episode_0034

“Lalala, lalala.”

Humming, Brasha came down the stairs.

“Is Merella in her room?”

“Yeah. She’s in there. She looks upset. She started hitting things when I went in.”

“I see. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see the pigs.”

Brasha bounced out of the back door, seemingly in a good mood.

That person seems to have a good temperament.

*****

Stopping the postman who was about to leave on the northern road of the village, they handed him a letter.

“Please make sure this gets delivered.”

“Are you sending this to that person Alaina again? I can’t guarantee it will get there properly.”

“There’s no other way. Just take it with you anyway.”

In games, you can send items directly to someone by entering their nickname into the mailbox.

However, this world is now a reality, not a game.

Convenient systems like that no longer exist.

But Alaina can’t help but keep sending letters without getting a reply.

If even one reaches Alaina, that’s enough.

“Jack!”

As I was about to return to the store, someone called me.

Turning around, I saw the merchant Judanto riding his carriage into the village.

“Hello, Mr. Judanto. You have a lot of goods today.”

“Today is the regular delivery day for potion ingredients.”

“Oh, right. Please let me ride along.”

I climbed onto the seat next to Judanto and headed towards the store.

Everyone must be curious.

How do they gather ingredients and make potions in the starting village where there’s nothing?

The method is very simple.

The Potion Association sends the ingredients.

In real life, franchises usually have headquarters that send out ingredients, right?

It’s the same here.

Each region has a large logistics warehouse that the association uses as a hub, sending ingredients regularly to the smallest stores.

Our village receives stock from the Odellin City logistics warehouse.

But to send to all villages, a huge number of carriages and drivers are needed, making it incredibly expensive.

So in some areas, agreements are made with private transporters like Judanto.

Judanto brings essential goods to the village and also delivers potion ingredients.

Then I predict the next order based on inventory levels and inform Judanto, who then conveys it to the warehouse for the next delivery.

Why don’t they just make potions centrally and distribute them?

Because if they make potions and send them, the risk of being robbed increases significantly.

Potions are valuable, and if a box is stolen during transportation, the losses are severe.

So they send the ingredients instead of the finished product.

Combining potion ingredients creates value, but the raw materials themselves are almost useless without combining them.

And the recipe for making potions is highly confidential, different from obtaining permission like me.

So no one desires potion ingredients.

It’s worthless to steal since you can’t make or sell them.

Only after coming to the potion shop and having the shopkeepers create products using secret recipes can they finally receive money and sell the goods.

That’s why Adelheid kidnapped me personally.

Arriving at the store, I organized the ingredients.

We expanded our store by adding a warehouse at the back, connecting it internally.

We stack the ingredients in boxes there and take them out as needed to make potions on the cooking table.

“Merella! Let’s organize the inventory together!”

When I shouted up to this floor, Merella came downstairs a while later.

“Was today the delivery day?”

Considering she went upstairs angry earlier, Merella’s expression isn’t too bad now.

She must have been upset because of Alaina’s letter.

In Merella’s eyes, who likes me, Alaina’s letter probably looked like a love letter.

But what can I do?

Reading someone else’s letter was wrong, and it’s not my fault that Alaina wrote the letter like that.

And both Alaina and Mirella look like babies to me.

I don’t know now, but what if I become an adult later?

“I’ll put this in, so go over there to the carriage and bring more.”

Carrying the box, as I was about to enter the warehouse, Mirella chuckled.

“Move aside, weak potion shop owner. I’ll do it.”

Pushing me aside, Mirella swiftly lifted two boxes at once.

Having received a long-term buff from the lid-opening ceremony, Mirella is now exerting strength comparable to that of an adult man.

In terms of pure strength, I might actually be pushed back by Mirella.

How has this NPC named Jack managed to survive until now?

“But you know, Oppa.”

Stacking boxes, Mirella spoke as she passed by.

“When Alaina finishes her adventure, will she come here?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure about that.”

Based on the original work, Alaina never returns here.

If you take the light route, you defeat the final boss, return to prosperity, receive hospitality, and end it, but if you take the dark route, you destroy the world.

In either route, the starting village does not reappear.

