The Bareare family pharmacy had been selling healing potions in E-Rantel for decades.
However, business had been sluggish lately.
The Adventurer's Guild was withholding detailed reports on the Great Tob Forest, causing a noticeable drop in adventurer activity. Fewer missions meant fewer injuries—and with stricter inspections at the city gates, even veteran adventurers were growing wary.
As a result, demand for potions had dwindled.
But that wasn't a concern for Grandma Lizzie. After all, she had earned a lifetime's worth of coin from potion sales. A downturn like this was hardly alarming.
"Grandma, is this the correct ratio?" Nfirea asked in a quiet tone, carefully lifting a handful of mixed herbs.
"Mn."
Lizzie nodded with her usual blank expression.
She was content with her grandson's skill—at his age, she herself hadn't been half as competent.
Ding-dong.
The bell above the workshop door chimed softly.
A customer.
Nfirea quickly set the herbs aside and turned toward the entrance.
A man stepped in, clad in a black priest's robe.Though the robe's cut was that of a priest, it was clearly custom-modified—trimmed at the waist, lacking the usual bulk. His figure appeared upright and composed.
The moment he entered, Nfirea instinctively judged him to be gentle.
Clothing, after all, was often the easiest way to gauge a person.
But then—he saw the black hair.
Nfirea blinked.
He stared.
It was rude, but he couldn't help himself.The visitor looked completely different from the last time they met.
Only the hair—dark as ink—was the same.
Had Minori once given off the impression of a reserved and slightly mysterious adventurer, now he exuded the quiet refinement of a minor nobleman.
Not only his clothes—but his bearing, his very presence—had changed.
"Long time no see, Nfirea."
Minori smiled and raised a hand in greeting. The voice was the same as ever.
"You've struck it rich, haven't you, Minori?" Nfirea finally blurted, still processing the transformation.
"A little. I've done well enough."Minori answered with a light smile.
Nfirea's expression brightened. He stepped forward quickly. "I thought you'd left E-Rantel."
Thud.
A soft step behind Minori made Nfirea pause. A small, sharp-eyed black dog poked its head out from beneath his robe's hem.
At the same moment, an aged voice spoke from behind the counter.
"…That mutt. You've been in the Tob Forest, haven't you?"
"Long time no see, Madam Lizzie."
Minori's gaze lifted to meet the wrinkled face behind the pipe smoke.The old woman behind the counter was resting her chin on one hand and smoking as if she'd seen it all before.
Nfirea's expression shifted to unease. "That place is dangerous, Minori…"
It was phrased like concern for Minori, but he wasn't truly worried for the man himself.
Minori knew.
He was worried about the dog.
"I found him near the forest's edge," Minori said calmly, his tone casual. "He's stuck close since."
Grandma Lizzie exhaled slowly and tapped her pipe against the counter.
"Nfirea. Go check the potions that are starting to spoil."
"Right, Grandma."Nfirea scratched his head and shot Minori an apologetic glance before disappearing into the back.
Once his footsteps faded, Lizzie spoke again—this time, more directly.
"Your… trouble. Is it resolved?"
Minori blinked, then gave a slow nod. Her words had caught him off guard.
She must have drawn her own conclusions from his changed demeanor.
"Not yet," he replied, "But I've made progress."
"Good."
She reached under the counter and produced a small, familiar bottle—an alchemical potion.
"This one. You made it, didn't you?"
Minori's brow twitched faintly.
So she'd traced it back to him.
"No wonder you were chatting about alchemy and herbs with Nfirea. I didn't expect you to be so well-versed in the art."
So it was the one he'd given to Bellorie.
Minori hadn't considered that it might eventually end up here.
"There are no secrets in E-Rantel," Lizzie said as if reading his thoughts. "Only things no one bothers to investigate."
Minori withheld a sigh.
Khajiit of Zuranon had hidden in this city for years without being found. If not for the Sorcerer King's intervention, two undead dragons might have slaughtered the populace.
Still, he kept a neutral expression.
"With skills like yours, you're not here to buy medicine, are you?"
"I'd like to sell some herbs," Minori replied smoothly.
"I'll take them at the best price I can afford," Lizzie said, and then her tone shifted. "But first—"
She pushed the potion bottle forward.
"I want to buy the formula for this alchemical potion."
"Two thousand gold coins."
Her eyes gleamed.
"If that's not enough, name your price."
Minori stared at the old woman for a moment.
Two thousand gold coins was no small sum—even for him, it was tempting.
But this process wasn't something Lizzie could replicate.It was tied to his class abilities—a fusion of a magic swordsman's passive traits and a level 10 alchemist's base functions.
So instead of replying, he asked:
"Do you have the materials?"
Lizzie blinked, startled, and then nodded. She turned and hurried into the back.
A few minutes later, she returned carrying several preserved corpses of Hanged Spiders.
Behind her was Nfirea, holding a box of fragile instruments, looking thoroughly confused.
He looked at Minori with unspoken questions.
"Go tend to your work," Lizzie said, lightly patting his head.
"…Alright."
He gave Minori one last glance and left reluctantly.
"Anything else you need?" Lizzie asked, eyes gleaming.
"No. This is enough."
Minori crouched beside the corpses, scanning their condition.
They had been preserved well—no doubt through magic.
He extended a hand.
"One Hanged Spider venom sac."
Before he finished speaking, Lizzie had already produced one.
Minori tossed it into a bowl of water and activated his alchemy skill.
The water shimmered briefly—then began to glow with a soft blue hue.
In just a few breaths, the venom dissolved, the impurities faded, and a clear, clean potion swirled in the bowl.
Flash.
A transparent blue alchemical potion emerged.
"It's done."
He tossed it toward Lizzie with a casual flick.
She caught it awkwardly—more shocked than anything—and instinctively cast Item Appraisal.
Silence.
"…Can you make another?" she asked, voice suddenly hushed.
Minori nodded and produced a second potion in the same smooth manner.
Now completely silent, Lizzie studied the process intently.
No mysterious tools. No exotic rituals. The method was identical to basic alchemy.
And yet—the result was far beyond ordinary.
Minori knew what she was thinking.
She didn't understand it. She couldn't.
Even though it looked simple… she lacked the invisible foundation behind it.
A long silence passed.
Finally, Lizzie straightened and gave a slow, stiff smile.
"…Let's talk about the herbs."