Chapter 17

A few days earlier.

“Good grief, what a life. How did I end up like this?”

As Tofu trudged along, anger suddenly welled up inside him and he kicked at the empty air.

A bottom-rung traveling peddler who could not even attach the nameplate of a proper merchant company to himself, let alone own a wagon, and instead had to carry a bundle larger than his own body.

He had neither the capital to compete with the other major merchant companies nor the military strength to secure rare monster materials before anyone else…….

In the end, pushed farther and farther out, he barely managed to scrape together a living by swindling barbarians in this barren and dangerous Northern Frontier that everyone avoided.

“I’m definitely going to succeed. And succeed big.”

Tofu adjusted the sack of potatoes on his back and clenched his teeth.

Trading with barbarians was not profitable. That was common sense.

But this time was different.

‘These potatoes are the real thing. A chance that’ll never come again in my life as a merchant!’

Although that strange shaman of the Rock Tribe made him deeply uneasy, Tofu had absolutely no intention of letting go of the lifeline that had come his way.

Because perhaps this could become the opportunity he needed to establish a proper merchant company.

After walking and walking while lost in such thoughts, he arrived at the village of Teren.

It was the frontline village connecting the Northern Frontier to the human world.

Although he had reached the village, Tofu had absolutely no intention of going to the trading post where he had originally promised to deliver the potatoes.

Instead of the trading post, Tofu headed toward the village square at sunset.

The timing was perfect.

Evening, when everyone was at their most tired and hungry.

‘Right now.’

Chuckling, Tofu chose the spot in the middle of the square where the breeze flowed best.

He sat down on a wooden crate, took out a small brazier, and lit a fire.

Then he took out a small pot, spread a little cooking oil across it, and carefully laid down potatoes sliced into easy-to-eat pieces.

- Sssizzle!

The moment the oil heated and the outside of the potatoes began turning golden.

“Sniff, sniff…… Huh? What’s that smell?”

“It’s not roasting meat. Where the hell is this insane smell coming from?”

As the sweet, savory aroma of potatoes instantly spread across the square, people who were already hungry gathered around as though bewitched.

Once enough people had gathered, Tofu skewered an appetizing piece of potato and deliberately raised it high.

Because he had chosen such an excellent spot with good airflow, the smell of the potatoes spread throughout every corner of the square.

Countless eyes followed Tofu’s hand as he deliberately and slowly brought the potato skewer toward his mouth.

The people unconsciously opened their mouths with him, going “Ah-,” and when the piece of potato disappeared into Tofu’s mouth, disappointed sighs escaped them.

“Ahhh, delicious. Truly sweet as honey. Soft and fluffy, all savory, then this sweetness just riiises right up, and it’s even pleasantly salty. The flavor’s so rich you don’t even need teeth, it just melts right away on your tongue. Hmm? Ma’am, wanna try one?”

Tofu loudly exaggerated with his eyes blissfully closed, making sure everyone could hear, before handing a potato skewer to a middle-aged woman beside him who was staring with her mouth hanging open.

The woman reflexively took the skewer, quickly bit into it, and shuddered.

“Oh my, oh my! Oh goodness! Oh! Is this really a potato? Among potatoes…… n-no! It’s much tastier than any dish I’ve ever eaten! Are you selling these? I’ll buy some!”

“Just how delicious could it possibly be?”

At the middle-aged woman’s fuss, the dozens of people who had been staring open-mouthed and drooling all turned their gazes toward Tofu at once.

Tofu scratched his chin as though troubled.

“Good grief…… what should I do? These are already reserved goods.”

“Reserved? For who?”

“Well, ya don’t need to know that.”

“They’re just potatoes, aren’t they? Are they really worth reserving?”

When the curious crowd showed desperate expressions, Tofu lowered his voice secretly as though he had no choice.

“See, these here.”

As Tofu whispered, the people all leaned their heads toward him and held their breath as though they had rehearsed it.

“They’re ‘magical crops’ grown by an aaaamazingly powerful shaman up in the north after receiving the ancestral god!”

