The Power of the Saint is All Around (LN) - Volume 5 - Chapter 1

Act 1:

Trading Company

THREE MONTHS HAD PASSED since my return to the capital following my adventures in Klausner’s Domain. The days were growing warmer, and summer was nearly upon us. It would be my second summer in this new world.

Since my return, I had been kept busy heading out to different domains at the paladce’s request, where I helped rid the kingdom of ever more monsters. The work was nonstop, but purging one black swamp after another left me feeling fulfilled—like I was doing something truly good for the world. Everywhere we visited saw a clear decrease in the local monster population, and that brought me peace of mind for the time being.

However, we hadn’t yet been able to determine whether the overall monster population had actually fallen. It was entirely possible that for every black swamp I purified, another popped up somewhere else. Thus, the search for the black swamps continued, and whenever another one was found, we headed out to take care of it.

If a domain didn’t have a black swamp, its troubles were typically left up to the knights to deal with; I didn’t go with them in these cases. As a result, I’d had a bit of free time on my hands of late. And, as it happened, a sizable delivery from Klausner’s Domain had just arrived at the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora.

“This is incredible,” I murmured as I took in the pyramid of boxes in the storeroom.

The mountain-high stack of boxes contained seeds and herbs from Klausner’s Domain—and not just the herbs we needed to make standard potions, of which we presently had a shortage. They’d also sent ingredients for potions that cured abnormal status effects like burns and paralysis. My colleagues shouted for joy as they perused the contents of the delivery and scanned the attached inventory. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they roared with joy. Apparently, we had received some incredibly rare plants.

Wow, that guy’s normally so quiet. It must be a big deal if he’s being so loud! As I observed my coworker’s curious behavior, Johan, the head researcher of the institute, came over with a letter in hand.

“Sei, a letter for you came with the shipment.”

It had been privately addressed to me and been brought to the institute with the rest. I turned it over to find Corinna’s name on it. I opened the envelope on the spot to read. I couldn’t help but chuckle dryly to myself. She had found out about my last little adventure before I left Klausner’s Domain, when I had revived the forest ravaged by the slimes. She had also guessed that I wanted this to be a secret; she didn’t explicitly state what she knew, but the letter was written in such a way that anyone who knew what she was referring to would immediately recognize what she meant. She ended the missive with a most courteous thank you.

I suspected that the lavish gifts in this shipment meant that Corinna had informed Lord Klausner of my actions. The fact that I, who knew jack squat about politics, had figured out as much really spoke to just how many plants we had received from Klausner’s Domain…especially as a few more things arrived, which had been addressed to “Sei at the Institute.”

You read correctly. They sent additional gifts to me, specifically, although these were in a different storeroom. The herb shortage wasn’t yet over, so Corinna and Lord Klausner must have gone out of their way to scrape together what they could just for me. I felt a bit bad about it, but I was touched by Corinna’s thoughtfulness. It really warmed my heart.

Johan had been busily checking the boxes with the other researchers, but he noticed I was done reading the letter and came back over to me.

“What was it about?” he asked with a grin, but he was more focused on the bag in his hand. I assumed it contained seeds, given that the name of a well-known plant rarely found on the market was written on the bag. Johan was so pleased he was practically grinning ear to ear.

“It was a thank-you letter for killing the monsters. And the herbs seem to be gifts of gratitude.”

“I see. You went and did something crazy again, didn’t you?” he teased.

I pouted slightly. “What a rude thing to say. I did no such thing.” I paused, feeling slightly guilty. “I think?”

That was probably a mistake. Johan’s tone was immediately exasperated. “The way you make that sound like a question makes me all the more suspicious.”

I looked in a completely different direction and heard him sigh deeply.

“Although, I did hear some of what happened out there from Al,” Johan added with a faint smile.

I broke out in a cold sweat. “D-did you now?”

Had he heard about what I had done in the slime forest? From his tone, that didn’t seem too likely. I had a feeling that if he had, he wouldn’t be merely exasperated—I’d be facing down a full-fledged scolding. Johan had to tell me to restrain myself basically every day of the year, so all I could do was pray that he never discovered how far I’d gone to save the forest.

I swiftly changed the subject back to our glorious haul. “At any rate, with all this, we’ll be able to move right ahead with our research too.” 

