“So what’s the problem?” I asked.
“These are our total sales from both Elena and Keel. The problem is that one of them seems like they’re doing almost all of the work.”
“Well, it’s obviously not Lazy Pig,” I said.
Father rubbed his chin. “Actually, it’s the other way around. When Elena is doing the job, we sell much better.”
What in the world! How could Lazy Pig actually be contributing to our sales? She had none of the essential qualities of a good salesman! All she did was sleep and be lazy. Every time I saw her, she was in a horizontal position, I say!
“Is that even possible?” I asked.
“It may have to do with the fact that we’re in Melromarc,” Father said. “Keel is a demi-human, so people might be prejudiced against buying from him.”
Aha. People were afraid of the medicine and food when it was coming from a demi-human. Knowing Melromarc, it made sense.
“That is the only conceivable explanation,” I said.
“I think it’s the most likely explanation,” Father agreed. “But actually, Elena does a good job of perking up and smiling when she sells to customers. She makes them like her.”
Since pigs had deceived me so many times before, it wasn’t inconceivable. But still, I found it hard to believe.
“Oink . . .”
As always, Lazy Pig was fast asleep.
“She’s good at figuring out what to do when the customers are driving a hard bargain, and she knows just when to raise prices. Keel is good at attracting customers to buy, but Elena’s much better at the deal itself.”
Shocking. I figured that we would have to fire Lazy Pig immediately, but it turned out that she was good at her job. And that was all I needed from her—to continue to help Father.
“Well, lately Luna’s going out with Keel, and with Luna’s charm, they’ve been able to sell a little bit more.”
Right then, Luna was pulling the other cart with our supplies, and Keel was riding on her back. They seemed to be enjoying some idle chatting together. What a lovely scene!
“Naofumi, where are we going next?” Sakura asked.
“After we finish selling food in Elena’s territory, we’re going to east Melromarc,” Father said.
That was pretty much how our days went. Thanks to all the filolials, we were able to easily transport all of our goods. It took us a few days to sell out of everything, even though we had productive days. We also started selling in Lazy Pig’s territory. Everything was going smoothly.
Apparently, Lazy Pig was using the rumors about the saint of the bird god as a selling point, boosting our sales and starting whispers that she was a heavenly mother herself.
Father had just told me about some other peddler who we encountered along the way and had tried to get on the carriage, but Lazy Pig shut him down. Father had also gone out to politely turn him away.
“I just remembered something,” I told Father. Back in the first go-around, Father had sold something else in addition to food and medicine. Filo-tan said something about it to me, but I couldn’t recall the exact words.
“What is it?”
What did Filo-tan say back then?
“I remember that there was something else that you were selling,” I told Father.
“Hmm. What could it be?”
“Oink,” offered Lazy Pig.
“I could cook for people? I’m not a professional chef or anything.”
At the word ‘cook,’ Keel and the others quickly rushed over.
“Big Bro! Can you make crepes for us? Please!”
Father glanced over at Lazy Pig. Perhaps that had convinced him that cooking might not be such a bad idea.
I, Motoyasu Kitamura, had the utmost confidence that any cooking of Father’s would prove a bestseller in no time!
Father scratched his head. “Maybe, maybe that’s it. Motoyasu says I sold something else, and besides food, I’m just not sure what that would be.”
“Perhaps,” I said.
In the first go-around, much later when I started following Father, I had simply obeyed whatever commands he issued to me. I wasn’t aware of the bigger picture. I did remember one time when I went to visit Father in his room and saw some equipment in the corner. Maybe that was my clue?
“Elena, when we went peddling today, did anything else happen? Any ideas for what to sell?”
“Oink oink.” Elena was lying down in the hammock, eyes closed as she responded.
“That guy who tried to join us before was selling accessories? And is famous for it?”
“Oink oink.”
“So in the first go-around, maybe I learned how to make accessories from him?”
“Oink oink oink.”
“But he’s supposedly a cheapskate? Still, it sounds possible that he may have helped me sell accessories in the first go-around . . .” Father trailed off.
Hmm, hmm indeed. I did recall that Filo-tan had a treasured jewel hairpin. Could Father have made that himself?
I think Keel also had a bone-shaped accessory of some sort.
“So how would we go about making accessories? Obviously we’d need metal, for one.”
“Wouldn’t it be easiest to have some made for us in Siltvelt?” I suggested.
“But we wouldn’t be able to verify the authenticity or quality of those accessories,” Father said.
It was a difficult dilemma. I knew that I had to be patient for the next wave, but I was starting to get bored.
“Oink oink,” Lazy Pig suggested.
“You might be able to negotiate with your mom to get some accessories? That sounds good to me.”
“Then that settles it,” I declared.
“I still don’t know anything about it, so I’m not sure if we should expect to make a ton of money out of it or anything,” Father said. “For accessories, I feel like you’d have a better sense than me, Motoyasu.”
I laughed. “Father, if you so command it, I shall make the best accessories this world has ever seen!”
“Let’s do that,” Father said. “To be honest, Motoyasu, all I’ve seen you doing nowadays is playing with Yuki in the carriage.”
So Father had been paying attention to me, huh? I couldn’t have him think I was slacking off, I say. I’d do whatever it took to please Father!
“So you’ll make clothes and accessories for us to sell, then?” Father asked.
“Yes, I will!”
And that’s how I started making accessories. We did have thieves attack us from time to time, but Yuki and the filolials were always able to easily repel them. Father just had to chant Shooting Star Shield and we’d be safe instantly.
After that, I’d go and capture them. By the time I released the thieves, they always promised to amend their ways.