“Inventing things just like Miss Lacey isn’t everything. I have a feeling that Miss Lacey doesn’t have a good mind for finance. She may not have any interest in money. If that’s the case, we don’t have to make a big deal out of it against her will. But at the very least, Allen, you may be able to help Miss Lacey so that she isn’t doing business at a loss.”
Lacey had entrusted the wholesale of her wares entirely to the merchant who regularly came around. He had been doing business in Plume Village for a long time, so he could be trusted to an extent. However, he was not a villager himself.
Allen wouldn’t have been able to come up with this on his own.
He wanted to help Lacey. Before he’d realized it, a clear goal had formed in his mind.
Allen bowed his head to Kargo with all his might. He put in so much energy that he bumped his head on the table, making a thud and shaking it.
Seeing this, Kargo’s face, deeply lined with echoes of past laughter, formed a wry smile. “Good luck,” he simply said to his son.
He was treading down a new path. That would require a lot of courage.
But as long as he had a path, he would go down it—straight forward, never looking back.
∗ ∗ ∗
“Good company makes the road shorter. We’re all in this together, as they say!”
“Never heard that.”
The wheels of the carriage rattled as they spun. Occasionally they went over a large pebble, making the whole wagon shake. Allen exclaimed out loud at the jolt strong enough to lift him off his seat, but the merchant simply cackled. What a strange laugh he had.
The man was as fox-like as ever. His thin eyes were tightly squeezed into an arched shape. But put another way, he showed no openings—or so Allen realized while sitting next to him. He was dressed in such colorful clothing that it was hard to believe he was a merchant, and while the cold hadn’t started in earnest yet, he had a large shawl wrapped around his shoulders.
He was probably younger than Allen’s father Kargo, but still much older than Allen himself. Even though he looked to be in his mid-twenties, he had been doing business in Plume Village for many years now. This was the first time Allen had been around him for so long, though. That, added to the fact that the carriage was loaded up with goods that Lacey and the other villagers had entrusted them with, made Allen terribly nervous.
After discussing things with Kargo, Allen had decided to start by helping the merchant sell merchandise. When he told his family that as a result, he wouldn’t be able to help in the fields for a while, the twins had at first given each other a look and then thumped their chests, telling him “We’ll handle it!”
Allen had spoken to Lacey before exiting the village as well. She didn’t know what emotions had led to this, so she had been confused.
“Re~ed flo~wers in hand~ Oneee of them, twooo of them!”
“...”
And at present, Allen was sitting next to the merchant, riding a carriage down a bumpy road.
He was familiar with the nursery rhyme that the merchant was singing, but the man couldn’t carry a tune. Though Allen should have known it, it sounded like a different song to him.
“Hey, do you have to sing that?”
“Yes, naturally. We’re taking roads with monster wards set up wherever we can, but you never know what’ll happen, so we have to announce our presence by singing. Feral pigs with a brood avoid going near humans. Come on, sing it with me.”
“...Re~ed flowers in hand~”
“Well, the road’s so bumpy that we’re probably announcing our presence with all the rattling anyway, like it or not.”
“...”
“You have a wonderful voice, Allen! Hyah hyah!”
Allen already felt like he wouldn’t be able to get along with him.
The capital was around two days away by carriage, going at a steady pace. Just thinking about how much time they had left together made Allen’s head hurt. He hadn’t felt this anxious since his little brothers had learned the joy of running and sped away in opposite directions out of sight. He felt like he was hanging out with a drunkard.
The day passed by as they crisscrossed different roads. They needed to rest the horses along the way, so they couldn’t rush through in a single leg. Taking care of the horses, checking the cargo, preparing food and bedding; there was plenty to do.
Allen was used to spending all day taking care of his younger brothers, so he was very quick-witted. He moved swiftly and efficiently, which made the journey surprisingly smooth.
Then, around the time when it seemed like they would soon reach the capital without incident...
“Allen, here. Wear this, please. Hang it low over your face so it’s not visible.”
“Huh? Uh, what?”
“I’m doing it too, see?”
The merchant had taken off his colorful clothing and had changed into drab hues. He’d handed Allen a hooded robe.
“We’re meeting someone here. Okay, come along. Get off the carriage.”
“Huh? You want me to get off? But...”
“Oh, you got here quick, Ryugé!”
A well-built man who had apparently been waiting at the side of the road waved to them.
After a while, Allen figured out that the name Ryugé was referring to the merchant. He’d known the man for years, but he only just realized that he didn’t know his name. Of course, Kargo probably knew. But since there was only one merchant who visited Plume Village, just “merchant” was good enough for conversational shorthand.
“Yes, I have a good companion with me this time.”
“Hmm.” The man—who looked like a warrior—gave a lax response and looked down at Allen. But since Allen had already pulled the hood of the robe over his head, neither of them could see the other’s face.
For some reason, the merchant handed the man money. Then the man climbed onto their carriage, took the horse reins, and started to clip-clop away.
“Huh? Ah, wait, huh?! Why?!”
“Settle down. Let’s walk along nice and slow. Haste makes waste, as they say.”
“I’ve never heard that! Our carriage! Our cargo!”
“Just calm down. It’s fine, it’s fine.” The merchant spewed completely unreassuring words and patted Allen’s back. Upon closer observation, he had the minimum travel essentials, which the two of them then carried.
It was half a day’s trip to the capital on foot. Allen took the lead. He had to. And soon enough, they were readily reunited with their cargo.
When they reached the capital and timidly passed through the giant gates, there were throngs of people. To Allen, who had barely been outside the village before, this was stunning.
“Is today a festival or something?”
“Of course not. Oh, that was fast.”
“Are you Manson? I left it here for you.”
Allen took a look and saw that the crates which had been loaded onto the carriage were sitting on the side of the road.
The voice that had called out belonged not to the warrior-like man, but a muscular woman instead.
“Manson? Not Ryugé?” Allen blinked.
The merchant ignored him and thanked the woman. “Come along, Allen, do a good job of carrying them!” he said with a smile as he lifted a crate. Allen copied him, unsure of what was going on.
“Hey, Lanze! I got a prime spot. You better thank me!” This time, a bearded man called out.
“I’m grateful as ever,” the merchant smiled blithely. His name was different again.
“Wh-What’s going on?”