Chapter 33 - Familiar Registration
"—And that concludes the explanation about the Merchant Guild. Do you have any questions?"
"No, I’m fine. Thank you for explaining everything so thoroughly."
"In that case, please fill out this form with the required information."
"Understood."
The form included fields for basic profile information like name, age, race, and country of origin, as well as a section about the types of goods I planned to sell as a merchant.
For the latter, I wrote down outdoor items, food, and seasonings—items that would be useful for adventuring.
It was probably just their way of gauging my intentions as a merchant.
"Oh, I heard that the Merchant Guild can also handle familiar registrations. Could I request that as well?"
"Of course. Let me see... It’s for a white wolf, correct? The guild registration fee is five silver coins, and the familiar registration fee is another five silver coins. That comes to ten silver coins in total."
I handed over ten silver coins and submitted the completed form.
"We’ll prepare your guild card, so please wait in the lobby."
"Understood."
Following the receptionist’s instructions, Haku and I quietly moved to the guild’s lobby.
The lobby had an adjoining tavern, where a merchant was enjoying a late lunch.
They were devouring a large steak.
Haku lifted his head, casting a longing gaze in my direction.
I called over a nearby server and ordered the same dish that the merchant was eating.
Haku’s tail began wagging with visible excitement.
Since we’d arrived in Nirouette, Haku had been under a lot of restrictions. I figured treating him to his favorite meal might help him unwind.
Before long, the large steak was brought to our table.
I slid the plate over to Haku, who wasted no time digging in with ferocious enthusiasm.
I wasn’t sure what kind of meat it was, but the skin had a crocodile-like pattern.
When I Appraised it, the result came up as Black Alligator. It seemed to be the meat of a monster.
Watching Haku wolf it down, I started feeling a bit hungry myself.
"A peddler with a familiar—now that’s nostalgic!"
As I was contemplating ordering something for myself, a man with slicked-back white hair approached and spoke to me.
"Sorry for barging in like this. I’m Orlando, the Guild Master of the Merchant Guild."
The Guild Master?! I couldn’t believe I was meeting the most important person here, right as I was in the middle of completing my registration.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tohru. I just arrived in Nirouette and was about to join the Merchant Guild."
"Oh, I see! As the one in charge of Nirouette’s Merchant Guild, I warmly welcome you, Tohru."
"Thank you very much."
Orlando extended his arm for a handshake, and I clasped it in response.
"You mentioned feeling nostalgic earlier—did merchants with familiars used to be common?"
"Yeah, back in the day, there weren’t as many adventurers as there are now. Those with enough strength often ventured outside to trade. Some even traveled with monsters as their companions. Incidentally, I'm the former type."
"I had a feeling. It’s honestly surprising how well-built the Guild Master of a Merchant Guild is."
Orlando stood over 180 centimeters tall, with a rugged physique that looked like it had been carved out of solid rock. He didn’t have the appearance of a typical merchant at all.
"Tohru, the creature accompanying you—is that a white wolf? It’s quite rare to tame such a ferocious monster as a familiar—"
Orlando dropped heavily into the chair across from me and leaned in to scrutinize Haku’s face. Then, he froze.
His expression was as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.
...Did he figure it out?
"Orlando-san?"
"Come with me for a moment."
"Oh, alright."
With an arm draped around my shoulder, Orlando led me to the corner of the lobby.
"...Do you know what that creature really is?"
"Um, so you’ve realized?"
"Even in its small form, even with its magic suppressed, I can tell. That’s a White Fenrir."
As expected of someone as strong as Orland, he identified Haku’s true nature almost immediately.
It was clear that his experience and skills far surpassed those of people like Franz and his team.
"Yes, that’s correct."
"'That’s correct,' my foot! You just admitted it so casually! Do you realize what kind of creature you’ve brought into this town?!"
"But wouldn’t it cause an even bigger commotion if we enter the town head-on?"
"...Well, that’s true, but still…"
Hearing my argument, Orlando clutched his head, his expression twisted as if in agony.
"Wait a second—are you telling me that thing is really your familiar?"
"Yes, we’ve properly formed a familiar contract."
In fact, there was a faint mark on the back of my hand as proof of the contract.
I could make it disappear or appear at will, and right now, a wolf-shaped emblem was visible on my skin.
"I’ve never seen a White Fenrir’s familiar contract mark before, so I wouldn’t know. But there's no doubt that you've made it your familiar."
"Yes."
"Wait, hold on! You said you were in the middle of registering with the guild, right? Are you registering that familiar here too?!"
"That’s right."
I nodded, and Orlando’s expression turned grim. He hurried to the back office, where the receptionist handling my paperwork was, and snatched up the documents from her.
"Tohru! We’re continuing the rest of this process in the back! There’s no way we can discuss this properly out here!"
"Uh, okay."
Now that Haku’s true identity had been exposed, there was no helping it.
If I wanted to continue functioning as a merchant, I needed to explain the situation to Orlando.
●
In a lounge at the back of the Merchant Guild’s first floor, I sat across from Orland.
Since he had uncovered Haku’s identity, I told him about how I ended up forming a familiar contract with a White Fenrir.
Naturally, I left out the parts about being summoned from another world and the camper van.
"...What kind of top-tier monster demands a familiar contract just for the food?"
Orlando muttered as he slumped his shoulders in disbelief.
I could understand his reaction completely.
Honestly, when I first met Haku, with his intimidating appearance, I didn’t think I’d ever end up making him my familiar either.
"Did you really form a familiar contract with Tohru just for his cooking, Haku-dono?"
