episode_0060

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“Is it okay if I have a little taste?”

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It was not Terezina who spoke like that, but Lang, who had been quietly listening to the side.

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Nodding slightly, Lang took the vitality-recovering honey in his hand, opened the lid, scooped up some honey with his hand, and put it in his mouth.

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As if the taste was really good, Lang closed his eyes tightly and savored the luscious sweetness of the honey for a while.

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And when I opened my eyes again.

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“… Your vitality has truly been restored. This kind of honey would be difficult to obtain unless there was a flood.”

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She looked down at the honey in disbelief. His expression was as stiff as a stone, but there was a surprise in his eyes that could not be hidden.

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Terezina followed Lang, scooping up honey with her hand and heading to her mouth. She let out a small exclamation when she realized that her vitality had truly been restored.

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“… This is amazing.”

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As this world changed from game to reality, many changes occurred, and one of them was potions.

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Unlike games where you could get as many potions as you had money, it was very difficult to obtain potions in this world even if you had a lot of money.

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Although the number of alchemists was sufficient, the difficulty of obtaining materials for intermediate potions equivalent to honey was very high.

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In particular, the potion for recovering mana boasted a considerable price even for a low-level potion because the materials were difficult to obtain.

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Even if you somehow get the money, such precious potions usually go to nobles first, so there is even a joke that commoners will be reborn as nobles faster than buying mana potions.

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In such a situation, there is no way these two people would not know the value of this amount of honey.

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“Felt, you said you could make 30 bottles of this a day, right?”

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“Yes, I can’t necessarily say that’s the case because the familiar’s condition may drop a little on bad days, but think about it being that much on average.”

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“… Then, please deliver all honey produced from now on to me. We’ll give you double the price of potions with the same effect sold on the market.”

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“What kind of senile nonsense is this old lady talking about? Felt was the one who brought this up, so why are you excited alone? And double?”

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Foot.

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Terezina said with a slight smile and a snort.

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“Acting like you’re being generous by making stupid puns. There’s no way you, a merchant, wouldn’t know the meaning of unprocessed material having such an effect, right?”

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The fact that the raw materials have such an effect means that, depending on the skill of the alchemist, a potion with better performance can be produced.

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Even though that point was pointed out, Lang spoke with a calm expression without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

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“Just because the material is good does not guarantee that a good potion will be made right away. Rather, it may be less effective due to poor compatibility with existing materials, and problems may arise in storage or other aspects… .”

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“If you can only make a mediocre potion with these ingredients, it proves your lack of skill. Felt, I’ll give you three times as much, so I’ll give it all to you――.”

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“Five times.”

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A voice filled with deep anguish resonated comfortably in the room.

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When we all paused in confusion at the unexpected words, ‘Tak!’ Rang folded his fan with a sound and said with a smile on his face.

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“In addition, I will hand over some of the equipment Felt wants from my warehouse as a gift.”

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“Equipment?”

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“Yes, I’m not bragging, but my hobby is collecting valuable equipment.”

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The story was that she would give away up to five pieces of equipment she wanted out of the items she had collected so far from her warehouse.

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This is equipment that the kingdom’s richest man and one of the most powerful men in the world personally says is valuable.

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It was easy to guess how high its value would be, but it was still too much.

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It seemed like they were planning to gather as much supplies as possible in preparation for a war that might one day come, but that didn’t seem to be everything.

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Any beastman in the forest would surely know of the existence of druids.

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Are you trying to recruit me for this position, knowing that I have obtained a rare job?

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I don’t know how she interpreted the relationship between me and Theresina, but judging from her words and actions as if she was keeping Terezina in check, it wasn’t an impossible story.

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As I glanced at Terezina, I noticed a dark shadow casting over her face.

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If it weren’t for Rang who was here, he looked like he would have slit his throat right now.

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“… It’s an attractive offer, but it’s still too burdensome. It’s a proposal that benefits me too one-sidedly.”

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After saying that in a harsh atmosphere, Lang spoke in a calm voice, as if there was nothing wrong with Terezina’s anger.

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“That depends on your perspective. It’s not my place to say this, but I am careful not to do business that is losing money.”

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“It feels different to me. And since this was originally a story I brought to Sister Terezina, I don’t think it would be right to pass it all on.”

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“Dori… . Mr. Felt, are you discussing the right and wrong in your dealings with the devil’s ministers?”

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“That really depends on your perspective. Because the person I serve doesn’t particularly hate the devil.”

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You might actually like it.

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Because it is driving humans, who are eaters of nature, to destruction.