Johan responded just as I anticipated. “Indeed. We’ll even be able to pick up the projects we had to put on pause due to the herb shortage. Speaking of, I couldn’t help but notice that among the seeds addressed to you, there were some for herbs that we can’t grow locally.”

“I bet they’re the ones I asked for.”

“Is that so?”

“I learned a new cultivation technique while I was in Klausner’s Domain, so I wanted to try growing them here too.”

“Oho.”

“I might want your help with it.”

“I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

As Johan’s research focused on cultivating herbs, he was much more interested in the seeds than the end product. I was impressed by the volume of knowledge he brought to bear after only glimpsing the herb’s name on the bag.

I wanted to try all sorts of things with both seeds that required blessed soil in order to grow and seeds that didn’t. Between my Saint’s magic and Johan’s Earth Magic, I wondered if we might be able to grow anything we put our minds to, no matter the climate and soil a plant usually required. 

As Johan had agreed to help so easily, I decided that I would reward him by cooking a new dish later.

Moreover, we really had been sent a ton of herbs. Surely it would be okay for me to use some of them for things other than potions. Some of the samples sent specifically for me included herbs that could be used in cosmetics. Maybe I could try making a new type of moisturizer or cream. I loved how the scent of a product changed based on which herbs you used.

I’d also been tanning a bit, due to all the expeditions lately, so I figured it would be a good idea to make something that would protect me from the effects of the sun.

“What’s on your mind?” Johan asked.

I had gone quiet as I watched the researchers still frolicking about the boxes. “Nothing. I was just thinking about trying to make some new creams with my share of the shipment.”

“Oh?” Johan sounded suspicious, and he eyed me with equal skepticism. When I defended myself—I was just thinking about different fragrances and effects that I might be able to experiment with versus the kinds I’d already used—he nodded. “Well, then. So, you want to make even more new health and beauty products…”

“Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no, just…are you planning to sell those to that company in the city as well?”

“I hadn’t thought about that in particular, no.”

“I see. Well, I bet a number of people would want to buy them.”

“Ah… You’re probably right.”

Oof, I’d kind of forgotten about that. The cosmetics I made were in high demand, seeing as the ones I made were extremely effective. Apparently, my Pharmaceuticals skill really shone when it came to beauty care.

I had originally made a handful of cosmetics for my own personal use, but upon witnessing their effects for herself, Liz had asked me to make some for her as well, which was how I’d started sharing them. The effects had been evident in Liz’s case as well, at which point her friends had started gossiping about her new cosmetics, which had in turn led to a ton of people begging her to share her source.

It had been one thing to make cosmetics exclusively for Liz, but no way could I have made enough for all those people. I had my work at the institute too, after all. So, I had asked Johan for assistance, and we had sold my recipe to a certain trading company, which now made the cosmetics for me.

Admittedly, things had grown a bit intense after I told Liz that this company would start carrying my cosmetics. Even more people than expected had flocked to the store to buy them. Johan told me that while the company was used to dealing with products in high demand, they’d had a hard time managing the daily queue of nobles lined up outside their store.

These days, the company had a system by which it was able to fulfill regular orders for all its customers. However, things could well get hectic if a new product suddenly debuted. It wasn’t hard to imagine a repeat of the initial buying frenzy. It would be best to carefully consider all angles before introducing a new product into the market.

“We should probably talk to someone from the company about it,” I agreed.

“My thoughts exactly. I’ll go ahead and get in touch with them.”

“Great!”

I had nothing to worry about when I left Johan in charge.

I went back to mulling over what to make as I returned to the inventory of herbs that had been sent to me. Because I was so absorbed in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice Johan’s thoughtful expression as he left the storehouse.

***

On days when I had to attend my multitude of classes on etiquette, I had to brace myself for transforming into a noble lady. Yet again, I found myself in a room in the royal palace at the crack of dawn, surrounded by maids. Mary, the attendant in charge of my personal maids, noticed a bottle on top of the dresser, one she had never seen before.

“Lady Sei, do you know what this is?” she asked as she cradled the white porcelain bottle in her hands.

“Oh, that’s a new skincare cream.”

As soon as I said that, the other maids zeroed in on me. Their gazes were so intense that they were almost audible.

