Chapter 11 Surprising The Comet Witch
I, Leaf Chemist, left my hometown and came to the capital city after being betrayed by my fiancée.
I decided to stay with the daughter of Granny from my village as my base of operations.
In the morning, I relied on the map given to me by Granny and made my way to her granddaughter's shop.
"Comet Workshop... this must be it."
It was a small brick house.
It reminded me of Granny's house in the countryside, which was comforting.
Priscilla's house was just too big for me to feel comfortable in.
"A new life starting today... alright, let's do this!"
I reached for the door of the workshop.
...Creak!
"Huh? Was that my imagination... or did [something] just activate... or was it my imagination?"
I opened the door.
Inside, shelves packed with strange objects, magic tools, and items I couldn't quite make sense of were crammed together.
And this doll, what are they used for?
But they're kinda stylish, aren't they?
I think even this straw doll has a pretty good design.
But, I shouldn't just focus on the inside of the shop.
First things first, I should say hello.
"Um, excuse me!"
Silence...
"Huh? This is a shop, right? Why isn't anyone coming out? Excuse me!"
"Ugh... umm..."
A voice like a zombie's echoed from the back of the shop.
Maybe there really is someone here after all.
I headed towards the direction of the voice.
The front seemed like a shop, but the back looked more like a living space... though.
"What in the world..."
Things were all over the place.
While the shop area was somewhat organized, this place had stuff strewn everywhere.
And it's dirty! There are spider webs in the corners like it's nobody's business, food crumbs and oil drips on the floor.
Plus, the laundry is piled up unwashed, and the worst part is the kitchen...
"Whoa! What's this!?"
From the unwashed and neglected dishes, a strange smell was coming out.
The water, the color of sludge, wasn't draining properly.
"This is... terrible."
The store is fine, but this space here is really dirty...
What's up with the cleaning?
"But... ugh, this... is..."
It's somehow unbearable to look at.
I can't just leave this filthy space alone.
All this time, I've been stuck doing cleaning and laundry because of that bullying childhood friend of mine, and somehow I've become a bit of a clean freak myself...
For someone like me, this overly dirty space was just too much to handle.
"Homeowner, sorry... Before I say hello, I'll clean up a bit!"
I put down my magic bag and take out various herbs from inside.
"[Prescription: ××××]"
What I've created is a special detergent made by mixing herbs and oil.
It's an amazing detergent that can clean even the toughest stains in one go.
I started cleaning using this detergent that Granny from the neighborhood taught me to make.
* * *
After a few hours, a woman staggered out of the bedroom.
"Ugh... ahh..."
"Oh, there she is. Good morning."
She was really pretty.
She had long hair that flowed like jade and a well-defined body.
If she hadn't been wearing loose pants and a tank top, people would definitely turn heads if she walked down the street.
Her eyes looked pretty dead. With swollen, droopy eyelids, she stumbled towards the kitchen.
"Water... My head hurts..."
"Oh, here, have this."
I quickly whipped up what she needed and handed her a glass.
She took a sip...
"!?"
Her eyes lit up instantly.
"What's this!? It's so delicious! "
The granddaughter, who had been half asleep just moments ago, suddenly woke up completely.
"That's good."
"Mmm, this tastes good! What kind of drink is this?"
"It's an Elixir!"
"Bfffttt!"
The granddaughter spits out the liquid from her mouth, and then...
"Huh? Didn't it taste good?"
"No, that's not it!"
Then why did you spit it out?
The granddaughter, with a terrified expression, cautiously inspects the medicine I gave her.
"[Appraisal]"
Her [eyes] shine blue.
This is probably her Appraisal skill.
It's a skill that can see hidden information about things.
I knew about it because the Grannies in the village had it.
"W-wait, this is really an Elixir!"
"Well, that's what I said."
"Why do you have something as expensive as an Elixir?!"
"Huh? But, I just made it with herbs I had on hand."
"YOU MADE ITTTTTTT!?"
What's with all the yelling, this person...?
"Um, yes, right now."
"RIGHT NOWWWWWWW!?"
The grandchild looked puzzled.
Wait, did I do something wrong...?
"Hey, you see, it's weird that you can make an Elixir with no problem."
"Weird... so, I being a pharmacist and only being able to make an Elixir is what's weird?"
The granddaughter exclaimed, veins popping on her forehead.
"I'm telling you, it's abnormal!"
"Abnormal, as in, abnormally bad quality?"
"I'M TELLING YOU IT JUST TOO AMAZINNNNG!!!!"
With a sigh, I face the granddaughter in the living room.
Anyway, I've explained some things to her after she changed of her pajamas.
