Zarfin’s Schemes
Despite expecting to struggle with sleep in that situation, fatigue won out, and I fell asleep surprisingly easily.
“Master Lake, if we don’t start preparing soon, the morning market will end.”
“Hmm? Oh, right—wait, huh?”
As I was being woken up by Lucina and trying to get out of bed, I felt a strong pull holding me back.
The culprit was Connie, who had latched onto my arm in her sleep.
“Connie, let go. Wake up. We’re heading to the morning market.”
“Ehehe… Young Master Lake… you can’t fit something that big in there…”
What kind of dream is she having?
And what exactly is dream-me trying to force into Connie!?
Though I was curious, I was more eager to check out the morning market, so I patted her cheeks gently while calling her name.
“No time to sleep in, Connie. Wake up and get ready.”
“Fweh? —Ah! G-good morning, Yung Mashtew Lake!”
Finally awake, Connie bolted upright, dashed out of bed, and rushed into the washroom in a panic.
“What’s she so flustered about?”
“There are… various reasons for a lady’s haste. More importantly, here are your clothes for today.”
“Ah, right.”
Since Connie was still in the washroom, I quickly changed into my outfit.
Thankfully, casual clothes were easier to put on than the academy uniform.
Back in my previous life, I wasn’t one for fashionable living.
I spent my rare days off lounging in matching tracksuits.
But here, appearances mattered.
After all, I was aiming to create the world’s strongest harem trading company.
The leader of such an endeavor couldn’t afford to look shabby. With my upgraded looks in this life, fashion was a necessary investment.
But no more digressions—time to focus on the morning market.
I needed to check products for the academy shop, scope out potential locations for a future store, and gauge the market’s overall vibe.
◇◇◇
After getting ready and finishing a light breakfast, we left the inn.
Despite the early hour, the streets were already teeming with people.
The main road was packed, making it hard to move forward.
“Connie, hold my hand so we don’t get separated.”
“Y-yes.”
“Master Lake, what about me?”
“Lucina, you can handle yourself—or no, hold on. Let’s all hold hands.”
“Thank you. If you insist, I shall.”
Both of them grabbed my outstretched hands.
It was inconvenient having both hands occupied, but their content expressions made it worthwhile.
At the market, I focused on checking popular goods and observing the types and numbers of stalls present.
Although my trading company likely already gathered such information, I preferred seeing things firsthand.
Written reports could never fully capture the nuances of experiencing something in person.
The market’s energy showed no signs of waning, and as the hours passed, the crowd grew denser.
While I was considering whether I might succumb to the overwhelming atmosphere, Connie reached her limit first.
“Ugh… I don’t feel so good…”
“Are you all right, Connie?”
“S-sowwy… I think I… got dizzy…”
This was bad. Connie was on the verge of collapsing.
If she lost control and caused a scene here, we might be banned from the morning market altogether.
Since we had finished most of our objectives, I decided to cut our visit short.
“Lucina, there’s a quiet church up ahead. Let’s rest there.”
“Understood.”
“Auu…”
With Connie leaning heavily on my shoulder, I guided her away from the throng of people and into a side alley.
The alley was dim, with sunlight barely filtering through the dense buildings.
But after pushing through, we emerged into a serene expanse of greenery.
What do you think about this chapter?
