Holy Water Manufacturer

Now then, where to begin.

Elza and I faced each other in silence for a while.

Azu had been an easy-to-read girl, simple to get to obey. She was out there happily completing quests right now.

But this sister was different. She was older than Azu, and I needed to understand her properly.

I had to pair this ex-sister with Azu and help them leap to the next level.

They were merchandise. I had to use them to earn back more than I'd spent.

A hundred forty gold coins' worth, ideally. If not, I'd have to make up the difference somehow.

While I was thinking, Elza spoke first.

"Are you sure you wanted me?"

"What do you mean."

"Nothing, just… thank you for buying me. You seem like a decent person, and I'd really rather not spend my life catering to some pervert."

"Then it worked out."

Elza played with her hair in response.

"Buying a slave to turn her into an adventurer and earn money. Quite the scheme."

"Coming from the person about to be put to work, that carries some weight."

"I suppose. Better than a brothel, at least?"

"Azu… the slave I bought first, has been operating solo, but going alone has its drawbacks. You're a cleric, so you'll be useful."

"If you tell me to do it, I'll do it. Of course."

Low motivation, but professional about the work. That was the vibe.

Well, as slaves went, she was far more typical than Azu.

"So why did you end up a slave? Clerics don't exactly do the kind of things that get you enslaved."

"I may not have done anything, but when someone sets things up so you have no choice? There's not much you can do. When it came down to selling the children in my care or selling myself, I chose myself."

A common enough story. The better a person was, the less capable they were of abandoning others.

Unable to abandon them, they had nothing left to sacrifice but themselves.

"The Creator King faith is surprisingly merciful. And that's how you ended up here."

"… I have no regrets. Even if the faith has all but vanished from the world, living by the Creator King's teachings is the life I chose."

"I don't care about that part. As long as you maintain your faith and keep your abilities as a cleric."

Elza went quiet again. But the fire in her eyes hadn't died.

She truly didn't regret her choice. Of course, being sold as a woman rather than a cleric would've been another matter entirely.

Azu was on track to be genuinely useful, so keeping her was a given.

But Elza was a different calculation. She was beautiful, with a figure to match.

If she proved useless, I'd sell her on to a place that would pay for what she was.

As long as she was a cleric, though, she should have a decent education. I had reasonable expectations.

"For now, you have one job until Azu gets back."

"What's that? Nighttime services?"

"How would sleeping with you make me money? You're merchandise, and I'm a merchant who uses his merchandise to turn a profit."

Sleeping with her and developing feelings would only cause problems. And this sister was alluring enough that her appeal showed through even in a habit. A hundred forty gold coins for a mistress? Terrible ROI.

I tossed an empty glass bottle at Elza's feet.

"You're a cleric, right? Make holy water."

Holy water. Water blessed through prayer.

It repelled evil and lifted curses. Weak monsters couldn't stand the stuff.

Beyond that, sprinkling holy water on a weapon would temporarily grant it a sacred blessing.

Essential against ghost-type monsters.

As Azu grew as an adventurer, she'd eventually face undead, ghouls, and wraiths.

Those things could give a lone warrior real trouble, and apparently they could kill you easily.

But add a single cleric to the team and they became more manageable than ordinary monsters.

Not just adventurers, but mainly traveling merchants and townsfolk heading to other towns used it. Decent demand for the tool shop as well.

Up until now, I'd been buying it from the Sun God Church at prices that left almost no margin. But you had to stock it or lose customers.

"… Master, you've got a nasty look on your face right now. Maybe my luck's not so great after all."

"There's a bath. Make a hundred bottles in there. After that, you can heat the water and take a soak. Then bring me the holy water."

"A h-hundred… Give me a break. Fine, fine, stop glaring at me. I'll do it."

Refined in appearance, but a tad mouthy. That was this sister in a nutshell.

Still, there was nothing unpleasant about it. Probably the kind of person everyone liked.

She'd most likely get along with Azu just fine.

"Getting to take a bath, though? That's the best. You even got me a change of clothes. Maybe you're a good master after all."

I shooed Elza out toward the bath and gave her directions.

I needed to grab more glass bottles from the storeroom.

If I could get holy water for nothing but the cost of bottles, that was good business.

Bulk-ordering glass bottles might bring the unit cost down too.

Would the Sun God Church complain?

… No, they wouldn't even recognize my face.

All those people cared about was donations.

Elza came back two hours later, fresh from the bath.

She seemed to love baths; even after what must have been the ordeal of making holy water, her mood was good.

Her hair had regained its luster. Unlike Azu, Elza was the classical beauty type, and quite easy on the eyes.

I asked to see her rosary.

The Sun God's version had a sun motif at its center, but the Creator King's had a relief of a woman carved into it.

Was that woman the Creator King?

Might be worth looking into sometime. Something about holding the rosary felt strangely calming.

I sent Elza to a spare room and returned to my own.

I wondered how Azu was doing.

Meanwhile, Azu was being chased by a swarm of monsters, running for her life in tears.

"I can't take it anymore, I wanna go home!"

Azu made it back three days later.