“Magical crops?”

“Something like that exists?”

“So that’s why they taste this good!”

Amid mixed suspicion and astonishment, Tofu delivered the finishing blow.

“This is a real secret…… but apparently, these are unbelievably good for men. Good grief, how am I supposed to explain it?”

There was, of course, no way to verify that, but the eyes of everyone surrounding Tofu lit up at once.

Good for men! How could anyone resist that!

“400 shillings! I’ll buy one!”

“Nonsense. I’ll pay 800 shillings!”

The normal market price of a potato, 200 shillings, doubled in an instant, and the square quickly became noisy.

Dozens of people pulled out their coin purses and thrust their arms toward Tofu, turning the scene into chaos.

“Huff, huff……! T-Tofu, you bastard!”

Two people came running up, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, and stopped in front of Tofu.

They were the old merchant from the village trading post and Max, captain of the Silver Eagle Mercenary Company.

“What are you doing here right now! Our trading post clearly put in an order to purchase them at three times market price! If you came to the village, you should have brought the goods to us immediately!”

The merchant shouted angrily, but Tofu did not even blink.

“Brat. I believe I clearly told you I would buy those potatoes?”

“What nonsense! There is no such coercion in commerce!”

“That’s right! Whoever pays first gets them. We’re buying too! Hey, give me ten!”

Max and the merchant were flustered by the crowd’s fierce protests and hostile momentum.

From atop his wooden crate, Tofu gave a pleasant smile and leisurely shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh, Captain. Ain’t the foundation of commerce negotiation? The triple price you offered has already been beaten by that gentleman over there offerin’ four times.”

“Wh-what?!”

Max ground his teeth.

If he used force to seize the bundle, it was obvious that his mercenary company’s reputation would plummet into the abyss.

With no other choice, Max ground his teeth and shouted.

“Fine. I’ll pay 1,000 shillings each. Five times market price.”

Then another mercenary with bloodshot eyes shouted back without yielding.

“Our guild will pay 1,200 shillings each.”

“We cannot let those ignorant fools take such precious magical crops. I’ll pay 1,600 shillings!”

Even merchants who had arrived late after catching the scent joined the bidding.

Amid the fierce battle, Tofu was cheering inwardly.

“2,000 shillings each. Ten times.”

At that moment, the square fell silent at a small but crisp voice from somewhere.

“What lunatic would pay ten times for a mere potato…… gasp!”

“B-Baron!”

A mercenary who had turned around while cursing sucked in a frightened breath.

The crowd parted, and everyone bowed as they saw the person walking through.

Baron Ruonic, the true authority who oversaw the entire frontier territory of Teren, stood there smiling pleasantly as he looked down at a piece of potato.

“This is a magical crop?”

‘Th-this feels like trouble!’

Cold sweat ran down Tofu’s back.

It was certainly true that Izak’s potatoes tasted incredible, but the part about them being magical crops that were good for men had been a lie.

What happened if you defrauded a lord?

“May I taste one?”

“Ah, ah, well. S-something this humble isn’t suitable for someone as noble as you, Baron…… it’s just, just a potato…… it’ll only ruin your palate.”

Just as the trembling Tofu tried to subtly hide the potato skewer.

“Do you intend to disobey an order!”

When the knight beside the Baron grabbed the hilt of his sword with a murderous glare, Tofu had no choice but to reluctantly offer the skewer.

“Then, let me see.”

The Baron accepted the skewer and elegantly placed the piece of potato into his mouth.

Tofu squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear watching.

‘I-I’m dead.’

And in the next moment.

The Baron’s languid eyes widened as though they might pop out.

“Gasp……!”

The moment the softly mashed potato wrapped around his tongue, Ruonic lost himself in a natural flavor unlike anything he had ever experienced, one that reduced even the delicacies of banquet halls to garbage.

“Truly incredible! What an elegant and fresh flavor! I will buy everything in that sack for ten times the market price.”

“Huh?”

“Give me all of it.”

