Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 260

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Chapter 260 – The Second Country

The royal capital of Lagreath is Falmenta.

I went straight to the third floor of the commercial guild inside.

I looked for the shiny, shaggy head I remembered and found someone who looked like him sitting at a desk in the back, working on something.

“Wadol-san!”

“Huh? Oh, isn’t that you, Loki-san? What brings you to this floor?”

Usually, even if you have business here, you go to the first floor.

He probably never imagined that the next one was already finished.

So,

“The next one is done!”

“What!? T-t-then quickly bring it here!”

It’s only natural that he would panic when I said that while waving parchment paper around.

He led me into a private room where I showed him a copy of the “Map of the Kingdom of Waltz.” Wadol-san gasped in amazement.

“I-it’s only been about two months, and you’ve already finished it?”

“I’m flying around, you know. Please have someone who knows more about it check it.”

He nodded silently and ran off into the back with the map in hand.

At first, I wondered if this was the right method, but considering how quickly he responded, I think it was the right choice.

Should I deliver the completed “Domestic Map of the Kingdom of Waltz” to the commercial guild in Waltz instead of Lagreath?

To be fair, the former would be the obvious choice.

Both are independent organizations spanning multiple countries, but unlike the hunter guild, they have close ties to their respective countries, which the commercial guilds tacitly acknowledge.

If I’m not careful, Lagreath could be the only one with access to the information.

However, no matter how I look at it, it would be difficult to entrust the sale of the map to the Waltz commercial guild.

It’s not impossible, but I’ve concluded that it would require a significant amount of time.

After all, I have no connections in the Kingdom of Waltz, nor do I intend to build such relationships.

Starting with the obvious question, if there is no one to prove that the map is reliable, then a hand-drawn map is nothing more than a child’s doodle.

Even if I take it with me, I certainly won’t be granted permission to sell it on consignment. In the worst case, they may confiscate the map under the pretext of examining it and leave me with nothing.

The quickest way to prove the map’s reliability would be to ask the commercial guild in Lagreath, with which I have connections, to confirm it. If they confirm that I made the map of the Kingdom of Lagreath, then I might finally gain some credibility.

In that case, you know what?

It’s too much trouble to go through all the steps, so it’s quicker to take it to Wadol-san, with whom I already have a business relationship.

Considering the total amount of money I have, it seems like I’ve finally gained some credibility with the commercial guild in Lagreath.

“It’s okay! I didn’t know anyone in the Kingdom of Waltz that well. I didn’t notice anything strange about the town’s layout, so I thought it would be fine. I wasn’t suspicious, but… I’m surprised at how quickly this is happening.”

“No, no. It’s better to be cautious than to have trouble later. You just finished reviewing the map of Lagreath and started selling it, right?”

“Eh… No, haha… T-that’s not true. It just took longer than expected to prepare for production.”

He’s trying to cover it up, but it’s obvious.

When I gave Bezart a map as a souvenir, Yagov-san looked genuinely surprised.

This means that even someone as well-informed as him only found out about the map when I stopped by.

While I was touring the main hunting grounds of Waltz for over a month, the commercial guild was working on a detailed map led by the government and conducting a minimal review of it.

Now that they’ve finally started selling the maps, that explains the mysterious fluctuations in my earnings.

Perhaps the fact that I personally purchased the map as a souvenir to give to Bezart is what started it all.

Well, never mind that. The real issue is this:

I have no intention of siding with Lagreath just because I have a personal relationship with the old lady.

I don’t want anyone to get greedy because of the map’s extra information, so I’m going to give them a heads-up.

“Make sure you sell this map in cooperation with the commercial guild of the Kingdom of Waltz.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“I brought it here because I didn’t want to build a relationship with the commercial guild of the Kingdom of Waltz from scratch. I don’t have that kind of time. That said, I don’t want to take sides with the Kingdom of Lagreath either.”

“I see. You want it to sell well in Waltz, too, right?”

“Exactly. Selling their own country’s map in Waltz would take a lot of courage, so I don’t think I should interfere. However, if it benefits trade, the influx of people, or the commercial guild’s overall sales revenue, then it’s fine to sell it in other countries. If you’re concerned about disadvantages in terms of defense, then you can continue selling it through trusted merchants from Waltz. However, if you decide to sell Waltz maps only in Lagreath, I will no longer distribute maps from other countries here.”

