The following afternoon, I cut my morning lectures short and headed to Silver Coin Street in the capital's commercial district.

  The shopping district lining the cobblestone street was bustling with crowds despite it being a weekday. Butchers, bakeries, general stores, weapon shops—every store brimmed with vitality, and the voices of merchants calling out to customers echoed through the air.

  Over ten years had passed since the founding emperor Aurelius I established the "Light Coin Act," and Silver Coin Street had become the economic center of the capital. Now merchants could wield as much economic power as nobles—a somewhat delicate relationship from a noble's perspective.

  Of course, that prosperity would eventually collapse when the Demon King invaded.

  "...Is something the matter?"

  Martha, who was accompanying me as my attendant, peered at my face. I waved my hand dismissively, saying "It's nothing," and continued walking.

  Martha was a female attendant serving my household—a serious and capable person. She'd apparently worked as an adventurer before, and her sword skills were quite impressive. I often asked her to spar with me during practice.

  "Master Dylan, I must say I'm not thrilled about you freely wandering the commercial district..."

  What I appreciated about Martha was that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind to me. Such a relationship would have been unthinkable with the original Dylan from the game. Since I didn't recall her appearing in the game, she probably wasn't originally Dylan's attendant.

  "I know. But today there's something I absolutely need to confirm."

  As I said this, I looked around the area.

  "Something to confirm?"

  "Yeah... there it is."

  My target store came into view.

  'Alicia Trading Company'

  It was exactly the sign Oscar had described. However...

  "It's quite... impressive, isn't it?"

  As Martha muttered, the store was bigger than I'd expected. A three-story stone building with a ground floor entirely made up of display windows, where colorful merchandise was beautifully arranged.

  "Incredible."

  I stopped in front of the store. While she was certainly commercializing the saint's powers, it was far more professional than I'd imagined.

  "Master Dylan, are you certain you want to go in here?"

  Martha asked with a dubious expression. I suppose a man who'd been secluding himself in the mountains for years didn't quite fit the clientele of this place.

  However, that suspicion I'd felt the other day wouldn't leave my mind.

  The cause of my Doom flags disappearing—could it be me?

  I need to confirm it.

  That's why I'd come to Saint Alicia's shop.

  If this world had shifted, I needed to see it with my own eyes.

  "Y-yeah, call it social studies. Apparently I'm pretty sheltered from the world."

  "Well, I can't deny that."

  Forcing a wry smile at Martha's blunt comment, I pushed open the shop door.

  "Welcome!"

  Along with a cheerful voice, a sweet fragrance wafted from inside. A mix of lavender and some kind of medicinal herb—a scent that certainly evoked "purity." This level of refinement would hold up even in modern society, wouldn't it?

  Impressed, I walked around the store for a while.

  'Saint's Favorite Healing Potion'

  'Divine Protection Charm'

  'Heart-Purifying Herb Set'

  Every product had religious terminology attached: "saint," "divine," "purifying." While it looked awfully suspicious, given that the title of saint was genuine, I suppose it wasn't technically fraud.

  My gaze lingered longer than I expected.

  Still, I was surprised by how many customers filled the store. From noble-looking ladies to what appeared to be merchants' wives—a wide range of clientele bustled about. Though the high ratio of female customers was a miscalculation.

  "Master Dylan, is there something you'd like?"

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Martha asked as I wandered aimlessly around the store. Honestly, my only purpose was to observe the saint's activities—I had no real interest in the products themselves.

  "...Martha, is there anything that catches your eye?"

  She blinked, clearly not expecting the question.

  "Me?"

  Martha furrowed her brow thoughtfully.

  "Let's see... this 'Fatigue Recovery Herbal Tea' is intriguing. It claims to have three times the effect of regular herbal tea."

  What she picked up was an elegantly packaged tea leaf product. When I looked at the price tag, I was surprised—it was almost the same price as regular herbal tea. If the effects were real, this would be quite a bargain.

  "Hmm..."

  I picked it up myself and found detailed explanations written on the package. The types of herbs used, mixing ratios, and even a detailed account of the "blessing process by Saint Alicia" were all meticulously documented.

  "Should I buy it as a souvenir?"

  I picked up the 'Fatigue Recovery Herbal Tea' and a charm called the 'Bell of Fortune.' Perhaps a bit sketchy? No, this world was based on a game after all. It wouldn't be strange if there were hidden parameters like luck values... or so I told myself.

  As I was somehow enjoying my shopping, I heard a voice from the back of the store.

  "So then, twelve pieces for three silver coins. For bulk purchases—"

  The voice cut through the noise of the shop.

  My body stiffened at that voice. I recognized it. No, I recognized it far too well.

  Could that voice be...?

  Cautiously looking in the direction of the voice, I saw a woman negotiating prices with what appeared to be a merchant beyond the counter.

  Golden hair tied back, a modest white blouse with a navy blue skirt. Her beautiful appearance was unmistakably that of Saint Alicia from the original story.

  Too worldly.

  But—

  "Three coins is expensive. How about two coins and eight silver pieces?"