“Whaaaaaat???”

- Clink!

A heavy leather pouch dropped onto Tofu’s wooden crate with a thud.

___________

Back in the Northern Frontier.

In front of the Rock Tribe village.

“Eeeeeek!? Wh-why, why, why are ya doin’ this! Please spare me!”

What burst from the darkness was not a monster’s roar, but a familiar rustic voice.

“Tofu?”

“That’s right! It’s me! Tofu!”

“No, why are you here in the middle of the night…… wait, then what were those glowing yellow animal eyes?”

“Heee-haw!”

As though answering my question, an exhausted bray came from behind Tofu.

“Oh, ya saw him? Got myself one this time. What do ya think? Ain’t he impressive?”

Tofu held the reins of a shabby old donkey and grinned happily.

……All my tension vanished in an instant.

“Huh? But what in the world happened here? The fence is all smashed up. Did somethin’ happen? Was there a war or something?”

Uh…… a lot happened.

I rubbed my face with both hands and let out a deep sigh.

.

.

.

“So I sold the whole lot for a whopping ten times the price and came straight back! To the lord himself. The B.A.R.O.N!”

Sitting in front of the bonfire, Tofu sprayed spit everywhere as he boasted about his heroic tale.

The story of holding an auction in the square and selling the potatoes to the lord.

“Well done, Tofu!”

My loyal sucker…… no, transporter!

“Hehe, it weren’t nothin’. Just the basics of commerce. Here, this is the money divided exactly eight to two. And I brought everything ya asked for too.”

The total sales were 600,000 shillings. After excluding Tofu’s 20% share, 480,000 shillings remained.

‘If 1 shilling is about 1 won, that’s 480,000 won.’

I hugged the first ‘money’ I had touched since falling into this world and was genuinely moved.

The clear metallic clinking.

Ah…… I finally felt like the airway that had been completely blocked was opening a little.

I had been at a loss over how to repair the village fence shattered by the Varg’s attack last night.

But.

‘Still not quite enough to be satisfied.’

In this barren frontier, where one usable steel longsword cost hundreds of thousands of shillings and a single cold-weather wolf hide cost 50,000 shillings, 480,000 was nowhere near enough to equip all our kids.

I deliberately ignored the kids standing around grinning with holes in their already worn-out leather clothes from the recent chaos.

Still, we had earned 480,000 shillings from only 300 potatoes.

If we expanded the fields and increased the harvest, the profits would probably grow as well.

“But…… seriously, what happened to the village? What’s all this mess?”

As I planned how to make money, Tofu asked with a deliberately serious expression.

“It’s nothing.”

“Nothin’…… but the whole village is outside with weapons? And ya dug traps too?”

As he questioned me suspiciously, Malko, who had been poking the donkey beside us, cheerfully shouted as though it truly were nothing.

“It is fine! Huge monster attacked, but we will dig ground and catch it. Bwahahahaha!”

“……Wh-what did ya say? A monster? And that ain’t a big deal? Then what in the world counts as a big deal!?”

Tofu’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.

“I-I must be insane……! Why did I crawl back here again…… good grief, what a life. I ain’t gonna die a natural death, I ain’t!”

Tofu collapsed onto the ground and began sobbing loudly.

You too?

I agree. This is no place for people to live.

Just as I bitterly sympathized with him inwardly.

Potatodori, who had been sleeping soundly on my lap, hopped down, toddled over, and smacked Tofu on the forehead with a leaf.

“POTA-TO!”

“Ow! Why does it keep hittin’ me? Shaman, your potato keeps hitting me!”

Pfft.

The sight of the sniffling Tofu getting beaten by Potatodori, who wore a spiteful expression, was so ridiculous that a laugh escaped me.

At that exact moment.

“Aaaaaaaaagh-!”

From the wasteland outside the village, swallowed in darkness.

A scream loud enough to tear apart our eardrums echoed out.

- Shing

Zakan sprang to his feet, drew his greatsword, and ran toward the entrance.

It had returned.