Evening ti, as the sun was setting.
Louise Atelier closed its doors after letting out the last of the custors.
Louise, now a complete wreck, slumped into a chair with an exhausted face.
She had hired a significant number of clerks and assistant alchemists in preparation for today, but it was all for naught when a crowd that far exceeded them sward in.
Even Louise, who should have had the least to do, had to move all day long without a single mont of rest.
I did hope business would go well, but not to this extent....
An exhausted Louise thought while staring at the ceiling.
Certainly, business had been good to an unimaginable level.
She hadn’t even had ti to check how much she’d earned, but looking at the number of custors that had flocked in, the sales must be beyond imagination as well.
Without even needing to check, today was the day she had recorded the highest sales through alchemy.
Louise let out a small sigh.
She had wanted to beco a wealthy alchemist.
But the life of a wealthy alchemist that Louise had imagined wasn’t like this.
Strolling leisurely through the shop.
Checking on the work of the assistant alchemists.
And then enjoying a relaxed life of leisure and personal research—that was the goal.
But her life now was... a machine that made and sold potions.
It would be better if this was just a flash of popularity for the opening day, but seeing the fervor of the custors, it didn’t seem like it would be that way at all.
Is it okay to go on like this?
While Louise was having such thoughts and finally taking a break for the first ti in hours, the closed shop door opened.
The ’Open’ sign had been taken down, and the custors who had been crowded in the plaza had all dispersed.
One of the clerks who had remained to tidy up the shop looked at the custor who entered through the door.
’Custor, our business hours have ended for today.’
’I’m here to see the owner.’
The guest who arrived after closing was Elena, who had found the shop’s location from Ian.
A clerk went to find Louise, who was resting for a mont in the breakroom at the back of the shop.
’Manager. A guest is here.’
’A guest? Business is over.’
’Not that kind of guest, but a guest who ca looking for you, Manager....’
’So it was true that you opened a shop.’
Elena, who had followed behind the clerk, cut in and spoke toward Louise.
Louise identified the face of the guest who had suddenly spoken and stood up from her seat in surprise.
’Elena? What are you doing here?’
’You were saying such strange things in your letters. I ca to see for myself.’
It was a sudden, unannounced visit from a friend who had arrived without a word.
Louise took Elena and went up to the second floor.
From the second floor up, it was a space used as Louise’s private area.
Elena looked around the second-floor space with intrigued eyes.
I thought you were only using the shop, but to think you’re using this entire building. I don’t know what thod you used, but you’ve certainly squeezed a lot out of your patron.
Muttering so, Elena, who was browsing the display case on one side of the room, pulled out a bottle of liquor of her own accord.
Louise had always had a habit of collecting things like this.
Looking at the types she had gathered, it was clear that she had more financial leeway than when she was in Orsia. The price range of the liquor she’d collected had gone up by a digit or two.
’You must have made a lot of money. Keeping things like this.’
’Wait, don’t just drink that! It’s expensive!’
Louise shouted belatedly while looking at Elena, but Elena had already opened the bottle.
As if it were her own property, Elena naturally took out a glass and poured the liquor.
Louise had always just collected and displayed these things; she never actually drank them despite having gathered them.
’Good grief. It’s not like it’s a gold bar. Liquor only has aning if you drink it.’
’That expensive stuff....’
Elena filled the glass and held it out to Louise.
Sigh....
eting after a long ti and letting her guard down around her collection was the problem.
It couldn’t be helped since it was already open. Louise eventually accepted the glass from Elena.
After handing over the glass filled to the brim for Louise, Elena took the bottle and drank deeply from it.
Elena was slightly impressed. It really was expensive liquor.
It was quite a decent item for one of Louise’s collections.
Liquor like this is hard to find even if you have money; maybe it’s because this is Labyrinth? Since it’s a city with a lot of money, I heard the scale of the luxury goods market is extraordinary. It seed to be true.
Just this one bottle made the trip to Labyrinth worthwhile.
When Elena’s gaze shifted back to the display case, Louise blocked her path with a firm expression.
’So, what brings you all the way here? You weren’t interested when I asked you to co with .’
’Looking at the letters you sent, it seed interesting.’
’Interesting? You have no idea how much I’ve suffered.’
It seed that suffering hadn’t been properly conveyed through the letters.
Louise, rembering everything that happened until she settled in Labyrinth, rubbed her head as if a headache was coming on.
As the topic of the letters ca up, Elena spoke while recalling the person she had t before coming to this shop.
’Ah. That person you ntioned, the Captain. He was quite decent.’
’What? Did you et him?’
’You said you were staying there. Of course I went there first.’
