abcnovels
Chapter 12 - Handle with Care!
Chapter 12 - Handle with Care!
Chapter 12 - Handle with Care!
Chapter 12: Handle with Care!
Clang clang clang –.
I can hear the clanging of a bell.
The town was a bit noisy when I opened the store.
I wonder what the noise is about.
A little while later, the leader of the mercenary group, the Red Cat Group, in charge of the town’s defense, Annabel-san, came over.
Her eyes are like a bird of prey’s and are a little scary, but today they didn’t have that intensity.
“… Morning.”
Her normally piercing gaze doesn’t have any power behind it.
“Good morning. There’s quite a bit of activity; did something happen?”
While asking about the gossip in this world, I made to prepare the usual five potions, when,
“… Sorry, but can you make that ten of them today?”
“It’s fine, but I’ll charge you for the extras?”
“Aa, naturally.”
I put another five in and received money from Annabel-san.
“But you really like them, huh? The potions.”
“… Recently, it hasn’t been me drinkin’ them. … Well, anyway, thanks as always.”
As she said so and went to leave the store, a large man from the mercenary group, Doze-san, came running heavily in.
“Ah, Ane-san—”
“- – Doze, what do you need here?”
“You head back to the barracks first…”
Doze-san, who found Annabel-san, awkwardly looked down.
“… You’re not going to tell Reiji about anything weird, right?”
“But Ane-san.”
“’But’ nothing. … This ain’t got a thing to do with the Pharmacist, right? Are you that into revealing the secrets of the Red Cat Group?”
“That ain’t it … but, if it goes on like this…”
I began to hear some kind of serious discussion.
It seems they’re troubled over something.
“What’s wrong? I can lend a hand, if you’re willing.”
“Thank you very much, Reiji Nii-san -. Did you know that bandits have come to town recently?”
Aah geez; Annable-san tossed her red hair as if exasperated.
“I’ll explain. You pull back.”
Doze-san nodded and withdrew behind Annabel-san.
It doesn’t seem like a discussion that would finish quickly, so I left a note saying, ‘The attendant is in the back’ on the counter and invited the two of them into the house.
We don’t have anything like a greeting room, so I guided the two into the living room.
Indicating the sofa, I had the two of them sit.
“And so… what is the matter? It seems to be serious.”
“Aah… Doze just said so, but some bastard bandits have recently been doing their stealing in the town of Karta. It ain’t like the damages are extensive … but the Red Cat Group, right, we’re employed by Lord-sama to be the town’s defenses, right? And so… Lord-sama said if all this continues, then he ain’t paying us.”
Doze-san mournfully nodded in agreement.
“We’ve all done everything possible, Reiji Nii-san. But somehow, they’re difficult bastards… Even this morning, there was a fight between the bandits and the guards, seems like.”
So that was what all the noise was about, huh?
Perhaps she bought a lot of potions because there were injured among the mercenary group?
She said recently “she” hadn’t been drinking them, so the reserves definitely haven’t been enough.
I’m a complete novice when it comes to combat, so if bandits came, I’d immediately hand my money over.
It’s normally scary.
And the fact that this town has been peaceful so far is thanks to the Red Cat Group protecting the town from the shadows.
“If it continues like this, we won’t receive payment from Lord-sama, and we’ll have to look for other jobs. This isn’t something we can handle, so I was thinking, can’t we borrow some wisdom from Reiji Nii-san this time, and came over.”
“Don’t lump me together you guys, but that’s how it is.”
The reason Annabel-san doesn’t want to consult me on this matter is probably because this is something that lies within their field of work.
They’re combat pros.
Annabel-san’s pride probably won’t let her rely on an amateur to help them out.
“Is it just the Red Cat Group for the town’s defenses?”
“There’s also the Lord’s army, but … all the useful guys have been sent to the frontlines to fight the Demon Lord’s army. … the ones that are left are the senile, old soldiers.”
“Reiji Nii-san, don’t be mistaken, even so, we’ve always been able to repulse attacks and capture criminals.”
“Come to think of it, you did say that this time was difficult just then. Are these bandits different?”
