It's been about a month since the opening of Luka's shop, The Sacred Inventory, And he's spared no effort in making the most of his three new employees: Zaine, Rebecca and Viktor.
"Good morning everyone!" Luka said in an uplifting tone
"Let's have another great day at work-"
He's swiftly interrupted by Rebecca, saying "I want a raise!"
"Hah! Over my dead body." Luka quickly replied "Now quit your yapping and get back to work"
"Um…. Guys" muttered Zaine "h-have you all heard the news?"
"Oh, about the Hero's party starting their journey? Who hasn't?" Asked Viktor "They're probably the biggest celebrities out there right now"
"Ooooo would we get to see them?! I'm hero Emilia's biggest fan!" Shouted Rebecca, ecstatically. "She's so pretty and strong and kind! Her hair looks like it's made of gold! I wish I was her. What I'd give to stand in her presence-"
"Overrated." Luka scoffed, angering the other three, Rebecca especially
"What! How dare you?! She's gonna be risking her ass out there for humanity! How could you say such a thing?!" Screeched Rebecca, livid at Luka's trademarked audacity.
"Oh if you love her so much, why don't you just marry her?" Luka responded with his signature smug attitude. "Why would I care about what that demon king is up to? I haven't been affected yet. If I wanted the guy dead, I would've walked over to the demon kingdom and dealt with the guy myself. I don't need little Miss Girl Power and her band of merry men to do it like they're doing me a favour or something".
"Yeah right! Like a merchant is gonna beat the demon king on his own. Don't make me laugh!" Viktor interjected, dumbfounded by Luka's confidence in saying such a thing.
The Demon King appears once every generation, as does the Hero. The incarnation of the Demon King increases the power of all demons. The Demons wish to destroy humanity and every other race to make a world of demons, while humanity wishes to get rid of demons to make a world of peace, devoid of the threat the demons pose to humanity and other races. The demon king is so strong, that no human in recorded history has been able to destroy them by conventional means. That's why the hero used the "Evil Conquering Sword", a sword of incredible power, allowing the hero to level the playing field with the Demon King. However, only someone deemed strong enough and worthy enough by the sword itself has the right to wield it and the awesome power that comes with it. Luka, however, isn't exactly a fan of heroes.
"I could totally beat the demon king, and I wouldn't need that cheat sword to make it happen either. Only a loser would need such a tool. With something like that, anyone could become The Hero. Besides, what's the point of being a hero anyway? Considering the money you get from it in return for risking your life for the sake of the entire human race, it's not enough return for risk I'd say. What a joke!" Luka confidently responded.
"So…. Compared to Hero Emilia…" Zaine enquired. "Who's stronger? Her or you?…"
"Well~ if Emilia used that unfair ass sword's power against me, she might cause me a little trouble" Luka responded
Zaine then asked: "but would you lose?"
Luka gave a light chuckle before answering: "Nah. I'd win".
As he said that, the front door opened. A new customer entered the shop. Four of them in fact. A male berserker with blue armour, black hair and a claymore, a female assassin with grey hair and a black outfit, a female mage in a dark blue cloak, and a swordswoman in gold and blue armour, blonde hair, and a golden sword. It was none other than the hero, Emilia, and her party. They were here to get supplies before setting off from Origionia City. A fateful encounter was about to take place.
"Good morning!" Said the kind hero, Emilia, in a gentle and welcoming voice "If you're not too busy, there are some supplies I would like to purch…ase" The Hero's soft and soothing voice changed into one of both surprise and annoyance.
"Well, well, well~" chanted Luka "if it isn't the mighty Hero herself, in the flesh. To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence in my fine establishment"
"You've got to be joking" Emilia growled, much to the surprise of everyone present.
"My, my~," said Luka in a somewhat taunting and mocking manner "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're not happy to see me. Aren't you gonna say hi to your good old friend… li'l Emilia~?"
"Luka." Emilia said begrudgingly, almost as if she forced herself to utter the word against her will.
The employees and the party members both shouted in shock "You two know each other?!".
"Yes, although I wish otherwise" Emilia proclaimed.
"Aww. If I had a heart, you probably would've broken it right in two, li'l Emilia" Luka said, in aid of sarcasm.
