Chapter 17

This is the capital of the Ryad Kingdom.

In one of the rooms of a duke's mansion, a young lady finally obtained the cookie, a confectionery that had been the talk of the town. Although her family was one of the highest-ranking noble families, she had refrained from buying up all the cookies that were secretly popular in the city to maintain her reputation. So, she had asked her butler to buy some for her.

"This is a cookie, huh? It looks like a common baked good... I wonder if it's really that delicious."

Crunch

!?!?!?!?

"Oh, it's delicious... The texture is surprisingly gentle, yet the honey and sugar create a smooth and refined sweetness in the mouth. And the size is just perfect, making you reach for another one after you eat one. ...It's different from any baked good I've had before. I wonder what kind of person could make something so delicious. Albus! I want to meet the maker of this cookie!"

"Hehehe, as you wish. I will look into it immediately, please wait a moment."

"Please hurry! ...And, do we have more cookies!?"

---

Meanwhile, at the Ryad Kingdom's royal castle.

"Princess, here is the cookie that has been popular in the city. Please try it."

"Thank you, you may leave now."

Finally! I finally got it! All the noble young ladies have been saying it's delicious, and I've been wanting to try it for a long time, but I couldn't get my hands on it... But, it does look like a very ordinary baked good.

Crunch... Crunch Crunch Crunch Crunch Crunch Crunch Crunch

"Oh!? It's all gone!? This... this is devil's food! Someone!"

"Yes, Princess. Here."

"I want more of these cookies! ...Actually, can we find the maker of these cookies and bring them to the castle?"

---

It wasn't just the noble young lady who started investigating. Nobles all over the capital began searching as well. The reason they hadn't noticed Aul's existence until now was due to Lebrant's efforts and the influence of Lady Myle. However, once the word got out, it gradually spread.

---

Lebrant was in a dilemma. Thanks to Aul's products, his business had become famous and grown to the point where it could be called a large store in the capital. That was good, but the many nobles had finally started investigating Aul. Just a moment ago, a butler from a duke's family had come to the store, and the nobles' hands were reaching out to Aul.

(If this continues, the nobles will eventually reach Aul... He seems to be getting along well with Lady Myle, but she is one of the few sensible nobles. However, the capital is full of people who only think about their own interests.)

"I need to consult with Lady Myle quickly."

He quickly arranged for a carriage and pretended to be going on a business trip. It would take about three days to reach the border lord's capital from the capital.

As time passed, the nobles' hands were gradually reaching out to Aul.

---

Meanwhile, Aul, anticipating the approaching nobles, was preparing...

"Good, good, you're so cute, my little sister. I'm sure many men will be attracted to you..."

Anticipating the approaching nobles...

"I should teach you magic! If you can at least protect yourself, that would be fine."

Anticipating the approaching nobles...

"Should we start with physical strengthening? Or should we start with light magic to train your mana?"

...

"Here, Shya, this is light magic."

Shya, who was only three months old, was already being taught magic. He was demonstrating magic and gradually infusing her body with mana, experimenting with various methods. Although she hadn't successfully cast a spell yet, he was persistently continuing.

In the end, he wasn't paying any attention to the nobles.

---

Lebrant, who had come to Lady Myle, requested an urgent meeting. Normally, as a border lord's wife, she would need to be informed in advance and an appointment would be necessary, but this was too urgent. He had told the gatekeeper that it was about Aul, so he was sure she would respond.

"Lebrant, Lady Myle will see you. This way."

He was led to the reception room by the butler who had accompanied the gatekeeper. After about ten minutes, Lady Myle entered the reception room.

"So, Lebrant, what brings you here today? I heard it's about Aul. Did he create something outrageous again?"

She laughed happily, but her beautiful face froze when she heard Lebrant's response.

"Yes, as I have been wary of, various noble families have started investigating Aul."

"What! Is that true!?"

"Yes, without a doubt. Several nobles have sent people to my guild. The larger ones include the Filere Earl's family, the Listenia Marquis's family, and even the Adamz Duke's butler and maids. Rumor has it that the princess is also on the move."

"Really? ...This is bad. With such powerful noble families involved, there's nothing I can do... We'll have to keep our distance from Aul for a while."

"I see..."

"I'll send someone to Aul. It's too dangerous for you to contact him now."

"I understand. May I write a letter and have you deliver it as well?"

"Of course. I'll prepare it."

He wrote about the current situation in the capital, the noble families investigating Aul, the need to keep a distance for a while, the possibility of noble families visiting Oren Village in the future, and other matters, and handed it to Lady Myle's messenger.

"If this can at least buy us some time..."

---

When Lebrant's letter arrived, Aul was surprised by its contents, but he had some concerns, so it wasn't entirely unexpected. However, there was a problem. Lebrant was the only merchant who came to the village, and if he didn't come, Aul wouldn't be able to buy consumables. Moreover, items like soybeans and glutinous rice flour, which he had agreed to buy regularly, would no longer be delivered, making life quite inconvenient.

...What should I do? But I don't want to trouble my parents or Shya, so I'll just have to endure for a while.

---

Thus, the cookies, sugar, honey, soap, bacon, and other products that had made Lebrant's guild famous gradually disappeared.

Occasionally, Lady Myle's messenger would buy from Aul and deliver them, but it was like pouring water on a burning stone, and the demand far exceeded the supply. The backlog of customer orders only grew, causing Lebrant much distress.

However, thanks to this, Aul's identity remained hidden... or so it seemed.

---

The trigger was simple. A rumor started that the maker of the products disappearing from Lebrant's guild might be the same person. Given that the products started disappearing around the same time, it wasn't unreasonable to think so. The butler from the Adamz Duke's family began investigating the other products.

He found one interesting rumor.

"In a certain village, villagers can buy bacon at a lower price."

Thinking there was something to it, the butler asked adventurers about the rumor but didn't get any solid information. While pondering what to do in a tavern, the tavern master provided a valuable piece of information.

"Oh, I know that story. A few years ago, a villager from that village came to the capital and had a drink here. The topic turned to bacon, and the villager happened to have some, so I cooked it. It was indeed delicious. Now, bacon is available in the capital, but back then, it wasn't very well-known, so I remember it clearly."

"Do you remember the name of the village?"

"Hmm, I don't remember the name. It's been years... But, I do remember something strange."

"What was it?"

"Oh, it's hard to believe, but apparently, a stampede happened, but there was almost no damage. They said their guardian deity saved them! Hahaha."

The butler had heard of this before.

(A stampede happened, but there was almost no damage. That was definitely in the Randolph Border Lord's territory. I don't remember the village's name, but I can find out. If I ask the border lord, I'll get the answer quickly. I might be able to get some results...)

---

The nobles' hands were closing in on Aul.

I'll update a little at a time.

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