The vendor's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. I decided to press my advantage, giving him a concrete offer to latch onto.
"Let's start with a simple, good-faith proposal," I said, my voice all business. "One gold coin for a five percent stake in the business. Right now."
Before he could process the words, I reached into my satchel and pulled out one of the heavy gold coins Kerina had given me. Without looking at it, I flipped it into the air with my thumb.
Clank!
The coin spun, catching the lamplight in a golden arc, before I slapped it down on the wooden counter between us.
The vendor flinched at the sound. His eyes, wide with disbelief, slowly drifted down to the coin. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out a slightly trembling hand and picked it up.
He felt its weight in his palm, his thumb rubbing over the royal seal of Aerthos stamped on its face. The reality of the offer was now sitting in his hand.
The vendor stared at the gold coin in his hand as if it were a holy relic. He looked up at me, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear, suspicion, and a dawning, desperate hope.
"A-a whole gold coin?" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "For five percent? Who in the blazes are you?"
I gave him a calm, reassuring smile, the kind I had perfected for nervous clients. "My name is Hayato. Think of me as a business consultant," I said smoothly. "I travel, and I look for promising new ventures to invest in. Your business model, this 'all-in-one' shop, is a market disruption. It has enormous potential for growth, but it's clear you're undercapitalized."
The man looked around his small, humble shop, then back at the heavy coin in his palm. The word 'undercapitalized' was foreign to him, but he understood the meaning perfectly.
"This is just a preliminary investment. A sign of my faith in your idea. If our partnership is successful, I can provide more capital. I can offer logistical strategies to improve your supply chain and customer flow. I can help you expand."
I leaned forward slightly. "All you have to do is agree."
The vendor gripped the gold coin tightly, his knuckles turning white. He took a deep, shaky breath, the hope in his eyes finally winning out over the suspicion.
"Okay," he said, his voice firm. "Okay, investor. You have a deal. What do we do now?"
"Here's what we do now," I said, my voice leaving no room for argument as I began to slowly back away but never breaking eye contact. "You will take out your business ledger."
I paused, letting the command sink in.
"You will write down my name: Hayato Mikami. Beside it, you will write: 'Five percent ownership, secured by one gold coin capital investment.'"
I reached the doorway, my hand on the frame. "I will be back in a days... weeks, or even a month. If I see progress, I will be prepared to invest more."
I gave him one last, hard look. "I expect a return on my investment. Make this business profitable."
Then, without another word, I turned and walked out of the shop, leaving the stunned man to scramble for his ledger, the heavy gold coin still clutched in his other hand.
***
The next morning, I stepped out of the inn into the bright sunlight. Kerina was already there, leaning against a post with her arms crossed, looking every bit the impatient mentor. She looked me up and down, taking in the new, durable traveler's tunic, sturdy trousers, and proper boots I'd bought yesterday.
"I see you went shopping," she said, her tone all business. "Have any of that gold left?"
"Yes, plenty," I replied, looking down at my new, functional outfit. "The whole set tunic, trousers, and boots was only five silver coins. Decent quality for the price; it should be durable."
"How is Elina this morning?"
"Elina is at school," Kerina stated simply.
I raised an eyebrow. "School? What kind of school?"
Kerina pushed herself off the post, ready to get moving. "The Royal Academy," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's a magic school."
I just nodded, filing the information about a magic school away for later. "Right. So, for my training, where are we going now?"
Kerina gave me a quick, appraising look. "To our first job. But first, can you ride a horse?"
I thought about it for a second. My experience with large animals was limited to the petting zoo I went to when I was six. I shook my head. "No."
***
The world was a blur of green and brown, the wind whipping past my ears. I was seated behind Kerina on a large, powerful warhorse that was moving at a dangerously fast gallop. My arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, my hands gripping her hips in a desperate attempt not to fall off.
"Are the goblins in this village really that bad?!" I yelled over the thunder of hooves, my voice strained.
Kerina, on the other hand, was perfectly steady, seemingly unfazed by the speed. She was casually reading a piece of parchment she'd apparently taken from the Guild's quest board.
"Normally, no!" she shouted back, her eyes still on the paper. "But this request says the village of Brighthill has a goblin problem because an Orc raiding party has set up camp in the nearby hills! The goblins are getting bold!"
Kerina pulled back sharply on the reins, and the massive warhorse came to a sudden, powerful halt at the edge of the small, rustic village of Brighthill. The abrupt stop was the final blow to my already frayed nerves. My desperate grip on her waist failed, and I slid ungracefully off the side of the horse, landing in a heap on the dusty road.
My stomach, which had been churning for the last hour, finally gave up. I scrambled onto my hands and knees and promptly vomited onto the dirt.
I heard the soft thud of Kerina's boots as she dismounted with practiced ease, followed by a sound I hadn't heard from her before: a loud, genuine laugh.
I looked up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, to see her standing there with a wide, amused grin, patting the horse's neck.
"Hahahaha! I was thinking you were some kind of unflappable, tough guy."
I pushed myself up, my head still spinning as I knelt in the dirt. "I've never been on a horse that moves that fast," I grumbled, my voice hoarse. "It's not exactly a stable ride. I'm used to something smoother."
As I said the word, a fleeting memory flashed through my mind:
The low, steady hum of a motorcycle engine between my legs, the smooth ribbon of asphalt flowing beneath me as I weaved through the nighttime traffic of Tokyo.
Kerina's laughter subsided into a bemused smirk.
"Smoother?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are you used to riding, a king's cushioned carriage? You won't find many of those on an adventurer's pay."
I didn't answer, instead just getting to my feet and brushing the dust and sick from my new trousers. "Let's just get this over with."
Just as I straightened my now-dirtied tunic, a man who looked to be a local farmer, holding a pitchfork, cautiously approached us from the village gate. He looked tired and worried, but his eyes lit up with a spark of hope when he saw Kerina's gear.
"Excuse me, Ma'am… You're from the Guild, aren't you? Did they send you? Are you here to fix the goblin stuff?"
Kerina's amusement vanished, instantly replaced by a professional, authoritative demeanor. "That's right. I'm Kerina. This is my associate, Hayato."
The villager's face flooded with relief. "Oh, thank the spirits," he breathed.
"Take us to your village chief. We need a full briefing on the situation," Kerina continued, already walking forward
"Of course, this way, right this way!" the farmer said, his relief palpable. He led us quickly through the village gate.
The atmosphere inside Brighthill was tense. The few villagers I saw scurried quickly into their homes, their faces etched with fear. Crude wooden barricades were hastily erected in front of some of the cottage doors. This wasn't just a nuisance; the people here were terrified.
The farmer brought us to the largest hut in the center of the village and called out, "Chief! The Guild sent adventurers!"
An elderly man with a weathered face and a determined jaw emerged, his eyes lighting up when he saw Kerina. "Lady Kerina! Thank the spirits you've come. Please, come inside."
We sat at a simple wooden table inside his home as he explained the situation. "It started small," the chief said, his hands clenched on the table. "Goblins stealing livestock. But now they're organized. They're attacking travelers on the road and probing our defenses at night. It's the Orcs in the hills. They're leading them."
Kerina listened with a focused intensity. "How many Orcs?"
"Our scout saw at least a dozen, maybe more," the chief replied grimly. "A full war band."
Kerina nodded, her face grim. "My primary mission is to solve your goblin problem… But to do that, we need to cut the head off the snake." She stood up, her decision made. "My associate and I will scout the Orc camp. We need to know their exact numbers and who's in charge."
To Be Continued.