Chapter 9

I was surprised to see that I had so many favorites...!

Thank you everyone!

"Haa..."

I was slumped over, utterly drained of energy.

Yes, this is... in the sky.

"Hinami! Are you okay...?"

"Yeah..."

Alfred, Cia, me, and Quilt are riding the dragon in that order. Since the dragon is small, Cia is sitting on Alfred's lap. I'm fine at the back, but Quilt is slightly on the tail part. Don't fall. And... to be honest, I'm very scared...!!

I want to respond energetically to Cia, who is concerned, but unfortunately, I don't have the energy. Quilt, who is behind me, is stroking my back, trying to help. Thank you, it helps a lot...

The dragon initially danced in the air as if welcoming me, showing off acrobatic movements. Of course, I was happy at first. But soon, I felt sick and collapsed.

"We'll reach the mansion in about an hour... just hang in there a little longer."

"Yes..."

Now, all I can do is close my eyes and endure... Yes, money will come up, so let's review that to distract myself. Yes, that's the only thing I can do...!

In this world of <Lethisreel>, the same currency is used across all three continents. It consists of iron coins, copper coins, silver coins, gold coins, platinum coins, and black gold coins, from the lowest to the highest. According to the common knowledge book given by the god... the currency is called "Ril." It's probably named after the world.

Actually, this is similar to how Japanese money is counted. Just imagine there are no 1 yen, 5 yen, 50 yen, 500 yen, or 5,000 yen coins. Conveniently, 1 iron coin = 10 Ril. It's very easy to remember.

Iron coin (10 Ril)

Copper coin (100 Ril)

Silver coin (1,000 Ril)

Gold coin (10,000 Ril)

Platinum coin (1,000,000 Ril)

Black gold coin (100,000,000 Ril)

And, the monthly income of a commoner is about 5 gold coins... 50,000 Ril. In Japanese yen, that's about 50,000 yen. Roughly estimating, it's about one-fourth of the average in Japan. No, if the starting salary is 200,000 yen, it's even less. Anyway, if I use one-fourth as a benchmark when shopping... I hope it will work out. Well, there's no equivalent to recovery potions in Japan.

"We're almost there!"

"Sure, big brother...! That's fast!"

Thinking about money, it seems we've already entered the city. Gently leaning out from the dragon, I saw a town below that looked like Europe.

The sun was setting, and the orange-tinted city was bustling. There were aunties buying ingredients, and adventurers returning from hunting, wearing armor. Some people had cat or rabbit ears...! They must be the "beast people" the god mentioned. I was very excited to see a landscape I had never seen in Japan.

And this place is the <Lariel Kingdom>. It's a country in <Sariton>, one of the three continents in this world <Lethisreel>. It's the second largest country and has a castle.

And thanks to Alfred's dragon handling...? We landed in the courtyard of a large mansion. So, this is Cia's home...? From the view from the sky, it looked like the second or third largest building in the city, excluding the castle. What should I do, they are actually quite impressive people.

I wonder if it was okay for me to just tag along like this.

"Welcome back, Alfred-sama, Cynthia-sama."

"Welcome back."

Real butlers and maids...!!!

This is indeed a grand mansion. I'm already nervous, and my right hand and right foot are moving at the same time...? Alfred handed his coat to the butler and went into the room. I followed Cia, and Quilt seemed to be talking to a maid.

"Please wait here. I will prepare everything for you. I am the butler, Sebastian. If you need anything, please let me know, Hinami-sama."

"Ah! Thank you!"

Sebastian, the butler, led me to a spacious and beautiful living room. Is Sebastian a typical butler name...? It would have been perfect if it had "chan" at the end. However, Sebastian, despite his name, was a handsome man...! He had slightly long, translucent blue hair that reached his shoulders, and he wore his butler uniform perfectly. Yes, I thought I wasn't an otaku, but even non-otakus can be charmed by butlers.

I slowly sat on the sofa and drank the tea Sebastian had prepared. Cia and Alfred said they would prepare and left the room.

"Who would have thought I'd be riding a dragon... Life is full of surprises."

Even now, thinking about it makes my heart race.

I wonder if I've met someone extraordinary... The "Forest of Confusion" is said to be very dangerous. However, Alfred came much faster than I expected. Maybe it's the power of the dragon, but he looks to be about my age and is incredibly talented... a genius! Because, it's said that only experienced adventurers dare to enter.

But...

I'm glad the first people I met in this world were Cia and the others.

◇ ◇ ◇

"I am Cia's father, Cleft Meldyti. Truly... I am grateful for saving Cia. I don't know how to express my gratitude..."

"No... I didn't do much..."

I was led to a large room, and a luxurious meal was prepared.

Cleft, Cia's father, was seated at the head of the table. He has been thanking me continuously, making me feel awkward. Besides, I only gave a recovery potion.

"By the way, I heard you are a pharmacist, Hinami?"

"Ah, yes..."

"I heard from Cia that it was very delicious and she was very excited."

"Father...!"

Cia quickly interjected, "I wasn't that excited!" So, she was that happy. That makes me happy too...

By the way, Alfred advised me not to mention that I can cultivate herbs. So, I haven't told Cleft and the others. Only Cia, Alfred, and Quilt know.

"Pharmacists can become pharmacists even if they can't use magic, so many people take up this profession. However, there are many poor-quality recovery potions. A well-made recovery potion is effective and not too bad in taste. But I've never had a delicious recovery potion."

"Is that so...?"

"I'm a knight, so I drink more recovery potions than most people."

Knight...!!!

I wonder why, but knights are cool. I admire knights who protect princesses.

