'The goblin king is so sneaky that it's difficult to catch... but to have it in such pristine condition...'

Lloyd looked at Ariel with an incredulous expression.

Not only the trolls, but the corpse of a goblin king was also not easy to obtain.

If they traded, it could yield even greater profits than the trolls.

"I'll buy all of these."

Lloyd decided to purchase all of Ariel's monster corpses.

Excluding the trolls and goblin king, the other corpses were also in good enough condition to be worth buying.

Well-preserved monster corpses have many uses and would be desired anywhere.

"Hmm, but it's beyond my means. Wait a moment. I'll call the manager."

Lloyd's own funds were insufficient to purchase all of Ariel's monster corpses.

He would have to use the company's funds.

While that would reduce Lloyd's personal profits, it would certainly boost his achievements.

Shortly after, Lloyd brought the company manager, who was also stunned by Ariel's monster corpses.

"Oh... this is incredible..."

The company Lloyd belonged to valued trust and conscience.

They would never engage in unscrupulous behavior like price gouging under any circumstances.

Thanks to that, they had built their current reputation and become one of the well-recognized companies in the empire.

The manager Lloyd called offered Ariel a fair price.

"How about this amount?"

"Okay."

Ariel readily agreed.

For Ariel, she couldn't tell if it was a fair price, but it didn't really matter either way.

She could obtain monster corpses anytime.

"Here it is."

Company employees placed a large, heavy chest in front of Ariel with a thud.

The chest was filled to the brim with gold coins.

"Wow, sister, you've become rich!"

Lu exclaimed happily beside her, and Ariel put the chest of gold into her Inventory.

"You don't need to count it?"

To Lloyd's question, Ariel shook her head.

If the company valued trust and conscience, Ariel valued clean and cool transactions.

"Well, no need to count it then. We're thorough about these things."

Lloyd laughed heartily.

"By the way Ariel, have you decided on lodging?"

"Not yet."

"Why don't you stay at our company's lodging? It's a free accommodation only offered to VIPs, with excellent facilities. There are even rooms with a courtyard where you can keep the wolf with you."

If Ariel tried to find other lodging, Ghost would be a problem.

She couldn't bring the huge wolf into a room, so he would surely have to stay in the stables.

Ariel didn't want that either.

"Please."

And so, Ariel headed to the luxurious lodging offered only to the company's VIP guests.

*

The lodging Lloyd guided Ariel to was far more splendid than expected.

It was spacious, and with the attached courtyard, Ghost would be able to stay comfortably.

"Ariel, I don't know how long you'll be staying in the city, but feel free to stay as long as you'd like. The company will cover all lodging costs."

"Thank you."

"Haha, I should be thanking you. If we have another deal in the future, I'll ask for your help again then too."

Lloyd was all smiles.

Thanks to this deal with Ariel, the company was in an uproar.

It was the biggest deal they had closed in recent times and would yield immense profits.

"Thanks to you, I was able to make a great contribution to the company. I'll have to treat you to a drink later."

"Okay."

"Well, see you next time, Ariel. Let me know if you need anything."

After Lloyd left, Ariel prepared to go out as well.

Since she had come to the city, she planned to go out and look around, maybe buy some things.

Unfortunately, she decided to leave Ghost behind.

Taking Ghost out among the crowds could cause problems.

Besides, from Ghost's perspective, it would probably be more comfortable to rest in the courtyard than wander among crowds of people.

"I'll bring you something delicious."

Ariel stroked Ghost's chin and left the lodging.

*

All over the city of Sierra, festivities were taking place.

This was because numerous high-ranking nobles were passing through Sierra on their way to the capital, ahead of Princess Illiana's birthday.

There were more street stalls than usual lining the roads, and plays or concerts were frequently held. 

Naturally, the atmosphere in the city was lively, with crowds thronging the streets.

Ariel and Lu were walking through the crowded streets.

After buying several outfits from a clothing store, meat for Ghost to eat, and wine for Lu to drink, they were already exhausted.

Ariel turned her steps back towards the lodging. She had seen enough sights and now wanted to return and rest as soon as possible.

However, she came to an abrupt stop in front of a certain shop.

"Ooh, it's full of sweet scents, sister."

Lu sniffed and floated up slowly. 

Ariel had also stopped in her tracks after catching the sweet aroma.

The sweet smell was wafting out from inside the shop in front of them.

The shop's sign read 'Delight', so it seemed to be selling desserts.

"Shall we go in?"

Lu gestured towards the shop.

