Who Touched My Taxi!
Bahun Pomeranian climbed into the carriage. “B-Bahun, young master, are you sure it’s all right to leave like this? The event has barely even started.”
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s go.”
“Understood.”
At the knight’s signal, the coachman nodded and urged the horses forward. The carriage carrying Bahun quickly disappeared into the distance. The knight who had mounted his own horse scratched the back of his head.
“What’s gotten into that troublemaker? I thought he’d cause a huge scene… Well, at least I don’t have to clean up after him this time.”
The knight hurried after the carriage. Inside the moving carriage, Bahun sank into thought. He was replaying the duel he had witnessed at the training grounds.
“Albert Legrian.”
At first, attending the social gathering hadn’t appealed to him at all. There was nothing enjoyable about it. All anyone did was exchange meaningless small talk while listening to unpleasant music. He hated that sort of thing. So the first time he had attended a social party, he had deliberately caused a scene just to make sure no one would bother inviting him again. Thanks to that, he had enjoyed a period of peace—until his father’s orders forced him to attend once more.
He had expected another tedious social event, but instead he had witnessed something genuinely interesting.
“He was strong.”
Albert had been strong. Beck wasn’t weak by any means, yet Albert had toyed with him bare-handed without even drawing his sword. That overwhelming power had felt like staring up at a sheer cliff face—one that refused to let anyone climb it. It was the first time Bahun had ever felt a thrill simply by looking at someone.
Could I beat him if it came down to it?
The question formed in his mind, and the answer came immediately. He couldn’t win. No matter how many times he simulated the fight in his head, the result was always the same—complete defeat. There was no future in which he emerged victorious.
“Interesting, Albert.”
Most people would have despaired when faced with such an insurmountable wall, but Bahun was different. He loved fighting the strong. A battle maniac who lived for life-or-death combat. The only reason he was withdrawing now was to save the fun for later.
If I challenged him right now, I’d just get crushed. That wouldn’t be any fun.
He would grow stronger first, then challenge Albert again. It didn’t matter if a massive wall stood in his way.
“Walls exist to be broken.”
But he didn’t know it yet—sometimes, there are walls that simply cannot be broken. No matter how many times an egg strikes a rock, the rock remains untouched.
Late at night, the social gathering came to a successful close. Originally planned as a three-day, two-night event, it had been cut short because of what happened to Beck, the guest of honor. Still, it didn’t matter. Albert had achieved everything he wanted.
“Haa… I’m exhausted.”
Elena looked worn out after dealing with so many people. It was no surprise—she had been bombarded with questions and answered every single one.
Still, it was a success.
The effort had paid off. First and foremost, she had managed to shift the nobles’ perception of the Legrian family. What had once been dismissed as a fallen house with nothing left now seemed slightly more respectable. Connections among the nobility were a form of power in their own right.
Besides, no one was visiting the territory anyway. The more friends Elena makes, the better.
Heehee~ Lady Elena must have been quite concerned about having no friends.
Well… she’s been so busy she hasn’t had time to make friends. This is a good opportunity…
It was a bit of a stretch, but the System seemed genuinely moved that Albert was helping his sister make friends, even in this roundabout way. Watching an older brother work so hard for his younger sister was truly heartwarming.
Albert really does care about Lady Elena…
Nothing beats the power of connections.
Huh?
We’ve got plenty of things to sell. Dresses made by fairies, liquor made by fairies… We can’t sell those to commoners, so we’ll have to target the nobility.
The first step was to spread the word. There was no better advertising than word of mouth.
They say a rumor without feet travels a thousand miles. News spreads fast in these circles.
The dresses had already been sufficiently promoted at the social gathering. Using that momentum, spreading the rumor would be easy. If Elena invited the nobles she had befriended, they could promote the liquor and Popcorn at the same time.
We have to make full use of these connections. Once the rumors spread a bit, we can show them the magic faucets and land some plumbing contracts too.
He intended to rake in the money. They were already earning plenty, but more money was always better. Perhaps it was because he took after his merchant mother—there was something genuinely satisfying about accumulating wealth.
……
The System’s reaction was one of disbelief. To think Albert harbored such calculating intentions—using even Elena’s new friends for profit. It could only describe him as an extraordinary human being.
Haa……
Why the sigh?
It’s nothing.
I just think you’re incredible, Albert.
I’ve always been incredible.
You do realize that level of self-love is pathological, right?
I’m just stating facts. What am I lacking? Looks? Wealth? Strength? I’m not lacking in any of them.
……
It was infuriating, but the worst part was that every word was true. When anyone else said such things, it sounded like arrogant bragging. When Albert said it, it simply sounded like common sense.
You’re insufferable.
Ah—!
The System had accidentally revealed its true feelings. Albert narrowed his eyes.
Did you just call me insufferable?
It was a mistake!
One month without books.
Th-that’s not fair!!
Requesting information!
I’m still starving for information!
Information! Information! The books are mine! Mine!
Waaah! (┬┬﹏┬┬)
Albert ignored the System’s tantrum, which resembled a child from some cartoon throwing a fit.
“Ah, my head feels a bit dizzy.”
At that moment, Elena pressed a hand to her forehead, apparently suffering from a headache. Dealing with people was always difficult. The emotional labor of responding to each person one by one was the most exhausting part. It was no coincidence that those in service industries were prone to depression—emotional labor was far more draining than physical work.
“You worked hard. Drink this. It’ll help with the fatigue.”
Albert retrieved a bottle of Bakhass from his extradimensional storage and handed it to her.
“Ah… This really is wonderful.”
After drinking the Bakhass, Elena’s expression brightened as if she had come back to life. The accumulated fatigue melted away like snow, and vitality returned to her body. The headache vanished. Her blurred vision cleared, and her condition returned to normal.