But, so, a delicious recovery potion is rare. In that case, I'll give it as a gift along with the delicious meal. Its name is Cola! I took out the crimson recovery potion from my backpack and handed it to Cleft.

"It's a recovery potion I made. If you like, try it. It's very fizzy and delicious!"

"Fizzy...? Then I'll drink it without hesitation."

"Yes, I hope you like it..."

The crimson recovery potion I offered was as fizzy as cola, always fizzy and very delicious. I don't think about why the fizz doesn't go away.

The bottle has two heart patterns, one large and one small. As usual, when I make a recovery potion with "Angel's Voice," the bottle becomes cute.

"Hmm... Mu!?"

"Father!?"

Suddenly, Cleft choked, and Alfred hurriedly rushed to his side. Of course, I and Cia also rushed over. What should I do... maybe he doesn't like fizzy drinks.

"No, I'm fine. I was just surprised by the new taste."

"New taste...?"

Alfred slowly sipped the remaining half of the crimson recovery potion, swallowed, and then looked at me with wide eyes.

"Hinami...! What is this!!"

"Wh-what?"

"First time drinking... It's fizzy and very delicious!"

"...I'm glad you like it."

It seems he really liked it, and I'm relieved.

Cleft also seemed to like it and was nodding next to Alfred. Seeing this, Cia protested, "That's not fair!" but Alfred said, "You drank Mana," and she was defeated.

By the way, I learned that recovery potions are often referred to by abbreviations. Indeed, it's tiring to call them by their long names.

Basically, recovery potions are called "Potions" and refer to health recovery potions. Since recovery potions are expensive, health recovery potions are commonly used... that's the reason. Other recovery potions are distinguished by their abbreviations.

Health recovery potion ... Potion

Crimson recovery potion ... Garnet

Magic recovery potion ... Mana

Deep sea recovery potion ... Marine

Called as such.

"By the way, Hinami! Can we buy your recovery potions instead of selling them to a shop?"

"Oh, that's good. I'd like to buy them."

"Um? Sure, that's fine..."

Cleft and Alfred, apparently moved by the cola taste, suddenly became very excited...! Cia, as usual, didn't seem particularly surprised and was drinking tea after the meal.

I don't know the market price, so I'll leave it to them. I'm sure they won't treat me unfairly... yes.

"Oh! Thank you. How many do you have?"

"Um... 20 Potions, 30 Garnets, and 30 Manas."

"Oh, all of them?"

"Please do."

The recovery potion bottles are slightly smaller than the palm of my hand, and I packed as many as I could in my backpack. Oh, but the magic recovery potion Cia had was a bit larger. Well, the amount varies by bottle, so that's fine.

"They are small and easy to carry. They must be of good quality, right, Hinami-sama?"

"The quality... I think it's not bad."

"The quality is the best! Better than the Mana I usually have."

"Cia! Is that true?"

"Yes. My magic, which was almost depleted, was fully restored after drinking Hinami's Mana."

When Cleft asked about the quality, I was a bit flustered, but Cia came to my rescue. Well, I thought it wasn't bad, but being called the best is embarrassing...! Cleft also seemed surprised by Cia's words and was closely examining the Mana.

"By the way, Father? If I drink the Mana I usually drink in the same situation... my magic only recovers halfway."

"What...! That's amazing..."

Magic... is it like the MP in stats? I don't think I'm wrong. If so, my Mana recovers almost twice as much as the usual Mana? Indeed, that sounds pretty impressive...

"Wow. You're young but very talented... Hinami, are you about the same age as Cia?"

"Um... 15."

"\"What!!!\""

When Cleft casually asked about my age, I honestly said 15, and everyone was surprised. I wonder... maybe I looked younger because I'm Japanese? Their expressions became a bit awkward, and all three apologized. By the way, Cia is 11, and Alfred is one year older. When I was surprised, I was scolded, "You'll grow up quickly!"

"No, no, sorry."

"...It's okay."

"Anyway, let's decide the price of the recovery potions. As the highest market price... 700 Ril for one Potion, 1,100 Ril for one Garnet, and 1,800 Ril for one Mana, how about that?"

"Um... Yes, that's fine. Isn't it a bit high?"

"No? Considering the performance of your recovery potions, it's almost too cheap. Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes, it's fine..."

It's much higher than I expected, and I'm a bit nervous inside.

Health recovery potion 20 x 700 = 14,000 Ril

Crimson recovery potion 30 x 1,100 = 33,000 Ril

Magic recovery potion 30 x 1,800 = 54,000 Ril

Total 101,000 Ril

Wait, isn't this two months' worth of 10 gold coins...!?

Also, as in games, MP recovery potions are expensive... amazing, the price is more than double.

Sebastian, the butler, quickly brought a tray with 10 gold coins and 1 silver coin. I carefully received it and put it in the inner pocket of my backpack.

After that, when I thanked them for buying the recovery potions, they invited me to stay, which I was happy about since I had no place to go.

We chatted over tea and had a pleasant time. Cleft didn't ask anything about my background. Maybe Alfred was considerate.

The room I was shown to was beautifully decorated but not overly lavish, giving a calm and comfortable feeling. It was like a noble's room... oh, they are nobles.

I learned from the conversation that the Meldyti family is a baron. They are really impressive people...!

It still feels like a dream, but today's diary entry is three times longer than usual.

5/16

Based on everyone's feedback...

- Adjusted the price of Potions

- Corrected the abbreviations for Potions

(Hypo → Potion / Ganepo → Garnet)

Thank you for your valuable feedback...!!