Chapter 42

---

About fifteen minutes earlier.

Getting the business started hadn’t been easy.

And for good reason.

“Hey! That lot over there are obvious scammers! Our potions are the real deal!”

“What are you talking about? Ours are the real ones!”

Potion-selling frauds were scattered everywhere—about as common as pebbles on the street.

I clicked my tongue.

‘Textbook tactics.’

To sum it up, it went like this:

1. Badmouth the competition and insist they’re the only authentic sellers.

2. Brag about fabricated credentials—some award from some competition, a commendation from some lord.

3. When a customer approaches, pop the cork and let them sniff the “pleasant” aroma.

‘Beginner adventurers smell something nice and assume it’s genuine, then buy it on the spot….’

Of course, it wasn’t just the scent—they were really falling for the scammers’ slick tongues.

Seasoned adventurers, however, weren’t so easily fooled.

“Isn’t this just dyed? The scent’s kind of artificial too….”

“What are you talking about? It’s a high-grade potion! I made it myself!”

“Hmm… looks fake no matter how I see it.”

“Can’t you see this trophy? I won it at the Castel Royal Academy Alchemy Competition!”

“Why does the trophy look so cheap? Isn’t it forged?”

“Then get lost if you’re not buying!”

Exactly like that.

In this situation, saying something like, “Excuse me, our potions are real,” wouldn’t get me anywhere.

So what should I do?

In times like this, the best strategy was to take a detour.

‘Go after a niche market!’

Just then, an adventurer happened to stroll past our stall. I jumped on the opportunity.

“Would you like to try some strawberry jam?”

“Strawberry jam?”

“I made it myself.”

He paused, then smiled faintly.

“You sell jam too? I thought this was a potion stand.”

“I farm and cook as well. The strawberries for this jam? I grew them myself.”

Something about that amused him, because he burst out laughing.

Then, with a playful curve to his eyes, he said,

“Since the apothecary is cute, so I’ll give it a try.”

“C-cute…?”

I froze, creaking like a broken machine, when a cold scoff sounded beside me.

“Ha….”

Lycian.

It felt like a dark, inky aura was seeping off him.

‘C-calm down…!!’

I quickly squeezed his hand once before letting go, then spread some jam over a small piece of bread and offered it to the adventurer.

“Here. Try it.”

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

Still smiling brightly, he popped the bread into his mouth.

A moment later, as he chewed, his eyes widened.

He swallowed and spoke, clearly surprised.

“It’s tasty? Not too sweet—just right.”

“Hehe, right?”

“And it’s kind of addictive… what is this? I want another bite….”

Yes. Of course he did.

Because thanks to my cooking skill, this strawberry jam came with a little bonus…!

And that wasn’t all.

This jam practically functioned as caffeine…!

‘Once you’ve had a taste, you won’t just walk away.’

Heh heh heh… I laughed wickedly to myself while wearing the most innocent smile on the outside.

Just as I expected, the adventurer picked up a jar of strawberry jam, examined it for a moment, then came to a decision.

“I’ll take this.”

I beamed.

“Great! That’ll be 5 rubels! Anything else you need? Feel free to browse.”

One eyebrow lifted, he stroked his chin and hummed.

“Hm….”

His gaze swept carefully over the items on the stall.

Tomato sauce. Pickled vegetables. Potions of various grades.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on the potions.

“You don’t look like the type to scam people, Apothecary.”

Which was basically asking if the potions were real.

I was just about to answer when Lycian cut in, voice icy.

“If you’re suspicious of my master, buy the jam and get lost.”

“Master…?”

“I-it’s like a nickname! Hahaha…!”

Forcing a laugh, I discreetly jabbed Lycian in the side.

We’re in the middle of business! How can you talk to a customer like that?

But contrary to my worries, his rough tone had an unexpected effect.

“Who said I’m leaving? I’ll buy a potion too.”

This adventurer was the type to do the opposite of whatever he was told.

