Chapter 217

Yusina, who was holding Roan’s arm, sensitively felt the vibration and looked at him.

‘Even if he can’t express it outwardly, he must feel bad because his uncle is leaving!’

Yusina only smiled faintly and did not say anything else.

Yusina, the kind older sister who protected Roan’s pride when necessary!

Of course, Roan.

‘It feels like a bad tooth has finally been pulled!’

Unlike Yusina’s guess, he was trembling because he could not contain his extremely refreshed and joyful heart.

How anxious he had been over every single minor detail while traveling with Espard!

Now, one of his biggest worries had been relieved.

Meanwhile, Tyrmi, who was watching the students see Espard off, spoke.

“There is something I need to buy.”

“Yes?”

“One hour. Look around.”

Although it was only three words, if the speaker was Tyrmi, it was an amount of information almost akin to a comedy routine.

“You mean since you have something to buy, we should look around for an hour and gather here, right?”

“Exactly.”

Roan nodded at Yusina’s interpretation.

“Yay~ I got it right this time~”

Yusina rejoiced, raising her tightly clenched fists.

Tyrmi strode into the campsite as if to say that it was fine as long as they understood.

“But what is the professor planning to buy? She didn’t even look around the market in Gilsburg, did she?”

Yusina suddenly tilted her head.

Roan thought for a moment and answered.

“She is probably planning to buy hidden weapons. They are difficult to find in Gilsburg or Acherandir.”

“H-Hidden weapons?”

Sion’s eyes widened at the appearance of such an unusual term.

Needless to say, priests—especially duelists—were far removed from hidden weapons.

“Yes, hidden weapons.”

“But you can’t use hidden weapons in a duel, can you?”

Yusina also seemed to wonder why Tyrmi would need hidden weapons.

Roan felt slightly frustrated.

“If you subdue the opponent with a hidden weapon before the duel, you don’t have to duel.”

To think they couldn’t even come up with such simple logic!

…Of course, it was not simple at all like Roan thought.

““…???””

Yusina and Sion looked at each other, wondering if Bell had just spoken.

”Otherwise, how could it make so little sense?”

However, after thinking it over carefully, it was definitely Roan who had said it.

Roan clicked his tongue and said.

“Did you forget how she threw the snack bag before we left school?”

At those words, Yusina and Sion simultaneously looked up, lost in thought.

The snack bag that dug into their chests like a dagger…

““…””

“Still, hidden weapons are a last resort. Don’t worry.”

“No, it’s not that we’re worried—”

It just meant they didn’t really understand why a duel professor would buy hidden weapons.

However, Yusina could not state her question precisely.

“But seeing that she plans to buy hidden weapons, she must have used them recently.”

““Hic—!””

A chill swept over them—

Because Roan’s next words were simply too terrifying!

Where on earth did Tyrmi use hidden weapons?

Surely Tyrmi wouldn’t have used hidden weapons on something like the Wailing Wall.

Sion, whose face had turned pale, changed the subject entirely.

“Uh… by the way, is it okay if we don’t go around with the professor?”

“Uh, uh, why, Sion?”

“She said earlier that there are also black mages… and I thought it might be dangerous.”

Although it was a plausible concern for a quick subject change, Roan shook his head.

“It is not that dangerous. As I said earlier, the campsite is an implicit truce zone.”

“Ah?”

“Even black mages won’t be arrested as long as they don’t commit crimes, and priests are expelled without mercy if they cause trouble.”

“Ah, right~ I’ve been here a few times too, and that rarely happens. And since Professor Tyrmi is here, she will probably come quickly even if something happens, right?”

Sion was relieved by Roan and Yusina’s words.

‘Indeed, even Saint Espard said so!’

Just as Yusina said, even if they went around separately from Tyrmi, it was actually harder to get away from her.

…It was a pity for Roan.

Roan added another word.

“Besides, if we flock together inside the campsite, we will attract more attention instead.”

The campsite was no different from a place symbolizing the empire’s freedom and individualism.

If people who looked like young students walked around together, they were more likely to draw unnecessary attention.

Sion nodded, as if she understood his point.

But Roan had one more reason.

‘It’s easier to find the Balance of Light and Dark if I go alone.’

If by any chance he walked around with Yusina or Sion, contacting the black mage smugglers would be extremely tricky.

Even if he did contact them, a fuss would break out.

“Then, let’s meet in an hour.”

“Okay~ See you later~”

Roan stepped into the campsite first to finish the job within the time.

Sssss—

Despite having quite a lot of people inside, the campsite was strangely quiet.

In a place where many stalls were set up, there was no sound of soliciting or bargaining that usually accompanied them like a needle and thread.

—How much?

—30.

—Good, let’s deal.

Only the occasional sounds of asking prices and handing over money were heard.

Flash—!

However, Roan’s eyes hidden inside his robe shined fiercely instead.

‘Now, shall I call them out?’

According to the information received from the Yorus Order, the smugglers Roan had to find rarely approached first.

Perhaps because they also had something to hide, they tested the waters as much as possible.

Tap— tap—

First, Roan walked toward a stall set up by a man in a rather fancy robe, close to the entrance.

Step—

When Roan arrived in front of the stall, the man raised his head in a barely noticeable manner and scanned him.

—You’re young. My stuff is expensive.

Although the man’s entire face was not revealed because of the robe, Roan’s approximate age could be guessed just by looking at a part of it.

Roan silently looked around at the items on the stall and picked up a Golden Hammock Flower.

