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“Could you deliver this along with your caravan?”

I handed a letter to Mao, a merchant who had been hanging around my office whenever he had free time lately.
Mao tilted his head, looking at the cute, pale pink envelope.

“Where to?”
“All the way to Klauchen in the north. The address and name are written as they are.”
“That’s quite far… But I happen to have business there, so I can take it.”

He accepted the letter but still looked puzzled.

“Do you know someone in Klauchen?”
“It’s the hometown of the former fake saintess. I’ve already censored the content, so there’s no issue.”

Mao still looked dubious but nodded and tucked it into his pocket.

“I’ll take full responsibility for delivering it. Do you need proof of delivery?”
“Something would be nice. A reply letter would be best.”
“Understood.”

But Klauchen’s in the northeastern frontier.
What’s Mao going there for?

“You have business in Klauchen?”
“This.”

He took out a lump of pale stone.
At first, I didn’t know what it was, but my werewolf sense of smell told me: rock salt.

“Salt? You can get as much as you want from the southern seas. Why go all the way to Klauchen to buy it?”

Mao shrugged.

“Rock salt and sea salt taste different. We take refined salt from salt pans there, and bring back rock salt. We’re transporting salt both ways, so managing the goods is simple.”
“The taste is different, sure, but…”

The rock salt he held smelled of sulfur. Even without transforming, my werewolf nose found it stinky.

“It tastes amazing if you rub it into fatty meat and roast it lightly. The smell burns off, and it adds great flavor. High-end restaurants and rich folks pay well for it.”

Really?

“By the way, do you have any connections in Schaldir?”
“No, I mostly travel north to south… Selling refined salt in Schaldir only fetches a pittance. I only occasionally go there to sell rock salt.”

Useless guy.

“Though Lord Aram, the governor, is a gourmet. He regularly orders rock salt from us. I could manage a meeting.”
“You little…”

That’s enough of a connection, damn it.

If that’s the case, there’s no need to keep talking with this crook.

“Make the arrangements.”
“Understood. What exactly should I say?”

I smiled thinly.

“Just say I’m coming to pay my respects.”
“Got it.”

I immediately dumped all my official work on Aylia and prepared to head for Schaldir.
We’d have to go around a small desert to the east, so it’d be a bit of a journey.
I’d have liked to go alone, but whenever I act solo, the werewolf squad makes a fuss.
Might as well take Hammarn’s squad with me. They used to live disguised among desert nomads, so they should be used to the legwork there.

“I’ll leave it to you, Hammarn.”
“Understood, Vice-Commander.”

The trade city of Schaldir sat on the shore of a beautiful lake. It was an oasis on the trade routes.
Though it was also a trade city, it seemed more focused on caravans’ rest and resupply than on buying and selling cargo like Lüenheit.
I heard there was a red-light district, which piqued my interest.
I’d been living without the internet, TV, or anything like that since my reincarnation. Of course, flashy things catch my eye.
Considering it’s enemy territory, I won’t actually go there, though…

When I requested an audience at Schaldir’s gates, the guards were visibly shaken.
Even though there were only five of us, all unarmed, we were envoys of the Demon Lord’s Army.
But when Lord Aram himself appeared, their agitation quickly subsided.
He didn’t carry himself much like a military man, but he seemed to have decent authority. A bit like Aylia in that regard.

If anything, he’s quite a nerdy-looking young man.

“A pleasure to meet you. I am Aram Sūq Shazaf, governor of Schaldir and a second-class noble. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”
“I’m Veit, vice-commander of the Demon Lord’s First Division. Sorry for the sudden visit.”

Let’s see what kind of man he is.

I was led into a spacious, ornate room. Apparently the governor’s reception chamber.

“Your companions may rest here.”
“No, we…”

Hammarn shook his head, but I cut him off.

“Don’t worry about me. Take a break.”

Hammarn frowned but seemed to realize arguing with me in front of the governor would make us look bad.

“We’ll do just that.”

Hammarn’s squad was taken to another room, and I was left alone with the governor.

Aram smiled as he offered me what looked like jasmine tea.