“What does it do?”

“It should protect your skin from sun damage—or even reverse it.”

“Reverse the effects of the sun…” the maid next to me murmured. 

Somewhere, someone gulped.

I couldn’t be too surprised by this reaction. Fair skin was a big part of the Kingdom of Salutania’s classic beauty standards. That was why noble ladies always took care not to let themselves tan. However, sometimes sun exposure was unavoidable, which was especially troublesome for the maids who worked at the palace. After all, the maids were also noble ladies, and with all their obligations, they had to work incredibly hard to avoid getting an uneven skin tone. As such, they were keenly interested in anything that might protect their skin. I totally understood.

“Is this cream a finished product?” one maid asked tentatively.

“I’m testing it on myself first. Once I’ve determined that it’s safe, I’d love it if you all tested it for me as well.”

The maid’s expression changed to one of joy, and she nodded eagerly. “We would be more than happy to assist!”

Normally, Mary would have chided her, but this time she merely chuckled. I suspected that she was interested in this brand-new cream too.

I needed to test it to ensure I hadn’t accidentally included any common allergens or anything—I didn’t want customers getting rashes after the company started selling it. Therefore, I was the first guinea pig, and if that went well, I’d ask others to try it as well.

The last time I had a new product—or rather, the first time—I’d had my maids test it as well. They had been more than happy to help me out, since it meant they got to test the hot new beauty products the other noble ladies were all raving about. The results of the last round had been uniformly excellent, which is to say, the maids had been overjoyed by their outcomes. As such, they’d begged me to let them help the next time I concocted a new product. I’d been hoping they were still interested, and I was glad that they seemed eager to dive right back into testing.

“So it won’t just prevent damage, it’ll repair your skin, correct?”

“I can’t wait to see how much it’ll even out my skin tone!”

My maids chattered excitedly as they brought over my dress and accessories. Their eyes practically sparkled in anticipation.

“Don’t get your hopes up—it might not be as effective as you want. It really depends on the person.” I laughed nervously, trying to temper their expectations, but it didn’t really work.

“Not a soul in the palace doubts the effectiveness of your creations, Lady Sei.”

“So true. I only use your cosmetics now.”

Perhaps the results wouldn’t be as amazing as they hoped, but there would definitely be some kind of effect. My new cream was made with several herbs said to be good for your skin, so I expected it to have a number of desirable effects.

For example, my skin had grown a bit red due to working in the institute’s gardens, and whenever I used the cream myself, the redness instantly vanished. It disappeared so quickly that I was wondering whether the cream could more accurately be called a topical potion.

However, I didn’t know if the cream would lighten tans as suddenly as it had healed my burns. My skin was usually as pale as it could naturally be due to all the time I spent cooped up in the institute, so it was hard for me to tell how well it worked on that front. I feared the effects would be similarly minimal even for my future customers, so I was a bit worried that I’d fail to meet expectations this time around.

The maids dismissed my worrying. If anything, they were more cheerful than usual. They still managed to work swiftly to get me ready, just as they always did.

The next morning, Johan called me to a meeting. He also asked me to bring tea, so I stopped at the dining hall to make some before heading to his office. He asked for four cups. One had to be for Johan, but who were the other three for?

Did we have guests coming today? I wondered as I knocked on the door. “Please excuse the interruption.”

“Sorry to bother you so early in the morning.”

Inside the room, I saw not one but two people I didn’t recognize. Who were these guys? 

Johan encouraged me to sit down next to him. “Allow me to introduce you to Franz and Oscar.”

“How do you do? My name is Franz,” said one. 

“And mine is Oscar,” said the other. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you both as well. I’m Sei.”

Across from me were seated two gentlemen. The older one, Franz, had white hair and dark blue eyes the color of sapphires. The younger one beside him, Oscar, had orange hair and bright green eyes the color of emeralds. 

Franz was thin, and his white hair was swept back neatly. He also wore glasses. Unlike Lord Smarty-Glasses, though, he wore a genial smile on his face and looked like the very image of a good-natured old man. For some reason, he carried himself with really capable anime butler vibes. I almost wanted to call him “Sebastian” in my mind.

