He was none other than Kasim. The members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps, who had been immersed in training in the heart of the north, had finally appeared in the Kato Kingdom. When they took off their coats, the strange odor grew even stronger, but now no one frowned. Though the coats were soaked with the smell of sweat, the coats themselves were treasures whose value could not be measured… Kasim turned his head and looked at the old man.
“Very well. How much are you thinking for the pelts?”
Facing Kasim, the old man swallowed. From this point on came the most crucial hurdle for him. Wasn’t the mission of a merchant, after all, to buy cheap and sell dear? Therefore, the most important thing was to beat the price down as much as possible and buy them cheaply. Recalling that fact, the old man began the negotiation. In such cases, it was customary to first learn the price the other party had in mind.
“How much do you want?”
“…….”
“Name the price you desire. If it is appropriate, I will purchase them at once.”
Looking into the old man’s eyes, Kasim gave a faint smile. He had already seen through the old man’s scheme. Recalling that in such cases it was necessary to come out strong, Kasim shook his head as if there was nothing to think about.
“You seem rather skilled in commerce, but that depends on whom you’re dealing with. I’ve spent more than ten years knocking about as a mercenary. It would not be an exaggeration to say I’ve grown up in the mercenary world. I have also taken on guard duty for merchant caravans more than a few times, so don’t think I am ignorant of how deals are made.”
“…….”
“There is only one reason I am trying to dispose of ice troll pelts here: because it is troublesome. If you do not offer an appropriate price, there will be no further transaction. In that case, we intend to proceed as planned to Pencelot or the Crosen Empire and sell them there. Of course, it goes without saying we would receive more than the price you offered, no? So I hope you will judge for yourself and present a suitable price.”
The old man’s strength left him. If the man had spent more than ten years as a mercenary, he was not someone to be handled carelessly. One wrong move, and there was a high chance the negotiation would fall apart. In the end, he had no choice but to name the final price he had in mind.
“I will pay 100 gold per sheet. Of course, only for whole hides without any blemishes…”
Kasim smiled.
“That is cheaper than I expected. But since you have not beaten the price down absurdly, it is worth doing business with you. Of course, I have no intention of handing over whole hides for 100 gold. The only ones I can sell for 100 gold are hides with blemishes.”
At those words, the old man’s eyes gleamed. If he could buy even blemished hides for 100 gold, it would be a fully satisfactory result. But there was one thing he needed to make clear.
“When you say blemishes, what exactly do you mean?”
“Simple. Marks pierced through by swords. The bastards were so fast that we could not help leaving marks. Each hide will have roughly one to three sword marks pierced through it. Of course, fragmented hides are an exception.”
Hearing Kasim’s words, the old man nodded as if there was nothing to consider. From his perspective, one or two holes could not even be counted as blemishes. In order not to damage the hide, one had to take an ice troll’s head off in a single strike, and knowing that was harder than plucking stars from the sky, the matter was already settled. Afraid the other party might change his mind, the old man hurriedly reached into his breast.
“Good. The deal is settled. I will pay the money immediately, so hand over all the pelts you have.”
This time, it was Kasim’s turn to be puzzled. He opened his eyes wide and asked back.
“Just how much money did you bring…?”
“It will be enough. I currently have 1,500 gold in my possession. It is not the slightest bit insufficient to buy all the pelts you people are wearing.”
“Heh heh heh.”
At those words, laughter escaped from the men’s mouths. Their reaction was as if it were so funny they could not hold it in. Kasim stepped forward with a broad grin.
“That will probably be impossible. If you want to buy all the pelts we have, you will need at least ten times that amount. And that is counting even the unblemished ones uniformly at 100 gold.”
The old man was stunned. If his words were true, it meant they possessed at least 150 ice troll pelts. To think they had hunted as many as 150 of those difficult-to-catch ice trolls… As if he could not believe it, the old man looked at each member of the group one by one.
“H-how in the world did you catch them…?”
Kasim shook his head and turned away.
“You do not need to know. If you intend to make a deal, come outside. The pelts are loaded on a sled…”
“U-understood.”
The merchants hurriedly followed behind Kasim.
Their words were true. On top of a large sled built from wood, ice troll pelts were piled up like a mountain. They were whole pelts, with the sharp fingernails and toenails still attached.
One man, who had been guarding the sled, turned his head. The man, who seemed a little short compared to his build, tried to reveal hostility when the merchants approached. For some reason, he gave off an odd atmosphere.
“It’s all right, Winslet.”
When Kasim waved his hand, Winslet lowered the battle-axe he had been about to raise. Because he was covered in a thick fur coat, the merchants had not realized he was undead. However, seeing Winslet covered in a thick layer of snow, the merchants could not help being startled once more.
“H-heavens… To set someone on watch in weather this cold…”
“A-are you not cold?”
Kasim quickly stepped forward and blocked Winslet from view. If the merchants learned Winslet’s true identity, things would become a little troublesome.
“It is fine. He is a native of the north, and he is wearing an ice troll pelt, so he can endure it easily. More importantly, choose the pelts you want.”
“Understood.”
The merchants silently approached the sled and selected pelts. Even so, inwardly, they could not help lamenting that they had not brought more money. Fifteen ice troll pelts were far more than what they had originally aimed for. However, when more than a hundred pelts were piled up before them, choosing only fifteen could not help feeling like a waste.
