Chapter 11: Offer Rejected

"Join the Bran Merchant Group"

When Shoto heard those words come out of Bran's mouth Shoto stood up.

"Huh is there something wrong?" Bran asked confused at Shoto's action.

"This was a waste of time" Shoto said.

"Excuse me" Bran was still confused.

"I'm not going your merchant group" Shoto said as he was about to leave.

"Mister Kuzakabe you haven't heard my offer "

"I don't need to hear it because there's nothing to gain from it" Shoto said coldly.

"And what makes you say that there a lot to gain from joining so why don't sit down so we can discuss it"

Bran was being polite not showing his emotions Shoto decided to play along an sat down.

"Okay so how can I benefit from join you?"

"I'm glad you asked well you see our group can help you expand your business by lending you our resources an-"

"How much are the resources?" Shoto cut in.

"What? I'm not done explaining" Bran was caught of guard.

"I'm just asking I mean you are lending them to me so will have to pay them back at some point right?"

"Well that is usually discussed when drawing up the contract" Bran said.

"But my business is still small so I don't need that much money to expand it"

"Mister Kuzakabe if you expand you'll attract wealthier customers"

"But I'll lose the ones already had and rich people don't eat out all the time so I won't make enough profit to pay back the resources you lent me"

Bran felt like he was a the edge of a cliff. Shoto had revealed how they trap companies under them. Giving them large loans to help the expand but stopping them from making profit to keep them in dept an under them.

This strategy wasn't something new banks, counties and loan sharks used this to extort the weak back in Shoto's world. Using honey coated words to fool desperate people before chaining them in dept.

Bran was silent for a while trying to come up with a response. Shoto had a seen through him like was transparent. His silence dragged on until Shoto spoke.

"Mister Bran you see your group is nothing more than a loan shark but instead of threatening people with a knife you use papers and honey coated words to extort people" Shoto said.

Hearing that Bran's face began to change into an angry one. He looked ugly when he was angry.

"WHY LITTLE BRA-"

Bran was about to stand and attack Shoto but Norman put his hand on his shoulder pushing him back in his sit.

"Sir please" Norman calmed Bran down.

Shoto's face was completely black no one could read him not even Norman. He thought Shoto was just a young and ambitious boy who didn't know anything but he was wrong.

"Mister Kuzakabe please be respectful" Norman said.

"I'm as respectful as I can"

"Mister Kuzakabe I didn't tell about another thing our group does we protect our business partners.

La Breon is a dangerous place after all" it was as if Bran warning Shoto.

"Now you sound like a gangster" Shoto responded.

Bran gritted his teeth holding his anger back. He didn't see a way to bring Shoto in so he took a deep breath and politely asked Shoto and Grysilia to leave. Norman escorted Shoto and Grysilia of the mansion when he saw Bran restlessly scratching his head.

"FUCK!" Bran slammed his hands on the table.

He then looked at Norman with rage no one had ever spoken to him like that.

"Norman why did you stop me from teaching that brat a lesson?"

Norman closed the door before calmly answering. "He would have kill you Sir"

"What?" The response cought him off guard.

"Yes sir him and that elf woman are quite strong they new I had been spying on them but let me go" Norman had a good sense of danger.

"What do we do then that business of his looks really profitable we need it" Bran was about to pull his hair out looking for an idea.

The Bran Merchant Group had many businesses under their thumb but none of them served food as good as Shoto's food carriage.

"Sir like you said La Breon is a dangerous place and you only protect your business partners"

Norman had a good sense of danger but his greed drowned that scary feeling he had earlier. A wicked smile stretched across Bran's face and he began laughing.

"Hahaha you a genius Norman" Something nasty began rolling in Bran's mind.

....

Meanwhile Shoto and Grysilia were at the gates of another mansion the security was much higher than anything place they had seen.

"Who goes there?" One of the Guards asked.

"We are adventurers here to complete the quest" Grysilia said showing her card.

"Really?" the guard asked making sure as he verified there cards.

The guard ordered the guard next to him to go call go call someone named Javier. The guard left and soon came back with a man dressed in black. It was another butler Shoto judged from the man's facial expressions that he was very stressed.

"I am Javier I understand that I

You are here to do the quest?"

"Yes" Shoto replied the butler Javier seemed a impatient.

"Before you proceed I must ask you a question your answer will determine weather you can attempt this quest are you fine with that?"

"Okay"

"Do you know about curses and how to deal with them?" Javier asked.

"I have studied curses so I have some knowledge of how to deal with them" Shoto gave an appropriate answer.

Back in the creator Shoto had scanned a book on curse engineering. Curse Engineering was the art of study and creating curses but nowhere did say on how to cure them. There was only one paragraph on treating curses it said.

'Curses cannot be exorcized with a single method as they are all different. Some curses can leave lingering effects so be sure study it and to treat them thoroughly.'

"Have you ever delt with a curses before?" Javier asked another question.

"No but I am knowledgeable about them" Shoto wasn't going lie.

Javier thought for a minute he studied Shoto's appearance together with Grysilia. Their expressions were stoic they didn't show a hint of nervousness.

"Please let them in" Javier said.

The gates opened letting Shoto and Grysilia enter Javier lead them through the mansion. The inside of this place was heavily guarded. Guards where stationed everywhere.

(This guy must be a real big shot for him to get this level of security)

(The security must be to prevent assassinations attempts)

(But wouldn't assassins just mask themselves as guard or a maid?)

(They must have a system to root out spies and assassins)

Shoto and Grysilia conversed telepathically with each other as they followed Javier to a room. Two guards in red guarded the door Javier whisper a code into their ears. They were about to let Shoto and Grysilia pass when one of the Red Guards stopped them.

"What's in the bag" he pointed the tip of his spear at the bag Grysilia was  holding.

She opened the bag revealing bottles full of red elixirs. After inspecting the bottles they were let into the room after Javier.

Slam!

The door slammed hard behind them, the sight of a swollen man in sheets. A nasty stench fumed from the man's body his body was swallowed with purple pimples poking out.

"This our boss I can't disclose his identity but you see six months ago he was afflicted by this terrible curse. We have been unable to find the source of this curse due to being preoccupied with our master" there was a hint of anger within Javier's voice.

"The curse seems to get worse with every failed attempt so I ask you again can cure our master?"

"Sure" Shoto said.

Javier was surprised by Shoto's answer the people how tried to cure the curse were sure of themselves until they failed but Shoto answer didn't arrogant it was pure certainty. While Javier was speaking Shoto had scanned the cursed man with Sage's augmented reality. They had come up with a way to dispell the curse.

"Please step back" Shoto said as he stepped closer to the bed.

"Mister Kuzakabe please get back you my get affected if you step across the line" Javier warned.

"Don't worry Sir will be fine" Grysilia said stopping Javier from disturbing Shoto.

A small black flame ignited in Shoto's palm the black flame had no heat. Shoto's hand put his hand over the cursed man not make any direction contact with him.

(Sage target the curse)

[Affirmative. Target locked on]

(<Devourer>) Shoto activated the skill.

[AN: Don't wanna this chapter too long]