“Aah. I wonder just where these bastards drifted in from. They seem to be quite skilled.”
Hm. And so, they want to borrow my wisdom.
I’m not really a thinker or a doer.
If I had to say it, all I can do is make medicine.
“So if it’s Reiji Nii-san, can’t he save us? – is what I was thinking…”
“I hate leavin’ it to other people, so I said to cut it out tons of times. ‘Cause Reiji’s one of the people that we have to protect.”
“Annabel-san, please don’t worry about it. It’s thanks to the Red Cat Group that all of us can live carefreely like this, after all. I can stick my neck out a little bit for you guys, at least.”
“– The medicine god has descended…!”
Haha; I laughed dryly.
“Are the bandits completely beyond your strength?”
“It’s not that they’re beyond our strength… We’d be able to find a chance to drive them away if we had a bit more breathing room.”
Vexed about having to admit their own inferiority, Annabel-san answered evasively.
We don’t have brick or stone ramparts protecting us, and there isn’t a moat.
Our defenses are to the degree of having log fences.
If we’re going to strengthen them, it would take time and labor.
“That being the case, without arranging for more facilities, we need something that can repulse them…”
While I was thinking, I could here Noela and Mina’s voices from the kitchen.
“… Mina, tears, a lot … won’t stop.”
“Are you alright, Noela-san? Tears will come when you cut onions~”
“Ru… sniffle.”
Are they preparing lunch?
Just listening to their conversation, they seem like close sisters, and it’s heart-warming.
Ah- -.
If it’s that, I can make it.
“Doze-san, can I have you go buy the liquor with the most alcohol content?”
“Haa. I can, but are you going to drink it?”
“I’m going to use it as an ingredient for medicine. Please.”
Doze-san sat up, mystified, and went off on the errand.
“I’ll also help as much as I can.”
“Thank you very much. Then, shall we go?”
Annabel-san and I got up, heading to the kitchen.
“Ah, Reiji-san. I’m making lunch with Noela-san right now.”
”Aruji, Noela also, making.”
Noela, with swollen eyes, keeps rubbing her face. Noela sniffled as she narrowed her eyes.
“It’s kind of heartwarming…”
The bewildered Annabel-san stood back alone and muttered.
Mina smiled and nodded at Annabel-san.
“I see, you two seem to be having fun. … By the way, Mina, didn’t we have those? You know, those.”
“Eh, what are ‘those’?”
“Those, you know. Those. … The spicy ones. I think, I remember you buying them recently.
“Ah ~ if you’re talking about those, then…”
And Mina took three green vegetables out of a box.
“Ah. Those are what I want. Thank you. I’ll buy the same ones from the market later, so lend them to me for now.”
“Capsaicin grass… for medicine?”
I nodded and went into the medicine room.
As Annabel made sounds like, “Heh-,“ and “Ho-,“ my work went well as I proceeded.
There isn’t any work that I particularly needed help with, so Annabel watched my hands with interest.
“So medicine is made like this. Hm~m.”
It would also be tough if she had no reaction, but it’s tough with her watching over my shoulder.
Doze-san soon came back, out of breath, and I received the liquor I had requested.
“Reiji Nii-san, this guy’s got the highest alcohol content of them all. On a cold day, of you drink too much, you’ll sleep all night –”
“Yeah, I don’t drink, so that won’t happen.”
A little down-hearted, Doze-san watched me use Drug Discovery, together with Annabel-san.
“Ane-san, our potions are also made this way, huh?”
“I just said that.”
“Eeh~ what’s with that?”
One way or another, these two get along.
When I ended it by putting it in a bottle and shaking, the liquid inside glowed lightly.
[(Strong) Capsaicin Fluid: a stimulant that’s harmless to the body. Vaporizes the instant it hits the air, and induces intense pain to the eyes, difficulty in breathing, and runny nose.]
“Alright, it’s done.”
I very timidly opened the lid of the bottle.
If I don’t switch it to a smaller bottle…
“Reiji Nii-san – no, Medicine God – what did you make?”
“Ah, if you come close right now”
“What is this -?”
The timing of when I opened the lid and the timing when Doze-san brought his face near matched up perfectly.
