Skeleton Knight, in Another World (LN) - Volume 4 - Chapter SS

Side Story:

Lahki’s Merchant Diary, Part 4 

Three figures stood on the side of a road to the suburbs surrounding Lamburt, watching silently as a horse-drawn cart shrank into the distance. 

A friendly looking, well-dressed young man with tousled brown hair—probably in his twenties—smiled warmly as he watched the cart disappear, waving with one hand and clutching a piece of parchment to his chest with the other. 

A second young man stood at his side, barely able to contain his excitement. “I can’t believe it, Lahki, you got a shop permit! I’ve heard of luck, but this is a whole new level!” 

This second man was a mercenary, dressed in leather armor and armed with a shield and modest sword. He wore his blond hair cropped close to his head. He stared at the parchment the first man—Lahki—held. 

The shop permit fluttered as Lahki’s hand trembled. Lahki grinned ruefully. “I can’t believe it, either. It’s kinda funny, though. You seem more excited than I am, Behl.” 

“No, no! I mean, shouldn’t you be excited about something like this? No one from our little town has ever owned their own shop before, y’know!” 

“That’s right! You’d better hurry and tell your folks back in the village!” the woman next to Behl agreed. She wore her chestnut hair tied back in a ponytail. It was obvious at a glance that this woman, dressed in leather armor, was also a mercenary. Like Behl, she beamed at their friend’s sudden change in fortune. 

Lahki thought long and hard about the places his travels had taken him, and about his parents back home, who’d agreed to let him pursue the life of a merchant. 

“Thank you, Rea. You’re right, I really should tell them.” 

Behl turned his gaze back to the cart and mumbled to himself. “I can’t believe that you’re going into business with elves.” 

Lahki looked up from the shop permit and stared at the distant figures who’d made this all possible. 

“Those two really were nothing like the elves I’ve heard about,” Rea said. 

It was the first time any of them had ever met an elf in real life. 

One elf had been clad from head to toe in exquisitely decorated silver armor. When he took his helmet off, they saw that he had elongated ears, red eyes, black hair, and brown skin. The other elf had snow-white hair, golden eyes, and amethyst-colored skin. Her ears were slightly less pointed than the man’s. 

Apart from their ears, both were quite different from the elves in stories, who had green-tinged blond hair and bright green eyes. 

The two mercenaries looked at Lahki, as if seeking some explanation. Lahki smiled nervously under their gaze, then clapped his hands together as if trying to recall something. 

“I think…and this is just a theory…but I think that Ariane, the woman, was a dark elf. I’ve only heard rumors about them, of course. Apparently, though, they’re a rare subspecies of elf. I don’t know what Arc might be, but it’s possible he’s an even rarer subspecies.” 

“A dark elf, huh? Well, she was definitely easy on the eyes.” A silly smile crept across Behl’s face. 

Rea shot him a death glare. “Cut that out! She’s a fellow warrior in arms, y’know. I’ll lop that filthy-minded head of yours right off if you keep it up.” 

Behl wrapped his arms around himself and slouched, pretending to shudder at Rea’s threat. “Hey, I know! But a guy can’t help it if a beautiful woman draws his attention.” 

Rea narrowed her eyes. “Yes, he can.” 

Behl cleared his throat nervously. 

Lahki could only tilt his head to the side and return Rea’s gaze as her eyes drilled into him. Behl, seemingly undisturbed by Rea glaring daggers at Lahki, continued to speak aloud to himself. “Speaking of which, the girl there was a real looker. Black hair, azure eyes… Chiyome, was it? I wonder what her relationship with the elves is.” 

Lahki shrugged. “They mentioned that we’d meet with Chiyome much more often from here on out, since she’ll come by to sell monster parts and purchase materials. But she definitely didn’t seem like an elf.” 

Rea jammed her elbow lightly into Lahki’s ribs in warning. “Listen, they’ve got some sort of relationship with the Lord of Lamburt, y’know. So, don’t go sticking your nose in places it doesn’t belong, or your business’ll be done for. A merchant should think about how to make the best of their connections.” 

Lahki laughed and scratched the back of his head. “Hahaha! You’re right, Rea.” 

He looked down at the shop permit in his hand, issued by the Lord of Lamburt. Any merchant was painfully aware of the sheer difficulty of obtaining the right to run a shop in a bustling port town. 

Yet there he was, holding a piece of paper reserved for a limited few in this world. It was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That new reality was slowly starting to sink in. 

“You’re absolutely right. But first things first. We should check out the shop.” 

Rolling up the shop permit, and placing it carefully into his jacket pocket, Lahki turned back toward Lamburt. 

