Chapter 12
Handle with Care!
Clang clang clang – .
I can hear the clanging of a bell .
The town was a bit noisy when I opened the store .
I wonder what the noise is about .
A little while later, the leader of the mercenary group, the Red Cat Group, in charge of the town’s defense, Annabel-san, came over .
Her eyes are like a bird of prey’s and are a little scary, but today they didn’t have that intensity .
“… Morning . ”
Her normally piercing gaze doesn’t have any power behind it .
“Good morning . There’s quite a bit of activity; did something happen?”
While asking about the gossip in this world, I made to prepare the usual five potions, when,
“… Sorry, but can you make that ten of them today?”
“It’s fine, but I’ll charge you for the extras?”
“Aa, naturally . ”
I put another five in and received money from Annabel-san .
“But you really like them, huh? The potions . ”
“… Recently, it hasn’t been me drinkin’ them . … Well, anyway, thanks as always . ”
As she said so and went to leave the store, a large man from the mercenary group, Doze-san, came running heavily in .
“Ah, Ane-san—”
“- – Doze, what do you need here?”
“You head back to the barracks first…”
Doze-san, who found Annabel-san, awkwardly looked down .
“… You’re not going to tell Reiji about anything weird, right?”
“But Ane-san . ”
“’But’ nothing . … This ain’t got a thing to do with the Pharmacist, right? Are you that into revealing the secrets of the Red Cat Group?”
“That ain’t it … but, if it goes on like this…”
I began to hear some kind of serious discussion .
It seems they’re troubled over something .
“What’s wrong? I can lend a hand, if you’re willing . ”
“Thank you very much, Reiji Nii-san - . Did you know that bandits have come to town recently?”
Aah geez; Annable-san tossed her red hair as if exasperated .
“I’ll explain . You pull back . ”
Doze-san nodded and withdrew behind Annabel-san .
It doesn’t seem like a discussion that would finish quickly, so I left a note saying, ‘The attendant is in the back’ on the counter and invited the two of them into the house .
We don’t have anything like a greeting room, so I guided the two into the living room .
Indicating the sofa, I had the two of them sit .
Sponsored Content
“And so… what is the matter? It seems to be serious . ”
“Aah… Doze just said so, but some bastard bandits have recently been doing their stealing in the town of Karta . It ain’t like the damages are extensive … but the Red Cat Group, right, we’re employed by Lord-sama to be the town’s defenses, right? And so… Lord-sama said if all this continues, then he ain’t paying us . ”
Doze-san mournfully nodded in agreement .
“We’ve all done everything possible, Reiji Nii-san . But somehow, they’re difficult bastards… Even this morning, there was a fight between the bandits and the guards, seems like . ”
So that was what all the noise was about, huh?
Perhaps she bought a lot of potions because there were injured among the mercenary group?
She said recently “she” hadn’t been drinking them, so the reserves definitely haven’t been enough .
I’m a complete novice when it comes to combat, so if bandits came, I’d immediately hand my money over .
It’s normally scary .
And the fact that this town has been peaceful so far is thanks to the Red Cat Group protecting the town from the shadows .
“If it continues like this, we won’t receive payment from Lord-sama, and we’ll have to look for other jobs . This isn’t something we can handle, so I was thinking, can’t we borrow some wisdom from Reiji Nii-san this time, and came over . ”
“Don’t lump me together you guys, but that’s how it is . ”
The reason Annabel-san doesn’t want to consult me on this matter is probably because this is something that lies within their field of work .
They’re combat pros .
Annabel-san’s pride probably won’t let her rely on an amateur to help them out .
“Is it just the Red Cat Group for the town’s defenses?”
“There’s also the Lord’s army, but … all the useful guys have been sent to the frontlines to fight the Demon Lord’s army . … the ones that are left are the senile, old soldiers . ”
“Reiji Nii-san, don’t be mistaken, even so, we’ve always been able to repulse attacks and capture criminals . ”
“Come to think of it, you did say that this time was difficult just then . Are these bandits different?”
“Aah . I wonder just where these bastards drifted in from . They seem to be quite skilled . ”
Hm . And so, they want to borrow my wisdom .
