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Chapter 425 part 2

「It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Eriwth, head of the Deiribauru Company. As Hals has likely informed you, we are not competitors to the Zakarliya Company. We seek mutual coexistence and prosperity. I hope we can get along well.」

Turns out these merchant folks had absolutely nothing to do with delivery health services. Just legitimate merchants from another country.

「Wait, so this is the Deiribauru Company too? That’s just confusing. It totally sounded like a delivery health service, and now I can’t help but imagine some mix-up where a Middle-Aged Man shows up by mistake when someone orders a cute delivery girl, and it turns into a giant mess of 『Aaaaagh!』with things spiraling out of control in a way that’s deeply depraved. But if you’re saying you won’t overlap with the general store business, then is this for foreign sales?」

「「「That general store had an actual company name, Zakarliya Company! And also this has nothing to do with delivery health service!!」」」

Apparently, they’re merchants who want to make a deal with Haruka-kun, and not affiliated with any adult services. But Haruka-kun clearly didn’t understand that, so he’s definitely guilty. He keeps insisting he’s a wholesome Highschool Boy, yet he’s sitting in seiza ready to welcome what he thinks is a delivery health girl. He clearly knew what he was doing, which is grounds for immediate expulsion. We’ll deal with him later.

「As a greeting gift, may I offer the intelligence I mentioned this morning, regarding the dissident elements within the Theocracy, the Confederation, and the Kingdom? This is simply a gesture of goodwill, unrelated to our business dealings. Consider it a small token of the Deiribauru Company’s courtesy.」

These people clearly understood the significance of being connected to Haruka-kun. They are a real deal. Not the kind of people an ordinary high schooler should casually give verbal commitments to. Everyone held their breath, as the self-proclaimed Ordinary high school boy, who was actually far more of a headache, answered without a care in the world.

「Oh, I get to choose? And it’s free? Even if it’s a priceless scam disguised as 『free』 if it’s really free, then I don’t need the information on the dissidents in the Theocracy, the Confederation, or the Kingdom. I’ll swap it out, yeah, I’d prefer a delivery health girl instead. Though, judging by the clattering, clanking, and jangling noises behind me, like someone preparing to unleash a storm of iron balls, maybe I’ll just shelve that thought in my heart for now. If you’re offering the info for free, then instead of the Theocracy, I’d like intel on the country behind it, and also the Elven nation, please? Yeah, I couldn’t care less about some country that seems full of Middle-Aged Men.」

「…………That’s what he said, Chairman.」

Their expressions changed. From the smooth, polite facade came a glimpse of genuine emotion. A conflicted, almost joyful look surfaced, emotions clearly welling up in their eyes. Yes, they are evaluating him.

「…Phhew. I was well aware he was something else, and I had steeled myself for it, but to think we can’t even negotiate, forget about even talking on equal terms… May I ask… why those two countries?」

We were about to head to the Theocracy, and who knows what might happen in the Confederation. Yet he just rejected the information outright? And 『the country behind the Theocracy』, what does that even mean?! Isn’t the Theocracy the largest religious organization on the continent, with the Church that serves as state religions across multiple nations? Is there something behind that?

「Well, I mean, if God is truly just, and the doctrine is being properly taught, then there’s no way beastman discrimination would exist… Like, come on, it’s animal ears!? Yeah, anyone who opposes kemomimi is clearly part of a heretical cult. Like『Cute is justice』 should be written right into the doctrine?」

「You were aware of that? The secret history of shadowy manipulation by subversive forces that over many years twisted the teachings of the church to suit their own ends?」

From there, it turned into a tale of hidden history, a dark truth. The church had twisted its doctrine and taken control of the Theocracy… No one had ever heard of such a thing. That’s why Arianna and the others were trembling, shaken with a mix of anger, sorrow, and frustration at their own ignorance.

Also, wasn’t the Elven nation supposed to be deep within the Great Forest, an uncharted and secretive land with no available information? What kind of information could Haruka-kun be looking for?

「Why? Because I’ve got business there. Yeah, I’ve got something to do with the people behind the Theocracy. But with the Elven nation, it’s like they have business with me, maybe? They’re so shy and constantly peeking at me from the shadows, so it’s been bugging me for a while? I’m like, 『If you need something, just say it already!』 Because I’ve got something I need to do too, you know? So… just what do you want?」

「Well, well… before we even get to the negotiation table, you’ve already got us by the throat, haven’t you? But may I ask, how exactly did you know we’re connected to the Elves?」

None of this was making sense. Haruka-kun and the Elves, where’s the connection there…? Ah, Kirikiru-san?! [TL Notes: Elf archer from chapter 18]

「The Sword Middle-Aged Man and the Spear Middle-Aged Man haven’t come back since they went into hiding, and that traveling merchant with my Affection Rating hasn’t returned either. I’m guessing they all hid when Elven Little Sister Girl showed up. So I’ve been wondering who’s gonna show up next and then this suspicious Middle-Aged Man appears? Yeah, you’re way too good with abacus.」

Now that I think about it, ever since we returned to the frontier, I haven’t seen Ofta, Gatek-san, or the others from their party. They were there during the defense of MuriMuri Castle, but we haven’t run into them even once since. And Kirikiru-san was an Elf, but… I still don’t get what’s going on. The merchants are smiling, while also looking troubled at the same time, their shoulders shaking as they laugh with quiet amusement.

