At Wolk's words that the potion requested from Golts had long since been sent, Rei felt a sense of resignation—I figured as much.
(They were probably hit by bandits or something. Or maybe monsters. Even around here, monsters like Goblins are apparently common.)
Of course, there was also the possibility that Wolk was lying.
But if he did something like that, his reputation would plummet once it came to light.
Rei couldn't imagine Wolk doing such a thing with nothing to gain.
Moreover, considering that the request had been for a special potion that only Wolk could make in this area, that conviction only grew stronger.
"Bandits, huh."
"…Bandits? No, but…"
The one who reacted to Rei's words was not Wolk… but Welzas, the guard.
As a guard, he was understandably sensitive to talk of bandits.
"I haven't heard any reports of bandits appearing around here recently. Of course, there's the possibility that there were no survivors at all, and the bandits' very existence remains unknown."
"There's a considerable distance from Saumis to Golts. The possibility of being attacked by bandits somewhere far from Saumis is by no means small. …Still, bandits, huh. If only I knew where they were."
For ordinary merchants, bandits were fearsome opponents—the kind one would never want to encounter if possible.
But to Rei, who was often called the Bandit Eater by bandits themselves, their existence was more than welcome.
If he defeated them, the travelers and merchants passing through the area would be saved. Rei could claim the treasure the bandits had stockpiled, and if he captured them alive, he could sell them off as slaves.
Truly, for Rei, bandits were a presence with absolutely nothing to waste.
…However, given that many people would have already fallen victim by the time Rei took them down, he couldn't exactly rejoice openly at their appearance.
(Besides, in this case, I don't know where the bandits are. Which means a bandit hunt would be a bit difficult.)
Feeling only slightly disappointed, Rei took the materials for the special potion out of his Misty Ring.
Seeing those materials, Wolk—being a skilled hand, or at least more skilled than the alchemists in Golts—carefully appraised what Rei had produced.
Wolk had a somewhat lighthearted, carefree personality, but his eyes when examining materials were strict.
However… the materials received at the Magic Item shop in Golts were evidently satisfactory enough for Wolk, and eventually he looked toward Rei with a pleased smile and spoke.
"Right, right. …All the materials check out. …Alright then, I'll go make the potion, so wait here."
"When you say wait here, exactly how long will that take? Do I need to get an inn?"
He was scheduled to depart Golts tomorrow, but if making the potion took time, then in the worst case, their departure might be pushed to the day after.
Thinking along those lines, Rei asked…
"Ah, no. It won't take that long. I can have it done right away."
"…Huh?"
That was an unexpected statement for Rei.
It was a special potion, one that only Wolk could make in this area, so he had been certain it would take several hours… and depending on the circumstances, it wouldn't have been strange for it to take all night.
But to say it could be made right away—it would be impossible not to be surprised.
Seeing Rei's reaction, Wolk apparently understood what had surprised him. He offered a smile and spoke.
"Just because it's a special potion doesn't mean it takes time to make. Precise mana control during Alchemy is what's most required. At least, for the potion I'm about to make. And the uniqueness of the materials used in the potion plays a part too, I suppose."
Saying that, Wolk picked up one of the materials Rei had taken from the Misty Ring—the dried root of some kind of plant.
"This is a rather rare material. To use it as a potion ingredient, a special process is required, but…"
"Ah, no thanks. Skip the explanation and get started on making the potion already."
The one who cut off Wolk's words was Welzas.
Precisely because they were acquaintances from the same town, Welzas knew that once Wolk started explaining something, it would go on for quite a while.
That was why he intervened to head it off.
Mind you, that wasn't for Rei's sake, who wanted to obtain the special potion quickly, but rather for Welzas's own sake—not wanting to sit through a difficult lecture on Alchemy.
"Really? Well then… I suppose it can't be helped. I'll go make the potion for now, so wait here."
With that, Wolk headed to the back room with the materials.
Watching him go, Welzas let out a sigh of relief.
What's wrong? Rei was about to ask, but before he could, Welzas spoke up.
"Anyway, we've got free time until the potion is ready, so I'm going to go buy some of this town's food you said you wanted to try. As for money…"
"Would this be enough for now?"
Rei handed over a single Gold Coin he had taken from his Misty Ring.
"No, that's too much. Way too much. I don't need this much. Two Silver Coins should be enough for now."
"Is that so? Well, if I like it, I can just have you buy more all at once later."
Taking out Silver Coins instead of the Gold Coin, Rei handed them to Welzas.
Welzas accepted them and left the workshop.
"He didn't need to rush that much, I think… Is something going on? He doesn't seem like it, though."
Rei's murmur echoed through the workshop.
But the only one here now was Rei.
Given that, there was no one to respond.
(Still… is it really okay to leave me alone in here? Of course, I'm not planning to do anything, but…)
Looking around, Rei was exasperated by Wolk's carelessness.
If Rei were a bad person, an alchemist's workshop with no one in it would be nothing short of a treasure trove.