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“Even if not, I want to remain loyal to my sister regardless of profit or loss.”

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“… Felt!”

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While Theresina showed a rare expression of emotion, Lang closed his eyes tightly and pondered the word ‘loyalty.’

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It’s righteousness.

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Even though it was something I said, it was one of the most unsuitable words in this world.

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However, Lang, who has lived for a long time, nodded and spoke with watery eyes, as if he missed the time when those words were real.

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“If you insist on loyalty, there is nothing you can do. Because trust isn’t just for the devil’s ministers.”

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“… Thank you for your understanding. Then, we decided to deliver 60% of the total honey production to Sister Lang. How about three times the normal price and three items?”

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“It’s that good. Then the remaining 40%… .”

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“30% to Sister Theresina at the same price. I will use the remaining 10%.”

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I was worried about what would happen if serious bargaining came in, but no one seemed to have any complaints.

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Afterwards, a minor current status report followed.

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As I quietly listened to the story from the side, the prime minister’s faction seemed to have a vague sense of an impending attack by devil worshipers.

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“Some people have already returned to their hometown under the pretext of a family event. Surely your daughter was attending the academy too? Is it okay?”

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“It’s okay. Even if it were a demon summoned by those bad credit people, it would be a small thing that could barely pass level 40.”

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If he had any doubts about whether such half-puns would be able to perform the ritual properly, he did not hide his ridicule at all.

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“Most of the faction has already evacuated, right? So, shall I secretly help you figure out what to summon? If a strong demon appears, there is a way to make a new contract and use it as a familiar… .”

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In the midst of such an ugly conversation, time passed and the scarlet sunset streamed through the cracks in the window, staining the table red.

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“It’s already this time.”

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I stood up first, stretched a little, and spoke to the two people who were engrossed in conversation.

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“Then I’ll just leave. As for transporting the honey, please send someone later. And my sister, Sarah, I would like to talk about it separately later. Is that okay?”

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“Yes, I plan to stay in the royal capital for a while, so please come visit me anytime. If it’s about that child, I have a lot to say.”

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“Haha… .”

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In the face of something meaningful, all I could do was smile.

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*****

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“So I came back after just talking about honey.”

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After returning to the mansion, I roughly explained to Sarah what had happened so far.

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Sarah was a little anxious about the fact that Terezina was staying here, but once everything went as planned, she breathed a sigh of relief.

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“… I’m glad it ended without incident. By the way, did she know?”

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“My sister is a demon minister, so she probably has connections there. Or there may be someone leaking information to the empire.”

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Since Lang seemed to know this, it is highly likely that it was the latter.

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No, with her personality, it might not be enough to just have a confidant, but rather she might be providing some kind of support behind the scenes.

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Anyway, now that we have succeeded in distributing honey, there is no need to worry about finances.

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Since the revenue came in more than expected, I might be able to go to that dungeon that I had given up on due to budget issues.

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This is still far in the future, so let’s put it aside and focus on the immediate problem of devil worshipers for now.

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“As I said before, devil worshipers supported by the empire will attack the academy in the near future.”

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The purpose is to recruit noble students enrolled at the academy.

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Because the heads of nobles who stood above those of commoners were considered to be of higher value, nobles were often targeted by devil worshipers.

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Just as robbers determine their targets by looking at the accessories on their bodies, devil worshipers analyze the perception of the world and select their targets.

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It is said that the head of one high-ranking noble is worth more than a hundred commoners, so it was completely understandable why they would go out of their way to target the dangerous academy.

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“What should we do?”

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“… How do you do it?”

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“You haven’t made a contract with a new devil yet, right? Wouldn’t you like to make a contract with the devil summoned this time?”

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In fact, since the academy has a dean and a vice dean, we don’t know what will happen.

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But just in case, you might need to keep that situation in mind.

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“… All my demons were contracted while I was under that woman.”

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It is said that the sacrifices made at that time were vagabonds who were left on the streets carrying a mountain of debt.

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At the time, Sarah completed her first contract without really understanding what they were or what was happening.

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After he grew up, he fulfilled the contract of his own volition.

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I knew that I would get my hands dirty, but I had a stronger desire to survive somehow, even if it meant sacrificing others.

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“It’s still like that. I value my life more than people who have nothing to do with me. and… .”

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Sarah, who stopped mid-sentence, slowly raised her head and looked at me with trembling eyes.

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Just before I could read any emotion in those eyes, Sarah lowered her head again and spoke.

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“… I now have a reason to want to live a little longer.”

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