For some reason, this moment felt much more uncomfortable than when those heroes ganged up on me. I asked myself the reason why and came up with a surprisingly simple answer: It was probably because there was no obvious reason for their malice. They laughed just to laugh, mocked just to mock, and hated just to hate.
I hated such people. They had perfect working brains, but chose not to think.
I stepped forward, deliberately making my footsteps loud. Then the attention of those in the room shifted to me.
"Uh, sir?"
Ramon's gaze was among them. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to his feet. He looked especially shabby as he stood there.
I asked, "Senior, why are you so light? Did you not eat breakfast?"
Ramon's face turned red again. It was strange. The one who should have felt ashamed right now wasn't Ramon, but those surrounding him.
Still, I deliberately didn't say anything and kept my mouth shut. Regardless of the reason, it wouldn't be very pleasant for a senior to show himself kneeling to a newcomer.
The guy who had been trampling on Ramon's head pointed at me and demanded, "Who are you? You don't seem to be from a lesser race."
I grabbed the finger of the guy who had just asked a stupid question.
He flinched and glared at me, exclaiming, "What do you think—"
"Have you ever had a broken finger?"
"What?"
"It's more inconvenient than you think. It takes a long time to heal. Since you're an office worker, you probably won't be able to hold a pen for a while."
"What the hell—"
There was a crack, and a desperate scream rang out.
"You look like you're in your thirties, but you're whining like this," I remarked.
Maybe it wasn't just whining. After all, those who weren't martial artists generally didn't have much tolerance for pain. This was why I usually tried to avoid having conflicts with people who hadn't learned martial arts. I usually had no intention of fighting unless someone blatantly picked a fight with me.
It was the same for breaking the man's finger like this. It wasn't satisfying and left me with a bitter taste. Still, I had to endure it for now. This guy was the one who'd acted rudely first, so he had to pay the price for it.
"What a rude action!"
"How dare you do something like this?!"
However, the others here seemed to think I was the one who was rude, based on the way they were glaring and talking.
"Sir." I patted Ramon on the shoulder. It was a signal for him to not worry, but I wasn't sure if he understood it.
In any case, there were a few talented people around me who looked like guards, but they were below the level of C-class heroes at most. That meant I could take care of all of them in the time it took to yawn.
"Does it make sense for members of the merchant guild to be lacking in business ethics?" I suddenly asked.
"What?" one person exclaimed.
"I don't think so. A merchant company would calculate the profit and loss first, even if trading with the enemy."
I'd heard that from Zeros Silver, a classmate at the training camp, during our journey to the capital.
I continued, "Then what is with all of you? Teper is such a big city, but the merchant guild here can't distinguish between public and private matters?"
At this moment, a new person appeared from behind the reception desk. "Young hero, your words are quite sharp."
From my prejudiced point of view, he looked like a typical merchant. He was fat, half-bald, and even wore glasses.
I asked, "Who are you?"
"The branch manager of this guild."
If he was the branch manager, he had to be a veteran who had experienced many things. He must've pulled off countless high-stakes deals where a single misstep could cost him everything. Perhaps since he had been through a lot of turmoil, his gaze was definitely different. It carried weight, and not just because he was fat. In any case, the branch manager in a city as large as Teper was likely someone most nobles couldn't treat carelessly, whether it was in terms of wealth or fame.
However, I didn't want to speak politely to anyone in the guild, so I just nodded slightly.
Was he really the branch manager? Despite my rudeness, the fat man still continued talking to me with a slight smile.
"Platinum blond hair and purple eyes. In addition, a sword with a strange form. Are you the Golden Fairy Luan Badniker, who has recently been making a name for yourself and who won a series of battles against the strong people of Heroes?"
This was definitely the merchant guild. As expected of a branch manager, he was pretty nimble when it came to information, even if he wasn't physically. Indeed, it had been quite some time since I arrived in Teper, so it was natural for rumors to spread.
I once again didn't feel like responding, so I nodded and an unrelated memory came to mind. It was something the Iron-Blooded Lord had said back in the capital.
-You should have at least one or two false identities.
Now I knew the reason why. Fame could seem attractive to ordinary people, but it wasn't necessarily a good thing.
In the middle of a war, a name that was famous would carry great value. Sometimes, its presence alone could change the course of a war.
However, the fight against the Dark Church usually took place in the shadows. It could be called a war, but it wasn't the type where the sides clashed in the center of the battlefield with clear attacks and defenses.
