The Novice Alchemist’s Store

This was before Lorea started working at Sarasa's shop.

At that time, Sarasa was turning the shop by herself, so she had a busy day.

Production of smelting medicine (potions) and smelting tools (artifacts) during the day and after the store closes.

Plus daily cleaning, laundry, and meal preparation.

Cleaning is relatively easy with the effect of “stamping”, but you have to do your own laundry, and so does eating. When I went to Dilal, I could eat quite a lot of meals, but Salasa who spared no time for it often finished meals with proper preserved food.

So, when it comes to having no time at all, that's never the case.

After all, only collectors visit Sarasa's shops today.

The usual pattern is to stop in the morning before work to replenish the alchemy (potion), etc., and bring in the work results after noon and in the evening.

Inevitably, other times are very free.

However, it is difficult not to be able to close the store.

Enjoying tea time and chatting with Lorea, who came to play in anticipation of such a time, was the daily routine of Sarasa these days.

Also today, Lorea was a little reluctant and let her face peer through the entrance of the store.

"Hello Sarasa, if it's your time..."

"Welcome, Lorea. I'm free as usual. Come in, come in."

As Sarasa gestured from the counter, Lorea gladly entered the store and sat down on the chair beside the counter, which was in its most recent position.

I can make tea right now, just a minute.

“Thank you so much. Compared to drinking from us, it's very delicious, isn't it, Sarasa-san's tea?"

Well, then, it's worth a little research.

While saying that, Sarasa takes out the suya tea that is commonly consumed in this village.

However, it is a tea leaf that Sarasa has alchemically added to the leaves she has picked herself. It removes the odor of freshness and brings out the depth and taste.

Although it is not comparable to the fine tea leaves sold in large towns, it is definitely at the top of the list of teas consumed in this village.

And to match that tea, this is also a dried fruit prepared by Sarasa.

Purchased in South Strag, it is a rare luxury in the village, with just a little sugar added.

Thalassa is a little poor, but he's a little excited about the tea treats he offers Lorea to enjoy with his only friend in the village.

"Come on, don't hesitate to eat sweets."

Yes, I'll take it.

Having a sip of tea, Lorea smiles as she reaches for the dried fruit.

Seeing that, Sarasa smiles again.

I have room to relax with friends of my age.

Though I was happy about that, I was a little worried about Sarasa.

"... hey, Lorea, can I ask you a question?"

"Oh, yes. Ask me anything."

Lorea leaned her head and nodded. Sarasa was slightly lost and opened her mouth.

"Um... you come to visit me quite often, but is it okay to help me with my work at home? As for me, I'm glad you're here."

I'll miss Lorea when she doesn't come to play with it.

However, if she came without doing what she had to do, it would not be for Lorea's own benefit, and it would also interfere with her future relationship with her neighbors. She was a little excited and pointed out that it was Sarasa, but Lorea smiled bitterly for a moment.

"Ah, is that it?" Actually, I'm pretty busy right now. "

Is that so?

“Yes, I usually work as a storekeeper while my parents are shopping, but thanks to Sarasa's arrival, the number has decreased.”

Until now, Lorea's parents had quite often left the shop because they had the job of buying alchemy (potions) for collectors, buying some materials from collectors that did not require much preservation, and selling them to South Strag.

However, when the alchemist Sarasa opened the shop, they became unnecessary, and the business content was limited to the ordinary grocery store.

As a result, the number of purchases decreases drastically, and Lorea also reduces the number of store numbers.

"It's a little complicated considering that the same generation of children work every day..."

If you're around Lorea's age, you're at the stage of helping her with her family business, remembering her job, and preparing her to take over the house in the future, and she'll be the same if she's the same.

However, as far as the shop number in the village is concerned, Lorea is still a little young to take her to other towns for purchasing. However, she does not usually need manpower for the work of the village grocery store.

In other words, it's inevitable that Lorea will be free with her parents.

I will go to other houses to help if asked, but unless someone in my family gets sick or is short-handed during the farming season, there is usually only a job that can be paid for by the people in the house, and Lorea is not called.

"That's why I have to take care of the vegetable garden a little bit right now... I'm in trouble."

"But when you don't have parents, you're a shopkeeper, right?" I don't think that's a problem.

"If you say so, your heart will be lightened..." But thanks to the time, I'm glad to hear from Sarasa about the capital. ”

"Hahaha, am I glad I have someone to talk to too? Hey, that's a corner. Can you tell me about Lorea? About this village and the grocery store."

When Sarasa said, "It's boring for me to talk about the capital," Lorea leaned her head in a bit of trouble.

"Hmm, but incidents don't happen like that in the village, and the grocery store doesn't replace the store number, right?" "The customers are just getting to know each other..." Ah, but-- "

"What? Something interesting?"

Seeing Lorea slightly dumbfounded, Sarasa stepped forward with interest.

"It's funny... there's nothing interesting about it." Somewhat strange, isn't it? ”

Wonder?

"Yes. That was... not long before Sarasa came to this village, so the end of winter... No, early spring." An unusual person visited the store. ”

Lorea put her index finger in her mouth as if digging up a memory of the time, and began to speak with a slight look up.

◇◇◇

It was a bit chilly that day, even if it should be said that it was back to cold.

The doors of grocery stores, which were often left open on good days, are also firmly closed to prevent the wind from entering.

When Lorea sat down in her chair during the idle period when there were few customers originally, "I can't expect today," looking out, the clouds became suspicious and the outside became dim.

