"And what will our plan be, Mr. Rikko?"
Inako stood in front of Rikko, sitting on her heels in the Seiza position and looking at him with a certain admiration. This change in behavior was surprising, but he had a plan to formulate.
"Let's see... well, as I said before, we won't be able to do everything alone, so we need the help of adventurers to find and rescue your sister. And of course, notify the city authorities."
"Oh, yes, but we'll need money. Adventurers don't do these things for free, at least I know that much."
"You've been in an adventurer group before. How can we do this?"
"Hmm... We have to go to the city's adventurer's guild and register a mission request. Payment can be made in advance or paid after the mission is completed. A part goes to the guild and the rest is the adventurers' payment."
"Pay in advance or later. So we'll need to get money one way or another. Do you have any money?"
"Not even a little bit. I had to throw my luggage away, otherwise I would become monster food."
"Yeah, that makes sense. So the first step will be to get money for expenses and hire adventurers. But we don't have time to find work. Do you know what day it is today?"
"Huh? Um... yeah... vingt-sept...mai? Ah, May 27th! The language here is a bit complicated for me." - Inako replied, embarrassed by her limited learning.
"May... unless I'm mistaken, May has thirty-one days. So there are less than five days left until the fair, we need to act quickly."
"But what about money?"
"If we don't have money and can't find a job" - at least I - "... not that there would be any crazy person willing to hire a rooster... I wonder if this guild buys items from adventurers?"
"Do you mean monster spoils and treasures? Yes, they do! But we have to register with a guild first and take on quests."
"Can't we kill monsters without registering?"
"We can, but it's too risky without a trained group and even then, we get paid like regular hunters, the pay is much lower."
"We need to start somewhere. Oh, I wonder if we can sell this?"
Rikko opened her Item Box and dumped on the ground everything he had picked up during his struggle for life over the past few months. A small mountain of animal remains had piled up and gave off a rather... peculiar smell.
"Ugh. So much stuff, and that smell…"
"I've been in this forest for a while now and the box only keeps food well without spoiling, give me a discount. So, do you think I can sell these things?"
Rikko left out the fruits and fish that they would use as food, so what they had were animal teeth, skins, herbs and things like that. They were their trophies for having survived, so he believed they were worth something, at least.
"That's a lot of stuff, Mr. Rikko, but…"
"But?"
"They're not monster spoils, they're wild animals."
"What a pain, all that time saving for nothing!"
"Although… the guild doesn't buy these unless it's for specific missions, but there are manufacturers of medicines and leather for common people who would pay some money for these things. It's not much, but it's sellable."
"Great, then let's go to the city! We'll figure out the rest over there!"
"Yes, let's go!"
With their initial plan decided, the curious duo set off. Arriving at the edge of the forest, the muddy road awaited them.
"Hmmm... which way are we going? I don't have a map and I don't know anything about the area."
"I know how to solve that, let's go in this direction." - Rikko pointed with his wing to one side of the road. It was the direction the wagon and the adventurers had headed earlier. He preferred not to run into them if possible, but he had no other choice.
- Ville Bordeaux
"The nearest city is Bordeaux. It's not too far from here. Let's go."
"Okay!"
Although it wasn't too far, they had at least an hour's walk to get to the city they were going to. It was already past 2 p.m. and the sun was setting.
And in Bordeaux, a certain man was visiting a certain house.
"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Montblanc. To what do I owe the visit?"
Charles Montblanc. A well-known merchant of slaves and stolen goods from the Champagne underworld. His reputation among his ilk was high, and it would be hard for anyone to compete with him in his own line of business. Having noble blood still had some effect, and he had connections with the right people, even though he came from a family long since stripped of noble titles.
"Boucher, my good friend! I'm glad you're still in good health!"
Louis de Boucher. Respected owner of a farm dedicated to beef cattle. His wealth and influence made him above suspicion even among the royal family, but beneath this facade he hid another title, a more obscure one.
"I'm here to discuss business, as usual."
"Oh, sure, come this way, please."
They went to the main room of the house. Boucher uses it whenever he comes to the city to relieve himself of the stress of country life and to deal with other types of business. It is a sumptuous room, decorated with family portraits and expensive, high-quality furniture. Even though he was a wealthy farmer, he flaunted wealth beyond what he claimed to have without any ceremony. Montblanc sat on a comfortable sofa at Boucher's suggestion while he opened a bottle of liquor to serve him personally.
"Here it is, my good man. I hope it is to your liking."
"Oh, great, I really needed it. Thank you."
After observing the drink in his glass and smelling its aroma, Montblanc took a sip and continued the conversation.
"My dear Boucher, I imagine you are looking forward to what is to come. And here I am, Montblanc, to inform you that the wait is coming to an end."
"Oh! OOOOH! Just wait a moment! Pierre!"