Orlando asked, turning to Haku.
Haku glanced at me, seemingly asking for permission to speak, and I gave a nod in response.
Since Orlando already knew Haku was a White Fenrir, there was no point in hiding it.
"Indeed. The food this man prepares is exceptionally good."
"If the Merchant Guild were to gather rare ingredients from around the world and offer them to you, would you consider becoming my familiar instead, Haku-dono?"
Whoa, Orlando-san, are you trying to poach him right in front of me?
Though, from his tone, it felt more like he was testing Haku’s intentions rather than seriously attempting to recruit him.
"Absolutely not. The meals I seek can only be made by Tohru."
Haku’s firm reply made Orlando tilt his head in confusion.
Even the Merchant Guild, with its vast network and control over global trade, couldn't provide what this unremarkable man claimed he could.
"...I see."
Orlando’s gaze shifted back to me, doubt clearly written all over his face, but he refrained from questioning me further.
"So, you have no intention of causing harm to this country or its people?"
"None—unless Tohru wishes for the country’s destruction or you people try to kill him."
"...Would you wish for something like that?"
"I’d never wish for something so extreme! I just want to travel the world and do business—that’s all!"
Under Orlando’s sharp gaze, I hurriedly shook my head.
What would I possibly gain from destroying a country?
All I really wanted was to ride around in my camper van and enjoy a carefree camping life in this other world—that was enough for me.
"Hmm. I don’t sense any such ambition from you, Tohru. For now, I’ll take your word for it."
"Then, will you approve Haku’s familiar registration?"
"Yeah, I’ll approve it. Not like I have much of a choice in the matter anyway."
Exhaling deeply, Orlando shrugged his shoulders.
"That said, the monster you’ve made a familiar out of is still a monster. I’ll need to report this to the kingdom and the local lord. Until we get official approval from above, I need you to make sure there’s no trouble. Otherwise, we could be looking at the knights or adventurers being sent out for a subjugation mission."
"So, that's the deal—make sure to behave while you're in town, alright? No harming people, got it?"
"I will not take action unless provoked first."
"And even if someone does provoke you, please don’t kill them. Knock them out or leave them half-conscious, at worst, okay?"
"You ask much of me. Human bodies are terribly fragile..."
"As long as they’re alive, I’m sure Orlando-san can sort things out afterward."
"...Very well. I shall do as you suggest."
As long as we didn’t instigate anything or kill anyone, we should be able to manage.
That was what guilds were for—to handle these kinds of complications.
"Ah, damn it! Why’d you register your familiar at the Merchant Guild first? If you’d done it with the Adventurer Guild, I could’ve dumped the responsibility on them..."
Hearing our conversation, Orlando scratched his head and muttered his honest thoughts.
"Sorry about that. The Merchant Guild just suits what I want to do better. Plus, it seemed like the best option for securing funds..."
"So, from the way you’re talking, you’ve got something to sell, don’t you? Contracting with a top-tier creature like him—are you carrying rare monster materials?!"
Orlando leaned forward eagerly as he asked.
"Uh, yes. I’ve got some materials with me. Can I show them to you?"
"Go ahead. Let’s see what you’ve got."
Following Orlando’s request, I took out the monster materials I had gathered from my backpack and presented them.
"Wyvern claws, fangs, tail spikes, wing membranes, hide, roar blade hawk feathers, eyes, and blade wings... These are all top-tier materials. You’ve even got high orc and rock lizard parts. This is going to fetch a high price."
The moment Orlando laid his hands on the materials, his eyes lit up with excitement.
Since the Item Box is located inside the camper van, I can’t freely carry items with me while I was out and about.
So, I carefully selected materials that I had Appraised and deemed safe to bring to market. Judging by Orland’s reaction, it seemed my choices were spot on.
As a result, it seemed that Orlando was very pleased.
"To buy all of this, it’ll come to about 126 gold coins."
"Huh?! That much?!"
The sight of the stack of gold coins left me speechless.
The average commoner only needs around 30 gold coins for a year’s living expenses.
This single transaction alone would cover four years of living costs for a typical household.
"Both wyverns and roar blade hawks are B-rank monsters. Without the magic stones, I can’t say for sure, but their levels were probably over 50. Plus, the other materials you brought in are all from high-rank creatures. It’s only natural the price would be this high."
"I-I see..."
"You brought all this in without knowing its value? You’d better learn fast, or someone’s going to take advantage of you."
"Sorry about that. I’ll make sure to research the market value of materials properly from now on."
Even if Haku could obtain materials from high-ranking monsters, it wouldn’t mean much if I didn’t know how to maximize their value.
Being unfamiliar with this world is one thing, but I’ll need to study up and learn how to earn efficiently if I want to succeed here.
"Good. While it’s possible to auction off the wyvern and roar blade hawk materials for a higher price, it’s safer for you to sell them to the Merchant Guild this time around."
Although I was intrigued by the idea of auctions, I decided it’d be wiser to stick with the Merchant Guild for now since I didn’t know much about them.
"Anything else you’re curious about?"
"Ah, does the Merchant Guild sell magic stones?"
"Magic stones? Yeah, we’ve got a decent variety in both quality and quantity."
"Would it be possible to pay for half of this transaction in attribute-less magic stones?"
"Sure, but you’re going through a lot of magic stones. What for?"
"I’ve got a big eater to feed."
I said, glancing at Haku. Orlando nodded as if he understood.
Well, the truth is, the magic stones are for the camper van, but there’s no need to go into detail about that.
And so, with a pile of gold coins and magic stones in hand, I successfully registered with the Merchant Guild.
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