"...Then, please take care of her!" (Kaoru)
I asked the people at the inn to look after Leia.
Yes, I had agreed with Leia that she was the daughter of a noble family who had come from her home country to keep an eye on us.
The daughter of a noble family that was on friendly terms with my family was jealous of how free and easy we were, and used that pretext to persuade both families to follow us, but in reality she was just a spoiled young lady who wanted to go on an adventurous sightseeing trip.
…There was the question of why Leia, who looked under 10 years old, was being sent to watch over me, who looked to be around 12, and Reiko, who looked to be around 14-15 years old, but I wouldn't think about it too deeply. The people at the inn would probably just let it go, thinking that they didn't know what a noble was thinking.
Well, it seemed that the children of nobles were educated in various ways from a young age, so among them there were some who were precocious, mature, child geniuses, and unusually reliable, so we should just accept that that's just how it was.
And so, I decided to spread the rumor that although she appeared to be alone at first glance, there were hidden guards watching over her at all times, and that if anyone dared to interfere, they would be slashed to death without question and without mercy.
Well, if I didn't do that, something terrible would happen. Mainly, this city, this country, this continent...
Even though Leia was "Much more tolerant and kind to lower creatures than Celes," and even though there was no danger to Leia herself.
Of course, she wouldn't show any mercy to someone who attacked her with such malice. There was no reason for her to show any mercy.
Even people who were pretty kind would swat a mosquito that bit them without any hesitation or guilt.
Also, there was nothing strange about spraying insecticide around the area.
Even if the other mosquitoes didn't do anything...
Well, maybe they would just laugh and let it go if it was just a cat punch from a kitten...
Also, if I warned them like that, even if the heads of the people involved with Leia suddenly fell off, they could just accept it as, "Oh, it must be the work of the hidden guards of the steel wire users..."
"I don't get it!" (Reiko)
I'm sure you'll get it!
I ignored Reiko's comment.
Ah, it was true that Leia, who looked to be only about 8 years old and dressed like she was rich, would be too dangerous to stay alone in, let alone a cheap inn. So, she decided to continue staying at the inn where she had been staying from the start—renowned for its facilities, staff, services, safety, and, of course, price—though naturally I had lowered the room rank to keep it in a more wallet-friendly price range.
I explained to the people at the inn the setting we had come up with for Leia, and how clumsy she was, having used up all the money she had brought from home in just a few days. I told them that from then on I would pay the inn fees directly, and that I would give Leia a little pocket money every week.
Normally, the staff of a high-class inn would not talk about the private matters of their guests, but for this particular case, for the sake of Leia's safety, they imposed a "publicity order" rather than a "gag order." ...The innkeeper looked unhappy, though.
Well, maybe they didn't want people to think that this was an inn that talked too much about its guests. I begged them to do so though.
It would be fine, all the people who stay at this inn were competent people, so if they heard only the rumor about Leia, they would immediately understand that "The inn has been tarnished for the sake of the young girl's safety," and that would surely increase the inn's reputation even more! ...Probably.
And because of this, the word would spread that even if someone attacked Leia, she only had a small amount of money, combined with the incident with the hidden guards, should have led to even fewer people trying to lay hands on Leia.
In fact, it was likely that many people know that I had spent a lot of money lavishly over the past five days, and from now on, Leia would be living a decent life—quite frugally for the daughter of a noble—with the pocket money I provided, so no one would suspect anything.
And Leia, who knew that Celes checked on me from time to time, would enjoy her vacation without contacting me too much. If only the "higher ranking Leia", who were not the kind of Leia who could enjoy such behavior themselves, could see this and enjoy it just a little, like an older sister who feels happy watching her younger sister act stupid...
That was fine, considering they were working hard for the entire universe and all dimensions of the world.
"...That's what those inferior creatures are probably thinking... But, well, it's true that if I get too close to that girl, Celes will find out, and I want to tell her a funny story about that girl's condition, not tell her about how I've been putting my hands on her and treating her however I want. If I did that, I'm sure I'd get scolded..." (Leia)
Leia was saying this while munching on some snacks in her room at the inn.
Perhaps it was a racial trait, but just like Celes, she seemed to talk to herself a lot.
And it seemed that Kaoru and her companions would avoid serious damage.
