by Kiri Komori
“She’s a genius…”
“That’s incredible! It’s a real supreme antidote! Tinaris, you’re a genius!”
“I can’t believe a six-year-old girl made this…! Even the larger countries can only produce a few supreme antidotes every year! What will the alchemists there think?”
“This really is impressive… And it’s ideal quality too! That alone should double its price!”
“Aah, aaaah! Indeed! Indeed, indeed! You could even present this as a tribute to the elf king and the dwarf king in the demi-human continent! Forget five thousand colts; I’ll pay a full ten thousand for this!”
“Ten thousand?!” My mouth fell open. “Huuh?! W-Wait, are you saying one bottle alone is worth ten thousand colts?!”
“That is exactly what I’m saying! Five thousand is for good quality antidotes, but yours is ideal quality! Tinaris, you shouldn’t let the other merchants haggle you down! That won’t do. I insist you sell it to me for full price!”
“…D-Dad…?” I looked to him for help.
Was it really worth that much? Could medicine really be that expensive? I looked at Dad, who was examining my other successful bottles with his Appraisal magic…
Why is he looking at them with scary eyes like that…?!
“I can’t believe it… I… I always thought you were incredible, Tina, but this… Making a supreme antidote at your age…”
“Is it really that incredible?” I asked.
“Incredible doesn’t do you justice. There’s only one alchemist in the entirety of De Marl who can make a supreme antidote! And the handful of alchemists who can make it are so busy with work, they only make a few every year, if at all… And since it’s a tricky antidote to get right, their quality is usually just standard… I think this is the first time I ever saw an ideal quality one…”
“Grr…” An ominous growling reached my ears.
Aaaah, Daaad, Nakona’s glaring bloody murder at me! She’s a kid who thinks her mother betrayed her, and you’re all she has! Stop doting on me and pay attention to her! If you keep praising me instead of her, she’ll blow up at us again…!
“Tinaris, I’d really like to buy one of these off of you,” Mister Giyaga said. “Ten thousand colts, what do you say?”
“Aaah… D-Dad, can I really sell them for this much…?”
“Yeah, that’s about the market price. Well, maybe calling it market price is wrong… It’s not exactly in circulation. You really are one incredible girl… It normally takes inexperienced alchemical apothecaries thirty years before they are capable of making things like this.”
“R-Really?!”
“Really. The only alchemist I know in De Marl who can make one of these is Elysis. And in Edesa Kura, there’s Reiden… Saikorea has two, Shary and Mei… Those are the only four alchemists I know who can make something on this level.”
Only four people on the whole continent?! W-Woow… I, er, might have actually pulled off something amazing… Wait, no, my goal is to make the supreme tonic! This was just a stepping stone for that… It was just practice, but…
“So, um, maybe I can make a supreme tonic now that I’ve made a supreme antidote…?”
“Oooh! Aiming high! Ambitious, aren’t you?”
“A-Ambitious…”
I was under the impression that alchemy’s final goal was to create the Philosopher’s Stone or something like that… But apparently it wasn’t? Was the supreme tonic the highest you can aim? I could ask, but I didn’t think Mister Giyaga would know the answer to that.
“Uh, no, I want to make the supreme tonic because…” I trailed off, unconsciously looking in Dad’s direction.
I wanted to restore Dad’s arm… I’d heard losing his right arm made him retire from the knighthood. And even with his wooden prosthetic, he still struggled with everyday tasks. The prosthetic had fingers, but they were like a doll’s, and if he needed to grip something, he’d have to bend them one by one. And, of course, they didn’t have much grip strength.
It was also quite heavy, but this didn’t bother him as much since he was a former knight… But still, it didn’t help him with work. And since his right hand was his dominant hand, he struggled whenever he had to write with his left, which was a waste of paper. And he struggled with opening doors too, since he wasn’t left-handed…
“…You don’t mean my arm, do you?” Dad asked, looking at me quietly.
