The Forbidden Perfume

By the time the meal was finished and the warmth of the campfire had begun to soothe the fatigue from their bodies, Luden heard the full story from Hugo.

“I’m a merchant working out of Bedia. I run a small trading company. A few days ago I wrapped up a deal and was crossing the Cobalt Mountains to return home.”

“Without a single escort?”

“No, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no. Perish the thought. I had mercenaries hired as escorts. It’s just that…”

Something sheepish flickered across Hugo’s face, and from that expression alone Luden could roughly guess what had happened.

“They ran, didn’t they.”

It happened, now and then. The sort who abandoned their employer and fled the moment their own necks looked to be on the line.

“Mm. It wasn’t entirely their fault. My mistake was cutting the escort down to save on costs.”

Even by his own judgment he had been careless, and Hugo flushed red. To make a mistake a novice merchant wouldn’t make, all for the sake of pinching a little money—there was no shame quite like it. He hurried to change the subject.

“By the way, what brings you two to the Cobalt Mountains?”

“We’re on our way to Bedia.”

At that, Hugo’s face brightened.

“Well, that works out nicely. I’m headed there myself—shall we travel together?”

He had saved his own life, but descending the Cobalt Mountains alone was another matter entirely. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t cross ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠paths with monsters again. Fortunately, the boy called Luden was a knight skilled enough to fell a goat-headed giant in a single stroke, and the girl called Sarah possessed unbelievable ability in her own right. Convinced that with the two of them he could safely make it out of the Cobalt Mountains, Hugo proposed they travel together.

Luden nodded without a trace of hesitation.

“Let’s do that.”

He had been meaning to leave soon anyway, with the quest deadline drawing near. One more companion made no difference. Besides, Luden’s attention was elsewhere at the moment.

“By the way, might I take a look inside your backpack for a moment?”

“My backpack?”

Hugo gave him a puzzled look, but Luden’s gaze stayed fixed on the pack. In truth, it had been nagging at him for a while now.

Sarah wouldn’t have done that for no reason.

He hadn’t forgotten her reaction when she’d sniffed at the backpack. If he wasn’t mistaken, it had been unmistakably wary. Even now, Sarah was sitting well clear of Hugo—or rather, of the backpack.

“There’s something I’d like to verify. If you’d rather not, that’s fine.”

“Not at all. Here you are. It’s not as though I’m carrying anything all that important.”

Hugo handed the backpack over with a good-natured smile. Luden opened it at once and drew out the contents one by one.

Ordinary travel goods. Nothing special as far as I can tell?

Could she really have been put off by some strange smell? Just as he was about to settle on that simple conclusion, something caught Luden’s eye.

“What’s this?”

“Ah, that’s something an acquaintance gave me a while back. It’s still a prototype, but I heard that spraying it calms the mind and relieves fatigue, so I brought it along.”

It was a perfume filled with pink liquid. It had been used at least once, it seemed—the contents sat a little low in the bottle. He brought it to his nose, and a soft, sweetly rich fragrance drifted up.

Hm? This scent…?

Luden kept sniffing at it, brow furrowing as something stirred in his memory. If he wasn’t mistaken, that cloying sweetness was…

Half afraid he was right, he asked, “When did you last use this?”

“Just today, at midday.”

“Hm.”

That was as far as Luden needed to hear; his brow furrowed. It was exactly as he’d expected.

Romelia. So it’s already made its way out, has it.

There had been a time when a perfume released by a certain magic tower was all the rage. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It didn’t merely smell lovely—it did the body genuine good, and it sold like wildfire. But the craze didn’t last. Before long, it came to light that Romelia carried a devastating side effect.

The forbidden perfume that bewitches monsters.

Romelia had a property that drew monsters in. Ordinary people sensed nothing, but to beings with sharp noses—beastfolk and monsters alike—the scent was a powerful stimulant. That was why Sarah had been avoiding Hugo all this time. Because of that property, Romelia was eventually outlawed, and the magic tower that sold it could not escape its share of the blame.

It was popular even among the nobility—quite the sensation, in its day.

Luden had used it himself before, so he remembered Romelia’s distinctive scent well. More than anything, what kept it fresh in his mind were the people who later tried to put it to wicked use.

“For now, I’d say you’re better off not using this.”

“Pardon? Why is that?”

“Sarah’s sensitive to perfume smells.”

“Ah, if that’s the case, say no more.”

It was a prototype, so Romelia likely wasn’t widely known to the public yet. Luden had no wish to spring the truth on him now and throw him into confusion.

Still, it leaves a bad taste. Should I just hand it over to him?

After a moment’s deliberation, Luden looked at Sarah, who was nodding off by the fire, and spoke. “It’s late—let’s turn in. We’ll be setting out early tomorrow.”

The night had deepened.

At first light, the three set out. As for the route, Hugo claimed to know a safe path, so they left the guiding to him.

“Strange, isn’t it? I researched everything beforehand and picked the safest road, and I still run into a monster that frightful. I’ve passed through any number of times—I must have let my guard down without realizing it.”

Well, that’s because you’d planted yourself in the open shouting “here I am,” baiting every monster on the range.

