"Yuna, are you finished?" (Marne)
"It's finished." (Yuna)
Half the shelves were empty. I was not sure if they'd be effective, but I'd be in trouble if someone really wanted them, so I kept half of each type.
"Marne-san, what will we do with this man? Should I break the spell?" (Yuna)
I saw the man lying on the floor, bound by earth magic. It's my magic. I didn't think it's easy to unravel. If it's failed, it might be permanent. However, if I broke the spell, he might attack.
"I see. In that case..." (Marne)
Marne-san thought for a moment, then took out a small bottle of liquid from her item bag.
"What's that?" (Yuna)
Marne-san smiled silently at what I said and approached the man lying on the floor.
"Stay away." (Clerk)
Marne-san ignored what the man said and brought the vial closer to him.
"You tried to assault me. Do you know that's a crime?" (Marne)
If I hadn't held him back, Marne-san might have been hit.
"I wish I could undo the spell and go home. But if I do, you might attack me again. I'd be scared if that were to happen." (Marne)
Marne-san pretended to be a scared girl. I knew Marne-san's true nature.
"Marne-san, that's disgusting." (Yuna)
"Shut up." (Marne)
I was scolded.
"Well, anyway, I'll make sure you don't attack me." (Marne)
Marne-san held the vial close to the man's mouth.
"What's that?" (Clerk)
"You'll understand if you drink it." (Marne)
"Stop!" (Clerk)
The man on the floor tried to escape but was unable to move. Marne-san forcefully poured the liquid from the vial into the man's mouth.
"Wh-What did you make me drink?" (Clerk)
"So we'll find out soon. Yuna, break the spell." (Marne)
"Is that okay?" (Yuna)
It felt like he would attack any second the spell was released.
"Yeah. Give it 10 more seconds." (Marne)
She said while looking at the man.
"9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4"
As the countdown begins, the man's face contorted and he began to suffer.
"Poison!"
The female customers were making a fuss. At that moment, liquid began to flow from the man's body. To be precise, from a certain part of his lower body...
"It's a diuretic. Now they won't be able to chase after me. Yuna, release him." (Marne)
"……Okay" (Yuna)
Feeling sorry for him, I released the earth magic that had been binding him, and the man ran off into the back of the store. A puddle remained on the floor where the man had been. Just the thought of wetting yourself in front of other people was terrifying. If it were me, I might have committed suicide. I felt a little sorry for that man. However, what happened to attack Marne-san was unforgivable.
"Well then, let's go home." (Marne)
Marne-san left the store as if nothing had happened, so I followed her out of the store.
"I knew it, this is extremely effective." (Marne)
Certainly, he wouldn't be able to chase us like that.
"When I was a teacher, I had students who were making fun of me, so I made them drink it during class." (Marne)
"Don't tell me, that's the guild master, or is it?" (Yuna)
"Well, you know. I tied him up, drugged him, and left him there until class was over." (Marne)
Just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes. It's traumatic. That's why the guild master couldn't defy Marne-san.
"It was a lesson that proved the effectiveness of the medicine. After that, the students started attending the classes seriously. The first time is the most important part of anything." (Marne)
No one could resist a scene like that. Just thinking about when it could happen to me was terrifying.
"Maybe it's been passed down from generation to generation among students, but since there are so many quiet students these days, there aren't many opportunities to use it." (Marne)
Marne-san said with a bit of regret. No, you don't have to use it. Let's not offend Marne-san in the future.
"But was it really necessary to tell the time you were leaving?" (Yuna)
Marne-san was telling the man the time to leave for the royal capital.
"Besides, it's still daytime, we can leave now." (Yuna)
If that man contacted someone named Corbeau, there's no telling what he'd do.
"Then they won't be ready." (Marne)
"Ready? Perhaps, Marne-san" (Yuna)
Something came to mind.
"Oh, did you get it?" (Marne)
I also had a bad personality, so I understood what Marne-san was trying to do. It seemed like Marne-san had completely lost her edge as a pharmacist.
"Yuna, I'm counting on you, okay?" (Marne)
I sighed and replied, "Got it." After leaving the pharmacist's shop, we went to the Commercial Guild and asked the receptionist to pass on a message to the guild master.
"Tell them I'm leaving town tomorrow morning." (Marne)
With that said, we left the Commercial Guild.
"Even if that man doesn't tell anyone, Corbeau will hear about it." (Marne)
If someone from the Commercial Guild was connected to someone named Corbeau, the information would definitely get through. That guy who wet himself didn't want to talk about it, so there's a chance he wouldn't tell Corbeau, so it seemed she said that to make it a little more certain. Then we went to Lydia-san's house and tell them we were leaving town tomorrow morning.
"Don't worry about that pharmacist, everything will be fine." (Marne)
"Did you do something?"
"Is this the right thing to do now?"
After that, we checked on Est and confirmed that she was doing well, then we returned to the inn.
"I wonder if they'll attack us?" (Yuna)
It looks like Marne-san would have Corbeau attack and crush him for sure.
