“Clare?” When Kett arrived back at the Golding Merchant House office that evening, he found Clare hunched over an account book and groaning.
“Oh, Kett!” she said. “Did you just get back? You were gone a long time.”
“Well, I thought you’d need the full day to search the workshop from top to bottom.”
“Far from it. It didn’t even take all morning.”
“Really? So did you find anything?”
“Well...” Clare was about to tell him that they hadn’t but Astrid was going to keep trying, but she stopped herself. Instead, she sighed and shook her head. “No, we didn’t. It was a waste of time.”
“Oh, well. That’s what I told you. Is that what’s got you down?”
“No, it was that inventor. What a nightmare! I’ve nothing good to say about her, so I reported the job a failure.”
“Huh? You did?” Kett looked taken aback. A failed job was no laughing matter. The damage it could do to one’s reputation was significant enough that sometimes people even took their clients to court over it.
“It’s not like you to go that far,” Kett went on. “Isn’t conflict bad for business? Couldn’t you have given her a few coins and not said anything either way?”
“Well, I suppose. But she was totally beyond the pale! She even insulted you, can you believe it?”
This seemed to convince Kett. He nodded. Of course Clare would respond to an insult to him by reporting a job a failure—she was totally smitten with him, after all.
“Oh, right. Well, I’m sorry you had to deal with that. You’re better off forgetting all about her,” Kett said. “Anyway, I have plans for dinner, so I’ll be off.” Smiling, he turned to leave.
“Kett?” Clare called after him.
“Hmm?”
“You...um...” she began, then shook her head. “No, never mind. Don’t drink too much!”
“Huh? Oh, right. I know, I know.” With that, Kett left.
Clare watched him go in silence. Then, with a long sigh, she slumped back into her chair.
“I’m used to secrets. They’re part of being a merchant,” she said to herself. “But I hate lying to Kett...”
✦ ✦ ✦
Even after dark, the streetlights blazed bright, their reflection sparkling in the water of the canals, and the streets still thronged with people. These were the best days of spring before it gave way to summer.
“Yaaawn...”
“Did you just wake up?”
It was dark out when Astrid opened her eyes after her nap. She could hear the bustle of the streets outside—the night was still young.
The only other person in the room was Emily. “Nina is getting things ready in the room next door, and Tien went out to get to work,” she said.
“That was fast.”
“No, you’re just too relaxed.”
“I’m a late-blooming genius,” Astrid said loftily. Emily rolled her eyes.
When they went over to the next room, they found Nina building something that looked like a carrying frame to be worn on one’s back. It was made from wood with straps attached.
“Astrid, you’re awake!” she said. “I’ll put some tea on.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nearly dinnertime anyway.”
“Seriously?” Emily stared at her in disbelief. How could anyone have it in them to think about dinner after falling asleep straight after lunch?
“Erm... I built this for carrying the magic item. Do you think it’ll be all right?” Nina asked.
“All right? This is amazing! I didn’t know you were a carpenter as well as a cook, Nina.”
Before she fell asleep, Astrid had made a request of Nina—that was why Nina had built the frame—but she figured anything would be fine so long as it could carry a heavy magic item. Astrid hadn’t expected Nina to go so far; with this, just one person could do the carrying by themselves.
“Oh, any maid could do the same,” Nina said.
There was a brief pause as Astrid and Emily just barely fought back the urge to tell her how wrong she was. They’d known Nina long enough to have built up some resistance on that front.
Just then, an inn worker knocked. “Ma’am? There’s a merchant here. Says you called him?”
“Yes! Thank you for letting me know!” Nina bustled out of the room.
Emily watched her go then said, “Everything’s going smoothly, huh.”
“You’ve got no idea how lucky it is Nina had a merchant house contact. Magic items like these are rare, so there aren’t many stores that have them in stock.”
“She said she met one of their merchants on a coach journey. Only, that guy tried to talk her into working for them...”
“She caught his eye, huh? I guess merchants have a better eye for talent than nobles.”
“Yeah, they never miss a way to turn a profit.”
“Speaking of which, which merchant house is it?”
“Huh? Um, what was it again? She said she met him at the maid agency while I was at the adventurers’ guild...” Emily racked her brains for a while, then said, “That’s it! The Vick Merchant House!”
Astrid stared at her.
“Um, Astrid? You okay?”
Astrid squeezed her eyes tight shut and massaged her temples with her thumbs as though she had a splitting headache.
Hesitantly, Emily asked, “Is, um, the Vick Merchant House famous...?”
“They’re not just famous—they’ve got stores in every corner of the continent. Back home in the Freja Kingdom, they’re one of the biggest merchant houses around. They’ve been stocking more magic items lately too.” Astrid sighed, staring off into space. “Of course... It makes sense that they would try to bring Nina on board.”
