CH 37

Chapter 37 from “Miniature Garden Chemister part 2 – Miniature Garden”

Mariage Ruston POV

Hmmm…this must be the girl Alfred is obsessed with, Hinami. Yeah, cute girl.

The young girl was sitting on the couch with a nervous expression on her face. Even though she looks so young, she’s only 15 years old…I’m surprised.

As always, if one is in the Merchant’s Guild’s office, then they are a visitor to me. Normally, I would be quick to refuse an appointment, but…that’s not possible with Alfred.

I, the Master of the Merchant’s Guild, Mariage Ruston, am quite busy.

While it’s good that I took over this guild from the predecessor, my grandfather, I’m having to rush around every day by running a less systematic merchant guild.

I take a breath and look briefly at Alfred who is sitting next to her. His eyes are focused and unblinking, as if saying “Is there any problem with Hinami?”

Just by looking at it, I can tell that he has put his absolute trust in her.

I didn’t expect the “Blazing Flame Magician” to get this deeply involved with someone. Well…she is really talented after all. I remember hearing Salina also say that she was amazing. Salina, who is the vanguard knight of the hero’s party that Alfred belongs to, has earned the absolute trust of everyone. In regards to that, this girl’s abilities are outstanding. For that Salina to recommend those potions…It makes think the future might be bit scary from now on.

After all, it seems that Hinami-chan is adored by some amazing people. Oh, but…as I recall, Salina said that she had never met her in person. Though, well, that’s obvious from Alfred’s attitude. (*** T/N: I think that Salina is a girl based off the Japanese and the feminine name, although, I guess that can be clarified in future chapters)

I pause for one breath and look straight at Hinami. Then I use the skill <Fairy Guidance Carnival> and look both Hinami-chan, and the curse slave behind her.

<Fairy Guidance Carnival>

When the fairies invite others to a banquet, their dance allows them to see whether a person is a potential danger to them.When this skill is used, a person’s true nature can be seen through their aura.

MP 1,300

Ah…there seems to be no problem.

However, this skill is still hard on me because it consumes a lot of MP. In fact, my MP is already close to zero. But no matter how hard it is, this skill something I cannot neglect.

I manage the merchant’s guild with this skill and with the white magic tool.

I’m still inexperienced, so I usually find myself dealing with problems rather than avoiding them…This kind of treatment beforehand is essential.

“You are now a member of the Merchant’s Guild. You can rely on me if you need anything.”

With a smil, I welcomed them both.

“Thank you…!”

Immediately, her face blooms like a flower and she thanks me. Yeah, well…you were very polite, and I hope you do well.

***

“Can you process this document for me?”

“Yes.”

I call my secretary, Belle, who had helped with the process earlier, to help me.

“But still…I didn’t expect that little girl to be  such an amazing chemister. I guess people aren’t always what they seem, are they?”

“Yes. In fact, even I wouldn’t have accepted an appointment without Alfred’s introduction.”

I stretched and relaxed my slightly stiff body. I say a few words back to Belle and think about the future. It was just a plan, though. It seemed that my good secretary had already made arrangements there.

“After tomorrow, we’ll decide on the property…We’ll start  with reconnaissance on the first day, third days, a week, and a month after the opening.”

“Yes, that’s fine. Thanks you for working so fast, Belle.”

In the Merchant’s Guild, newcomers are all required to have reconnaissance from the guild. Of course, this is done in secret… only the upper echelon knows about it. Of course, even Alfred, who doesn’t belong to the guild, doesn’t know about this.

As a merchant, power, well, business power as it’s called, is required. We, the guild, used reconnaissance to check if we were running things well. The content was wide-ranging, such as the quality of the products, the cleanliness of the shop, or even the regular pricing.

Some people might think that I should give a lecture about everything from the start, but rather than doing that, having people do business on their own and cultivating their own skills is the policy of this guild.

