Infiltrating The Magic Tool Artisan Guild

We arrived at the Elf Nation (Anemosgive).

The first village we stopped by had suffered damage from pollution.

The cause was the miasma discharged by the magic tool artisan guild [Gourmets of Venom].

The purification of the village was finished, but unless this miasma was prevented from being produced, it would not lead to a fundamental solution.

For the time being, we gathered a certain amount of information in the elf village where Lala-chan and the others were.

And then I stepped into the workshop of the Gourmets of Venom closest to the village.

“What? You want to meet [Abukuzenii]-sama?”

I called out to the human man at the reception of the workshop who looked completely unmotivated.

Abukuzenii was the name of the person responsible for this workshop… the workshop chief. I heard it from Lala-chan.

“Yes. We are traveling merchants, and we came all this way because we would very much like to purchase the magic tools of the Gourmets of Venom.”

Well, it was a lie though.

Judging from the location of Lala-chan’s village and the villagers’ symptoms, there was no doubt the cause of the pollution was in this workshop. However, we did not have proof.

So first we decided to infiltrate the workshop and collect evidence.

“Hmph. A woman working as a merchant? Seyi Falt…? Never heard of such a merchant. Suspicious one.”

“Now now, don’t say that. Cherge. Give this gentleman some [golden-yellow sweets].”

“Huh? Golden-yellow sweets?”

Cherge took out a leather bag from storage and handed it to the receptionist man.

He suspiciously checked the contents… and showed a shocked expression.

“Y-you, this is…”

“Sweets. Please enjoy them as you like. We still have plenty.”

The man repeatedly compared [that] inside the bag and me, then began bowing repeatedly.

“H-heh heh. I’ll immediately call Abukuzenii-sama, so please wait a moment! Ojou-sama!”

The man hurriedly disappeared into the back of the building. Good grief.

“…Seyi-sama. What did you give that man?”

“Hmm. Cherge. Give Zenith-chan the same thing.”

The maid robot handed Zenith-chan the elf slave a leather bag containing the same item.

“…Wha!? Th-this is…!”

“W-what, what is it… eeeee!?”

“Hm… what happened you two… uwoooo! This is—!”

The surprised slave girls looked at me and said.

“““Isn’t this gold!?”””

Inside the leather bag was gold bullion packed heavily.

Palm-sized pieces rolled around in large quantity.

“Ooooo, onee-chan! What happened to get this much money!”

“Just a little before coming here.”

“N-no way, was it theft!?”

“Nope nope, I made it, with alchemy.”

Daphne-chan and Toka-chan stared blankly.

Zenith-chan muttered “I see…” with a solemn face while looking at the gold bars I made.

“…Originally, alchemy began as research into creating gold.”

“Yep. In the end it was too difficult so most people gave up and started making byproducts like potions and magic tools, but the starting point was alchemy—creating valuable minerals from worthless minerals.”

“…Amazing. Actually creating gold. True alchemy. I thought it was only a fairy tale…”

“Hm? It’s surprisingly easy. Master made tons of it.”

Well even so, producing too much gold from nothing is not good. People will definitely suspect where it came from.

If overdone it lowers the value of gold, which is bad.

“Hm? Can this be eaten? You said golden-yellow sweets, my lord.”

“It’s a metaphor for a bribe. It’s real gold so don’t eat it.”

Before long, a fat old man guided us to the reception room.

“Oh my, great merchant-sama! Thank you very much for coming all the way to such a remote place!”

The old man smiled and fawned over me.

This guy was Abukuzenii.

Apparently that receptionist reported that a woman with money came.

Though I have none.

“No no. My name is Seyi Falt. I came from the Kingdom of Gata-Niiga because I wanted the magic tools of the Gourmets of Venom.”

“My my! Thank you for coming from so far away!”

“Right away, but could you show me where the magic tools are being made? Before purchasing goods, I want to confirm the manufacturing process.”

“Of course of course! Now then, I shall guide you!”

Abukuzenii wore a vulgar grin like a model villain.

He must have thought I was a rich noble brat accompanied by three beautiful slaves and even a maid.

Unfortunately, I’m just a former orphan alchemist. Well, he misunderstood on his own.

We were guided by Abukuzenii to tour inside the workshop…

“…What is this?”

“These are employees! We make them stay and work every day like this… ahem! They work voluntarily!”

…A lie. You can tell from their faces. The workers’ eyes were all dead.

I knew those eyes. The eyes of people forced to work by superiors.

Lifeless expressions and pitch-black eyes like a starless night sky.

Unknowingly, I was furious. Like them, I too had been oppressed and forced to work by a superior… a corporate slave.

I heard something snap inside me.

“Toka-chan.”

“…What is it?”

Ah, Toka-chan was angry too. Of course. Seeing people forced to work like livestock.

Because they themselves had a past of harsh forced labor as slaves, they could not forgive it.

“I permit it. Punch this idiot. With all your strength! Cherge! Enhancement Potion!”

Toka-chan received the Enhancement Potion from Cherge and drank it in one gulp.

She clenched her fist tightly and…

BAM! She punched Abukuzenii’s cheek!

“Bogyyaaaaaaa!”

Abukuzenii blasted through the building wall and flew away.

“Cherge! Compensation and rights purchase—bundle up all the gold bars and present-for-you!”

I lifted the gold bars from storage and threw them toward the direction Abukuzenii flew.

“You people! Listen well!”

I spoke toward the dead-eyed workers.

“At this moment, this workshop is taken over by me… commanded!”

Everyone looked confused at my declaration.

But perhaps from lack of sleep, they only stared with lifeless faces.

“For now drink potions… and sleep! We’ll talk after that!”