"Look at Us" (Marne)
"Child and Bear" (Yuna)
"It pisses me off when you call me a child, but I won't argue because that's what I am. Besides, I don't think Yuna looks strong." (Marne)
So, if we went to an unfamiliar place, we would get harassed.
"Even if they don't attack us, we can still look into the ingredients of the medicine and find out what Corbeau has done. We'll hunt him down and have him stripped of his license as a pharmacist." (Marne)
Either way, the fate of the pharmacist Corbeau was sealed. If he attacked Marne-san, Ellelaura-san would not remain silent, and Marne-san herself had power. If he got caught, I think it's the end, even if he's the son of a nobleman.
One possibility was that the medicine was truly excellent, the pharmacist was kind to patients, and had good manners. If that's the case, we couldn't punish them. However, I think that's unlikely, since he also gave the medicine to Lydia-san's sister.
"Kumayuru, Kumakyu, wake me up if any suspicious people come near, okay?" (Yuna)
"Kyuu~n" (Both Kuma)
I left the watch to Kumayuru and Kumakyu and went to sleep. And morning came without incident.
"They didn't attack, huh" (Yuna)
"They probably won't attack the inn. I'm sure they don't want to make a big deal out of this. They'll probably be lying in wait somewhere along the road. I'll leave it to you then." (Marne)
That was my job. After leaving the inn, we headed straight out of town. After leaving the city, we slowly moved forward on Kumayuru and Kumakyu. If they were lying in wait somewhere, we needed to move slowly to avoid being attacked. If Kumayuru and Kumakyu ran, there was a good chance we would just pass by. So, it was going to be slow going. And if I knew an attack was coming, I could detect it in advance.
"Kyuu~n" (Both Kuma)
"What are these kids? Monsters?" (Marne)
I checked the detection skill.
"Several people were standing there." (Yuna)
"Are they taking a break, or are they lying in wait?" (Marne)
Another possibility was that the carriage might break down. Either way, we couldn't help but be vigilant. We proceeded slowly.
"The carriage is stopped." (Marne)
There was a man nearby. But there were four different reactions from people. The type of carriage was a covered wagon, with people either inside or hiding in the back. One of them waved his hand, telling me to stop.
"That seems suspicious, huh" (Yuna)
"Yeah, it's suspicious." (Marne)
We approached the carriage cautiously.
"Bear!" (The man)
The man waving his hand was startled by the bear. I wondered which bear surprised him the most.
"What happened?" (Yuna)
"My friend is not feeling well." (The man)
There was a man crouching near the carriage.
Marne-san and I got off from Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
"Just you two?" (Yuna)
"Yes" (The man)
The man answered without hesitation. Yes, that was a lie. There were two people in the wagon. We could have arrested them like this, but then they would be found innocent even if they were arrested. If they didn't attack us, we'd be the bad guys. I guessed I needed to let my guard down a little. We needed evidence that the pharmacist ordered the attack. Marne-san also seemed to understand and showed no signs of doubt.
"Excuse me, do you have any medicine?" (The man)
Marne-san's eyes met mine.
"I have it. Show me the symptoms." (Marne)
"Thank you." (The man)
Marne-san and I approached the crouching man. The man followed behind.
"Kyuu~n" (Both Kuma)
Kumayuru and Kumakyu barked loudly. The man who had been crouching stood up. I was already on the move. The man tried to attack Marne-san. I knocked him away with a bear punch. When I turned around to deal with the man behind me, I found Kumayuru holding him down.
"C-come out." (The man)
As the man screamed, two men with knives got out of the carriage.
"What's this bear?"
Which bear surprised them? While thinking this, I activated earth magic. Ropes of dirt appeared from the ground and wrapped around the men's ankles, causing them to fall to the ground. Yes, it's done.
Author's Note
This will be my last post of the year. Thank you for the past year. I will continue to post next year, so I hope you will continue to support me.
I have some plans over the New Year holidays, so the next post will be in about 5 days.
After that, I'm sorry to say that I will need to take some time off to prepare my tax return.
*If we are unable to post due to a sudden reason, we will contact you via activity reports or X (formerly Twitter). (We apologize if we are unable to do so.)
*"Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" comic chapter 130 (12/27) is currently available on PASH UP (niconico manga chapter 123 is currently available)
*Episode 22 of the "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" spin-off (12/27) is currently available on PASH UP (Episode 17 of NicoNico Manga is currently available)
If you have time, please check out the comic version.
[Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear to be released]
Book volume 20.5 was released on May 2, 2024. (The next volume, volume 21, is planned and in the works.)
The 12th volume of the comic was released on August 3, 2024. (The release date for the next volume, 13, has not yet been decided.)
Comicalized spin-off volume 2 was released on March 5, 2024. (The next volume, volume 3, is scheduled for release on December 20th.)
The 11th volume of the paperback edition was released on October 4, 2024. (The deadline for the campaign to win a big acrylic stand featuring Yuna and Shuri on the cover is January 20, 2025. 20 lucky winners will receive a prize.) (The release date for the next volume, 12th volume, has not yet been decided.)
*Thank you to everyone who reports typos.
Some of the kanji have been corrected to match the book, so please understand that there are some parts that have not been corrected.