The Rustic City of Luido

I'd said "sell," but the arrangement with Jacob meant I couldn't charge anything.

Apparently I was still tired. The merchant in me was too deeply ingrained.

For a free giveaway of sugar candy, I shouldn't need to overthink it.

Everyone's a sucker for the word "free."

… The poppy-derived drug would most likely be distributed the same way at first, handed out for nothing.

Using the same method to spread it felt like a bitter irony.

First things first: I went to deliver the completion report to Jacob.

That made three visits to the lord's manor in a short span.

Next time, I wanted to come bearing cheerful news. I meant that from the bottom of my heart.

With this many visits, my fellow merchants were bound to be looking at me sideways. It'd probably come up as a topic at the next merchant guild meeting.

Jacob wouldn't leak anything on his end. I'd just need to think up a plausible excuse.

I entered Jacob's office.

Dispensing with the pleasantries, I presented one of the medicated blue candy drops.

I'd named the product Sky Blue, after the medicine.

"So this is it. Your speed never ceases to amaze. I give you authorization one day, and you're back with a finished product the next."

"Our shop's motto is sincerity and same-day service."

"Heh."

Not a bad impression, it seemed.

When results back it up, faster is always better. That holds true for most things.

Even to Jacob's eye, the quality appeared satisfactory. He spent a moment admiring the candy's clarity.

After studying it for a while, he put it in his mouth.

Shortly after, I heard the crunch of him biting down.

"I expected bitter, but it's just a normal sweet candy."

"Exactly. Even children will enjoy it."

It was a genuine shame I couldn't sell these.

They were beautiful, but considering the cost of the medicine's ingredients, I had no desire to make them again just for profit.

If I made any, it'd be ordinary candy without the medicine.

Ramiza-san wouldn't agree to it either.

This whole affair was one exception after another.

She hadn't shared the detailed recipe with me, either.

"No issues detected. You're authorized to distribute in Luido. Take this, a commercial permit for Luido. It's not technically a sale, but a large-scale giveaway will draw attention. This should head off any problems."

"Much appreciated. I'll take it."

I accepted the commercial permit from Jacob.

Normally, this wasn't something you could receive from the lord of a different city, but the Second Princess's influence was almost certainly behind it.

If the officials in Luido raised any objections, I could operate freely with this in hand.

I wouldn't mind holding onto it after this was over, either.

Luido wasn't exactly a merchant's goldmine, but a wider trade territory was always better.

"I'll take another one."

"Liked it that much?"

"Fool. This is for the Second Princess. I should also demand the compounding recipe, but—"

"That's something you'd need to discuss with Ramiza-san, not me."

"I'm aware. I'll negotiate with her in due time."

Business concluded.

I stood and turned to leave.

"Don't overdo it beyond distributing the medicine. Your role is to buy time until the royal army mobilizes."

"I know. We're just a merchant and some adventurers."

I answered without turning around.

… Half true, half not.

If it proved too much, I wouldn't overextend. But if I had the chance, I wanted to see the mastermind's face, and make sure they could never pull something like this again.

"If you understand that, then good. Don't overstep."

I left the room.

All that remained was to head to Luido.

If Luido had a portal, we could skip the cart and arrive instantly, but unfortunately the network only reached the Royal Capital.

I secured the cargo firmly and drove the cart through the portal.

Enduring the lurching sensation, we arrived at the Royal Capital and immediately set off for Luido.

Luido was close to the capital. Its agricultural produce was shipped there for sale.

The trip didn't take long.

The Luido we arrived at was too small to call a city, too large to call a village.

That was my first impression.

A waterwheel turned in a nearby river, and heaps of wheat were piled up for milling.

A tranquil countryside. An old city that seemed to reject the very notion of progress.

It felt like time had stopped.

Could a place like this really be where drugs were being manufactured and spread?

If the information hadn't come from Azu, I might not have believed it.

Luido had no gatekeepers.

No, there wasn't even a gate.

The city was encircled by nothing more than a fence to keep out small monsters and animals.

Once inside, the locals greeted us with easy familiarity, and I returned the pleasantries.

When asked what brought us here, I explained that we were looking for feedback on a new product and had come to offer free samples.

In places like this, outsiders were often viewed with suspicion, but these seemed to be genuinely good-natured folk.

We secured lodging and unloaded the cargo from the cart.

A quick inspection confirmed no damage. The careful packing had done its job.

Elza gazed around, her golden hair streaming in the wind.

"What a pleasant breeze. A peaceful place. Agriculture and livestock seem to be the main industries?"

"That's what I've heard. The meat here is supposed to be excellent. Probably because they grow the feed grain themselves."

"How lovely."

Year-round crop cultivation, livestock rearing, and a modest festival at harvest time.

That was all there was to it. A perfectly self-contained existence.

Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing wasn't for an outsider to say.

At the inn, we were served enormous bone-in lamb steaks and vegetables that were fresh despite the winter, and we ate with gusto.

Alexia went back for thirds, so she must have been particularly taken with it.

She'd won the innkeeper's favor in the process.

We rented a large room and gathered everyone together.

"From what I've seen, nothing's gone wrong yet. Looks like we made it in time."

"It's the same as when I was here. I'm sure of it."

Azu agreed.

Our haste had paid off.

"I'll handle the reconnaissance. You lot start handing out the candy first thing tomorrow."

"Wouldn't it be better to wait and see how the enemy moves? The candy's effects have an expiration."

"Other way around. If you hand out candy while I spread rumors, we flush them out faster and keep control of the situation. Seizing the initiative makes everything easier."

"I see. What kind of rumors?"

"I'm good at this sort of thing. Something like, the candy prevents all kinds of poisons. Makes you immune if you ingest drugs. That angle."

Finn's idea wasn't bad.

The enemy had been thwarted multiple times and had to be under serious stress. Even a rumor would get under their skin.

If we were lucky, they'd panic and make a critical mistake.

Better than doing nothing.

"Alright. Let's go with that. Try not to take any unnecessary—"

"I won't. I'm a professional."

Finn cut me off before I could finish.

If she was that confident, I had no choice but to trust her.