abcnovels
Chapter 30: Kirio Drug’s Company Vacation (First half)
Chapter 30: Kirio Drug’s Company Vacation (First half)
Chapter 30: Kirio Drug’s Company Vacation (First half)
Since about a week ago, the discussion of where we should go for our company vacation has a been the hot topic in our store.
Mina hasn’t been able to leave the house for the previous one hundred years, Noela is Noela, and I, of course, don’t know anything outside of this town.
In other words, we don’t know anything about the outside.
When I consulted Jiral, he suggested the port town of San Rogulo
As expected, the rich know all about places to play.
And so.
Closing the store for three days, we left the town of Caruta behind.
While traveling by carriage, Mina, sitting next to me, pressed the corners of her eyes, sniffling.
“What is it, Mina? Feeling bad?”
“I, I … to think this day has come … I’m so happy…”
“You’ve done your best for all sorts of things for all this time, so this is my thanks for all of them combined. Don’t cry.”
“Yes… I’m so glad I’m alive…”
No, you’re dead though?
For this, it would be better to read the mood and not saying anything, right…?
With her head stuck out the window, wagging her tail, she seemed to have heard us and turned to look at us.
“Mina, dead. Not alive.”
Noela sure is blunt-.
“That’s true. I’m dead… I’m so glad I’m dead.”
Is that really okay!?
Correcting this is way too unnecessarily confusing.
With this and that happening, the fun carriage ride was pretty much done in a few hours and we arrived at the port town of San Rogulo.
“Master, Master. The sea’s smell! It smells like the sea!”
Carrying a small backpack on her back, Noela wags her tail.
Just moving a little bit away from the town, the ground changes to the sea.
“Yup, that’s right. It’s the scent of the sea.”
Entering the town, as expected of a place called a port town, the marketplace overflowing with energy had strange seafood and tools I hadn’t seen before displayed.
“It’s quite a bustling place isn’t it~?”
Mina is wearing a hat with a wide brim.
Coupled with the white one piece dress she’s wearing, she looks like a young lady who’s come to a summer resort.
From here we went to the port to see the ships, saw a giant fish dismantling show, at that sashimi, and enjoyed the port town to its fullest.
“Reiji-san, there are sandy beaches a little outside of the town, right?”
“Speaking of it, Jiral did say something like that … Shall we go see tomorrow?”
We arrived in the afternoon, so it feels like the sun set early.
Having dinner at a bar, we ordered a number of specialty dishes with seafood as the focus.
Noela devoured the food that came out.
Yup, it’s business as usual for Noela-san.
Mina also satisfied herself fully with a, “Fish is delicious, isn’t it?”
At that time, the voices of the people sitting behind us entered my ears.
“The effect of Vardora-sama’s medicine really is amazing, isn’t it?”
“That’s true, certainly.”
“Did you know? There’s a Sister-sama who came to this town on a pilgramage.”
“Aah, I heard about that. There’s a story that she can make a medicine that can cure anything, right?”
“Well, the price is a bit high, but since it’s a panacea, it’s actually on the cheap side.”
Panacea…
Heeh… there’s something like that?
“It’s better to have two or three of those on hand.”
“I see… then maybe I’ll go buy some…”
“Aah, that’s a good idea. It seems like she’s staying here a little longer. It’s better to go sooner, you know?”
If they’ve said so much, maybe I should go buy one for reference.
I might be able to make it with my Drug Discovery Skill.
It seems like this Vardora-sama is staying in this town’s church.
After that, the sun had set, so we spent the night at a slightly luxurious inn.
The next day.
I walked towards the place I’d heard about.
This is related to work, so Noela and Mina are moving on their own.
Right now they’re probably spending the pocket money I had given to them, going on a spending spree.
When speaking of panacea, I imagine something like powder from dragon’s claws or something, or a secret medicine passed down from the elves’ forest.
“Come to think of it … she’s a Sister but she’s making medicine … I wonder what that’s about?”
The Drug Discovery Skill is pretty much fantasy, so I’m thinking it’s medicine that’s been infused with the power of holy magic.
Heading to the church, I heard a voice I’m familiar with.
“Noela-san, what would you like your fortune told about?”
“With Master, compatibility. Noela, curious.”
“Ah~, I’m interested about that as well. Vardora-san is an accurate fortune teller, right-?”
Noela and Mina were walking just in front of me.
What are those two doing? This is the church, you know?”
Furthermore, Mina said Vardora…
And fortune teller?
It’s not like I intended to stalk them, but for some reason I followed them at a distance where they wouldn’t realize it.
Upon arrival, the two of them entered the church.
I secretly followed after them, watching over their actions from a location a little removed.
There was a desk and chair a little aways from the altar, and a Sister that seems to be Vardora was there.
Mina took the offered chair that faced her.
Was the church not being used recently? There was dust gathered here and there.
From what I could see from here, the Sister is a young woman.
The medicine making Sister is also a fortune teller, it seems.
“Close to you … is a fated person.”
“E-. E, eeh!”
“There is, isn’t there?”
“Uum, uum, I, I don’t really know…”
“And you, did you realize it? You may contract a dire illness that could take your life.”
“Eeeeeh… what should I do…”
No, you’re already dead, right?
Why are you so worried?
