Itsuki Management of a Novice Alchemist: Volume 5

1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-7183-3488-5
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 250 Seiten

Reihe: Management of a Novice Alchemist

Now that Iris and Kate have been rescued from the cave collapse in the mountains, winter has come to Yok Village, and with it, the slow season for Sarasa's shop. As she and her friends struggle to make ends meet, a customer comes to visit-and he's royalty! Unable to turn down his request, the gang heads out into the winter mountains on a mission, but the party is attacked by a swarm of monsters and soon finds itself entwined in the schemes of the local lord, Baronet Kahku. With all the new trouble that's brewing, will Sarasa and her friends make it to spring in one piece?!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Itsuki, Mizuho

Weitere Mitwirkende

Fuumi

Mccann, Sean

Leseproben

Prologue

The snow had begun to fall a few days ago, and with it, silence descended over Yok Village.

Even when the sun was out, few people could be seen outdoors. The view from the second-floor window was desolate, yet tasteful in its own way. It certainly wasn’t bad to take some time to savor it.

In short, it was highly aesthetic.

But speaking as a merchant, that aesthetic view could go in the trash for all I cared.

Even if it winter, it bothered me to no end that business was so dead that I felt like I could hear crickets chirping.

“So, that’s why I need to find a way to raise money,” I said gravely.

For the past few days, the four of us had been having daily tea parties.

Hearing my pronouncement, Iris-san nodded her head repeatedly. “Ohh, so you’re focusing on reality too now, Shopkeeper-dono. I know how that is. Oh, how I know it. I tried to avert my eyes from the size of my own debt at first too.”

“I didn’t choose to look at reality, I’ve been forced to... I sort of saw this coming, but the decline in gatherer activity has been even more steep than I’d expected.”

“We haven’t been out working in the past few days, so we can’t really talk, but there sure are a lot of gatherers who just take the winter off, huh,” Kate-san observed.

“Though, for those who do work, their profit is that much larger,” added Iris-san.

There were considerable difficulties involved in gathering materials from the great forest in the winter.

Not only did the temperature, the snow, and the monsters that only came out during the winter months exist as direct impediments, but the change in scenery in a forest that it was already easy to get lost in made things even worse.

But there were materials that could only be harvested in this season, so there was money to be made for those willing to work. If they had techniques suited to the season, the amount they could make would grow too—commensurate with the risks.

“Sarasa-san, are things that bad?” asked Lorea-chan, the corners of her eyes drooping with a little unease.

“Hmm, the shop’s not about to go under, but...you could say my progress with alchemy has been stagnating, I guess,” I answered vaguely, cocking my head to the side a little.

It wasn’t that I was so swamped in debt I couldn’t do anything. But I had blown most of my cash and materials on hand the other day on my rescue operation to save Iris-san and Kate-san. All I was left with now was a mound of artifacts and potions that I had no use for, and no one to sell them to.

Fortunately, the inn I had invested in was filled with gatherers, and Delal-san was keeping up on her payments. But y’know, although the amount was a lot of income for an average commoner, it was not going to be enough to buy a large quantity of alchemic materials. Once you got into the fifth and sixth volumes of the the cost of the materials used went up.

“Then there’s taxes. I’ll need to think about those too once spring comes around...”

In exchange for all the favorable treatment that alchemists received, they were pretty strict with us where taxes were concerned. We had to keep a record of all our income and expenditures throughout the year, and then submit it along with our tax payment. In my case, I had opened my shop in the spring, so I’d have to do the paperwork and calculate my taxes at the end of winter, and have the money ready to pay them.

“Will the shop still be okay?” asked Lorea-chan.

“Yep. I mean, your wages and food are pretty much my only operating expenses.”

I had bought the shop outright, which meant I didn’t have any rent to pay, and Lorea-chan was my only employee. Her wages were a bit high by the village’s standards, but barely moved the needle next to the amount I spent on doing alchemy.