"At your service, sir. How can I be of service?"
Pierre is the butler who currently serves Louis. His loyalty was not to him, but to his father, Gérard de Boucher, the creator of the Ferme de Boucher. His departure about two years earlier due to age placed him in the service of his heir, something that greatly displeased him due to his peculiar behavior.
"I want you to close the doors and leave us alone. Tell the servants. And put on that music."
"Agreed, sir. And what about your lunch?"
"I'LL EAT LATER! NOW, GET OUT! - The hurried and aggressive tone in his voice had been a common occurrence since his father's death. The butler dared not disobey."
"As you wish, sir."
They waited until the butler left the room and closed the doors as ordered. When the sounds of his footsteps disappeared in the hallway, Boucher turned his attention to the visitor.
"Sorry about that, my dear friend. It's hard to find good servants these days, so I had to make do with my old father's."
"Oh, not at all! Don't worry about that, I'm used to deaf servants."
"And I assume your visit is about the Fair?"
"Certainly. It will be held on the first day of June, at midnight. In Cognac."
"How wonderful! You don't know how much I've been looking forward to it, my friend! My good friend!"
"And it is precisely because I know this that I bring you a little treat, as usual."
"Ohh, really? I am never disappointed in you! And where is it?"
"Right here, as you can see."
Montblanc placed a small box adorned with gold ornaments on the low wooden table. Boucher fell to his knees before the table, stretching his trembling hands over the lid of the box. His breathing became more and more labored with each passing inch. As he felt the lid, somewhere in the house, orchestrated music slowly began to play. The butler had just activated the magical wind device used to store sounds. It was a very rare object that had cost a small fortune just to satisfy Boucher's whims.
"Yes... that's it..."
As if following a choreography, Boucher closed his eyes and opened the box. Inside was a delicate object made of white fabric that he quickly picked up and held close to his heart, his eyes wide open.
"Yes... that's it!"
He stood up in a single leap, something unthinkable for someone with an obese physique like his. He began to dance around the room, following the music as if he were carrying the most beautiful lady at the ball in his arms. His dance became increasingly frantic, as he twirled around the sofa with an unsurprised Montblanc who smiled sinisterly until, at the climax of the melody, the strange dancer raised his arms towards the crystal chandelier and opened his hands to reveal its contents. A piece of feminine underwear.
"THAT'S IT!"
He brought that small piece to his face, inhaling as hard as he could. His eyes rolled back in ecstasy and with a roar, he fell to his knees again, remaining silent. The music had ended at that exact moment."
"UOHHHHHHHH!!!"
He remained in that position for about two minutes. And finally he stood up, putting the underwear in his pocket and regaining his composure.
"...Tell me, my dear Montblanc... who does this belong to?"
"A beautiful specimen, from the distant country of Sake. A half-human girl, Hanjin as they call her kind there, of a species called Tanuki. Quite a find."
Boucher's eyes widened. His hand instinctively returned to his pocket where the piece was and clutched it tightly.
"I need to have it. I WILL have it."
"I already imagined it, my dear. I can bring it to you tomorrow."
"NO!"
"Well? I thought you wanted it as soon as possible."
"AND I DO! But not like this! I want to have the pleasure of being there in person to bid! I insist on doing it in front of all that rabble! I'm going to show them that they can't compete with Le Renifleur, the greatest connoisseur of flowers who ever lived!"
Boucher earned this nickname when he was still young. He had a terrible habit of stealing underwear from young servants in his father's house, and not even his younger sisters and cousins escaped his lust.
His father, hoping to find a way to deal with his son, sent him to study at a military school for men only, but even there he would sneak out in the early hours of the morning to satisfy his fetish. Until the day he finally took action and raped the caretaker's daughter during his vacation on the farm when he was already a grown man.
The father had to resolve the situation using his influence and shortly after, he suffered a horse accident and never recovered his health since then, forced to leave the management of the business to his twisted son, who became increasingly ill as the years went by.
"Are you sure about that? Someone might bid higher than you."
"They won't. None of them will be able to match my bid, I'll give my all for this delicate flower. How old are they?"
"Around fifteen."
"Hmm... a little old, but it doesn't matter. Some flowers intensify their scent over time. It will be mine, and no one else's."
"Okay. Well, now if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. It seems there was a little mouse sniffing where it shouldn't."
"CRUSH IT! I don't want anyone getting between me and my beautiful flower!"
"That's what I intend. So, if you'll excuse me."
Montblanc didn't wait for the doors to be opened. But as he left, he still heard the question:
"My dear Montblanc. You didn't tell me the name of this flower."
"It's Tenko, my dear friend. See you soon!"
Once he was in his comfortable carriage, Montblanc took one last look at the house where he had been briefly before ordering the coachman to leave.
I love these perverts. They are an inexhaustible source of money. - He thought.