章 64: To Tidas (2)
The next day, Sebastian immediately set off to meet Pine to tell him about the trip.
"Eh? You'll be away for two whole months..."
"Nn. I have to be."
"Then, what about the plan to produce the bolts and arrows with loaded tips? It'd be pretty difficult to produce them on my own. Should we put them on hold?"
"Mm..."
Sebastian cupped his chin.
They were trying to make poisonous arrows and arrows that exploded when they hit their target but it was difficult.
For one, arrows couldn't be hollow lest they broke on impact. Pine, being the innovator he is, managed to find a way around it by making the shaft and arrowhead thicker with the same weight, but have some hollow parts inside.
It was a little too complicated for Sebastian to understand but when asked to explain, Pine gave him a clear set of instructions.
"First off, the poisons will be loaded into these containers. The shaft of the arrow will have a tiny hole where the container's tip is inserted and where the poison is housed. The arrowhead's hollow parts are closed but with enough impact... the poison flows through and into the blood."
One of the problems was that creating them took way longer than the regular arrows and they were less reliable in piercing. However, Pine was concerned with a different matter. Procurement of the poisons.
"...Pine, I'll be back later. I'm going to see if I can find someone."
"Alright."
Sebastian walked out of Pine's shop and traversed downtown to head to his other acquaintance.
"Oh my. Isn't it Lord Sebastian? Hasn't it been a while?"
"Yes, it's nice to see you too."
Sebastian took a quick glance around the shop. All of the shelves and see-through drawers were full of vials and bottles.
"I know what you're thinking and yes, business has been very slow."
"How long has it been since your last customer?"
There was already dust accumulating in most of the shelves.
"..."
"You don't have to answer anymore. I understand your situation..."
The alchemist smiled wryly. Though there really were no customers, it wasn't like she had starved. She still had leftover money to live normally though it was hard to say how long it'd last.
"How would you like to sign a contract with me?"
"A contract? Eh? You mean as your exclusive alchemist?!"
The alchemist's eyes beamed.
—An exclusive alchemist. True to its name, it refers to an alchemist assigned to only a single entity. Be it a person, organization, or a household.
Very few people would be capable of hiring an exclusive alchemist. As to hire an exclusive alchemist, one must also need status on top of money.
In the alchemist's eyes, Sebastian had fit the criteria.
"No, wait a second..."
The alchemist immediately deflated on her desk. Being an exclusive alchemist to someone of the four major houses was one of her goals. Unfortunately, barely anyone even knew her. Sebastian had only bought from her a few times but he was already the one who contributed to her profits the most! It showed how pitiful her store was.
If she became an exclusive alchemist, then she didn't need to do anything unless she was requested by Sebastian and in the case that she didn't do anything, he would still have to pay a fee for the duration of their contract.
"It isn't an exclusive alchemist contract—you know very well that I won't be able to afford it."
"You can just ask your house!"
"..."
"...right."
It would've been different had she been well-known as an alchemist but nobody had even heard of her before.
"Moving on, this contract will last for a few months, most likely. Are you interested?"
"Hmm... Tell me the specifics."
...
A couple of hours later, Sebastian walked into Pine's store with the alchemist in tow.
"Pine, this woman is—"
"Sherry."
"Sherry. She's an alchemist I hired and will be the one to help you with the poisons. I'll be sending someone here later and if you two need any materials, you can procure it from her."
"Eh, I see..."
Pine looked at Sherry with a critical gaze.
"If you stare at me that much, I'll be embarrassed."
"Ah, no... It's not like that. Don't get me wrong, it's not that you aren't beautiful—"
While Pine was flustered, Sherry leaned over to whisper to Sebastian.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun here."
"Don't tease him too much. He's a very serious person."
"I'll try my best."
Though Sebastian talked like he was older than Sherry, he didn't know how old she really was but considering that she was able to become a licensed alchemist, it was safe to say she was at least in her 20s.
"Pine, I've told her about most of the things she should know about. If she has any questions, well, I'll leave it to you."
"Leave it to me! When you get back, you'll receive the finest of arrows."
"I'm looking forward to it."
...
"An overseas trip, is it?"
Kathrina tilted her head slightly.
"Nn. Do you have any duties to fulfill?"
"All of your orders have higher priority. I only need to clean young master's courtyard and dwellings regardless of your presence."
"I see. Then, I'd like for you to head to this location to check in every week or when needed. I hired two people to create some special arrows and they'll definitely need an archer there. And, here."
Sebastian handed her a golden key with the emblem of the House of Sol and a seal.
"The key is for the vault. You'll receive the monthly allowance given to me with this seal. Anything the ones I've hired require, procure it for them. I'll also give you a higher wage while I'm away."
"Eh?"
"Be sure to check on my salt farm from time to time as well. Baritos is managing it himself but I'm still worried he'd strain himself."
"W-wait, young master."
"Is something wrong?"
"That's 200,000 Aur and adding what's been left in the vault, more than double of that! Not to mention, your salt farm's production method would net a profit as well. Why do you think I wouldn't run away with that much money?"
"Because I trust you."
"..."
Sebastian answered without missing a beat. Kathrina held her breath.
"I'm just a servant..."
A servant manages the funds, but they're under strict supervision. If he were to hold Sebastian's seal, then even if he were gone, nobody other than the house head would be able to say anything to her.
"I trust you."
Sebastian felt that those words worked the best. He had reiterated what she wanted to hear the most.
Tears filled Kathrina's eyes as she bowed. She held Sebastian's seal and key close to her chest.
"I await your safe return, young master."
For her who had become a servant because of her circumstances, those were words she wanted to hear the most.
...
The week passed by quickly. Sebastian spent two more days buying Linet and his uncle gifts and made sure to assure his mother. When he returns, his brother would soon be born.
Sebastian sat on the chair in Markus' office. It was the day before departure and their scheduled meeting time. He had already handled all of his other matters.
"I'm not one for words so I'll cut this short."
A lie right off the bat. Even Sebastian was aware of Markus' eloquence. The other house heads and even the royal family avoid clashing with him with words. It was suicide.
"You're going to be suspected."
Sebastian furrowed his brows.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you might be pinned as a criminal, Mr. Sol."
It was a more serious talk than he had expected.
"Under what charges?"
"An attempted coup. Word is, someone built an army of monsters in the forest to stage a coup. The monsters would be set on a rampage and trample the surrounding cities.
"By pure coincidence, the House of Luna found the origin of the monsters and got rid of the problem."
Sebastian narrowed his eyes.
"Is this a threat?"
"No. It's a warning. You've been spotted inside the forest several times and have been involved with several incidents. You need to leave the country to avoid suspicion."
Markus took some files on top of the desk and handed it to Sebastian. Then, he looked out of the window.
"You're being targeted. And, it isn't a threat that any of the four major houses can deal with individually. I've no idea who or what is trying to get rid of you, but, you best be prepared for the worst."
Sebastian looked through the files given to him.
'Forest fire, missing persons, increased activity of beasts...'
They were all well-written reports that accurately discussed the cases.
"These were the reports I've submitted to the royal family. And, they only have one link."
"...me?"
"That's right. These cases are all related to you in one way or another. The people who went missing are proclaimed dead, most likely eaten by beasts, but we hadn't publicized it."
'Two out of the three cases were because of Ptelea.'
"And, the nail in the coffin."
Sebastian turned his eyes at the last paper.
"My arrow!"
The black arrow that he had lost when he faced the griffin was found upstream.
"Someone is controlling the royal family under our noses, and I intend to find out who it is."
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