Chapter 6
What I took out looked like a stone from a distance. It might even have looked like a gigantic fossilized egg.
Though it looked like nothing more than an ordinary stone, I did not miss the change in Minebo's complexion the moment he saw it.
"Oh, my. What do we have here?"
Minebo took the gray lump, examined it closely, and nodded.
"It's ore. No, this is a rare one. There is a collector of unusual ores, so I'll take it off your hands for two gold coins."
"Oh my, two gold coins for this?"
Nanny was astonished, but I sighed and took the lump back from Minebo.
"It seems you weren't ready to handle this."
Despite appearances, I have a good eye for such things. I am nowhere near as skilled as a professional merchant, but I know enough to distinguish genuine goods from counterfeits and have some understanding of prices and merchandise.
I learned it from the merchants during our journey.
We often traveled with merchants. They formed caravans and moved from city to city. The merchants needed guards, while we could earn money for our travel expenses along the way, so it worked out well for both sides.
We often talked with them while camping. Many of them loved to talk and would boast about how excellent their own merchandise was. They also told us about the major deals they had handled, so we never lacked for entertainment during the long nights.
Thanks to them, I developed an eye for quality and learned how to judge market prices, avoid being saddled with shoddy goods, and negotiate.
"For the Serra Trading Company to mistake this for ore, it has fallen a long way."
"W-What did you say?"
Minebo was visibly shaken. He lacked nerve. The merchants I had met in the past had been unable to own shops of their own and had been forced to travel between cities, but at least they had possessed more business acumen than Minebo.
"Lady Rome, what is that?"
"This is ambergris. It is a concretion that forms in a dragon's throat, and it is prized as a perfume ingredient. Even small pieces are traded for an equal weight in gold."
When Nanny heard that it was worth as much as gold, she stared at the lump in my hand in astonishment.
The lump was too large to fit in one hand. If I exchanged it for pure gold, the resulting weight would be impossible to carry.
Once I correctly identified it, Minebo's complexion grew even worse, turning from ashen to black. What an expression.
"It comes from dragons, which are considered monsters, but it is rarely obtained. There are no large dragons on this continent, and even when ambergris is found, the pieces are no bigger than pebbles. There cannot be another piece this large anywhere on the continent."
The reason I possessed such a thing was that it had been part of the spoils of war when I defeated the Demon King. At the time, I had simply stuffed everything on the desk into a bag, and this had been mixed in with the rest. I had nearly died of shock when I investigated it later. It must have been a product unique to the Demon Continent, where dragons were said to be plentiful.
That meant I had kept all the treasure for myself, but since I had not shared the glory of defeating the Demon King with anyone, I decided this could count as my fair share.
Looking at it again, it really was enormous. There were also slight marks where someone had shaved off a little of it, so perhaps the Demon King had soothed himself with its fragrance when he was tired. Thinking that even the detestable Demon King had had a life and moments of relaxation gave me pause.
"J-Just how much is it worth?"
Nanny asked, but all I could do was laugh.
"I couldn't put a price on it. If it were mine, I would present it to the royal family. There is no other piece like it on the continent. Owning it would undoubtedly enhance the royal family's prestige."
The royal family collected treasures and invited representatives from other countries to display their national treasures to one another. This ambergris would surely be a source of great pride.
Possessing many rare and valuable items was proof of wealth, culture, history, and trustworthiness.
"If you presented something like this, the royal family would grant you almost any request."
What one demanded in return was where a merchant's skill truly showed. Send an expensive, rare item and draw out an even greater profit. Any merchant who did not thrill at the prospect was no merchant at all.
In contrast, I gave Minebo a disapproving look. Kairo looked exasperated as well. He was the man who had dismissed an item too valuable to price as mere ore and tried to buy it for two gold coins.
"Um, my lady..."
He tried to say something, but I had no intention of listening.
"Minebo-san, I don't want to speak with you anymore. Please leave for today."
I dismissed him curtly.
I did not deny that the cardinal rule of business was to buy low and sell high, but for him, commerce was practically fraud.
The only reason he had gotten away with it until now was luck and, more than anything, the reputation of the Serra Trading Company. It was not because he possessed any particular talent for deceiving people.