Oscar, on the other hand, had a medium build with hair that pointed out a bit here and there. His catlike eyes had a lively look, which gave him an animated appearance. He looked to be about Jude’s age—or maybe a little older? Younger than Johan, at least.

They didn’t appear to be nobles, given their clothes, but they did seem wealthy, somehow. My impression was pretty much on the mark. Johan explained that these two were from a trading company. Franz was actually the chairman, and Oscar was his assistant.

“You’re merchants, then?” I asked.

“Indeed, they are. I was thinking of starting a new business venture,” Johan said.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, yours.”

“Huh?”

I gave Johan a questioning look, so he went on in more detail. Up until now, we had been selling the cosmetics I devised through Franz’s company. However, due to the products’ popularity, they were making an almost egregious amount of money. Consequently, they had earned the ire of competing companies, and a number of problems had arisen.

Johan had originally chosen to work with a company affiliated with his family, House Valdec, as that made it easier for him to oversee the company’s many moving parts versus just getting a profit report. However, with all the new tensions cropping up, Johan kept having to get more involved, and it was becoming difficult to juggle both the business and his work at the institute. Recently, another noble family had even started moving in on the company, so Johan’s family members were also getting looped into dealing with it.

I was incredibly grateful to Johan for going to such lengths for my benefit, seeing as I knew nothing at all about business. Thanks to the arrangements he’d made, I got a return on the profits and had increased my personal assets. I felt incredibly guilty when I heard that his whole family was being affected by these events.

And here I was, considering selling a whole new product. This new Get Rich Quick (Again) scheme would definitely stir up even more tensions. Therefore, Johan had decided to cut ties with the company Franz represented. Instead, from now on, we would sell all the products I developed through a new company that had nothing to do with House Valdec. That way we could minimize the impact on Johan’s life.

But would the problems really just poof into thin air because a different company was selling my cosmetics? Johan insisted that they would. 

“Who would be foolhardy enough to challenge the Saint’s company?”

I frowned, still feeling dubious. “Well, I guess you’re right.” 

However, the merchants nodded and backed up Johan’s assessment.

I guess it’s only natural considering the Saint’s position in Salutanian society… I still wasn’t convinced, but I set those doubts aside for the time being. If this was going to be my company, then I had other questions I wanted answered.

“Why should the company be mine, though? I’m only good at developing stuff,” I said, trying to articulate my anxieties. The only things I could do for a business would be to make potions or other pharmaceutical-adjacent products. I didn’t know the first thing about running a business.

“I’m aware. That’s why I called these two.” Johan nodded to the merchants.

The plan was that I could just do what I had always done and brew whatever new thing I thought of while Franz and Oscar here would take care of everything else regarding the company. Therefore, the only real difference from how we’d done it before would be who I went to when I’d come up with something new—I would still be doing the same things and would receive the same compensation as before.

Franz and Oscar had been hand-selected from the original company and were highly skilled in their areas. I really could just leave everything to them. I worried that their prior employers would sorely miss such capable people, but Johan assured me that his family was helping the company adjust as needed.

I was beginning to suspect I owed House Valdec a hefty thank-you gift.

“We look forward to working with you,” said Franz, smiling serenely while Oscar grinned with a bow. 

Well, Johan had given them his stamp of approval, so I was sure my work would be safe in their qualified hands.

“I look forward to working with you as well,” I said. 

With that, our introductions were complete.

***

One month after I was introduced to Franz and Oscar, a new shop opened in the royal capital, run by a new company of which Franz was chairman. It was located on a street lined with other stores that served noble clientele. Franz had chosen this location since, in short, the nobility were the primary customer base he intended to court.

However, the shop was also close to a street that prioritized serving commoners. Franz had anticipated that, soon enough, wealthy commoners would wish to become customers of our shop as well. He had been right on the money.

I observed the shop from a little ways away. It was filled with not only nobles but young ladies who looked to be from merchant families. The ladies had all brought their servants as well, so the shop was profoundly crowded.

I bet it’s not that unusual for a shop on a street corner in a luxury goods district to be so bustling, I thought as I watched. “Business sure is booming.”

“Quite. It looks like your cosmetics are even more popular than we anticipated,” Oscar agreed.

“Yeah. You know, only the nobility bought them at the old store.”

“I hear they turned quite a profit too—every merchant in the capital knew of their success. The noblewomen couldn’t stop talking about it.”

