At the northernmost edge of Arcadia lay the Kato Kingdom. It was the nation closest to the barren North, a wasteland that did not permit human footsteps, and was one of the middling countries with a population of a little over one hundred thousand. Because it bordered the North, the natural environment of the Kato Kingdom was relatively harsh. Even so, the people here made use of their own know-how to carry on with their lives.
The Kato Kingdom was by no means a wealthy nation. Farming was impossible because of the cold weather, and even commerce had failed to develop due to the appearance of Ice Trolls. For that reason, the majority of its people made their living through fishing. Of course, no one even dreamed of taking a boat out to catch fish. With even the sea frozen over from the bitter cold, there was no way they could launch boats. For the residents, making a living meant nothing more than drilling holes in the surface of frozen lakes and fishing up enough fish to feed their families. The only products the Kato Kingdom could boast of were a few kinds of fish and pelts. Nevertheless, merchants’ footsteps continued to lead to the Kato Kingdom without cease. Though they were not numerous, the fact that they came despite the threat of Ice Trolls proved that the Kato Kingdom possessed merits not easily imagined. The group that had just arrived here, for instance, were merchants who had come aiming for precisely such merits.
Clop, clop.
A single carriage slowly entered the entrance of the village. The place where the horse stopped was a building half-buried in snow. Three or four merchants, their bodies wrapped tightly in thick fur clothing, shuddered as they climbed down from the carriage.
“We’ve arrived at the inn, so let’s warm ourselves up first.”
Most merchants knew that the low, nearly collapsing building was the only inn in the vicinity. Even though it had no signboard. One of the merchants looked around and let out a trembling voice.
“Phew. It really is cold. I’ve come here several times already, but I simply can’t get used to the cold in this place.”
It was so cold that white steam puffed out from between the furs wrapped around his face. The cold felt just as unfamiliar to the horses pulling the carriage. Though thick blankets had been tied around them to maintain their body heat, the horses kept snorting and stamping restlessly. They had instinctively realized that their bodies were growing cold because of the chill. Watching them, a man clicked his tongue.
“Unharness the horses first. If we don’t put them in the stable, we may be the ones pulling the carriage tomorrow.”
From his aged voice, he seemed to be someone with plenty of experience in this place. The merchants separated the horses from the carriage without complaint. Since guests had arrived, one might have expected an employee to come out, but there was no sign of movement from inside the building at all. As though telling them to tie up the horses on their own and come in... One merchant glared toward the building.
“Well, now. Those employees are lazy as can be...”
The merchant who seemed to be the leader shook his head as if to say that was not the case.
“It is not only here. Think about it. Who would come out to greet guests in this cold? Money is good, but freezing to death is something no one likes.”
“That’s true...”
The merchant nodded as though accepting it. They silently led the unharnessed horses around to the back of the inn. There stood a spacious stable made of rough logs. After tying the horses in the stable, the men hurriedly turned back. Their bodies were frozen, and they desperately longed for warm soup.
Creak.
The merchants who entered after opening the door looked around the interior. Perhaps thanks to the crude but thick door, the inside was quite warm. Unlike its nearly collapsing exterior, the inn building protected its interior well from the bitter cold. If nothing else, it was an excellent building when it came to blocking out the cold.
There were hardly any guests. Unless one was a traveler or a merchant, there was no reason to stay at an inn. When the merchants entered, the employee who had been nodding off by the stove finally stirred and got up.
“Welcome.”
At the drowsy voice, one merchant clicked his tongue, but the rest of the group went and sat by the stove without complaint. Since this was not their first journey here, they intended to let it pass. After ordering food and drink, the merchants sat around the fire and began warming themselves. As they took off their fur coats, the faces of the party were revealed one by one. There was one old man, two middle-aged men, and the last was a young man who did not yet seem to be twenty. What they had in common was only the look in their eyes, as if filled with some kind of expectation. At a glance, it was obvious they had come aiming for something. The youngest-looking young man opened his mouth.
“But how many hides do you think we’ll be able to obtain this time?”
“Who knows.”
The one who shook his head with a dissatisfied look was an elderly man. His face was thoroughly worn by the hardships of the world, but his sharp eyes were impressive in their own way, and his manner of speech subtly revealed that he was the leader of the merchants.
“Ice Trolls are monsters that are difficult to hunt in the first place, but during winter like this, hunting them is even harder. Even the most renowned Ice Troll hunters don’t think of hunting at all in winter. We may end up with nothing, so prepare yourselves.”
As if accustomed to such matters, the two middle-aged men silently nodded. But the young man could not hold back and continued showering him with questions. It seemed that his youthful vigor made it difficult to contain his curiosity.
“Then why did you decide to make the journey? Coming next spring would be a hundred times better than making a wasted trip...”
“Hoho. You rascal...”
As though he did not particularly dislike the persistent questioning, the old man burst into hearty laughter.
“The Way of Commerce is not something that can be thought of so simply. If a customer desires something, then even if that place is at the end of the world, it is a merchant’s duty to go there and obtain the goods. That is precisely why this old man has so many regular customers.”
Judging by the way he spoke, the two seemed to be grandfather and grandson. Considering that inheriting the occupation of one’s forebears was widely common in Arcadia, it seemed the old man had chosen the young man as his successor and brought him along to build his experience. Even so, the young man’s curiosity did not seem to have been satisfied.
“Is Ice Troll fur hide valuable enough to go through all this hardship?”
“Of course.”
The old man answered firmly, then whispered quietly into the young man’s ear.