「Um, so what you are saying is that even if one buys an abacus from the general store lady, you can’t use it unless you’ve learned how, right? So if someone’s using one, it means they must’ve learned it from someone who already knew, and was taught. In other words, they’re connected to someone who was at the frontier back then?」

Now that I thought about it, there hadn’t been any abacus to begin with. Haruka-kun made them for the general store lady, and the knowledge had only just begun spreading to the scribes in the Lord’s Mansion.

「Yeah, that’s part of it. But… I’m the one who made them, so I know exactly who bought each one. They’re all handmade prototypes. I can usually tell at a glance who I sold it to, you know? Also, the stuff that peddler brought was insane, where did he even get it? Aside from the frontier? Because there’s zero record of those kinds of items being bought or sold anywhere inside or outside the frontier? Out of all of his assortment? I even poured a ridiculous amount of money into a full investigation across the Kingdom just for that one 『Pheromone Ring』… and I couldn’t even get anything about any equipment like that ever being found. And that Elven Girl’s illness? It was caused by the exact same high concentration of magic essence that is present in the Frontier. In such a case where else outside the frontier is there a place overflowing with dense mana and churning out crazy Dungeon items like that? If there’s some deep, nasty Dungeon like that, I’d expect people to be pretty desperate about it. But frontier-style Dungeon countermeasures only exist in the frontier? So if someone wanted to investigate it, they’d have to send someone out? And as I was observing what they’d when a Dungeon Slayer showed up, they suddenly vanished? Which means, someone the Elven Girl knows must be mixed in among them. And also, weren’t there two people with super fake-sounding names who kept their faces hidden the whole time?」

「Kukuku… Forgive me. I surrender, you’ve got us. If you’d already figured us out before we even arrived, there’s no wiggle room left. But I swear to you, we mean no harm. It’s just… the reports we received from Kirikiru-san and the others were so absurd, so incomprehensible, that no one could make sense of them. We couldn’t even begin negotiations, no, we couldn’t even make proper contact. This time, we came bringing information as a token of friendship, just to introduce ourselves… but now we’re in a bind.」

The two of them went to their knees and bowed deeply to the floor, facing Elven Little Sister Girl, Erailia.

「We are but a merchant company close with the Elves, not official representatives in any way. Even so, we have long harbored feelings of regret toward the Priestess of the Seal, Lady Erailia. This sentiment is shared by all Elves. We searched far and wide for medicine, but the upper echelons of the Confederation suppressed our efforts and prevented us from obtaining anything effective. So we sent skilled agents all the way to the frontier in search of medicine. But we were powerless, and by the time we finally managed to procure some, your brother, Wismregzero-sama, had already abducted you. Everything was delayed, every effort came too late. We are deeply sorry for being unable to aid you even though you bore such a dangerous duty, and we thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.」

They bowed with their foreheads to the ground, offering both apology and gratitude. Her brother was able to only barely keep her alive with the medicine he had obtained by becoming an agent of the Confederation. But at that point she was already in a very precarious condition.

She had continued to suppress the Dungeon’s revitalization as a priestess for a long time, but the dense mana essence eventually ate away at her body, and she got struck with a debilitating illness. Even so, she had intended to remain the Priestess of the Seal until her brother came and took her away. She held on, desperately, until the next priestess could be chosen, until she literally couldn’t move anymore.

At last, the intimidating pressure vanished from Haruka-kun’s face. Erailia was just crying. After being acknowledged for her suffering, apologized to for the burden placed on her, and thanked from the heart rather than blamed for fleeing, she had finally felt her efforts rewarded.Well, Haruka-kun would probably say it still isn’t enough, but finally, she had truly been set free from that heavy responsibility.

Apparently, the merchants were concerned not only with the dungeon matters but also were searching for the 『Mushroom Evangelist』 for Erailia’s sake. But the Mushroom Evangelist they’d heard about was described as 『a young man with eyes full of compassion, healing others with a gentle smile』 and no matter how hard they searched, they couldn’t find him. Well, yeah, of course they couldn’t? That’s misinformation.

They’d also been investigating the identity of the so-called『Dungeon Slayer』 but none of the reports made any sense, they were completely baffled. And thus… they came to meet him. But even meeting him didn’t help. Talking to him just made things more confusing. Still, in the midst of all that confusion, they found the long-missing Priestess of the Seal Erailia, alive, healthy, smiling happily. So, in the end, they chose to believe. Because of that smile.