“There a one-year grace period if I really need it...but I’d rather pay what I owe quickly. It doesn’t leave a good impression if you’re behind on your taxes, and at the very least, I’d like to have everything sorted out by summer.”

“In that case, should we lower the quality of our food? You could reduce my wages too if that would—”

“Whoa there, Lorea-chan. You don’t need to fret about that. Frankly, when it comes to food, whether I’m feeding you, or feeding ten people, it doesn’t make any difference in the grand scheme of things.”

I immediately shot down Lorea-chan’s hesitant proposals.

Besides, the food that graced our table came directly from the producers, and at neighborly prices, all thanks to Lorea-chan. The four of us were able to eat for a month for the price of a cheap potion or two.

As for meat, my two rent-exempted lodgers occasionally brought back whatever they’d hunted, so it was essentially free.

Besides, even if I did go after Lorea-chan’s wages, the amount I’d save would really be insignificant. The expenses I could cut only amounted to a drop in the bucket. And that was hardly enough to justify going without delicious meals.

“Maybe I should take a break from alchemy for a while, and go out to search for materials myself...?” I swirled my teacup as I let out a sigh.

I’d had a shocking zero customers these past three days. It was so dead in here that not only could I hear the crickets chirping, they were forming a massive choir.

“Shopkeeper-san, if there’s anything we can do, just let us know, okay?” Kate-san offered. “Because it’s our fault you’re having trouble.”

“Yeah,” Iris-san agreed. “If there’s anything we can go get for you, we will. And if you ask us to go with you, Shopkeeper-dono, we’ll follow you anywhere.”

“Thank you. Hmm, maybe I’ll give it some serious thought. The snow has to let up soon, so maybe we’ll be able to go out tomorrow.”

Grinding tea leaves while waiting for customers who wouldn’t come was a waste of time. If I was going to grind anything, then it should have been junk magic crystals, but my stock of those was rather poor at the moment.

“Shopkeeper-dono, I’m not very knowledgeable about the subject, so what can we expect to find during this season?” Iris-san asked.

“Give me just a moment,” I said, rising from my seat, and went to fetch the from the workshop, then spread it out on the table. “Something available locally, and not too hard to gather, but also high value. If I also add it has to be something I’d want to use, there aren’t many candidates...”

I flipped through the compendium, showing them a variety of materials.

Winter monsters were not to be underestimated, so my choices were basically all plant-type materials. Hunting any monsters we thought we could handle was also an option, but finding and encountering high-value targets would be tough.

On that point, with plant-type materials we could get by with just the tenacity to endure the cold and some patience.

“You said there weren’t many candidates, but there are options,” Iris-san noted. “Should we be targeting the valuable ones, then?”

“But we’re not used to gathering in the snow, right?” Kate-san interjected. “Even if you’re coming with us, Shopkeeper-san, wouldn’t it be better to keep it simple to start out?”

“We have a long winter ahead of us, so that might be a good idea,” I replied. “My experience is limited to having taken a number of practical lessons, after all. That being the case, a good material to go for would be—”

As we were in the middle of our discussion, our heads all raised at a sound we hadn’t heard in a while.

“A customer...?” I wondered aloud.

“Oh, there was a gatherer in this village even more industrious than we are?” Iris-san said, sounding impressed.

“After what happened with the frostbite bat fangs, if they’ve been living normally, they shouldn’t need to work this winter, though.”

“Well, it could be one of the villagers, so I’ll go,” I said, starting to rise from my seat.

“Oh, Sarasa-san, you keep talking,” Lorea-chan said, motioning for me to stay put. “I’ll go handle it.” She stood up with alacrity.

“You will? Okay, please do.”

“Sure. Leave it to me. I haven’t had any work in a while!”

Pleased to be able to do something, Lorea-chan took off with a smile on her face. But not long after we resumed talking, she returned, looking troubled.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Um... I...