“Ice Troll fur hide is expensive even here, but if you take it to a big city, it is literally worth whatever price you ask. You can receive at least a hundred times the price you paid for it here. The fur is not particularly soft, but because of its rarity, noblewomen are desperate to buy it.”
After finishing his words, the old man looked around the inside of the inn. His face clearly showed that he wanted to dig up some information. However, it seemed difficult to learn anything from the guests inside the inn. Most of them appeared to be fishermen who had finished ice fishing and had come in to wet their throats for a moment. The old man let out a long sigh.
“It won’t be easy to obtain information.”
Just as the old man, after some thought, was about to call the employee, the door suddenly opened.
Whoooooosh.
As the snowstorm pushed its way in, people unconsciously pulled their collars tight. Though their bodies had been warmed sufficiently, the blade-like wind of the North gave a chilling sensation with just a touch. The employee, who had been waiting for the food to come out, hurriedly ran to the door.
“Please come in.”
But the door did not close easily. Figures covered entirely in furs entered one after another. Since there seemed to be at least more than ten of them, the merchants frowned.
“Damn it. They should hurry up and come in instead of dawdling.”
But no one voiced the complaint aloud. They were already experienced merchants who had thoroughly mastered the art of getting by... The people who entered approached the tables, each throwing out a comment.
“Ha! How long has it been since I smelled soup?”
“After eating nothing but greasy meat for a whole year, it’s only natural you’d be glad.”
The men who spoke one by one began taking off the furs they had been wearing over themselves. At that moment, a strange and peculiar smell filled the inn. The instant the sharp, vinegar-like odor stabbed into their noses, people instinctively pinched them shut. They had only caught a passing whiff, but the smell was already turning their insides upside down.
“W-what is that smell?”
“Uwaaagh.”
Generally speaking, the people of the Kato Kingdom tended not to bathe. Since they could not afford to heat water with fuel that was already insufficient even for heating, bathing was a luxury limited solely to the upper class. Because of that, outsiders who visited this place first had to get used to the strange smell coming from people’s bodies. But the odor wafting from those men had surpassed all limits. Seeing even the native employee pinching his nose, it could be said to be far beyond imagination. As though they had seen the reactions of the group, the men wore embarrassed expressions.
“It seems the smell is a bit severe. Well, we haven’t washed for a whole year...”
“This is a problem. We won’t be able to bathe here...”
As though feeling sorry for giving off the smell, the men began putting their coats back on. Judging by the employee’s reaction, they seemed to think they might be thrown out of the inn if things went wrong. At that moment, the old man’s eyes opened so wide they seemed about to split.
“C-could it be...”
He was so shocked that he even stammered.
“Th-there’s no doubt. Th-that is I-Ice Tr...”
The old man, who had been about to continue, swallowed dryly. According to the discerning eye he had honed through decades of trade, what the men were wearing was unmistakably Ice Troll fur hide. Since that was the very purpose of this journey, the old man quickly rose to his feet.
“A-amazing. And they aren’t pieced together, but whole hides. J-just who are those people?”
As if there was nothing more to think about, the old man approached them. The closer he got, the worse the stench became, but he did not care at all.
“E-excuse me.”
When the old man greeted them, one of the men stepped forward. He was a man with an imposing build.
“What is it?”
“Are you perhaps hunters?”
At the old man’s words, the man’s eyes went round. His expression was as if he had heard something absurd.
“Haha. We’re not hunters, but mercenaries. Though our appearance...”
The man looked back at his companions, then continued with a bitter smile.
“...is rather unimpressive.”
Though the word “mercenaries” surprised him a little, the old man was not one to back down so easily.
“From what I can see, what you are wearing appears to be Ice Troll fur hide...”
Only then did the man seem to realize the old man’s intentions. Ice Troll fur hide was an item that counted as precious even in the impoverished Kato Kingdom. There was no way anyone would not covet it.
“That’s right. We lived here for a full year. It’s soaked in sweat and smells a bit, but there’s no doubt it’s Ice Troll fur hide.”
Even without the man’s words, the old man’s eye was more than capable of identifying Ice Troll fur hide. As if there was nothing more to consider, the old man spoke decisively.
“Sell them to us. We will pay you well.”
The man was momentarily flustered.
“R-right now?”
“Yes. We are merchants who came from Penslot to obtain Ice Troll fur hides. We have ample means to purchase them, so please do not worry...”
The old man’s party was not the only one whose eyes had been drawn to the Ice Troll fur hides. The fishermen drinking in the corner also stared this way with wide eyes. To them, who fought the cold all day long on the ice while fishing, Ice Troll fur hides were literally an irresistible temptation. Even the employee and the innkeeper abandoned what they had been doing and came closer.
“Th-that really is it. And whole hides, too.”
The innkeeper, after touching the fur hide the man was wearing, joined the bargaining without delay. If one met the right buyer, an Ice Troll fur hide was worth whatever price one named. And were these not whole hides without a single blemish? Only the fishermen, who seemed to have no money, did not join the bargaining.
“Sell them to us. We’ll pay whatever you ask...”
“Sell just one hide to me. If I lack money, I will provide lodging and meals for as long as you wish.”
The man who had been silently listening turned his head. In that direction, a somewhat small-built person sat in a chair, rocking back and forth.
“What should I do?”
At the man’s question, he silently shook his head.
“Handle it as you see fit, Captain. In any case, they are no longer things we need from now on, are they?”
At his words, the man seemed to make up his mind and slowly took off his coat. When he removed the hood attached to the coat, a face with fierce eyes and thick eyebrows, one that looked exceedingly manly, was revealed.