850 Corvo's evil - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

With this, today's batch of medicine is complete. The money doesn't stop rolling in from selling these hastily made concoctions at a high price. But it's all because of my old man and my older brother that a noble like me has to resort to this. They just cut off my support like that. As the third son of a noble family, I can't inherit the house. My second brother was raised as a backup for the eldest son, so he did well in studies. Now, he works as a civil servant in the royal capital. I always knew that once I became an adult, I'd be kicked out of the house. I'm neither smart nor particularly skilled in swordsmanship. I can't become a civil servant or a knight. There wasn't anything I was truly good at. Except for one thing. I knew a lot about flowers to gift to women. I often spoke about which flowers would please them in different seasons, and the effects of teas to drink together. That somehow led me to consider working with plants. To live, I needed money. And so, I embarked on the path of an apothecary. My father, thinking it would benefit people and bring honor to the family, provided me with financial support. However, studying to become an apothecary was tough for someone like me, who loved women but struggled with academics. I barely managed to obtain my apothecary qualification. I didn’t tell my father about my grades, so he joyfully set up a shop for me. Unfortunately, he said that was as far as the support would go. No more living in luxury for me. Without money, women won't come near me. Even without that, being the third son of a noble doesn't hold much value. My brother, being the capable one, married into a viscount's family, but no woman was willing to take me as their husband. "Why do I have to do this?" If I were a proper noble, just stamping documents would bring in money. (Not really) With money, women would come around. (Depends on the person) But I don't have that money. To make medicines, I need herbs and tools. Buying ingredients costs money, and tools wear out. I wanted a job where I could just stamp papers and have fun. But somehow, I've found a way to earn money. That's because the herbs for the medicine come to me practically for free. A naive brother and sister collect herbs for me to cure their family's illness. Initially, it was just a fever remedy, but when I gave them a drug with slightly more body-impacting effects, it worked wonders. They now bring herbs to me for my sake. It's a good business model. But if another apothecary examines them, there’s a risk of being found out, so I apply pressure. Being a noble's son still carries some influence, so the city's apothecaries obey me. I've also managed to get the commercial guild to direct herbs my way. However, if my father or brother discovered what I'm doing, it wouldn't end well for me. But as long as they don't find out, it's fine. They're indifferent to me, and as long as it doesn't become a big deal, it won't reach their ears. The business is running smoothly. Since the ingredients come in nearly free, money flows in steadily. It's a viable business strategy. I've done the same to a few other patients too. But I never forget to heal them eventually. I switch patients every few months and repeat the process. People bring money to cure their family or loved ones' illnesses, and I squeeze as much from them as I can before finally curing them. In the end, they're grateful to me, which I find amusing. But I can't heal that brother and sister yet because they're too convenient. Ideally, they'd keep collecting herbs for me for free permanently. It's just a hassle to make the medicine myself. As I laze on the sofa, there's a knock on the door. "What is it?" "May I have a moment?" It's Zone, the man I hired. I leave most of the sales on the first floor to him. I've instructed him to let me know if a promising customer shows up. "Come in." The door opens, and Zone walks in. "What's up? A patient?" Cosmetic medicine, fever reducers, cold medicine, injury ointments. "Well, most of the shop's medicines have sold out." Medicines aren't usually bought in such large quantities. "What, is there some kind of epidemic in town?" "No, it was just one customer who bought them all." No one buys so much alone. "Is there a war or something?" I laugh. "Well, a kid named Mane from the Royal Capital's Magic Ministry bought them." "Mane?" A familiar name. I recall. An unwelcome name. "They said they were going to check the effects of the medicines." "You actually sold them?" Zone nods. "Are they still here?" "No, they’ve already left." "Why didn’t you call me immediately!" If I'd been in the store, I might have managed the situation. "I'm truly sorry. You’d told us not to bother you unless it was a major customer." "But should've realized that a kid paying such a sum is a great opportunity." "Well... I couldn’t go to call you." Zone looks down, hesitating to speak. "What do you mean?" "I