“I feel like I might be a  bit caught up in the reconnaissance, but her value probably can’t be measured by the common sense of the market.”

“…Yes, I agree. There’s going to be a revolution of potions pretty soon.”

Ah, that’s right.

If my grandfather was still the guildmaster, he would have waved his hand and been happy…but I guess I’m taking too much of a burden. Will I be able to properly protect Hinami-chan, a new merchant, well enough?

“I’m sure…Hinami-san’s shop is going to be a big deal. We, the merchant guild, will need to support her well…”

“It will be fine, Mariage-sama.”

“Eh…?”

Can it be she knows about my insecurities…no, Belle can just see everything. After all, we’ve known each other since childhood. It’s strange that we have boss and subordinate relationship at work.

At work, she never forgets her honorifics and calls me “Mariage-sama.” But once the job is done, the honorific are gone too, and I can’t help but wonder if she becomes someone else who just looks the same.

“And I’m here, too.”

“……Thank you.”

Her neatly arranged golden hair goes a little past her shoulders. She is always calm and good at her job…and she’s the secretary and childhood friend whom I’m very proud of.

Although, when she gets angry, she’s very scary.

“But even so, I’ll have to do my best to make it work.”

“Yes. I will do my best too.”

She clenches her fists in front of her chest and encourages me with a smile, saying, “Oh yeah!!” I’ve been a guild master for three years now, yt I’m still a  little chick who can’t get around without the help of those around me.

“Thank you.”

I thank Belle again and reach for a different document to continue with my other work.

I hope that I will soon get used to this job and become a great guildmaster just like my grandfather was.

I get to work on a new task and Belle makes me a new cup of tea. As I was busily working with my hands, Belle, who had been quietly supporting me, opened her mouth.

“Oh, by the way, Mariage-sama,”

“What?”

I looked over the documents, and as I was processing them, Belle tapped her hands as if she had remembered something.

“The Adventurer’s Guild had a request to purchase an item.”

“Oh….such requests are common. Was it a rare item?”

“Yes. Apparently, it’s a very rare fruit from a very rare plant…It’s name is “royal fruit.”

“…I’ve never heard of it.”

I sometimes hear about princess trees or a prince trees, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a royal tree. That information is also strictly controlled in the Merchant’s Guild.

If even I haven’t heard about it…then it must be quite a difficult item to find.

“But it’s not like it’s a new kind of tree…The request said, ‘I want you to collect the royal fruit from a royal tree that grows only on this continent.’ It’s as if they know that the tree has been on this continent for a long time…”

“I see…if that’s true, then we’d better look it up with the merchant’s guild. Can you please?”

“Yes, I figured you would, so I’ve already made the arrangements.”

“Excellent, as expected of you. Thank you.” I tell Belle, and look back on my memories to check if I really don’t know about it.

However, even when I try to remember, I can’t recall anything called a royal tree. It sees that it will be better to wait for the guild reconnaissance after all.

“By the way, what is the purchase price?”

“Ten gold coins for one. So it seems that there are many adventurers who are willing to try…but there is too little information.”

“I see. I understand, thank you.”

Ten gold coins for each fruit.

Sure, it’s a lot of money, but…if I don’t have any information at all, I can’t understand the value of the fruits.

What in the world can you use it for…It might be a good idea to go to the Adventurer’s Guild and find out more about the client.

If it’s a prince and a princess fruit, you can get them, but…are they the same kind of plant, or is it something else entirely?

“Oh, but…if it’s a plant, I wonder if Hinami-san would know about it?”

“Oh, right. She seems like an amazing chemister. Let’s ask her about it tomorrow while we’re looking for a property.”

“Yes, please. I have a meeting I can’t miss… I’m sure Belle will take care of it.”

I exhale with a huff and drink the rest of the tea in one go.

For now, it’s going to get busy.

It’s a little depressing to think about the future, but to be honest, I have to admit that I’m also excited about the new possibilities.

“Let’s do our best!”

“Yes!”