Snow Flower (6)
“Cheers.”
“Is this the ingredient certificate?”
“See the seal here? Proof it came from the Belmonte Winterhaven Alchemist Guild.”
I examined the certificate Chris handed me.
“This water is spring water drawn from the abyss of the earth, containing the following components. Sulfur—the essence of the fire element, awakening inner heat. Mineral salts—the condensed form of the earth element, strengthening the body. Pure water—the purest manifestation of the water element, clearing the mind. Breath of nature—the refined property of the wind element, circulating life. These four elements exist in harmonious balance within this spring water, with particularly outstanding sulfur and mineral salt content, demonstrating excellent effects for recovery and vitality enhancement. Certified by Parasel, Branch Manager of the Belmonte Winterhaven Alchemist Guild.”
I nodded. With this, the wealthy of the capital would lose their minds and open their wallets.
“Lady Ruina? How is it?”
“When there’s money to be made, Lady Chris moves with remarkable speed and intelligence.”
“I’ve always been like that, Lady Ruina. Now that you’ve seen the certificate, shall we check the other equipment?”
Chris led me to the wagons this time. They were loaded with wooden barrels—far more than I’d expected. I blinked at the line of wagons stretching out.
“Does Lady Chris have five bodies? How do you plan to move all this alone?”
“Obviously I’ll hire people. Don’t worry, Lady Ruina. The hiring part won’t be an issue.”
“As expected of Merchant Chris. I’m reassured.”
“The most dangerous part of hiring people is getting stabbed in the back, but if that happens, Lady Ruina will punish them, right? So there’s no problem at all.”
“Suddenly I’m not reassured anymore.”
Was this why Chris kept dragging me in as an investor? That seemed about right.
“Anyway, Lady Ruina. This is all the new equipment I purchased. I did well, didn’t I?”
“I can feel your desire to make as much money as possible. Very good.”
“Now the important thing is the spring water to put in them… Lady Ruina. Which spring water was the best?”
“Me? I—”
“I was wondering what you were up to, thinking of selling the spring water elsewhere. Your money-making instincts are sharp.”
At the sudden voice, I turned around. Flora stood there. I asked, curious about the pipe she was puffing on.
“You can leave the Star Silver?”
“Who are you treating like a terminal patient? The Star Silver wasn’t meant for that purpose in the first place.”
“I see.”
I’d thought that leaving the Star Silver would mean instant death or something.
“You have a blasphemous look on your face.”
“I always respect my elders.”
“If you want to sell spring water, shouldn’t you take it from my spring? The rumors about the healing spring all started because of my spring.”
“Is that true, Lady Ruina?”
“Yes. It is.”
Since the healing spring rumors originated entirely from Flora’s Star Silver, if I had to choose one, Flora’s spring was the correct choice.
“You figured out the source of the rumors?”
“Yes.”
“Good! Then Lady Flora! I’ll make good use of it!”
“Sure.”
As she spoke, Flora held out her hand. Chris watched Flora’s hand carefully, then narrowed her eyes.
“Lady Flora? What does this mean?”
“You say that, yet you figured out the meaning like a ghost?”
Chris let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha. You’re going to charge money just for letting us take some spring water?”
“It’s my spring, though?”
“Lady Ruina. This person is completely crazy about money. In all my life, this is the first time I’ve seen someone try to sell water for money.”
“Lady Chris. Are you introducing yourself right now?”
It was a very inappropriate remark coming from Chris’s mouth.
“Whose side are you on, Lady Ruina?”
“I’m on the side of justice.”
“Forget it. People will like any spring water as long as it’s called Winterhaven’s. No need to pay Lady Flora for hers.”
“Your calculations are remarkably quick?”
If Flora didn’t reveal the Star Silver to the world, the healing spring rumors would benefit all of Winterhaven. There was no need to use water that actually had healing properties.
“I feel a bit like a con artist.”
We were selling because there was demand, but knowing the truth behind the rumors while trying to sell unrelated spring water still bothered me a little. At my words, Chris shook her head.
“No matter which spring water we use, people won’t get the miraculous power they want anyway. All we need to do is make them feel good.”
“That’s certainly true.”
“So, Lady Ruina. Let’s start preparing.”
“Preparing what?”
“Filling those barrels with spring water, obviously.”
“Aha. Just a moment.”
I brought Leon, who had been resting at the inn.
“What is it?”
“Please help. Physical labor is your specialty, Lord Leon.”
“…Understood.”
We went to a nearby spring and filled the barrels to the brim.
“Now we just need to repeat this seventy-five times.”
“Aren’t you taking on too much work?”
“This way we’ll make more money.”
“Money is important.”
I groaned as I rolled the barrels and stacked them on the wagons. Seventy-four more to go…!
“Making such a fuss over a little money.”
Flora, who had followed us, exhaled a long stream of pipe smoke and clicked her tongue. She seemed to pity us for crying over wanting to make money.
Chris whispered, “Lady Ruina. Isn’t Lady Flora getting really worked up?”
“I can hear you.”
Flora snapped her fingers. Immediately, several tree trunks rose from the ground and took human form. The completed tree people energetically lifted the barrels and filled them with spring water. Chris’s mouth fell open at the sight.
Flora smirked.
“If your magic skills are lacking, your body has to suffer.”
