These are?
Shovels made with aluminum alloy!
You've already progressed to the point of manufacturing aluminum?
I thought they'd help everyone in Elm Village.
Yeah.
Light, sturdy shovels will make farm work much easier than it ever was before.
I'm sure they'll be delighted.
It's only possible
because Masato-san got me lots of the resources I requested.
Yeah.
No one compares to him when it comes to earning money.
Yeah, he's a really big help.
I-I'm sorry, we were in the middle of talking.
It's nothing to worry about.
You should probably get some rest.
B-But didn't you need me for something, Tsukasa-san?
I just wanted to check up on you.
I was worried you might be pushing yourself too hard.
I-In that case,
I'll get some rest.
Ringo-kun's not the only one.
Everyone is growing fatigued from this lifestyle we're not used to.
Snow?
The Merchant will need recognition for the commotion he's probably causing
in Dormundt right about now.
Working with water is rough this time of year.
Cold!
It's snowing, too!
Oh, just don't go catching a cold.
Hmm...
High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even In Another World!
We won't let them mess with us anymore!
It Seems Roo Can Decide Her Own Worth!
Don't worry about the profit margin!
Just buy up all the merchandise!
Yes, sir!
We can crush that puny trading company any time we want, with all our capital.
They'll regret going up against Neutscheland.
B-Bad news!
What is it?!
Our trading company...
isn't getting a single product!
Wh-What?!
What...
What on earth...
Y-You people are...!
That's right.
They're the traveling merchants you laid off.
After you monopolized trade at the port,
you fired the merchants working the land routes in order to cut labor costs.
By forcing the villagers to bring their goods in to you,
you made them bear the costs of the tariffs.
Good grief, that's exactly the kind of cost-cutting
some idiot who only sees the numbers in his ledger would do.
Since you let them go to waste, we've organized them all under our own company.
Y-You don't mean...
Yeah. Our Elm Trading Company has signed
a three-year exclusive contract with these traveling merchants.
Do you understand what that means?
All of their wares were purchased by the Elm Trading Company
before they ever set foot in this town.
You can wait here with that stupid look on your face,
but you're never getting any merchandise.
H-He's deceiving you all!
Our company will buy your wares for far more than his trashy company can!
It's not too late!
You can change your minds!
Elm Trading Company already told us that you'd pay more for our goods.
We sold them knowing that already.
Impossible! Why?!
It's obvious.
Because we didn't want to sell to you.
Wha?!
We risk our lives hauling these goods.
We refuse to risk our lives for someone who'd fire us over his crappy accounting.
You might say you'll buy our wares for more, but that's only for now, isn't it?
Once your war with Elm is over, you'll go back to buying them on the cheap.
Y-You have the wrong idea!
I won't lower prices anymore!
I deeply regret my past actions! So...
We don't trust you anymore.
Jaccoi.
What's most important to a business isn't money. It's trust.
So long as you have trust, you can earn money again.
I can't believe threw away the trust you'd established
with the merchants and the villages, just for a little extra money.
There's no future for a business that's lost its trust.
You went too far.
He really did crush Neutscheland in a week...
However, it would also be going too far to crush you and Neutscheland right here.
Huh?
Be it Elm or Neutscheland,
it's just not healthy for any one business to monopolize the market.
So why don't those of us here talk it out?
Let's discuss the future of trade and the economy
here in Dormundt and the territory of Findolf.
Though we plan on taking advantage of you, so you'd better be prepared.
Y-Yes...
Which one, hm...
Hey, why didn't you crush Neutscheland?
Hm?
Because there were more drawbacks in crushing them than not.
Drawbacks?
We couldn't keep so many traveling merchants employed.
I always intended to throw them all back at Neutscheland, once I broke Jaccoi's spirit.
Th-Then the contracts with those merchants...
Yeah, they were empty contracts.
You're telling me this after all that talk about trust?
Are you actually a bad person?
Of course I am.
In the world I'm from, I'm a merchant known as the Demon Lord.
Demon Lord!
We found you, you stupid brat!
You two! What do you think you're doing, walking around with someone else's goods?!
Goods?
That brat is a slave, and she's ours to sell!
Now hurry up and give her back!
Hey!
Huh? You got a problem here?
Rooko.
Shall I save you?
Save...
One day...
I'm going to become a good merchant.
Then I'll earn lots of money,
and use it...
to buy back my mother and father.
But all the money I have left over afterward, I'll give to you.
I promise!
I won't let you take a loss on this!
So, Teacher...
Please buy me right here and now!
What are you going on about? You brat!
Well said, Rooko.
I'd like to buy this slave,
at 100 times the market price.
Oh!
You've got no complaints, do you?
Y-You're not getting a refund!
Yeah. So we have a contract.
The courage and willpower you displayed
is a thousand times more valuable than the money I just spent.
Teacher!
Now let's make them regret this.
We'll show them they were huge fools for passing up
this huge fortune for a paltry sum.
Sorry, Elch,
for using up all the money we earned.
It's fine.
You already earned us so much that no one will mind what you spent.
I never knew that it could feel this good
to spend money on something.
I know, right?
This is why I can never stop earning money!
So it all ended being a huge victory for Elm Trading Company!
That's the Demon Lord of the Financial World for you.
There's a reason the Merchant is known as an economic emperor.
I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself, too.
A city full of information is precisely where a journalist belongs.
So, about those inquiries you requested.
