It Won't End With Just an Errand

After finishing my talk with the chairman, I completed my errands and left the Merchant Guild.

The words "red moon" kept nagging at me.

Normally I'd dismiss it as nonsense or just another rumor and let it go.

The reason it stuck with me was probably because I'd been through so many unbelievable experiences.

Considering those, a moon turning red didn't seem all that strange anymore.

"Getting used to things is scary…"

I muttered to myself.

There are so many things in this world that defy common sense.

There might be treasures and riches no one has ever seen. The thought excited me a little.

I stopped by a familiar winery and purchased their finest wine, as well as a high-end wine popular with people from the Empire.

A red wine the color of blood.

"Business must be good, Yohane-san."

"Not really. Buying this cleaned me out."

"Don't say that, come buy again. I'll throw in a bonus."

It was a painful expense. But if the royal gifts didn't please them, the one in trouble would be Yohane for bringing them, so I couldn't let my guard down.

I arranged for delivery to the shop.

The bonus, by the way, was grape juice from before it became wine.

It was a clear amber color and supposedly very sweet.

Good for drinking as-is or for cooking.

I might keep a few bottles for myself.

"Actually, I'll take one bottle with me now."

"Please, go ahead."

I took a bottle of grape juice and headed from the winery to Ramiza-san's shop.

She'd hold it against me if I didn't show my face now that I was back.

A surrogate parent… not quite, since we weren't that far apart in age. More like an older sister, maybe.

Her shop was deserted as always, and when I opened the door, the smell of medicinal herbs tickled my nose.

Homunculi were busily making potions and medicines.

On a work table, several homunculi were cooperating to operate a mortar.

Automating things like this to handle the enormous volume of orders coming in from various places was impressive.

Her current income was surely far more than when she was a royal alchemist.

When I'd asked before if she was going to renovate the shop, she said if she made it nice, people would think she was thriving and customers would come.

According to her, the best situation was actually being profitable while appearing not to be.

I couldn't say I didn't understand the sentiment.

Yohane enjoyed maximizing profits the more he earned, but Ramiza-san could earn without much effort, so "good enough" was fine for her.

"Ramiza-san, are you not in?"

Usually she was sitting in the back, either sleeping or reading a book, but I didn't see her.

I thought she might be in the back room and called out.

If there was no answer, I'd go check. But then I heard footsteps.

"Who is it?"

Ramiza-san appeared with a big yawn.

She wore a disheveled negligee, her ample chest nearly visible.

Apparently, she'd left even opening the shop to the homunculi and dolls while she slept until now.

That was too slovenly.

"Whoa, what are you doing?"

In any case, I couldn't let anyone else see her like this.

I turned her around and pushed her toward the back.

"Are you going to attack me? At least wait until night."

"Joke later. Go wash your face and get changed."

I sighed.

Her attire was provocative, but there was no mood whatsoever.

"I'm borrowing the kitchen."

"Mm."

She washed her face while still half-asleep and started changing.

Meanwhile, I washed my hands in the kitchen and checked the ingredients.

"Wow, there's nothing here. Should have bought something on the way."

The cold storage was full of herbs and potions but lacking actual food.

After searching around, I finally found green onions, flour, salt, and oil.

There was a small amount of smoked meat too.

To make something decent with limited ingredients…

First, I boiled water in a pot.

After letting the hot water cool slightly, I mixed in salt and oil, then added it to the flour.

Using less water was the key. Otherwise, the dough would get sticky.

Once the dough came together, I left it to rest.

In the meantime, I finely chopped the green onions and smoked meat, added salt, mixed well, then stir-fried them to cook through.

After the dough cooled, I tore off appropriately sized pieces, rolled them into balls, and flattened them with a rolling pin.

I spooned the filling onto the flattened dough and folded it in half to wrap it.

After repeating this until everything was wrapped, I brushed them with oil and baked them in the oven.

It was interesting how they puffed up slightly when heated even without fermentation.

By the time they were done baking, Ramiza-san had come over in her usual clothes.

"Ramiza-san, at least go shopping. They even deliver."

"Yeah, but it's such a hassle, you know."

"I think I understand why you're single."

"Whoa, that's harsh. Hm? Something smells good."

She sniffed at the fragrant smell.

At the same time, I heard her stomach growl.

"Let's eat, let's eat. Wow, you made something proper out of nothing."

"It's just thrown together."

What I'd made was bread like mini-pies.

Biting into one, there was a crispy texture followed by the taste of meat spreading through my mouth.

It brought back memories of eating this often when the shop's operating funds were tight and I had no money.

The grape juice I'd brought was sweet and tangy. Delicious.

While sharing recent news, the conversation turned to the red moon I'd just heard about.

"They say the moon has a sinister nature. Monsters become more active at night, and magic in the air gets denser during full moons. Come to think of it, there was a red moon rumor going around when I was at the castle."

"Do you remember the details?"

"Hmm, I was so busy back then I don't remember much. But the rumor died down after a while. Probably because a monster was subjugated, people said."

"I see."

"Ah, it's all gone."

Ramiza-san tipped the bottle upside down and licked the last drop with regret.

When I promised to bring more, she pressed potions on me as payment for the meal.

Maybe she was worried about me in her own way.

After that, I returned home.

Now was time for the fun part.

I brought Orleans along to properly assess the treasure we'd obtained from the Constellation tower for conversion to cash.

It was currently stuffed in a storage room, but it was getting cramped, and I wanted to dispose of it soon.

Equipment that Azu and the others wouldn't use could be sent to auction, but the gold and silver treasures were surprisingly tricky to handle.

"There's a lot."

"Yeah. If I tried to sell all this in Kassad, it would affect the market."

"Prices would drop temporarily?"

"Exactly. I don't want to make enemies carelessly."

I'd once made money on the silver market, but prices were generally stable.

If I forcibly changed them, someone would take a loss and bear a grudge. No thank you.

In the end, I'd have to sell gradually to maintain prices.

But thinking of it as stable income, it wasn't all bad.

It made things easier to plan ahead.

I could use this capital to open a branch in the Empire.

A shop selling perfume and soap, patronized by the duchess herself.

Transporting from the kingdom to the Empire every time was a hassle and expense.

It would be a waste if this ended as just an errand for Princess Tianis.

"So, sir, what should we do with this?"

"Hmm…"

Orleans pointed at the Thorn Staff she was holding with fire tongs.

It couldn't be put up for auction as it was classified as a cursed item.

I'd approached collectors too, but hadn't gotten any good responses, so it remained with us.

It had been useful, but…

"Just put it in a bag for now. It seems harmless that way."

"Understood."

Orleans stuffed the Thorn Staff into a bag with considerable force.