by Hiro Ainana
Besides, if I hired the person Viscount Siemmen was going to introduce me to, that would all be taken care of.
“Th-the mansion behind us…?”
When I visited the ranch behind the estate and told them I’d moved in, the farmer and his wife looked horrified, but their attitude softened once I gave them the same explanation that had worked for the first family I encountered.
“A recurring order?”
“If possible. Once a month is fine for cheese, sausage, and other preserved goods, but I’d love to get milk and eggs delivered every morning.”
I made this request because they said they offered deliveries, but they looked at me like I had several extra heads.
They seemed to have a pretty good amount of chickens, so I assumed they’d be willing to sell me enough eggs for making pastries and such, but maybe they had a contract somewhere else or something?
“T-truly…?”
The farmer’s words jogged my memory.
I’d been told that since this ranch just happened to be behind the “cursed mansion,” they had difficulty selling their produce for good prices.
“Yes, if you don’t have any other contracts. Would that be all right?”
“Contracts? Heavens, no! That would be wonderful!”
“All right, then.”
It was strangely cheap, so I made an offer that was only slightly lower than the market prices of the other ranches. I love a good bargain, but too cheap and I would have felt like I was taking advantage of them.
In addition, they didn’t have any contract cancelation policies or anything like that, but I added a clause that if I were to end the contract, I would pay three months’ worth as a fine.
I also paid that same amount in advance as a deposit.
When I first arrived, I’d noticed that their equipment seemed to be considerably worn out, so I figured they could use that money as working capital.
They must have been thrilled, because they sent me home with more dairy and meat products than I could carry and even came down to the road to see me off.
As a bonus, I also hired them to take care of the runosaurs and horses when we were away from the mansion.
It was always good to be friendly with the neighbors, especially if they owned a ranch.
“My name is Miteruna. Ignorant as I may be, I will work my very hardest under your employ. Thank you for your consideration.”
“Of course. Nice to meet you.”
The woman I met at Viscount Siemmen’s place was very polite indeed.
Her cool expression and rigid posture showed clearly how serious and dedicated she was.
Miss Miteruna was a human, twenty-six years of age, and fairly attractive with a slender frame. She was around my height, with long reddish-brown hair in a braid. Below her thin eyebrows were rust-colored eyes.
She had been married, but her husband had passed on, so she had moved back in with her family and devoted herself to work.
Though she’d called herself “ignorant,” she was just being modest; in fact, she had graduated from the royal academy in the royal capital.
She was level 9, with skills like “Etiquette,” “Service,” “Negotiation,” and “Education.”
“She was working as another family’s maid until recently, but the head of that household was a bit…difficult.”
Viscount Siemmen was being vague, but I eventually learned that she’d been fired after rejecting the master, who had been sexually harassing her.
“Since that barone—I mean, that family relieved her of her duties, she’s been working as my maid. However, she’s far too talented to be wasted on such a position, which is why I thought to introduce her to you.”
The viscount nearly let slip that the harassing bastard was a baronet but corrected himself.
There were several baronets in Labyrinth City, but the only two with mansions in the nobles’ quarters were Mr. Jelil of Red Dragon’s Roar and a man called Dyukeli.
Baronet Dyukeli— Ah, that was the name of the man to whom the innkeeper tried to sell my carriage.
That didn’t necessarily mean that one of those two was the pervert, but I would have to keep the girls away from them, just in case. I didn’t know them well enough to trust them completely.
It was decided that Miss Miteruna would come to work at my mansion starting the following morning.
If possible, I wanted to hire two or three maids or butlers to work under her, but it was difficult to find anyone willing due to the reputation of the cursed mansion.
I could probably give it another try once that rumor was dispersed.
“No wonder they call him the miracle chef.”
“Yes, I’ve never had such delicious pastries.”
After my meeting with Miss Miteruna, dinner began, and I got to enjoy some old-capital-style food for the first time in a while.
The castellas I offered for the after-dinner tea party seemed to be quite a hit with the ladies in attendance.
Trying to reproduce the texture of granulated sugar, Lulu and I had experimented with the sugars we’d acquired in Lalagi, until finally we were able to accomplish it by breaking down some rock candy.
As a symbol of friendship, I gave the women the same light stone accessories and pastry assortments that had been so popular in the old capital.
“I thought that rum was only a drink for lowly sailors, but this is on another level.”
“It’s a little too strong for me. I like this orchid mead.”
“Isn’t that the stuff that’s made with monster materials?”
“Yes, but it’s been completely purified. It’s not a problem anymore.”
I wasn’t sure whether to bring out the orchid mead, but Viscount Siemmen gave it the okay, so I went ahead and brought some out.
Luckily, most of the attendees had sophisticated taste.
For the men’s gifts, I chose white penholders I’d made from narwhal horns and a sampling of Lalagi rums.
Considering the nature of the orchid mead, I brought only enough to drink at the party.
“Hmm, so you clashed with Sokell, eh?”