Behl and Rea led the way, serving as Lahki’s bodyguards. They headed for the central administrative office in the old town district, near the lord’s castle. 

Lamburt’s administrative office was a three-story building detailed with elegant stonework. Its black roof stood in stark contrast to the mahogany roofs around it. 

Lahki entered the building and headed straight for the counter, where a clerk stood at attention. He handed over his shop permit. A short time later, after finishing the name registration and other paperwork, he left the office. 

Lahki stood in the street, rolling the key for his new building back and forth in his hand. Its heft brought a smile to his face. 

Behl nudged Lahki with his elbow. “So, it’s finally feeling real, huh? You’ve got your very own shop, Lahki!” 

Lahki dropped the key into his jacket pocket. “Now I need to start wrapping my head around the next steps.” 

“Hey,” Rea said. “Is the shop located in the old town district, or the new one?” 

Lahki laughed wryly as he recalled the number written on his shop permit. “It’s in the new town district, near the south market. I mean, if I’d gotten a shop in the old district, I’d almost certainly have either turned it down or tried to trade it for a shop in the new area.” 

Rea cocked her head. “I thought merchants preferred to have their shops in the old town district.” 

As usual, Rea was right. 

The town of Lamburt consisted of two districts: the old town district and the new town district. The names, obviously, referred to when the areas had been built. The historic old town district had more ties to the nobility, and thus, closer connections with the merchant guild. But the merchant guild had slowly acquired power over time, making it all but impossible for a newcomer to break in. 

“Before you can get a shop in the old town, you need to build your influence with the merchant guild in the new town. You can’t just jump in and set up shop. Relations between shop owners are incredibly important, so if I ever plan to enter the old town district, I’ll need to bide my time and build connections,” Lahki sighed. 

“Huh,” Rea said. “I had no idea. I figured, once you got rich, you were allowed to live there. That all sounds like a huge hassle.” 

Behl looked as though he’d just remembered something. “If they have all those connections, how come only the merchants involved in the slave trading debacle went bankrupt? If the merchants were all so intertwined, you’d think that the whole group would’ve come tumbling down, no?” 

A surprised look washed over Lahki’s face. 

“Hey, why’re you looking at me like that?” 

“I was just shocked by what an astute observation you made, Behl.” 

Behl’s face darkened. “Hey, I’m always saying astute stuff!” 

Lahki apologized, his expression once again serious. “The business closures in the old town district happened suddenly, and the reasons behind them are vague. It seems as though there are trust issues between the businesses in the old town district, the local nobility, and the lord.” 

Rea looked around furtively. “You think some trouble’s brewing?” 

Lahki shook his head. “No, not exactly. Rather, the reputation of the businesses in the new town district was pretty poor. Rumor had it they were involved in something despicable. The general consensus is that the lord’s quick and decisive actions were for the best, while also giving the new town district a chance to ride the wave of criticism against the old town district.” 

Behl laughed. “Oh, I get it. So, the old town district is even more suspicious after having their dirty laundry aired?” 

Lahki told his two companions what he had heard over the past few days concerning the situation. Behl laughed and nodded along, and Rea put her hand to Behl’s head, as if to check for a fever. “What’s wrong with you today, Behl? Did you eat something strange?” 

Behl sighed in exasperation. “Just who do you think I am? Y’know, us mercenaries are good at sniffing out trouble.” 

Lahki clapped his hands loudly to break up the argument before it could begin. “All right, all right. Settle down, you two. I want to go to my shop and see the layout.” 

Behl and Rea stuck their tongues out at each other. They could argue over just about anything, and had since they were young. 

“You two really are great friends, you know,” Lahki said. 

“Us? Pssh!” 

“Hardly!” 

Lahki shrugged in defeat. 

*** 

The three arrived at their destination late that afternoon. 

The new town district’s streets were packed, due in part to the fact that they were much narrower the old town district’s roads. 

Horse-drawn carts pulled products brought in from surrounding towns, or recently unloaded at the port, through the streets. Customers and merchants alike milled about, hoping to sell, buy, or both. 

Lahki turned onto a road at the corner of the market, leading away from the crowded thoroughfare. Two large shops with heavy foot traffic stood on either side of their destination. The small building was about two carts wide, and looked as if it had been placed there to fill a gap. 

The entrance was firmly locked, but a staircase on one side led to the second-floor living quarters. That door was locked as well. 

The first floor, where the shop was located, was made of stone, while the second and third floors were wooden. That design was common in the new town district. 

Behl looked up at the shop, then to the buildings flanking it. “It’s pretty small, doncha think?” 

Rea nodded in agreement. 

“Not at all,” Lahki said. “This is more than big enough. What it lacks in space up front, it makes up for inside. Besides, a store’s size isn’t all that matters. The larger your storefront, the more you’ll pay in taxes and upkeep. This is perfect for my needs.” 