More than anything, they truly wanted to show their gratitude for saving Erailia, and so they had been planning a trade scheme through which they could offer information, weapons, and equipment. And they are still busy with fundraising effort involving the Elven nation itself, in order to obtain the enormous budget that likely would be required to formally request 『the Legendary Dungeon Slayer』 to conquer their Dungeon.

Even though he’s cheap. Like, dirt cheap? He probably doesn’t even have enough money for his inn stay and would follow you around for spare change? I mean, his daily activities involve going into Dungeons unpaid just to gather magic stones? He’s not even an adventurer, so he doesn’t get reward money for venturing into dungeons. Even if he clears one, he doesn’t get paid… and he just keeps going in? Yep, free labour.

Now, while the shady merchant was busy talking with Haruka-kun, handing over documents and answering questions, the chairwoman was speaking with Erailia, repeatedly apologizing and thanking her while speaking about the Elven nation.

「Well, then, this the payment for the info? I’m not paying the delivery health fee, since there was no 『delivery health』 involved, okay? I mean, I was totally ready, mentally prepared, and sitting in seiza to welcome her, but she never came? Anyway, mushrooms? Right now, I’ll throw in a bonus frontier-exclusive Mushroom Pennant! Boom!」

「P-Please, we couldn’t possibly! This is but a small token of the Elves’ gratitude. To accept anything in return would surely get us scolded… Let alone the idea of purchasing such a high-grade healing mushrooms, we don’t even have the funds on hand to afford something like that, please, we beg you…」

「Is there no priestess currently maintaining the seal at the moment? If the Dungeon can’t be left unattended, that means someone’s doing the job? And if that’s the case, there’s no way you can say you don’t need this? Because otherwise, someone’s going to collapse again? Obviously? And then you’ll panic again, saying there’s no medicine? What, are you only satisfied once it’s too late? If that’s not the case, then you need this, right? There’s no way you can honestly say you don’t need it, right? Yep. You definitely need the pennant too! If you say you don’t want the pennant, I won’t forgive you! It’s cute, you know? It’s mushroom-shaped! And I’ve got a whole bunch left… still.」

Now the two merchants were bowing to Haruka-kun… though they were doing it right in the main lobby of the inn’s main building, surrounded by a bunch of guests. The people around them were all clearly taken aback. But the folks from the frontier were already used to this sort of thing.

Even so, the two merchants trembled, their shoulders shaking as they shed quiet tears, whispering over and over as if in a fever dream, 「Thank you… thank you…」

Naive. Sooo naive. Especially for merchants. Their information-gathering was terrible! No wonder they couldn’t find the 『Mushroom Evangelist』. They hadn’t even heard the terrifying frontier legend of the Mushroom Evangelist and that’s why they dared to reject him. Far too naive.

This is a horror story, an ongoing one, still whispered around the frontier.

『Whenever someone somewhere gets sick, runs out of money, and can no longer afford medicine or even move…

Out of nowhere appears a boy in a black cloak.

No matter how much you beg, 『I don’t have any money』 or cry, 『I could never pay that back in a lifetime』 or repeat, 『It’s too much, it’s such a waste』 your pleas won’t be heard.

With lightning speed, he closes the distance and, shouting, 『Eat my mushroom!』 forces a mushroom into your mouth before you can even blink, leaving you no choice but to swallow it.

Then, once you’re healed, he would grab you, shouting 『Forced labor time!』and throw you straight into a job with tons of pay.』

A horrifying legend in the Frontier.

No one has ever escaped. Every single tale ends in tears. It’s a scary story that’s still creating victims to this day.

And now, two more people have been made to cry here and now.

That’s the legend of the 『Mushroom Evangelist』 passed down in the frontier.

Honestly, when we first heard it, we were stunned. Like, what the heck are you even doing, Haruka-kun?! We told him so many times to stop shouting 『Eat my mushroom!』 and yet he just kept doing it. I mean, that illness mostly affects women, you know?!

His own explanation was:「Well, the frontier’s got a labor shortage, it’s a seller’s market for workers, and the workshops are short on staff. So I figured I’d do a little headhunting and recruit some bedridden folks? I mean, even if we call it headhunting, it’s not like the yokai who demands 『Leave your head behind』? It’s wholesome human trafficking… or more like, uh, enforced employment?」

Now the sewing workshops and spinning mills were full of former patients. With high wages, delicious meals, snacks, and even an employee discount on clothes, they’d become insanely popular places to work.

And that Mushroom Evangelist doesn’t care for your agreement for employment. It’s compulsive He doesn’t listen to the patients at all. No matter what you say, he forces the mushroom into your mouth. Resistance is utterly meaningless. So yeah, their info gathering was completely inadequate.

Still, why is it that both Eriwth-san and Hals-san end up sounding like 『Health』to him? Well, anyway, time for the lecture.

Later, the culprit offered the following statement:『It’s fine because I didn’t call them, they just came on their own, right? That should be alright? Kind of?』 (Perpetrator quoting the culprit) Yeah, lecture time!