“E-Erm…” I looked away awkwardly.
I mean, I’m not your real daughter, so I have to repay you for taking care of me. And I thought…this would make you happy.
“…She’s an angel.”
“Such a good girl!”
“…Can the world be so kind…?”
Mister Giyaga and the people from the caravan started to praise me, all of them covering their faces with their hands and looking up. What’s gotten into them?
“I’ll get the money ready right away!” Mister Drake said excitedly. “It’ll be 14,000 colts for each bottle! I’ll raise the price!”
“Wait! What do you mean, you’re raising the price?! I can’t let you do that; you brought me the ingredients! At least deduct their price from the cost!”
“Aaah, look at this sweet angel that descended upon us!” Mister Giyaga said, overcome with emotion.
“Seriously, what’s gotten into you?!” I finally asked.
“Fine, we’ll deduct the cost for the ingredients,” Mister Drake said, smiling at me. “It’s back at ten thousand colts then.”
“Mister Drake!”
Just the ingredients are expensive after all! And you’re selling it to me for ten thousand colts after deducting them from the price?! This is so much money, I don’t know what to do!
“Now you have the money you need, right?” Mister Giyaga beamed at me.
“…Mister Giyaga…” I felt tears build in my eyes.
The money for the Heatstones… In the end, I balanced out everything I owed him.
“All right, then we’ll buy ten of these ideal quality supreme antidotes! And after I deduct the cost of the Heatstones you asked for, it’ll leave you with fifty thousand colts.” Mister Giyaga placed a pochette in my hands. “Oh, and you can have this pouch as a bonus from me. I thought it’d suit you.”
“Oh, thank you…” I muttered, unable to keep up with everything.
“Wait, what’s this about Heatstones?” Dad asked, confused.
Oh, drat. I never consulted Dad about the Heatstones, did I…?
“Oh, erm, I’m sorry, Dad! I just moved things along without telling you… Actually, I…”
I told Dad about my exchange with Mister Giyaga.
“Tina… You worried about that too…?” Dad asked, visibly moved.
“She’s a little angel,” one of Giyaga’s merchants said.
“An angel.” Another one nodded.
“A future saint,” Mister Drake added.
“Bow your head before the saint!” Mister Giyaga ordered.
“S-Stop it!” I waved my hands, flustered.
Why do these people keep treating me like this?!
“…And you still ended up earning fifty thousand colts…” Dad eventually said.
“Yes, the fee for the Heatstones is already paid for,” Mister Giyaga told him. “Leave it to me; I’ll get you seven Heatstones from the dwarves’ country!”
“Yeah!” Mister Drake said firmly. “If it’s for you, Tinaris, you can be sure we’ll put our all into getting those Heatstones!”
“Th-Thank you so much!” I gratefully bowed my head.
That sounded promising! With Heatstones, we’d always have hot water for our six villas and our bath… We wouldn’t need to chop firewood to boil water anymore!
“So, what are you gonna use these fifty thousand colts on?” Dad asked me.
“Hm, I’ve actually been wondering…could we make a place for selling medicine near the highway? We don’t have anything to tell guests which way leads to the inn, and some of th
em don’t even know it exists at all, so…”
“Ugh…” Dad grimaced. “Y-Yeah, we are a ways off the highway, aren’t we…?”
Since we didn’t have a sign, I figured I’d rather just tell guests where it was and increase our traffic that way… And since we didn’t have enough hands on deck to support a lot of customers, I figured I’d sell my medicine by the highway to make sure we don’t go into the red and let people know about the Rofola Lodge while I was at it. I could be the inn’s poster girl…literally!
…But what if people just go with the flow and, after buying medicine from me, say, “Maybe I’ll just stay here.” I’ll have to explain I can’t accommodate them myself…
“I’m not letting you live alone by the roadside,” Dad said gravely.
“Yes, I understand how you feel,” Master Giyaga joined in. “Given the things she’ll be selling, it might be dangerous.”