“Was the old store noble-exclusive, then?”

“Yup. Mostly because they couldn’t keep up with demand. Franz really is grateful that we were able to re-expand our customer base, thanks to your suggestion.”

Oscar and I had spent a lot of time talking to one another this past month while getting the shop up and running, so we were now on casual speaking terms. At first, he had been exceedingly polite, but he had just been conducting himself as he thought he ought to. I much preferred being informal with people, though, so the second he eased up, I’d let him dip into more laid-back speech without telling him off for it.

However, I was pretty much the only one who felt that way. The person standing on the opposite side of me side-eyed Oscar something awful. This person was none other than Knight Commander Albert Hawke, who was with us as my escort in the city.

Actually, Albert was acting a bit different than usual; his face was oddly expressionless as he watched Oscar with a keen eye. “What did you suggest?” he finally asked, his interest apparently piqued by Oscar’s words.

I wasn’t sure if Oscar had noticed the look Albert was giving him, but he responded in a far more formal tone of voice. “Lady Sei proposed an excellent solution—on her advice, we divided our product lines based on relative effectiveness.”

In other words, I had suggested to Franz that we sell cheaper products as well. Before, we had employed individuals who possessed the Pharmaceuticals skill to make our products, so they had cost a bit more. However, as the recipes I used had originated in my old world, they could be made by people who didn’t possess any such relevant skills. Granted, the products were much less effective when brewed by someone without said skills. All the same, I figured we could sell them too—but at a lower price.

We could now see the result of that diversification. The shop made clear that the new line was less effective than the original one, but a huge number of people still wanted to buy the new products.

“Is everything else going well?” I asked Oscar.

“Very much so.” Oscar grinned. “The new hires are uniformly excellent. I expect things should continue to go swimmingly.”

“That’s great to hear.”

“Will you be stopping by again soon?”

“I’d like to. It’s just a bit crowded today.”

“Got it. Then will you be heading straight home?”

“That was the plan.”

“Well, you came all this way into the capital, so why not stop by somewhere on your way? There’s a popular café that recently opened.”

“Is that so?”

“Mm-hmm. It caters to nobility, but I hear they’ve got unusual blends of imported tea. All the nobles who like trying new things are raving about the place these days.”

Tea from another country? The thought piqued my interest quite a bit. However, if I went, that meant Albert would have to join me, as he was my escort.

I came here for leisure, but Albert’s still on the clock. Can I really ask him to accompany me somewhere just for fun? Probably not, huh? For some reason, I felt guilty just thinking about it. I already felt like I’d added to his workload because I’d wanted to see how the shop was doing. I really wanted to check out that café, but I really, really didn’t want to bother him.

I was just about to politely decline Oscar’s suggestion when Albert spoke. “Where’s this café?”

Oscar rattled off the directions as I stared.

Huh? Why? I haven’t even said anything yet. Is Albert interested in going too? I blinked at Albert as he listened to Oscar’s directions. Albert noticed my gaze, and our eyes met.

“You want to go, don’t you?” he asked.

“Huh? Well, yes.”

“Then let’s go sample their tea.”

Really? He smiled so sweetly as he said it—it made me suddenly all the more desperate to go. Had he seen through my hesitation? Or had it been blindingly obvious that I wanted to go?

After we left Oscar and headed off to the café, I broke down and asked how he’d figured me out. 

“Your eyes,” he said. “They sparkled the second he mentioned the café. It was more or less the same look you have whenever the topic turns to herbs and potions.” 

Did I really get some kind of look on my face when I talked about those things? More importantly, did I really think herbs and potions were as exciting as a new café?! I dropped my gaze to my feet, feeling just a wee bit mortified. I heard muffled laughter at my side. I couldn’t help but glare at Albert with narrowed eyes.

After a few minutes of rocking in the carriage, we arrived at the café. 

“This must be the place.”

“Whoa!”

The café sported an enormous glass window that looked out onto the road, so we were able to see its interior from the outside. Maybe because it was a café that served only noble clientele, it wasn’t too crowded. It did still have some other customers, though.

Albert escorted me in. The waiter welcomed us with a smile and led us farther inside. A painted landscape covered the wall on the right, while on the left, a series of mirrors helped make the café appear larger than it was.

