since I’m giving you full authority, I expected your share would start at a minimum of 70%.”
The guild head laughed heartily as he stroked the stones.
“Haha! I’m not foolish enough to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”
“That’s a good conviction to have.”
Actually, I had intended to squeeze him as hard as I could, but seeing him concede, I changed my mind.
“Alright. Let’s draft the contract based on that.”
“Wait! What if there’s an excessive concentration of monsters on that land, and the extermination costs lead to a loss instead of a profit?”
Certainly, since it was land slated for future subjugation, that possibility wasn’t zero.
“As I said, there’s always the option of reselling the land for a high price. And…”
I curved my eyes into half-moons.
“They say minimizing risk is the virtue of a merchant, but if you can’t take even that much risk, you can’t call yourself a merchant.”
It meant if he was scared, he should back out. I could always find someone else; I didn’t need him specifically. Reading the current beneath my smile, the guild head didn’t want to miss the contract and spoke smoothly.
“Haha, right! You’re correct. Shall we draft the contract then, customer?”
With a good-natured smile, the guild head began to write. We finalized the details quickly, thanks to how easy it was to talk to him.
“Come to think of it, you’ve become much prettier since the last time I saw you, Tania.”
It was perhaps natural. Nearly two months had passed since I came to the capital. My once-emaciated body had gained weight, and my hair, which used to be frizzy, began to shine after being brushed daily with oil-treated brushes.
My long, pale pink hair fluttered like cherry blossoms whenever I moved, and my clear, bright eyes glowed with a vivid amber hue. My appearance had completely transformed from the days I was treated as a street urchin. I didn’t hide my pleasant expression and giggled.
“Maybe it’s because I’m being loved.”
“Hah, you speak so prettily, unlike some people’s sons…”
The guild head muttered to himself about how he should have had another daughter, then seemed to remember something.
“That’s right! What kind of conversation did you have with Ron last time?”
“Oh… I don’t recall any significant conversation. Why do you ask?”
He shook his head, looking as if he couldn’t handle the situation.
“Ever since you visited, the boy hasn’t been able to keep his mind straight. He keeps asking me who you are and where you live.”
“Haha, I suppose I should avoid Ron’s sight for a while until his anger subsides.”
“He’s not angry. It’s the exact opposite.”
“……Opposite?”
It was then. The office door burst open, and someone stormed in as if to protest.
“Hey! If you came here, you should have told me!”
*Eek.* I’d been caught by Ron.
I was thinking that it was all over for me as I turned around. The moment Ron made eye contact with me, he flinched and rubbed his wide-open eyes.
“……Who?”
What did he mean by *who*?
I blinked for a moment, and a hypothesis popped into my head. I asked with a tentative expression.
“Pretty, have I changed so much that you don’t recognize me?”