IGTL Chapter 51

Chapter 51 – I’ll Have My Recovery Potions Bought at a Fair Price. Huh? But, but, come on? Please stop throwing a tantrum. That’s only normal, right?

“The distribution of recovery potions is fundamental to adventurer activity. If you intend to supply recovery potions to us on a regular basis, then it is not as though I would refuse to consider it, but…”

“On a regular basis at those garbage-tier prices? You’ve got to be joking.”

The moment I said that, the Vice Guildmaster’s face stiffened in irritation.

“And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“Hm? Strange. Did my words not register? I said I can’t wholesale recovery potions at prices that low.”

“…That may be true, yes, but who in their right mind would want to drink recovery potions that cost one million Col or ten million Col per bottle? In that case, wouldn’t it be better to lower the price as much as possible so more people can afford them? Or what? Are you planning to go sell them to the Midgard Holy Nation instead?”

“That might not be a bad idea…”

When I held up the paid item “Move Yggdrasil” strapped around my arm, the Vice Guildmaster looked like he’d bitten into something bitter.

“So that is the source of your confidence… To think you possessed that bracelet… I see. With that, perhaps you really could go and sell them in the Midgard Holy Nation. But that would run counter to the interests of this nation. Are you saying you would betray your country?”

“…If you’d simply buy them at a fair price, there’d be no need for that.”

“…………”

After hearing that, the Vice Guildmaster fell silent.

“…That said, we’ll get nowhere if things continue like this. I’d rather not waste a discussion that took effort to arrange. And I’m sure you have your position to consider as Vice Guildmaster. So here’s a compromise. I’ll supply only Basic Recovery Potions at a low price. However, for Intermediate Recovery Potions and above, I expect them to be bought at a fair price.”

“…And what do you mean by a fair price?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m saying you should buy them for at least the same price as the Midgard Holy Nation.”

“…Very well. However, there will be a condition.”

“A condition?”

“Yes. You will deliver at least 1000 ‘Basic Recovery Potions’ every month. That is the condition…”

A minimum monthly delivery of 1000 Basic Recovery Potions, huh…

Easy. If I camped in a beginner dungeon for a single day, I could gather that many without breaking a sweat.

Of course, whether I’d actually supply them depended on the terms.

As I thought that over for a bit, the Vice Guildmaster, apparently misunderstanding my silence, curled his lips into a smug smile.

“Heh heh heh. You certainly talked big. If you can’t deliver at least 1000 bottles a month, then we have nothing more to discuss. If you are unable to do so, then…”

“Understood. 1000 bottles per month. I have no objection to supplying that quantity, but it depends on the purchase price. If I recall correctly, in the Midgard Holy Nation they circulated for 100,000 Col per bottle… Still, I’ll respect the Vice-Chairman’s wishes and supply them here for 10,000 Col per bottle.”

That made the Vice Guildmaster go blank with shock.

“W-What!?”

“Well, even if you shout ‘What!?’ at me…”

Wait, had he seriously thought he was slapping me with some impossible demand?

“Oh, and if you’re going to attach conditions on your end, then I’ll be adding some on mine too. I’ll deliver 1000 Basic Recovery Potions every month at 10,000 Col per bottle. In exchange, you will buy every Intermediate Recovery Potion and every higher-tier recovery potion I supply. Ah, and don’t worry. Every recovery potion I provide is of the highest quality. You won’t lose out.”

“N-No, but even so…”

The Vice Guildmaster panicked as his whole scheme fell apart.

I didn’t know what sort of angle he’d been playing, but he’d underestimated me way too much.

Most likely, he’d assumed that no lone individual could possibly supply a thousand recovery potions. Too bad. All I had to do to get recovery potions was mow down monsters in a beginner dungeon until they dropped.

“I’ll wholesale Basic Recovery Potions for 10,000 Col, but Intermediate Recovery Potions will be bought for one million Col, and Advanced Recovery Potions for ten million Col. Those prices are equal to the Midgard Holy Nation’s. I will not discount them by even a single Col. And if you refuse to buy them, then the special-rate arrangement becomes void. Though if that happens, I can always just sell them to the Midgard Holy Nation instead.”

Before, Raynel, who worked at our inn, had said, “There may not be a single alchemist anywhere in the whole country capable of making Advanced Recovery Potions.” He had also said, “If it’s the Midgard Holy Nation, there might be an alchemist there who can make them, though…”

Back when this world had still been a game, there had been no qualification called “alchemist.”

Now, however, recovery potions had become precious commodities.

The Vice Guildmaster’s lofty ideal of distributing recovery potions cheaply to adventurers only held up so long as there were alchemists willing to sell them cheaply.

Still, lofty ideals alone meant nothing.

There was also the humiliation I’d suffered at the hands of that receptionist, and my grudge against the Vice Guildmaster for setting it all in motion.

I had shown him a deal with plenty of merit.

And since the choice was mine, there was really only one thing left the Vice Guildmaster could do.

Accept my terms.

Unless, of course, he wanted those precious recovery potions sold off to the Midgard Holy Nation.

“Uggghhh… Fine. I’ll accept your terms.”

“Hm? What was that? You’ll accept my terms?”

Was something wrong with my ears? That had sounded awfully high-and-mighty.

“…Please allow us to contract under those terms.”

“Yes, that’s fine. Then let’s draw up the contract right away.”

I took the paid item “Contract” out of my Item Storage, wrote in the terms, and set it down in front of the Vice Guildmaster. It was an item used in player-to-player trades to ensure that agreed conditions would be carried out.

