"How much is that slave?"
When Lloyd approached the slave trader and asked, the man's narrow eyes narrowed even further as he looked Lloyd up and down.
The customer's age did not matter to him. All that mattered was whether they had enough money to buy a slave.
'His clothes look expensive, and the fact that he has an attendant with him means he is either a noble or from a wealthy family.'
Having made that assessment in a short time, the slave trader put on a friendly smile and spoke.
"This slave is special, so he is quite expensive. Is that all right?"
"I asked how much."
The slave trader looked flustered at the low, cold tone that did not suit Lloyd's age, but he smiled again and replied.
"Oh, I apologize for offending you. The price is 35 gold."
Upon hearing the price from the slave trader, Martin grabbed him by the collar and burst into anger.
"You bastard! How dare you try to insult Young Master? Even the most expensive, well-built male slave costs no more than 20 gold. Yet you say 35 gold!"
The slave trader hurriedly shook his head and spoke in an urgent voice.
"N-No! A merchant's reputation is important. How could I do such a thing? It is only that that slave bastard is very special, so the price is high!"
"In what way is he special?"
When Lloyd asked, the slave trader answered hastily.
"As I said earlier, that slave is incredibly strong."
"Strength...... Can he show it right now?"
"Of course!"
The slave trader answered confidently, then turned his head and gave a meaningful look to the slave who was bound in restraints.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and show your strength."
At his urging, the slave looked around, then went to where a large amount of cargo had been piled up. There, he effortlessly lifted a barrel full of water!
An empty barrel would be one thing, but a barrel filled with water was heavy enough that several adult men would have to work together just to lift it. Yet he lifted it easily by himself.
It truly was astonishing strength.
'That mindless brute strength resembles that guy too.'
Thinking of Jinseok, who had physical enhancement abilities, Lloyd took two C-Rank Magic Stones from his Inventory.
'In my original world, C-Rank Magic Stones are not worth enough money for even the Institute to bother taking them, but......'
Things were different in this world.
Magic Stones were so rare that even a small C-Rank Magic Stone was worth more than 20 gold.
Therefore, two Magic Stones would be enough.
"That will be enough to pay for the slave, correct?"
"Magic Stones? Of course that will be possible!"
After receiving the Magic Stones from Lloyd, the slave trader handed him a slave ownership certificate with a satisfied smile.
"Two low-grade Magic Stones. Confirmed. From this moment, that slave bastard belongs to you, Young Master."
Lloyd looked at the certificate the slave trader had given him, then approached the slave.
"Your name?"
"M-My name? Um...... V-Vector."
"Vector...... It is not a bad name. But if you possess that much strength, you could have broken free of restraints like these and run away. Why did you stay?"
When Lloyd asked, the slave named Vector gave a small, embarrassed smile and answered.
"M-My younger sister is ill, and I needed money. I received medicine money in exchange for becoming a slave."
"Is that so?"
To think that even his honest and straightforward nature, to the point of being stubborn and frustrating, resembled Jinseok.
Lloyd let out a snicker and removed Vector's restraints.
Then, handing him the slave ownership certificate, he spoke.
"With this, you are free. Return to your sister or do as you please."
"Pardon? B-But......"
Vector seemed as though he had more to say, but Lloyd turned away without any lingering attachment, as though he had nothing more to say.
Vector watched Lloyd's retreating back intently. He appeared to fall into thought for a moment, then soon began walking.
***
On the way to the shop, Lloyd glanced back.
There, he saw Vector, whose large build stood out, sneaking along behind them.
Vector was free, yet instead of returning home, he was following Lloyd.
'I do not know why, but he will give up soon enough.'
As Lloyd thought that it was no great concern, Martin, who had been walking in front, stopped.
"Young Master Lloyd, this is the place I told you about. It is famous for honest and transparent dealings."
Led by Martin, Lloyd arrived at a shop with a sign that read Verdinan, located in the center of the bustling district.
