Marquis Manuel couldn't sit still in his study. Perhaps Saviros knew about his restless state because soon he was knocking on the study door.
"Your Excellency, it's Saviros."
"Come in."
As Saviros, the marquis' butler, entered the room, he was immediately bombarded with questions.
"Did you find it?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. Although it's only one bottle, I succeeded in finding it."
"Oh!"
The marquis, filled with emotion, scanned Saviros but found him empty-handed.
"But why have you come back empty-handed? Didn't you say you found it?"
"Well, you see, although we successfully placed the order, it will take about a week for the actual item to be delivered. They have a backlog of reservations..."
"What? It takes a week?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. I tried to expedite the process, but there were others who had made reservations before us, and they happened to be influential individuals..."
"Hmm. I see. That's regrettable, but it can't be helped."
As the marquis swallowed his disappointment, one of his servants knocked on the door.
"What is it?"
"A guest has arrived. It's Count Langkrat, Lord Langkrat."
"Count Langkrat? I see. Show him to the reception room."
Although the sudden visit from a guest irritated the count, he couldn't ignore Count Langkrat, who had amassed great wealth in this region.
"Saviros, was there any recent arrangement for a visit from Count Langkrat?"
"Not that I know of, Your Excellency."
"How peculiar. In any case, let's go meet him together."
Taking Saviros along, the marquis made his way to the reception room and soon encountered Count Langkrat, who had an impressive appearance.
"Your Excellency Manuel! I apologize for visiting so suddenly."
"No, Count Langkrat. There's no need for such formalities. Please, have a seat."
Marquis Manuel greeted Count Langkrat with a welcoming expression. The count, nodding as if it were natural, took his seat in the place the count had indicated.
"It's been a while since we last met, but you still maintain such a dignified presence. How do you manage to maintain the sturdy appearance of a great commander? Perhaps you have a secret?"
"You flatter me, Your Excellency. I simply eat well and sleep well. But more importantly, Your Excellency seems rejuvenated. How is it that you appear younger as time goes by?"
As the usual pleasantries and compliments were exchanged, and the atmosphere relaxed to a certain extent, the marquis subtly inquired about the purpose of the visit.
"But why have you come to visit today?"
"Oh, please wait a moment. Charlie!"
Count Langkrat called out to a servant waiting outside the room.
Then, the servant entered the reception room, carrying a box.
"Your Excellency, although it is modest, this is a small year-end gift I wanted to present first."
"Really? Haha, I didn't expect this. I graciously accept it."
Saviros stepped forward and received the box on behalf of the count.
The box was not large, and it felt light.
"If it's alright with you, you can check it now."
"Hmm? From the way Count Langkrat speaks, it seems to be quite an impressive item."
After the count mentioned that, he asked Saviros to check the contents.
As Saviros opened the box, his eyes widened in astonishment at what was inside.
"What is it? Why are you reacting like that?"
Count Langkrat cleared his throat and spoke with satisfaction at Saviros' reaction.
"To be honest, I had the opportunity to acquire quite valuable items in large quantities, namely Everlast Potions. Please feel free to use them without any burden."
While listening to Count Langkrat's words, Marquis Manuel checked the contents of the box.
Inside were three potion bottles, each wrapped in exquisite materials.
"This... Could it be?"
"It's Everlast Potion."
Marquis Manuel trembled as he picked up one of the potion bottles.
The potion in his hand emitted a yellow glow.
After staring at the potion for a while as if entranced, Marquis Manuel regained his composure and looked at Count Langkrat.
"I can't believe you're giving me these precious potions. Are you sure it's alright?"
"Of course, Your Excellency. Isn't our relationship at that level?"
"Oh my, thank you."
The Everlast Potion had gained a reputation even before it was available for sale, thanks to a few nobles who had tried it in advance.
It was a stamina-enhancing potion with no side effects and a guaranteed 100% effectiveness.
The rumors spread throughout the social circles, and anyone with even a slight interest in such matters knew about it. As actual cases of its effectiveness were revealed one after another, it became known as the dream potion.
Shortly after the rumors spread, the potion was released on the market, exclusively sold by Everlast Guild. Even those who were skeptical couldn't resist the temptation to try it, leading to long queues for reservations.
Eventually, the price skyrocketed and Everlast Guils added it to the premium range, but the demand for reservations showed no signs of decreasing. On the contrary, the price increase increased the trust among the nobles, resulting in a surge in reservations.
"By any chance, have you experienced its effects, Count Langkrat?"
"Yes, I'm certain. This is the real deal. If you try it tonight, even if you don't want to believe it, you'll believe it. Hahaha!"
"Oh! Hearing your words, I can truly trust it. I will cherish this gift in my heart."
"Haha! There's no need for that, Your Excellency."
After exchanging compliments and gifts for a while, they eventually shifted their conversation to the story behind the potion's creator.
"I heard that the potion was invented by the only daughter of the Everlast Guild."
"Ah, yes. Her name is Lucia, a lovely girl."
"Huh, Everlast Guild has certainly flourished. They not only have the rights to the potions but also the monopoly."
"Oh, as far as I know, the patent for the potions belongs to a co-creator."
"A co-creator?"
"Well, you know Count Cromwell. His son recently succeeded the title in the Cromwell noble family."
"Cromwell?"
The Count Manuel pondered for a moment and then recalled a certain noble family.
"Ah! It's Cromwell! The once prestigious family that has now faded into obscurity. But to think that such a talented individual has emerged suddenly, they must still be maintaining their lineage."
"It seems that he is currently attending Rodren Academy, and instead of taking the name and exclusive rights of the potion from at Everlast Guild, he transferred the patent rights to them."
"So, such a thing happened. In that case, it's only a matter of time before he takes a seat in a cushion of money."