Once I’d gotten friendly with the nobles Viscount Siemmen introduced me to, I decided to ask them for the latest scoop about the aristocrats of Labyrinth City.
“He’s from a royal capital family, but he couldn’t get a decent governmental position there, so he crept into Labyrinth City on Counselor Poputema’s request.”
“Though at the time, all he had going for him was that he was the viceroy’s lover.”
Since they were speaking so frankly about it, maybe same-sex relationships weren’t unusual in the Shiga Kingdom?
I didn’t lean that way myself, but I wouldn’t discriminate against someone for it, either. Love is love, after all.
“…But when he offered a medicine that worked on the viceroy’s daughter’s illness, the viceroy’s wife took a liking to him, too. That’s why he’s even trusted as the acting viceroy now.”
“Under Counselor Poputema’s supervision, of course.”
Ah, so that’s why Sokell didn’t seem to like Poputema.
From the way that was worded, though, I got the impression that the viceroy’s wife had more pull than the viceroy himself.
I thought that was unusual, since the Shiga Kingdom tended to have chauvinistic leanings. I asked more about it and learned that the viceroy’s wife was the heir to the house of Ashinen, while the viceroy had only inherited the marquisate by marriage, so the wife had more political power.
“In Labyrinth City, the only people who might be able to speak on equal footing with the viceroy’s wife are the leader of the explorers’ guild and General Erthal.”
So there were ways of dealing with the viceroy and his wife if necessary. That was good to know.
I hadn’t met the guildmaster, so if anything happened, I’d have to speak with General Erthal.
Judging by his behavior earlier today, a copy of the Magic Sword Akatsuk
i would probably be more than enough to earn any favor I needed.
“But with the viceroy’s level of power, would he not be able to acquire any medicine he needs for his daughter?”
Because a doubt was still nagging at me, I asked someone who seemed to be in the know.
“Any ordinary alchemist can transmute that drug—ogredrink potion—but the only way to get the ingredients is to send a party of garnet badges deep into the labyrinth.”
“Not only that, but the ogredrink potion is only a suppressant, not a cure. And neither the potion nor its ingredients keeps for long, so it’s necessary to continue doing those expeditions on a regular basis.”
So no amount of money would be enough, then.
“There is a cure that can be made with the powder of the bloodstone that can occasionally be found in the Blood-Sucking Labyrinth of the Saga Empire, but the imperial family of the Saga Empire has a monopoly on it. And bloodstone powder can only suppress the symptoms like the ogredrink potion.”
In short, it was very valuable medicine.
If Sokell was supplying them with this ogredrink stuff, I could see why they would value even such an ill-mannered man.
“If I only knew his source, I could get in the viceroy’s good graces, too…,” a corpulent baron muttered enviously.
“I doubt it. I looked into it when he first brought in those potions, but all I could figure out was that he has an alchemist protégé make it in his house.”
“There’s even a rumor that Sokell is the one who makes the demonic potions in Labyrinth City, although that might just be out of jealousy.”
“I’d say that’s inevitable, since ogredrink potions, corpse potions, and demonic potions are all made with similar main ingredients.”
“True. If Sokell’s alchemist is as skilled as they say, he could make corpse and demonic potions just as easily as ogredrink potions.”
Come to think of it, I’d seen some explorers with the Demonic Potion: Addicted status, too.
No one would admit to carrying an illegal drug, I was sure, but finding out was simple for me.
Using my map search, I quickly discovered that there really was a stock of demonic potion in Sokell’s basement.
Forget morally gray—this guy was deep in the black.
The only problem was figuring out how to reveal that information without giving away my unique skill.
I had a few moves that might make people believe me, but none of them was necessarily cards that I wanted to play.
While I was thinking about that, I opened the marker section to put a marker on Sokell—and I noticed that one of the trade ships of the Dragonpen Trading Company, the group I’d invested in, was well on its way to the trade city Tartumina.
That was sooner than the travel plans they’d shown me. The trip must be going well, then.
Oh right. Back to marking.
I put one on the noble in green, too, just to be safe.
“Even if Sokell couldn’t do it alone, Baronet Dyukeli might be able to help him, since he’s got medicinal and alchemy guilds under his thumb…”
“In that case, couldn’t Counselor Poputema be part of it, too? I hear he’s well-connected in the underworld.”
“Sokell’s one thing, but I wouldn’t stir up trouble with the likes of Dyukeli and Poputema if I were you.”
“It’s true. Counselor Poputema controls Marquis Ashinen from the shadows. He plays at being an eccentric now, but not long ago he was as feared as a poisonous serpent. Who knows whether he’s really retired, too?”
“And Dyukeli might not have high status, but he’s the viceroy’s right-hand man. Plus, since he has control over the sale of magic potions and tools in Labyrinth City, his influence is nothing to sneeze at.”
I see. This didn’t sound like a situation I wanted to get involved in.
If the time came, I could just become Nanashi the Hero and bring in the Shigan king.
I did save his body double during the yellow-skinned-demon incident in the old capital, so surely he wouldn’t mind helping me out a little.