It’s still only two countries.

If all countries had completed maps and were under the same conditions, it would be different. However, I think the disadvantage of being the only ones to reveal the information is still greater at this point.

The information will spread eventually, but for now, only a few people have access to the maps.

So, I have no intention of forcing sales.

What I want is for Waltz’s maps to be sold properly in their country.

Will Lagreath and Waltz sell maps of only their own countries?

Or will each side handle their own country’s maps, share the information, and have Lagreath receive a portion of the sales made in Waltz?

I am not familiar with the commercial guild’s financial situation, so I’ll leave it to them to decide. However, if they accept these conditions, I’ll continue to make and sell maps here.

The income from the maps is just a bonus.

It would be ideal if I could make significant profits, but I am satisfied as long as I can expand my knowledge of the world and the world of its inhabitants, and earn some additional income in the process.

Ultimately, we agreed to the same terms as last time: I will receive 15% of the sales proceeds after the sales price is determined.

However, since they said they need to discuss how to sell the maps with the Waltz Kingdom’s commercial guild, I agreed to wait for the results until the next map is finished.

Although they said it was the Waltz Kingdom’s commercial guild, I’m sure they’ll discuss it with Lagreath’s higher-ups first.

I don’t think the old lady would do anything unreasonable, so I’m fine with leaving it as is for now.

From “Lowenfort,” where Entonia Fire Rock Cave is located, I headed east.

“Excuse me, I’m intruding.”

As I apologized, I casually entered the dwarf kingdom of Freyville.

I didn’t pass through the checkpoint, though; I entered the country by sneaking in from above.

I muttered to myself that I would make up for it by contributing plenty of materials and continued straight ahead, with the Abraum Mountains on my left.

According to A-rank hunter Grom-san, there were towns of miners at the foot of the rugged mountain range, and beyond that was Freyville’s largest city, Rosberia. Rosberia had the A-rank hunting ground, the Quoitz Dragon Burial Mountains.

Many dwarves are said to live there.

My main goal here is to find equipment.

I need to find the money to acquire it.

Even in an A-rank hunting ground, I don’t think my level will go up much, but I have to collect skills too…

Most importantly, I must prioritize being promoted to A-rank, or I’ll be at a disadvantage when accepting quests.

I have a letter of introduction from the esteemed General Master Orgu-san in my hand. It details my achievements and my deposited balance.

He told me that once I’m done, I must return to the royal capital immediately because the reward for the materials in Palmera cannot be transferred. However, he wrote the letter for free on that condition.

I suppose Orgu-san is probably excited to obtain those materials, which are usually impossible to get.

I can’t help but think it’s a strategy to prevent me from selling them elsewhere. Still, I’ll take the mini-VIP treatment and thank him for it.

Still, this place is like a prison.

As I landed in the town, I noticed that there were a lot of row houses that looked very similar. I went to the Hunter’s Guild to check the monster information, but I immediately noticed that something was different about this town.

There were only a few soldiers with spears wandering around, and almost no one else.

I couldn’t find the Hunter’s Guild either. I had never seen such a scene in a town this size, let alone a village.

“Kid, where did you come from!?”

I was treated like an intruder, so I immediately fled into the sky. Upon closer inspection, however, I saw that the town was surrounded by high iron fences and realized that this must be a workplace for criminal slaves.

After passing through several other towns—some with ordinary miners, and others completely deserted and in ruins—I finally spotted a large town that was clearly visible from a distance.

Its massive, imposing presence on the flat land and the thick stone walls surrounding it reminded me of the royal capital of Falmenta.

However, part of the city seemed to be eroding up the slope, as if being worn away. Another tall stone wall surrounded it, like the handle of a bag, and dug deep into the mountains.

Further ahead, in the mountains, I saw something small flying through the sky. That must be the Quoitz Dragon Burial Mountains.

Just how strong can I become in this town?

My heart raced with anticipation as I descended toward the largest building with the highest roof in the center of the town.

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