When Elena ntioned she had t Ian, Louise asked in a flustered tone.
’B-by any chance, did you receive anything expensive?’
’Not particularly?’
’You didn’t sign a contract or anything like that...?’
’What kind of nonsense is that.’
’I suppose, there’s no way you’d do that so recklessly....’
Louise sighed.
She was an artisan with a career that was just as long. Moreover, she was soone who was incredibly picky about her work.
There was no way she would accept a sponsorship out of the blue from soone she’d just t.
Louise suddenly looked out the window. It was already late at night.
Thinking that she probably hadn’t gotten a room yet since she must have arrived today, Louise spoke to Elena.
’You haven’t gotten a room yet, right? There are plenty of rooms left here, so one...’
’Oh, that’s okay.’
Elena shook her head upon hearing Louise’s offer.
’I’ve decided to stay in the guest room of the rcenary building there.’
’I thought you said you didn’t accept anything!’
’I said I didn’t accept anything expensive. Why are you making such a big deal over sothing like that?’
When Louise shouted, Elena answered with a look of bewildernt as if wondering what was wrong.
Louise belatedly rembered that the standards for what she and Elena considered ’expensive’ were entirely different.
She had forgotten because they had only been exchanging letters recently instead of talking directly.
To her, a top-tier jewelry artisan, that much was just a simple favor. You could say it was on the level of serving a cup of tea.
The items created by an artisan of Elena’s level were always destined to have buyers who were nobles or of equivalent standing.
When you spend ti close to such people, it’s natural for your behavior and spending habits to resemble theirs.
Receiving free lodging or getting gifts without giving anything in return was simply a common occurrence for her.
She was soone who, if she couldn’t find a room while traveling and had to ask another house for a place to stay, would naturally go and knock on the door of a noble mansion rather than a commoner’s ho.
Just in case, Louise gave her advice with a serious face.
’Th-that, I’m saying this just in case. You shouldn’t recklessly receive anything or sign anything for that man. He might look innocent and kind on the outside, but....’
Elena cut Louise’s words short.
’What are you talking about? You received such a big shop from that man.’
’Uh....’
Louise had no words to imdiately refute that statent.
’Are you worried the investnt money will be divided? You’ve beco a bit gloomy since coming here.’
’It’s... not like that....’
Thinking it was already too late to persuade her with words, Louise held her forehead and slumped onto the sofa.
Elena quietly tilted the bottle.
Well, since their friendship wasn’t short, she knew Louise wasn’t that kind of person. There must be sothing other than money that was giving her a hard ti.
Honestly, Louise is such a drama queen.
Among noble custors, there were plenty who were far pickier and had stranger tastes. Elena didn’t mind a little bit of weirdness at all.
Still, she was glad to see she seed to be doing well.
I hope it’s worthwhile for to have co all the way to Labyrinth too.
Elena thought so to herself as she looked at the city visible out the window.
General jewels no longer gave Elena any interest or inspiration.
No matter how much she worked, all that was created were obvious and ordinary pieces that felt like sothing she had made soti in the past.
In Orsia, she could no longer find jewels that could capture her interest.
What ca to mind then was the city of Labyrinth that she had read about in Louise’s letters.
She ntioned she was researching materials that recently ca out of the Labyrinth.
Hearing that story, she wondered if she might be able to see new materials she had never seen before in the Labyrinth.
Elena recalled the item called ’Labyrinth mineral’ that she had caught a glimpse of in Ian’s room.
A texture she had never seen before.
Being influenced by the energy of the Labyrinth, it supposedly held a special power entirely different from ordinary jewels.
When Elena seed to find the stories about the Labyrinth interesting, it was an item Ian had taken out to show her.
...Can I buy it? I felt like he might just give it to if I asked.
Elena pondered how to create an opportunity to talk to Ian naturally and see those things again.
＊ ＊ ＊
And... deep in the night.
The door of the Guild House opened, and soone collapsed on the floor.
It was a ti when the staff had left work and only a few maids remained, so the mbers who were resting in the lounge more comfortably than during the day jumped to their feet.
The person who collapsed was a familiar figure they hadn’t seen for a while.
It was Rin.
’Rin!’
’You’re back!’
Everyone approached the fallen Rin.
Rin let out a small groan and struggled to lift her head.
Tanya, sensing that Rin seed to want sothing with her pained face, noticed it and asked her.
’Ooo, wa....’
’Water? Should I bring you water?’
’Orange juice....’
’....’
Rin, who emptied the glass of juice Tanya brought, finally regained her senses and pulled herself up.
’Heeek....’
’You ca back alive.’
Rin, who had been dragged away by Frey, had returned.
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