Perhaps it meant Wolk trusted him that much, but being trusted to that extent by someone he had just met struck Rei as questionable.
(Is he the type who gets so absorbed in one thing that everything else stops mattering? From what I heard earlier, it seemed that way, though.)
While thinking about Wolk, Rei looked around the workshop… or rather, the area that could be called the office where he was currently situated.
Presumably to explain to visitors what kind of Magic Items he created, numerous shelves lined the walls, with various Magic Items placed on top of them.
However, at a glance, there were many whose effects Rei couldn't discern.
In particular, what appeared to be a wooden doll struck him as possibly not a Magic Item at all, but merely an ordinary doll.
"What is… this?"
He murmured, but since he was the only one here, no one answered.
Even so, he had no intention of reaching out to the Magic Items on his own, and Rei turned his gaze to another one.
The next thing to catch his eye was a collection of accessories like rings and necklaces, and these also gave the impression of being Magic Items at a glance.
However, among this type of Magic Item, he had once read in a book in the library that there were necklaces designed to strangle the wearer as a means of cursing someone.
That was something he wanted even less to touch before hearing an explanation than the wooden doll.
"Hm?"
While examining the Magic Items on the shelf, Rei suddenly noticed a presence approaching the workshop.
The workshop was located in a place with relatively little foot traffic.
Since he sensed no hostility, he judged it was at least not an enemy for now and continued his inspection of the Magic Items.
"Wai—wa-wa-wa-wa! Wa—Master!? There's a Gryphon outside, what on earth is that all about!?"
Shouting those words, a woman who appeared to be in her late teens burst through the door.
Her clearly flustered, or rather excited, demeanor was the result of seeing Set near the workshop—something Rei understood from her words alone.
"Master, Master, Master! …Huh?"
The woman, looking around the workshop in a panic, eventually noticed Rei inside.
"Umm… are you a customer?"
"Something like that. And about your Master—he's currently making a special potion for me, so I don't think he can hear you even if you make all that noise."
At Rei's words, the woman muttered "Acha…" while pressing her hands against her face.
From that reaction, Rei concluded that Wolk was indeed the woman's master.
But then, the woman suddenly seemed to realize something, turned her gaze toward Rei, and spoke.
"Wait a moment. My Master is making a potion, and you're here… which means that Gryphon outside, could it be…"
"Yeah, it's my Tamed Monster, Set."
"I knew it! Um, would it be at all possible for me to get just a liiittle bit of Gryphon materials?"
Bringing her face closer to Rei… to a distance where getting any closer would make a kiss seem not out of the question, the woman exclaimed.
Rei leaned slightly away from her and shook his head.
"Sorry, but I have no intention of doing that. If I did, all sorts of people would swarm Set."
"No way…"
The woman looked genuinely disappointed from the bottom of her heart, but then suddenly looked up at Rei with moist eyes.
"Please, isn't there some way you could part with some Gryphon materials for me?"
"Even if you say that…"
"Fremena, that's enough."
Rei was still at a loss for how to refuse, but suddenly a voice rang through the workshop.
When Rei turned his gaze toward the source, there stood Wolk, holding a container filled with a deep green potion.
"Master! But it's a Gryphon!? To obtain its materials, I'd do absolutely anything!"
"Hey now, a girl shouldn't say things like that. …Hmm? Where's Welzas?"
Noticing the absence of the guard who had been left here, Wolk spoke while shifting Fremena out of his field of view.
"I asked him to go buy some food for me. He's running an errand."
"…Sending a guard on an errand, I honestly have my doubts about that, but… well, whatever. Anyway, here you go. The promised potion. As for the leftover materials, I'll be keeping those, as stated in the letter."
Rei had no particular dissatisfaction with that arrangement.
The bandits had likely struck, and as a result, the special potion was gone.
But that wasn't because Wolk had done anything wrong.
Wolk had properly fulfilled the work he was supposed to do, so if Rei asked for additional work on top of that, it was only natural that additional compensation would be required.
Of course, from Wolk's perspective, it wasn't all that difficult a task, so he settled for claiming the leftover materials for himself.
"Understood. So, what I should take back is just that potion, right?"
"Right. …Fremena, watch closely."
At Wolk's words, Fremena directed a questioning look at him.
But Wolk paid no mind to that gaze and handed the potion to Rei.
The next instant… the potion, stored in the Misty Ring, completely vanished from Rei's hand.
"Eh?"
Fremena's somewhat dim-witted voice echoed through the workshop.
"Ummm, is it a Magic Bag or something?"
"Sigh… no."
Wolk shook his head in exasperation.
"Fremena, instead of being so absorbed only in your Alchemy studies, how about turning your eyes to other things as well? Rei… the man known as Crimson, is an Item Box User. That's common knowledge, you know?"
"Eh… eh… eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!?"
Whether she truly hadn't known that Rei possessed an Item Box, a cry of astonishment from Fremena reverberated throughout the surroundings.
That voice naturally carried outside the workshop as well… and Welzas, having bought various foods, stepped back inside half in exasperation.