When they entered, a young clerk greeted Lloyd's party in a bright voice.
"Welcome! Are you looking for something in particular?"
"I have something I want to sell."
"You wish to make a sale. Then please follow me. I will assist you with it."
The clerk led them to a small room inside the shop, then immediately got to the point.
"Then may I see the items you wish to sell?"
Instead of answering, Lloyd opened his Inventory.
Then he began taking out the Magic Stones he had obtained in the dungeon.
The clerk watching this widened their eyes slightly in surprise.
'He still looks young...... Yet he has a Spatial Storage Artifact. Is he the child of a great noble?'
Though the clerk had been surprised after mistaking it for a Spatial Storage Artifact, they quickly regained their smile.
The clerk had dealt with many nobles until then, so they were not inexperienced enough to lose their composure over something like this.
'No doubt this young master came to quickly dispose of his family's items because he does not have enough spending money.'
However, the instant the clerk saw the items Lloyd had brought out, their smile disappeared.
"T-These are Magic Stones!?"
Dozens of Magic Stones lay on the table.
The clerk was so shocked that they raised their voice without realizing it.
That was because the supply of Magic Stones always fell short of demand.
Even though merchants wanted to buy them at a premium, they could not. That was what Magic Stones were like.
'There are not just one or two of those precious Magic Stones, but dozens!'
The clerk calmed their racing heart, then asked to confirm.
"Are you selling all these Magic Stones?"
When Lloyd nodded instead of replying, the clerk rose, unable to hide their flustered expression.
"Ah, I do not think this is a matter I can handle on my own. I will call the Master, so please wait a moment."
With that, the clerk hurried out of the room.
And shortly afterward.
The door opened, and a middle-aged man entered. He introduced himself.
"Greetings. I am Verdinan Roul, Master of Verdinan Shop."
"I am Lloyd von Bledra."
Upon hearing the name, Verdinan was startled.
House Bled was the Count's family that ruled this territory.
As the Master of a shop, it was a burdensome name for him to deal with.
However, the name Lloyd was imprinted in his mind for another reason.
The incompetent illegitimate son of House Bled, who had no mana.
At the unexpected name, Verdinan's eyes widened slightly as he looked at Lloyd.
Though Lloyd still looked young, there was an oppressive presence around him.
His gaze was like a sharply honed blade.
Just facing him made Verdinan feel as though he could not breathe.
'Is that the young master said to be weak and timid enough that he could not even make eye contact with people?'
He certainly did not seem to have mana, but aside from that, he was completely different from the rumors!
Thinking that rumors truly could not be trusted, Verdinan carefully and politely brought up the main matter.
"So you are the young master of House Bled. May I examine these Magic Stones closely before purchasing them?"
"As much as you like."
At Lloyd's acceptance, Verdinan took a magnifying glass from his pocket and began carefully appraising the Magic Stones.
As Verdinan appraised the Magic Stones one by one, he asked without hiding his excitement.
"I have never seen Magic Stones in such excellent condition in my life! Where did you acquire these Magic Stones?!"
"Do I need to tell you that?"
The icy voice could not possibly belong to a child.
As though cold water had been poured over his head, the excitement that had risen within him instantly subsided.
Verdinan cleared his throat and asked carefully.
"Ahem, I apologize. I became too excited. I would like to purchase each Magic Stone for 25 gold. What do you think?"
Normally, one Magic Stone cost around 20 gold, so 25 gold was a very generous price.
However, Lloyd could not help feeling that it was somewhat lacking.
"30 gold."
"Pardon? 30 gold?"
"As I said earlier, these are top-quality Magic Stones. As a merchant, you can make enough profit from them, can you not? In return, I will sell my Magic Stones here in the future as well."
At Lloyd's words, Verdinan's eyes widened.
In the future......
"D-Does that mean that you can continue supplying Magic Stones?"
Lloyd nodded and answered.
