Welcome, VIP

T-There are so many people.

Ahaha, it's been a long time since I've felt such liveliness.

I loathe crowds, but hm. The smell of bread is quite tolerable.

That's all well and good, but you know our financial situation, right? We're on a tight budget.

If only we could spend the royal privy purse a bit more generously...

We can't just spend public funds on snacks.

Wipe your drool before you talk, you pig.

I am not drooling.

Here is a handkerchief.

I told you, I'm not drooling, Elizabeth...

Look who's calling who a glutton.

Even if I'm a glutton, that doesn't mean you aren't one. Right?

Silence, pig. Unfortunately, the Fairy Queen lacks the ability to comprehend the squeals of swine.

Gluttonous hamster. Fat squirrel. Plump guinea pig.

.......

Since you can't understand me, you can't even get mad, can you?

M-Morgana's expression is...

Don't worry too much, Bedi. They always do this...

Fancy meeting you all here. It really is a small world.

N-Nia! What brings you here...?

...Aren't you supposed to be working right now? What about the casino?

You worry too much. The <Bacchanalia Casino> won't fall apart just because I'm gone for two hours, you know?

And besides... guarding the casino isn't my only duty.

You must be very busy...

Well, the higher your position, the busier you are expected to be.

Our pig doesn't seem very busy, though.

Isn't the same true for our Fairy Queen?

Actually, I am busy trying to figure out how to translate pig squeals.

P-Please stop fighting...

Fufu, you all get along so well. It must be very reassuring.

Not at all...

B-But what brings you out to the market, Nia?

Shall we say I came out to enjoy some snacks, just like you all?

The merchants here know better than to rip me off, you see.

...Rip people off?

Oh my. You didn't know? Britannia must be a very honest country.

W-Was it...?

The Kingdom of Britannia is indeed an honest nation.

Was it...?

.......

However, Sera-Nople is a bit more... survival of the fittest.

To put it simply, the one who gets fooled is the fool.

And besides, getting caught is a <sin> in itself.

Wow. Everyone suddenly became so honest and diligent.

Right? That's just the kind of influence I have.

I visit this street often, so everyone seems to recognize me.

Which means you've squeezed them dry in the past...

Could we call it "coexistence between the public and private sectors" instead?

Suddenly, everyone feels... v-very honest...

Indeed. There was even... a completely different price written on the back of the price tag...

They're just fierce competitors. That's simply how this street operates.

But...

It seems a new shop has set up here, hasn't it?

Yeah. Looks like they don't recognize you.

Hmm, it must be the traveling merchant guild that registered to enter recently.

Let's see...

Would you mind helping me? I just had a fun idea.

What do we get out of it?

See that large cake on the stand over there? I'll let you have the whole thing. How does that sound?

I am in. Let's execute justice.

...Gluttonous hamster.

Didn't you hear me say "executing justice"? As the Fairy Queen, pursuing justice is only natural.

C-Can you really eat all of that? Though, if it's Morgana...

Yes, I'm sure Morgana can do it!

I think you're impressed by the wrong thing, Elizabeth.

Ah, is that so? But... I have always been happy to see Morgana eating well.

Though... she has never looked that happy with my apple pie...

Princess Elizabeth...! Please, calm yourself...!

Sigh.......

.......

She says you're a pig too. I guess you can understand pig language now.

You are the pig! And do you have any idea how much energy m-magic consumes?!

Shall we help Morgana replenish her "magic energy," then?

Even Morgana...!

Of course, of course. It's all to replenish our Fairy Queen's "magic energy."

Let's make sure she replenishes until she bursts.

Urrgh.......

Now, how about you go and buy something?

Let's see... just how audacious they are.

Look at this spice! It seems fit for royal supply, doesn't it?

Hmm. It does have a good aroma. The quality doesn't seem too bad.

B-But the price... the price...!

My, you have an excellent eye. I'm offering a very special price just for today.

If you miss this, you won't taste it again until autumn. It's a limited specialty! Once it's gone, it's gone!

Hmm, I think this would make delicious chocolate cookies.

Don't you think so, Bedi?

I-Indeed! The aroma is so sweet...

Really? Shall we buy some, then?

An excellent decision!

Oh my?

.......

.......

Wow. Did you tilt the stand just to scam people?

How clever. If they had rigged the scales, they would have been caught immediately.

It's a misunderstanding, I tell you! It was just a coinciden...

Oh dear, this is a major problem~

Who do you think you are, breaking in like this?

Does it matter who I am right now?

......?

What matters is that the person you just scammed is the Queen of the Kingdom of Britannia.

......!!!

Scamming foreign royalty in Sera-Nople... This could easily turn into a diplomatic incident...

We might have to hang you just to offer a proper apology.

D-Don't lie to me! You're disrupting my business! Drag her away!

And... here we go again.

K-Kgh...!

Why are you doing this! If you act like this, no traveling merchant guild will ever come to Sera-Nople!

We don't need them to.

We have absolutely no use for merchants like you.

