Flower of the Fire Demon
"So, can you make it now?"
"No, what the hell is this..."
Lilina paused to catch her breath as she stared at the herb sprawled across the counter. It didn't take long for her to remember exactly what it was.
"The Flower of the Fire Demon..."
"Oh. You recognized it right away? It must be pretty famous. The staff member recommended it, actually."
The rather large herb radiated a subtle heat from its roots, just as its name implied. The blooming tip even bore small, sparkling red fruits, making it look like the most expensive specimen among its kind.
Unlike when the customer had first entered the shop, her entire demeanor now seemed oddly unhinged, and her speech had completely changed. Lilina let out a sigh as she observed her.
"Your speech pattern changed. Is that okay? Weren't you trying to hide your identity?"
"Speech pattern? Oh, it's fine. It's fine. Honestly, it was uncomfortable anyway, so I was planning to drop it."
So the first impression had been an act after all. Her clothes were luxurious, but her attitude had seemed a little too sloppy for a proper young lady. Lilina had found it strange, but since it didn't appear to matter much, she kept quiet and calmly shifted her gaze to the herb on the counter.
The customer suddenly announced she'd gone back to gather the ingredients, then flipped the backpack slung over her shoulder and dumped out several luxurious boxes. She sorted through them, returning a few containing unneeded materials to the pack, then set the largest box on the counter and pulled out its contents. It was the Flower of the Fire Demon.
"So... you want me to make an aphrodisiac with this?"
"That's right. They say the effects are incredible, so I don't know why no one uses it for that."
That's because the cost doesn't make any sense...
Lilina suppressed a groan as the reason crossed her mind. Using this herb for an aphrodisiac felt like an unbelievable waste.
The leaves boosted muscle regeneration. The fruits were good for the heart. And the large root possessed a wide array of exceptional properties that hardly needed mentioning. It was so versatile that people used it to craft magic tools, not just elixirs. In the colder sections of labyrinths, adventurers even carried lanterns made from it.
Reluctant to see such a precious ingredient squandered, Lilina cautiously offered an alternative.
"Um... if an aphrodisiac is what you want, wouldn't something else work better? It just seems like too much of a waste to use this for that..."
She understood the reasoning. The customer clearly wanted to take advantage of the lingering heat that remained in the body as a known side effect. Still, it was horribly inefficient. Lilina looked at her, hoping she might consider other products already on the market, but the customer simply tilted her head as if she saw no issue at all.
"But if you make it with this, the side effects are minimal too, right? That alone should be enough."
"No, what I'm saying is... if you turned this into a normal elixir and sold it, you'd make a fortune. Wouldn't it be smarter to buy regular aphrodisiacs with that money instead?"
Even after Lilina's suggestion, the customer shook her head and continued.
"No, I specifically want it made from this. The staff member said it has no side effects and excellent efficacy. Oh, now that I think about it, was that person even actual staff?"
"What are you talking about..."
The customer closed her mouth, muttering that it was nothing important. In the subtly awkward silence that followed, Lilina finally sighed.
"Fine... You want an aphrodisiac made from this, right? I really don't get it..."
"Ah, and instead of taking it all at once, portion it out so I can divide the doses over multiple times."
"Hmm... That much is doable."
Unable to overcome the customer's stubbornness, Lilina accepted the commission. Once the details were settled, she sighed again and spoke.
"Right, then how do you want to handle payment?"
"Oh, that's right."
Lilina had been staring at her with pity, wondering if the woman had requested an elixir without preparing any money, but the customer fortunately pulled a small pouch from her backpack and handed it over. When Lilina opened it for a peek, sparkling coins greeted her.
This is honestly more than enough.
She wasn't short on funds these days, but the sight of gold coins always stirred her greed. Maybe it came from growing up poor, but her hunger for money never seemed to fade. Of course, since crafting the aphrodisiac wasn't particularly difficult, this amount might be sufficient.
"You really do love money, don't you?"
"Huh?"
"You were practically drooling while looking at it."
Lilina hastily wiped her mouth with her hand. Nothing came away.
