Chapter 113: Our Store is Open for Business! – 2

Chapter 113: Our Store is Open for Business! – 2

“……Anyway, I guess I have to keep going.”

That damn trait activating is seriously annoying, but it’s not like I can do anything else.

In the first place, there’s nothing I can do about that trait.

…It’s clearly a trait for appearance correction, but I don’t know why it keeps tripping me up at unexpected times.

It doesn’t even activate on enemies, so it’s completely useless in combat…

*Notification

-> The ‘Bewitching Charm’ trait has activated more than a certain number of times!

=> The skill ‘Honey Trap’ has been added as a reward!

*

‘……Are you guys reading my mind again?’

*No way. Isn’t the timing just a coincidence?*

‘When you say that, it makes me seriously suspicious, you know?’

*…Just how low is my credibility, anyway…?*

As soon as I thought it was useless, the system threw me a skill… but it felt more like “take this and get lost”…?

Anyway, that’s not what’s important.

Since the potions themselves are abilities given by the system, these guys must naturally know how to remove side effects.

‘So, how do I deal with these side effects?’

*As I said before, you either add something to the potion to alleviate the side effects, improve the quality, or add a potion that removes side effects, right?*

‘……That something to alleviate side effects sounds terribly expensive, so let’s skip that. Can I even make a potion that removes side effects?’

*You can make it, right? You don’t know how to make it, what ingredients it needs, or anything, but you can probably do it anyway?*

‘You fucking bastard…’

…In the end, I had to slog through it for a long time.

……Not just this potion, but all the other potions too, completely.

Moreover, because the sensation of simulation and reality was subtly different, I had to keep making potions for a long time, both in reality and in simulation.

***

“Ugh……”

“You don’t look okay, Boss-nim. Do you do a lot of ‘research’ like this normally?”

“…I think this is the first time I’ve worked this hard…?”

As a result, I succeeded.

All the side effects were removed, and, of course, the lack of friend-or-foe distinction remained, but I finished registering them in the ‘Alchemist’s Treasury.’

…’Alchemist’s Treasury’ use was supposedly impossible, but registration worked. These annoying system bastards, seriously. It’s not even teasing.

*But aren’t you satisfied with their performance?*

‘…If I wasn’t satisfied with that, I would have quit.’

The potions I made this time were ‘Flame Veil Potion,’ ‘Scorching Potion,’ and, for some reason, ‘Meteor Potion,’ which was explicitly stated as a degraded version.

……It clearly looked powerful, so it was very system-like that they absolutely wouldn’t give me the original.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to use them in practice yet. In the first place, I can’t even use them because the ‘Alchemist’s Treasury’ is locked.

“But what are all these potions for?”

“…To burn the guys who attack me?”

“……You weren’t selling them?”

“If I sold these, I’d be arrested by the Imperial Palace, you know? Even though they’re single-use, they’re pretty powerful magic.”

In modern terms, it’s like selling grenades or other explosives cheaply, so there’s no way the Imperial Palace would just sit by.

Unfortunately, I’m the only one in this empire, no, on this continent, who can make potions with strange magical abilities.

And in the first place, only one bottle of each came out, so I can’t even sell them.

Most importantly, I haven’t even used them myself, so I don’t know what their effects are. What would I even sell?

“But, Boss-nim, do you know exactly what effects these potions have?”

“The effects. What they’re actually like, I’ll only know when I use them.”

“Then shouldn’t we go experiment?”

“……Were you very bored?”

I turned my head and looked outside, and the sun was high in the sky.

I clearly started this potion crafting work in the morning, so…… it couldn’t possibly be the afternoon of the same day.

……Did I really spend another whole day just stuck making potions?

“…More than that, seeing Boss-nim having her mana drained by potions all day was pitiful……”

“It seems like this will happen a lot in the future, so please tell me to sleep.”

“……I’ve told you many times already, you know? You didn’t listen at all. You weren’t eating either, so I almost force-fed you, but I held back?”

“…Thank you so much for holding back, Lily.”

“But, isn’t it a shame if you work so hard to make them and don’t even get to see their effects?”

She’s right.

It’s actually terribly disappointing.

…Unfortunately, the ‘Alchemist’s Treasury’ is unusable, and using these original potions would be perfect for getting cremated along with Lily.

