This completes today's medication.
I couldn't stop laughing because it's a business where you can sell haphazardly made medicine at high prices.
But it was my father's and brother's fault that I, a nobleman, had to do this.
They unilaterally cut off aid.
I was born as the third son of a noble family, but I could not inherit the family business.
The second son was raised as a spare for the eldest son, so he was good at studying. That's why he worked as a civil servant in the royal capital.
I knew that when I came of age I would be kicked out of the house.
I was not smart, and I was not good at swordsmanship.
I couldn't become a civil servant or a knight.
There was nothing I was good at.
Just one thing.
I was knowledgeable about flowers to give to women.
I often talked about things like which flowers would be appreciated in which season, or the health benefits of drinking tea with women.
So, somehow, I started thinking about working with plants.
You need money to live.
So, I decided to become a pharmacist.
My father also provided financial support, as he thought that if it helped people, it would also bring honor to our family.
However, even though I liked women, I wasn't good at studying, so studying to become a pharmacist was difficult for me.
Somehow, I managed to get my pharmacist's license with just enough grades.
I didn't tell my father about my grades, so he was happy to open a store for me.
However, he said that this was the limit of his assistance.
That would mean I wouldn't be able to enjoy ourselves lavishly.
If you don't have money, women won't come near you.
Even without that, a third son of a nobleman was of low value.
My elder brother, who was one year older than me, was an outstanding man and married into a viscount's family, but there was no woman who would take me in as a husband.
"Why do I have to do this?"
If you're a nobleman, you can make money by just stamping documents. (Not true.)
If you have money, women will come to you (depends on the person)
But I didn't have the money.
To make medicine, you need herbs and tools.
It also costs money to procure materials.
Even tools are consumables.
I just wanted to work as a stamper and have fun.
But this time, I was somehow managing to make money.
This was because the herbs that make the medicines come in for next to nothing.
The stupid siblings collected medicinal herbs to cure their family's illnesses and gave them to me.
At first, it was just a fever, but once I gave them some drugs that had a slight effect on the body, the result was immediate.
They brought me some herbs.
It was a good business.
However, if another pharmacist examines them, there was a risk that he or she would notice, so I would keep putting pressure on them.
As the son of a nobleman, I still had some influence, so the pharmacists in town obeyed me.
I had also enlisted the help of the Commercial Guild and instructed them to pass the medicinal herbs to me.
However, if my dad or brother found out that I was doing whatever I want, it was certain to be bad. Well, it's fine if they didn't find out. Neither my dad nor my brother were interested in me. If it didn't become a big deal, my dad wouldn't hear about it.
Business was going well.
Since the materials came in for next to nothing, the money just kept piling up.
It was a good way to do business.
I did the same thing with several patients as the siblings.
But I didn't forget to heal along the way.
This was repeated every few months with different patients.
They brought money to cure illnesses of family members and loved ones.
And once I'd plucked them all, I'd cure them of their illness.
In the end, they thanked me and it made me laugh.
However, those siblings were too handy to be cured.
If possible, I would like them to continue collecting medicinal herbs for me forever. Of course, for free.
However, it was a hassle to have to make the medicine myself.
As I was lying on the sofa, there was a knock on the door.
"What?" (Corbeau)
"May I have a moment?" (Zhawn)
It's Zhawn.
This was the man I employed.
He was mainly in charge of selling medicines on the first floor.
I had told him to let me know if any customers came in who seemed like they could do business with me.
"Get in" (Corbeau)
The door opened and Zhawn walked in.
"What's the matter? A patient?" (Corbeau)
Beauty medicine, fever reducer, cold medicine, injury medicine.
"Well, most of the medicine in the store has been sold." (Zhawn)
Medicines were not something you buy in bulk.
"What? Is there some kind of disease going around in town?" (Corbeau)
"No, one customer bought it." (Zhawn)
People did not buy large quantities of medicines on their own.
"Was there a war?" (Corbeau)
I laughed.
"Well, it was bought by a kid named Marné from the Ministry of Magic in the royal capital." (Zhawn)
"……Marné?" (Corbeau)
A name that sounded familiar.
I remembered.
A horrible, horrible name.
"She said she was going to buy some medicine from the store and see how it worked." (Zhawn)
"You sold it?" (Corbeau)
Zhawn nodded.
"Is she still there?" (Corbeau)
"No, she's already gone home." (Zhawn)
"Why didn't you call me right away?" (Corbeau)
If I had been at the store, I might have been able to deal with her.
"I'm sorry. I was always told not to call you unless you had a lucrative customer." (Zhawn)
"But if you have a kid who's willing to pay that much, you know it's a moneymaker." (Corbeau)
"Well... I couldn't go and call you." (Zhawn)
Zhawn looked down and seemed to have difficulty speaking.
"What do you mean?" (Corbeau)
"I am very sorry" (Zhawn)
He said he was given a diuretic.
"You mean, did you leak it in my store?" (Corbeau)
"Sorry. But I cleaned it up." (Zhawn)
"Don't be ridiculous. You want me to work in your-urine-stained shop?" (Corbeau)
"I am very sorry" (Zhawn)
Zhawn bowed his head repeatedly.
Marné...A half-elf who looked like a child, but was a fully-fledged adult.
