He stood with his canopied dragon coach as his eyes lingered on Subaru with some sympathy.
“I hate to say this, but I don’t think I’ll be the only one saying no. In my case, though, it has to do with the cargo I’m carrying.”
“Cargo?”
“I’m transporting weapons, armor, and other metal wares. Rumor has it prices in the royal capital for this stuff are through the roof, so tomorrow I’m rushing there with my dragon carriage. My profits are on the line.”
The man patted the cargo in his dragon carriage as he spoke, gazing distantly in the direction of the setting sun. Then, when he saw the slump of Subaru’s shoulders, he adjusted the position of his bandanna and said, “There’re a lot of people who use this as a stopover to the royal capital like I do. That’s why this village is pretty well-off for its size. So there’re merchants who come in twos and threes but… They’ll probably all turn you down.”
“…Yeah. You’re the sixth one to say no.”
“That’s because every decent merchant is rushing to the royal capital with revenues on the mind. No way around it. After all, there’s the uproar over the royal selection. Everyone’s caught the scent of gold.”
“So that’s how it is, huh…”
The man’s reply and sober expression made Subaru frown as he surmised the reason for his successive failures—namely, he’d misread the merchants from a business perspective. It wasn’t the prospect of a temporary payday that was luring them to the royal capital but the sight of bigger, longer-term profits. For a trader to abandon such plans to accommodate Subaru would be nothing short of madness.
The merchant continued.
“On top of that, there’re all kinds of fishy rumors about the Mathers dominion flying around. Even if you find someone who’s not heading to the capital for profit, they probably still won’t go.”
“Fishy rumors…? Related to the royal selection, by any chance?”
“Groundless speculation, I think. There’s talk that one of the candidates is a half-demon and the lord of those lands is supporting her… But I haven’t heard the details of the election yet. Do you know anything?”
“…No, I don’t know much about it.”
Subaru lied on the spot because he didn’t want to be exposed as a related party, which would only make negotiations harder. But covering for Emilia’s lineage still left a strange feeling in his heart.
As Subaru grimaced like he’d swallowed a bitter pill, the man suddenly clapped his hands together.
“Oh, that’s right. I just remembered someone who might accept your proposal.”
“Seriously?! I was pretty much at the point of giving up and falling to the dark side here!”
“I’m not sure what you just said, but it’s true. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
The man patted Subaru’s shoulder with an easygoing look and beckoned him forward. Subaru followed a little behind him until he pointed to a building across the road.
“I’m pretty sure he’s been there since last night. Wait here, I’ll call him over for you.”
The man left through the wide-open double doors as Subaru watched him go, looking up at the sign.
“…I feel like it probably says ‘Tavern’ or something…”
He had only moderate confidence, since the sign he was looking at was written in Ro-script, which he had only just begun to learn. The faint whiff of alcohol wafting from the entrance made Subaru about 89 percent sure he was right.
The energetic way the man headed in suggested the people inside would be troublesome.
“What is this person doing, glugging alcohol when he’s traveling…? Doesn’t this world have laws against steering dragon carriages while under the influence…? Back in my world, you’d lose your license with one violation.”
Not that he was sure there were dragon carriage licenses to begin with. If the newcomer in question showed up looking drunk and dangerous, Subaru resolved to make a run for it and spend as much money as he needed to do so.
And just as Subaru hardened such tragic resolve, the man came back outside.
“Sorry for the wait. Here he is. Hey, Otto, introduce yourself.”
The man roughly dragged along a young man, practically tossing him forward as they approached. He had gray-colored hair and looked no more than a year or two older than Subaru, though he was a fair bit shorter. He had a slender and fairly symmetrical face.
Subaru deemed that, at the very least, this was not the drunkard he had feared.
“My name’s Subaru Natsuki. Sorry to drag you out here. I heard that you just might accept my request, so… Ughh! You stink! You totally reek of booze!”