I had to prepare for the possibility that the Adventurers’ Guild might decide not to honor the deal, after all.

“…Now then, please read the contents of the contract carefully and sign.”

“Ugh, to think you’d even bring out something like this… Do you not trust the Adventurers’ Guild…?”

That was exactly right.

Back when this world had still been a game, it had been trustworthy.

Now that it had become reality, that was no longer the case.

“No. I don’t trust it at all. This is the Adventurers’ Guild we’re talking about, with a receptionist who’d falsely accuse someone in a fit of emotion and have the guards drag him away, and a Vice Guildmaster who tries to force down the purchase price of recovery potions. How am I supposed to know when you’ll decide to go back on your word?”

“Guh!? You really do say the most difficult things without the slightest restraint… Fine. I’ll sign the contract. And naturally, you have no objection to our own conditions being written into it as well, correct?”

“Yes, of course.”

The Vice Guildmaster carefully read through the clauses, then, wearing a bitter look, put pen to paper. Once I took back the contract and handed him the duplicate copy, he looked even more displeased.

“…Are you satisfied now?”

“Yes, very. As long as the Adventurers’ Guild keeps its promises according to the contract, I’ll deliver properly. So please make sure you uphold the contract clauses as well, Vice Guildmaster. Especially this one right here…”

“What?”

I pointed at the wording in the duplicate, and the Vice Guildmaster let out a relieved sigh.

“Oh, that? Is that all… We’ll observe the clauses of the contract. That sort of thing will never happen, so rest easy.”

“I see. That’s good to hear.”

“Now then, when will the Basic Recovery Potion delivery begin? You really can provide one thousand of them, yes?”

“Yes. Absolutely. If you’d like, I can even deliver them right now.”

“What?”

The moment I said that, I pulled “Basic Recovery Potions” out of my Item Storage and started lining them up on the table.

“T-This is…”

The Vice Guildmaster stared at the mass of Basic Recovery Potions in stunned silence.

“The table was too small, so I could only set out about a hundred, but I can deliver one thousand anytime.”

“I-Is that so? Excellent, excellent. Keep it up. I’ll make arrangements for payment at once. Please submit the remaining recovery potions to reception. You may leave now.”

“Yes. Understood…”

After leaving the Vice Guildmaster’s office and going downstairs, I was shown directly into a private room.

“Now then, Lord Kakeru. Please place the recovery potions you wish to sell right here.”

“Sure. I just need to line up the recovery potions I want sold, right?”

Murmuring that with a smile toward the receptionist, I took the remaining nine hundred “Basic Recovery Potions” out of my Item Storage and laid them out.

“Thank you very much. Then I’ll begin the purchase proced… Wha!?”

After that, I lined up 1000 “Intermediate Recovery Potions” and 1000 “Advanced Recovery Potions,” and the receptionist let out a completely ridiculous shriek.

Wearing a radiant smile, I informed her:

“1000 Basic Recovery Potions, 1000 Intermediate Recovery Potions, and 1000 Advanced Recovery Potions. That makes 3000 bottles in total. The Basic Recovery Potions are 10,000 Col each, the Intermediate Recovery Potions are one million Col each, and the Advanced Recovery Potions are ten million Col each, so the total comes to 11.01 billion Col. Please buy them all.”

“P-Please wait just a moment!”

With that, the receptionist hurried out of the room, sweat beading across her forehead.

She had probably run straight to the Vice Guildmaster.

Leaning back against the sofa, I sipped the green tea they’d served me when the door flew open with a bang.

I turned toward it and found the Vice Guildmaster standing there, drenched in sweat and utterly flustered.

“W-W-What is the meaning of this!? Not only one thousand Basic Recovery Potions, but Intermediate and Advanced Recovery Potions as well… T-There’s no way we could possibly pay such a massive sum as 11.01 billion Col all at once…”

“What’s wrong, Vice Guildmaster? You seem awfully flustered…”

I set the teacup on the table, then slowly rose to my feet with a smile.

“O-Of course I’m flustered!”

“No, no, I really don’t understand why. Look, when I pointed to that clause earlier, didn’t you say, ‘Oh, that? Is that all… We’ll observe the clauses of the contract. That sort of thing will never happen, so rest easy’?”

“Th-That was…”

“And what, exactly, did the clause say? The contract clearly stated, ‘The Adventurers’ Guild must purchase any Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Recovery Potions delivered by the player named Kakeru,’ didn’t it?”

“Guh… But still, that…”

“I also added a note stating that if you were unable to buy them, then the special-rate arrangement would be void. And the penalty clause that the Guildmaster wrote for contract violations ended up working against you too. ‘If the contract is unilaterally broken, the player named Kakeru must provide 1000 Basic Recovery Potions and 10 Intermediate and 10 Advanced Recovery Potions free of charge every month for 10 years. If the Adventurers’ Guild unilaterally breaks the contract, it must purchase 1000 Basic Recovery Potions and 10 Intermediate and 10 Advanced Recovery Potions every month at list price for 10 years.’ Well, that final sentence was the one I wrote in myself.”

That was what happened when you got greedy with penalty clauses.

Well, I’d intended from the very beginning to make the Adventurers’ Guild buy everything at full price.

Even if they broke the contract, I’d still be able to milk money out of the Adventurers’ Guild for 10 years.

It had been a pretty sweet contract.

“N-No wayyyyyy!”

That day, the Vice Guildmaster’s booming scream echoed through a room in the Adventurers’ Guild.