“Lady Ruina. What do we do? Lady Flora looks so cool.”
“Worship her more.”
“Lady Flora, since you’re being so generous anyway, how about giving us your spring water for free too?”
“Haha.”
“Hehe.”
Laughter echoed warmly through the spring. Maintaining her smile, Flora opened her mouth.
“Take it for just ten gold coins.”
“Get those filthy branches off my wagon.”
Chris answered with the same smiling expression, then came back to my side and whispered.
“She’s completely crazy about money. At this rate, she’d sell the river too.”
“Again, that’s not something Lady Chris should be saying.”
Thanks to Flora’s help, the work ended quickly.
“Let’s eat!”
Tonight’s dinner was outdoor barbecue. Chris was in charge of cooking. Leaving Chris, who was shaking out her cooking pouch and skewering meat, I waved the lantern.
Whoosh.
A fierce flame shot up from the firewood.
After finishing the brazier, I sat on a log chair Flora had made and held out my hands. Warm. If only we had that one thing right now, it would be perfect.
“Should I go get some mead?”
“Is your blood made of alcohol, Lady Ruina?”
“I checked before, and it wasn’t.”
“You keep looking for alcohol because you’re hungry. Wait. I’ll make something right away.”
After organizing her cooking pouch, Chris began the barbecue in earnest. Watching her, a thought suddenly occurred to me. Why had Chris released her cooking pouch? Had she stopped cross-dressing? It might have been something she forgot, but instead of pointing it out, I quietly looked away.
Leon was quietly staring at the campfire. I waved my palm in front of his face.
“……”
Whoosh.
“……”
Whoosh whoosh.
“……”
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—”
“What are you doing?”
“I thought you couldn’t see it.”
“If you can’t see someone waving their hand right in front of your eyes, that would be blindness.”
“I thought you were concentrating.”
“I was just thinking for a moment.”
Leon gave a brief explanation and stared at the fire again. That was it. He’d just said whatever came to mind. Normally, I would have let it slide around now, but—
“Do you have some painful memory related to fire?”
Instead, I asked Leon the question I’d been holding onto. At my question, Leon flinched and turned his body.
“……Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Whenever you see flames, your expression gets serious. And when I ask why, you change the subject.”
Most recently, he’d dodged with something like “I was thinking about my mission.” At my question, Leon’s expression hardened.
“I’m sorry, but it’s not a memory I particularly want to share with anyone.”
“No, that’s understandable. It’s just that I was wondering if it was because of me. Since I mainly use flame-element magic.”
“…As long as it’s not burning firewood like this, it’s fine. I’ve even gotten used to seeing firewood like this now.”
“Really?”
If he was fine, that was a relief. I’d thought I’d have to seal my flame magic from now on and only fight with Refinement magic.
“What’s this? Why are both Lady Ruina and Lord Leon acting like this?”
Chris, who had finished grilling the meat, looked bewildered as she turned her head back and forth. At Chris’s words, Flora, who had been puffing on her pipe, answered.
“There are things like that. Though a succubus wouldn’t know.”
“Lady Flora. I’m not a succubus, I’m human.”
“Let’s just eat. The succubus must have honed her cooking to an extremely high level to seduce humans.”
“I’m telling you, I’m not a succubus, I’m human.”
We ate the food Chris had made to our hearts’ content.
“As expected of Lady Chris. Your cooking skills are extraordinary.”
“Cooking skill is one of the qualities of a good merchant. Food is the easiest way to open people’s hearts. Just treating someone to delicious food can close deals that wouldn’t otherwise work out.”
I looked up at the sky. The sun had gone past the horizon and completely set. Flora spoke while tearing into the meat.
“Next time I’ll treat you. Smoked meat is extremely developed in Belmonte Winterhaven. If you eat it in a proper house, you’ll be impressed.”
“Lady Flora is the best. Since we have to leave soon, how about tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
And so we promised tomorrow while chatting pleasantly. We even talked about staying a few more days and having another barbecue.
BOOOOOOM—!
And that’s when an explosion sounded from not far away. We all stood up at once. Looking toward the source, I furrowed my brow. Flora’s inn. There, the peach tree giant was pounding the ground with its fist.
“Intruders?”
At the unexpected situation, Flora rushed toward the inn. I grabbed the lantern and quickly followed behind her.
Thud.
The peach tree giant, its legs severed, collapsed to its knees on the ground. Half the inn was destroyed. Guests were fleeing. When I arrived at the inn, I searched for the culprits behind all this. A man and woman stood before the peach tree giant. A woman holding a scythe and a muscular man. They looked familiar. The mercenary pair we’d met at the open-air spring.
The muscular man spoke.
“Reaper. Didn’t the mad mage say it would be fine as long as we didn’t touch them first?”
“They probably came to watch because of the commotion. If we leave them alone, they won’t attack us—”
“Who are you people?”
Flora growled. A pipe was already in her hand. The scythe-wielding woman’s lips curled upward. As if she were dying of joy, her mouth split into a wide grin. The scythe-wielding woman—Reaper—opened her lips.
“Evil God’s priests…!”
But Leon’s words came faster. Leon drew his sword, gripping the hilt so tightly it seemed it might break, and I intensified the flame inside the lantern. Evil God’s priests. We’d run into some nasty folks.