His efforts to get negotiations started on the right foot were immediately short-circuited by the scent of alcohol wafting from the other party. The young man before him glowered sullenly, giving off a stench so strong that Subaru’s stomach was on the verge of emptying itself.
He might not look scary or dangerous, but he was a tottering drunkard nonetheless.
“Why hello, hic. Let me introduce myself. My name, hic, is Otto, hic.”
He hiccupped three times during his brief greeting.
His face red from drunkenness, the young man named Otto looked between Subaru and the other man.
“So what is it that y’wanted? Business? Was it business, hic? My business is, hic, ah-ha-ha-ha, hic. It’s kind of a joke right now, hic.”
Finally, Otto squatted down and suddenly burst into laughter.
Subaru, sensing that was the sound of his hopes grinding to a halt, shot a hard glare toward the man who’d introduced them. On the receiving end of that gaze, the man quickly pointed back at Otto.
“Wait, wait! I didn’t deceive you!”
“If you actually meant for this to be an introduction, I’m seriously doubting your head’s screwed on straight. It’s not fun getting arrested for drunk driving. A student would get sent to the principal just for being in this state.”
Subaru had salivated at the prospect of finding a solution, and yet the man introduced to him was a drunkard.
The man sighed at Subaru’s words and roughly shook the squatting Otto’s shoulders.
“Otto! Hey, get up, damn you! You’re the one who told me to introduce you to anyone who could turn your situation around! What, you’re going to let booze ruin it all?!”
“A way to turn things around—?!”
Otto’s ears quivered, while his eyes, dead until that point, completely changed. With the support of the man’s hand, he rose to his feet, as if his drunken state had never been.
“I have been most impolite. My name is Otto Suwen. I am a humble independent merchant, making his way in life as a traveling peddler.”
Otto faced Subaru and assumed an expression so crisp one could almost hear the snap to attention.
While Subaru was speechless at the instant turnaround, Otto examined him from head to toe.
“I see. It seems that he has a certain degree of status. He certainly has the makings of a good customer. Mr. Kety, thank you very much for introducing us.”
“Sure thing. You’ll be all right from here out, yes? I’ll get going, then. Don’t forget to keep your chin up. And you owe me one, Otto.”
Otto had brightened to the point one would doubt he’d ever been in his drinks, so Mr. Kety patted his chest with relief and departed.
Subaru watched the man who’d made the friendly gesture leave before turning back toward Otto. The young man had scrutinized him and acknowledged him as someone he could do business with.
Otto clapped his hands together, smiling broadly, and began, “Well then, let us talk business… What is it that my customer desires?”
Subaru’s breath caught, knowing he could not let him or that chance escape, and he got down to brass tacks.
“This is a bit of a far-out request to make, but…”
With that preamble, Subaru explained the situation, careful about what not to say. If Otto said no, he was finis
hed. He spoke as naturally as he could despite his tension as he talked business. And then…
After Subaru gave him a simplified explanation of events, Otto thought about it a little, then nodded.
“Mm, I do not mind accepting that at all.”
Hearing his well-formed reply, seemingly coming from an entirely different person than the one brought before him, Subaru grabbed him with both hands in surprise and gave him a good, hard shake.
“Th-thank you! I see, you’ll do it! That would be a huge help! Seriously, a huge help!”
“Oww! Ow, ow, ow! D-don’t squeeze so hard! P-please wait, I’m glad that you are satisfied, but I have conditions, too!”
Otto freed his captured arms from the shaking and retreated a step from Subaru as he spoke.
The word conditions made Subaru tilt his head. Now that his hands were free, Otto gave a light wave.
“My dragon carriage is a resource for my business… Or rather, my lifeline. I cannot part with it lightly. Of course, this will be lending aid rather than formally loaning the carriage, particularly because there are many disquieting things happening in the Mathers lands at the moment.”
“That’s only natural. I won’t go as far as to say you can jack up the price, though.”