"The money I just gave you is the deposit."
Realizing she'd been teased, Lilina flared up, but the customer's next words made her hesitate.
"This is just the deposit? Then does that mean...?"
"Exactly. If the product is completed without any problems, I'll pay you even more than this."
This customer had deeper pockets than she looked. Then again, anyone willing to spend this much just to create a single aphrodisiac was definitely strange.
"Then I'll accept the commission. When should I expect you back?"
"Let's see. The crafting itself won't take long... but factoring in the multiple doses... I should be able to finish it cleanly by next week."
"Hmm..."
Maybe the timeframe wasn't to her liking. Lilina had thought it was already quite fast. At the customer's subtly troubled reaction, Lilina finally surrendered.
"Ah, fine! Three days! Come back in three days and it'll be ready!"
"Good. That works perfectly."
The customer nodded in satisfaction, glanced around the shop once more, and stepped outside. Lilina watched her leave, then let out a long sigh and came out from behind the counter.
"Haa. Time to get started."
With a snap of her fingers, the shop's lights flared brightly and the entrance door locked with a heavy click. She intended to close for business until the elixir was finished. Customers had been scarce lately anyway, so it wouldn't make much difference.
"Oh, right. I should finish that other elixir I've already started, too."
Turning lunasfire into an elixir. Most of the process was already complete, so only the final steps remained. Since she had the momentum, Lilina decided to finish everything at once and immediately lit the fire beneath the pot.
Strange-smelling smoke soon began rising from the chimney on her shop's roof.
"...So you picked up the item from the auction house?"
"Yeah. Somehow I managed to get a good one without spending any money at all. I went ahead and commissioned the alchemist to prepare it while I was at it."
"Then where did you spend the money?"
"I gave it all to the alchemist as a deposit for the elixir?"
"You gave her all of it?"
It was a rather large sum, but I'd assumed it wouldn't hurt Eloise much. She stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"Sigh, forget it. It's money I gave you to spend anyway. No point getting stingy about it now."
Eloise mumbled as if she wanted to say something, then sighed and shook her head at the look on my face.
Her muttered complaint about my weird sense of economics left me feeling a little sheepish as I asked, "Um... did I give her too much?"
"No, if we're being precise, it wasn't that much. You could call it appropriate. Usually people negotiate the price back and forth. It's rare for someone to just dump that much on the table like you did. It's not like you're some overnight millionaire."
Hmm... I was planning to give her even more once it's finished.
It felt like I'd get scolded if I mentioned it, so I simply gave an awkward smile and changed the subject. "So, how did things go with Chloe? She accepted, right?"
"Ugh. Smoothly dodging the topic, I see."
Despite her grumbling, Eloise still gave me the information I wanted.
"Lady Chloe said she understood. She even praised me, asking when I'd trained you so well."
"Oho."
"So she'll probably pick up the elixir in a few days and take you along when she consumes it. Of course, the three of us will be together that day, but after that you'll be serving Lady Chloe by yourself."
After saying that, Eloise fell silent for a moment, then sighed. She was probably imagining me running my hands all over Chloe's body.
"I can guess what you're worried about. You worry too much, you know."
When I carefully pulled the grumbling Eloise into my arms, her body stiffened instantly and she stopped breathing. My scent still seemed to overwhelm her; her body creaked like a machine with broken gears.
"Eek. Wait... I haven't even showered yet."
"Is that why you smell like this?"
I deliberately made a show of burying my face in the crook of her neck and inhaling. Eloise squirmed in my embrace. In truth, the only scent coming from her was a sweet, warm fragrance.
As I savored it, an interesting idea occurred to me. I released her for a moment.
"Ugh... Y-you're not going to do anything?"
She'd been struggling to get free, but now she looked slightly disappointed, as if she'd been hoping for more. I smiled and pulled out the items I'd bought at the black market.
"...What is that?"
"Supplies for a much more enjoyable time together?"
What I held up was a slippery lubricant and scented candles designed to heighten the mood. I pulled the now slightly nervous Eloise back into my arms and slowly walked with her toward the bedroom.