She worked for the Ministry of Magic and occasionally came to the school as a pharmacy instructor.
I only had bitter memories.
A medicine was created to treat constipation. I was told to test it for myself to see if it worked, and all the students were forced to take it. There was a lot of fighting over who could use the toilet, and it was really tough.
That's not all.
If I skipped class, I was forced to take a diuretic for the next class.
I had heard rumors that other students had been forced to drink it in the past, but I never thought it would be me.
I ran to the bathroom, but I didn't make it in time and ended up wetting myself.
I was a noble.
Originally, I wanted to use my power as a nobleman to make her quit being a teacher, but there was no way I could tell my father that I had leaked, so there was nothing I could do about the teacher.
Marné, the person who humiliated me, has come to this town, bought my medicine, and is now examining its ingredients...
"Did she say anything else?" (Corbeau)
"She'll be leaving town tomorrow morning. And there was a girl dressed as a strange bear. She said she was the bodyguard for the girl who called herself Marné." (Zhawn)
"A woman dressed as a bear?" (Corbeau)
What is this guy talking about?
When you dress up as a bear, does that mean you're wearing a bear fur or something?
Are you saying there's such a strange woman?
For now, just some information.
I instructed Zhawn to close the store and gather information.
By evening, more information was coming in.
In the Commercial Guild, Marné apparently told the guild master that she would be leaving town tomorrow morning.
Also, apparently, she met with the guild master yesterday too.
Could it be that the guild master leaked my information?
I was unable to get any information as to why Marné met the guild master.
The only other information I had was that she was accompanied by a woman dressed as a bear.
Anyway, it's the store's medicine.
Some medicines were effective, while others were less effective.
Beauty products were effective because wealthy people bought them over and over again.
Cold medicines were often not very effective because people were forced to buy them repeatedly.
If it was investigated, the fraud would be revealed.
If that were to happen, I would be out of a position without my father's support.
My father would easily discard me.
The only thing I had left was the title of noble's son.
If that went away, there would be no jobs.
That was the one thing I must prevent.
"So, what are we going to do now?" (Zhawn)
"Contact those men. Tell them to attack her tomorrow morning on the road to the royal capital and steal the medicine." (Corbeau)
The men were a bit of scoundrels.
I used them to collect money from those who didn't pay for their drugs, or to turn away customers who complained that the drugs were not working.
This time, their job was simple: to steal medicine from both Marné and the bear women who were with her.
"Would it be okay to just steal it?" (Zhawn)
Hurt. Kill. There were many things.
The men were little scoundrels.
If I gave them the order to kill someone, they wouldn't accept it.
There weren't many people who would easily take on a murder job.
That point was useless, but this time it wouldn't be a problem as long as I could get the medicine back.
If there's no evidence, anything goes.
I tossed the bag from the drawer.
"It's fine if they just steal it. Here's the advance payment. If they succeed, say I'll pay the same amount. Also, they have some money to buy medicine for the store. Let that be their additional reward." (Corbeau)
Zhawn accepted the bag containing the money and left the room.
She must hate herself for not providing a proper bodyguard.
The next day, the men came to the store.
I took them into the room to talk.
"Corbeau-sama, here's the medicine you requested."
The men lined up the medicines on the table.
That was quite a lot.
It looked like they had properly retrieved all the medicine.
"So, what happened to the two girls?" (Corbeau)
"We followed Corbeau-sama's instructions, scared them, hurt them, and threw them out. Now for the reward."
"Take it." (Corbeau)
I took out a small pouch containing money from my desk drawer and tossed it to the men.
"Thank you very much"
The men bowed and left the room.
Now, what should I do now?
The question was what Marné would do next.
Depending on how badly the men had hurt them, they could be dead by now.
If they survived, there was a chance they would return to the city.
Another question was how much the Ministry of Magic knew about Marné's actions.
First of all, why this city?
Why did they buy my medicine?
Has she appeared at other pharmacists' places too?
Maybe I'd better get it looked into.
I called my subordinates.
"Check with the town pharmacists to see if Marné from the Ministry has visited them."
"I'll check right away."
The man left the room.
I looked at the medicines lined up on the desk.
If Marné was still alive, it might be a good idea to remove the medicine from the store.
If there was no evidence, there could be no prosecution.
Author's Note
Corbeau appears.
Maybe it was a little late.
Book volume 21 is scheduled to be released on February 7, 2025.
*Sorry. Due to work on volume 22, I will be posting a week at a time.
*If I take a break, I will post a comment, and if I am suddenly unable to post, I will notify you via activity reports or X (the old Twitter). (I'm sorry if I can't do this.)
※"Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" comic chapter 130 (12/27) is currently available on PASH UP (125th chapter of NicoNico Manga is currently available)
*Episode 22 of the "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" spin-off (12/27) is currently available on PASH UP (Episode 20 is currently available on NicoNico Manga)
If you have time, please check out the comic version.
[Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear to be released]
Book 21 is scheduled for release on February 7, 2025. (The next book, volume 22, is currently 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.
Translation Note
For now I left the structure of the paragraphs as is. Because if I merge them as usual, each will be a weirdly long paragraph.
Thanks to TV.Station for the edit suggestions.