Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

Satou here. I do have a driver’s license, but I’ve been a paper driver for the past few years.

Living in the city center, public transportation usually suffices.

Having a car is convenient for dates, though...

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“There are only covered wagons here. If you want a carriage, you’d need to order from the craftsmen’s guild inside the city walls.”

I asked someone at the shared stable outside the gate, but they said they don’t sell them here. Trying to buy a new model at the taxi stand felt a bit embarrassing.

“If you don’t mind used ones, try the merchant guild. I think they were looking for buyers for a few carriages.”

A different coachman overheard and cut in to tell me this.

I thanked him and hopped into his covered wagon to be taken to the merchant guild. I asked Arisa and Liza to carry our luggage back to the inn.

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The coachman who took me to the merchant guild was kind enough to mediate the deal.

“I wasn’t planning to sell to anyone but the guild, but if you’re introduced by Mr. Yosagu, that’s fine.”

Yosagu was the coachman’s name. The merchant’s name was Sniffune, though that didn’t matter much.

He showed me two carriages: one was a well-worn covered wagon, maybe about four tatami mats in size inside. The other was a box carriage, about two and a half meters tall, with space to stack cargo on the roof. The interior size was about the same.

The covered wagon cost 10 gold coins; the box carriage was 30 gold coins. The box carriage was sturdier and safer but required 4 to 6 horses. The covered wagon could be pulled by 1 or 2 horses depending on the load.

I thought about buying the box carriage because it was safer, but heard it was harder to handle due to the higher center of gravity, so I reconsidered.

I have a license for driving cars, but never driven a carriage, so I wanted to be cautious.

Before purchasing, I asked to see inside. The covered wagon was, well, ordinary. Under the driver’s seat, there was a hidden compartment for valuables, apparently modified by the previous owner.

“I’d like to buy this covered wagon. Could you also arrange horses?”

“Let’s see, the guild has two Gonts horses available, and four donkeys. Depending on the cargo and destination, suitability varies.”

I told them the destination was Labyrinth City and the load was six humans plus essentials. They recommended the Gonts horses. For heavier loads, donkeys are better despite being slower.

For speed, the Shuberien breed would be ideal, but the territory government bought them all.

I bargained the price for two horses and the covered wagon from 20 gold coins down to 18 and made the purchase.

Sniffune seemed surprised I paid in cash immediately.

Usually, people buy with promissory notes or pay later. I joked, “I’m impatient, so my family often scolds me,” sounding like a naïve heir.

“Mr. Satou, since six people are going to Labyrinth City, it’s a bit wasteful to travel empty.”

Is that so?

Half the space could be used for cargo, and both Arisa and I have plenty of storage capacity.

“Do you recommend any products?”

“For Labyrinth City, crossbows and bolts definitely have demand. Crossbows from Seryu City were developed to counter flying wyverns, so they perform better than those from other regions and sell quickly. Goat skins and wool are also cheap this season, so they can bring good profits.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Satou, do you have commercial rights?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

So you need a permit.

“That’s a shame. Getting a permit costs 10 gold coins.”

“That’s quite a bit.”

“For small trades inside the city, a permit isn’t required, but without exemptions like the city entry tax, customs duties eat up most profits.”

I see — if I store goods and bring them in that way, I could avoid customs...

But I’m not trying to earn money through illegal means.

“There are some tax-exempt goods if you don’t stop in other towns, but since the tax rate is high outside Labyrinth City, it’s not very worthwhile.”