"…But maybe she should give me a bit more pocket money. I can still eat a lot more with this body, and meals and sweets are quite an interesting experience. ...And why is it that the more delicious something is, the more expensive it is? Is it some kind of harassment or something? Anyway, next time I get my allowance, I should give her some advice..." (Leia)
Even though she had mastered the language of this country, why had she not mastered the common sense of this world?
However, the budget for Leia was separate from the current accounting for Little Silver, and was paid for from Kaoru's old assets, so there wouldn't be a big impact... at least for now.
And Kaoru thought that Leia would just stay and have some fun for a while before returning home.
…And yet, out of all the humans, she understood better than anyone that Celes and the others' sense of time was completely different from that of humans…
Well, since she had misunderstood Leia's purpose for staying there in the first place, the mistake wasn't such a big deal.
"Right, this is the end of the 'mysterious visitor' incident! We can go back to my main mission!" (Kaoru)
"Back to main mission" was a phrase I used often in my past life. I was sure it was a military term I learned from war movies. I probably watched it with my older brother on TV or on a rental video.
"Roger!" (Reiko)
"R-ro-jaa?" (Mine)
"Rajaa!" (Aral)
Of course, Reiko knew my catchphrases and frequently used phrases from our past life. Mine and Aral quickly imitate Reiko's reply. Ah, so cute...
Well, things had been a bit hectic with Leia stirring things up, but anyway, the seafood processing department of Little Silver's (our) business was off to a good start, followed by the meat processing department, and the accessories department selling handicrafts and the like was also doing well. The only problem was that supply couldn't keep up with demand.
After all, the main force was just two people, a 9-year-old girl named Mine and a 6-year-old boy named Aral. It was only natural that production was limited.
No, Reiko and I work too.
But we had to do external activities—sales, new business development, and so on—and we didn't want to work on the ground every day.
We just wanted to live a leisurely life and make enough money so that no one would suspect that we were spending it. We didn't spend a lot of money on alcohol or gambling, and even if we said it's delicious, the food that Reiko and I made was much tastier than the food served in the lower-ranking noble houses around here.
…Not only did we use sophisticated Earth cooking techniques, but I also used potions to create the seasonings.
Foul play? It's fine, just small details!
…Well, if we were to only use materials from this world, there was nothing we could do if money dictates the use of the highest quality materials…
That was why we left the physical labor to our employees and Reiko and I just did the easy tasks.
...No, there's no reason to criticize us! That's what business managers are like, isn't it?
Besides, this was a charity project to create jobs for Mine and Aral and to help them acquire skills. I didn't lie in the application and petition I submitted to the lord, that was for sure.
...However, I thought the burden on Mine and Aral was now a little too great.
To fix this somehow...
Yes, this was obviously where we should hire new employees.
Also, what a capable business owner would do was to set up an additional workshop next to the former orphanage building in order to increase production.
...But there was a problem with that.
Yes, we had too many secrets, and if we were to hire employees, we would definitely get some weirdos.
Because it was a business run by rich noble daughters as a hobby, and it looked like it could be profitable. What's more, it came with a route to get spices. There was no businessman or villain that wouldn't take the bait. There were bound to be people who would apply for the job with evil intentions or on the orders of their employer.
Besides, to begin with, hiring a lot of employees and increasing the workload to pay their salaries would be counterproductive. We worked so that we could all live happily, and we didn't want to take on danger or have unpleasant experiences.
...I could make a quick buck by doing some shady business, so that was fine.
Leia's living expenses were covered by my savings from a long time ago...
Shit, it's not inexhaustible either, if she stays too long my emergency funds will run out. After all, only a portion of it has been converted into the money currently in circulation, the majority are "Old gold coins that are no longer in circulation, which would raise suspicion if issued in large quantities."
Hmmm, any good ideas?
Author's Note
Volume 6 of "Potion" will be released on June 2nd! (^^)/
...However, since it will be available for sale as soon as it arrives in bookstores, it may be available on store shelves as early as the 30th.
And June 2nd marks exactly three years since the release of the first volume of "Potion"!
On the 9th, the 6th volume of the comic will be released along with "Roukin"!!
Thank you for the past three years.
And thank you for your continued support. (^^)/