Ariel nodded. Now that she thought about it, she had bought food for Ghost and Lu, but not for herself.

The cream buns she had brought from Herrington Village were running low, so it would be good to buy some sweet desserts here.

Cling. Cling.

Inside the shop they entered, the interior was quite luxurious.

The dessert specialty shop 'Delight' had found great success catering to the noble upper class.

Its main branch was in the imperial capital, with branches in other cities as well.

Perhaps because of that, the shop interior was lavish, and most of the customers were noblewomen or from aristocratic families.

At a glance, the prices seemed high, but Ariel didn't mind.

As Lloyd had told her, the money from selling the monster corpses would be more than enough to last her for years, even spending lavishly.

Ariel walked briskly up to the showcase.

A neatly dressed employee noticed Ariel and gave her a slight smile, saying,

"Welcome, customer. What would you like to order?"

Ariel gazed intently into the showcase.

Various desserts were displayed inside, all looking so delicious that she couldn't decide which one to choose.

Among them, one dessert caught Ariel's eye.

"This one..."

Ariel extended her finger, pointing at a dessert in the middle of the showcase.

A strawberry tart.

It was a round, brown pastry topped with red syrup and strawberries.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but the strawberry tarts are sold out."

The employee said with a regretful look.

"It's one of our most popular items, selling out every morning before noon. If you'd like to have it, you'll need to come in the morning."

"......"

Ariel bit her lip. Hearing it was a popular item made her crave it even more.

She wanted to smash the showcase right then and grab that strawberry tart to taste it, even if it was an imitation.

Ariel hung her head low and turned around.

The other menu items looked delicious too, but somehow it felt like it had to be the strawberry tart.

As they left the shop empty-handed, Lu tried to console Ariel,

"Hmm, sister. Let's come back again tomorrow morning."

"...Okay."

It seemed she would have to make do with cream buns for her meal today, much to her disappointment.

Ariel started heading back towards the lodging.

"Huh?"

At that moment, a young boy noticed Ariel and flinched in surprise.

"You, you're...!"

The handsome boy with black hair.

It was Carl Castarck, whom she had met in the forest.

Next to Carl was also the escort knight Shane.

Shane also had a surprised expression when he saw Ariel.

Who could have expected them to meet again here after parting ways in the forest?

"Elf! How are you here!"

Carl reacted intensely and approached Ariel.

However, Ariel just glanced at Carl with an expressionless look and kept walking.

"......"

A clear disregard.

Currently, Ariel's mind was occupied only with the strawberry tart. She didn't even recognize Carl.

Watching Ariel's retreating back, Carl didn't know how to react.

At first he felt embarrassed, and soon his pride was hurt and anger surged.

Despite trying to act familiar first, Ariel didn't even acknowledge Carl's existence.

Just like in the forest.

"Stop!"

Carl shouted loudly, forgetting his dignity.

"Stop, I said! Damn elf!" 

"Young master..."

Shane hurriedly tried to stop Carl.

"There are many nobles around. Everyone will recognize you."

If the story of 'The Grand Duke of the North, Carl Castarck, losing his composure and shouting on the street' spreads among the nobles, it would be a big deal.

It would naturally tarnish the Castarck reputation, and could even interfere with his future marriage to the princess.

But Carl had already lost his self-control.

He kept chasing after Ariel and shouting.

"Elf! Stop! That's an order! Stop, I said!!"

Finally, Ariel stopped walking and turned to look at Carl.

"?"

Ariel had a puzzled expression.

Someone kept shouting from behind, so she turned around to see what the noise was, and there was some boy walking towards her in a huff.

With an enraged expression, breathing heavily...

Carl walked right up to Ariel without hesitation and said while blinking his eyes rapidly,

"You, do you think I'm a joke! Dare to know who I am! I am the heir to the Castarck family guarding the northern empire, Carl Castarck..."

"Ah."

Then Ariel lightly clapped her hands. She had just recognized the boy.

He was definitely the boy who was with that knight confronting Ghost in the forest.

"Hello."

Ariel greeted Carl.

Come to think of it, she was grateful to Carl for helping her befriend Ghost.

"......"

Carl froze when Ariel suddenly greeted him.

Unbeknownst to Carl, his face was now flushing red like a tomato.

---

(T/N: In the next chapter, probably I will make it a regular release of free chapter per certain number of days, just like the others, if there are already many raw chapters available. For now, I will keep it locked

I think the raw is still around chapter 97 at the moment I'm typing this.

- June, 16 2024)