“But…” I uttered.
It was Mister Giyaga’s idea to begin with…
“But I do think having a roadside apothecary would help travelers…” Dad continued pensively. “And it’s not like we have that many customers coming in. We’re free most of the day…”
“Yes, and a store that sells provisions might be helpful too…” Mister Giyaga appended.
“You’re right. People run out of provisions and condiments along the way, and it’s hard to get a hold of those on the road…”
“Spices are especially expensive…”
“And a place to bathe too. Travelers can’t do that without going into a country. So an inn on the roadside might be good for that…”
Hmm, aah… What? How about…?
“Dad, I have an idea! A way to spend those fifty thousand colts! How about paving a road to the hot springs?”
“Huh? Where did that idea come from?” Dad asked.
“Hot spring…?” one of Mister Giyaga’s workers, a female merchant named Merilia, repeated my words.
She’s already interested! How didn’t I think of this sooner?!
“Yes! We can pave a path to the hot spring halfway up the mountain! There’s only a trail there and getting back is a little hard. But if we paved a good road, we’d be able to offer a hot spring as an extra feature on top of the baths in the cottages! It’ll attract more people! Though we’ll need to renovate the hot spring, so it’s separated for men and women, and set up dressing rooms…”
“Do you really think a hot spring will attract more guests…?” Dad asked dubiously.
“Absolutely! Especially ladies!”
“I agree with her one hundred percent!” Merilia backed me.
And we can make a footbath and sell hard-boiled eggs cooked in the water…!
For a moment, I wondered where we’d set up the hot springs themselves, but… We can figure that out after we pave the road up the mountain!
“And you can make seasonings and spices using alchemy, can’t you?” Mister Giyaga suggested.
“Y-You’re right! So long as I have ingredients for it…”
“You can create them with alchemy, right?”
“Yes! Dad, what do you think…? I’ll give up on selling on the roadside, but if it’s near the inn…”
“Near the inn, eh…? Well, so long as you’re within sight, I suppose…”
“I’ll learn how to cook! I’ll make yummier food! How about we make a space people can dine in even if they’re not staying at the inn? And we can expand the coffee corner inside… Guests could enjoy the hot spring and then eat outside while enjoying the view! And we can set up a counter for selling medicine and spices in the corner of the dining area… What do you think?!”
Dad crossed his arms, thinking things over. I tried calculating things and estimated just paving the road would completely deplete the fifty thousand colts I made, so we’d need some extra money.
So I figured we could make a little café and integrate the apothecary with the dining area! That way, we can make money and save up for building and maintaining the road to the hot spring!
And by the time we do that, we’ll probably get the Heatstones, which will lower the workload of heating the water and make it easier for the guests to bathe whenever they want.
“It’s not a bad idea, but can you really manage all of that? You’re only six years old, Tina.”
Ugh!
I couldn’t forget that. Dad certainly didn’t!
“We’ve got our hands full as it is whenever we have guests, and having more buildings to manage might be a bit too much for us. And it’s not like everyone who walks down the highway are nice travelers. If you want to sell expensive medicine and spices, I can’t agree to it until you get a strong bodyguard.”
“R-Right…” I muttered, a bit disheartened. “That makes sense…”
When I was washed down the river, the first people to pick me up were bandits. The highway might be dangerous if people like them are loitering around… Even if I’m near the inn, spices and medicine often rise in demand, so our profits could be quite generous. More money would mean a greater likelihood of drawing attention from bandits.
Hmm… I’m going to need some kind of security…
“But the hot spring is a good idea,” Dad added with a smile. “I’m not sure even fifty thousand colts will be enough to pave that trail, but I’ll check with people I know from De Marl. I’ve got connections with a few construction workers.”
“Mmm, construction isn’t quite my field of expertise, but I’ll negotiate so you can get stone for cheap, Tinaris! And I’ll be heading to De Marl, so I can talk things over with your acquaintances, Marcus.”
