48
Chapter 48
Naming the blind girl,
Ciel's sudden declaration of a wish right,
While unexpected mishaps occurred one after another, I steadfastly did what I had to do.
I instructed the children on training methods to increase their mana capacity from time to time,
At the same time, I found a Blacksmith capable of repairing the Holy Sword and requested the work. (Of course, I had them take a Mana Oath for safety.)
On top of that, I honed my own combat skills. It was a series of busy days.
Today, too, there was no such thing as a break in my schedule.
But a smile naturally formed on my lips.
It was only natural.
Who in the world would hate money?
I was going to see money being duplicated in real-time. It would be stranger if I wasn't enjoying it.
I quickly entered Ms. Rubia's room.
The door opens with a creak.
My eyes met with Ms. Rubia, who had gotten out of bed, put on her sleepwear, and was stretching.
With drool marks around her mouth, it seemed like she had just woken up.
How could a person be so sloppy?
I thought such a silly thought and called out to Ms. Rubia.
No, I tried to call out to her.
The moment my eyes met Ms. Rubia's, before I could even say anything, her face was filled with bewilderment.
"I-I'm sorry...! I-I was out of line trying to test the children...."
Ms. Rubia suddenly panicked, backed away frantically, fell on her backside, and flopped onto the floor.
Even if the real Cthulhu suddenly opened her door and walked in, the reaction wouldn't be like that. It was an overreaction like no other.
"I've been feeling this for a while... but what exactly do you think I am, Ms. Rubia?"
I sighed and said that.
I definitely did scold her for hurting the children before. But I wasn't crazy enough to hurl insults at her or use violence.
But seeing that reaction, one would really think I had threatened to kill her.
"I-I'm sorry......."
Ms. Rubia apologized like that.
I desperately wanted to ask exactly what about me was so scary,
But honestly, I had a guilty conscience, so I couldn't say anything.
Rien and Ciel were the strange ones, but from an objective point of view, I was a bit of a bizarre existence.
Knowing facts through certain routes that no one else could know,
My methods of action are quite radical,
And I nonchalantly order around powerhouses like Ciel and Rien.
Actually, to Ms. Rubia, I must seem like a more mysterious existence than the Leader of Black Fang.
But even so, I couldn't explain all of this in detail.
Coming from another world, having knowledge of the original work... If I brought that up, I'd just be treated like an even bigger lunatic.
It was truly the sorrow of every Possessor.
As long as I couldn't explain the background of how I knew things through original work knowledge, I would inevitably cause strange misunderstandings among the people around me.
'Still, it would be a shame not to use the original work knowledge I know.'
In the end, I had no choice but to take my time and make that easily startled Noonim understand that I was just a law-abiding citizen.
It was daunting trying to figure out how to reassure such a timid person. But for now, that wasn't the issue to worry about.
"Follow me. I'm thinking of properly launching the Potion business I mentioned last time."
Even after I said that, Ms. Rubia still had that dumbfounded look on her face.
When doing her main job, she usually became a completely different person, turning calm and collected. I thought a switch would flip and she'd regain her composure quickly.
But this was the bizarre reaction I got.
...There was only one reason I could think of.
"......Don't tell me you didn't listen properly back then?"
"N-No! I listened! I remember everything!"
That answer. The cold sweat running down her neck. Her pale skin. At this point, even someone completely oblivious would have noticed.
'She wasn't listening.'
I explained it in so much detail at the Black Market.
She even nodded her head, was she thinking about something else?
A sinister premonition naturally washed over me.
Was this person really suited to be a business partner?
Seeing her eloquence from time to time and her demeanor when it came to her main job, she was definitely capable.
How could someone be so capable yet so unreliable at the same time?
I let out a deep sigh and took a step forward, bringing this immature Noonim along with me.
*****
Rubia followed the Leader, sweating profusely.
All sorts of wild delusions were running through her head.
-I thought you could be of use, so I took a villain like you in. It seems I was mistaken. I won't say much, die!
The scenarios of her delusions were diverse, but most ended the same way.
Execution.
Being sentenced to death on the charge of being a useless, incompetent woman who only ran her mouth.
"H-Honestly, I don't remember what you said last time, but. I'm incredibly capable! Really capable! If you're going to start a business, you'll definitely need me!"
That was why Rubia was desperately promoting herself from behind.
"......I see. That's truly amazing."
However, the response she got was a look that held a certain amount of pity.
How should I put it.
It was like the look you'd give a pitiful person who was slightly out of their mind.
It seemed like she was just making a fuss all by herself this time.
Rubia's face turned so red it looked like it might burst right then and there.
There were limits to how mortifying things could get.
She felt like biting her tongue off right that instant.
...Well, seeing that kind of reaction, it didn't seem like he was going to dispose of her.
That, at least, was a relief.
-Creak!
With that sound, the door opened.
The Leader's room.
Inside, various materials that the Leader had the kids gather last time were scattered all over the place.
It had a sort of laboratory-like atmosphere.
"To explain once again, I'm thinking of mass-producing Elixirs and selling them."
"......What?"
She had already built up the impression of being unhelpful. She knew she had to show a capable side here, but...
Such a dumbfounded reaction was unavoidable.
Mass-producing Elixirs?
What kind of nonsense was that?
"That's impossible unless you pull up the World Tree or something."
"I did pull it up. The World Tree."
However, to her pointing this out, the Leader spouted more bizarre nonsense.
And then he pointed.
At a clump of silver hair.
"You can substitute it with that."
She could roughly guess what that was.
Elf's Hair.
The Elixir required the precious ingredient known as the World Tree Leaf. This was a material that had been suggested a few times as a substitute.
However.
"World Tree Leaves can't be replaced with anything else. People have tried, but everyone failed."
"No, I succeeded."
With those words, the Leader picked up a handful of Elf's Hair.
"It's not widely known. But someone actually succeeded about 300 years ago."
I wondered exactly how old this person was, but Rubia didn't say it out loud.
There must be a reason why he looked like a young boy.
There was no need to unnecessarily try and uncover what such a transcendental being was hiding.
"The power of the World Tree is definitely residing in this. It's just that people don't know how to extract it."
With those words, the Leader brought the still-burning Devil's Horn close to the hair.
Then, a golden liquid flowed out from the Elf's Hair.
"If you hold something that emits an appropriate amount of Demonic Energy like this against it, it emits the World Tree's power residing within for protection."
"The reason this hasn't been discovered until now is...."
"Well, this horn is a rarer material than you'd think. And you need to treat the hair with various things beforehand. It would have been hard to coincidentally figure out such complex conditions."
...You say it was hard, so how the hell are you talking about it so casually?
This is like the ultimate dream of every Alchemist.
You achieved something like that, so why are you so nonchalant about it,
were the words Rubia swallowed back.
He was basically advertising that he wasn't human, but something closer to a god.
At this point, she highly doubted he even had the will to hide it.
Still, it was better to just play along for now.
"And... the important thing is the difference in production costs when replacing the World Tree Leaf with this material."
Just as Rubia was thinking that, a story she absolutely couldn't ignore reached her ears.
Instantly, her face turned serious.
It was only natural.
Value judgment.
Figuring out whether this would make money or not.
That was the field she prided herself on being better at than anyone else.
Rubia's mind spun rapidly.
And....
Not long after, her jaw dropped.
The price of a single bottle of Elixir easily exceeded 1,000 gold.
It was to the point where it was hard to obtain even if you had the money.
But if they produced Elixirs with that material.
The cost would be roughly 15 gold per bottle.
In other words,
...Money was being duplicated.