“Don’t you think it’s a bit of a waste to buy a year’s worth of herbs for 2 billion?”

He grumbled. Seemed like he wanted to haggle now.

“You could get it for half the price from another empire.”

“Then go ahead and try. Of course, the Kurushians, who have always looked down on herbs, will become suspicious when a large amount is imported. They will naturally investigate what’s going on in Kurushia. Then will you get the herbs at this price?”

He closed his mouth at my smooth response.

“Are we done?”

“Do you really think I, being stuck in this remote post, have that much money?”

What an act of pretense.

I wasn’t going to fall for his sentimental tricks. Especially when considering how much money left Blandiche because of Kurushia!

“If you were just a knight guarding a remote post, obviously not. But if you’re the youngest prince of Kurushia, it doesn’t seem impossible.”

His calm eyes shook for a moment. I had hit a nerve.

“How did you know? Did the Duchess tell you?”

I shook my head with a slight smile.

“I didn’t need to ask the Duchess. The emblem on your sword, isn’t that the royal emblem of Kurushia?”

The sword hanging on the wall of the outpost had caught my eye the moment I entered. Pretending to be a mere knight here while displaying a sword with the royal emblem?

“Even if that sword was bestowed by the Emperor, there’s no way they’d assign such a knight to the borderlands. Especially when Kurushia has just been unified and the struggle for the throne is fierce. You must be a prince who came to the borderlands to avoid internal strife.”

And I guessed that he was the youngest, who would naturally avoid such battles.

“Heh, you knew it all along.”

“You have to know your trade partner to set a fair price.”

“The master has a good servant indeed.”

He praised me, and even I felt a bit proud. It had been a long time since I had received such acknowledgment.

But this man still didn’t hand over the contract. His eyes clearly said he had something more in mind.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

“I have one condition.”

I refused flatly.

“Additional conditions require additional transactions.”

He quickly spread a new sheet of paper.

“You must come here and teach the treatments for one month.”

“Me? Are you pointing at me?”

He nodded as he pointed at me.

“Did you plan to just throw herbs at us and tell us to figure it out ourselves?”

“No? I thought you’d do that, so I brought a book where I’ve compiled the treatments.”

I eagerly showed him the book I had carefully brought, and he glanced through the book indifferently.
“Clearly, you intend to sell this for money.”

Sharp intuition.

Where in the world is anything free? Do you know how much time I’ve spent researching this?

“With this, you can utilize herbs in various ways. There are so many herbs that can be harmful if consumed excessively.”

“So how much are you asking?”

I couldn’t hastily name a large sum, which turned out to be to my advantage.

I need to haggle with him now.

“5…….”

“I’ll buy it for 1 billion. But the payment will be made over a month.”

“I will do my best.”

In the end, I succumbed to the allure of money.

I had intentionally quoted 500 million high, and he’s offering double!

“Your highness is indeed generous.”

I grinned and gave him a thumbsup.

“Don’t call me ‘Your Highness’ here. It makes the other soldiers uncomfortable.”

“Then… I’ll call you Kantard.”

It was the name on his seal.

“Fine. But the money will be paid a month later.”

I wasn’t thrilled, but I didn’t think he would cheat me.

“Agreed. But no more added conditions.”

“Understood.”

After hearing his affirmation, I gathered the contract and the treatment book. Then, I noticed blood on the floor. At the end of the blood trail was Kantard’s leg.

“Are you hurt?”

Startled, he covered his leg with his cloak.

“No need to worry.”

“You just spent 2 billion on herbs and you’re saying it’s not a concern? Roll up your trousers. I’ll apply medicine immediately.”

I approached Kantard and flipped up his cloak. He withdrew his foot in embarrassment.

“What are you doing?”

“If you don’t treat the wound properly, you might have to amputate the leg. Do you want to live the rest of your life with just one leg?”

I intentionally scared him. These people don’t take diseases seriously.

“It won’t come to that.”

“Shh!”

After a struggle, I won. His calf was covered in congealed blood. It looked like the wound had been there for a few days, but had burst open from even the slightest movement. I began by wiping off the blood.

“A sword wound.”

I commented in a puzzled tone. There was no reason for anyone here to have fought each other. The soldiers were mostly injured from monsters on the mountain. It wasn’t likely he had fought with any villagers.

“I had no other way to get accurate information.”

He replied dryly.

The information was the same that I had been looking into.

“The temple wouldn’t treat me, a member of the royal family, even with a sword wound. This confirmed what you said.”

He scratched himself for it.

The wound was not just a scratch; it was a deep gash that looked painful to even glance at.

“You’re recklessly adventurous.”

“I like to be sure.”

An annoyingly cocky individual.

I pressed the herb into the wound, signifying that he shouldn’t do this again. His leg trembled slightly, apparently in pain.

“Is treatment supposed to hurt this much?”

“Yes. Pain is a sign of healing. Endure it.”

“No choice then.”

He closed his eyes in resignation, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. I then added one more thing for his sake.

“Your wife waiting at home will be heartbroken if you keep getting hurt like this.”