Chapter: 16
‘Everyone…’
“Tell everyone to lift their heads.”
“As the young lady commands, they shall rise!”
As Panata shouted, those who had been prostrating on the ground sprang up in perfect unison.
Even if a star were to fall upon our troop, it wouldn’t have such coordination.
Seeing the terrified faces of these people was giving me a headache.
I clearly came into the village to rest, yet why do I feel even more exhausted?
If I had known this would happen, I should have just hidden my face and slipped in.
No, even if I did that, the moment Panata was close by, my identity would have been exposed anyway.
I had Panata direct the residents of Evans to disperse.
They seemed so grateful to hear that they could leave that they scattered the moment Panata spoke.
After the village quieted down at the entrance, I swept my face with my hand before speaking.
“Karl.”
“Yes, my lady.”
‘What about…’
“How on earth are my rumors spreading?”
“It might be better if you didn’t hear them.”
‘Just tell me the truth.’
“Speak as if I’m just a piece of trash.”
“Understood.”
According to the rumors Karl told me, Lucy was a demon taking the shape of a human.
No. I understood the rumors saying my personality is monstrous, or that my tone is cocky, or that I enjoy tormenting people, and that I’m a hopeless piece of trash.
That’s fact.
However…
What does it mean that if someone crosses me, they could become a training doll for the knight order?!
And what’s this nonsense about imprisoning those I don’t like underground and torturing them?
And seriously! Isn’t it too much that even if Lucy is a total airhead, she stomped on another young lady?!
No matter how exaggerated the rumors are, this one’s just too much!
“My lady. It’s too early to be shocked. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
‘Really?!’
“Are you being serious?!”
“With the honor of a knight, I’ll say there’s not a single lie.”
That these rumors are only part of it!?
I was so shocked by that fact that I turned my gaze toward Panata and the maid, who immediately avoided my eyes.
Is this real?!
This isn’t just an exaggerated joke; there are actually rumors like that flying around?!
Oh. Crap. What the hell has this girl Lucy stacked up in karma during her life?
What kind of mischief has she pulled in her family for such rumors to spread?
…What if, just maybe, amidst those rumors, the truth is actually mixed in?
I have no idea what kind of life Lucy lived before I possessed her.
I can only make guesses.
No one knows if there’s any truth among those karmas that I think are just rumors.
If someone comes by someday to give me a stab, I should really ask them.
Which of Lucy’s wrongdoings brought you here?
I’m exhausted. So exhausted.
Although it’s early to be sleeping, I just want to lock myself in my room and bury my face in the bed.
If there wasn’t something I needed to find in Evans, I would have lived as a recluse today.
‘Village chief…’
“Panata, where’s the place that sells potions?”
“Are you referring to the potion shop? It’s nearby.”
‘Please guide me.’
“Follow me.”
I’ll handle this quickly and then head back to hide in my room.
…But surely, it wouldn’t be a fiasco everywhere I go, right?
Right?
*
Originally, ominous imaginations are often accurate, and similar incidents occurred twice on the way to the potion shop.
After going through that chaos, I instinctively understood what it meant to be mentally drained.
I thought my stamina and tenacity were great, but that was only under normal circumstances.
When pushed into an unforeseen situation, I couldn’t endure it at all.
So by the time we arrived in front of the potion shop, I was halfway out of my mind.
I honestly wonder if I can even enter the dungeon tomorrow.
Thinking about it all came down to Posell’s fault.
That guy pushed me into the village, which is what led to all this mess.
If we had just camped like we originally planned, I wouldn’t have to suffer like this!
I seriously want to take revenge.
Posell, just you wait.
My grudge runs deep and thick.
Someday, I will repay this grudge tenfold.
As I opened the door and stepped into the shop, a cacophony of voices assaulted me.
“That’s way too expensive!”
Ugh. What a boisterous bunch. I feel like my ears might pop.
I frowned, and Panata, who was beside me, urgently raised his voice.
“Rel! Vermi!”
At the sound of the chief’s voice, the two people inside who had been arguing turned to us.
Though they still held on to their animosity with sharp gazes, they panicked and lowered their heads when they made eye contact with me.
“I’m sorry! Young Lady!”
“I’m sorry! Please spare my life!”
What do you expect me to do?!
I’m not planning anything dramatic.
Honestly, is it even worth getting mad that you guys were too busy fighting to notice me?
‘Both of you, get up.’
“Scrubs. Get up.”
“No! Not at all!”
“Please, young lady.”
‘For the love of everything, please get up.’
“Your ears seem fine, but you can’t hear me? Get up.”
As I threatened with a tsundere tone, the two immediately sprang to their feet.
Both of them clearly looked terrified, and the woman who had just shouted seemed about to cry at any moment.
A little more poking, and I might witness a full breakdown.
Ugh. Damn it.
‘So…’
“Fools, what were you fighting about?”
I didn’t know what the issue was, but if I could help resolve it within my ability, I’d like them to hurry it up and disappear.
If you keep doing that, my heart and mind are going to wear out even more!
Even after I asked, the two exchanged glances, hesitating to speak.
Haa. Is this how kindergarten teachers feel mediating kids’ fights?
“Now, talk it out. The young lady is waiting.”
“Well, that is…”
Finally breaking the silence, the chief spoke, but the woman who had shouted before slowly began to explain.
“I deeply apologize. I came to buy a health recovery potion from this shop, but the owner learned of my urgency and tried to exploit me, which is why I was arguing.”
“That’s slander!”
The moment one of them spoke up, the other quickly rebutted.
“I just charged the normal price!”
