Stranger's Handbook

Chapter 111: How to Use the Merchants

“Master, the merchant arrived. What should I do?”

I was finally set free after I frantically explained everything to Bea. That’s when Suu came to ask me this.

When I think about it, wasn’t it Suu’s fault that I had to go through all of this, since she’s the one who gave me those panties in the first place?

“I’ll meet with them right away. By the way Suu, because of you I had to go through something terrible…….”

“I am really sorry for this. Next time, I’ll make sure to prepare madam’s things.”

“……..No, it’s not that. Bea would scold me again!”

“Eh? Why is that? Isn’t it natural to want to smell the scent of someone you love?”

I looked at the bewildered Suu, at which point I myself got astonished.

“Perhaps, that’s how it is for kemonobito? It is different for humans, you know?”

“Wha!? Is that so!?”

“I see…..I finally understand. I don’t want to discriminate against any races, but it’s like that, you know……. there’s a difference between what each race considers as common sense.”

“I’m surprised……I really believed that humans felt the same way. Especially Sonia-sama.”

…….I found out about my master’s preferences in such a nonchalant way.

“It’s nothing really special about it. It’s just something men want. However, women hate it. You must keep silent about my master’s matter.”

“I did learn something. Then, master, shall we go?”

As I continued to wonder about the gap in common sense between humans and the kemonobito race, we walked towards the room where the merchant was waiting.

From now on, I have to closely examine all the differences between the races, so that this won’t happen again.

Now that I think about it, maybe Albert’s dance had some sort of meaning too.

I thought about it as I followed behind Suu.

The drifting floral scent was quite pleasant.

She smells really good……

“I am glad to meet you, your excellency, duke Zest. I am Kalfa and I work under Tanya.”

It appears that Suu’s scent made me go on a small trip.

But there’s no time for this……

“Kalfa, I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“Yes. I prepared some items that might suit your excellency’s taste.”

The woman started to busily arrange the goods in front of me.

Is she in the later half of her 20s? She kept her red hair in a ponytail and she seemed like a lively person.

Her eyes looked like two big chestnuts and she had the characteristics of a beautiful woman.

“This magical tool is the latest of its model……”

Kalfa introduced me several items but none of them were suitable for Bea.

She was now making a hot explanation about the fire power and the mobility property of a latest type magical tool that I really didn’t care about.

“Kalfa, can I ask you something?”

“Ye…….yes sir! What is it, your excellency?”

Kalfa was startled by my sudden interruption and put down the magical tool.

“…….Your shop…….doesn’t sell well, am I right?”

“!?”

As I thought, I was spot on.

The stupefied Kalfa turned bright red.

“Damn you Tanya, you want me to do something about this?”

“Er….errr…….your excellency, please take this.”

She handed over a letter from Tanya.

“Tanya told me that your excellency might say this. And if this was the case, she said to give this letter to your excellency……”

Kalfa looked apologetic as she explained. I asked Suu to prepare some tea as I read the letter.

“Sigh…….”

I involuntarily let out a sigh.

This is what Tanya wrote in her letter.

That I should think of Kalfa as the person in charge of the imperial capital’s affairs, instead of Tanya herself.

However, despite her having the right abilities, Kalfa is devastatingly bad at doing business.

If she is to become the person in charge of the capital’s affairs, she will increasingly get in contact with nobles.

Could I do something about it? Or something like this.

Still, this wasn’t bad for me.

If I train Kalfa to be useful to me, I’ll have more chess pieces who’ll send me information from the imperial capital.

Besides, Tanya will owe me one too……..

She really put some thought into this.

“Kalfa, are you bad at doing business?”

“Yes, it’s as you said. I can’t do it right no matter how I try.”

She was so dispirited that even her ponytail looked wilted.

“It can’t be helped since Tanya asked for this favor. I’ll teach you the secret business techniques of the Duke’s Household.”

“The secret techniques of the Duke’s Household!? To teach someone like me such incredible mysteries!”

“Yes. However, these secret techniques can’t be taught carelessly. You need to be prepared for this too.”

“Be……prepared?”

Kalfa hid her chest in a flash.

You’re wrong……Not this type of preparedness……

Suu too, stop staring at me like that!

