The Novice Alchemist’s Store

"I am concerned about the presence of that hazardous substance, but I used it..."

"Of course, I'm not using it. You don't have to. I mean...."

I don't have to think about it. Those men must have used it.

"Why are you doing such a dangerous thing....."

"I guess it's too soon to ask. - Who are you guys?

It was Iris who acted lightly against Lorea, who looked at the men in a confused manner.

If she talks to anyone with her sword hanging in one hand, the men will whisper something and they will go to the other fellow men, and the remaining one will drop the weapon on his hips under his feet and then approach us.

And when I could see the person's expression, Iris raised her eyebrows with suspicion.

"Isn't that... the leader's equipment?

When Iris puts his hand on his jaw to remind him of something, Kate nods to agree.

Speaking of which, I've seen it before.

"Leader... perhaps, of Warrant Baron Kirk?

"Ah, that soldier's armor contains the Baron's Sigil. I have money."

I can't even give you armor.

A decent armor is quite expensive.

If you pay all the soldiers, you need a lot of money, and you need a lot of budget.

It is also inevitable that the Rozze family, which was suffering from debt, could not secure its budget.

"Kate, don't you have to glorify your opponent? We don't have a leader. Hahaha"

- I didn't think so.

I'm laughing loudly, but is that a good thing to laugh at...?

Should we think of it as a peaceful territory where there is no need for a leader, or should we think of it as poor enough to be able to hire soldiers?

Because that Adelbert is the lord, it seems to be peaceful, but I'm sure he was poor.

But now...

"Warlord Kirk's leader happened to have entered the winter mountains at the same time as us, happened to have been attacked by the ski giant Snowglide Centipede, and happened to run away to us - how could that be?"

I see. The relationship between us and Baron Kirk, and the smell pointed out by the store manager earlier. You won't have to think about it. "

When Iris tightened his expression and lifted his sword a little, the approaching man shook his hands in a hurry.

"Wait, I'm not going to argue! I also left my weapon!!"

"It seems so, but you can't fight without a weapon. I'm not going to attack you nauseously....."

By the way, while the man was buried in snow to the waist, we stood on it without being buried in snow, thanks to snowshoes (snow boots).

Even me and Lorraine, who are not tall, look down on him, and given the ease of movement, it doesn't seem very dangerous.

When we were fighting the ski giant Snowglide Centipede, it doesn't seem a lie to think that there was no hostility because we did nothing?

"It depends on your response. You're the leader of Warrant Baron Kirk, right? Tell me who you belong to and why you're here."

"I'm Captain Madison of South Strag's Sixth Security Platoon. Your alchemist ordered me to kill the ski giant Snowglide Sentipide. Lord."

In response to Iris' question, the man Madison answered clearly, without deception, what should normally be hidden.

However, Iris frowned at her doubts that the answer had been obtained too easily.

"... you admit it quite quickly, right?

"If you fight the ski giant Snowglide Centipede, we will die for sure. No, rather, if we don't fight, a lot of the crew will die. As captain, I want to raise the chances of my crew surviving."

That's exactly what Madison's gaze is on the people being rescued.

We do not know the extent of the injury from here, but considering the number of people who are currently walking safely and the number of people they first saw, it is clear that they exceed the number of people they can transport.

If we abandon it, we will be able to return safely from this winter mountain to some of the poles.

"That's a wise decision. How did the ski giant Snowglide Centipede lead you?

"The alchemist at the Lord gave me the medicine to lure me. Using it, I put a little scratch on Snowglide Centipede, the ski giant that came out, and then I just ran away."

"If we know our purpose, is it easy to predict the route?"

Unlike the meadows, there are only a few places that are suitable for walking in the mountains.

"But I think it's pretty much too strong to get away from the ski giant Snowglide Centipede until we meet, or if we happen to be off the road."

"Of course, after I checked on you, did I lure you? Camping for a few days on a hill where you can see the route you checked beforehand. Running away... was just desperate."

"You've done such a good job....."

"If you can refuse, I refuse. You can't just refuse a lord's orders, can you? Would you mind taking that into account?

Madison sighed reluctantly and looked at us, but Kate shook her head resolutely.

"It depends on your future actions. - So you just pull me in and pull me out? Even if I say yes, I feel lucky that the ski giant" Snowglide Sentipide "will attack us."

"In that regard, there is a drug that you are given to throw when you lead them closer."

That's what Madison took out of his pocket with a small medicine bottle.

I receive it carefully and try to open the lid a little bit.

It leaked out of it with a slightly sweet twitch and a irritating smell on the nose.

I unexpectedly frowned and hurried to close the lid.

"Dear store manager, what is that?

"Probably something that excites giants and obsesses them with the smell."

Alchemy wasn't on the list (at least to the extent I can read it), so I've never made it, and it's just a prediction, but I think it's probably true.

Was he the one who made it?

He was in a rowing business in South Strag.

The store seems to have collapsed without (...) incident, so I may be leaning towards the lord.

It's not personally incompatible, right?

"But you didn't pretend to throw it while we were fighting. Why is that?

I don't think we lost, but if there was a smell in the body, it would have been a hassle to come back after that.

When he asked me that, Madison smiled in trouble.

"Do you want to kill a child as old as your own? I really shouldn't have brought the ski giant Snowglide Centipede..."

"There was no escape, there was no choice but not to let ourselves escape."

"What a pity."

"If so, I think there was a way to get into the mountains, crush time, and go home saying that I failed... You knew they'd be in danger if you took a bite out of the ski giant Snowglide Sentipide?

"I wish I could, but the lord's private soldiers were watching. Otherwise, I'm not into the unfamiliar Winter Mountain itself."

"Er, you are also lord's private soldiers, right?

Lorea glanced at the somewhat puzzling words Madison said and questioned them, and he bent his mouth unintentionally.

"A private soldier in the sense of being hired by the lord, but we were watched by a son of a bitch who worked dirty, closer to the lord. Our original job is to keep the town safe. Go around town, catch sneakers, arbitrate fights. There is no such thing as direct orders from a lord.... I didn't know."

Say so, sigh big.

From this state of affairs, it can be seen that I never liked to take on this job.

"So the order was the assassination of the store manager. Is it... difficult to refuse?"

"We all have families in that town. You know what happens when you say no...

When Madison saw us asking for consent, Lorea was the first to nod.

"I'm not sure... but I understand. The opponent is a nobleman and lord."

"Not all the nobles are like that....."

Iris is a little dissatisfied with that murmuring, and I know because I have a noble friend, but Lorea is more common as a civilian.

Even if there were a real nobleman like the Rotze family, it would be sad, but the nobleman who has a huge influence on the civilian population is not.

Even though the total number is small, the bad lord's impression tends to get stronger.

"By the way, who was watching it?

You can't talk like that. When asked, Madison smiled slightly.