CH 30

“Welcome to…. Eh? Isn’t this Takumi-san? It’s been a while.”

“Ah, long time no see.” 

On my next day off, I went shopping alone in one of the stores. It was a perfume shop in the castle town, with the sign “Ingrid Parfum” in front of it. Although the store advertised itself as a perfume shop, it also provided potion-making services. Because both professions can only be assumed by a “alchemist” who possessed the “alchemy” skill, the shop doubled as both a potion maker and a perfume maker.

“I’m sorry for bothering you so suddenly. Were you occupied?”

“No, no, it’s fine!” No matter how busy I am, I will never forget my great benefactor, Takumi-san!”

The shopkeeper, a girl with glasses, smiled at me. She, too, was an alchemist, and she and her grandmother ran this perfume shop. 

“Thanks to everyone in the Black-Winged Knights, our store, which had been quiet for a while, is now attracting customers again! We have been entrusted with the potion-making process entirely at the discretion of the order. After all, the Black-winged Knights are the most well-known in the city!”

She then offered me a seat in front of the counter, then went back to the back of the store, brewed a cup of tea, and returned. I thanked her and accepted the cup, then sipped the tea alongside the glasses-wearing clerk.

Ah, it’s delicious.

“Is the Black-winged Knights that popular?”

“Yes, they are! There is no discrimination in status or race, and no matter what battle they fight, they had never lost! It’s the same with the recent success against the wyverns… Besides, Commander Gazelle is really cool, isn’t he? It’s not easy for a commoner to rise to the rank of Commander of the Knights with a single sword. He’s the man of our dreams!”

Oh, the shopkeeper with glasses is a Gazelle fan, isn’t she? Our Commander Gazelle is sure a cool guy!

“But of course, Takumi is popular too! Recently, some of the customers who come to our store ask us, ‘Is this the store favored by the newcomers of the Black Winged Knights?’ ‘When does the rumored Black-Winged Knight come here?’ ‘Does he really have black hair and eyes?’ There are many people who ask me these questions!”

The glasses-wearing clerk smiled and leaned in closer to me. However, I tilted my head, not understanding a word she said. 

“Hmm? What are they going to do after meeting me?”

“Eh?”

“I understand if it’s Gazelle or Felix, but I think it’s a waste of time to meet with me… Could it be that they’re attempting to reach the Black Winged Knights through me?”

“T-This… are you serious…?” 

For some reason, the store clerk with glasses looked surprised and stared at me. With a puzzled look on my face, I nodded at her.

“Thank you for your valuable information. I’ll tell Gazelle and Felix to be careful. Regardless, be very careful.”

“Uhmm?!?! I feel like I’m not conveying the message properly. But if Gazelle-sama and the others get the message, they’ll guard you, so I guess it’s all for the best…?” The store clerk with glasses groaned for a while and then turned to me again seemingly regaining her composure. “By the way, what is the reason for your visit today, Takumi-san? Perhaps there’s another way of making new drugs followed by potions…!”

“Shhhh! That was made by Gazelle and Felix, not by me!” 

“Ah! I’m sorry!”

“The refining method for new drugs, well, yes, that’s true. That’s why I’m begging you to keep this secret even more than the potions.”

“Hmm, so its confidential.” The glasses girl clerk swallowed her saliva and became nervous.

I then told her the materials I needed and the steps for refining them as best I could remember. She told me that the materials needed were quite expensive, but they were not impossible to obtain. She said she would talk to her grandmother about it. 

“It may take a little time to get the materials, but…”

“That’s okay. But as soon as you get them, I’d appreciate it if you could start refining them as soon as possible.”

This time, I’m thinking of asking the glasses girl clerk to refine an “Elixir”.  And I, to Felix’s father… I plan on giving it to Count Alpharetta.

First, let me explain the difference between a potion and an elixir in the game “Change the World”. A potion is a magical concoction that restores strength and heals injuries. However, potions cannot cure disease. Although they can help a sick person regain physical strength, they are only symptomatic treatments. An elixir, on the other hand, is a magical medicine that restores the dosed person’s condition to the best possible state. Thus, elixirs can restore physical strength, heal injuries, restore magical powers, and cure illnesses. They are truly an all-panacea. 