“You mean taxes depend on the size of your storefront?” Behl asked. 

Rea also looked surprised. “Wow, I had no idea.” 

“Not only that,” Lahki said. “Taxes also differ depending on what materials the second and third floors are built from. For example, look at the shop next door, ‘Doktor.’ The second floor is stone, but the third is wood. That makes their tax rate higher than mine.” 

“Even the building material affects taxes?” Behl looked at the sky and shook his head, giving up. “I’d be broke before I ever opened for business.” 

Lahki laughed, pulling the key out of his shirt pocket and slowly inserting it into the lock. It slid open with a heavy clunk. Lahki and Behl pushed on the doors, which creaked loudly as they swung inward. The interior was dim, illuminated only by what little light spilled through the entrance. 

As Lahki said, what the shop lacked in width, it made up for in depth. A cart could easily have ridden straight through with room to spare. In the back were a courtyard, a stable, and even a well. Beyond those was a building with a fireplace—probably some sort of kitchen. 

Rea and Behl voiced their amazement as they walked around. 

“Whoa. It’s a lot bigger than I thought it’d be!” 

“Wahoo! Mind if I take a look around, Lahki?” 

No sooner had Lahki smiled and nodded than the two immediately dashed off to explore. 

Lahki decided to start an inspection of his own, and began looking around the shop. Just then, a voice called to him from behind. 

“So, you’re the new operator, I presume? You’re rather young to be a shop owner!” 

A well-dressed man around fifty years old, with white hair and a mustache, stood in the doorway. He was short but muscular, looking rather fit for a man of his age. 

Lahki turned to face the older gentleman before bowing low and greeting him. “My name is Lahki. Pleased to meet you! I’ll be running this shop from here on out, so I hope we form a good working relationship.” 

“Well, aren’t you a well-mannered young man! My name is Doktor. I’m from the shop next door. I guess we’ll see each other a lot now that we’re neighbors, so we might as well get along, eh?” 

Lahki’s eyes went wide. “Are you Doktor’s owner, then? I intended to stop by soon for a proper greeting.” 

Lahki had never met Doktor in person, but he’d recently bought some of the shop’s wheat while gathering supplies on Arc’s behalf. 

Doktor waved his hand, dismissing Lahki’s concern. “No worries. We met, didn’t we? Feel free to stop by whenever for some tea. It’d do me good to befriend someone with connections to the Lord.” He smiled warmly, stroking his beard. 

“Wh-what makes you think I have some sort of connections?” Lahki blurted out. 

The corners of Doktor’s mouth nudged upward. “Well, the company that used to be here was involved in that whole controversy. Since the shop permit auction hasn’t even occurred yet, you’re either some sort of government official with permission to be here, or someone with the connections to get your hands on the permit. I figured I’d see if I could wring some information out of you, and sure enough, I got my answer.” 

Lahki gave Doktor a weak smile as he tried to explain himself. “No… I mean, it’s not like I have any personal connections. One of my customers actually got involved on my behalf. I’m still a novice.” 

Doktor frowned. “You’re the talk of the town right now, what with selling all those grand dragon parts, and using the money to buy a cartload of food. You really stood out, y’know.” 

“What?” 

“Well, think about it. Not only did you bring invaluable materials to a big name here in new town, you also chose a company to buy from in this area. Of course, that worked in my favor. But I assure you, it didn’t sit well with the scoundrels back in old town. They’re pretty upset with you.” 

“B-but why? I mean, I didn’t know anyone in the old town district who would help me! I had to work hard just to get help here, remember?” Lahki was practically shouting in exasperation. 

Doktor offered a wide grin in return. “Gwahahaha! That’s just because, after the closures, the miscreants in old town are trembling with fear about the new town’s upcoming success. Having a runt like you come along with an extravagant deal, and completely snub them, only served to irritate them further.” Doktor thumped his hand heavily on Lahki’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry ’bout it. Dead wood all comes crashing down in the end, one way or another. Besides, that customer of yours with the connections you were talking about… I’m sure he didn’t just secure you a permit out of the kindness of his own heart. You’ll be paying that back, I’m sure.” 

Doktor turned to leave. 

“If you’ve got any other amazing deals like that, send ’em my way. And if you have any questions, kid, be sure to stop by. I’ll only charge you for my time!” 

The older man walked out of the shop, whistling. 

Lahki slowly unclenched his fists and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. 

“He’s right,” Lahki said to himself. “What matters most is what comes next.” 

He turned around to look at his shop. It might have been an empty shell, but in his mind’s eye, he could already see the roaring success it would become.