Chapter 5
“First, I need to hire protection magic for the shop again, then stop by the bank to exchange for small change. Oh, and I also need to submit documents to the merchants’ guild…”
Click.
As soon as I opened the door, I sneezed hard.
“Haah…”
A cloud of pale dust greeted me.
I did not think for long.
What did I need most right now?
Not money or documents—
but a broom and a duster!
“I absolutely cannot allow dust in this shop!”
I tied my hair up tightly.
The Moro Principality, located in the northwest of the Empire.
The castle of the Grand Duke, who ruled the principality, was always quiet.
But for the past half year, it had not merely been quiet—it had been almost silent. Everyone was careful even with the sound of their breathing.
The adjutant, who had been summoned by the Grand Duke, was no exception.
‘If only it weren’t for that magic-using thief!’
The principality’s greatest holy relic and sacred sword—
had disappeared.
It had been stolen six months ago.
By a mage, no less!
‘Damn that mage. How can there not be a single clue?’
The Grand Duke was already frightening enough even in a normal mood. The adjutant could not afford to worsen his temper any further.
Carefully pushing open the office door, the adjutant jumped.
“Your Grace, why did you summon me—whaaaat?!”
A complete stranger was sitting in the office.
Had he entered the wrong room?
Tessach Alister Moro
No. The nameplate on the desk definitely belonged to the Grand Duke.
Then who was that bold, broad-shouldered, tall, terrifyingly handsome man sitting in the Grand Duke’s seat?
Thinking that, the adjutant suddenly realized.
“You are using a magic tool that changes your appearance, haha…”
His instincts reacted.
The fact that he naturally wanted to lower his eyes meant that this really was the Grand Duke.
The real Tessach had black hair and blood-red eyes.
But the man in front of him had the same black hair, while his eyes were gray.
With the red eyes—the symbol of House Moro—gone, even the adjutant, who had known him for a long time, felt that he looked very different.
And that was not all.
‘Oh dear, and what is that scar…?’
There was a long scar across his left cheek, and geometric tattoos ran from the right side of his neck down to his collarbone.
‘Before, he looked like the kind of handsome man who might at least glance at you if you greeted him.’
Now he looked like the kind of handsome man who, even if you fell flat on your face right in front of him, would not spare you a glance and would simply step over you on the way past.
‘He’s terrifying!’
Still, that magic tool was normally something he only used when going undercover.
Wait—if that was true, then…?
A bad feeling rose in the adjutant’s chest. Before he could sort out his thoughts, Tessach spoke.
“I’ll give you five minutes. Prepare for a secret departure.”
“Y-yes?”
“The destination is the imperial capital. More specifically, the crime-ridden district called Gray Street.”
The adjutant had been stunned, but the next words brought him back to his senses.
“We found the last place where the mage who stole the sacred sword was seen.”
Tessach spoke in a flat voice, then raised only the corner of his mouth in a smile.
“A pawnshop that is clearly being used to sell stolen goods and wash the money.”
His voice dropped low, along with that cold and gloomy smile.
“That pawnshop reopened today. So we should go and check, shouldn’t we?”
“…”
“The face of the one helping that criminal.”
The adjutant swallowed hard as he looked at his superior, who was somehow even scarier when smiling than when expressionless.
‘Ugh, my hands are shaking.’
There was no strength left in my arms at all. I felt like some kind of soft-bodied creature.
That was because I had spent the whole day cleaning the pawnshop, gone to the bank to exchange a mountain of small change, and even arranged for protection magic.
‘Still, once I submit this, I can open tomorrow right away.’
With trembling hands, I walked while holding the Notice of Reopening.
There was a merchants’ guild on Gray Street, and joining it was mandatory.
According to guild rules, if you reopened after a closure, you had to report it. Only then could you exercise your rights and receive protection as a guild member.
‘They said it’s only a formality. I just need to get one stamp.’
The guild members were people I would keep seeing as long as I ran a pawnshop on this street. First impressions mattered.
I put on my business smile and pushed open the guild hall door.
“Hello, I’m here to submit some documents!”
“Yes, go this way.”
The place I was guided to was the guild leader’s office.
I had heard that Helena, the merchants’ guild leader of Gray Street, was very capable.
Since those words had come from Grandfather, who was stingy with praise, they had to be true.
Gray Street was infamous for being a dangerous area.
But most of that was exaggerated nonsense.
‘People judge it only by its appearance.’