“Could you? Wait a while, then; I’ll go write a letter.”
It didn’t go quite as I planned it, but we’ve been thinking of paving a road to the hot spring for the longest time anyway! I would love to make an herb garden too, but that’s just my personal wish… And it’ll be pointless if, in the end, I can’t keep living here. I can’t just leave them with a garden they don’t need…
“I think that’s a great idea, Tinaris!” Merilia said, brimming with excitement. “You came up with this trying to implement what we told you, right?”
“D-Dad’s right though…”
“Yes, but you can do what you want even without a new building, right?”
“How?”
“This inn has a coffee corner with a counter. You can just put out a sign near the highway that says you’re offering medicine, spices, and seasonings for sale. This’ll get people who don’t know about the inn to come, even if it’s a bit off the beaten path. And then they’ll learn about the inn in the process.”
“True… Our first priority should be getting guests to come to us.”
“Exactly. Supply and demand is the basis of all business.” Merilia nodded. “And it’s up to us merchants to mediate for people with a demand with people who provide supply. And your medicine is definitely in demand, Tinaris! That sign will be your way of supplying it. For now, you can start with that. It’s all about taking that first step!”
“R-Right!”
Just a sign could be enough…I might’ve been overthinking things. It can be as simple as making a basic sign. Oh, but I’ll need ingredients to make spices and condiments…
But while I was lost in my reveries, none of us realized Nakona had left the room without us noticing.
♣♣♣
“NAKONA? Nakona, where are you?!”
“Nakonaaaaaaaa!”
“Hey! Nakona! Where did you go?!”
“Nakonaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
She was gone! We only realized it after Dad finished writing his letter—sloppily, with his left hand. Mister Giyaga brought up her absence after taking the letter. She was there just moments ago, but suddenly we couldn’t find her in any of the rooms…
She wasn’t familiar with the area yet, so going out without an escort was still dangerous. She could get lost.
“Dammit, why does that girl have to be so troublesome…?”
Dad muttered nervously. “Sorry, Giyaga… Could you get everyone to help look for her?”
“Of course, you can count on us.” Mister Giyaga smiled kindly. “What with the monsters loitering about recently, letting a child run around would be awful!”
“Thanks, I owe you… I’ll go check around the mountain. Take care of Tina, would ya?”
“Of course, of course. Merilia wants to stay here with little Tina, right? Just let us know if Nakona comes back.”
“Will do.”
Yeah… Mister Giyaga did mention that monsters were seen around the mountain… Nakona, where did you go…? Why do girls your age have to be such attention seekers…?
“Tinaris, let’s wait for everyone to come back at the inn, okay?” Merilia told me, taking me by the hand.
“Erm, can we go after I put the leftovers from the supreme antidote into bottles?”
“There’s still some of it left over?”
“Yes. I figured I should have some on hand, since venomous snakes live around here.”
“Really? Well, I guess you do live near a mountain… Could you make some supreme antipyretic next? There’s a disease going around the kobold country in the demi-human continent. They call it speck fever, so they need something to deal with it. If a supreme antipyretic is too much to ask for, then any fever medicine you could make should help…”
“Fever medicine…? If low-grade antipyretic’s good enough, I can make it right away. It just needs water and Lilith flowers. Oh, but I’ll need to head into the mountain to pick the flowers…”
“Oh… Well, drat. We could have asked your father to get some… Fine, I’ll go then. I’ll be right back, so wait inside the inn, all right?”
“Okay.”
Speck fever… I’ve never heard of that disease. But I imagined epidemics must really scare the merchants.
Hm… I think I still have some spring water bottled up. Oh, right, Mister Giyaga gave me that pouch earlier. I can keep the bottles there instead of placing them in the pot. Glass bottles tend to shatter…
A Nyu Pouch… I can’t help but want to use it. I should thank Mister Giyaga again for it later. Hehe… Looking at the tonic bottles lined up next to the supreme antidote makes me feel like I’m an adventurer now.