She’s a little clumsy.
After that, Mina, who was told this and that, stood up from the seat with a paper bag in hand.
“I’ll be fine as long as I drink this, correct?”
“Of course. Do your best, okay?”
“What should I do my best at …?”
“Yes, next person?”
Switching with Mina, who was ignored, Noela sat down.
“Compatability with Master, fortune.”
“I seee. Master-san is a kind person, isn’t he?”
“Ru!”
Noela nodded up and down.
How did you know? Is Noela’s extremely curious state.
“Your compatibility with Master-san … let’s see, it’s quite good, you know?”
“Quite, good….!”
At the explanation from the Sister, who was nodding as if she understood, Noela nodded with all her might.
“Master-san might contract a dire illness.”
Are you for real…
“But be at ease. Just drinking a little of this panacea will keep it from happening.”
Handing her money, Noela also stood from the seat with a paper bag in hand.
I guess fortune telling is more or less like this.
Say some things that seem like they may be right, and the other will come to an understanding.
“When we return, I must drink some medicine or else…”
“Noela too, Master, drink medicine.”
The two said that as they walked past where I had hid in a hurry.
So that means those bags have panacea in them…?
How should I feel about this?
I’m not a believer, so that’s kind of what I’m thinking.
In the first place, I don’t know what kind of gods are in this world.
When the Sister’s fortune telling done, she said something about god’s blessings showing the way.
Or like, the two girls initially came to have their fortunes told.
But they left buying panacea for some reason.
With that the case, about the panacea.
Sneaking out of the church after them, I called Noela and Mina with a loud voice.
“O-i, Mina, Noela. What did you buy?”
“Ah, Reiji-san. How was the work-related matter?”
“About that, I was thinking about investigating the panacea, and just saw Mina and Noela buying it.”
Noela swiftly presented me with the paper bag.
“Master, this, drink. Little at a time, little at a time.”
You were worried about that mess of a fortune from earlier, huh Noela?
I’m honestly happy that she’s so worried about me.
There there; I patted Noela’s head.
It’s a good opportunity, so let’s check and see what kind of thing this medicine is.
When I looked into the paper bag, there’s another bag with white powder in it.
“Master, will get illness. Drink, won’t get illness.”
“Uum, earlier, Noela-san and I had our fortunes told by a Sister that’s said to be an accurate fortune teller. She said there was a dire illness that could take my llife, and also sold me the panacea.”
“Just to bring this back to basics, Mina, can you die? Biologically?”
“…. Oh that’s right! I completely forgot! I’m already dead!”
She got swindled.
Isn’t that Sister just saying things that would be right about anyone?
Except for the dead, there’s a probability that you can contract a dire illness at some point.
She told Mina and Noela similar things.
Giving that explanation, she had them buy the panacea.
“By the way, how much was it? This panacea.”
“Uum, the fortune was 2,000rin, and the medicine is 10,000rin.”
It might not be that expensive for panacea.
Only if it’s real panacea, right?
I immediately use my skill to appraise the panacea.
[Wheat flour: made by grinding wheat.]
“Oioioi. … Is it all like this?”
I had Mina show me hers too, but it’s the same wheat flour inside.
I thought it was suspicious, but it turned out to be like this after all.
“Reiji-san?”
“Master, what is it?”
“This isn’t medicine, it’s wheat flour.”
“Sister, made mistake.”
“If that’s the case, we have to have her replace it.”
It’s difficult to say to two such pure-hearted people, but I’ll have to explain.
“It’s probably that that Sister is doing this; she’s passing off wheat flour as panacea and is selling it. To be frank about it, she tricked you.”
If it’s Mina, who’s always cooking, she would probably be able to tell.
Opening the bag, I had Mina take a lick of the powder.
“It is certainly … wheat flour… But Reiji-san. When I heard the rumors about her accurate fortune telling, I also heard that the panacea worked well. What is that about?”
“Regarding fortune telling, it’s called the Barnum effect; by saying something vague that could be true about anyone, the person being told these things will think she’s right.”
“Now that you mention it, she didn’t say anything specific…”
“For Noela too.”
Then, regarding the important medicine.
“As for why the ‘panacea’ works. … it’s called the placebo effect, a phenomenon where people who take the medicine believe it works and it has a positive effect so that their symptoms improve. Even if there’s nothing in there that would work, see?”
It’s said the fortune telling is accurate, so there’s also the synergistic effect, I bet.
And it’s a Sister as the other party.
Furthermore, everyone’s saying they’ve heard of it.
That’s enough to make anyone believe.
“N,no way… then the fact that it’s supposed to work is just because all the townspeople believe that the wheat flour is panacea …?”
“Yup. By using that effect, she’s tricking everyone.”
Medical care is far cruder compared to the modern era.
I’ve heard about people who go to a doctor to get examined but aren’t cured from the customers who come to Kirio Drug.
Because of that, the townspeople here are probably also yearning for a ‘panacea,’ probably.
Geez; Noela made a depressed expression.
“Fooling people, with medicine. Not good.”
“Yes, I also have the same opinion as Noela-san.”
She’s overcharging wheat flour as panacea.
As a pharmacist, I also can’t overlook this.
“Shall we of Kirio Drug give that Sister a spanking?”