Subaru was a little worried that he’d be subject to price gouging. All he could offer was what he had on hand. If that wasn’t enough, he’d have to get the price cut somehow.
Seeing Subaru’s wariness, Otto gently loosened the corners of his mouth.
“I suppose not. Then for all the money you have here…yes?”
And so, Otto struck first in the negotiations, seizing the initiative as he thrust his conditions to the fore. No doubt he’d already deduced from Subaru’s demeanor how much money was in the bag. He pressed his strategy, firmly controlling the pace of negotiations to enhance his own profits even a little, just like a textbook merchant.
It was mouth versus mouth, tongue versus tongue. The battle had begun, a verbal clash pitting the speech and business acumen of both parties against each other—
Well, not quite.
“Is that okay? All right. I’ll hand this bag to you, then. Can we leave right away?”
Shock overcame Otto as Subaru readily handed him the whole bag. The weight of the purse made Otto swallow as he nervously looked at Subaru.
“Wha…? This isn’t how it goes!! Normally, both people lay out their demands and then start the negotiations to find common ground, don’t they?! It’s never this eas—”
“It’d be a waste of time, and I’m not going to win any verbal sparring matches anyway. There’s no meaning in fighting a pointless battle, and if what’s in that bag is enough, you’ll be granting my request regardless.”
If all the money he had on hand resolved everything, it was a bargain as far as Subaru was concerned.
Otto scowled at Subaru’s calm demeanor, probably wondering if he’d been too hasty.
“This is… Perchance I’ve been introduced to a very troublesome individual.”
“Relax. I don’t intend to cause you any trouble. Not on purpose, anyway.”
“Are you aware that the way you phrased that only makes me even more concerned?!”
Even Otto, a man he’d just met, was indignant at his exceedingly unconvincing statements. However, he sighed in apparent resignation and adjusted his grip on the bag in his hands.
“Understood. I presented my condition and you immediately accepted. I do have pride as a merchant, after all. Just allow me to see exactly how much money this… Ehh?! Wh-what is this fortune here?! What are you doing handing off something like this so ea…? Uaaagh.”
Checking the contents of the bag, Otto was so surprised at the amount of money that his nausea returned. As Otto squatted, Subaru stood behind him, clutching a fist as if he finally had hope in his hand.
So many obstacles had been placed in his path, but he’d overcome them all somehow. He still didn’t know the true nature of the obstacle blocking Emilia’s path, but if he stood at her side, he’d no doubt find out. And that was the kind of problem only Subaru could solve.
“Just wait. Soon…soon.”
The twisted smile on Subaru’s lips was plain for anyone to see.
That smile might have come over him from the thought of fulfilling his objective of saving Emilia. Perhaps it had another cause. Even he didn’t know, since he didn’t even realize he was smiling at all.
2
Subaru enjoyed the gentle rocking as he gazed at the rolling landscape.
The sky, on the verge of evening, was dyed orange; soon, night would fall. Normal travelers would be preparing to camp or lodge at a nearby village at that time of day.
It seemed that only the likes of Subaru and Otto would choose to set out when they did.
Otto said, “So the destination is in the Mathers domain, the marquis’s own mansion, on the condition that we ride right through half the night to shorten time as much as possible… I accepted it because a fee is a fee, but this is reckless, you understand?”
“I don’t wanna hear it from a guy who instantly changes his mind at the sight of money. Please. My future’s riding on this.”
“I’ll do my best. My own future is riding on this, too, after all.”
As Otto spoke, he guided the land dragon with the reins as it raced across the ground.
The dragon carriage Otto owned was a large, canopied vehicle for hauling freight, so his land dragon was correspondingly huge and powerful. Subaru was concerned that such an apparently heavy beast would lack in speed, but Otto had explained, “It makes up for that with endurance. This is an especially hardy species even among long-distance land dragons. It could run for three days straight without getting worn out.”