‘The effects are similar to the Hammock Flower, but since it is gold, it is a bit more popular.’

The fair price was roughly 20% higher compared to the Hammock Flower, which cost about 40 silver per root.

—That’s a Golden Hammock Flower. Since the color is what it is, I must charge 80 silver for it.

Charging twice the price like this was unacceptable.

Roan frowned imperceptibly.

‘Well, I expected it, but this is indeed severe.’

To buy items properly at the campsite, it was actually better to visit stalls set up by shabby-looking people.

Because many of those who looked fancy were merchants trying to fish for transient customers.

However, Roan did not show it and took out a pouch filled with money.

Clink—

He intentionally shook the pouch excessively to make the coins inside clash against each other.

Just hearing it, it was an unusually heavy sound!

Flinch—

At that, the stall owner reacted slightly.

Roan spoke the line he had prepared in advance.

“Is this a reasonable price?”

A subtle nuance of being somewhat suspicious, yet lacking accurate information!

In that case, the so-called ‘professionals’ would notice immediately.

That this kid was probably a pale-faced young master from a wealthy family.

Kirruruk—?

Since Charlotte, who was holding Roan’s hand, was also tilting her head, that conviction would grow even stronger.

Sure enough, the stall owner, who quickly assessed the situation, grinned and nodded.

—Ah, of course. You can never get it at this price anywhere else.

Indeed, one would never be able to get it at such a high price.

Knowing the fair price of the item and intentionally getting ripped off was by no means a pleasant experience for Roan, but he had no choice.

He had to consider it an investment to obtain the Balance of Light and Dark.

Roan casually took out a 1-gold coin and handed it to the owner.

—Wait a moment.

The owner rummaged through his pouch, trying to give him change.

But his hands were subtly slow.

Roan chuckled and spoke.

“How annoying. I don’t need souvenirs, so keep the change.”

Mixing in Demona’s words of considering silver or copper coins as souvenirs made the effect even better.

—Ah, thank you very much.

The owner’s face was now dripping with smiles.

He had truly caught a sucker.

The owner generously picked up a handful of grass from the stall and gave it to Roan.

—This is called Gaemangbal, and it’s very good when boiled and drunk as tea. At this point, it’s a service given at a loss.

‘It’s just a trash item.’

Gaemangbal merely increased resistance to minor status ailments like colds by a little.

It was so common that even if one spotted it while wandering in the mountains, they wouldn’t bother harvesting it.

Not much of it was placed on the stall, but that was just an illusion.

If one looked behind the merchant’s seat, it was piled up like a mountain.

Having been deceived so much in “God & Devil,” Roan was all too familiar with the merchants’ tricks.

…Thanks to that, he rarely made a losing purchase even in Earth’s markets.

In any case, Roan smiled brightly.

“You are a very generous merchant.”

As he said so, his inside burned black.

‘What a waste, such a waste!’

Wooong—

Is this guy going to die like this?

Thump—

It’s a bit dangerous, isn’t it? Uh…?

It was to the extent that the two authorities inside his body sensed the unusual energy and worried like this.

However, Roan’s eccentric behavior did not stop here.

—Ah, that is 40 silver…

“I’ll buy it.”

—???

“Is there a problem? You said it was 40 silver.”

—Ah, of course not! Here you go!

Roan picked and wandered around several other stalls after that.

And he accepted the asking prices of the merchants, which were set much higher in anticipation of bargaining, exactly as they were.

As this happened a few times, the eyes of the surrounding merchants sparkled.

”’He’s a sucker!”’

And he was a genuine one at that.

Even if they were the campsite merchants who sold politely without soliciting, this was a different story.

—Hmm, this Five-toed Mushroom is really good for mana… 30 silver is quite a reasonable price…

—Ah, it’s really hard to get pickled gaerumchi in an inland area like this. I wonder if anyone would buy it. I could even sell it cheap…

Because of the atmosphere, they couldn’t do it openly, but the merchants quietly promoted their goods every time Roan passed by!

Roan chose and went only to the stalls that called for particularly expensive prices among them.

Naturally, he also bought a few reagents to be used in magic here and there among the useless items.

“Hmm, this seems a bit expensive.”

—Ah, then, specially…

“Since it’s expensive, the item must be that good.”

Clink—

—????!?!?!? Thank you! Have a safe trip!

After this situation was repeated a few more times.

By the time about 10 gold slipped away from Roan’s hand like clothes getting soaked by a drizzle.

Roan carefully scanned his surroundings.

‘This should be enough.’

Two suspicious robed figures had been tailing him for a while.

“Hmm… somehow there aren’t many things that really grab my interest.”

Roan, who had instantly become a star among the campsite merchants, slipped away to the outskirts.

Unlike the center where stalls were set up, the outskirts had many tents used as lodging, true to the name of a campsite.

Most people had gone to the center, and the remaining few were busy sleeping to relieve their fatigue.

As Roan took a few steps, the robed figures secretly tailing him began to act.

—Excuse me, young master?

“?”

Roan turned around awkwardly as if he had known nothing.

The men in robes walked straight toward him as if to confirm they had indeed called him.

“What is it?”

—Hehe, from what we saw, it looks like you aren’t satisfied with the goods of those transients at the stalls at all, young master.

A tone meant to appear friendly.

However, the faces revealed inside the robes were not entirely good-natured.

‘Found them.’

Roan’s eyes hidden under his hood flashed.