Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear (Chapter 75-260)

Chapter 215

Chapter 215 – Bear-san And The Picture Book Negotiation

「I’m willing to pay however much you want for it.」

The old man said something unbelievable. That answer was the hardest one to reply to. I didn’t even need the money, so I was partly joking when I asked.

「Letobell-sama, that’s…」

「Master, I think it’s best for you to state the price. We don’t know how much the seller will ask for, after all.」

Dogrude-san and Rodis-san both tried to get Letobell-san to take back what he said. If I had been a corrupt merchant, it would have been possible for me to state some insane price for it. Even so, Letobell-san refused, and wanted me to name my price.

「I said I don’t care how much it costs. How much will it take for you to sell it to me, Young Bear Lady?」

He looked straight into my eyes. The situation had been reversed as I now felt like I was the one being evaluated. Was he trying to test me? Should I give him the regular price of a picture book, or charge him a bit extra?

「What will it be?」

Hmm, before I realized it, I had been dragged into the old man’s territory. Had it been a mistake to take out the picture book? It was impossible to haggle against a merchant of his level. It felt like I would immediately lose if I just stated a price at random. If it was truly meant for his granddaughter, then I was more than happy to just give it to him for free. Still, at this point just handing it over would be annoying.

「No matter the cost, huh. In that case, I’ll receive the payment from your granddaughter.」

「Come again?」

Letobell-san was surprised by my unexpected answer. I felt a sense of accomplishment at seeing his surprised expression.

「I don’t plan on making money off of these books. I drew them so that children (or rather, Flora-hime) would be happy reading it. That’s why I ask you to let me decide on its price after seeing how happy your granddaughter is after she receives the book.」

「Don’t be stupid, who decides the price of something based on that?!」

「Rodis…」

「…」

「If your granddaughter won’t be happy to receive it then I won’t give it to her no matter how much money you’re willing to spend. Likewise, if she shows me a wonderful smile, I’ll give it to her as a present.」

「Hohoho, are you sure about that? My granddaughter’s smile is second to none!」

Letobell-san smirked, seemingly fascinated by my proposal. His strong appraising gaze had completely disappeared at this point. Even if I saw his granddaughter’s smile, I had no intention of wavering if it didn’t look genuine.

「A child will never show you their true smile if you simply throw money at them.」

「That’s true.」

Letobell-san laughed at my comment. He then turned to me and bowed lightly.

「I apologize. I was testing you.」

Letobell-san apologized to me. So, he really was evaluating me like I had thought.

「I wanted to know what kind of person you were. You’re acquainted with His Majesty, and you have connections to the guild master of the capital’s Adventurer Guild. Not to mention the fact that you’re an adventurer, yet you are an artist who can also draw picture books. As a merchant, I’ve met many types of people, but I’ve never met a girl like you.」