Thus, fame was a burden. It was no different from walking through a forest full of enemies at midnight with a torch.
Like a flame, fame could offer warmth, embrace me, and relieve my tension. However, it could be the same flame that allowed enemies lurking in the darkness to find me with perfect precision.
"It is nice to meet the famous Golden Fairy. Then, allow me to officially introduce myself. I am Haimer, the branch manager of Teper."
He looked three times older than me, but I deliberately spoke informally. "Yes, Branch Manager. Can I ask you one question first?"
Nevertheless, the man maintained a calm expression. I thought, Fat bastard.
"Ask it."
"Why is your training for your employees so poor?"
He said nothing.
"I only arrived halfway through, but just that was enough to make me angry. Even though my senior explained his personal situation, they laughed at him, made fun of him, and misinterpreted his words. I might still be a newcomer who doesn't know much about merchant companies, but isn't the merchant guild supposed to conduct trade based on trust? There was so much fuss over a carriage rental. So how is your employee going to handle anything bigger in the future?"
Haimer looked into my eyes. His eyes were like small grains buried in flesh, yet there was a sharpness to them. He thought for a moment before saying, "It seems there has been some kind of misunderstanding. I apologize for their rudeness."
It was a gentle admission of wrongdoing, but that only made me angrier. I could tell Haimer was giving in due to my fame and background, not out of genuine remorse.
I wanted to overthrow this entire merchant guild, but now he wasn't taking the bait even when I openly provoked him. It meant I didn't have a solid reason to further press the issue.
However, I could at least slap the guy who was glaring at me. "What's wrong with your look? You don't seem to want to apologize."
"Galon, what kind of rudeness is this? Apologize right away."
The employee with red cheeks bowed to me and said with a voice full of anger, "I'm sorry."
This was what I wanted. However, I smiled and said, "This isn't enough."
"Huh?"
"My senior bowed even lower than this. He kneeled down as if prostrating himself."
The guy called Galon seemed to have a lot of pride. He bit his lip in anger, but Haimer nudged him in the back and he fell to his knees in surprise.
"I'm really sorry. Please forgive my rudeness. It won't happen again."
"Senior," I said.
"Y-yes?" Ramon exclaimed.
"Step on this guy's head."
Galon's body trembled as his head was pressed to the ground.
The startled Ramon looked at me with a confused expression.
I tilted my head in a genuinely puzzled manner and asked, "What is it? Don't you have to pay back what you received?"
"I-I'm really fine."
"Really? I understand." I'd expected this type of reaction.
I walked over to Galon, who was probably relieved, and stepped on his head. I remarked, "Were you called Garlic?"
"G-Galon."
"The back of your head is pretty flat. It's perfect for stepping on. How does my shoe feel? I bought a new pair to go to the north."
He said nothing.
He was older than me, so I deliberately spoke as if he was immature. "Young man, act like a gentleman."
"Yes." Perhaps out of anger or shame, his voice trembled as he responded.
Then I finally stepped away and looked at the branch manager, saying, "Now, let's talk about compensation."
"What compensation?"
"It is compensation for mental damages. You are not seriously thinking about settling everything because I hit him a few times, right?"
A crack appeared in the branch manager's expression for the first time. Using informal speech hadn't seemed to faze him, so I'd deliberately switched to being polite. Maybe that affected him. Or maybe my absurd demand had finally crossed the line.
"What more could you want?" he asked.
"We agreed to rent a carriage in the first place, so let's follow the contract. Give us the carriage. Of course, it will be at no extra cost. It also isn't a rental, but a purchase. I want it to be bigger, better, and more expensive than the original carriage. Ah, well, I'll still pay for it. It will be the amount written in the original contract."
"Huh?" The branch manager looked at me with a distorted expression. "You are saying you want to buy a carriage at the rental price? And also a much better one?"
"Yes."
"Don't you know how absurd that is?"
"What is absurd about it? You tried to unilaterally break the deal and failed. As such, you should take a loss."
"What if I don't comply?"
"I will report you."
The branch manager sneered. "To whom? The Iron-Blooded Lord?"
"No, I will tell the Hero Society."
"What?"
I also sneered. "The fact that you have a guild branch in Teper probably means you have a pretty close relationship with the headquarters chief, right? He is practically the lord here."