apologize." Word is, he was given a diuretic. "Could it be he had an accident in my store?" "I'm sorry, but I did clean it up." "Unbelievable. You're telling me to work in a store tainted with your mess?" "I'm truly sorry." Zone bows repeatedly. Mane... Half-elf, looks like a child, but is a proper adult. Works in the magic ministry and sometimes comes to the academy as an apothecary lecturer. Only bitter memories there. I was made to make a laxative and test its effects by having the whole class drink it, which led to a frantic scramble for the toilet— an ordeal. Not just that. When I skipped a class, I was made to drink a diuretic in the next one. I’d heard rumors of past students being given one, but never thought I’d be forced to. I dashed for the toilet but didn't make it in time and had an accident. A noble like me. Normally, I would’ve used my noble status to get a teacher like that dismissed, but I couldn’t possibly tell my father I had an accident, so I couldn’t do anything to her. Now, Mane, who humiliated me like that, has come to this town, bought my medicine, and is examining the ingredients... "Did they say anything else?" "That they were leaving town tomorrow morning. Also, there was a strange girl dressed as a bear, claiming to be a guard for that kid called Mane." "A girl dressed as a bear?" What is he talking about? Dressed as a bear, like wearing bear fur or something? Is there really such a strangely dressed girl around? Anyway, it’s information. I had Zone close up shop and instructed him to gather intel. By evening, the information began to pour in. At the commercial guild, it was learned that Mane had informed the Guildmaster that she would be leaving town tomorrow morning. Furthermore, she apparently met with the Guildmaster the day before as well. Could the Guildmaster have leaked my information to Mane? There was no information on why Mane met with the Guildmaster. Also, it was confirmed that the girl dressed as a bear was with her. Regardless, it's all about the medicines from my shop. Some have legitimate effects, while others are weak. The beauty-related ones are effective since wealthy customers repeatedly buy them. As for the cold remedies, they intentionally have weak effects to keep people buying more. If they start investigating, the fraud will be uncovered. If that happens, my father’s support, limited as it already is, would vanish, leaving me with no standing. My father would easily discard me. All I have to rely on is the title of being a noble’s son. Without it, I'd lose everything, including my livelihood. I have to prevent that at all costs. "So, what do we do now?" "Contact that guy and tell him. Have them ambushed on the road leading to the capital tomorrow morning, and reclaim the medicine." The men are petty criminals. I send them to collect money from households that didn’t pay for medicines or to chase away customers who complain about the medicines' ineffectiveness. This job is simple: just take the medicine from Mane and the girl dressed as a bear. "Is taking the medicine enough?" Hurting them, killing them, there are many options. But these guys are just small-time criminals. If I order a kill, they probably won’t accept. Not many are willing to commit murder so easily. They aren’t useful in that aspect, but this time, as long as the medicine is reclaimed, that’s all that’s necessary. Without evidence, nothing can be proven. I toss a small pouch from the drawer. "Taking the medicine is enough. Here's your advance. Tell them they’ll get the same amount upon success. Also, make the money they bring back for the medicines an additional reward." Zone accepts the pouch of money and exits the room. Blame them for not having proper guards. The next day, the men arrived at the shop. I led them to a room to discuss. "Corvo, here’s the medicine you asked for." The men line up the medicines on the table. It’s quite a quantity. Looks like they managed to recover everything. "What happened to the women?" "Just as you instructed, we threatened, roughed them up, and left them there. Now for the payment." "Take it." I retrieve a small pouch filled with money from the desk drawer and toss it to the man. "Thank you." The men bow their heads and exit the room. Now, what’s next? The issue is Mane’s next move. Depending on how severely the men treated her, she might already be dead. If she’s alive, there's a chance she’ll return to town. Plus, I need to consider how much of Mane’s actions the magic ministry is aware of. Why did she even come to this town? Why purchase my medicine? Did she visit other apothecaries? Maybe I should investigate. I summon one of my subordinates. "Check with the town’s apothecaries to see if anyone from the magic ministry, especially Mane, has visited them." "I'll confirm immediately." The man exits the room. I look at the medicines arrayed on the table. If Mane is alive, I might need to remove the stock from the shop. As long as there’s no evidence, I can't be prosecuted.