Well, if this place serves nobles, I guess they have to go all out with the interior decorating, I thought as I sat at the table we were brought to.

Without looking at the menu, I told the waiter that we wanted a drink that had been imported. He smiled and nodded as if he knew exactly what I was asking for. It was only after he walked away that I realized I should have asked for a bite to eat as well. Too late now, though. I’d just been too curious about this brand-new type of tea I had never tried before!

Soon enough, the waiter returned and presented our drinks.

“This is coffee, our establishment’s signature beverage.”

I gasped in surprise. Coffee?! He did just say coffee, right?!

I gazed fixedly at the offered cup. The swaying black liquid made my heart soar beyond my wildest dreams. I never could have expected it would actually be the real deal.

For reasons I still didn’t know, when I had been summoned, the words from this world had automatically been replaced with Japanese (or other languages from my old world). However, the translation process sometimes influenced my impression of things in an unexpected way. Pretty much the only things I had drunk since coming to this world had been water or tea—definitely not coffee. Had my brain replaced the word Oscar used to describe this beverage with “tea”? Or maybe it was just that Oscar thought that coffee was a type of tea and he really had said “tea.”

Wait, that wasn’t the point! I couldn’t believe that they were actually serving coffee.

“What is it?” Albert asked worriedly.

I was still frozen, staring silently at the cup. “Oh, I was just surprised. I recognize this drink.”

His expression grew even more anxious. “Do you know it from your home country?”

“Yeah.” I smiled. All’s well, I assured him with my eyes. His expression softened.

It had been so, so, so long since I last had coffee. It would have been a waste not to drink it while it was still hot. I picked up the cup and brought it to my lips. The nostalgic scent tickled my nose, and my smile deepened all on its own.

I had drunk coffee every day, back in Japan.

“It has a far stronger flavor than tea,” said Albert.

“Yeah. And I bet it’ll taste wonderful with milk.”

The coffee the café brewed was much stronger than what I was used to. I tipped the cup, and at the bottom, I found coffee grounds. This drink was probably closer to Turkish coffee than anything.

“Hmm? I thought this wasn’t your first time drinking this.”

“I’ve had coffee before, but this tastes different from the kind we have back in Japan. I think it’s probably because they’re brewing it differently.”

“Does that matter?”

“Yes, it can make quite a difference in flavor.”

Back in Japan, I had enjoyed a lot of canned and drip coffee. There were scads of other ways to brew it, such as nel drip, vacuum coffee makers, or French press, but I had never tried coffee brewed using those methods before—to say nothing of Turkish coffee.

“Did you drink it a lot back in Japan?”

“I used to drink it every day! It makes you feel less sleepy.”

I’d read that the feeling of being more awake after drinking coffee was more a placebo effect than anything. Regardless, I had habitually enjoyed a can or a cup after lunch. I always ended up a bit nauseated if I had more than two cups though, so it wasn’t like I slugged them down one after another. I still hadn’t been able to stop myself from having coffee once after breakfast and again after lunch.

“Really?” Albert asked.

“I used to even make it myself.”

“You did?”

“Mm-hmm. With the right tools, I bet I could do it here too.”

When I thought about the tools at my disposal, I imagined a beaker and a flask from the institute would probably do the trick, even if I didn’t know how exactly I’d use them. Although, if I figured out how to do the nel drip technique—which involved filtering hot water through coffee grounds held in a cloth—I might be able to make it work with just a cloth and a wire.

“Did you think of something?” Albert asked.

“Yeah. I think I might be able to pull together what I’d need to make Japanese-style coffee.”

“Really?”

If I got all the equipment I needed, there was just one more thing I needed to do.

Even though I didn’t say anything, Albert’s eyes lit up in anticipation of what would come next. Of course I would treat him to my own special brew! Assuming I actually managed to make it.

The real question: Did they sell coffee beans at the café? I wouldn’t be able to even attempt making my own coffee if they didn’t. I flagged down the waiter to ask him, and I was in luck. Apparently, other customers had also expressed a desire to make their own coffee.

In the end, we bought a small bag of coffee beans before we headed back to the palace. Notably, as one might expect for an imported product, the beans did wind up costing a pretty penny indeed.