In “Change the World,” there was an event in which the protagonist developed an elixir, following a potion, to cure the illness of the royal family of a neighboring kingdom.

However, even this elixir is not a perfect panacea; for instance, it cannot cure congenital allergies or chronic illnesses. Still, elixirs have several advantages over potions. For starters, elixirs can cure diseases that potions cannot. Furthermore, elixirs are effective against both monsters and humans. The effect of an elixir differs when used on humans versus monsters, but that’s irrelevant this time.

“…This is not a knight’s order, but rather a personal request from me. Even if the refining process is successful, please keep the details to yourself for the time being.”

“I-I understand… That’s right, it’s a valuable new drug! Yes, of course, we will treat your information with the utmost care!” The store clerk in glasses nodded her head, a serious expression on her face. 

An elixir that should not yet exist in this world. If they can make it, it will help Felix’s father. It may be difficult to completely cure a chronic illness, but it should be possible to improve the symptoms.

“I’m sorry to ask you to do such a difficult task.”

“No, no. It’s okay!”

Feeling apologetic, I lowered my eyebrows and apologized, while she tinted her cheeks and clenched her fists tightly. I then asked the glasses-wearing clerk to refine some elixir, enjoying our chat for a while and left the store. She went out of her way to see me off at the entrance. 

“If you’re busy with your main job, of course, you should give priority to those.”

“No, no. If it’s a request from Takumi-san, of course, I should prioritize that first! Besides, it was only because Takumi-san introduced the potion to our store that our store was saved!” The glasses-wearing clerk continued, “Takumi-san is a great benefactor of mine, but before that… you’re a very nice person. That’s why I will accept Takumi-san’s request with the highest priority.”

As I was about to leave the store, I stopped in my tracks when she said this to me with a smiling face.

“A nice person? Me?” 

“Yes, you’re a good man, Takumi-san.”

“…I don’t know why you’ve thought that but, that’s an overstatement.”

I inadvertently let out a wry smile. However, the glasses-wearing clerk shook her head so much that her braided hair almost collided with mine.

“That’s absolutely not true! Although Takumi-san was not born in Ritzheim, not only did he join the Order of Knights and take the lead in fighting for our national security, but he also brought a great magic potion called “potion” to our country!” 

She spoke excitedly, and I hurriedly held up my index finger in front of her mouth. “Um, I’ve said this many times, but the potion wasn’t me.”

“Ah! I’m truly sorry! Well, uh, what I want to say is… I don’t think what Takumi-san did was something that could be done out of self-interest.”

Seeing me go silent, the glasses girl clerk let out a gentle smile.

“I’m sure … It’s for someone important, isn’t it? That’s why I think Takumi-san, who can do his best for someone like that, is a really good person.” 

“…”

“I will contact you once I have completed the item you requested. I will make every effort to keep the contents of the message private.”

“…Ah, thank you.” I managed to squeeze out just this one word.

My chest ached at the nice and cheerful smile of the eyeglass-girl clerk. The elixir I requested from her. Even the potion had been distributed quickly here in Ritzheim and spread to the people. If I could get the word out about this elixir, it would be of great help to the development of this country. But I had no intention of doing so. I would not let anyone else know about this elixir. For my own selfish and egoistic reasons. 

Of course, she was unaware. She had no idea, but she was sincerely attempting to create the product I had requested. I put my hand on the door to shake off her stare, overwhelmed by guilt. However, before I could touch the door, it opened. A new customer entered, and I felt as if my vision was suddenly darkened by his huge body. And this new customer was someone I knew.

“Commander Ortolan?”

Translator’s Notes

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q/r: Po sbe kjcafv ab gfjv jtfjv, ub jcv reqqbga wf bc Bb-ol! Rfk jvnjcmfv mtjqafgr tjnf jigfjvs yffc eqvjafv obg atlr wbcat!