Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 10 Episode 1 (section)

===Part 3===
「Thank you for waiting, Rudy Eintoss-sama, Phianel-sama. This is the banquet venue of our Viablue Company.」

After a while, the coach finally arrived at a western-style mansion that was the venue of the social meeting.

Naturally, Lux and Philuffy’s names were fake names.

It seemed that the mansion was originally used as a meeting place, but right now it was decorated magnificently.

The red carpet had a softness where it felt like the tip of one’s feet would sink into it, while the chandelier was designed luxuriously.

Extravagant dishes were lining up above the tablecloth, while even the plates and glasses were quality goods.

Furthermore the people walking around inside were also clad with extraordinary atmosphere.

There was an old man with a white beard gazing at the participants with a sharp glint, then a fat middle-aged man who looked good natured was coming with two beautiful women as his company.

Lux thought it was great that he was brought by Relie and Philuffy to learn about the company previously.

If he acted restlessly in this kind of place, he wouldn’t be in any state to gather information.

「Oh, this is unusual. You seem to be still young, where do you come from?」

While Lux was thinking about such thing, a lean man wearing a dress suit suddenly talked to him.

For the time being Lux put into practice a line that he had prepared beforehand.

He told the man that he was a son from a mercantile house in the neighboring country, and that the two of them attended this party while also having their honeymoon at the same time.

「Hou, how hardworking. More importantly, how about it? Are you interested in giving that beautiful wife an ornament as a present──」

Like that the man searched for a chance to open a negotiation, but Lux refused him mildly.

On the other hand, Philuffy was silently continuing to eat the dishes on the table. Till the end she was in her own pace.

「Hohou. You are quite the eater, how about it? After this let’s have a drink──」

And so on, the men were incessantly trying to invite her. Looking at that, it appeared that Philuffy’s charm was displayed as expected.

Philuffy with her hair in a tied up hairstyle while wearing a dress with chic color gave an impression that was slightly more adult than usual.

Her big breasts that were peeking out from her exposed chest part and her girly looks that still had vague traces of childishness, they tickled the emotions of the men greatly.

Because she was his childhood friend since they were little, usually it was hard for Lux to be conscious of it, but Philuffy was really lovely.

(But, it will be bad if Phi-chan gets tricked, if I don’t pay attention somehow──)

When Lux was observing Philuffy’s actions attentively like that,

「Even so, to come purposefully at this kind of time, are you going to participate in that event too young master?」

Another male merchant talked to Lux with deep interest.

Lux immediately held his breath hearing the merchant say 『that event』 suggestively.

The Underground Market that would be held behind the scenes of Heiburg’s company party.

Lux heard from Magialca and Relie that there, commodities that were almost illegal would be traded.

However, to participate in the Underground Market itself wasn’t that hard.

Because ticket sellers who were selling the participation ticket were coming and going a lot at this kind of party.

However, if someone without connections tried to buy a ticket, he heard that they would get ripped off quite a bit.

「Could it be, it’s that──? Is it?」

「Luckily for you I still have some left, I got only two tickets coincidentally.」

Lux smiled wryly inside his heart at the seller’s attitude showing off how few remaining stock was left.

But, it wasn’t like Lux himself was proficient at bargaining in business, so he went right to the point.

「How much will it take for me to obtain it?」

「Let’s see, how about this much?」

The man immediately took out ink and feather pen and wrote the sum.

If it was the Lux when he was still in his chores period, the sum would make his eyes jumped out from their sockets, but now he had the war funds he received from Relie.

In the first place this time he came here for intelligence gathering so there was no meaning in being stingy.

When Lux who thought that reached towards his wallet, the man’s eyes sparkled.

「Well, don’t be so hurried to conclude this. By the way, the money that you brought here, do you have old gold coin among them?」

「Eerr──that’s right, why?」

Most of the things that Lux brought here as merchandises were things that could easily be exchanged into funds.

These old coins were antique gold coins that Relie prepared for him, they were things with high rarity value.

It seemed that things from the latter period of the Raize era had high prices even among those kinds of things.

「Can you show me one of them? If they are the real thing then I’ll exchange the tickets with several of the coins.」

「Got it. Please take a look.」

Lux made an immediate decision and put the bag that was filled with the gold coins on the table.

「Then excuse me……」

The man opened the bag and took out one coin from there──

「Hmm? This isn’t a coin from that era’s latter period. It seems this is the gold coin from the early days of Raize history.」

「Eh……?」

Lux asked back in bewilderment.

He found it hard to believe that Relie would make a mistake of putting fakes in what she gave him, but even when he asked a specialist appraiser who was in the venue, it seemed that what the man said was true.

(It didn’t like he was doing any trick, could this be Relie-san’s mistake?)

Lux didn’t understand the subtle difference in the antique coins, so he could only make that judgment.