And it starts to rain hard.

The view from the outside suddenly got worse with the rustling sound.

With that in mind, Lorea suddenly opened the door of the store and one customer came in.

"Hey, welcome..."

Although he greeted her half-reflexively, Lorea's heart bounced when she saw the person.

His height is slightly higher.

A black robe that completely covers your body as if it hides your identity.

Although the faces cannot be confirmed by the hood covered in the depths of the eyes, all the villagers know each other, and the collectors staying in the village have hardly changed lately. From Lorea, who is roughly aware of it, it is easy to spot that the person who came in is not an acquaintance.

Lorea reached out to Bell, who was told by her parents to "ring when something happened," but the situation was not good.

Usually, if you ring the bell, an adult in the neighborhood will rush in.

But now it's raining heavily outside.

No matter how hard Lorea tries to swing the bell, can she still hear the sound?

Lorea was thrilled and watched the customer's movements.

A customer who knows or does not know Lorea's vigilance and walks slowly around the store.

With this calm movement, Lorea's heartbeat, busy rushing the early bell, eventually returned to normal, and she had plenty of time to think.

”-And yet, to change the hunting ground, a collector came to see me in advance?”

If you look at it with that anticipation, you can understand the behavior of observing the store rather than taking anything, and checking what kind of products are there.

The robe that seemed suspicious was not so strange considering the sudden heavy rain, and Lorea gently let go of the bell she was holding under the counter.

That's about a few minutes. The customer called out to Lorea to see if she was satisfied in the store, which was not very spacious.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask... do you also deal in alchemy (potion) here?"

The customer pointed to a bottle of alchemy (potion) that was placed behind the counter because it was a luxury product.

Lorea looked back, confirmed it, and nodded.

"Yes, for a while. I can't always buy them and they have expiration dates, so it's almost a deficit." It's a service to the people in the village and the collectors. "

"After all, is that the case?" ― ― Can I ask you something else about the village?

"Yes, I don't mind." What's going on? "

"Ah, that's right. It's a bit abstract, but... is it an easy village to live in?"

Lorea often thought and answered the words that seemed a little lost about what to ask.

"... it's a good village if you say it as a resident. There are also many good collectors who are permanent residents. However, it's a different question of earning money as a Gatherer. There is no alchemist, so it is difficult to sell the material. I can buy some, but it's an ordinary grocery store-"

As for Lorea at the grocery store, I want more collectors to become customers, but there's no point in telling falsehoods. Lorea talks about her village honestly and as fairly as she can.

The customer was listening to Lorea's words while nodding, but when I thanked her as if she was satisfied, she didn't buy any products, so she left the store.

◇◇◇

And, well, that's what happened.

"Huh, that kind of customer."... hm? But what's so strange about that? The way I talked about it was a bit...... but "

It was Sarasa who asked if it was somehow a scary story, but as a result, a customer who came to the store on a rainy day just came back and asked the story.

Any element that suddenly rains down, or has a suspicious appearance, or is slightly disturbing, is not even more strange.

"No, that's the way it is. The figure of this person has been verified all over the village... but you haven't stayed at the inn, have you? Of course, I never stayed at someone's house in the village. The last sighting in the evening suddenly disappeared."

"Um... you mean you went on a day trip?"

“Of course, that's possible. But do you bother to leave the village in the evening? And in the rain of the dirt."

"... if it's normal, I'll stay overnight and then go home."

"Yes, even if you don't have enough money, this is the village." You can rent a barn for free if you ask. ”

You don't have to go out in heavy rain, do you?

"Yes, and it is."

Lorea partitioned her words there once and added, slightly hiding her voice.

"I noticed later that the floor wasn't wet at all even though I came into the store in that much rain..."

"...... Wow. In fact, this person is only visible to Lorea-chan?"

Sarasa hid her voice like she was with Lorea, and Lorea shook her head in a panic.

"No, no! You said you had sightings."

"That's right. By the way, who did you talk to?"

"It's just me..."

Sarasa and Lorea looked at each other in silence.

Take a sip of tea and exhale in small breaths to warm your body.

"After all, I haven't seen that woman since... I wonder what that was."

"It's certainly strange - is that it?" Was she a woman? "

Thinking of herself as a man, Sarasa replied to Lorea's leaked words.

“Yes, you remember it well, because it was one young woman and it was lightweight.”

There are no regular carriageway flights from this village to the next town, and even if you had your own horse, you wouldn't be able to reach it in a day if you were a normal person, and even a little special salsa would take half a day.

In other words, if you leave the village in the evening, you will definitely need camping on the way.

Nonetheless, it is lightweight.

"This is truly a mysterious event..."

And it came to pass, that the face of the man that could do it was suddenly on the head of Sarasa.

"... hey, Lorea. What was she like?"

"She was a bit of a cool woman. She's a little taller, and she's quite beautiful--"

Lorea's characteristics include the appearance of a woman in Sarasa's head, which matches the face of the person who just passed by.

That person won't have to worry about the dangers of walking the streets at night, and even the rain on the dirt won't get his body wet.

"... no, no way, right?"

Thinking of the distance between this village and the king's city, Thalassa shook his head that it was impossible.

Even when I was recommended here, I didn't hear any stories like that, and it's hard to imagine that a busy master class would take time to get to such a periphery.

In theory, even though I understood that, I couldn't get rid of the idea of 'maybe'.

Sarasa said, "Should I ask you the next time I see you? Or is it better not to touch it? 'I was worried.