“Didn’t you charge more than the price yesterday?!”
“That’s because that potion was of worse quality!”
Watching them shout and overlook my presence, I could tell that the grudges carved into their hearts were no small matter.
If left unchecked, they’d likely argue until sunset.
Well, anyway, this whole fiasco seems to be over a single potion, huh?
‘That…’
“How much is that potion?”
“It’s…”
Listening to the shopkeeper’s response, I found that the potion wasn’t priced too high.
I could practically memorize the prices of potions from the game.
Based on that, while it was slightly expensive, I could understand it just fine.
It’s not even to the point of exploitation.
Still, given that it’s from my viewpoint, it might be perceived differently.
From the perspective of the poor commoners, every single penny would be precious.
‘I’ll buy it.’
“I’ll pay.”
“…What?”
‘I said I’ll buy it.’
“How about a little ear cleaning? I said I’d pay!”
Right now, I have enough money to easily buy a potion.
On my way out of the mansion, Benedict had given me a pouch with a few gold coins, telling me to use it if something came up.
Even for a count’s household, a few gold coins was a significant sum, and for him to press it into my hands.
Benedict’s love for his daughter knows no bounds!
“Thank you! Young lady!”
The woman, reflecting on my words, bowed her head repeatedly to express her gratitude.
I just bought the potion because I wanted to leisurely look around, but hearing her say thank you made me feel good.
It turns out, being kind-hearted pays off.
After sending the woman away, I turned back to see Karl and the maid looking at me with strange expressions.
What’s the matter? Why are you looking at me like that?
“Uh… Miss. If there’s anything you’re looking for, I can bring it to you.”
‘It’s okay. I’ll look around by myself.’
“Scrub, sit tight. I’ll look around on my own.”
After the woman left, the shopkeeper hesitantly made me an offer, but I declined.
What I’m looking for is something that you might not even have in your shop.
There’s a precious elixir hidden in this shop.
I don’t know what story is hidden within, but that’s not so important.
What matters is that I’ll be able to buy a rare elixir at a throwaway price here.
I remember exactly where the elixir is located.
Sure enough, in the corner at the end of the right side, I find a potion bottle buried under layers of dust from being unsold for ages.
Alright! This is it.
The mana-boosting elixir I’ve been searching for.
I can’t appraise it, but just seeing its shape is identical to the one from the game confirms it.
I can’t eat it, and since I’m going Tank now, I have no immediate use for it, but an elixir is still an elixir.
I should grab it while I can.
Remember that there were only three elixirs stored in the Count’s mansion.
Elixirs are valuable items.
I’d wager that if I show this elixir to a wizard in the mage tower, their eyes would go wide.
If I only buy this, I feel a bit guilty, so let me also buy some items that could be useful in the dungeon later.
Health recovery, antidotes, and…
I carefully selected a few items and laid them out in front of the shopkeeper.
‘I’ll buy them all. How much?’
“How much is it?”
“Honestly, you can take them all for free if you want.”
Really? Free of charge?
I was initially tempted by the word free but quickly regained my composure.
If I gobbled up all this with no payment, it’s guaranteed that one more rumor about Lucy would pop up.
My reputation is already in the trenches; I no longer want to see it take a further dive.
‘Just tell me how much.’
“Just tell me straight. How much?”
“Um… Well, for this amount, it would be around 2 silver coins.”
Isn’t that wildly cheap?
No way two silver coins would suffice, even if you didn’t know about the hidden elixirs inside.
Are you afraid to charge me too much money?
Or are you worried that you’d get caught raising the price?
Hmm. I guess I’ll have to make an initial offer if I want to pay the right amount.
I can’t just grab the elixirs and walk out with my conscience screaming, so I’d rather pay something reasonable.
From my pocket, I pulled out two gold coins and placed them on the table.
‘Here, take this.’
“Take this.”
“This… This is too much. Even if they are being sold at a high price…”
The shopkeeper, upon seeing the gold coins, seemed terrified of overcharging the notorious lady and instantly proclaimed his conscience.
He likely thinks I’m just an unaware little girl being swindled.
Oh, but Panata’s right there, so he can’t do that, right?
‘Just accept it. It’s money I don’t need.’
“Don’t question my words? Just take it. As a pathetic shopkeeper, it’s like earning a fortune on a lifetime’s wage, isn’t it?”
I genuinely don’t need money at this point. Having it wouldn’t serve any purpose.
In fact, if I decide to earn money later, there’s plenty of ways to do that.
As I made my point firmly, the shopkeeper hesitated a bit but finally accepted the gold coins.
Hey, does that mean you’ve earned enough to get a decent meal?
Now Lucy, the young lady, must be known as a benevolent person. Shouldn’t there be a rumor about that now?
If I start hearing allegations about being a wasteful spender, I might just come back here and flip tables.
Once I picked up the potions and exited the shop, Karl’s voice rang from behind.
“My lady, you paid too much. Even if you total everything in the shop…”
‘Karl, listen up.’
“Scrub. Close that smelly mouth and pay attention.”
I stopped Karl’s lecturing and whispered the true identity of the old potion bottle into his ear.
Upon hearing that, Karl raised his eyebrows and cautiously asked, “Is that for real?”
‘It’s the real deal.’
“Are you really doubting me? That’s unworthy of a knight.”
“I’m sorry, my lady. However, how did you come to that conclusion?”
‘That’s a secret.’
“This is too soon for a scrub to know.”
Hmph. I successfully obtained the mana-boosting elixir free of charge.
Now, how should I put this to use?
It would be best to sell it to a suitable wizard, but where will I find one?
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