SWNOVELXO Chapter 44
“What a nightmare…”
Even someone as physically capable as an adventurer could struggle in the chaos of the central area, which resembled a riot. Even Aina, as tough as she was, seemed to have had a hard time.
Some people in the crowd had tried to push back against the flow, desperate for another glimpse of the elf. This only worsened the disorder, with waves of people being pushed and pulled in every direction. I, being taller, managed to endure, but Aina, with her shorter stature, had her red hair completely disheveled and looked like she’d been through hell.
Though I was exhausted from the spectacle myself, I couldn’t shake the feeling that some kind of fate was drawing me in.
(An elf as the poster girl for my shop… now that would be something.)
Though she gave off a somewhat cold and aloof vibe, I couldn’t help but think that if an elf were to work in my shop, it would become a major topic of conversation in the Royal Capital.
I wasn’t sure why she needed a red potion. From the outside, she didn’t appear to have any injuries, but since a red potion was listed as a must-have condition, maybe she had a relative who had suffered a serious injury—something even a purple potion couldn’t heal. However, before considering any of that, the bigger issue was whether I could even acquire such a potion.
“She’s staying in the Royal Capital for a month, huh?”
“Well, you don’t come across red potions very often. She’s probably searching across the different nations.”
Red potions are discovered only once every few years, and in recent times, even that frequency has decreased.
The reason for this is obvious: dungeons in this world have been gradually conquered, one after another. As the number of unexplored dungeons dwindles, so does the supply of red potions, since no one can manufacture them anymore. The more that are found, the fewer remain. Simple logic.
(But… there’s a chance I can make a red potion.)
If she needs a potion, then either she or someone close to her is likely suffering from some kind of injury or illness. Otherwise, why would she risk so much, even to the point of selling herself as a slave, in search of a red potion? And yet, is it even fair to say that a red potion and an elf are of equal value?
If I had to guess, the red potion is probably worth more.
At the same time, I couldn’t help but recall my conversation with Maxwell, the tall, slender adventurer from earlier today. He had mentioned that there were still people hoping for regenerative treatments. That conversation had shifted my perspective on potions somewhat.
For that reason, I felt compelled to help her—not because she was a slave, but because I wanted to. Maybe it was because of the special allure elves held… but still…
—
“Thank you so much, Genji-san.”
“It’s no problem. Most of this land isn’t being used anyway.”
To create a red potion, the first thing I needed was land to cultivate the magical roses—the *Magic Roses*—that serve as the key ingredient. Initially, I had considered using my *Transdimensional Travel* ability to plant them in some unknown world, but when I realized that even 50 Magic Roses barely produced enough for a few drops of a red potion imitation, I understood that making a full bottle would require a vast expanse of farmland.
Could I, with no farming experience, cultivate enough land in just a month? While not impossible, I realized it would be incredibly difficult.
To make a red potion about the size of an over-the-counter eye drop, I would need nearly 4,000 Magic Roses. The exact number might fluctuate based on my skills and harvesting methods, but at this scale, it was clearly beyond what one person could manage alone.
I asked Akira-san for help, but even with everything they had at the Leaf Institute, they only had around 500 roses on hand. Even if we gathered everything, we’d still need 3,500 more. There was no way I could source that many on my own. Akira-san said it would take at least a week just to gather the roses, and the actual number of days I’d have to work with would be even fewer.
At this point, I wondered if it would be easier to just work together with the Leaf Institute, which conducts research on Asphial’s world. However, regarding the *Magic Roses*, Saioji had strictly forbidden reporting this matter to the institute, so collaborating wasn’t an option.
That being said, I had been given permission to discuss the matter with Akira-san and Saioji’s father, chairman Ryugen, so it seemed like Saioji had some thoughts about the Leaf Institute.
And so, the conversation circled back to the beginning.
“I don’t think it’ll take me a full month. Once it’s done, I’ll clean everything up and return the land to its original state.”
“You don’t have to be so meticulous! The land was wasteland to begin with. Use it however you like.”
Even after moving my residence to Tokyo, I still maintained ties with the people of Akane Village, where I had originally arrived. There were no complicated reasons for this—simply put, I found the place comfortable.
I had grown up in the countryside in my previous life, and after spending nearly 20 years in the world of Asphial, Tokyo felt overwhelming. Skyscrapers made of steel loomed everywhere, and the streets were flooded with people and things. For someone like me, from a rural background, staying in Tokyo for long periods was a bit taxing.
Though Akane Village was perhaps a bit *too* rural to be called “the right amount of countryside,” I already had a good grasp of the area, and, most importantly, no one thought twice about seeing me walking around.
Plus, I knew a lot of the villagers, including Genji, so even though I’d moved to Tokyo, I still visited Akane Village from time to time.
That’s why, when I needed to find a place to cultivate roses, I turned to Genji, one of the biggest landowners in the area.