From what I saw, the one who handled the actual paperwork seemed to be the silver-haired man beside him. His name was Jerome, if I remembered correctly.
I deliberately feigned ignorance as I continued, "I bet you had to have proven your credibility for a long time to gain this branch store, right? You have done a lot of business and want to do a lot more. Otherwise, there would be no way you would be able to set up a branch in such an expensive spot."
The branch manager was speechless.
"Then what would happen if he found out that the business partner he trusted so much broke a contract over something as trivial as emotions?" I looked at the branch manager's stiff expression and continued, "Well, the deal probably wouldn't break right away. However, the headquarters chief I met was a strict and thorough person. Maybe he would consider making a deal with another merchant company. He can't continue to trust a partner whose emotions take precedence over profit."
After saying that, I looked behind me and called out to Ramon. "Senior?"
"Y-yes?"
"Do you have the carriage rental documents and contract documents?"
"O-of course."
Naturally, I believed he would have them. Ramon was the one who had written such a strict contract for me. He was probably the only administrator of Corrupted. Such a person would never forget a mutual contract signed with the merchant guild.
Most likely, these guys had distributed the papers to both sides because they knew there was nothing Ramon could do to them.
However, the value of a weapon varied depending on whose hands they were in.
The branch manager argued, "There is no way a B-class hero could get a private meeting with the headquarters chief..."
I couldn't help laughing. This was what he came up with after all that thinking?
"Do you think I am only B-class? Me? Really? The Golden Fairy?"
"What else is there?" the branch manager wondered.
"I am a vigilante personally appointed by the headquarters chief. I am a next generation hero he trusts, relies on, and expects great things from," I answered.
"Vigilante? Hah! Then show me your hero badge."
"Why my hero badge?"
"If you are truly a vigilante, the back of your hero badge should have an owl symbol engraved."
The branch manager seemed to regain his confidence after seeing my reaction and sneered. "You didn't know that? Yet you are impersonating a vigilante. It seems you are a rookie who doesn't fear the laws of the Hero Society."
Was that so? I had never heard of it before. I'd received the B-class hero badge but never checked the back. So, I took it out and checked it.
"Ah. Is it this?"
There really was an owl symbol.
The branch manager looked at me, dumbfounded.
***
"T-that was amazing! Sir! You actually convinced those stubborn and stupid bastards with words! Thanks to you, we got to rent such a wonderful carriage! It is my first time riding a carriage like this!"
"This is not a rental. It was given to us. It is also thanks to Senior's good documentation. I'm glad that you are so meticulous."
"Uh... Why are you using formal speech again? You can feel free to talk to me politely."
"Um. Then I'll mix it up. It will be half formal and half informal."
"Yes!"
I grinned. Then I glanced back and looked at the sign of the merchant guild again. I thought I had seen this ugly gold coin pattern somewhere before. I narrowed my eyes before soon realizing where I had seen it.
"Ah!"
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Let's go."
"Yes! Then I'll go and pick up the carriage!"
I watched Ramon running excitedly before pulling something out. It was a dagger that had been given to me by one of my brothers in the capital. At the end of the dagger, I could see a pattern that could be a gold coin.
"No wonder it was strangely familiar."
I stood in an alleyway alone and laughed like a madman.
***
In the merchant guild, after Luan and Ramon left, Haimer called Galon to his office and patted him on the shoulder.
"You have suffered."
"Yes."
"Is your finger okay? Would you like to use a potion?"
"I'm okay. Rather, I don't understand it, Branch Manager. Why do we have to suffer such humiliation from a filthy lesser race?"
"It can't be helped. That was the Badnikers' Golden Fairy. He seems more important than I thought. He isn't just strong. He's eloquent and cunning..."
"So what are you going to do now?"
Galon knew that Haimer wouldn't let this go. The man in front of him was a merchant who hated the lesser races more than anyone else.
"Don't worry. They will pay the price."
"Will it be okay? The other person is a Badniker."
"The Iron-Blooded Lord can't pressure us without just cause. He knows how to distinguish between private and public matters. Besides, we still have justification. You know, right? That disgusting alien race clan, Corrupted, already owes a huge sum of money to our merchant group."
Galon's expression brightened. He began, "That means..."
"You should make the most of the contracts. Now they will learn how horrible it is to owe money to merchants. Also..." The corners of Haimer's mouth twisted. "They will know what will happen if they cross us, the Zyren Trading Company."