“UGYAAAAAAAA!? My eyes, my eyes, my eyes – cough cough – Haa, hii, hii … my eyes… ha- hiii”
Covering his face with both hands, Doze-san rolled around on the floor.
His face was all soggy with tears and mucus and drool.
… The effect is spot on.
Annabel-san, when she saw her subordinate like that,
“Ahahaha, you’re such an idiot, ahahaha!”
She laughed uproariously.
“Aah, strange. Just what is this water? Isn’t is just liquor and capsaicin grass mixed together?”
“Ah. Right now, it’s better not to get close.”
“How shameful, for a man that’s a member of the Red Cat Group, – HYAAAAAAAA-!? What, what, eyes, eyes, eyesssss, my eyes, Aaaaaaaa, owowowowowo, cough cough, COUGH COUGH, ha, ha, aaa, haaaa, hiiiiiiin-“
There are two people writhing around on the floor.
What are you guys doing…
I let out a sigh, amazed at them, as I divided the large bottle of capsaicin fluid into smaller bottles.
If you throw it and it breaks, it’s something like a tear gas bomb that can repulse the enemy.
“Annabel-san as well, what are you doing? You could tell what would happen just by looking at Doze-san, right? You, the leader of a mercenary group…”
My hand slipped.
The contents of the small bottle spilled out onto the floor.
“Ah.”
The effects of the capsaicin fluid attacked me.
“- NUAAAAAAA!? My eyes are, my eyesssss, owowowowow, it hurts, it hurts, what the heck, what the heack, notgoodnotgoodnotgood, seriously not good, I’m gonna die, cough, cough, coughcough, haa, haa, cough -! My eeeeeyes… ha- haaaaaa, hi-hii”
I also covered my face with my hands and writhed on the floor.
Noela called from the entrance.
“Mina. Master, rolling. Everyone, rolling.”
“Noela-san, that’s just Reiji-san’s job -. Come now, shall we prepare the food?”
“Ru.”
No, that’s not it … Mina, Noela.
But right now, even if I wanted to say something, I can’t speak…
After another 20 minutes, we were finally able to recover from the damage.
I tentatively explained that it’s not harmful to the body.
“I understand that, but … Reiji Bro(aniki), you made something incredible…”
“W,well, yeah…”
“But with this, we’ll have more than enough ability to drive them away, or even capture them.”
When I made to hand the six small bottles over, Annabel-san jerked her chin towards Doze-san.
“Doze, you carry them.”
“Eh. … Ah, Ane-san, I can’t ask you to do the honors?”
“… N,no, ah, I’m the leader … so there’s no need for me to carry them.”
Her voice was tiny.
“Um… Reiji Nii-san, can I have you carry them all the way to the barracks?”
“Eh. … N,no, I also, I have a bit more work, I,I’m super busy … it’s impossible.”
The capsaicin fluid as enough destructive power to give the three of us a trauma.
In the end, Doze-san carried the six bottles home.
I also kept just one bottle from crime prevention.
Late that night.
Clangclangclang-
I woke up to that sound of clanging bells.
Thinking it was a fire, when I looked out, right outside the fence surrounding the town, underneath the moonlight, were three of the mercenary group’s guards facing off against about six bonified bandits.
I saw the previously mentioned small bottles in the hands of the guards.
They tossed them, and the bottles broke when they hit the bandits.
“ “ “-UGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?” ” ”
Throwing aside their spears and swords and such, the six bandits rolled around on the ground.
Yeah, I understand your pain. I’m also someone who’s shared your experience.
Even though I don’t need to be concerned about people who do bad things, thanks to what occurred at noon, I have some weird sympathy.
That was se-riously painful, after all.
Without anyone getting into a fight or having a tough battle to protect the town, the six people were easily caught.
The next day, Annabel-san appeared to give her thanks, and told that the town was peaceful once again.
I can brag that it had the strongest power for crime prevention, but I don’t think I’ll continue to make it.
If I sell them, there will definitely be people who will abuse them.
It’s fine if I just make as many as we need when we really need them.
A medicine that’s too strong is also a problem.