First, the magic.
In this world, there are four different types of spirits:
Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth.
Communicating with them allows miracles to occur.
And, well, their powers are about what you would imagine them to be.
But people who can actually use magic are scarce.
Here in the territory of Findolf,
the only one who can is the mage officer living in the lord's castle.
Hmm...
What about magic capable of crossing worlds or summoning someone from another world?
I don't know yet.
Though since magic itself is so rare to begin with,
there isn't much information on that.
I see.
Well, we're doing well just gaining an understanding of their concept of magic.
Thank you.
Nin, nin! You're welcome.
So...
One more thing.
It looks like we're out of luck on the seven heroes.
What?
What do you mean?
Well, there is a religion known as the Seven-Light Faith
that might be related to them, at least.
The Seven-Light Faith, huh?
Yeah.
But that Seven-Light Faith
was destroyed several centuries ago by the Freyjagard Empire.
It wasn't just the Seven-Light Faith, either.
All of the religions that used to exist on this continent
were destroyed, root and branch.
Freyjagard policy of "survival of the fittest"
didn't allow any gods to be placed above the empire.
Religious oppression, huh?
I carefully checked the villages surrounding Dormundt to be sure,
but they didn't have any religions, or even have records of any.
I see.
However, that's still our only clue as to how to return to our world.
We'll have to search for it, even if it means turning over every stone on the continent.
Yeah.
There's a problem, though.
People need a travel permit from Marquis Findolf
in order to leave the territory we're in right now.
This Marquis Findolf is also one hell of a shitty bastard.
A shitty bastard?
Tsukasa-dono!
It's done!
It's finished, bear!
Hm? Done? What's done?
I worked beary hard with Aoi-chan to make it!
Oh, I finally did something befitting a politician
It bears seeing at once!
and had some public facilities created.
Public facilities?
What a nice bath!
You made a public bathhouse for the villagers?
I'm impressed.
How is it, how is it?
If I wear this, I can bathe alongside everyone, right, Tsukasa?
That's right.
Ringo-kun, you don't have to force yourself to join us, you know.
I... I'll be fine.
Oh, Lyrule, where were you?
I went to get this.
Tsukasa looked like he injured his hand.
Yeah...
I was doing work I'm not used to.
What's this?
A salve made from horse oil.
Applying this to the wound will ease the pain and help it heal faster.
I see.
Thank you, Lyrule.
B-Bad news!
Some of the villagers that went hunting
ran into a monster called the Chief of the Forest!
Huh?
There's a large heat signature 500 meters ahead.
Masato...
Oh, has everyone come out to greet me?
No, something's off.
Something must have happened.
A-Aoi?!
You don't need to worry about her.
How is everyone else?
M-Mayor Ulga...
Huh?
So you're the Chief of the Forest?
H-He stopped breathing a moment ago.
I see.
If he's only just stopped breathing, he should be fine.
Isn't that right, Keine-kun?
Yes, of course.
Left fifth through tenth rib, all broken.
Abdominal lacerations, colon rupture...
Everything below the diaphragm is poking out.
He's passed out from hemorrhagic shock,
and he's been in cardiac arrest for just under three minutes, I believe.
Okay, okay.
This should be no problem.
Beginning operation.
I-Incredible...
She's sealing up the wound.
Damaged organs repaired.
Surgical treatment completed.
Liquid oxygen injected.
Now commencing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
All treatment completed.
He should wake up in two to three days.
Father...
Good work.
My...
This hardly even counts as work.
Right, Aoi-san?
Indeed. That was a piece of cake.
Well, let's head back to Elm Village.
Aoi and Keine are with them. They'll make it back safely.
That's...
Peasants, bow your heads!
Before you stands the Captain of Marquis Findolf's Guardian Knights,
the Silver Knight, Inzagi!
Guardian Knights?!
Hmph, this village reeks of beast.
Seize them.
Hm?
You are suspected of treason against the state.
Wh-What do you mean?!
You have used illegal means to gather gold coins within these lands.
Illegal?
We earned that money doing proper business.
If you need proof, I'll show you our ledger and our business permit!
There's no need.
It's a sin for vulgar peasants such as yourselves to even touch gold.
Every gold coin is engraved with the dragon crest of the Freyjagard Empire.
Allowing your filthy hands to touch that dragon crest
is akin to treason against the state!
Marquis Findolf, lord of these lands, is highly offended.
That's hardly even a pretext!
Silence, peasants.
Our noble words are worth far more than your lives.
Should we tell you to live, then you shall live,
and if we say you die, you die.
This is an order directly from the lord himself.
"Burn all traitors who don't know their place at the stake."
Teacher!
Tsk.
Wh-What is all this?
Winona! It's no use! We can't find them!
None of them are here!
Th-They could still be inside.
We have to rescue them!
Let's go, everyone!
Yeah!
Do not!
Lunging into a burning building is suicide!
B-But...
Don't worry.
We have someone capable of escaping welded-shut coffins.
Exactly!
Everyone, it's all right now!
Darling!
Father!
Elch, you're safe!
Y-Yeah...
Thanks to him.
You did well, Akatsuki.
We're lucky you were here.
Yeah, although...
We have trouble, Tsukasa.
Hm?
The ones who attacked this village called themselves the Guardian Knights,
and they said they had direct orders from the lord.
The lord?
His name was Marquis Findolf, wasn't it?
Where is Lyrule?