“We did a little advertising!”
“You did?”
“Yes!”
Herion smiled brightly, looking as though she was waiting for praise.
“Actually, it was Juno’s idea. He said people needed to know this medicine works better than holy water, so we should start by giving it away for free.”
According to her, Secretary Juno had distributed free samples to several mercenary groups as part of the promotion. The people who tried it came back almost immediately to buy more.
“Good work.”
Well, the outcome was hardly surprising. Compared to holy water, which cost a fortune and wasn’t nearly as effective as it used to be, this medicine was the better option by far. Anyone who tried both would know the difference.
“The profits aren’t much yet, but I still wanted to bring you the first earnings. Hehe.”
Herion nudged the pouch on the table closer to Ceres with a cheerful grin.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Ceres accepted the pouch and offered a brief compliment. Herion’s smile widened at once.
“By the way.”
“Hm?”
“I think the temple’s a little upset.”
“Ah.”
Ceres immediately understood.
“I told them we wouldn’t be buying holy water anymore.”
The Chief Priest had personally come to lodge a complaint.
“Is it true that you’ve decided to stop purchasing holy water?”
“Yes. House Ellesia won’t be purchasing holy water anymore.”
“I heard you’ve been making some strange medicine. Are you really planning to turn your back on holy water over something like that?”
“Yes!”
“......”
“We’re trusting that medicine now, so we won’t be buying holy water any longer!”
Herion’s response was so bright and straightforward that the Chief Priest was left speechless. In the end, he could do nothing but glare at her before leaving.
“You’ll regret this. Even if you decide to purchase holy water again later, it may no longer be available to you.”
“Yes! Thank you for your concern!”
“......”
He’d tried to issue a warning as a last attempt to salvage his pride, but it hadn’t worked on Herion in the slightest.
“I can see why they’re upset.”
House Ellesia purchased more holy water than anyone else in the Empire. Naturally, the temple wouldn’t be pleased if word got out that they’d stopped.
After all, House Ellesia was known as the Empire’s foremost family of healers. Once people learned that they had turned down holy water, questions were bound to follow. Some would inevitably wonder whether there was something wrong with it.
“Remember what I told you before?”
“Huh?”
“Anyone who barks that loudly isn’t worth your attention.”
“Yes! They’re barking because they’re scared.”
Good. She remembered.
Ceres nodded in satisfaction.
“Then shall we head out?”
“Where? Do you have somewhere to be?”
Clink.
Ceres rose from her seat and picked up the pouch filled with gold coins.
“To spend some money.”
***
“Thank you! Please come again!”
Once they reached the shopping district, the first place Ceres headed for was the shoe store she’d noticed the other day.
Julia’s worn-out shoes had been bothering her for a while, so she immediately bought the girl a new pair. Since she was already there, she bought a pair for Antonian as well.
Leaving the store, Ceres felt oddly proud of herself.
“Your siblings are going to be thrilled.”
“They should be.”
Considering how much these cost.
If Butler Colin found out, he’d be losing sleep for the next few days. It took quite a bit of resolve to spend this much.
“Aren’t you getting a pair for yourself, Lady Ceres?”
“No.”
“The ones I picked out for you earlier were really pretty...”
“They were. But I don’t need them.”
Mine are still perfectly fine.
Ceres firmly shook her head at Herion, who had been following along beside her.
The things she used herself were a different story. Every now and then, she would quietly turn back time on them. If anything, they looked newer than before.
But I can’t do that with the kids’ things.
Her younger siblings were surprisingly observant. She couldn’t exactly rewind time for their stuff, so buying new ones was the safer option.
“Still, I think you should buy something for yourself too.”
“It’s fine.”
As far as Ceres was concerned, shoes only needed to be sturdy enough to last.
Leaving the store, she continued browsing the shops with Herion in tow. The latter looked more disappointed than the person who’d actually left empty-handed.
Then Ceres stopped. Something in a nearby display window had caught her eye.
“...Lady Ceres?”