I’m not really a thinker or a doer .
If I had to say it, all I can do is make medicine .
“So if it’s Reiji Nii-san, can’t he save us? – is what I was thinking…”
“I hate leavin’ it to other people, so I said to cut it out tons of times . ‘Cause Reiji’s one of the people that we have to protect . ”
“Annabel-san, please don’t worry about it . It’s thanks to the Red Cat Group that all of us can live carefreely like this, after all . I can stick my neck out a little bit for you guys, at least . ”
“– The medicine god has descended…!”
Haha; I laughed dryly .
“Are the bandits completely beyond your strength?”
“It’s not that they’re beyond our strength… We’d be able to find a chance to drive them away if we had a bit more breathing room . ”
Vexed about having to admit their own inferiority, Annabel-san answered evasively .
We don’t have brick or stone ramparts protecting us, and there isn’t a moat .
Our defenses are to the degree of having log fences .
If we’re going to strengthen them, it would take time and labor .
“That being the case, without arranging for more facilities, we need something that can repulse them…”
While I was thinking, I could here Noela and Mina’s voices from the kitchen .
Sponsored Content
“… Mina, tears, a lot … won’t stop . ”
“Are you alright, Noelsan? Tears will come when you cut onions~”
“Ru… sniffle . ”
Are they preparing lunch?
Just listening to their conversation, they seem like close sisters, and it’s heart-warming .
Ah- - .
If it’s that, I can make it .
“Doze-san, can I have you go buy the liquor with the most alcohol content?”
“Haa . I can, but are you going to drink it?”
“I’m going to use it as an ingredient for medicine . Please . ”
Doze-san sat up, mystified, and went off on the errand .
“I’ll also help as much as I can . ”
“Thank you very much . Then, shall we go?”
Annabel-san and I got up, heading to the kitchen .
“Ah, Reiji-san . I’m making lunch with Noelsan right now . ”
”Aruji, Noela also, making . ”
Noela, with swollen eyes, keeps rubbing her face . Noela sniffled as she narrowed her eyes .
“It’s kind of heartwarming…”
The bewildered Annabel-san stood back alone and muttered .
Mina smiled and nodded at Annabel-san .
“I see, you two seem to be having fun . … By the way, Mina, didn’t we have those? You know, those . ”
“Eh, what are ‘those’?”
“Those, you know . Those . … The spicy ones . I think, I remember you buying them recently .
“Ah ~ if you’re talking about those, then…”
And Mina took three green vegetables out of a box .
“Ah . Those are what I want . Thank you . I’ll buy the same ones from the market later, so lend them to me for now . ”
“Capsaicin grass… for medicine?”
I nodded and went into the medicine room .
As Annabel made sounds like, “Heh-,“ and “Ho-,“ my work went well as I proceeded .
There isn’t any work that I particularly needed help with, so Annabel watched my hands with interest .
“So medicine is made like this . Hm~m . ”
It would also be tough if she had no reaction, but it’s tough with her watching over my shoulder .
Doze-san soon came back, out of breath, and I received the liquor I had requested .
“Reiji Nii-san, this guy’s got the highest alcohol content of them all . On a cold day, of you drink too much, you’ll sleep all night –”
“Yeah, I don’t drink, so that won’t happen . ”
A little down-hearted, Doze-san watched me use Drug Discovery, together with Annabel-san .
“Ane-san, our potions are also made this way, huh?”
Sponsored Content
“I just said that . ”
“Eeh~ what’s with that?”
One way or another, these two get along .
When I ended it by putting it in a bottle and shaking, the liquid inside glowed lightly .
[(Strong) Capsaicin Fluid: a stimulant that’s harmless to the body . Vaporizes the instant it hits the air, and induces intense pain to the eyes, difficulty in breathing, and runny nose . ]
“Alright, it’s done . ”
I very timidly opened the lid of the bottle .
If I don’t switch it to a smaller bottle…
“Reiji Nii-san – no, Medicine God – what did you make?”
“Ah, if you come close right now”
“What is this -?”
The timing of when I opened the lid and the timing when Doze-san brought his face near matched up perfectly .
