Chapter 68

I started making Wednesday stones with Erika.

While making C-rank Wednesday stones to balance the quality, I observed the progress of Erika’s Wednesday stones.

Hmm… The magic is stable, and it seems she can make D-rank stones normally.

If I were to point out a flaw in the three girls, it would be this cautiousness.

"Erika, you can increase your magic power a bit more."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you can make D-rank stones normally. Have a bit more confidence."

"Hmm… I’d like to try a bit more with this magic power. It’s only been a few days, after all."

Indeed, it’s her personality…

There’s not much I can do about that.

It’s no good to rush her.

"Got it. Then, do it at your own pace… Ah, that’s not Lutz’s girlfriend, but Yuriana."

"Ah, really. It’s Yuriana-san."

Yuriana, whom we met yesterday, was coming over.

"Good morning, Sieg-san and Erika-san."

Yuriana greeted us.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

We greeted her back while making Wednesday stones.

"Are you two alone?"

"Leonor and Adelheid are making Wednesday stones in the bath. When Wednesday stones fail, water spouts out."

"Last time, they were drenched. I don’t know much about alchemy, but it must be tough for alchemists."

Whether it’s tough because water spouts out is debatable.

"It’s part of the job. Did you bring the magic herbs?"

As I said yesterday.

"Yes."

Yuriana nodded and showed her bag with a proud face.

"A magic bag?"

"Yes. I finally got one."

Until now, she had to carry them in a car.

"That’s great. Take them out."

As I said, Yuriana started placing the magic herbs on the table.

"Sieg-san, are you aware that there was another fire?"

After she finished placing the magic herbs, she asked.

"I heard from Erika just now. It was a different merchant’s warehouse, right?"

"Yes. Actually, it hasn’t been announced yet, but there was another attempted arson. It was also at a different merchant’s warehouse."

An attempted arson…

"So, you’re still considering it arson?"

"Of course, with so many happening in succession, it’s arson. It’s not an accident."

Sure, sure…

"What are you saying? Didn’t you think it was arson from the beginning?"

"Eh? No, that’s not the case."

Talking to an idiot is tiring…

I won’t say it because she’s Lutz’s girlfriend.

"The government has a compensation system for fires. However, the compensation is determined based on the degree of negligence. Adolph was quickly judged to have no negligence. Was it because the fire was arson? And when you were investigating yesterday, it was clear that it was a criminal case."

Moreover, on a day off.

"Hmm, as Lutz said, Sieg-san is indeed smart."

"I’m the genius alchemist of the capital."

Erika said this while looking at the newspaper on the table.

"I saw it too. The Alchemists’ Association is impressive. I was deeply moved."

Now, I can’t say anything stupid…

It takes time to regain a good reputation, but a good reputation can fall quickly.

"Got it… So, why did the attempted arson fail?"

"Someone from the chamber of commerce happened to be inspecting the warehouse and quickly extinguished the fire with a Wednesday stone. So, it didn’t become a major incident."

Extinguished with a Wednesday stone… Rubert will definitely come…

"I just arrived here the other day, but were there arson cases before?"

"No, there weren’t. There were some small fires last year, but they were just accidents."

Hmm…

"What do you think?"

"Hmm… I shouldn’t say, but I’d like to hear your opinion. We suspect that the fires are motivated by a grudge against merchants."

All the victims are from the chamber of commerce, and merchants are easy targets for grudges.

"What was in the warehouse that burned yesterday?"

"Frozen fish to be transported to other towns by ship. It seems there was considerable damage."

Fish… I doubt anyone will request a restoration. It’s impossible to restore fish.

If they do, it will be bricks.

"What about the attempted arson warehouse?"

"It didn’t burn, but it seems to have been grain. It was also supposed to be transported by ship."

"Yesterday, I asked Adolph to check how many Tuesday stones were in the warehouse and where they were located."

"There were about 20 Tuesday stones in the center of the warehouse. The adjacent warehouse had a similar number."

There were also some used machines there…

"Erika, what do you think?"

"Eh? I don’t know?"

Erika is completely useless in situations like this.

She’s too kind.

"There have been three arson cases. Two chambers of commerce were affected or almost affected, and one chamber of commerce, which had a fire, seems to have benefited. Do you think I’m the only one who sees the answer?"

I’ve been suspicious of Adolph since I saw his fake act.

"Um… Sieg-san, do you suspect Adolph’s chamber of commerce?"

"That’s a bit…"

Erika and Yuriana exchanged glances.

"I’m just answering what you asked. Yesterday, Leonora and I went fishing, and I saw Adolph at the port. He was unloading a new extraction machine from a ship. Don’t you think it’s too early? An extraction machine takes at least a month from order to delivery."

The fire happened last week.

"That’s…"

"Sorry. I’ll investigate further. Thank you for your cooperation. I’ll be going now…"

Yuriana bowed and left in a hurry.

Thank you for reading.

If you found this work interesting or are looking forward to the next part, please bookmark it or rate it with ★★★★★.

Thank you!