TFLA 08

Chapter : 8 “A Graceful Shopping Trip at the Black Market”

Greetings. I am Viatoria Niko Fortesia.

Right now, I am at the black market of Elzemarin.

Elzemarin is well known for its scenic beauty. The deep blue of the sea is breathtaking on its own, but even more striking are the white sails of incoming ships, the white plaster walls of the grand cathedral, and the red brick walls of the magic academy I once attended. All of it blends together into a truly beautiful sight.

…However, Elzemarin is not only about beauty.

Its true charm lies on the other side of the city.

“Hey there, miss. Want to buy something? I’ll give you a discount.”

“I have no need for drugs or curses, unfortunately.”

If you walk through the back alleys after sunset, it’s only natural that people like this call out to you. Most of them are drug dealers or sellers of poisons and curses. Not that I need any of that.

“Hey, miss. How about spending the night with me?”

“Look in a mirror before speaking, you ugly man.”

This street also has its fair share of people with misunderstandings like that. If politely brushing them off doesn’t work and they keep following me, I simply poke their neck or heart with my spear. That settles things nicely.

“God is dead! Hair is dead! I am dead! The world is ending! Everything is over! Everyone should die! Go bald! Die!”

“I suppose it’s best to avoid getting close.”

And of course, there are the madmen who appear as naturally as anything. They’re especially loud, so they stand out, but if you ignore them, they usually don’t do anything.

…That’s the kind of back street this is. Dark, dirty, shabby. And yet, if you go a little further, the view becomes somewhat more respectable.

What I mean by “more respectable” is simply that there are proper shops.

Of course, don’t think that what they trade or sell there is “clean.” To assume there is anything pure white in a black market would be a grave mistake.

However, at the very least, if a shop can openly operate while doing shady business, it means it has some level of order and connections. It is not just a place for lunatics or petty thugs pretending to be criminals.

In other words…

“Excuse me.”

“…Welcome. Selling or buying?”

“Yes. I have several accessories, and materials from a dragon except for its blood and meat. If I sold them to the public guild, I’d only get a miserable price, so I brought them here.”

If I myself am neither “legitimate” nor “clean,” then this black market is the perfect place.

The shop I entered deals in buying and selling various materials.

Its defining feature is a counter with a partition between the seller and the buyer. In other words, neither side can see the other’s face.

Meaning: no questions asked about who brings what. No questions asked about what is bought.

That is how it works here.

“First, these. How much would they be worth?”

I placed the first items on the counter: accessories taken from noble targets during my bandit work. Rings, necklaces, earrings, and more. As expected from nobles, they are all fairly fine pieces.

“Oh-ho. That’s quite a lot. I won’t ask where they came from.”

Well, yes. They are stolen goods. I wasn’t expecting much.

“All of these together… 40 gold coins. How’s that?”

“That’s acceptable.”

Still, it was a higher price than I expected.

Noble signet rings and jewelry are troublesome to resell in normal markets, but they are not entirely without use. There must be demand somewhere.

“Next. Dragon materials.”

I placed the dragon skin, scales, fangs, claws, and several bones on the counter. Even I got tired carrying all of it.

“Heh… not bad. You did a clean job removing the skin. No damage at all. You’ve got skill.”

Even in the dim shop filled with faint cigarette smoke, the person on the other side of the counter had a sharp eye.

“Flattery won’t reduce the price by even one copper coin.”

“Come on, a little praise never hurt anyone. You could at least accept it. Do I look that stingy?”

“You don’t look stingy at all. Not even your face, let alone whether you are or not.”

A dry, cracked laugh echoed from beyond the partition. It was unpleasant, but this is normal here.

“Three gold coins. What do you think?”

“Not bad.”

A decent price. Deal accepted.

By the way, 10 gold coins equal 1 platinum coin. And 10 platinum coins equal 1 gold coin, so 3 gold coins here equals 300 standard gold coins.

Above gold coins are blue gold coins, then red gold coins, and even black gold coins—but those are rarely used.

Three gold coins were placed on the counter without a bag. After confirming they were real, I saw a skeletal hand reach out from behind the partition and carefully take the dragon materials away.

“Then, I have one question.”

“Ah, that’ll cost extra. ‘Just asking’ isn’t free here. But depending on what it is, I might answer.”

“That’s fine.”

I casually placed about 15 gold coins on the counter. A low whistle came from the other side.

“You’re generous. So? What do you want to know?”

“About Viatoria Niko Fortesia.”

“Oh, the wanted noble girl.”

So I am indeed wanted.

“…Charges are attempted assassination of a prince, assaulting soldiers, and escaping prison. Also, during the escape, many dangerous criminals were released, and it’s suspected you were involved. Quite the dramatic record, miss.”

“Skip that. I want current information. Location, anything.”

A chuckling laugh came from behind the counter.

“Sorry, but nothing like that has reached here. It seems your trail went cold after you left the capital.”

Good. That’s reassuring.

At least I can still stay hidden.

Apparently even former servants only say, “The young lady went dragon hunting and never returned.” Dragon hunting… I wonder what kind of euphemism they think that is.

“…‘Probably not,’ let’s leave it at that.”

“Excuse me?”

“No, nothing.”

They are sharp, in their own way. That’s what you’d expect from black market dealers.

“That’s all I can tell you. Sorry. Was 15 gold coins too much?”

“No. It was fine.”

Just knowing the soldiers haven’t found me yet is worth it. Money is meant to be spent. I can always earn more by hunting dragons or ogres.

“I enjoyed talking with you. Keep the rest.”

I placed one gold coin on the counter.

“…Are you serious?”

“Very.”

One gold coin is about four months of a soldier’s salary. But for me, it’s just a third of what I earned from dragon materials. Not worth worrying about.

“So… this stays between just the two of us?”

“Yes. Please do.”

A long, bone-like finger slowly reached out from under the counter, hesitated, then pulled the gold coin away.

“…Well, I wasn’t planning to tell anyone anyway. I’ll take it. Pleasure doing business.”

“Goodbye.”

Once money is involved, people here keep their promises. They’re greedy, but reliable in their own way.

In other words, for a well-paying dragon slayer like me, they treat me quite well.

If they don’t want to end up like a dragon, they should definitely stay on my good side. Ohohohoho!

After that, I went shopping.

I entered various shops and bought clothes, a hooded cloak that properly hides the face, arrows, several thin knives, small bottles, and some emergency rations.

I plan to stay around Elzemarin for a while, but I don’t know when I might need to leave suddenly.

And then—

“This is it.”

A top-class spatial bag. Exactly what I needed.

A “magic bag of space” is an ancient magical item. Its normal price is about 5 gold coins—twenty months of a soldier’s salary.

The one I bought was second-hand from the black market for 2 gold coins, but it was absolutely worth it.

It can carry the equivalent of an entire house’s worth of items while feeling almost weightless.

With this, I can carry back entire dragons in one trip. Of course, I’m broke again now—but I’ll recover the money quickly.

After finishing my shopping, I bought a takeout meal at the guild’s dining hall, then went to the guild’s inn on the upper floors to rest.

I showed the guild receptionist what I thought of them, did my shopping, and relaxed in my room.

A good day indeed.

And tomorrow, I will begin working seriously as an adventurer.

I will earn money… a lot of money… and then I will buy information by bribing a soldier or maid from that house I plan to take revenge on.

Then I will do various things and kill them. Poisoning would be elegant and safe, or perhaps a dramatic and well-planned public raid would be more stylish.

My revenge for my downfall…