“UGYAAAAAAAA!? My eyes, my eyes, my eyes – cough cough – Haa, hii, hii … my eyes… h hiii”
Covering his face with both hands, Doze-san rolled around on the floor .
His face was all soggy with tears and mucus and drool .
… The effect is spot on .
Annabel-san, when she saw her subordinate like that,
“Ahahaha, you’re such an idiot, ahahaha!”
She laughed uproariously .
“Aah, strange . Just what is this water? Isn’t is just liquor and capsaicin grass mixed together?”
“Ah . Right now, it’s better not to get close . ”
“How shameful, for a man that’s a member of the Red Cat Group, – HYAAAAAAA!? What, what, eyes, eyes, eyesssss, my eyes, Aaaaaaaa, owowowowowo, cough cough, COUGH COUGH, ha, ha, aaa, haaaa, hiiiiiiin-“
There are two people writhing around on the floor .
What are you guys doing…
I let out a sigh, amazed at them, as I divided the large bottle of capsaicin fluid into smaller bottles .
If you throw it and it breaks, it’s something like a tear gas bomb that can repulse the enemy .
“Annabel-san as well, what are you doing? You could tell what would happen just by looking at Doze-san, right? You, the leader of a mercenary group…”
My hand slipped .
The contents of the small bottle spilled out onto the floor .
“Ah . ”
The effects of the capsaicin fluid attacked me .
“- NUAAAAAAA!? My eyes are, my eyesssss, owowowowow, it hurts, it hurts, what the heck, what the heack, notgoodnotgoodnotgood, seriously not good, I’m gonna die, cough, cough, coughcough, haa, haa, cough -! My eeeeeyes… h haaaaaa, hi-hii”
I also covered my face with my hands and writhed on the floor .
Noela called from the entrance .
“Mina . Master, rolling . Everyone, rolling . ”
“Noelsan, that’s just Reiji-san’s job - . Come now, shall we prepare the food?”
“Ru . ”
No, that’s not it … Mina, Noela .
But right now, even if I wanted to say something, I can’t speak…
After another 20 minutes, we were finally able to recover from the damage .
I tentatively explained that it’s not harmful to the body .
“I understand that, but … Reiji Bro(aniki), you made something incredible…”
“W,well, yeah…”
“But with this, we’ll have more than enough ability to drive them away, or even capture them . ”
When I made to hand the six small bottles over, Annabel-san jerked her chin towards Doze-san .
“Doze, you carry them . ”
“Eh . … Ah, Ane-san, I can’t ask you to do the honors?”
“… N,no, ah, I’m the leader … so there’s no need for me to carry them . ”
Her voice was tiny .
“Um… Reiji Nii-san, can I have you carry them all the way to the barracks?”
“Eh . … N,no, I also, I have a bit more work, I,I’m super busy … it’s impossible . ”
The capsaicin fluid as enough destructive power to give the three of us a trauma .
In the end, Doze-san carried the six bottles home .
I also kept just one bottle from crime prevention .
Late that night .
Clangclangclang-
I woke up to that sound of clanging bells .
Thinking it was a fire, when I looked out, right outside the fence surrounding the town, underneath the moonlight, were three of the mercenary group’s guards facing off against about six bonified bandits .
I saw the previously mentioned small bottles in the hands of the guards .
They tossed them, and the bottles broke when they hit the bandits .
“ “ “-UGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?” ” ”
Throwing aside their spears and swords and such, the six bandits rolled around on the ground .
Yeah, I understand your pain . I’m also someone who’s shared your experience .
Even though I don’t need to be concerned about people who do bad things, thanks to what occurred at noon, I have some weird sympathy .
That was se-riously painful, after all .
Without anyone getting into a fight or having a tough battle to protect the town, the six people were easily caught .
The next day, Annabel-san appeared to give her thanks, and told that the town was peaceful once again .
I can brag that it had the strongest power for crime prevention, but I don’t think I’ll continue to make it .
If I sell them, there will definitely be people who will abuse them .
It’s fine if I just make as many as we need when we really need them .
A medicine that’s too strong is also a problem .