  "Hmm, at that price the profit margin..."

  "Then let's settle on two and a half. In exchange, I'd like your promise of future business."

  That negotiating manner looked nothing like a saint's. Moreover, she seemed strangely lively.

  "Alicia Heartwell..."

  I muttered without thinking. That saint who had been so pure and righteous, who would heal anyone in need without charge, was now absorbed in price negotiations.

  This world was clearly deviating from the original in some way.

  "Master Dylan?"

  Martha looked at me with concern. My expression must have been quite complex.

  "...No, it's nothing."

  I shook my head and looked around the store again. But I couldn't help glancing repeatedly in Alicia's direction.

  "Yes, thank you very much! We look forward to seeing you again."

  Having finished her negotiation, Alicia saw off the merchant with a beaming smile. While that smile certainly had a saint-like purity to it, I could also sense the calculating nature of a businesswoman.

  "That person is..."

  Perhaps noticing my gaze, Martha murmured.

  "—Master Dylan, this is difficult to say, but I think you should give up."

  "...Give up on what?"

  For some reason, Martha had a sympathetic expression on her face.

  "Well, even for you, Master Dylan, I believe the master of the house would object to a marriage with a merchant."

  "...She's a saint. I'm the one with lower status... wait, that's not what this is about."

  At my words, Martha's eyes widened.

  "What? That's the saint?"

  "Yes. No doubt about it."

  Martha looked at Alicia again and stood there dumbfounded for a while.

  "She is certainly beautiful, but... how should I put it, she's quite different from what I imagined."

  Martha's impression echoed my own feelings. Rather than a saint, she gave off a strong impression of a capable female business owner. Indeed, judging from the negotiation I'd just witnessed, she was quite different from her portrayal in the game.

  I was just starting to relax.

  That was my mistake.

  Suddenly, a voice ill-suited to the store's otherwise calm atmosphere rang out.

  "'Saint's Favorite' products, eh? I'll buy all this for twenty silver coins. Payment right here and now—silver coins with the seal of the distinguished House of Philibert. Be honored."

  At the counter, a man in fine robes sneered.

  Murmurs spread through the surrounding crowd. The embroidered epaulettes, gold buttons, number of attendants—he was clearly a noble to anyone's eyes.

  "That's a generous offer. However, at that price, our shop would operate at a loss, so—"

  A shop clerk responded with a strained smile. Apparently he was demanding an unreasonable discount on his order. If he was going to call himself a prestigious noble, you'd think he'd be as generous as his appearance suggested.

  Alicia seemed to have noticed the commotion, but she was still in the middle of her negotiation and couldn't break away.

  "That is...?"

  Watching from the corner of my eye, something puzzled me. The silver coins the man had produced looked different in both shape and pattern from the ones I currently carried.

  "Those are territorial currency. I've heard they're still in circulation in some areas."

  Martha casually offered this insight. I see—currency is deeply rooted in daily life, after all. It wouldn't be easy to change it so quickly.

  "A loss? Hah, not enough faith. Saving the people is what a 'saint' does, isn't it?"

  An attendant poured silver coins into a balance scale he'd produced. At the presented weight, the needle stopped precisely in the middle.

  Does a scale really settle that instantly?

  "What do you think of that?"

  I asked Martha lightly. With her experience as an adventurer, she'd probably dealt with this type before.

  "...Well, something feels off."

  Coming from a former adventurer, that carried weight.

  Apparently she had the same impression.

  "...I apologize, but we have a policy of using our own scales."

  The clerk bowed and brought out the shop's installed scale from beside the counter. After setting the needle to zero, he placed a handful of silver coins from the noble's box on it.

  This time it swayed once before settling. More natural than before.

  However, the value was clearly insufficient. The clerk frowned. The noble shrugged.

  "Seems your scale was malfunctioning. How about this, then?"

  The noble pinched up a silver coin and flicked it onto the counter. A dry "clink" sound—or what was supposed to sound like one, but it was somehow muffled. The clerk picked them up and carefully placed each one on the scale.

  "...Martha, is that territorial currency at the same rate as light coins?"

  I asked Martha about something that had been bothering me.

  "Officially they're equivalent, but I've heard the purity can vary."

  "...I see."

  I had various thoughts, but all I could do now was watch how this played out. Just as I thought that—

  My fingers unconsciously moved to the coin in my pocket. The one I'd accidentally dropped yesterday.

  "Hey, you there, young master."

  Suddenly, the noble's gaze turned toward me. My gut churned with a bad feeling.

  "From the looks of it, you're a noble too. This shop has quite a lot of customers, doesn't it? Are you a regular here?"

  All eyes in the vicinity turned to me at once. He'd probably figured it out because I was wearing the Luminas Academy uniform. The academy uniforms differed in their ornate decorations depending on the student's status.

  But still—

  Why is he dragging me into this...?

  I hadn't said a word.

  That alone should have been enough of an answer.

  Was it the fate of a villainous noble? I could faintly smell trouble brewing.