episode_0023

Strange.

According to my knowledge of the original work, Adelheid should definitely like it.

Could something have changed when I was possessed?

No, that can’t be.

What influenced Adelheid’s personality occurred long before I was possessed.

So, the current Adelheid…

“Stop.”

When the mercenary captain raised his hand, the mercenaries who were trampling me stepped back.

Spitting on the ground, blood mixed with saliva.

“Disgusting.”

He muttered quietly, and a smile crept onto the mercenary captain’s lips.

“You are truly an interesting person. You seem like a coward at first glance, but surprisingly, you have some backbone.”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, I think your name is Jack.”

“Yes, Captain. It’s a common name.”

“I’ve heard the rumors. They say the potions you make have caused quite a stir.”

“What exactly have you heard?”

“That you made crops grow in the fields and fish overflow in the river, isn’t that right?”

Instead of talking about healing potions, he’s talking about feed and fertilizer potions?

What’s going on?

Is the Remagen Mercenaries finally trying to settle down and make a living here?

Surely not.

Those guys would rather plunder another village during planting season.

There seems to be something, what could it be…

“Answer me.”

“I did use some tricks with potion-making know-how.”

“Then, did you also slaughter thirty goblins?”

“Um…?”

What’s with that all of a sudden?

Once again, I quickly racked my brain and remembered something.

A few days ago, on the way down from Odeline City, Liberonne had dealt with a troublesome group of goblins.

Could he be talking about that incident?

Other than that, nothing else comes to mind immediately related to thirty goblins and me.

If that’s the case, Adelheid’s question right now is essentially, “Is there a potion that can enable the slaughter of thirty goblins?”

Yeah. That’s it.

They mistakenly thought there was a potion that could enhance their combat abilities and kidnapped me in the middle of the night.

So that’s it.

The renowned Remagen Mercenaries wouldn’t be interested in farming or fishing potions.

How should I handle this?

Should I tell the truth that there’s no such potion?

Then I will become useless and die here.

Trying to keep me alive is like voluntarily confessing that they interfered with the officially recognized potion shop owner under direct orders.

It was a kidnapping without witnesses, so if I’m killed here, everything will be neatly resolved.

Alright. Let’s lie.

For now, I have to survive, whether to escape or do something else.

“I have used experimental potions in haste. However, it wasn’t alone; it was with several security guards, including holy knights.”

“Does that mean it’s not a finished product?”

“Yes. The recipe hasn’t been properly completed yet. There are many unstable elements. At that time, it was lucky to have an effect, but now it could act more like poison.”

Adelheid silently looked at my face.

It seemed like she was trying to find out if there was a lie in my words.

But Adelheid doesn’t have the ability to detect lies.

No matter how fiercely she opens her eyes, she won’t be able to tell.

“Alright. That’s what you’re saying.”

“Yes, Captain. It seems to be an intention to enhance the combat power of the mercenary corps…”

“One month.”

“Yes?”

Adelheid raised one finger.

“I’ll give you one month.”

“Do you mean to complete the potion within a month?”

“You catch on quickly.”

One month.

Surprisingly, she’s quite lenient.

I thought a week would be plenty.

Let’s accept it for now.

If it’s a month, I should be able to figure out a way to escape from here by racking my brains.

I’m Jack, the owner of the potion shop.

I will never die so pitifully.

“Understood, Captain. Then please provide me with a room with cooking facilities. I will definitely make that potion within a month.”

Adelheid’s smile grew as she made a bold promise.

“I like that.”

“Are you saying you like me? In that case, does that mean you’ll be dining with me every evening…?”

A mercenary pushed me away.

“Excuse me. This is a matter between me and the Captain. After all, when a handsome man and a beautiful woman meet eyes…!”

“Stop. Take him to the kitchen where he won’t cause trouble.”

When Adelheid spoke, the mercenaries roughly lifted me up.

Captain. Please promise me. At least once a day, have a meal with me and look at my face, or if not, at least have a simple tea.

“He’s an amusing guy.”

As Adelheid shrugged, the mercenaries dragged me outside.

I wonder if he bought it.

I don’t know.

If my original knowledge is not wrong, it will be bought.

If it’s not bought, there’s nothing I can do.

* * * * *

After the owner of the potion shop was taken away, Adelheid sat quietly with his chin on the armrest.

One officer cautiously spoke up.