「It seems that you recognize what I’m saying. Then, I think I will be able to part with my tickets in exchange of everything inside this bag──」

「Lu-chan, wait.」

At that time when the transaction was going to be finalized, Philuffy came out from inside the crowd and approached Lux’s side with one hand holding a huge meat with bone attached.

「Wait, Phi-chan!? What are you doing?」

「Don’t give the bag……okay? Because Onee-chan said it, those are antique gold coins. {{furigana|Mogu mogu|chew chew}}」

「Ho, however this carved date and the coloring are without a doubt the early days’──」

The appraiser old man was saying that, but Philuffy brought her face closer and sniffed the smell.

And then, she spoke with her usual expressionless face.

「It’s only that gold coin that smells different. I think that perhaps, the other coins were the ones from Onee-chan.」

「Wha-……!? Ju, just what are you saying……」

The man smiled bitterly at what Philuffy pointed out, but Lux didn’t overlook his agitation.

Philuffy pointed out that there was only one fake, in other words……

「I’m sorry appraiser-san. Can I ask you to take a look at the rest of the golden coins too?」

「Right. Oh──, certainly this one is genuine.」

Saying that, Lux showed another gold coin to the appraiser. Then the appraiser informed him that it was the real thing.

Now that it had come to this, it was the ticket seller who first came to open negotiation with him who was suspicious.

When Lux turned a suspecting gaze at the man, he started to make excuses in a hurry.

「I see, it seemed that there was just one different gold coin that got mixed up. In that case──」

「Inside your clothes, I smell the same scent like the golden coin before……though?」

「Uguh……!?」

The man’s expression changed when Philuffy pointed that out. He reflexively tried to turn around, but his hand was quickly caught and twisted.

Right after that, even more antique coins and jewelries of different types were falling out from his sleeves.

「This is──could it be」

When the appraiser checked them, everyone of them was a valuable item, but the price was low or of inferior quality.

In other words this ticket seller looked for a chance to mix in fakes to lower the value and bought it at a lower price.

Most likely he saw Lux’s behavior and saw through that Lux was an amateur as a merchant and came to trick him. But Philuffy’s nose was outside his calculation.

「This ticket, is real?」

Philuffy lightly twisted the man’s arm and asked quietly.

「U, undoubtedly! If I faked the ticket to enter the Underground Market, I’ll get killed!」

Lux nodded after hearing the man’s urgent voice and looked at Philuffy.

Philuffy let go of the man’s hand and quietly held out her hand.

「Ah, yes. The, the ticket is it? The, then just as I said I will give it up for five Raize gold coins──」

「I want, tickets for two.」

「Eh……!?」

「Make it three coins for two people.」

Philuffy told the bewildered man indifferently.

Although the man was reluctant, because there was the case just now, in the end he was overwhelmed by Philuffy.

「I got the tickets, Lu-chan.」

「Ahaha…… thank you.」

Philuffy showed a small smile, where Lux responded with a wry smile.

Previously when he went with Relie to a company for observation, Philuffy also saw through fake merchandise and she was also firm at the negotiations after that.

(Perhaps Philuffy is really suited for doing business as expected……)

Her intention was hard to read with her absentminded expressionless face, and with her doing everything at her own pace, it also meant that she wouldn’t be carried away by the other party’s flow.

And then, there was also the strength of her will that wouldn’t yield once she had decided on something.

How should he say it, while he was feeling surprised, at the same time he also felt a bit lonely.

Because they had been childhood friends since the past, but he thought that it would be his role to be reliable like that.

At any rate, with this they had broke through the first wall.

The opening of the Underground Market would be one week later according to the ticket.

Until then they would stay in this capital city Hidehelm and continue to gather intelligence.

「Yes. I also brought the share, for Lu-chan’s meal.」

「Ah, yes. Thank you──wait, I cannot eat this much you know-!?」

Lux reflexively yelled when he looked at the amount of food Philuffy had put on the plate.

Grilled chicken with herbs, mash potato, fish sauté, assortment of fruits, and so on. She was carrying a great amount of food.

「Because Onee-chan told me, a wife has to prepare her husband’s meal.」

「The essential way of doing it is careless though!?」

「As husband and wife, we have to act natural, Onee-chan said to me.」

「This is conspicuous instead!? In various meanings since some time ago!?」

When Lux tried to return the dishes, he was told by the banquet’s cook to please eat it with a smiling face.

It seemed that he was really pleased by the way Philuffy ate.

「Here Lu-chan. Open your mouth, aahn」

「Why are you acting like always only in that kind of thing!?」

Although, seeing how they had to keep the appearance of being on honeymoon, strangely rejecting her act was also unnatural.

(Somehow, now I’m wondering if it’s really okay to infiltrate together with Philuffy……)

In the first place, didn’t they pretend to be a couple so that they wouldn’t be standing out?

Lux was thinking such question in his head while passing time at the party with Philuffy.