IVAGHD 10

Chapter 10

Section 1

In three days, Viretta’s engagement ceremony was scheduled to take place.

The engagement was between the second daughter of the Medlidge Trading House of Philian and the nephew of a noble family that ruled the mercenary city of Najin. With their union, the trading house and the massive mercenary guild were to form a blood alliance.

However, the future bride and groom had fled together—chasing a love that hadn’t even developed yet—putting the continuation of that alliance in jeopardy. The situation was critical because the very people expected to attend the engagement had disappeared.

At the same time that Monain had broken the fifth broomstick, mop handle, and chair, and Cadren had sent people to thoroughly search the area near the city walls, the very culprits of the incident were leisurely basking in the morning sunlight.

“Did you sleep well? The morning sun feels so refreshing.”

“Yes, the sky is crisp, and my heart is pounding with anticipation and worry. What a wonderful day.”

“How poetic! They say being in the morning sun lifts your mood.”

Viretta laughed lightly and stretched both arms toward the sky. Iola followed her example, spreading his arms to soak in the sunlight. It was a calm, warm moment.

Thanks to the previous night, when they had insisted to the coachman that they were neither thieves nor suspicious persons, they had managed to secure a carriage and travel to another town.

Because of that, they were able to arrive at a large village outside the city by dawn.

Ranken yawned while being propped up by the two energetic chatterers from morning.

“You’re in high spirits…”

“Yes, very! After all, we’re finally going to meet a dragon. But why did we come northeast? The dragon’s nest is in the south, isn’t it?”

Iola’s eyes rolled in puzzlement, and Viretta lifted her head and said confidently:

“Don’t rush. If we go straight, your father could easily find us. It’s better to take a detour. We’re not going to hunt the dragon tomorrow anyway. We need to be fully prepared!”

“I see, understood. I’ll follow your judgment, Viretta.”

Iola had many questions, but he was quickly convinced once she answered. Even if her answers seemed illogical or unrealistic at first, he accepted them without complaint.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—Viretta was someone who could answer any question, even if the answer was illogical or unrealistic.

He enjoyed the sunlight a little longer, then suddenly remembered something and lowered his head.

“I should have shared the joy of walking in the morning sun with the one I love.”

Kerok, cough, cough.

Ranken, still yawning, choked and coughed painfully. Startled, Viretta lightly tapped his solar plexus and laughed.

“It’s alright. Once you achieve love, you’ll get to enjoy the morning sun together every day.”

“I feel guilty for pushing you toward the hard path instead of the easy one. My heart feels heavy.”

“I understand that feeling very well.”

There was no way she couldn’t. Because she had created meaningless guilt for him, regret was striking him in real-time.

“To think that you, Viretta, also harbor such deep guilt… I suppose it’s because I failed to properly reject the engagement.”

“No!”

The words “Iola is really my type!” almost escaped Viretta’s lips… but she quickly changed the subject before she made a mistake.

“Even if it weren’t Iola, the engagement would have happened eventually. If it weren’t you, I would have had to hunt the dragon with Ranken alone. I’m glad we three are going together.”

“So you think it’s better to have more companions on the way to hell…”

“Exactly! Don’t speak so weakly!”

The mention of the number “three” pressed heavily on Ranken’s mind.

Surely she doesn’t really mean we’re going to hunt it just the three of us… Ranken, freed from the choking fit, grumbled quietly, trying to suppress a bad feeling, and Viretta quickly scolded him.

Meanwhile, the sullen Iola perked up at Viretta’s words. He pursed his lips, rolled them inward, and steeled his resolve.

“You are right. Our meeting is a great fortune for us. Even if my father were to pursue me to the ends of the earth for being a disgrace to our family, I would not forget this moment of joy.”

“Your sentiment is appreciated, but if your life is in danger, it’s okay to forget… or to say you’re sorry…”

Whenever Iola voiced his resolve, he placed his hand over his heart, exuding a reverent and sincere presence.

Viretta, burdened with guilt, gazed at him with a pained expression.

“You are using a polite phrase. You wouldn’t really act that way. I just wanted to express my joy. I truly am happy.”