“I’m surprised. I didn’t expect for the Vice-Commander Veit, one of the Demon Lord’s top officers, to come in person.”
“I’m just a vice-commander.”

Without caution, I casually sipped the tea.
Things would’ve been bad if it had been poisoned, being the coward that I am, I’d already cast an antidote spell beforehand.
To show that such tricks were useless against me, I made a point of finishing the cup confidently.
I didn’t know what kind of tea leaves it was, but it was good.

I set the glass teacup down and started with some small talk.
I’d heard my bad reputation had been spreading too widely, so I figured I’d try to be amicable.

“This is a nice fragrance. I assume it’s through trade?”
“Yes.”

Rare tea, expensive glassware.
A subtle way of showing off economic strength and influence over trade.
So he’s a schemer type, maybe.

But this really was good tea. I’d never had anything like it in my previous life, so I decided to drop a hint.

“I’d love to try it chilled sometime.”
“I’ll have some prepared later.”
“Plenty of ice, too.”
“Ice?”

Aram’s face stiffened.

“Ice… is it…”

Oops. That was a slip.
There are no freezers in this world. In the north there are ice houses, but this is the south, where it doesn’t even snow.
I wasn’t sure if Aram had ever seen ice. Maybe he only knew of it through second-hand knowledge.
I’d gotten used to having ice at Master’s place, so I slipped up.
In summer, after lessons, Master would make a giant ice pillar, and we’d chip it up to float in tea or juice.
That was fun… Wait, no, now’s not the time to reminisce.

“Sipping tea with ice while looking out over Schaldir’s lake would be perfect, wouldn’t it…”

Aram calmed himself and smiled, though stiffly.
Guess I hurt his pride. Sorry.
Turns out you’re touchy.

I wasn’t here to find fault with Schaldir’s culture. I came to forge future friendships.
Since I’m here, might as well compliment something.
Right. This teaware was great.

“These glass cups… The bubbles add a wonderful texture. The unevenness doesn’t feel forced, and the thickness is actually calming.”
“What?”

Aram’s expression changed again.
Now what?

“Uneven and thick, you say… well, um…”

Ah. I’d forgotten.
A while back in Lüenheit, when I’d broken a window, the glass they used to repair it was crude like this.
I’d thought it was ideal for security since it blurred the view slightly, but apparently it wasn’t deliberately made that way.

“C-crude as it is… I’m glad it, uh, pleases you…”

His voice sank. I’d made him feel bad.
But I really did think it was good design. In my previous life, that would’ve cost thousands of yen at a specialty store. Maybe tens of thousands.
But now I wasn’t sure how to compliment anything.

I gave up on intercultural communication and decided to get to the point.

“By the way, there seems to be someone in the back room.”

At a glance, this room didn’t seem to have a connected chamber.
But my ears and nose told me there was a hidden room behind Aram. Probably not for escape but a place to hide guards.
Aram’s smile grew strained as sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Th-that’s… Uh, a m-maid is cleaning the back room… My apologies.”

No, I didn’t mind guards being hidden. It made sense for a governor meeting an enemy envoy.
But if he thought of attacking me with them, it would cause unnecessary casualties.
I should warn him.
Still, if he claimed it was a maid, this was awkward.

“That maid smells a bit too much like a man. And seems to be wearing iron clothes.”

My ears caught the faint sound of metal armor. They’d taken care with soundproofing, but it was pointless.
Aram’s face twitched as he forced a laugh.

“Ah, well… you see…ahahaha”

Since every word out of my mouth was making things awkward, I decided to be blunt.

“Even armored maids aren’t reassuring when there are only six of them. And they’re too far away.”
“What!?”

I could tell the number from their scents and footsteps.
The distance being too great wasn’t a bluff, either. The wall where they were hiding was more than two meters from Aram’s seat.
Even if Aram ran for the wall and the guards burst out at the same time, I’d transform and snap his neck first.
Of course, I’d never do that. But I could.

Which meant Aram was practically unguarded facing me.
So he shouldn’t get any ideas.
It’s not easy holding back enough not to kill.
But, really, why am I so bad at conversation… I’m in no place to laugh at Master or Raise.