They returned to the shop once more. Sallandin was already waiting for them, the money Kishiar had paid earlier laid out exactly as it was on the table.
"I'm sorry for troubling you with the return trip. My daughter is still learning the work, and she made a mistake due to inexperience."
Though she called it a mistake, her eyes didnât look the least bit apologeticâthey were more baffled and dumbfounded. Yuder glanced between the pile of coins on the table and Kishiarâs face.
What the hell did he do?
At a glance, there didnât seem to be anything wrong with the money. It looked like the exact amount she had asked for earlier.
Sallandin soon gave the answer.
"You paid entirely in Aspile silver coins. For a small shop like ours, itâs difficult to properly assess and handle the value of Aspile silver. We can either exchange them for regular silver coins, or cancel the transaction and refund you."
Yuderâs brow twitched upward.
Aspile silver?
Only then did the coins laid out on the table look different. More precisely, it was the silver coins tucked between the othersâso easily overlooked next to the gleam of goldâthat had peculiar markings on them.
The patternâs slightly different from whatâs used on current silver coins. I remember hearing about this in my past life. Some silver coins are more expensive than gold ones... This must be one of them.
Over the Empireâs thousand-year history, the engraved designs on coins had changed multiple times. The reasons variedâpolitical reform, economic resets, new emperorsâand certain old coins had transformed almost overnight from simple currency into rare collectorâs items.
Apparently, this silver was one of those.
Anyone unfamiliar would just focus on whether the gold is real and ignore the silver. Sallandin mustâve only realized after the fact and called us back.
It was a masterfully played trick.
âA little trick,â he said. Yeah rightâmore like a major one.
Judging by her reaction, those silver coins werenât just rareâthey were extremely valuable. What wouldâve happened if Sallandin had kept quiet and let them go? Yuder turned his head in disbelief, only to find the culprit smiling innocently like nothing had happened.
With the kind of face youâd never expect from someone whoâd just almost conned a fortune out of someone, Kishiar calmly took a seat across from Sallandin. A soft, measured voice flowed from his smiling lips.
"Once a transaction is complete, it cannot be undone. Thatâs the first rule among those who trade in precious goods. Wouldnât you agree?"
The casual, laid-back tone heâd used earlier was gone. This was Kishiar la Orrâhis familiar voice, relaxed yet commanding, with an undertone of strange power.
Sallandin blinked and frowned. Her stern, defiant gaze gradually shifted to one of cautious tension and formality.
"...You know that rule?"
"You said it yourself earlier. You have any idea how hard it was collecting every disguise artifact on the continent? Of course I know."
It was an outright admission that he was the very person she had referred to offhandedly.
"Even if your daughter didnât recognize the Aspile silver, even if I did do it on purpose, the transaction already took place. The buyer recognizing the value of the payment is the sellerâs responsibility. I have no intention of voiding the deal."
Kishiar leaned back and crossed his arms. Sallandin studied him sharply, her gaze laced with tension, and murmured.
"Then what is it you want?"
"Naturally, I want what I paid for."
"You could take everything in this shop and it still wouldnât add up to the value of those Aspile coins."
How valuable were those plain-looking silver coins for her to react like that? As Yuder tried to decide whether she was bluffing or not, Kishiar spoke again with a bright, composed smile.
"In terms of goods, perhaps. But Iâm not here for objects. I want a person and information."
At that, Sallandin froze, lips shut tight like sheâd forgotten how to breathe.
"I'm just an old woman who retired from the field because of poor health. What are youâ"
Kishiar didnât let her finish. He continued speaking smoothly, as if humming.
"The value of words, and the person who can speak them, changes depending on whoâs listening. You can absolutely give me what I came for."
"And what makes you so sure?"
"This time, how about we write up a proper transaction receipt? That should ease your concerns."
After a long pause, Sallandin sighed and nodded.
"Dear, bring me a receipt form and a pen."
Her daughter, still looking pale and confused, disappeared into the back room. Taking that chance, Sallandin touched her temple lightly and whispered.
"I donât know who you really are, but youâre truly making an old womanâs day difficult. My daughter believes this place is just a humble antique pawn shop. I have no plans to pass on my work to her, so Iâd appreciate it if you didnât scare her further."
"My apologies. But Iâm desperate in my own way. You seemed to know more than you were letting on, and since you wouldnât say anything, I had to get creative."
"..."
She knew more but had kept it to herself?
Yuder hadnât sensed anything unusual, but apparently Kishiar had picked up on something subtle.
If it was something I couldnât detect but Kishiar could... Then it must be something related to magic again.
"Mother, I brought it."
"Good. Well done. Go rest inside."
"But I made the mistakeâI should be here too. Youâre not wellâ"
"Itâs fine. This wonât take long. Go on now."
Sallandinâs daughter reluctantly returned to the back room, shoulders slumped. Left alone, Sallandin straightened her posture and opened the receipt form.
"You want a person and information. Very well. But letâs be clearâthis agreement covers only the conversation happening here and now. I wonât entertain any further demands beyond this. And if you try another trick like earlier, next timeâ"
"You wonât need to call me back again. What I paid is yours now, and Iâll take full responsibility for it."
Sallandin wrinkled her nose.
"Your words flow like oil, donât they?"
"I get that a lot."
"Iâve written it all. Place your seal on the ink."
Both of them pressed their fingerprints onto the document. As their prints glowed, the paper lit up briefly, similar to a magical contract.
Only then did Sallandin turn back toward them, â NĐŸvĐ”lŃĐłht â (Donât copy, read here) visibly more composed.
"Now. Tell meâwhat is it you want me to answer?"
"When you answered this manâs earlier questions, I felt no lies in your words. But... they were only a recounting of what you saw and experienced. Something obviousâsomething that should have been mentionedâwas suspiciously missing."
"And what do you think that was?"
"Youâve lived here a long time. Running a pawn shop that caters to mages, selling antiquesâdoesnât that also mean youâve gotten to know quite a few mages?"
A faint, cold smile touched Kishiarâs lips.
"Then youâd also know that before Mr. Mel ever came to your shop, a group of mages had come to investigate the mountain range nearby. And despite the distance between here and there, I find it hard to believe you never heard of them. The mage world is small, and that group stayed for more than just a few days. Most villages up there seemed to have frequent exchanges with this one."
Ah. Yuder almost gasped aloud.
"A tragic accident occurred among that group of mages over twenty years ago. And after that, your mysterious guest began frequenting this shop. I want to know: in all the time he visited, did he truly never once cross paths with any other mage clients? Were you really unaware of any connection between those events? Was it all... just coincidence? Pleaseâtell me honestly."
Sallandin closed her eyes.
After letting out a long, slow breath, she opened them again and began to speak.
"Indeed. Thatâs a question worth paying for with Aspile silver."
"..."