Ha, if you mistreat merchants like this...

Putting lead inside the scale weights,

charging rip-off prices seven times the cost,

and this appraisal certificate has its stamp upside down.

Nngh...!

What? So everything we bought was fake?

Give us a refund! A refund! Give our money back right now!!

Wow. She turned this into a funeral in a split second.

Now, everyone please line up calmly. We will settle this in the order of damages received.

We'll calculate everything according to the law, from refunds to compensation.

I-I don't have that kind of money...!

We'll go completely bankrupt at this rate!

Well... did you really expect to walk away scot-free after getting caught?

Getting caught is the greatest sin of all, after all.

Shut up, you scammer! Strip him of everything he has!

Hey, stripping him is a bit...

I second that! Strip him!!

Eek...!

...It seems things are getting a bit out of hand, doesn't it?

He brought it on himself.

You heard them, didn't you? If you don't want to suffer a terrible fate, you'd best open the safe right away.

Alright, we will begin the settlement one by one.

Nia, can we get a refund for this spice we bought too?

Of course. Though, I must say, you have quite a discerning eye.

You managed to pick the highest quality one among them. It's not quite worth seven silver coins, but it's still pretty expensive.

Ahaha, I never expected to be praised after buying a fake.

I don't think that's something to be happy about.

B-But, thanks to Nia, everyone is getting their money back...!

My money...! My money...!!

What a pity. If you were going to pull a scam, you should have made it flawless.

Exactly. If you're going to deceive, you should do it perfectly.

Oh, and this is...

A gift.

B-B-By what authority do you do this?!

As for who I am...

The humble servant of Consul Crassa, and an executor of the Empire.

I am Nia Helenese, the manager of the Bacchanalia Casino.

......!

They're finished.

Seems like it, right?

Indeed.

I-I'm getting a little scared...

Refunds, compensation... I got completely cleaned out because of that one woman!

And I have to come out tomorrow and the day after just to vomit up everything I've sold...?!

I can't let this happen. I have to escape.

Groan, groaaan...

You understand the situation, right? Guard me. Protect the carriage to the border!

Groaaan...

Phew... Good thing I disguised a few of you as cargo.

Groan, groaaan, groan...

Otherwise, I would've been trapped in this city and stripped of everything.

Groaaaaan...

...Don't talk to me! Stop interrupting!

Groan...

...Are you sulking right now?!

Sigh... Anyway, fine. Now, if I can just disguise these guys and escape from Sera-Nople...!

If you can just escape?

That's assuming you can actually escape.

HAAAAAH!!!

Groooooan!!!

What are you so surprised about?

Smuggling Undead into Sera-Nople...

You must have a death wish.

Y-You think I'll go down that easily?!

Attack!

H-Huh? Wait, the merchant boss is gone!

It looks like he ran away...

Where did Nia go now?

With my Magic, finding whoever is controlling the Undead is a piece of...

L-Let me go! Put me down! I have nothing to do with these Undead!

Where do you think you're running? I'll chase you to the ends of the earth.

Eek...

It seems you want to be locked in the <Room of Truth> until you confess.

Room of Truth?

*Munch munch*... I think... I know... *nom nom*... It's probably a torture chamber... *munch munch*...

...What are you eating?

I was just taking my rightfully promised... *nom nom*... payment, okay?

You win. You win.

It was so noisy all night, but the streets finally seem quiet now.

These streets will probably run honestly for a while.

Oh, you think so? They're only honest when I'm watching, you know?

...Then why do you bother cracking down on them so hard?

Well, we can't just sit back and do nothing.

If you're a guest, you should pay a fair price at any shop and be treated accordingly.

You're surprisingly upright, aren't you?

A properly kept ledger can save your life.

Then what about keeping double ledgers...?

Maybe they want to test if they have two lives?

Th-That's scary...

There's no such thing as a free lunch, you know. You have to pay the price for cheating, and pay dearly for getting caught.

I wouldn't be so sure.

...And how am I supposed to account for this?

The florist was giving them away last night. Told me to just take it.

Oh?

Take it. It's free.

.......

"Free" isn't a word in my dictionary.

Well, there's a first time for everything.

Still, I can't accept anything without giving something in return. So...

This is a <Bacchanalia VIP Ticket>. Consider this payment for your help today... and for the flower.

Come on, I told you, it's just a gift from me.

I got it for free anyway.

Heh. I prefer it this way. It keeps the books balanced.

Besides, there's a price for the... "sentiment" of deciding to give that flower to me.

Well... if you feel that strongly about it.

Well then, everyone. Thanks to you, today's business trip was quite pleasant.

A-Are you really leaving now?

Nia, next time I will treat you to some delicious food.

My, my. I'll have to prepare plenty of silver coins then.

Let's charge her a fortune, Elizabeth. We can fund our trip with...

And get ripped off instead?

Hmph. As if she would do that to the "Fairy Queen" herself. Though she might to a pig like you.

I'm always fair, you know.

You hear that?

.......