Those who try to deceive others often assume that they are superior and begin to look down on the people they intend to cheat. But no one who despises others can achieve great success.
There had been many merchants of that sort among those I met during our travels. I was deceived by them at first, but after meeting enough of them, I soon learned to recognize them. I knew at a glance when I saw Minebo.
"Um, well, this is..."
"I said I don't want to talk, didn't I? Please leave."
After I dismissed him, Minebo fled as though running for his life.
"Was that all right?"
"It's fine. More importantly, tell Father about this as soon as he returns. I'm sure Minebo's father will come tomorrow."
I had not thought much of it, but true to the Serra Trading Company's reputation, Minebo's father—the chairman of the company himself—came that very evening, exceeding my expectations.
I dragged Father, who had returned exhausted from a banquet, out to meet him in the parlor.
"So, Mr. Serra, what brings you here tonight?"
Father had been forced to attend banquets he did not want to attend day after day. Unable to hide his fatigue, he answered in a somewhat curt voice.
"My son was terribly rude to your daughter today."
"Rude? What do you mean? Romelia, what happened?"
Unaware of the circumstances, Father looked at me.
"The matter concerns this ambergris."
I took out the lump that had belonged to the Demon King and told them the whole story.
As he listened, Mr. Serra wore a pained expression. This was the sort of blunder that could get his son disowned. Still, I had done something similar to Father myself, so I could hardly laugh at someone else's unfilial conduct.
I would have to make it up to Father.
"Come to think of it, I forgot to give you a souvenir from my journey, Father. Please accept this."
I held out the ambergris to Father.
By now, it was worth more than gold. Having once tried to buy it at a bargain, the Serra Trading Company could not offer a paltry price. They would have to name a high price, accepting a loss and choosing their reputation over immediate profit.
Father could not believe I had given him such an item as a souvenir. His small eyes opened and closed repeatedly. I shifted my gaze from the unusually confused Father to Mr. Serra.
"So, this now belongs to Father. Please discuss the rest with him. Well, I'll be going."
I bowed and left the parlor.
In truth, I wanted to keep the ambergris for myself, but it was worth far too much. If I monopolized it, I would only invite pointless resentment from those around me. It was better to curry Father's favor instead. I had honestly caused him quite enough trouble already.
That single item would bring me a fortune, and, more than anything, gaining the upper hand over someone else for the first time in a while let me vent the frustration of the past few days.
After some time negotiating, Mr. Serra finished his discussion with Father and asked to meet with me once more. When we met, he began by apologizing.
"I sincerely apologize for the outrageous behavior of my foolish son. I understand that he not only behaved disgracefully regarding the ambergris, but also made a shameful offer for your goods. Please allow us to appraise them again."
He also acknowledged that the buyback price had been unfair and tried to rectify the matter.
But I refused.
"I can't do that. Once I have accepted an offer, I can't take it back."
I knew they had taken advantage of my situation, but I had agreed to the price and signed the contract. I could not undo that now.
"However, we cannot simply leave such a transaction as it is."
Mr. Serra could not leave his son's blunder unresolved. More importantly, debts incurred in dealing with nobles often came at a high price. He clearly wanted to settle the matter before the night was over.
"I understand. In that case, could you prepare a few things for me?"
I named several items. They were not only expensive but also rare and difficult to obtain. The Serra Trading Company, however, could procure them.
"Whenever you can, could you send them to me?"
In terms of the transaction, the value should have been roughly equivalent to the amount they had shaved off, so the company would not suffer much of a loss. The real difficulty would be arranging everything.
"Understood. I'll deliver them tomorrow."
As befitted the largest merchant house in the kingdom, he said he could procure by tomorrow goods that an ordinary trading company would have difficulty even handling.
In fact, the items arrived the very next day. As a merchant, Mr. Serra was unquestionably first-rate.
I learned later that Mr. Serra had offered twice the amount I had imagined. Father was overjoyed and used it to restore our faltering domain finances. The ambergris was presented as an engagement gift for Prince Henri and Saint Elizabeth, and I heard that the two of them were delighted by the one-of-a-kind treasure.
It was amusing to see the two people who had laughed at it as a filthy stone during our journey now gazing at it gratefully as they displayed and admired it.
At last, when the banquets in the royal capital finally ended, we fled the capital and returned to our domain.