Just then, there was a click as the door opened.
“Thank you very much,” said Nina. “You didn’t have to carry it all the way inside.”
“Think nothing of it.”
A smiling young man came in carrying a large box. He had short, silky blue hair and intelligent eyes that made him look more like a scholar or an official than a merchant. At the same time, he had a muscular physique and a healthy tan.
“Oh yes, let me introduce you,” said Nina. “These are my travel companions, Emily and Astrid. Emily, Astrid, this is Firth. He acquired this magic item for us! I didn’t expect to find you here in Central Fontain!”
“I just got in today by coincidence. When I heard you’d made an order, I thought I’d deliver it myself.” Firth set the heavy item down on the table, then turned to Astrid and Emily.
“My name is Firth Vick. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
The two of them looked at each other and shared a silent exchange.
Vick? Had he just said Vick? Vick as in the Vick Merchant House Vicks? It had to be.
“What’s the matter with you two?” Nina asked, looking puzzled. Apparently, she had no idea what sort of person she’d gotten involved with.
“U-Um, nothing,” Astrid said hastily. “Thanks, Firth. Don’t worry about explaining how it works—I know my way around magic items.”
“Ah, yes, you’re an inventor, aren’t you?” Firth smiled at her. “In that case, I don’t suppose I could trouble you to tell me what you intend to use this for? It’s not every day we get an urgent order for a recording device.”
The item for which Nina had been building a frame and that Firth had just delivered to them was none other than a magic device that could record voices and play them back. They were mostly used to record important meetings between nobles or diplomats to prevent he said, she said situations. Naturally, they were not cheap.
“I’m pretty sure I don’t have to tell you anything,” Astrid retorted. “We paid you a fair price for it. What we do with it afterward is up to us. It’s not like a weapon where there’s an obligation to state your intended use.”
She didn’t like the searching look Firth was giving her.
“Well, unless you give me a satisfactory answer, I can’t sell it to you.”
“Excuse me?” She couldn’t believe her ears. A merchant refusing to sell? And an expensive magic item at that!
“You look like you’re wondering what sort of merchant would look at a small fortune and not bite.”
“Well, I—”
“Personally, I don’t believe in doing business deals that I don’t agree with. Especially when they pertain to Nina.”
“Nina is our companion and party member. You have no right to talk to us like that,” Astrid growled. Now she knew what that look in Firth’s eyes had meant. He was trying to deduce if Astrid and Emily were trustworthy. As if it were any of his business.
It was, of course, the exact same suspicious look that she had given Emily back when she first met Nina, but she’d forgotten that.
“I may only be a humble merchant, but I take good care of all the relationships I make in my work. That includes my relationship with Nina. Apparently, it isn’t Nina who plans to use this magic item but you, Astrid. Assuming that whatever it is involves her, I think it is my business to ask you what you want to use it for.”
“Fine. I’ll take my money elsewhere.”
“Good luck finding a shop with this in stock. Let alone one open at this hour.”
Astrid gritted her teeth in frustration. Then—
“Th-That’s enough, both of you!” Nina cut in. “Astrid, you can trust Firth. It’s thanks to him that I was able to take the job to clean your house.”
Astrid’s eyes went wide.
Back in the Freja Kingdom, Nina had been unceremoniously turned away by the maid agency because her former employer—Count Mirkwood—hadn’t given her a referral letter. Firth had shown up just in time and offered to be a reference for her.
“And Firth...” Nina went on. “Astrid and Emily are very dear to me. I want you to be friends.”
Firth met Nina’s gaze squarely, then bowed his head. “I apologize,” he said in the end. “As a merchant, I ought to be ashamed of myself for holding the item you purchased over your head as a negotiating tactic. Do forgive me, Astrid.”
“Forget it,” Astrid muttered, refusing to look at him. “I was the one who asked Nina to buy it.” It was unusually childish for her.
“Well, Nina,” said Firth. “That’s the delivery complete, so I’ll be going.”
“B-But... Don’t you want to know what we’re going to use it for?”
“No, Astrid was right. This magic item doesn’t come with an obligation for the buyer to declare as much, so—”
Just then, they heard rapid footsteps, a click, and the door swinging open again.
Tien burst into the room. “The target went into a tavern with what looked like a merchant. We should go now if we want to bug their conversation.”
The other four all stared at her in silence. People didn’t just use the word “bug” like that in casual conversation.
“Did I just hear her say ‘bug their conversation’?” Firth said, smiling sweetly.
Tien cocked her head questioningly, apparently unaware that she’d said anything wrong.
“I’ve changed my mind,” Firth said extremely reasonably. “I’m going to need you to tell me what you’re up to.”