……Seeing her eyes subtly sparkling, it seems Lily really wants me to show her the power of the potions once, but I’m sorry.

*It says you can test the power of the newly registered potions through the ‘Alchemist’s Treasury,’ but only for a short time.*

‘…Suddenly?’

*Because it’s clear you want it right now. But it’s only for a moment, it says.*

…I don’t know what’s going on, but it seemed like the system was being benevolent for the first time in a long time.

To think a day like this would come in my life…

*Most importantly, I’m curious. I only know the potion effects, but I’ve never actually seen them.*

‘……So you were just curious?’

*Many others are quite curious besides me, you know?*

Of course. They’re all doing this because they want or need something.

…Well, that’s why, paradoxically, I can trust the system.

Its direction of action and desires are clear, making it easier to adapt to and trust.

“…Alright, shall we prepare to go out for a bit?”

“Okay!”

……But where should I test this?

***

Fortunately, Christie provided some help with the location.

I went to her because of our personal friendship and because, as a former Defense Captain, I thought she might know a place that could ‘take a little damage,’ and she actually lent me the knights’ training ground.

She said that the facility itself was made of magic-resistant materials, so I didn’t have to worry about it burning down.

“…It’s certainly hard to meet her now that she’s the Knight Captain…”

“It was easier to get into her office when she was the Defense Captain.”

However, before going to meet Christie, there was a slight commotion.

It was a natural commotion, really, because what kind of guard would seriously listen to two girls saying they wanted to see the Knight Captain?

She’s always been close and familiar, but Christie is actually not someone to be taken lightly.

…Of course, the commotion was easily resolved when Christie herself came out.

……Being treated as an honored guest of the Knight Order all of a sudden was quite a burden, though.

Well, it was still nice to see Christie after a long time.

I don’t know if it’s because I’d been making potions all this time and finally met someone I could lean on a bit, or just because it had been a while.

Unfortunately, she seemed a bit too busy for personal talk.

“By the way, are you going to watch too, Christie? Aren’t you busy?”

“I haven’t seen you in a long time. We couldn’t even have a private chat, so I should at least watch this.

Speaking of which, this reminds me of when you turned my office into a block of ice with a potion, you know?”

“…At least it was ice back then, thankfully. This time it’s fire.”

Christie chuckled softly, as if recalling events from shortly after I came to this world and shortly after I met her.

……It was a good thing that potion was shoddy back then; otherwise, something terrible would have happened.

It’s funny that it actually became an opportunity for Christie and me to grow closer.

‘Alright, then… shall we do some experimenting?’

I picked up a potion bottle created by the ‘Alchemist’s Treasury’ and aimed it at a scarecrow that clearly looked like a target.

First was… the ‘Scorching Potion.’

Thwack!

…With a heavy thud, flames erupted.

More precisely… flames that transformed and moved in the direction and shape I desired erupted.

The flames, initially clinging to the scarecrow, moved in the direction I wanted, and then transformed into the shape I desired.

Its power was considerable, as the scarecrow was quite charred black.

‘Next is… this one.’

This time, I threw the potion bottle near me, not at the scarecrow.

Soon, fierce flames and hazy smoke rose, obscuring the surrounding view.

The visibility was properly blocked, and approach was effectively prevented; it seemed to perfectly fulfill the role of a ‘veil.’

‘Last is… the one I was most looking forward to.’

Even though it was said to be degraded, its name was still ‘Meteor Potion,’ after all.

In terms of magic, it was something akin to a meteor spell.

With such expectations, the potion bottle flew from my hand and hit the scarecrow precisely.

…

……

……

And, surprisingly, nothing happened.

Perhaps because it was too quiet, both Christie and Lily couldn’t hide their surprised expressions.

…But why are they both looking at the sky…?

“Ah.”

In the sky, meteors, smaller than I expected but about half my size, were forming.

…Preparing to fall towards the scarecrow.

……It wasn’t that nothing happened; it just took a terribly long time to cast, huh…?

It consumed a hell of a lot of mana, so there was a reason for it, huh…?

‘……Tsk. Something feels wrong.’

And, the next moment.

With a roar, the meteors struck the scarecrow.

And in its place, there was only the scarecrow (or what was left of it) and a rather large hole.

……Hmm, at least this time it wasn’t an accident in Christie’s office like last time, I guess?