Cheat Pharmicist's Slow Life ~Making a Drug Store in Another World~

Chapter 3: Let’s Make a Lot of Potions

I took along a mortar and pestle, a large basket to put herbs in, a small knife, and 10 bottles from the general store, I arrived at the forest.

I actually intended to buy them, but the general store’s occhan said, “If I take money from Reiji-kun, my dear will smack me,” so I accepted them obediently.

Noela in wolf mode is giving a strange, “Ruu- ru- ru-,” cry as she wanders around within the vicinity.

By doing so, she’s investigating whether or not there are dangerous monsters or beasts nearby.

Although I don’t know if there’s a reason for calling out like that.

I’m harvesting herbs in order to make that good tasting potion once again.

I didn’t have the leisure to notice yesterday, but it seems like objects that could be ingredients for medicine I want to make appear in my vision more easily.

If I were to illustrate the sensation, it’s the feeling like that herb alone feels out of place in the scenery.

The stem of the plant called earo, next is the herb tourigisou, and last is the leaves of the herb called amane; I picked each of them and put them in the basket.

“This much would probably be enough.”

When I said so as I looked into the basket that now held a lot in it, Noela returned.

With a glimmer, her body shone and she took girl form.

“Master, return?”

“No, I want you to guide me to a place with drinkable water, like a river or something.”

“This way.”

Walking along an animal trail, what I was led to was the banks of a small river, covered with rocks of all sizes.

The vantage point is also good, so we’ll likely be able to spot monsters and beasts immediately if they come out.

The river’s water is also clean, so it looks like it’s enough to be used for Drug Discovery, according to the Appraisal Skill.

“Noela, Master, will help.”

“Thank you. Then, will you draw some water?”

Noela nodded in agreement, clutched the bottles to her chest, knelt on the riverbank, and began to scoop up the water.

The wolf tail from her rear is wagging, swish, swish.

I ground the ingredients I just collected with the mortar and pestle I just bought.

Lastly, I used my hand to squeeze it tightly, leaving behind the liquid.

I took one of the bottles from Noela, who had returned, poured the proper amount into the bottle, and shook it.

When I did so, the same reaction as yesterday occurred.

The water glowed faintly and changed into a color similar to sports drinks.

[Potion (excellent)]

“Alright, it’s properly made.”

“Good taste! Good taste-“

I kept the potion away from Noela’s outstretched hand.

“Wait, wait, don’t get all riled up. I’ll make Noela’s portion now, so.”

“… Will wait.”

“That’s good.”

I made a slightly larger potion and handed it to Noela.

While her body swayed from her gently wagging tail, she began to drink the potion bit by bit.

“Ru- ru- ru-?”

I continued working like that, made 10 bottles of potion, and returned to the city.

—

“Oi, is that the rumored Revolutionary…?”

“He’s got black hair and is accompanied by a beastkin, so it’s gotta be.”

When I walked along the path with more pedestrian traffic, I heard whispered gossip.

Did I do something?

“Noela, not beastkin, different. Werewolf.”

“… Sorry, Noela. I don’t really understand the difference … how are they different?”

“…”

Noela quickly averted her eyes from me.

She might not like the fact that, even though she’s called a werewolf, she’s being labeled as a beastkin with all the others.

“Do you know about the Revolutionary? … He pretends to be a pharmacist, but isn’t his true identity a brilliant Master Alchemist from a foreign country? That’s what the rumors say.”

The spread of the rumors isn’t being done half-heartedly.

Each and every one of them are thanks to the Drug Discovery and Appraisal Skills, but even if I talked about Status and such to the people here, they probably won’t get it.

If I live here for a while, they should be able to quickly figure out that I’m a normal person.

When I showed up at the general store, there was a poster saying, “The revolutionary potion is sold out,” at the front of the store.

“The name is revolutionary potion; can’t something be done about this…”

I smiled wryly, and called out to the general store’s occhyan, Alf-san.

“Ooh, Reiji-kun, what’s up? Did you forget something? You’re free to use whatever I have in the store.”

Alf-san easily said that to me, who he’s only known just today and yesterday.

He’s really a nice person, or something.

“I didn’t forget anything, I finished making the potions so I brought them over.”