There were many old buildings here.
And because rent was relatively cheap, all kinds of people gathered here.
That meant all kinds of incidents happened—but it was not some lawless zone where trouble broke out every day.
Helena had been working hard to break the street’s image as a nest of crime.
‘I heard she even succeeded in driving out a gang of muggers that had secretly settled here.’
Guild leader was an honorary position. There were no special benefits, and she was not even paid!
Even so, Helena worked hard.
Because she cared about Gray Street.
‘That’s impressive.’
“So, you’re the young lady who inherited Michele’s pawnshop?”
“Yes! I’m planning to open tomorrow, so I came to file the reopening notice. Here are the documents.”
“I see. So that’s how it is…”
But then that fair and capable guild leader…
“Rejected.”
Thump!
Without even reading the papers, she slammed a bright red [Rejected] stamp onto them!
Was this hazing? Some kind of typical bureaucratic laziness?
Or maybe she really was good at her job, but just had a bad personality?
As I stood there thinking, one of Helena’s eyebrows rose.
“Do you not understand what ‘rejected’ means? It means I have no intention of approving it. So go back.”
That sounded a lot like the “bad personality” possibility.
I cleared my throat and asked as politely as I could,
“Was anything missing from the documents?”
“No.”
“Was there some additional procedure added?”
“No.”
“Then, forgive me, but are you rejecting it simply because you do not want to approve it?”
Apparently she had not expected me to ask so directly.
Helena coughed, frowned a little, and then said coldly,
“Yes. I won’t deny it. I do not want to watch a complete outsider who knows nothing ruin the only pawnshop in the capital.”
Wait.
Hadn’t I heard something like this many times before?
This was exactly like an interviewer calling someone inexperienced in, only to demand experience.
“Even if you are Michele’s granddaughter, there are no exceptions.”
Then where is a beginner supposed to gain experience?
While I was thinking that, Helena crossed her arms arrogantly.
“Since we’re speaking of it, do you even know what business is? A pawnshop requires more than appraisal. You have to bargain with customers and negotiate too.”
Helena gave a dry snort.
“It may have looked easy when Michele did it, but actual practice is different. Putting that aside—young lady, do you even have an eye for objects? Other than Michele’s eye color, you don’t resemble him at all.”
“Well, for now, my eyesight is actually better than Grandfather’s. He is older, after all.”
“Huh?”
Helena looked baffled.
But I was serious about the pawnshop.
“I have never once thought this job would be easy.”
Helena, who had been turning her head away as though my words were not worth hearing, paused.
That was a good sign.
It meant she was willing to listen a little longer.
‘This is when I need to show my resolve.’
“I saw with my own eyes how much Grandfather cared about the pawnshop.”
I looked straight at Helena seriously.
She quietly studied my expression.
“So I worked hard. I studied not only appraisal methods, but also how to bargain and how to deal with customers.”
Just showing determination was not enough.
I had to show how hard I had worked, and that I was ready.
“At the very least, I believe I have enough skill not to bring shame to Grandfather’s name.”
“But—”
“Yes, that’s true. My own words about my ability do not mean much. So, Mrs. Helena.”
The moment she heard the title Mrs., Helena’s expression changed slightly.
I smiled brightly at her.
“Grandfather had a good eye for objects, and it seems you have a good eye for people. So how about taking a look at me? When I open tomorrow, I mean.”
“I have no intention of approving—”
“Of course. I know you don’t feel that way now.”
I pulled out the paper stamped [Rejected] and placed a fresh notice on the desk, along with a one-day business plan.
I was glad I had brought them, just in case.
Realizing that I had come fully prepared, Helena’s gaze turned even stranger.
“But tomorrow may be different. Come and see for yourself tomorrow, and then decide.”
“…”
“Then I’ll be waiting!”
I bowed politely and turned to leave.
‘Either way, this was something I had to face at least once.’
I had not come with Grandfather, and suddenly I had appeared and announced that I had inherited the shop. Of course people would doubt me.
This was actually the perfect chance to clear away those doubts all at once.
‘Good thing I memorized Grandfather’s customer ledger so thoroughly.’
[Helena – woman in her 50s, reddish-brown hair, wears glasses
Special notes: Elected head of the Gray Street Merchants’ Guild, currently serving her fifth year in office / prefers being called “Mrs. Helena” rather than the more authoritarian title of guild leader
Items she mainly deals in: Jewelry]