"Don't vex me any more, coward" Emilia insulted.
"Ouchy. With words as sharp as that, why don't you just talk the Demon King to death?" Luka wittingly remarked. "Don't tell me you're stiiill having a hissy fit over me ditching our little rivalry when I dropped out of Hero Academy"
Viktor, shocked by the previous statement, asks "Wait, you went to Hero Academy?"
Luka took slight offence to the question "The hell is that supposed to mean? Of course, I went." He answered. "Me and li'l Emilia were in the same class even. I was always top of the class, bragging intended"
"And I…" muttered Emilia, embarrassed. "Was always second. I trained and studied in the hopes of beating you. But right when I had it, one day, without warning or reason, he dropped out of the Academy. To think I'd see your sorry face here of all places"
Everyone in the room was shocked by the revelation, but Luka decided to attend to a different matter.
"Anyway backstories aside, what are you in the market for?" Luka asked
"If I had my way, I wouldn't buy a damn thing a money-obsessed weasel like you was selling, Luka Randz" Emilia proclaimed.
"Flattery will get you nowhere" Luka mockingly responded, his stock of witty comebacks proving once again to have no limit.
"…But… your shop was supposedly the best here, so I guess I have to put my feelings aside" Emilia said, heroically swallowing her pride.
"Wow. Emilia Goldinharte? Using reason? That's a new one" Luka remarked.
"You!" The mage shouted to Luka. "How dare you talk to Lady Emilia that way?!"
"Oh. The dog can speak" Luka said with a condescending smirk. "Unfortunately we have a strict no pets policy here so your little wizard girl needs to go. I don't want stains on my carpet"
The mage quickly grew furious at Luka's remark. "Why you little…"
Emilia quickly stopped her before she did anything, causing her to calm down.
"Moving on," Emilia said with gritted teeth. "I need all our gear to be upgraded to the best you've got, I'll also need about 3 weeks' worth of rations for 4"
"Ok!" Luka said "32 gold in total!"
The berserker grew upset. "You're charging us?" He asked, angrily. "We're risking our lives to fight for you. We should be getting it for free"
"Wow. Awesome. Never asked you to do all that though" Luka retorted. "I'm running a business, not a charity. You want free? I threw the trash out the back. Get digging"
"The nerve of this… Lady Emilia, we don't have to put up with this! Let's get out of here!" The berserker said.
"Well…" Emilia said "he does have a point, unfortunately"
The berserker scoffed before falling back in line.
"Unfortunately we don't have the money for that" Emilia said, slightly embarrassed
"Wow! The great and mighty hero! Short on cash to get what she needs! I guess the king didn't have any to spare? What a laugh. It's as I always say. There's no money in heroing." Luka mockingly responded
"Actually, this presents an opportunity… the hero is the most famous person out there. I give her stuff for free, she's a walking talking ad for my products. I help her defeat the demon king by supplying her, and I can use her for a profit! I'm a genius" Luka thought to himself, somehow managing to boost his own ego.
"Tell you what, li'l Emilia. You're a great woman! You're kind and you're even risking your neck for humanity. It's only right that I give you what you need. And I'll even do it free of charge! Additionally, I'll supply your group for your whole journey!" Luka advertised. "You practically, and hopefully, can't refuse"
"Cut the crap," Emilia said, seeing through Luka's dishonest words. "I'd believe the sky is falling down before I believe that you'd give something for free. What do you want from us?"
"I want to use you to advertise my shop and merchandise" Luka said, wasting no time in getting to the point.
"You're something else, dude" Emilia responded.
"Oh stop~ you're making me blush" Luka said "Anyway, the aforementioned promise I made remains true as long as my need is met. Do we have a deal?"
Emilia grunted in annoyance. The mere thought of having to work with him sickened the woman to her very soul. But, as any hero does, she swallowed her pride for the sake of the bigger picture.
"Fine. It's a deal" Emilia reluctantly said
"You see, usually I'd make this a soul-binding contract. But since you can't lie your way out of a paper bag I won't waste my energy" Luka said before chuckling
And this was the start of a beautiful 'friendship' between the high-minded hero and the malevolent merchant.