“Once I teach you these techniques, you’ll become the Duke’s Household’s cooperator. You’ll have to help out with various things.”

“Cooperator…….”

“I mostly live on my domain so I don’t really receive much information from the imperial capital. And Tanya will move on my domain soon. You do understand, right?”

“I see. That’s why you need a cooperator.”

She seemed to have understood.

Since Tanya introduced me to this girl, it means that she also had her consent about this.

Tanya herself decided to become my ally and work as the Duke’s Household’s purveyor.

That’s why she sent Kalfa to me…….To make her our strategic link to the imperial capital.

If her employer, Tanya asked her to do this, Kalfa’s answer would be…

“As you wish. I’ll be in your care from now on.”

This was the only answer she could give.

At least she does understand this.

“Good. So, you do understand these types of bargaining……. Then, sales should be rather easy for you.”

“It’s not…….I can’t seem to…….”

And so, it was decided that I will teach Kalfa the fundamentals of trade.

She had to learn how to bargain with nobles and how to do it with common people.

And also……in a sense, the way you talk as a business person is an art in itself.

Normally, her employer Tanya would teach her these things, but since I’m a noble and a stranger from a different world, I am better suited to do so.

This was the moment when I thought how great it was to have worked in the sales business.

But, this was a job that any noble could do in this world…….The fact that I was a stranger was maybe a coincidence.

“Kalfa, you think too much about complicate matters. In short, it’s really simple.”

“I’m thinking too much?”

For the time being, after I teach her the basics, I will train her little by little.

“You give too much explanations. First, you must concentrate on making your customer talk to you.”

“The customer?…….”

“It is quite tiring to listen to people’s talks. Think about when you chat happily about something for a while, and when you listen to Tanya’s preach for the same period of time. Figuring out which one is more tiring is easy, right?”

“Indeed……..”

“It’s the same with customers. To say nothing of nobles, who are frantic about not losing too much time listening to other’s stories. You get unnecessarily tired.”

“That’s why my customers…….”

She appeared to have a clue about this.

Kalfa had a complicated expression on her face.

“First, you’ll have to make your customers chat happily with you. And then you’ll have to search for keywords in their speech. What do they want, what’s their budget, when do they need the things, who is the decision-maker, and also…….why do they need them. Did you look up for these things until now?”

“…….No.”

“You have to at least know these things, otherwise your customers will take advantage of you in a business discussion. You start with this first.”

I drank some tea that Suu prepared.

Yes, this is delicious…..Is there a trick behind it?

When I prepare it myself, it doesn’t taste like this.

“I see……Thank you very much, your excellency. Please take care of me from now on!”

Kalfa bowed her head and her ponytail swayed in a vigorous manner.

It appears that she comprehended my advice.

This is very good.

It’s the most basics of basics but it seems that this world hasn’t written anything about it.

In this case, I’ll take my time and teach her everything…….There’s a long way ahead……

Because it got rather late, I sent her back for today.

I was still going to be in the imperial capital for a while longer.

I also had time to choose the right present for Bea.

I saw Kalfa off after she collected her items then I returned to the office that was prepared for the Duke’s Household inside the palace.

Now, I had to finish my work, after I lost so much time today.

I looked at the mountain of letter on my desk.

This….I must answer to them all……..

About the time I cast the fifth session of healing magic on my right hand, the mountain of letters vanished completely.

I accomplished it……It was a long fight.

The harshest of them all were the love-letters from various nobles’ daughters…….

If they said something like ‘I like you’ or ‘I love you’, I might’ve thought they were cute.

It was really painful to decipher their unintelligible metaphorical expressions that didn’t make any sense at all.

Wasn’t this un indirect form of harassment……..?

When I looked outside, it was already pitch dark.

In the end, I haven’t done anything satisfactory today.

Now that I’m a noble…….I see how tiring it is.

I would rather resign than continue to do this…….

I was massaging my aching shoulders, when Suu entered the office.

“Master, an important love-letter arrived. Please check it.”

That’s enough…….No more love-letters……

That’s what my eyes were saying when I took the letter and looked at its seal.

It was a crown with a tree passing right in the middle of it and a bow with a flower placed at its bottom.

This was the seal of the elves’ royal family……..

It appears that the tiring work as a noble is far away from ending.