“You’d think running for three days straight would wear out the people riding it instead.”
“Two years ago, I had to do that to not let a particular business opportunity slip. Humans can go through a lot if they’re ready to risk death to achieve it. Having said that, I keeled over just after trade negotiations were over, and I hovered between life and death for about a week afterward…”
“Like you’re ready to risk death, huh.”
As Subaru watched the side of the merchant’s face, Otto looked toward him with a look that seemed to say, “What?” Subaru silently waved him off, averting his eyes to face forward as he put his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands.
“I’m quite sorry, I never imagined I’d be carrying a passenger, so I never prepared proper seating for one,” Otto said.
“Hey, I’m the one who pushed for this, and I don’t mind a little pain in my butt. That blessing keeping the wind from tossing me around is more than enough for me.”
Otto’s dragon carriage, meant for the simple objective of hauling cargo from place to place, had no extra space for passengers to ride. Naturally, that left Subaru with no choice but to sit next to the other young man on the driver’s seat.
Otto continued, “If you get sleepy, it might be a little rough, but please use the wagon. I have to camp frequently myself, so I have a number of blankets on hand.”
“That’s very gracious of you… So since I don’t have to switch dragon carriages anymore, we can just leave Hanumas aside and keep on going, right?”
“That is correct. As a stopover, Hanumas is more affluent than Fleur, but I have plenty of food and water as it is. This is an urgent request, after all, so we’ll bypass it.”
No doubt he was very accustomed to traveling. Though they had set out on their journey without a plan, Otto didn’t show a single shred of concern as he kept his grip on the reins.
Otto himself had probably already traveled this route several times over. As Subaru watched the side of his face, he sensed a gravitas that belied the great similarity in their ages.
Subaru bit his tongue as he unwittingly compared the difference in experience and courage between them.
“Hey, why did you agree to this, anyway?
I have no idea why you said yes.”
“Y-you just came right out and asked a very difficult question, Mr. Natsuki.”
From the side, Subaru saw a strained smile on Otto’s face, but the amiable atmosphere soon returned.
Since he had arrived here, Subaru had rarely been addressed by his family name.
Feeling a bit strange at being called that for the first time in forever, he realized that he’d thrown a fastball straight at something the other party didn’t really want to discuss.
“Well, can’t take it back now… Confess, and things will go easier for you.”
“Yes, Officer. I didn’t mean to do it, honest… Wait, why does this feel like I did something wrong?! I didn’t mean to do it; it was an accident!”
Otto followed up his exaggerated reaction to Subaru’s joking comment by slowly turning his head with a sullen look.
“The wagon behind us is filled to the brim with my cargo… What do you think is inside?”
“…Now that I’m looking at it, seems like vases or something. What, were you carrying artwork?”
“Close, but not quite. What I’m selling isn’t what’s outside but what’s on the inside. The pots are filled with high-quality oil. Originally, I planned to haul these to the northern nation of Gusteko, but…”
Otto’s shoulders slumped, his abject expression making plain that things had not gone as expected.
“I wonder if it is an effect of the royal selection? The path between Gusteko and Lugunica has been temporarily closed. I tried to plead my case that I couldn’t get my goods to market… But they ended up chasing me away with swords.”
In a country as cold as Gusteko, you should be able to make a killing selling oil, but it was more of a great wasteland than a market. To add insult to injury, Otto had sold off metal wares at fire-sale prices to buy the oil he could no longer trade.
As a result, he’d forfeited an excellent chance to sell metal wares on top of losing access to the market where he would have sold the oil instead. This was apparently why he’d drunk himself into a stupor.
“There’s no way I can sell a large amount of oil like this in Lugunica for a fair price, and if I sell it at bargain prices again, I’ll be bankrupt. And so, I was halfway to throwing my life away when you appeared, Mr. Natsuki.”
ReZERO_Starting Life in Another World Vol. 5 Page 10