Chapter 20
Calife said nonchalantly.
"There's no such thing as poison. Did you mistake the glasses?"
"What? That's absurd!"
"If you're suspicious, drink it yourself."
As Calife offered the half-empty glass, the merchant eyed her skeptically.
His doubt wavered, seeing Calife's clear, unaffected demeanor.
Did I really mess up because I was drunk...?
Just as the merchant, with a dubious look, raised the glass to his lips—
Calife yanked his head back and shoved the liquor into his mouth.
"Drink up."
"Gulp! Ack, ack! Help, me!"
After a few chaotic seconds, it was unclear who the aggressor was.
"...Gah."
The merchant fainted, tears welling up.
"Tsk, tsk. I was going easy on you out of old habit, and you didn't even realize it."
Calife was taken aback when she saw this man.
He was an NPC she often encountered in .
'The secret merchant, Dovian.'
A merchant who appeared irregularly, selling unique items not found in ordinary stores.
'This was the guy I spent 25 years building rapport with in Legend. Now I remember.'
She thought raising his favorability would earn her a discount, but he only prattled on about his pointless past.
Knowing who he was, his dialogue came back vividly.
[Secret Merchant Dovian]
―Before becoming a secret merchant, I worked for an illegal organization. Sigh, if I hadn't ignored my conscience and left, I wouldn't have been a scapegoat. Thanks to that, I'm a lifelong fugitive. I couldn't even achieve my dream.
―You're the first customer to give me such a valuable gift. I'm deeply moved.
[You]
―Then, could you lower the price a little...?
[Secret Merchant Dovian]
―Since you're so kind, you'll help poor me even more, right? From now on, the price is doubled.
[You]
―Give me back the drink.
She had cursed so much after that event.
Recalling it, Calife, enraged, pummeled the merchant's head with the sharp joints of her fist.
"Wake up and smell the conscience! You jerk."
[Using the Villainess's Parenting Method on target 'Dovian'.]
[Conscience +1]
[Conscience +1]
[Conscience +1]
"This is a gift from me!"
If you keep sticking around here after all this, it's your own karma.
Oblivious to Rynen, who was discreetly observing, Calife thoroughly rifled through the merchant's pockets.
Soon, Calife pulled out another magical device.
It looked identical to the one she'd received but was far more intricate and pristine.
"So the one you gave me was indeed a fake."
A fake?
Rynen, witnessing the scene, was slightly agape.
'The first one was a fake? I hadn't noticed.'
Just as Calife was about to depart with the item—
"Miss. Planning to just leave?"
The tavern owner and a server approached slowly. They were the merchant's accomplices.
"What are we supposed to do after you've messed with our regular customer like that? The damages are substantial."
"Damages?"
Backing away, Calife's back touched the exit door.
"Then I'll bring you some customers."
"What?"
Slam! Calife threw open the door.
A surprising sight met them.
"What the?"
People were crowded in front of the tavern.
But their intensity was unusual.
Their piercing glares, as if saying, 'How dare you waste our precious after-work time like this,' were all directed at the tavern owner.
"Wh-what are you all doing here?"
"Alright, thank you for your patience!"
The boys shouted simultaneously.
They were the very boys Calife had tasked with an errand.
"The event begins! For one hour only, unlimited beer!"
"Pay for one glass and drink all you can! Hurry while the owner's lost his mind!"
The boys recited the customer-luring lines Calife had instructed.
Thump!
Amidst this, Calife, drawing attention by punching the door, grinned.
"Only the first fifty will be served."
A momentary silence followed.
"Woooaaah!"
"Graaaah!"
The crowd, eyes wide, surged forward like a broken dam.
The resolve to be compensated for their long wait and the lust for freebies drove people into a frenzy.
"Get out of the way! I was here first!"
"Owner! Six beers here, quickly!"
"Ten here! No, twenty!"
"Wh-what's going on!"
As the tavern owner was jostled by the incoming crowd.
Calife, like a composed feline, smoothly exited.
She had achieved her objective flawlessly, and in the end, she even got off scot-free.
Rynen was utterly bewildered by the unforeseen developments.
'...Is that really Calife Offensa? Is it possible someone else is impersonating her?'
The Calife he knew was a menace who barged into uninvited gatherings or pulled the hair of young ladies who merely spoke with him.
'When did she become so astute? Well, she always had magical knowledge, but she never possessed this kind of cunning...'
One thing was certain.
Given how she upended a hard-won trading opportunity, it was evident she wasn't plotting anything dangerous with illegal magical devices.
'If she were, she would have maintained a good relationship with the merchant.'
Rynen debated whether to continue tailing Calife.
Just then.
While the tavern owner dealt with the clamoring customers, the server was seen opening the back door of the establishment and calling someone.
Soon, several robust men emerged from within.
Armed, they exited the tavern. It was clear they were pursuing Calife.
"..."
He couldn't feign ignorance.
As a knight, he couldn't simply overlook someone in peril.
Even if it was Calife.
Tsk. Clicking his tongue softly, Rynen discreetly followed them.
I walked through the streets, which were even more crowded than before.
I had been secretly nervous while dealing with the merchant, but now I felt fine. In fact, I was elated because things had gone so smoothly.
'It's a good thing I took the antidote beforehand.'
Since the meeting point was a tavern, taking it as a precaution was helpful.
Had the silver-haired man also taken the medicine? Even if he had, as a Sword Master, most medicines wouldn't have any effect.
'But he probably wouldn't have been able to tell if the magical device was genuine.'
Unless you had the discerning eye of someone like Calife, familiar with magic and magical devices due to her magical family, you'd be completely fooled.
This must be why the silver-haired man couldn't get his hands on the device.
'As a result, he couldn't respond to the accident, and his eyesight deteriorated.'
But don't worry, silver-haired man.
That won't happen now.
'It's all good.'
Only one thing, I was worried because I had to drink the alcohol faster than expected, but surprisingly, I was okay.
It seemed Calife's alcohol tolerance was higher than I anticipated.
"Even her lack of drinking manners is exactly like mine."
As I thought that, a passing woman gave me a strange look.
"What are you looking at?"
"Eek!"
I merely asked, but she got frightened and fled.
I wasn't even smiling; is my face just scary now?
"Anyway... I should go home now."
As I looked around for the carriage stop, I saw people returning home with bread for dinner.
Then I remembered something I had forgotten.
"That's right. Our maid told me what today was."
Now that I knew, it felt awkward to pretend I didn't.
Even if I went to another district now, it would likely be too late.
After a moment's hesitation, I turned and walked further into the market street.
"Bakery... bakery. Ah, there it is."
In the distance, I spotted the sign I was searching for.
I walked straight, careful not to collide with anyone.
But suddenly, someone touched the back of my neck.
Startled, I spun around.
"…?"
There were only ordinary people passing by; there was nothing behind me.
"What was that?"
Shrugging, I entered the bakery. Pointing at a tempting cream cake, I said,
"Give me this."
"I'm sorry, that's just the display sign.”