Luden swallowed the retort. Fortunately, thanks to the sweat he’d worked up yesterday, no trace of Romelia’s scent remained on Hugo. Even so, the monsters that appeared from time to time were handled by Sarah and Luden.

“The nearest city from here is Viera. Befitting a city near the border, there’s a great deal worth seeing—and so many people, too. There are sightseeing spots as well; if you’re interested, I’d be happy to show you around.”

Hugo was quite the talker. Whether it was the merchant in him or simply his nature, his chatter lent a fresh liveliness to what had been a journey of two.

About two days later, they crossed the Cobalt Mountains and arrived at Viera.

“Here we are—Viera.”

Viera—the city every traveler passed through upon crossing the Cobalt Mountains into the Bedia Kingdom—could fairly be called the busiest trading hub with Arun. Perhaps that was why merchants from Arun could be seen here and there nearby.

Hugo brought the two of them to an inn he frequented.

“If there’s anything you need while you’re staying here, just say the word. I have a report to file, so I’ll be stopping by the merchant house for a bit.”

Hugo’s trading company was based in the royal capital, and he meant to send word through the merchant house. Having returned early on personal matters, he knew everyone there would be waiting for news of him.

“He’s a good person, y’know.”

“Isn’t he?”

Luden thought so too. The man had just been through a calamity, and still he tried to repay them for saving his life—truly a good man. Whether that would serve a merchant as a strength or a weakness, Luden couldn’t say.

“Claim rewards.”

Luden decided to examine the skill later and held the Intelligence elixir out to Sarah.

“Here.”

“Ahh.”

Sarah, who thought of the elixirs as candy, swallowed the blue draught with practiced ease. And then—

With two quests completed, a satisfied smile spread across Luden’s lips.

“Luden. How long are we staying here? ...Sir.”

“Not long.”

The reason Luden had come to Bedia was simple: the second dungeon he needed to conquer lay here.

“And there’s someone I need to meet, too.”

Laying out the plans ahead of him, Luden gazed out the window.

Just as he’d said, Luden rested a single day in Viera and made ready to leave at once.

“I should deal with the monster byproducts before we go.”

The byproducts from the monsters hunted in the Cobalt Mountains were stored in his inventory pocket. He meant to dispose of every last one before departing.

“If that’s the case, then of course you must leave it to me! I’ll dispose of them at a handsome price.”

“Then I’m in your hands.”

Luden showed Hugo what he meant to sell. Inside a warehouse borrowed with the innkeeper’s leave stood ten crates loaded with monster byproducts.

“Th—this much, and all from where…?”

Hugo was flabbergasted. There was far more than he’d imagined—enough to make him wonder how on earth Luden had been carrying it all. Natural enough, since he knew nothing of the inventory pocket.

Instead of answering, Luden asked him a question. “Can you have it all disposed of by tonight?”

“Of—of course! The condition is as fine as it gets. I’ll do my utmost!”

Brimming with confidence, Hugo called men from the merchant house and had the goods carted off. His boast seemed safe to bank on.

And the next day, early in the morning, Hugo came looking for Luden.

“All told, 170,000 Rube. That seemed rather too much to carry around in cash, so I took it as a draft from the Brand Merchant Guild. The Brand Merchant Guild has branches all across the Bedia Kingdom, so with this you can draw the money wherever you like.”

“Thank you. That’s more than I expected.”

Luden knew the rough market rates, and said so with a flicker of admiration. Even in fine condition, unloading that much in a hurry was bound to take a loss.

“Haha, think nothing of it! If I couldn’t manage this much, the name of the Lotos Trading Company would be in disgrace.”

At the sight of Hugo subtly taking pride in his own company, Luden chuckled.

“By the way, Sir Luden—where will you be heading now?”

“The Balzac Territory.”

“The south, then.”

Hugo looked wistful. He himself meant to depart in a few days, once his people arrived from the capital—so this was where they parted ways.

“Should you ever make your way to the royal capital, do look up the Lotos Trading Company.”

“I will. I’ll remember that.”

Farewells said, Luden left Viera with Sarah at his side.

“Hm. Going by the map, that’s half a month to a month.”

Luden and Sarah traveled on foot. There was money enough in hand that buying a horse would have been the sensible thing—but they didn’t. No, it would be more accurate to say they couldn’t.

“No! Sarah won’t ride on the back of a thing like that, y’know!”

Sarah refused. Beastfolk in general—the black wolf tribes included—utterly despised riding on the backs of horses or other beasts. The reason was, surprisingly, simple: the unshakable conviction that they were faster and stronger than any horse. To them, a horse was something only the weak rode—those too feeble to run under their own power. It was the sort of thinking only beastfolk, born with superior bodies, could indulge in. For Luden, an ordinary human, it was hard to sympathize—but what could he do? Her pride was on the line, she said.

A little walking won’t hurt.

There was no rush; nothing would change for it. And traveling on foot had its advantages, too.

Acquiring a skill made the body move according to it automatically, but that didn’t make it flawless. A skill was, in the end, a power Luden wielded—and so long as it was his, it had to be drilled and honed through steady practice.

Luden knew all too well that he had no talent. Luck had won him his quests and his strength, but rest on that luck and he would stop growing—that was simply how it went.

“It’d be nice to get a chance to test out the skill I picked up this time, too.”

And so Luden drove himself onward.