"I intend to sell Magic Stones at least once a month. The amount may vary, but it will be at least half of what I have today."
He could obtain Magic Stones every day, but he decided to hide that fact.
He wanted to avoid needless suspicions.
'If I sell them only about once a month, they will think that a noble's child is secretly diverting Magic Stones to earn spending money.'
Sure enough.
Verdinan was thinking something similar.
'Hmm, there is no way such a young master can obtain Magic Stones on his own......'
That meant it was highly likely that House Bled was gathering Magic Stones for some reason.
'Would it be all right to purchase these Magic Stones?'
What if House Bled punished him for being complicit in secretly diverting Magic Stones?
Verdinan stroked his well-groomed beard and fell into thought, but his deliberation did not last long.
'Even so, I cannot miss this opportunity!'
If he could steadily secure this many Magic Stones, it would not be a dream to establish a merchant company of his own.
'I can simply insist that I do not know their source. And even if he is an illegitimate son, is he not still a child of House Bled? Nothing will happen.'
Having thought that far, Verdinan stood up and bowed politely.
"Please sell your Magic Stones to me, Verdinan, in the future as well. I will accommodate you as much as possible, Young Master."
Now was not the time to calculate each profit and loss. Verdinan decided to bear losses for a while for the distant future.
***
After returning to the castle, Lloyd gave Martin a portion of the money he had exchanged at the shop.
"Here. This is your share, Sir."
"You really do not have to do this......"
That was what Martin said, but he was grinning broadly as he stretched out his hand.
His face and body were truly honest.
'That leaves 420 gold. I still have a long way to go.'
Having recently learned about the Information Guild through books, Lloyd decided to use it to look for his companions.
However, the request fees were quite high.
'A request to find a person costs at least 200 gold, I heard?'
That meant he needed at least several thousand gold to find all his companions.
It was a considerable sum even for a noble, but it was not much of a problem for Lloyd.
'If I clear a few dungeons, I can earn several thousand gold in no time.'
Meanwhile, Martin, who had received the pouch of money, could not help being surprised. He had expected his share to be only a few gold coins.
"Um...... Young Master, this seems to be far more than a year's salary for me. May I really accept this much?"
"If you work hard in the dungeon, you can receive even more than this."
"R-Really? Then I will work even harder!!"
Lloyd nodded at Martin, who replied loudly with his eyes sparkling, then turned his gaze out the window.
The castle's back gate was visible outside.
There, the large man Vector was loitering.
The guards threatened him with their spears and chased him away, but only for a moment.
Before long, he returned and peeked around again. He repeated this over and over.
"......I should not leave him like that."
Lloyd muttered that and left the room.
***
A little while later, when Lloyd went outside the castle, Vector greeted him with an innocent smile.
"Y-Young Master!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I-I was waiting for you, Young Master."
"For me? Why?"
"W-Well......"
When Lloyd asked, Vector hesitated in a way that did not suit his large build, as though embarrassed.
Only when a crease was about to form in Lloyd's brow from impatience did Vector finally give his reason.
"I-I want to repay my debt. The person I respect most told me that one must repay their debts."
"Hmm."
Lloyd stroked his chin and fell into thought.
No, there was no need to think about it.
Someone with such powerful strength would be a considerable help in many ways.
Besides, if he wished to follow Lloyd this much, there was no reason to refuse.
"Do you want to work under me?"
"Yes!"
"Before that......"
Lloyd looked Vector over.
As expected, he was still wearing nothing but a scrap of cloth.
"......You managed to follow me in that outfit. It must have been quite cold once the sun set."
Lloyd was about to say that they could discuss the rest later and go inside first, but Vector smiled and held something out.
"With this, this amount of cold does not bother me."
Lloyd rarely showed much change in expression, but at the sight of it, his eyes widened in astonishment.
"This is......!"
A small stone emitting a faint red light.
It was a Flame Stone, a Magic Stone imbued with the fire attribute.
It was also something that did not exist in this world.