“The explorers’ guild probably could make demonic potions, too, since they’ve got an alchemist from the royal capital, but that’s unthinkable as long as the current guildmaster’s in charge.”
“Yeah, that old woman hates demonic potions.”
Huh. I didn’t know this guildmaster, but if she was against harmful drugs, then I already liked her.
“Sir Pendragon, you ought to avoid Sokell, too, and try to curry favor with the viceroy and his wife instead.”
“The viceroy’s wife loves jewels and rare, delicious sweets, so once she hears about the pastries and accessories you brought today, I’m certain she’ll invite you over for tea,” one of the noble’s wives informed me.
These two were friends of Viscount Siemmen’s from a royal capital family, not the old capital like many of the nobles here.
“The viceroy enjoys sculptures from the Flue Empire era, especially those of muscular men.”
“If you like, Sir Pendragon, I can introduce you to an art dealer from the royal capital.”
“Thank you very much. If I can’t procure anything through the friend I normally trade with, I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer.”
In truth, I had plenty of that kind of thing among the salvaged goods from the sunken ships in the Seadragon Islands, so I could probably just pick something from there.
“The viceroy and his wife are doting parents. I’m sure anything their children would like would make them happy, too.”
“Sir Pendragon, you’re not terribly far in age from their third son, Gerits. I’ve heard he wants to become an explorer, so that might be your best bet for getting close to the family.”
“If you can deal with that selfish boy’s whims, that is.”
A young noble grinned wryly and smacked my shoulder encouragingly.
Yeah, putting up with a self-absorbed noble brat doesn’t sound like my cup of tea. I’ll probably pass on that one.
At any rate, I accumulated all kinds of information as I bonded with the nobles.
The gathering came to an end around the time that Viscount Siemmen drank himself to sleep, so I saw off my new noble friends before leaving the viscount’s mansion.
I was offered a ride home in the viscount’s carriage, but I wanted to straighten out some information in my mind. Instead, I decided to walk home in the cool night air.
First of all, Sokell was the viceroy’s lover, and since he had provided them with ogredrink potion for their fourth daughter’s illness, the viceroy’s wife favored him as well. He was also almost certainly the source of the supply of demonic potion in the city.
Counselor Poputema—the noble in green—and Baronet Dyukeli were bad news. The former seemed to be particularly dangerous, so I’d have to take care not to get involved with him.
The viceroy and his wife adored their children, and the wife was more powerful than the viceroy.
According to Princess Meetia, the couple had returned to Labyrinth City, so they had probably received the letter from their second son, Rayleigh, by now.
If they read that letter, I got the feeling things would be resolved without me having to do much of anything.
Princess Meetia’s face drifted through my mind.
We have come to cure the viceroy’s daughter of her ailment.
That was what she had said when she first arrived in the city.
With her Breath of Purification, the ogredrink potion might not even be necessary.
Thinking about it that way, I couldn’t help but suspect that Sokell might have been behind the attack on Princess Meetia yesterday afternoon.
I didn’t have any evidence yet, though. It was merely a suspicion for now.
Oh right.
I didn’t want anything to happen to an acquaintance of mine, so I put a marker on Princess Meetia, too, just in case.
“Hmm. I’m still being followed, eh?”
On my wa
y home, I sensed that I was being watched. I stopped at a few bars in an effort to shake off the tail, but they seemed to have no intention of giving up.
I was able to narrow down the suspects somewhat with my map search.
Most likely, the culprit was working for either Sokell or the noble in green.
In fact, there seemed to be two people tailing me who weren’t working together at all.
As I was thinking about this at the counter of another bar, I overheard some drunks gossiping.
This place was in a shopping district fairly far away from the center of the city, so you could hear all kinds of interesting things.
“You got paid? Buy me a drink, then.”
“Shut up—all I got was a producer price for magic potions. All thanks to that cheapskate Dyukeli!”
“Yeah, he’s got all them alchemy guilds and the like under his thumb. Can’t get nothin’ for nothin’.”
“Wish the guilds would try a little harder.”
Most of what I heard about Baronet Dyukeli from the explorers was a lot of complaints.
The only non-complaint was that his eldest daughter, Mary-Ann, was a beautiful girl who often dressed like a man and wore a longsword to go sightseeing near the labyrinth.
I guess they talked about Sokell, too.
“I heard the viceroy’s lover tried to put the moves on that ‘thee-thou’ princess and got totally rejected.”
“Yeah. She’s a princess from some small place, right? But she’s friendly even to folks like us, so I think she’s a good kid.”
The “thee-thou” princess was probably Meetia, right?
“I heard from my bro who works for the government that he proposed to her and got rejected.”
“For real?!”
“Yeah. First a married man, now he’s proposing to a child… Did a woman mess this guy up, too?”
“What do you mean, ‘too’?”
The conversation then shifted to romantic advice among the explorer friends, but I was surprised to learn that Sokell had proposed to Princess Meetia.
