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Chapter: 16

‘Everyone…’

“Tell everyone to lift their heads.”

“The Young Lady commands us to rise!”

As soon as Panata shouted, those who were prostrating on the floor rose in perfect unison.

Even if stars fell on the legions, they wouldn’t be this organized.

Looking at their terrified faces made my head ache.

I was sure I had entered the village to rest, so why do I feel more tired?

If I had known this would happen, I should have just hidden my face and entered.

No. Even if I had, the moment Panata was by my side, my identity would have been revealed.

I had Panata send the residents of Evans back.

They seemed so happy to be told to leave that they scattered as soon as Panata spoke.

In the entrance of the quieted village, I wiped my face and then spoke.

“Kal.”

“Yes. Young Lady.”

‘About me…’

“What kind of rumors are there about me?”

“It would be better if you didn’t hear them.”

‘Tell me the truth.’

“If you’re useless, speak like you are.”

“Understood.”

The Lucy that Kal described in the rumors was a demon in human form.

No. I can understand rumors about having a bad personality, a rude way of speaking, or enjoying tormenting people, or being incorrigible trash.

Those are facts.

However…

What is this about becoming training dummies for the Knights if I displease someone?!

And what about locking up people I don’t like in the basement and tormenting them?

And also! Even if Lucy is completely out of her mind, isn’t it too much that she trampled on another young lady with her foot?!

Even if rumors are exaggerated, this is too much!

“Young Lady. It’s too early for you to be surprised. This is only a part of it.”

‘Really?!’

“Are you serious?!”

“I, Kal, swear on the honor of a Knight that there is not a single lie.”

This is only a part of the rumors?!

So shocked by that fact that I turned my gaze towards Panata and the private maid, they avoided my eyes.

Really?!

Are these not exaggerated jokes, but actual rumors circulating?!

Oh, damn it, God.

How much karma did this bitch Lucy accumulate in her life?

How much chaos must she have caused in the family for such rumors to spread?

…Seriously, just in case, what if there’s truth mixed in with these rumors?

I don’t know exactly what kind of life Lucy lived before I possessed her.

I can only guess.

No one knows if there’s any truth among these deeds that I just think are mere rumors.

Someday, if someone comes to stab me, I should ask them.

For what wrong deed of Lucy’s did you come here?

I’m tired. So tired.

It’s still too early to sleep, but I just want to lock myself in my room and smash my face into the bed.

If I didn’t have something to find in Evans, I would have lived as a hikikomori for today.

‘Village Chief…’

“Panata. Where is the place that sells potions?”

“Potion shop? It’s nearby.”

‘Please guide me.’

“Guide me.”

Because I’m going to finish things as quickly as possible and go back to my room.

…But is it going to be this chaos wherever I go?

Isn’t it?

*

As expected, ominous premonitions tend to come true, as the same kind of incident happened twice on the way to the potion shop.

After experiencing all that chaos, I truly understood what it meant to be mentally exhausted.

I thought I had excellent stamina and resilience, but that was only under normal circumstances.

When I was pushed into unexpected situations, I simply couldn’t endure it.

So, by the time I arrived in front of the potion shop, I was half out of my mind.

I wonder if I’ll be able to go into the dungeon tomorrow at this rate.

Considering it, it’s all Posel’s fault.

This is all happening because that guy pushed me into the village.

If I had just camped out together as I originally intended, I wouldn’t have had to go through this hardship!

I really want revenge.

Posel. Just you wait.

My resentment is deep and profound.

Someday, I will repay this resentment tenfold.

As I opened the door and entered the shop, I heard a noisy sound.

“That’s too expensive!”

Ugh. What a loud voice. My ears feel like they’re going to fall off.

As I furrowed my brows, Panata, who was beside me, urgently raised his voice.

“Rel! Vermi!”

At the village chief’s voice, the two people inside stopped their argument and turned their gaze towards us.

They still maintained a hostile gaze as if lingering resentment remained, but as soon as they made eye contact with me, they looked flustered and hastily lowered their heads.

“We apologize! Young Lady!”

“We apologize! Please, spare our lives!”

Well, I’m not going to do anything?

Logically, would I be scolded for not paying attention to you while you fought amongst yourselves?

‘Both of you, stand up.’

“Useless ones. Get up.”

“No!”

“Young Lady, I beg you.”

‘Please, just stand up.’

“Your ears seem to be open, so can’t you hear me? Get up.”

As the Mesugaki’s translation threatened, the two quickly got up.

Either way, they looked terrified, and the woman who had been shouting just now was trembling as if she was about to cry.

If I prod her a little more, I might see a person sobbing.

Ugh. Damn it.

‘Um…’

“You two fools, what were you fighting about?”

I don’t know what the problem is, but I’ll solve it within my capabilities, so can you just finish quickly and disappear?

If you two keep acting like this, my mind and body will get more and more exhausted.

Even though I asked, the two looked at each other nervously and remained silent.

Sigh. Is this how a kindergarten teacher feels when mediating a children’s fight?

“Speak. Isn’t the Young Lady waiting?”

“That is.”

Finally, after the village chief broke the silence with a word, the woman who had been shouting slowly spoke.

“I am grateful. I came to buy the stamina recovery potions from this shop. However, the owner knew of my urgent situation and tried to profit from it, so I was arguing.”

“That’s a false accusation!”

As soon as one person spoke, a rebuttal came from the other’s mouth.

“I only charged the original price!”