Herion, who had walked ahead, quickly hurried back and followed Ceres’s gaze.
“It’s a jewelry store. Did you see something you like?”
“Yeah. That.”
Ceres pointed to a small pocket watch. An amethyst-like gemstone was set into its casing, with a white wolf engraved on the cover.
“It looks like a men’s design.”
“Yeah. It looks that way.”
Ceres stood there for a long moment, staring at the pocket watch before finally stepping inside.
At least, let’s see how much it costs.
“Welcome.”
“How much is that one?”
“Ah, the pocket watch?”
The woman, who appeared to be the owner, greeted her with a friendly smile before carefully taking the watch from the display and bringing it over.
“It’s decorated with premium amethyst mined in the Philei region. The price is two thousand—M-Miss?”
Before the words could fully leave her mouth, Ceres turned around.
Have they lost their mind? Who spends a common soldier’s annual salary on a single watch, no matter how nice it is?
“It normally costs two thousand gold, but it’s currently on sale!”
“On sale?”
“Yes! We’re running a discount event on everything in the store!”
Ceres glanced around the shop in confusion. A sale? At a high-end jewelry store?
“So, how much is it after the discount?”
“With the 50% discount, it’s only one thousan—M-Miss! Miss!”
Ceres turned around immediately like she’d heard enough. But the shop owner hurriedly stopped her again.
“We’re already offering 50% off, but today happens to be the 40th anniversary of our store! That’s another 40% discount right there. And there are a few other special discounts on top of that!”
“So, what’s the final price?”
“One hundred gold!”
“Hmm...”
A hundred gold. It was a far cry from the outrageous price she’d heard at first, but it was still a considerable amount of money.
Ceres stared silently at the pocket watch. Her gaze lingered on the beautifully crafted white wolf engraved on the cover.
“I’ll take it.”
“Yes! Right away! Please give me just a moment while I wrap it up.”
Having finally made her decision, Ceres let out a quiet sigh.
Just how many bowls of stew do I have to sell to earn a hundred gold?
“Thank you for your purchase! We look forward to seeing you again.”
With the owner’s cheerful farewell behind her, Ceres stepped out of the store.
“Whoa, I’ve never seen a shop give that many discounts before.”
Herion whispered in awe beside her.
“Boss.”
After the two had left, a clerk approached the owner with a bewildered look.
“Was today really our 40th anniversary?”
Forget the anniversary. Since when did they even run a sale?
“The anniversary isn’t until the month after next.”
“That’s what I thought. Then why...?”
The owner reached into a drawer beneath the counter and unfolded something. It was a photograph.
“That—ah!”
Only then did the clerk understand.
Her eyes widened as she turned toward the street outside. One of the two women who had just left the shop was the person in the photo.
“That’s her.”
“The customer that Grand Duchy Persia told us about?”
“That’s right.”
Not long ago, representatives from Grand Duchy Persia had visited every store in the area. They’d handed over the photograph and left a single instruction.
“If this customer wants something, sell it to her no matter what. Don’t concern yourself with the price.”
Any losses would be covered by Grand Duchy Persia.
“So make sure you remember her face.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The clerk nodded repeatedly as she gazed toward the street where Ceres and Herion had disappeared.
***
“This is the medicine.”
“The one House Ellesia has been selling?”
“Yes.”
Inside the Grand Temple’s main conference hall, a group of high-ranking priests sat gathered around a single item.
It was a healing medicine that had been circulating on the market recently, one capable of treating wounds inflicted by monsters.
“Is it truly that effective?”
The problem was that this medicine was starting to replace the temple’s holy water.
For the temple, holy water sales were one of its largest sources of income, second only to donations. Any threat to that income was a matter they couldn’t afford to ignore.
“There were already enough rumors surrounding holy water. And now this happens...”
“Indeed.”
Among mercenaries, complaints that holy water wasn’t as effective as it used to be had become increasingly common.
And now, at the worst possible time, a medicine rumored to work even better than holy water had begun spreading throughout the Empire. It was little wonder the temple was concerned.
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