The Homebody Alchemist

"What a pain."

Those were Ramiza-san's first words.

I'd come to see her right after the messenger left, and this was what I got.

"They practically chased me out of the royal palace to begin with, and now they want me to go back? Give me a break."

"Because you were summoned."

"I know, I know. But nothing good ever comes from being called by royalty. I thought I was done going outside for the rest of the year."

This woman was a quintessential homebody.

She outsourced her ingredient gathering to the trading company or adventurers more often than not, and only went out herself when absolutely no one else could handle it.

She did enjoy the work itself, apparently.

Having achieved great success as an alchemist in the Royal Capital only to end up in a frontier town like Kassad… well, her temperament probably had something to do with that.

"I'll be going with you, so it won't be too bad. You've got it easier than me, Ramiza-san. You used to work there. This'll be my first time setting foot in the castle."

"Sure, but it's been quite a while… Well, I suppose it beats going alone."

"Exactly. Two of my people will be escorting us as well."

The team had been decided after some discussion: Azu and Elza.

Finn had refused outright from the start.

She'd scolded me for even suggesting it. What was the point of bringing an assassin before royalty?

Alexia was out for similar reasons. She was a former noblewoman of the Empire from a hardliner military faction, no less.

Her father had been goaded into attacking the Kingdom, captured, and then abandoned by the Empire, which was how she'd ended up a slave.

Taking Alexia before royalty would practically invite charges of treason if anyone who knew her identity happened to see.

When you thought about it, taking her around the Kingdom at all wasn't ideal, but she was technically a slave, so it was fine.

I'd never used it, but there were methods for restricting a slave's movements.

The slave bracelets, which the girls currently had removed, were one such mechanism.

The point was to avoid unnecessary suspicion by not bringing her before royalty. Nothing more.

Ramiza-san had changed into proper outdoor clothes.

A fine badge was pinned to her alchemist's attire.

"This is the nationally certified alchemist's seal. With this alone, I'm authorized to manufacture potions anywhere in the country, no questions asked. Pretty sweet deal, huh?"

"Considering the quality of your potions, of course."

They were the shop's bestseller.

Adventurers fought over them.

The potions I gave Azu and the others to carry were also Ramiza-san's work.

Fast-acting and highly effective. No side effects. And they tasted good. Absolutely nothing to complain about.

Well, one thing. She couldn't be bothered to make them in large quantities.

Since she funneled more than half her output through our shop, I could hardly press the issue.

"Let's get going, then. I'm not a fan of portals. Nobody even really understands how they work."

"Really?"

"Really. Well, they've never had an accident, and they're a stable, convenient magic tool, so nobody questions it."

"I'd always assumed they were something that was developed."

"Ha ha."

Ramiza-san laughed.

Well, her mouth did. Her face didn't so much as twitch.

"If there were a magical engineer capable of that, the Kingdom would've conquered the continent by now."

She said it with a straight face.

She seemed to have some thoughts on the matter.

I didn't pry.

Outside the shop, the two who'd been waiting approached.

"Sorry for the wait."

"Not at all."

"I'm fine too!"

The two of them were bundled up head to toe, including the cold-weather gear I'd purchased for them earlier.

Along the way, Ramiza-san put a red vial to her lips and drank its contents.

When I glanced her way, she explained.

"It's called a Hot Drink. Warms you from the inside for a while after you drink it. I'm not good with heavy layers."

"That's a nice item. Do you sell them?"

"The effect only lasts a day, so I doubt many people would pay for it. Not worth it."

"Let's give it a try."

"You think? I have some in stock, but…"

By the time we'd finished talking, I'd arranged to purchase a dozen when we got back.

The cost might be too high for everyday use, but there'd be demand.

Adventurers especially. If the item let them earn more than its cost on a single outing, it would be quite useful.

"Sounds useful, right?"

"When you're training, the cold makes your hands so numb you can barely grip your sword. I think it would really help in freezing conditions."

"The cold makes it hard to move at all. Even if you heal someone with a healing miracle, if the root cause is the cold, the symptoms just come right back."

Azu and Elza both seemed impressed.

Maybe I should post a notice at the Adventurer's Guild.

Our party heading to the castle was these four, but as a precaution I'd have Finn and Alexia standing by in the Royal Capital.

I'd arranged lodging for them and given them spending money so they could sightsee if nothing came up.

Judging by the reason we'd been summoned, we were more likely being welcomed. But despite having softened my negative feelings toward nobility somewhat after our encounters with both the Empire's and Kingdom's ducal houses, I still didn't fully trust them.

A little self-defense was reasonable.

Preparations were never wasted, no matter how many proved unnecessary.

If everything always went according to plan, everyone would be a millionaire.

We didn't have much time, so we quickly boarded the portal and headed for the Royal Capital.

Alexia had already secured the inn I'd specified, so we'd stay there one night and wait for the castle to open in the morning.

With our party of six, we rented a large room with dividers.

"A mere merchant getting an audience with a princess. That's not something you hear every day."

"Agreed. There are merchant guilds embedded in the palace that could handle that sort of thing."

"Won't they come after you?"

"They're not that idle. If I tried to push my way in, sure, they'd crush me in a heartbeat."

These were the great trading companies that represented the Kingdom and had put down roots in the Royal Capital.

Compared to them, Yohane's trading company was literally orders of magnitude smaller.

The saying went that if one of them dropped their wallet, the ground would shake. That was the scale of wealth they commanded.

They were deep in bed with the royals, too.

If the day ever came that those companies fell, it would mean the Kingdom itself was falling.

The only ones who could compete with them would be Alsarm, or perhaps equivalent companies in other nations.

"Well, if someone tries to kill you, Red here and I will bail you out, so don't worry."

"That's reassuring."

"If I can repay the humiliation from before, it'll be a bargain at any price. Though I'd rather it not come to that."

Alexia and Finn were surprisingly game.

Seriously, I only brought you two along as insurance.