“…Heh? …A bottle’s worth?”

Occhan’s eyes went completely round and he blinked.

“Rather than a bottle’s worth … I wonder how many bottles it is. There are 10 of the bottles I took from you.”

“100 bottles’ wooooorth!? Eh, that many!? In this short of a time!?”

Aah, you can make 10 potion bottles’ worth of potions from one regular bottle?

“This short of a time, you say… I’ve been out since morning, and it’s already noon, you know?”

“That’s plenty fast-“

He gave a rebuttal with such force that it was like his eyes were about to fly out of his head.

Even if you say so … I don’t know the pace a normal person would make them at, after all.

“A,as expected, the brilliant Master Alchemist of another country sure is diff -, ah, no, the Revolutionary sure is different…”

“So you were the origin of that weird rumor.”

Occhan and I entered the store, and the two of us changed the potions’ bottles.

Noela, who had drunk all of her own potion before we returned, is fidgeting as she stares heatedly at my hands.

“Reiji-kun, most potions are things that takes craftsmen a month to make 100 bottles. Slower people will make 60 bottles; have you not heard of it?”

“Heeh, they take their time, don’t they.”

“I wasn’t commenting on their dispositions. You have to do work like crushing herbs and drying them out, right? Those take time. Reiji-kun, you’d know more about me on those kinds of things, right?”

“…. – No, no, o,of course I know about it? W,well, right now? How much do you know, Alf-san? I,I’ll just t,test you on it. Um…”

“Aruji, sweat is dripping.”

“Noela, keep quiet.”

“Ruu.”

Quick people will make 100 bottles a month.

If that’s true, then it would be better to think of the Drug Discovery Skill as a skill closer to magic.

Fumu. If that’s the case, then saying it’s alchemy might not be entirely off the mark.

If I think about the continuous consumption on the front lines of the war, then it doesn’t seem impossible for this rural town to be sold out.

I haven’t seen it yet, but if there’s magic, then there would surely be healing mages.

But in the situation where there aren’t any healers, you’ll have to rely on potions.

I’ve experienced it, so I understand. Although it was in a game.

We lined up the “Revolutionary Potion”s, peeled off the paper that was saying it was out of stock, and stuck up the “Revolutionary Potions are in stock,” paper.

“And so, Reiji-kun, have you had lunch yet? Come eat with us.”

“Then I’ll take you up on that offer. Thank you very much.”

Noela and I were fed lunch by his wife.

While the two of us were nomming on hot soup and very flavorful, firm bread, small children were sending Noela passionate gazes from the entrance to the dining room.

They’re Alf-san’s children.

“It’s a beast onee-chan.”

“The tail is fluffy-“

‘Look, look, the ears! The ears are moving-“

“ “ “Cuuuute-“ ” “

Is she embarrassed? Noela’s making a troubled face.

“Master, Master. Noela, being stared at…”

“Un, they’re staring, na.”

All together, the small, mischievous siblings came into the dining room and began to pat Noela all over.

“The tail’s soo fluffy!”

“Her hair’s so silky!”

“Ear -, ears, ears, I want to touch the ears-!” freℯ𝓌e𝚋𝐧𝘰vℯl.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Noela is so bewildered, her eyes are tearing up.

“Master, Master. Noela, being touched…”

“Un, they’re touching you, na.”

Noela, being turned into the children’s toy, tearfully uttered, “Pulling, don’t…” but it seems they weren’t listening at all.

The wife, carrying the baby, smiled wryly.

“I’m sorry for our children.”

“Oh no, you’ve fed us lunch, so this isn’t much.”

“That, for Noela to say. For Master to say, not right.”

I can hear the store becoming noisy.

I can also hear Alf-san saying, “One bottle per person-.”

Seems like the general store is prospering today, too.

“Reiji-kun, really, thank you very much.”

“Oh no, it’s really nothing much. I’m properly receiving money for this, and we should help each other when we’re in need.”

So saying, I returned her smile.

“Master, Master. Hewp, help me…”

Noela, who was being freely played with by the children, tugged on my sleeve firmly.

“Being fluffed – is the inescapable fate of a beast girl.”

Noela, life can be tough.

But she’s a little pitiful, so I’ll make her some potion again later.