"That seems to be the case."
Marquis Manuel contemplated deeply.
The Cromwell family, whose name has now become faint.
The head of the family, who is also a current student at the academy.
However, seeing that he has created such a remarkable potion, it seemed that the previous Cromwell had not completely disappeared.
'He may be a goose that lays golden eggs.'
After Count Langkrat left, Marquis Manuel made up his mind to support Adrias Cromwell.
.
.
.
.
'Why is my head so itchy these days?'
Who's talking about me again?
Since a few days ago, the patent registration for the Stamina Boost Potion had been finalized, and it started to be sold.
During the process, I had the chance to meet William Everlast Holington, Lucia's father, who was the original founder of Everlast Guild.
As the name suggests, he was originally the one who established the Guild, but with his exceptional business acumen, he gathered a great fortune and purchased an estate called Hollington.
However, the one who caught my attention was Lucia.
She was a clever and diligent girl who managed the business side of Everlast Guild with remarkable skill.
Thanks to her, the company was now expanding rapidly, and their influence was growing day by day.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of rivalry.
But at the same time, I also felt a certain kinship with her.
After all, we were both young and talented individuals who ventured into the world of potions.
But as competitors, we had different paths to take.
I couldn't help but think about what lies ahead for both of us.
Thanks to his noble background as a baronet, he became a respectable viscount, and he was an ambitious figure who not only stopped there but also climbed up to the position of an inherited aristocrat.
The reason for engaging in a conversation with him was not something else but for the sake of a deal.
He was willing to give away all the profits from the patent rights, so he wanted to hand over the rights to the exclusive use for three years and the authority to name the potion.
'I'm naturally thankful.'
I didn't create the potion for personal gain.
So, I always welcomed any deals that were beneficial to me.
Of course, even though the income coming to me may decrease in the short term due to the exclusivity, I have to consider the long-term.
Moreover, he even gave me a separate advance payment, so it was a satisfying deal in many ways.
"We're almost there."
I closed the book I was reading and put it in my bag, staring absentmindedly at the scenery outside the train window.
It feels somewhat ambiguous because it's the place I visited the next day after I started moving in earnest.
I was heading to the empty Hartz National Cemetery right now.
"This station is Heartbell Station..."
Soon, the broadcast announcement came, and I stood up from my seat.
Although I should have waited since the revenue from the patent hadn't been settled yet, thanks to William who diligently settled the down payment, I came here as soon as the weekend arrived.
Finally, the time had come to retrieve the signet ring.
'The question is whether the other party will agree to the deal.'
The problem was whether the gravedigger, Fireman, would be favorable towards me when the relationship with the assembly was already strained.
Fortunately, the good thing was that Fireman wasn't affiliated with the assembly, but as a necromancer himself, it wouldn't be easy.
Based on the experience of retrieving Nickel's corpse, it didn't seem like it would be easily recovered.
'I have no regrets about bringing Nickel. In the first place, if Nickel hadn't been there, I would have died in Bororic.'
Now, it was a calculation where I risked my life with the infamous and useless signet ring, so it was a profit no matter how you looked at it.
"Let's get ourselves together. The preparations are done."
I spoke to myself as if I were hypnotizing myself, and I took a carriage towards the national cemetery.
And inside the carriage, I made some preparations in case of unforeseen events.
When I arrived at the entrance of the national cemetery, I gave the same secret password as before.
Then, unlike last time, the gatekeeper added a few words at the end.
"There's a guest inside."
A medium?
If the gatekeeper simply said there's a person, it would mean there's a civilian inside, but if he said there's a guest, it meant someone related to black magic had visited.
'If it's a necromancer visiting the cemetery, who could it be? I wonder.'
Since the number of necromancers was not large, I was curious about their identities.
As I entered further inside, I could see the vast cemetery spread out, and there was no one there.
Instead, I noticed Fireman's cabin far in the corner.
'Are they having a conversation inside?'
Since I didn't know who had visited, I was naturally on edge.
For now, I decided to wait and took a brief look around the cemetery.
Roughly estimating, there were about 3,000 graves.
I carefully examined the names on the graves, wondering if there might be someone like Nickel.
'It's impressive. They manage all this every day.'
Of course, it was an optimal environment for hiding one's identity and practicing necromancy.
But I didn't feel particularly envious of it.
Lately, just by summoning Nickel, my proficiency in necromancy had been growing rapidly.
'I never expected it would turn out like this.'
After Nickel evolved, my proficiency increased much faster when I summoned Nickel compared to before.
It seemed like a positive variable, perhaps because I was dealing with undead creatures that were beyond my level.
While I was checking the names of the graves for a while, I felt someone coming out of the cabin.
Rustle.
"Alright. I'm counting on you for this task."
Fireman, who came out of the cabin, spoke to someone who was about to leave.
And the person who was leaving without saying anything was not a black magician but a mercenary.
How do I know it's a mercenary?
Well, because they are a character who causes significant events in the game.
'Why are you here?'
Bloody Dan.
He was a man with rough, untrimmed silver-gray hair loosely tied back and wearing a mask.
Although he was a mercenary, his main clients were black magicians like us or shady individuals.
He would stop at nothing for money and was a typical villainous character who didn't hesitate to commit cruel acts.
'He's quite skilled as a mercenary, and he has a ruthless personality. He also uses masks to escape well.'
The problem was that he caused major incidents.
Those incidents were related to my life and well-being, so I unknowingly felt conflicted.
'Because of him, a war will break out.'
A war.
Due to an incident where he kidnapped a child using a mask, a war erupted between the Empire and the barbarians.
'Maybe I should...'
"Hmm?"
He must have sensed my gaze and turned to look at me.
Along with him, my dilemma deepened.
...Should I kill him?