"Okay... So you're the one Merlin and Granny were talking about... from the [Hero Village]."
"Oh, yeah. Hmm, the Hero Village...?"
"That's just another name for that village. You know, where all the retired heroes live?"
"Oh, yeah, I remember."
"Ah, I see," the granddaughter nodded as if he understood.
"So, it wouldn't be strange if you could make an Elixir there... it's abnormal, you know..."
"Abnormal? Well, everyone seems normal to me. In terms of health, that is."
"I'm not talking about health... oh well, forget it. Let's do introductions."
*Ahem*, the granddaughter cleared her throat.
"I'm Merlin's granddaughter, known as [Comet Witch Mercury]."
"Mercury-san, huh? Nice to meet you, I'm Leaf Chemist. I work as a pharmacist."
"A pharmacist...?"
She tilted her head in confusion.
"Not an alchemist?"
"Nope. I can't use alchemy."
"So, you're able to make such advanced medicine like Elixir. Don't you use alchemy for that?"
"No, I don't. I combine pharmaceutical knowledge with herbs to make them."
"Oh, I see... By the way, who taught you?"
"Master Asclepius did."
Mercury burst out,
"WHAAAAAAAT!? Isn't he the Medicine God!?"
"Um, yes. Is that surprising?"
"He's like the top Medicine God in the world!"
"Yes!"
"Yeah... Wait, do you really know how amazing he is?"
...Now that you mention it, I don't really know much about my master's past achievements.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Mercury seemed to realize I didn't know, sighing deeply,
"He's someone who once saved the world. If it weren't for him, humanity would have perished. That's how incredible of a medicine god he is."
"Oh wow! That's awesome! You're really skilled, Master!"
"Um... Looks like you don't know a lot of common sense, huh?"
"Common sense?"
Mercury pointed at me with a snap.
"Well, first off, you shouldn't just barge into someone's house when the door is locked."
"Locked...?"
What was that about?
"In that village, nobody really locked their doors, so you probably didn't know. But in the capital city, it's common to lock your house."
"Oh, I see... So, does everyone put that [spell (呪術)] on their doors?"
"Yeah, like that," Mercury nodded.
"At my house, I had a paralyzing spell on it. For security reasons. But it was broken. Was that you?"
"Yeah, that was me. Spells don't affect me."
My Poison Immunity trait even nullified curses.
"Also, if you put a spell on a door, isn't there a risk of accidentally cast a spell on someone who touches it?"
"Hey, remember when it said '[CLOSE]' on the door? Normal people would turn back at that point. But for those who still try to force their way in, it activates."
"Wow..."
"It's no good..." Mercury-san sighed, pressing her head.
"Or rather, to think you're just fine after enduring my powerful spell... what kind of constitution is that?"
"I have Poison Immunity constitution."
"That's exactly it! Why is it that with just immunity to poison, you're able to break through my best spell?"
"Well...?"
Even if you ask, if something doesn't work, it just doesn't work, so I can't answer any further...
"Well, never mind... Anyway, since we're going to live together from now on, you'll have to learn some common sense."
"Of course. Thank you for your guidance."
"Hmm... Wait, something's not right with the room...?"
After listening to the explanation for a while, Mercury-san looked around, perhaps feeling a bit relieved.
The dirty room was sparkling clean thanks to me.
"I cleaned while you were sleeping."
"Wow! Thanks... That's a big help. I'm not good at cleaning."
Oh, so that's how it is...
I mean, didn't she feel weird living in such a messy room? Doesn't she normally feel like she should tidy up?
"Huh? What's that noise?"
She stared at the floor I had polished.
"L-Leaf-kun... doesn't the floor look unusually shiny?"
"Oh, yes. I polished it with a special detergent!"
"No... no no no! Look at this! The floor!"
She pointed at the floor and yelled.
"IT'S BECOME A SANCTUARYYYYYY!? "
"A sanctuary...?"
"It's an area that wards off monsters! But why?! That's supposed to be a sacred technique of a saint! How can you do it?!"
"Well... I learned it from Granny Sei."
In that village, there was Granny, who knew many things.
I learned a special skill from one of the Granny to clean any dirt.
That detergent is a special one made by combining Granny's knowledge and techniques learned from my master.
"Sei... Wait, Sei Fart!? The legendary saint!?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Riight... ugh~~~..."
Mercury-san slumped her shoulders in exhaustion.
Oh, what's this now?
"Did I... do something wrong?"
"Well... it's just that I'm tired of being surprised..."
Come to think of it...
"What on earth have you been so surprised about?"
Mercury-san looked at me, shaking her shoulders in anger.
"ABOUT EVERYTHINNNNNNG!!!"
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