“What a pity. Had I known it would be like this, I would have scraped together every coin I had…”
After selecting fifteen hides with comparatively few blemishes, the old man gestured with a deeply regretful expression. Then one of the middle-aged men brought over a large box.
“There are 1,500 gold here. Check it.”
Inside the box, gold and silver coins were mixed together. After confirming the amount, Kasim inwardly felt relieved. Generally, silver coins were far more convenient to use than gold coins.
“It is correct. Then the deal is done.”
As Kasim closed the box and turned his head, the old man quickly caught him.
“Would you perhaps be willing to come to Pencelot with these? I have the intention of purchasing them all… At that time, I will count them at more than 100 gold and pay you generously.”
Kasim firmly shook his head.
“No. We intend to dispose of all of these in the Kato Kingdom.”
“Then it cannot be helped.”
The old man turned away with a lingering look of regret.
“Load all the selected pelts onto the carriage. Since our business is done, we will return tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
Glancing at the merchants as they hurriedly loaded the carriage, Kasim went back into the inn. In the short time he had stood outside, the cold had seeped all the way into his bones.
“Damn it. Now that I’ve taken off my coat, it’s filthy cold.”
As Kasim entered while grumbling, someone quickly approached him. It was the innkeeper. He hesitated, then spoke to Kasim. His manner was completely different from moments earlier, when he had boldly joined in the bargaining. It seemed he had been thoroughly cowed by the price the merchant had named.
“I-I’m sorry, but could you perhaps sell even some fragmented hides?”
“…….”
“To be honest, I do not have the enormous sum of 100 gold. So if you have any scraps of hide, please sell me just a little.”
“What in the world do you intend to do with scraps of hide?”
At Kasim’s question, the innkeeper’s face hardened.
“As you know, the north is bitterly cold even for natives like us. If we make hats or shoes out of the scraps, I thought they would be a great help in enduring the cold…”
The fishermen also joined in the second round of bargaining.
“I would like to buy only enough to make shoes. I have to catch fish on the ice all day, so please, I beg you.”
“If you wish, I can give you fish in exchange, so just a little…”
Their faces were full of desperation. If the other party had not been a group of well-built mercenaries, they looked as though they might have rushed in and robbed them. And it was no wonder, for ice troll pelts were unrivaled in their ability to retain warmth.
Even in the Kato Kingdom, only high-ranking nobles would dare consider wearing them, so for ordinary people, they were precious beyond words. After looking at them for a moment, Kasim silently nodded.
“Very well. In that case, take out all the money you have.”
At those words, the people began rummaging around and taking out their money. Some of the fishermen left the inn, saying they would go home and bring money. From that alone, one could easily guess how badly they coveted the ice troll pelts. However, contrary to their desire, the amount of money that came out was pitiful.
After emptying his cashbox and counting everything, the innkeeper made a deeply apologetic expression.
“I will not charge you for lodging during your stay. So please lower the price a little.”
The money the innkeeper held out came to a total of 15 gold. Among the others, there were even some who did not have a full gold coin, so it was easy to see just how poor they were. After briefly sweeping his gaze over their faces, Kasim had them line up in a row.
“Everyone, stand in line.”
In the meantime, perhaps because the rumor had spread, villagers began entering the inn one by one. Every one of them had gathered with the single-minded purpose of buying ice troll pelts. Among them was even a boy tightly clutching a few silver coins. Before long, under the mercenaries’ control, they stood in a long line. Kasim looked at the innkeeper standing at the front.
“Fifteen gold… By any chance, how many people are in your family?”
It was an out-of-the-blue question, but the innkeeper answered politely. In order to obtain even a little more of the pelt, he needed to stay in the other party’s good graces.
“I have a wife, one son, and four daughters. The lad who works here is my son.”
“You have a large family.”
“Yes. My wife is terribly sensitive to the cold, so I emptied the cashbox to make her gloves and shoes at least.”
Kasim nodded silently, took the 15 gold the innkeeper held out, and then put on a serious expression.
“I have one condition. If you heat bathwater for my party, I will give you a little more hide. What do you say?”
The innkeeper’s face brightened at once. That was a condition he could easily accept. Heating bathwater was not exactly simple, but if he burned all the firewood meant for wintering, it would be possible. So he nodded without needing to think about it. Firewood could somehow be obtained again, but ice troll pelts were things he might not be able to obtain again in his entire lifetime.
“I will do so.”
When the innkeeper agreed, Kasim shouted for Patterson.
“Did you call, Captain?”
“Go to the sled and bring two pelts. Two for 15 gold is a bit cheap, but it cannot be helped.”
“T-two pelts?”
Though startled, Patterson did not hesitate long. He ran to the sled in one breath, brought back two pelts, and handed them to the innkeeper. Receiving two whole hides, with the fingernails and toenails still attached, the innkeeper did not know what to do. He had thought he would be fortunate to get even a little scrap hide, yet they were giving him two whole sheets.
“C-can you really give me this much? I-I only have 15 gold…”
Meeting the innkeeper’s moved gaze, Kasim smiled gently.
“To my eyes, these seem to be things you need far more desperately. We do not need money all that much, so the deal is concluded with this. Now, the next person.”
Kasim sold off the ice troll pelts indiscriminately. The prices were all different.