“I’m warmed by your happiness, Viretta.”

Viretta’s cheeks were slightly flushed as she spoke. The steady young man’s deep trust filled her chest with warmth.

Iola, catching her excited expression, eagerly took her hand again.

“I’m glad. I will work to annul the engagement as soon as possible, for your sake!”

Then, with the brightest, most brilliant smile, he poured cold water over Viretta’s warmth.

Indeed. He was someone who firmly believed that Viretta had someone she loved.

“Absolutely! Without fail! Let’s annul it!”

The brilliance of his expectation was too radiant to ignore. Viretta swallowed her tears and responded in kind.

“Yes, absolutely!”

The door of the general store creaked open. A hasty customer, who hadn’t fully opened it, stepped inside and immediately began speaking as they entered.

“Are you there? I came to sell some items.”

The store owner came out from the back to greet the customer.

“Hmm, what are you looking to sell?”

“I want to get rid of some paintings and sculptures.”

All the items the customer brought were valuable, substantial works of art. The owner carefully examined the small paintings and sculptures.

Judging by the items and attire, the customer seemed to be the daughter of a wealthy family. She wore simple yet high-quality clothes with mother-of-pearl buttons and even a short cape, which was fashionable in the capital.

However, the dust and condition of her items, along with her cheerful demeanor in a humble, cluttered shop, suggested she wasn’t from a distinguished noble family.

“Fine items. Well maintained. This painting uses a lot of color.”

“It’s by Melanie of Calcutta.”

“I see. The signature is here. Authentic. If you’re selling all three, I can offer 85 silver coins for them.”

“That’s too low. You need to offer at least 120.”

“If we go by value alone, maybe, but if no buyer appears immediately, it’s difficult to preserve paintings. Also, Melanie isn’t a popular artist around here.”

“But you undervalued the sculptures too.”

“The situation is similar. We don’t know what metal the sculptures are made of.”

The owner exaggerated a little but wasn’t lying. Locally, few cared for Melanie’s work, and the material of the flower sculptures was hard to identify.

“I guarantee these are pyroxene. They just look rough because they’re under-refined.”

“Pyroxene! I see now. Then I can offer 10 more coins.”

“If I can resell them within a month, would you buy them for 130 silver?”

“Are you planning to buy them back?”

The owner calculated in his head while Viretta tapped the sculptures lightly with her fingers.

“The Medlidge Trading House will come to buy them. These are Cadren Medlidge’s favorite pieces, so even if you sell them at a high price, they’ll be bought back.”

Before the owner could ask how she was so sure, Viretta lifted her cape slightly, revealing a small badge inside. It bore an emblem of a rocky mountain, wheel, and flame in relief.

Every merchant knew this was the symbol of the Medlidge Trading House.

The Medlidge badge indicated membership in the Medlidge family or a managerial position in the trading house.

The customer was likely a relative of Medlidge in urgent need of cash. It was common to temporarily pawn items and buy them back later.

Understanding the situation, the owner straightened up. Even if Cadren Medlidge didn’t buy back the items, being stingy with a Medlidge relative was of no benefit.

“Very well. If Medlidge will buy them soon, I’ll buy them for 130 silver. How would you like the payment?”

“Mix gold and copper coins.”

“Would exchanging 13 silver coins for 1 gold coin be alright?”

“The money-changers say 1 gold coin equals 12 silver coins.”

Despite her gentle appearance, she was sharp and firm.

The owner reached into a box under the counter to prepare the coins.

“Nowadays, copper and silver coins are scarcer than gold. Even if we exchange generously in gold, they’ll be stingy with copper. But since we have enough small change, we’ll give you a fair copper ratio, no fees.”

“I see, understood. Since you’re accommodating my situation, I’ll do the same. Copper coins are rare these days.”

Viretta counted the coins the owner prepared.

“Could you mix in about fifteen copper coins?”

“Heading east?”

Ginny silver coins weren’t often used near the Medlidge headquarters. They circulated frequently in border regions with other countries.

It was an area with many unknown passersby and poor security, as rumors said.

“Be careful. There are mercenaries and thieves camping outside these days.”