This merchant had zero sense.

Anyone could see I looked like a beggar's poor relation right now.

A merchant was bound to have all kinds of rare goods in his wagons.

Instead of useless gold coins, how great would it be if he gave me clothes, flour, dried meat, spices and such?

A lord had his dignity, so I didn't spell it out.

"Ah! That!"

Jerome's eyes lit up like he knew exactly what I meant.

"That's right! That!"

I looked at Jerome, full of hope.

"I'm sorry, Your Lordship. There are no mana stones in the wagons."

Mana stones? What the hell were those?

I couldn't keep quiet any longer.

Judging by the shabby mercenaries he dragged around, he'd never make it as a big merchant.

"Merchant Jerome."

"Yes, Your Lordship."

"What's in your wagons?"

I narrowed my eyes and asked, all casual.

I was never this kind of man on Earth, but here I had no choice.

The wagons had to be full of wonderful things.

After living like a beggar for a month, I needed all kinds of supplies.

"...Your Lordship, these wagons hold..."

The merchant's eyes wavered.

I'm not going to rob you!

If I got greedy for freebies, I'd obviously rack up dark mana points.

First I needed to earn some trust.

The fishy stench of blood from the orc corpses hung heavy in the air.

"That smell is foul."

My face screwed up on its own.

"We'll bury them once we've skinned them."

Talman, the mercenary captain, answered quickly.

"Want me to dig the pit for you?"

"Huh? Y-you, Your Lordship?"

Jerome's and Talman's eyes went wide as a startled rabbit's. (TL Note: Korean describes eyes popping in surprise as "startled rabbit eyes.")

Nothing I'd ever heard of had a lord digging in the dirt.

The lords in novels, however desperate, didn't usually take on a chore like this.

Mages were just as stuck-up.

"I want to dig in my own ground. You have a problem with that?"

"Not at all!"

I took the beating my pride had gotten from Alphadak, wrapped it in…