“Captain, do you really trust that guy?”

“Success would be nice, but even if it fails, it’s fine.”

Adelheid replied coldly.

“He transformed potions to provide food for a poor village. Whatever it becomes, he should be able to make a similar potion.”

“But what if he claims it’s a potion but makes poison instead…”

“Even if he makes poison, if he doesn’t feed it to all of us simultaneously, I won’t have a chance to survive.”

“What if after making a real potion, he drinks it himself and causes trouble?”

Adelheid chuckled.

“In the middle of our Remugen Mercenaries? Is that possible? It’s a completely pointless concern.”

Adelheid got up from his chair.

“Keep an eye on him, but don’t interfere with his potion research.”

“Understood.”

“Everyone, leave.”

After the officers left, Adelheid went to the terrace.

The cool breeze of late spring tousled Adelheid’s hair.

A small earring peeked out from under his disheveled hair.

He said his name was Jack.

Seems like just an ordinary guy, but it feels like there’s more than meets the eye.

Considering what he knows about me, our mercenary group must surely also know.

Can he come to our mercenary camp in the middle of the night and act so leisurely?

It really feels like there’s something.

He doesn’t seem like just an ordinary potion shop owner.

Perhaps he had a past as an imperial knight or something similar.

There are people who occasionally hide their glorious past and live like ordinary people in secluded places.

But when I saw his hands earlier, he didn’t seem like someone who wields a sword.

The part that should have been firm was clean.

Then, perhaps… a sorcerer…?

Adelaide’s spine shivered for a moment.

If it were a sorcerer, the situation would completely reverse.

Instead of the mercenary capturing him, he would deliberately become a companion, saying, “Let’s see what kind of people they are.”

No, that’s not it.

If he were a real sorcerer, the subordinates sent to capture him would have been completely annihilated.

The exact identity is unknown, but it is certain that he cannot overpower several mercenaries with full force.

Then what is he really up to?

Adelaide recalled the words Jack had said to her earlier.

“You’re very pretty and charming.”

It’s just flattery. People are naturally drawn to beauty.

If the commander’s gaze falls on me, my heart will melt and I’ll die.

Every evening, dining together with me.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman, just locking eyes.

Whether it’s a meal or even just a simple tea while looking at each other’s faces.

“Crazy bastard.”

Adelaide’s muttering voice trembled slightly.

Are you out of your mind to dare say such things to the leader of the Remugen Mercenaries unless you’re insane?

Could he really be mentally unstable?

That possibility cannot be ruled out.

By the way…

Adelaide fiddled with her small earring.

Me… pretty…?

I’ve never heard such words in my life.

Short hair and a face marked with scars.

She has never worn a skirt and always dresses like a man in armor.

Adelaide considers herself a man born as a woman.

Femininity to Adelaide is an awkward thing that is of no help in leading the mercenary group.

This is all because of her father, who is no longer in this world.

Her father openly expressed disappointment about having only one child, a daughter, to inherit the mercenary group, so Adelaide acted even more like a man.

While other girls played with dolls, she learned how to kill, and she always fought at the forefront in any battle.

She made every effort, but even in his passing, her father lamented the fact that he had no son.

Why on earth was I born as a woman….

Because of that, Jack’s remarks were a bitter insult to her.

‘An unfit woman to be a mercenary captain,’ is an acceptable interpretation.

However, for some reason, Adelheid couldn’t express her anger at that moment.

Perhaps because it was the first time she had heard such words in her life, she hurriedly hid her bewildered expression.

It would be absurd to go to him now and belatedly pour out her anger.

Adelheid is the leader of a hundred elite mercenaries.

She cannot afford to show such emotionally unstable behavior.

But still, she couldn’t help feeling angry.

However, the anger welling up inside her was not directed at Jack, but rather at the excitement and doubt those words had stirred within herself.

“You son of a bitch!!”

Adelheid shouted into the air, swept her hair back, covered her ears, and returned to the room.

Standing in front of the mirror, Adelheid carefully examined her face, marked with scars from battles.

Come to think of it, I’m suddenly getting angry again.

When that bastard flatters me, are his subordinates believing that his words are untrue?

I can’t tell if what he said about me being pretty is true, or if his subordinates who believe it’s completely wrong are right.

Adelheid smashed the mirror with her fist.

Her face reflected in the shattered mirror looked quite grotesquely distorted.