He picked up a Low-Grade Recovery Potion and, without even asking the price, told me to ring it up with the jam.

But I couldn’t just sell him that potion as-is. There was a fatal issue. I hurriedly spoke up.

“Wait! Please listen to my explanation before you decide!”

“Explanation? Isn’t it just a Low-Grade Recovery Potion?”

“Well, yes, but….”

I gestured sharply toward one side of the display.

“These are the bad-tasting ones.”

“…?”

Then I pointed to the other group.

“And these are the good-tasting ones.”

When I brewed potions, whether they tasted good or not was completely random.

The odds were nearly fifty-fifty. Out of 150 Low-Grade Recovery Potions, 78 tasted awful, 72 tasted good.

I’d planned to separate and sell them from the start. It’d be strange if some tasted great and others were horrifying without explanation.

For reference, the Low-Grade Recovery Potions made by other apothecaries all tasted the same—what you’d expect from medicine: bitter and chalky.

Only mine were either extremely sweet or absolutely vile. I had no idea why.

“A Low-Grade Recovery Potion normally costs 10 rubels, but I’ll give you the bad-tasting one for a special price of 9.”

He tilted his head and stared at the potion in his hand—the bad-tasting one.

“Don’t all potions taste the same? Just different colors depending on grade.”

Potions grew darker in color as their grade increased.

Low-Grade Recovery Potions were pale pink. Mid-grade were deep pink. High-grade were light red.

The top-grade Recovery Potion—which I still couldn’t make—was a deep, blood-red.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

“Well, the ones I make… taste different. The one you’re holding tastes truly awful.”

“So what? I don’t care. I’ll take this one.”

If he didn’t care, what could I do?

After taking his payment, I handed him a jar of strawberry jam and a Low-Grade Recovery Potion—silently offering my condolences.

‘It really tastes terrible. Still, the effect’s solid….’

As I watched him with a faintly pitying look, he uncorked the bottle and held it up to the sunlight, examining the contents.

Then he shot me a sideways grin.

“Guess I’ll know if it’s real once I drink it, huh?”

“…!”

Before I could respond, he tipped the potion back into his mouth.

And—

“Ugh—!”

He gagged violently, face draining of color as he clamped a hand over his mouth.

“A-are you okay?”

I reached out instinctively—

Sway—

His body tilted.

And then he collapsed flat onto the ground!

I rushed over and checked his condition.

Thankfully, he was still breathing.

‘Good. My potion’s not lethal enough to assassinate someone…!’

Relief flooded me as I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead.

‘I can’t leave him lying in the street. I’ll ask Lycian to help move him.’

I had just started to stand to call Lycian when—

“M-murder!”

“Someone’s dead!”

“He drank a potion from that stall and died!”

“That scammer killed him with a fake potion!”

The surrounding frauds began shouting in unison.

Like they’d been waiting for this opportunity.

‘You despicable bastards…!’

“What are you talking about? You’re the scammers!”

I shot back, incredulous, but they only raised their voices louder.

“Then why did he collapse after drinking your potion? Obviously it’s fake!”

“You brewed it wrong and turned it into poison! No doubt about it!”

Then a frigid voice cut through the air, heavy and sharp.

“Shut up.”

It was Lycian.

With his sword in hand, he radiated threat, and the scammers snapped their mouths shut like clams.

But he couldn’t silence the crowd that had gathered.

“What’s going on?”

“They say someone died….”

“Oh my goodness.”

A bad feeling crept up my spine—this could spiral out of control. I was just about to speak when—

“Ugh….”

The adventurer lying on the ground let out a pained groan and stirred.

I quickly crouched beside him.

“Are you conscious?”

He slowly pushed himself upright, glanced at me with a faint frown—then let out a long sigh.

“The cute apothecary was telling the truth.”

He gave a hollow laugh.

“It really does taste horrifying….”

“…….”

I had nothing to say.

So I just laughed awkwardly.