A Direct Appeal to the Lord

I put on a mask that covered up to my nose to keep anything off my skin, then pulled on gloves that reached all the way to my shoulders.

Then I set about grinding unfamiliar fruits and herbs with a mortar and pestle, one after another.

"Make sure it's as fine as possible. Even the tiniest chunk left over will change what compounds leach out."

"I know."

This was harder physical labor than it looked.

And there was a lot of it.

Having been the one to propose this, I couldn't exactly complain. I just kept processing the mountain of ingredients piled in front of me.

"Good, your work is careful and not too slow. Passing marks."

"I'm not here for a performance review. How's your end coming along?"

I directed the question at Ramiza-san.

Not that I doubted her skill at this point.

She'd already finished her own tasks and was sitting in a chair with her feet propped up on another.

"I finished ages ago. I've been waiting on you. Since it's just the two of us, let me ask you something, just to be sure."

"What is it?"

Despite the cold outside, the room had no heating, yet sweat was beading on my forehead.

I responded while being careful not to let any drip onto the ingredients.

"Just confirming. This is going to work out, right? We're not getting thrown in prison for messing with contraband after the fact, are we?"

"… …"

"Hey, don't go silent on me. You said you could pull some strings with that new governor, right?"

"Actually, I haven't gotten to that yet. Things have been a bit hectic."

"Ugh. Looks like the work's at a good stopping point anyway, so go run over there and get us clearance. If we get told no after the fact, it's over."

I couldn't argue with that.

I'd been prioritizing speed, but this was something I couldn't afford to skip.

"Got it. I'll head over now."

"Yes, yes. And for goodness' sake, be tactful about it."

Ramiza-san knew full well that I'd once mouthed off to the former lord's son and gotten myself thrown in jail.

She was telling me not to let that happen again.

I peeled off the gloves and removed the mask.

The raw smell of herbs flooded my nostrils and made me slightly nauseous.

Stepping outside, my overheated body hit a wall of cold.

The sweat vanished instantly.

"Make sure you close the door properly. Temperature changes are bad for the materials!"

I heard the voice behind me and did as told, pulling the door shut.

I clapped both cheeks with my hands and steeled myself.

In a way, this was the hardest part of all.

I headed for the lord's manor.

It wasn't far from here, but even that short distance was enough for the cold to seep all the way down to my toes.

The guards on watch had retreated into their guardhouse, warming themselves by a fire inside.

I envied them.

"Excuse me, I'd like to see the lord."

"Who are you?"

I called out to the guardhouse, and a soldier emerged.

I recognized him. He'd been one of the men who came to collect the criminals Finn had captured.

It seemed to be his turn on watch today.

He met my eyes without any flicker of recognition.

Unfortunately, he didn't remember me.

"I'd like to see the lord. Could you tell him that Yohane from the tool shop is requesting an audience?"

"The tool shop…? What business does a merchant have with the lord?"

"It seems to be urgent. It concerns the arrest incident from before."

That wasn't a lie.

"How do you know about… oh."

It seemed he finally remembered.

"If that's the case, I'll inquire. No promises, though."

"Please do."

The soldier disappeared inside.

I wasn't invited into the guardhouse while I waited.

I huddled as small as I could to stave off the cold.

After a good while, the soldier returned.

Thank goodness… I thought I was going to freeze to death.

"Go in. He says he'll hear you out."

"Understood."

I passed the soldier heading back to his guardhouse and went inside.

It had been a while since I'd last set foot in the lord's manor.

The first time I'd come here, I'd been thrown in a cell. Not exactly fond memories.

Bad memories were surfacing now.

The manor's corridors were needlessly long. No wind blew through them, but the chill had seeped to the core.

It felt like the cold was creeping up from the floor.

I'd bought cold-resistant accessories for Azu and the others, and picked one up for myself too. Should've brought it.

Shivering from the cold, I made my way deeper inside.

I didn't pass a single person along the way.

Everyone must have been holed up in their rooms.

I arrived at the lord's chambers.

I knocked twice on the grand door, and a voice from within told me to enter.

When I opened the door, warm air spilled out and enveloped me.

The temperature difference made my entire body prickle.

I'd need someone to work out the stiffness later. Maybe I'd ask Elza or Alexia.

"Were you born under a trouble-magnet star, or do you just go looking for it?"

Jacob was occupying a sofa inside.

Quite the opening greeting, but hard to refute.

"Well, never mind. Sit down, tool shop."

I settled into the sofa across from him.

Facing Jacob head-on, he looked even bigger.

From our previous conversations, I already knew his forthright character.

He was also a tax collector, so flattery and groveling wouldn't work on him. My best bet was to choose my words carefully but be honest.

"Drink. The alcohol's been boiled off."

He poured hot wine from a large pot into a silver cup.

Honey had been added, and a cinnamon stick served as a stirrer.

Cinnamon came from the Kingdom's warmer southern regions.

In a kingdom with few notable specialties, it was one of the more popular local products.

Even in winter, it was affordable.

The silver cup warmed by the wine loosened my stiff, frozen hands.

The sensation of the liquid sliding down my throat was a blessing in itself.

"I'll tell you upfront, I can't share any information about those men. It would interfere with the investigation."

"I wasn't going to ask. It's related, but a separate matter."

"Oh?"

Thanks to the hot wine, my throat was no longer parched and warmth had returned to my body.

Now came the real battle.

"It appears they were planning to distribute and sell drugs throughout the Kingdom."

"… There was nothing like that in the seized documents. I figured your being there by coincidence was a lie, but…"

"The ones we captured were the operational unit responsible for eliminating interference. They didn't have any valuable intelligence."

"Go on."

Jacob stared at me with a deep scowl.

The man had an intimidating face. Genuinely frightening.

But I couldn't afford to flinch.

"I have a good idea who's behind this, but no evidence. So—"

"Do you not trust the Kingdom?"

He cut me off mid-sentence.

Had I said something wrong?

"That's not it at all. Of course I trust the Kingdom. But we have to move fast. Are you aware of the drug epidemic that hit Kassad in the past?"

"Mm."

"Once drugs are released, the number of victims explodes. The longer you wait to respond, the worse it gets."

"I understand your point. So what exactly do you, a mere tool shop owner, intend to do about it?"

"If we can't go after the mastermind, I'll distribute food that neutralizes the drug. That's why I need permission to work with poppy seeds."

I said everything that needed saying.

Jacob folded his arms and fell into thought.

"I can't mobilize soldiers right now. Thanks to you lot, I might add."

He was referring to the fact that his forces were currently engaged in dismantling the underworld organization that Finn's fight had exposed.

"Bring me the finished product and come back. We'll talk then."

Permission to produce had been granted.