“I always think this whenever I drink it, but this Bakhass is truly remarkable.”
“Right?”
“And despite how effective it is, there are no side effects?”
“Yeah.”
“There weren’t any from the beginning?”
“Of course not. There were all kinds of side effects at first. I kept refining it until they were all gone.”
Bakhass hadn’t been perfect from the start. It had taken repeated improvements to eliminate the side effects and reach its current form. It had taken a considerable amount of time to get this far.
“About this Bakhass…”
“Yeah?”
“Couldn’t we produce it separately and sell it?”
“This?”
“Yes! I think it would sell incredibly well!”
Just like the daughter of a merchant, she had already spotted a business opportunity.
“Hmm……”
Is it possible?
It’s impossible right now.
But… if we commission the Alchemist Guild to analyze the components, we might be able to manage it somehow?
They’ll figure it out if we push them hard enough.
Whether it was possible or not wasn’t the important part.
“If we push them, they’ll make it happen.”
If alchemists could be compared to anything from the other world, they were like science and engineering majors—essentially overworked researchers. And overworked researchers were meant to be exploited. Just like he had done with Grandel, if he kept pushing them, they would eventually produce results.
When we get back, I’ll have to grab someone from the Alchemist Guild.
He would drag them to the territory, build a research lab, and lock them inside so they couldn’t think about anything else. Feed them dumplings while working them to the bone—that way they wouldn’t have time for stray thoughts.
Grandel will be delighted.
Having a colleague to suffer alongside is always a good thing.
Happiness doubles when shared, and pain halves when shared—or so the saying went. No matter how difficult or painful something was, having someone to share the burden with made it more bearable.
“Shall we head back, then?”
“Yes, let’s. I’d like to go home soon.”
On the way here, they had taken a carriage because of prying eyes, but there was no need to worry about appearances on the return trip. Albert stored the carriage in his extradimensional storage. It was time to go home.
“Taxi!”
As usual, Albert tried to summon his personal car—the yellow taxi—but before he could even finish calling for it, a flash of light erupted.
“What? I haven’t even called yet……”
In that instant, Albert’s eyes widened. Normally, when the light faded, Gaster should have been standing there in his yellow uniform, wearing his usual disgruntled expression. But now—
“Why do you look like you’ve been through a shredder?”
“Cough……”
Gaster’s condition was dire. His once-handsome face was battered, as if he had taken a severe beating. Not only that, but the yellow uniform Albert had specially provided was torn in multiple places. Blood dripped steadily from one of his dangling arms. His skin had taken on a dark, discolored hue.
Analyzing.
His arm is broken.
His legs are fractured.
Ribs 8, 7, and 9 are shattered.
His fingers are also……
His arms are broken too.
His legs as well.
He’s also been poisoned.
Based on the grade, it’s an S-rank toxin.
The toxicity is so potent that a normal person’s entire body would melt away.
“Oh my god… What happened!?”
“Don’t come any closer.”
“But, brother!”
“He’s been poisoned. Circulate your mana to protect your respiratory system. Otherwise, you’ll get poisoned too.”
“Ah, understood.”
Following Albert’s advice, Elena focused her mana and reinforced her respiratory system as much as possible. Even so, she could feel the poison attempting to seep in.
Even with mana protection, it’s this potent? What kind of poison is this……
Elena pushed her mana to its limits, concentrating on blocking the poison’s intrusion. Albert also raised his own energy to prevent the poison from reaching Elena.
“Kuh……”
“Gaster, what happened?”
“……I was attacked……”
“Attacked? By who? More importantly, if you were attacked……”
Gaster had been in the Legrian Territory. If Gaster had been attacked, that meant the territory itself had been attacked.
“……System, can he be healed?”
It’s impossible with the skills you currently possess.
You might be able to heal yourself, but you have very few healing skills, and their grades are low.
At your current level, you cannot heal Gaster’s wounds.
In the other world, Albert had specialized in offense. Since there were dedicated healers among the hunters, he had never prioritized learning healing skills. The roles of dealer and healer were strictly divided.
However, potions should be able to treat him to some extent.
Since dragons have exceptional regenerative abilities, he should be fine.
The System’s analysis was swift, and its diagnosis was accurate. Gaster was a dragon. Even wounds that would kill an ordinary person could be survived with a little assistance. With some support, injuries of this level could be healed quickly.
“……”
A cracking sound echoed. Gaster lifted his head and looked at Albert. The moment their eyes met, Gaster felt his sturdy dragon heart sink.
Rage.
It was an intense, seething fury. A powerful anger strong enough to make even a dragon’s heart tremble radiated from Albert’s body like a pump. Gaster’s body shook. It might sound ridiculous for a dragon to fear a human, but this man was different.
He might not even be human to begin with……
The rage and killing intent emanating from those jet-black, gem-like eyes—eyes that seemed to compress the abyss itself—were enough to kill a person on their own. It was terrifying.
Is he this angry because I was attacked?
Gaster felt a small surge of emotion. Until now, Albert had always called him “taxi” instead of using his name and treated him roughly. He didn’t even pay the wages that others received. Gaster had assumed Albert didn’t care about his well-being at all. Yet here he was, openly displaying such fury.
Does he care about me, even a little?
His heart pounded. The feeling of someone worrying about him and getting angry on his behalf was……
“Who the hell smashed up my taxi? I didn’t even get insurance. Tch, I won’t be able to use it until it’s fully repaired. I’ll have to run around on foot again. My legs already hurt enough from all the walking.”
“……”
Apparently, what Albert was worried about wasn’t Gaster—it was his own legs. Gaster seriously began to consider staging the “strike” Albert occasionally mentioned.