And common sense tells me that I can’t hang with 6 or 12 million mana. I don’t have that much mana to begin with.
“I know six million mana is the goal for an ordinary merchant, so to speak. Once you’ve earned that much, you can live on whatever you want. I also know that it is wrong to force you to do business to buy it.”
Burgess spoke matter-of-factly, though.
Behind his words, however, a simmering thought could be seen.
“I have seen this kind of situation many times in capital. I had some mana at the time, but in the end, it was always something I had no control over.”
As a former paladin such as Burgess, he probably felt that he could not stand to see those in a weaker position being overrun.
“I don’t know what to do at a time like this. I can’t do anything when the sisters, who have helped me in no small way, are suffering like this.”
Burgess mutters something like that with a downcast look on his face.
His fist was clenched and shaking full.
“So…”
With that, Burgess removed the mana bag from his waist and donned it in front of me.
“I have one million mana. I’m going to give it to you! So do something about this with your power.”
“That would be …… absurd.”
The conclusion is…
He would give me 1 million mana, and he’ll get the rest ready. If it’s not enough, please sell something at an auction to get more than 9 or 12 million mana.
That is what he was saying.
It was a burdensome offer.
Normally, I would have refused the offer.
Even if I managed to prepare enough mana to fight…
I would have to pour almost all of the mana from the relic hunting treasure hunt I risked my life into for my future business.
It would be a major setback to my own dream of becoming a great merchant.
If I did badly, I would have to start all over again.
“Please…”
With that, Burgess began to bow his head.
“Your [herb bath] is the best, and your kodris barbecue this time is aslo great. For someone like me, who only knows how to beat up monsters on quests, it’s a miracle to be able to earn mana like that.”
“Burgess…”
“You can do it! I’m begging you. Please save those two.”
Burgess bows his head further.
“……”
Still.
Usually I would say no.
A normal… merchant with a decent calculation.
I would absolutely refuse.
After all, even if you succeed, you’ll lose a great amount of mana.
No one would seriously engage in such a foolish game in which failure would be more profitable.
“Please…”
He said.
Burgess didn’t raise his head anytime soon.
Suddenly, I see Burgess’ mana bag lying on the desk.
It is a used bag.
“……”
Even the one million mana that Burgess is offering is essentially quite a lot of money.
It should have been the mana that Burgess would rely on for the uncertain life he would lead as an adventurer after this.
“You’re serious…”
Burgess says he’s going to leave all of that to me.
That’s what Burgess is prepared to do.
A former paladin begged to a merchant like me, a man of little ability, for a very high price.
“Please!”
Again the loud voice.
Burgess is probably going to keep doing this until I say yes.
I let out a small sigh.
…I’ve lost.
“I understand. ……”
“Really?”
Whether I’ll be able to make as much as 9 or 12 million mana in the future…I honestly don’t know.
But at least.
This man Burgess seems to believe that ‘Merchant Albus can do it”.
“Yeah, I’ll just need do it.”
If my peers believe in me…
I will have to respond to that.
By the time I want to respond to that feeling.
I had lost.
“But for the next two months, we should work harder.”
The most important thing for a merchant is…
Trust.
“Of course I willing to do it! Thank you Albus!!”
I was almost strangled by Burgess as he hugged me saying that.
After that.
Loloi and Clarice returned dejected after failing to pass through the inner gate as I had expected…
Loloi and Clarice came back to see us hugging each other in their room, and were the most donkey-dogged ever.
To these girls.
I told them what I had just said to Burgess.
“Are you sure… will you do it?”
Clarice is already teary-eyed when she hears the story.
“If I buy it right, let me build a store in your yard, okay?”