Witch vs. Fool (5)
'Yesterday you were glaring at me as if you were going to kill me, but today you're not even looking at me.'
Tail didn't say a word until they reached the Golden Tree Shop.
From the side profile of his face fixed on the window, it was clear that he didn't even want to talk to her.
"What's your name?"
"You know."
"I want to hear it myself."
"...Tail Ruth Eldern."
"Tail, do you hate me?"
He turned his gaze for the first time. His golden eyes, which she had thought would be filled with hatred, were surprisingly calm.
"If you had only warned us about the epidemic in advance, the damage would have been much less than it is now."
"..."
"You are not qualified to be a guardian."
Not qualified...
That's right. I turned a blind eye to Eldern's crisis, putting their loved ones at risk.
But I was impressed with him for expressing his opinion calmly and without getting excited.
'I think he was eighteen.'
What was I doing at that age? Oh, that's when I started meeting Oslo.
Unlike me, who was so obsessed with men that I didn't even think about my family, Tail was deep enough to worry about his family and the territory.
This is bound to be special.
Although there are still some rough edges, I have a good idea of how Tails will change shortly.
It was when Ian went missing in the war with the demons. Tail came to see me.
He knelt down before me without hesitation and said this.
"Just check if my brother is alive."
Even though we were clearly enemies, I wanted to grant Tail's request. But by then, I had lost most of my power.
Unable to tell the truth, I coldly declined Tail's request.
It was on my mind all the way until I was betrayed by Oslo and thrown in prison.
Tail's voice, suppressing despair, lingered in my ears.
'I'll make it so you won't have to kneel anymore.'
I must have laughed without realizing it. Tail looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.
"You still laugh even though you're not qualified?"
"Is there anything you want? I'll buy it for you."
"What are you talking about... If you're thinking of bribing me or something, give up. I'm not that easy."
"Oh, what a pity."
Tail furrowed his brow. Just as he was about to open his mouth again, the carriage stopped.
"Miss, we have arrived."
The Golden Tree was the highest sect of the empire and was so large that it had branches all over the country.
As we entered the large main gate with golden trees standing like pillars, the staff welcomed us with smiles on their faces.
"Welcome, Golden Tree."
There wasn't a single customer in the store. After all, who would enjoy shopping in these times?
The smile of the employee who quickly glanced over our group grew wider.
"We have a distinguished guest. Please wait a moment."
It seems that he recognized Tail. The employee disappeared and a neat man who looked to be in his 30s appeared.
"I am Manager Kester. Please come this way."
Kester guided us to the second floor. A tea set was quickly set on a fancy table.
"It is an honor to serve you, Your Grace. Please enjoy the refreshments and let me know if there is anything you would like to order."
Kester's eyes turned towards Tail and sparkled terrifyingly. He must have been cheering inside, saying he had caught a big fish.
Tail said politely.
"It's not me, it's them."
"... Yes?"
"That person asked me to come, so I came with her. If you want to sell something, you should show it to her."
Kester quickly rolled his eyes and looked at me...
My appearance and the status that Prince Eldern would follow me around, and the rumors of the Guardian who arrived with Ian.
He recognized my identity in an instant and greeted me politely.
"You are the Guardian, I apologize for not recognizing you."
"What is the difference between the products available at the main store and the branch store?"
"We are the second largest store in the country after the main store, and we stock the same level of products as the main store."
"That's good. Bring me the perfumes that the Golden Tree carries by type."
"...Perfume is a special product. Since the customers want their own scent, we tend to stock a small quantity but as many different types as possible. However, if you say by type..."
"Bring them all."
"Ah! Yes, I understand. Please wait a moment."
As soon as Kester left the room with the corner of his mouth hanging over his ear, Tail lowered his voice and whispered quickly.
"You're saying you're going to buy a whole bunch of luxuries like perfume, not just one? Do you know how much they'll have?"
"Well, wouldn't it be less than a thousand? Even if it's a golden tree, it's inefficient to increase the variety of one product without limit."
"Do you have money?"
"Don't worry, I carry a small amount of money with me."
"A thousand perfumes is a small sum...?"
Tail' expression became blank. He had always acted so adult, but now he looked his age.
I was just staring at him because it was cute when Nadia whispered worriedly.
"Miss, why are you doing that? You hate the smell of perfume."
She was right. To me, whose sense of smell was abnormally developed, the smell of perfume was nothing short of a terrible stench.
'But there's no other way to find it.'
'He who walks first' could not see the future by choosing a specific point in time. I will see today two years from now, that is impossible.
That's why, when I was in the villa in my past life, I used my power several times a day to see the time Oslo wanted.
One of the futures I saw then was a scene where a merchant ship crossing from the Grand Duchy of Romena to Eldern was attacked by a monster.
The result was the death of all but the top player.
I told Oslo what I saw in the future.
Oslo, who was initially not interested, called in the owner only after confirming that the top was a golden tree.
As expected, the Golden Tree Top was about to head to the Grand Duchy of Romena for a big deal.
The upper class, who was able to prevent great damage thanks to Oslo, is greatly moved and pledges loyalty.
"Hahaha! He said he'd give me military funds! It's all thanks to you. I love you, Millenia."
Oslo grew in power that way. That's why I told him the future.
But that time was different.
I wondered why the upper class survived. How could only he survive?
Oslo, who thought my question was plausible, investigated the upper stock.
Soon after, we discover that the perfume they handle at the top of the Golden Tree disrupts the sense of smell of lower-level monsters.
In other words, the reason the upper class was able to survive was because they sprayed that perfume.
This incident becomes the foundation for Oslo to make great contributions in the future war against the demons.
Originally, I had planned to tell Ian this in this life.
He is still in a neutral position, and Eldern is an area that frequently suffers damage from monsters.
But now that I was here, it was faster to handle it myself rather than leave it to Ian.
Because I know that smell.
However, I don't know which product it is among those many perfumes. I had to find out by smelling them one by one.
I sighed as my head started to throb just thinking about it.
The cashier and his waiter came in pushing a large tray.
"There are 178 types in total. I excluded those that have the same contents but different appearances."
"Is this all? If even one is missing, it's a problem."
"We have more perfume than the main store. This is because we moved the goods here in preparation for trade with the Grand Duchy of Romena."
"Okay. I'll buy them all."
"Would you mind if I sample it?"
"It's okay, Nadia."
"Yes, Miss."
When Nadia finished calculating, Kester bowed in greeting as if folding his waist in half.
"Thank you. Is there anything else you need?"
"Can I see the sword?"
"I will call you immediately."
As I purchased fifty more swords, a deep emotion flooded over Kester's face. He rubbed his hands together as if he were going to kiss my feet.
"Please come visit us anytime during your stay. Even early morning is fine."
"I will. By the way, when is the trade with the Grand Duchy of Romena?"
"Yes? Oh, yes. It's scheduled for the end of next month."
"Are you going with the top shareholder?"
"Yes. It's such an important deal. But why are you asking that?"
"Tell the superior to change the return route."
"What are you saying...?"
"It means that when you finish the deal and come back, take a different route. Otherwise, you will all die."
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