*****

As I was walking down the main street on the west side of the royal capital to go shopping, I suddenly heard the screams of two people.

Sensing immediate danger, I quickly hid myself to avoid getting involved.

「I'm never coming to this store again! You old hag!」

「Seriously annoying!」

Lord Zeel and Catarina, the very people I had just decided to cut ties with, were coming out of the store I was heading to.

The shop belonging to the 'Obaba-sama,' who is called "eccentric" even by the fastidious Lord Clein...!

There was no doubt that Lord Zeel and Catarina, having annoyed her in a matter of minutes, had been chased out of the store. The situation had escalated into a commotion where the enraged Obaba-sama dragged them out because of the insults they hurled on their way out.

The elderly woman, dressed in a dark purple robe with completely white hair, walked quickly despite being slightly hunched over, and threw a round sphere she was holding in her hand at Lord Zeel and Catarina.

「Pestier than stink bugs, the lot of you brats!」

Seeing the round sphere burst, sending a cloud of green smoke puffing up, I fled far away to ensure I wouldn't get caught in it.

That was one of the Obaba-sama’s special homemade items for repelling unwelcome customers, the Stink Bomb (Shūsokudan). It was a terrifying item whose thick, concentrated stink bug odor would cling to your nasal cavity, making it impossible to breathe through your nose.

Seeing the agonized faces of the two who were hit, it was clear just how mentally distressing it was.

「Owehh. It-it stinks...」

「Uwehh~. This old woman, isn’t she seriously messed up as a person~?」

The Obaba-sama prepared a second Stink Bomb for the two complaining people. At that instant, Lord Zeel and Catarina retreated at an astonishing speed.

They were so desperate that they probably didn't notice my presence. The power of the stink bug is terrifying...

Snorting, the Obaba-sama went back into her store, and I followed her in.

「Good morni—」

「You're persistent! You still have busi... Oh, it’s you. My apologies, some rude little brats just came in.」

「No, it's alright. I think I have an idea why.」

Those two and the Obaba-sama are definitely incompatible. I can't imagine them having a pleasant conversation at all.

「The Alchemists Guild must have fallen low if that failure is a C-Rank Alchemist. Honestly. You think so too, don't you?」

「Ahaha...」

I was troubled that she was asking for my agreement. I couldn't make a comment that would antagonize the Alchemists Guild, so I could only reply with a strained laugh.

I had only just become an apprentice alchemist, and this was a sensitive period where rumors about me could easily spread. Even though the person is the familiar Obaba-sama... no, precisely because she is the eccentric Obaba-sama, I must exercise the utmost caution.

「By the way, what are you here to buy today?」

Since the temperamental Obaba-sama's attitude had changed completely, I proceeded with the shopping.

「I came to buy potion ingredients.」

「Oh, you just bought some the other day, didn't you? Did you have a failure?」

I had bought herbs at the Obaba-sama’s store five days ago and finished the pre-processing... but I couldn't for the life of me mention that Lord Zeel had just thrown them all away.

「Actually, my affiliation has changed. I've been working as Lord Clein's assistant since yesterday.」

「Clein... Lord Clein, you say? Hmm, now who was that? I have a terrible time remembering people’s names.」

「Um, it's Lord Clein Augusta, the Court Alchemist.」

「Ah—the Augusta kid, is it? Now that you mention it, that sounds like the name, but then again, maybe not...」

It seemed she hadn't matched the name to the face. Come to think of it, she had never called me by name, either.

「Well, names don’t matter anyway. What matters in this world is whether or not things are interesting. Ee hee hee.」

This clear-cut way of thinking is a very characteristic trait of the Obaba-sama. She doesn't judge people by their status or position, but decides who she associates with based on her own 독단 (arbitrary judgment) and prejudices.

Once you become friends with her, you can build a relationship casual enough to joke around, so it's okay to interact with her casually.

「Please don't stick your nose into too many strange things. You are old enough, after all.」

「Don't treat me like an old woman, honestly. I'm only ninety-two.」

「That's quite enough. Here, this is the potion Lord Clein asked me to deliver.」

When I finished the errand Lord Clein had asked for, the Obaba-sama accepted the potion with a smile.

「Oh my, how kind of you. I've been looking forward to this, thinking 'is it here yet?'」

「Is that so? I don't think I should pry, but is something wrong?」

「It’s nothing major. Just my farsightedness is getting worse.」

That was a statement unbecoming of someone who just said, "Don't treat me like an old woman."

「It seems your body is more honest than you are. If you recognize you're an old woman, please take care of yourself.」

「You’ve become quite bold, haven't you? You'll experience the same feeling someday, too.」

「I don't have the luxury of thinking about the distant future. Now then, since I've delivered what was asked, I'd like to take a look at the medicinal herbs.」

To carry out my duties as an assistant, I decided to carefully select the herbs placed inside the store.