Of course, back then, there was no shop owner who would freely distribute potions and items or hand out strategy guides, which is probably why.

No one can know what impact my sudden actions will have on this world.

It could have no impact at all, or it could create a new route.

For example, returning to the starting village and settling down.

But this Mirella guy. He seems to be really concerned about that.

Smiling, I reached out and patted Mirella’s head.

“Mirella. Don’t worry.”

“What, what…?”

Taken aback by the sudden skinship, Mirella stepped back and bumped into the stacked boxes.

“You’re worried about what kind of relationship I have with Alaina, aren’t you?”

“What are you talking about…! Do you think I care about that kind of thing?!”

In a strongly denying manner, Mirella affirmed.

“It’s not that kind of relationship. You don’t need to worry.”

“Geez… Who asked…”

Even so, the corners of Mirella’s mouth slightly lifted.

Seeing the seemingly happy smile on his face, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

* * * * *

Brasha began managing the pig farm in earnest.

When rumors spread that Brasha had the ability to communicate with pigs, the villagers were also excited.

Until now, only crops and fish had been served on the table, but now there might be meat. Can there be anything better than that?

But it’s still early.

Just twenty pigs.

To be called a hundred or a thousand, we can’t eat meat right away.

I was stuck in the store, conducting research after research.

I’ve been continuously failing at developing pig aphrodisiacs and fertility enhancers.

Everything else works well, but this one just stubbornly refuses to be made.

Somehow, I managed to make a few experimental potions and took them to the pig farm.

But strange noises were heard from the entrance to the farm.

With squeaks and the noisy voices of people.

What’s going on?

Hurrying over, I saw Brasha and the village kids gathered in front of the pen.

Everyone wore white headbands and held colorful cloth-made cheer sticks in their hands.

Squeak! Squeak!

Amidst the sharp squeaking sounds, Brasha blew the horn loudly.

Squeak! Squeak!

“Cheer up! Cheer up!”

In tune with the sharp horn sounds, the children shook their cheer sticks and shouted cheers.

Squeeeeeak!!

Blowing the horn long, Brasha ran from left to right among the children.

“Waaaaah!!”

In response, the children rode waves with their cheer sticks.

“Yay! Yay! Yay!”

Then they supported each other, jumping left and right.

It was like watching a baseball cheering squad.

What are they doing?

Approaching and peering into the pen, I was taken aback and fell silent.

Several pigs were mating in pairs, matching their breaths.

Squeak! Squeak!

“Be strong! Be strong!”

Encouraged by the cheers of Brasha and the children, the pigs vigorously shook their hips.

I could only watch the extraordinary sight in a daze.

After a while, as the pigs reached their climax and fell down one by one, the cheering squad shouted in unison.

“Wowww!!”

Squeeeeeal-!!

Brasha, who was loudly blowing a horn, spotted me and shouted.

“Jack!”

“It’s Mr. Potion!”

The children, now interested in me, swarmed around.

Patting the children’s heads, I asked.

“Why did you all come?”

I asked the chattering children who were holding onto my legs.

“Goblin sister asked us to cheer on the pigs!”

“Oh, I see….”

Wiping the sweat off his chin with the back of his hand, Brasha grinned broadly.

“Hello, Jack. The weather is so nice. What’s this? And I was already thirsty.”

Reaching for the ‘Pig Aphrodisiac’ and ‘Pregnancy Accelerant’ potions in my hand, Brasha exclaimed.

“No way!”

I quickly hid them behind my back.

“These are special potions. It’s dangerous to drink them recklessly.”

“Eek!? Really? I thought it was just a drink.”

Brasha is a half-goblin with pig genes mixed in.

No one knows what will happen when consumed.

“By the way, what about that?”

Pointing at the pigs, Brasha smirked.

“It’s nothing special. Just like this, like thiiis! Let’s do it again! Cheers! Cheers!”

At Brasha’s urging, the pigs lying down got up again and mounted the female’s back.

“Wowww! Mating! Mating! Mating!”

Excited by the scene, the children resumed cheering enthusiastically.

“It’s only a matter of time before there are a thousand pigs.”

Brasha chuckled mischievously.