“Wasn’t it cheaper than this yesterday too!”

“That was because it was of lower quality than this potion!”

Looking at them shouting and fighting, forgetting my presence, I could tell that the resentment etched in their hearts was not small.

If I leave them alone, they’ll fight until sunset.

Well, anyway, it’s all about one potion, right?

‘Th..that..’

“How much is that potion?”

“That is.”

According to the shop owner, the potion wasn’t that expensive.

I practically memorized the prices of items in the game.

Based on that, it’s a little expensive, but it’s within a comprehensible range.

It’s not to the extent of being called price gouging.

However, this might be because I’m looking at it from my perspective.

For the poor commoners, every penny is precious.

‘I’ll buy it.’

“I’ll pay.”

“…Yes?”

‘I said I’ll buy it.’

“Why don’t you clean your ears? I said I’ll buy it?”

I have enough money to casually buy a potion right now.

When I left the mansion, Benedict gave me a pouch with a few gold coins, telling me to use them if anything happened.

Even for a Count’s family, a few gold coins are a considerable sum, and he forced it into my hand.

Benedict’s love for his daughter is endless.

“Thank you! Young Lady!”

The woman, repeating my words to herself, eventually bowed her head several times and expressed her gratitude.

I just bought the potion because I wanted to casually look around, but it felt good to receive thanks.

As expected, it’s good to live a good life.

After the woman left, when I glanced back, Kal and the maid were looking at me with a strange gaze.

What is it? Why are you looking like that?

“Uh… Young Lady. If there’s something you’re looking for, I can bring it to you.”

‘It’s okay. I’ll look around myself.’

“Useless one, stay put. I’ll look around myself.”

After the woman left, the shop owner, left alone, stammered and made an offer, but I refused.

What I’m looking for right now is something even you don’t know is here.

This shop hides a magic potion.

I don’t know what story is hidden within it, but that’s not important.

What’s important is that you can buy a very rare magic potion at a cheap price at this shop.

I remember the location of the magic potion.

If you carefully examine the corner at the end of the display shelf on the right side of the store.

There it is. I found a potion bottle covered in dust from not being sold for a long time.

Yes. This is it.

The magic-boosting potion I was looking for.

I can’t appraise it, but since it looks exactly like it did in the game, it’s certain.

I can’t drink it, and now that I’ve decided to take the Tanker tree, there’s no reason to drink it, but a potion is still a potion.

If I can get it, I should take it.

Remember that there were only three magic potions stored in the Count’s family’s warehouse.

Magic potions are precious items.

I can confidently say that if I show this to a Mage at the Magic Tower, their eyes will immediately go wild.

Since it would be rude to buy only this, I should also buy a few items that might be useful in the dungeon later.

One for stamina recovery, one for detoxification, and…

I laid out the items I carefully chose in front of the shop owner.

‘I’ll buy all of them. How much?’

“How much?”

“You can just take it all.”

Really? Can I have it for free?

I was tempted for a moment by the word “free,” but I quickly regained my reason.

If I take all of this from the shop owner, it will clearly add another rumor to Lucy’s reputation.

Her reputation is already in the gutter, and I don’t want it to fall further.

‘Just tell me.’

“Just tell me. How much is it.”

“Uh… well. For this amount, about 2 silver coins.”

Isn’t that too cheap?

Even if you don’t know there’s a magic potion hidden inside, 2 silver coins is not right.

Are you afraid to extort money from me?

Or are you afraid of being caught if you quote the original price?

Hmm. If I want to pay the proper price, I have to make the first offer.

I feel guilty for taking the magic potion without saying anything, so I should pay a reasonable price.

I took out two gold coins from my pocket and placed them on the table.

‘Take this.’

“Take this.”

“This… this is too much. Even if all of these were expensive…”

Seeing the gold coins, the shop owner, perhaps fearing he might overcharge the villainous young lady, immediately declared his conscience in a trembling voice.

Just think of it as ripping off an ignorant girl and taking it.

Ah. Is it because Panata is behind me, so you can’t do that?

‘Just take it. I don’t need this money.’

“Are you talking back to me? Take it obediently. It’s money that a useless shop owner couldn’t earn in a lifetime.”

I really don’t need money right now. It’s useless to have around.

Actually, I can earn money anytime I want later.

As I spoke firmly, the shop owner hesitantly took the gold coins into his pocket.

Hey. With this, you’ve eaten as much as you want, right?

Now, you have to spread rumors like “Young Lady Lucy is a merciful person.”

If the rumor of being a wasteful spendthrift filled with arrogance comes out, will you come to scold me?

As soon as I grabbed the potions and left the shop, Kal spoke from behind.

“Young Lady. You paid too much. Even if you combine everything in the shop.”

‘Kal. Lend me your ear.’

“Useless one, shut your smelly mouth and lend me your ear.”

I blocked Kal’s mouth, who was about to nag, and whispered into his ear that the old potion bottle was actually a magic potion.

Then Kal’s eyebrows shot up, and he asked cautiously.

“Really?”

‘Yes, really.’

“You don’t suspect me, do you? You’re unfit to be a Knight.”

“I apologize. Young Lady. But how could you know that?”

‘It’s a secret.’

“It’s too early for useless ones to know.”

Hmph. I succeeded in getting a magic-boosting potion for free.

What would be the best way to use this?

Selling it to a suitable Mage would be ideal, but I wonder when a Mage will fall into my lap.

 

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