“So, what happened?”
[The medicine! The medicine you taught!]
“The medicine? Why?”
The last time she heard, it was selling perfectly fine. Did something happen with the sales?
[It’s selling too well! That’s the problem!]
“What?”
[We’re getting more orders than we can handle!]
...What’s going on this time?
***
“...What time is it?”
“One.”
“1 AM?”
“No... 1 PM...”
“Ah...”
At House Ellesia’s apothecary, five apothecaries with dark circles under their eyes were barely holding themselves together as they prepared medicine. Even while they spoke, their hands continued moving without pause.
“How much longer until the shift change?”
“...Two hours.”
“Two hours...”
At the answer, everyone there let out a deep sigh at the same time.
“Everyone, please hold on a little longer! Once we finish this order, we won’t have to accept any more!”
Countess Herion, the head of House Ellesia, had been helping them prepare the medicine. Her encouragement seemed to give the five apothecaries a little strength. Their hands began moving faster.
“I’ll make sure you receive the biggest bonus possible!”
The promise of extra money quickly boosted their morale.
“Here is a new order.”
“—!”
But moments later, everyone’s mouths fell open when Secretary Juno walked in with another medicine order form.
“A-another order? I told you not to accept any more!”
“They’re offering twenty times the original price.”
“...Twenty times?”
It happened again.
Most of the orders they had been receiving recently were like this. Whenever they tried to refuse, the buyers would offer an outrageous sum and do everything they could to place the order.
“They said the delivery date doesn’t matter. They’re willing to wait as long as necessary, and they’ll even pay in advance.”
With an offer like that, there was no reason to refuse.
“Even if they’re willing to give us plenty of time...”
The problem was that they just didn’t have enough people to prepare the medicine.
It isn’t an ordinary medicine.
The medicine Ceres had taught them, the one that could remove demon energy from the body, was being produced after teaching the recipe to trusted individuals who had served House Ellesia for many years.
At first, there were only five people making it. But as orders continued to increase, they had expanded the team to ten. Even with everyone working in shifts, they still couldn’t keep up with the demand.
“Could it be that the people who placed this order are...”
“Yes. I looked into it, and it’s the same group.”
“Haah...”
Herion sighed heavily.
“What in the world is happening?”
“Lady Ceres!”
At that moment, a delighted voice called out.
Herion lifted her head and hurried over to Ceres, who was standing there with a bewildered expression.
“When did you arrive?”
“Just now.”
Ceres frowned as she looked at the apothecaries stumbling around like exhausted ghosts.
“What happened?”
“About that...”
Herion struggled to find where to begin, so Secretary Juno calmly stepped in and explained on her behalf.
“Recently, we’ve been receiving a large number of orders for the medicine that removes demon energy.”
“That’s certainly a good thing, but if you’re receiving more than you can handle, you should have stopped accepting them.”
“The offers were simply too good to refuse. They were willing to pay more than ten times the usual amount.”
More than ten times...
That was a lot, but it wasn’t like House Ellesia was short on money. That wasn’t enough of a reason to push themselves beyond their limits just to fulfill the orders.
“Besides, the people who placed the orders aren’t someone we can easily refuse.”
At those words, Ceres’s brow furrowed even more. Was there really someone powerful enough to pressure House Ellesia into this?
“Are the orders coming from the Imperial Family?”
“No. It’s not the Imperial Family.”
A quiet sigh escaped Secretary Juno.
“House Schweiss.”
“...Schweiss?”
...Why is that name coming up here?
***
“......”
Gulp.
The conference room was filled with people, yet it was so quiet that even the slightest sound could be heard. Some of the retainers even flinched at the sound of themselves swallowing nervously.
Rustle.
The only thing that broke the suffocating silence was the sound of paper turning.
“......”
Duke Schweiss showed no emotion as he read through the documents in front of him. With an unreadable expression, he went through each page one by one.
However, there were moments when his brow would tighten slightly. Every time it happened, the retainers gathered in the room felt their hearts sink. Each of them silently prayed that the report he had found fault with wasn’t theirs.
Recently, the Schweiss residence in the capital had been bustling with activity.
After hearing that Duke Schweiss, who had stayed in the western region for years, had returned to the capital, his retainers had been coming to see him almost every day.
Until now, they had only sent reports to the western region. But after such a long time, they had to stand before him and present their reports directly.
Thud.
After reviewing the final report, Duke Schweiss placed the documents down on the table.
“This one needs to be reviewed again.”
“Yes.”
Reports were stacked on both sides of the table. When he pointed to one of them, the aide standing beside him picked up the documents and returned them to the retainers.
As soon as they received their reports back, they swallowed nervously. It seemed they were in for a difficult road ahead.
W-what exactly is wrong with it?
They had to find the problem themselves. They must figure out what had displeased Duke Schweiss, fix it, and submit the report again...
Some managed to pass on the first review, others needed a second attempt. But if they still failed to find the issue even on the third review...
The retainers shivered without realizing it.
If they failed to come up with a proper answer after the few chances they were given, they would have to face Duke Schweiss alone. Once that happened, they would receive a thorough lecture on their report from beginning to end.
Yes... a lecture...
With that cold gaze of his, he would calmly point out every single mistake as if he were teaching a child. The thought alone was enough to make cold sweat run down their backs.
If only he would lose his temper and raise his voice, perhaps they could handle it better. At least then they could apologize and beg for forgiveness.
However, Duke Schweiss never showed a hint of emotion, as if he’d already given up expecting anything from them. That was what made it even more unbearable.
And in the end, they would always hear those words.
“It seems this business isn’t suited for you.”
The moment those words were spoken, the business would no longer be theirs. Someone else would take over and continue it in their place.
That was why the retainers couldn’t help but stare at the reports returned with the words, “Review this again,” their eyes trembling as though an earthquake had struck.
They had to find every mistake and prepare a new report within the three chances they were given.
“These can proceed as they are.”
“Yes.”
Unlike the reports that were sent back for revision, the retainers responsible for the documents stacked on the other side quietly sighed in relief. The only problem was that there were very few people among them.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a knock sounded. A servant cautiously entered the room.
“What is it?”
The aide immediately approached the servant with a slightly displeased expression. Everyone knew how much Duke Schweiss hated having his meetings interrupted by anything unrelated.
“Um... a guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
The servant, fully aware of the Duke’s temperament, continued speaking nervously. His eyes flickered toward Duke Schweiss, who still hadn’t looked in his direction.
“Yes. She said she wished to see His Grace...”
“Who is it?”
The aide let out a quiet sigh. This was what happened when the butler who had managed House Schweiss for years was left behind in the western region.
A guest had arrived, yet the servant had come straight to report it without even checking who the visitor was first.
“It’s Lady Ceres. I told her that now wasn’t a good time, but she said she would wa—.”
The servant couldn’t finish his sentence.
Bang!
“—!”
Duke Schweiss suddenly rose from his seat and strode toward the servant.
“Did you say Ceres?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Where is she now?”
“I... I escorted her to the reception room for now...”
Duke Schweiss quickly opened the meeting room door and left.
The servant stared after him in a daze. It was the first time he had ever seen the Duke look so rushed.
The others were no different. They exchanged bewildered looks, unable to hide their confusion.
Just what had happened?
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