Chapter 45: Chapter 45: How Much!? What’s The Price?! (3)

A gloomy gray building.

Despite it being broad daylight, the atmosphere was inexplicably dark and eerie.

From the looks of it, it was a workshop with the sole aim of attracting people for sponsorship. It had quite an uninviting exterior. However…

‘Faye Yareunshade’s Workshop’

A half-rusted sign indicated that this was indeed our destination.

“Master? Are you sure this is the place? Even if it’s the 4th district, the vibe here almost resembles a slum within the academy.”

“Well, there’s a bit of a situation. She wasn’t just sent here. She was more or less chased out.”

“That musty, metallic smell?”

“That smell is common in all alchemy workshops. Usually, odor-removal magic tools are installed to mitigate it.”

“Um… Master. It’s not that I won’t follow your decision or anything, but are you sure this is the right place? I don’t know what you want to commission, but does it have to be here?”

“Heh, don’t worry. It’s fine, really. We’re not here to commission anything. We’re here for a sponsorship.”

Finally understanding, Carla nodded her head.

“Ah, you’re here to receive sponsorship. Wait, didn’t you say you’d be getting that from the Temple of Righteous Radiance? Uh, is there a priest here doing some volunteer work?”

Though she was a bit off the mark.

Pausing as I watched Carla’s eyes spin in her daydream, I stretched her cheeks out.

“Ouch!”

Ignoring Carla’s helpless, flapping arms, I proceeded to speak while pulling on her cheeks.

“I said we’re here to give sponsorship, not to get it. I want to financially support the owner here and possibly sign an exclusive contract.”

“Why…why are you planning to throw away money? If an academy student, especially from Class A, is holed up in such a corner, it’s not a trivial issue! She might be only good in skills and flawed in every other way!”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

Faye’s situation was indeed precarious. How bad must it be if she might even commit suicide if left alone?

“But it’s all solvable if you have the money.”

Faye, who would have the opportunity to indulge in research with better and special materials, broke through all problems solely by the outcomes.

However, since I couldn’t tell her that I knew of such a future, all I could say was why she ended up in that state.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s mostly because she’s been ostracized.”

I said.

“Excuse me?”

Carla asked.

“It’s not her problem. She’s been isolated by those around her, and that’s why she’s ended up here.”

“The academy would never tolerate such a thing.”

“Normally, yes. But it wasn’t explicit enough to fall under the disciplinary rules.”

It was a simple exclusion, or they treated her as if she were invisible, or something like that.

It wasn’t like they summoned her to a secluded area to beat her up.

Carla still seemed confused and shook her head.

Frankly, I was getting a bit annoyed, so I grabbed Carla’s hips tightly.

“Ouch!”

“Now that you understand it’s not her fault, shall we go inside?”

“Y-Yes… Um, Master? Even if there are no people around, doing this outside is a bit…”

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t touch you?!”

Carla hurriedly shook her head, falling back into her submissive role.

“N-No, not at all! If Master wishes to touch me, then it should be done whenever and wherever!”

“Really?”

“Yes! I was not defying you earlier. I was just worried! I am your loyal servant, after all!”

As if hinting at what would come next, Carla raised both her hands and cutely folded them near her chest.

Just as she was about to finish her sentence in a puppy-like pose,

Creak!

“S-sir? You’re a customer, right…? P-please, come in…”

Seemingly sensing our presence, the door swung open, and the workshop owner froze upon seeing us.

Continuing to knead the lovely hips of my servant, who was posing like a puppy, I relished the moment.

Carla’s final lines in this situation still managed to come out confidently.

“Woof!”

The workshop owner, Faye, grimaced in a strange manner.

Hey, relax your expression. It wasn’t like we were caught doing something inappropriate outdoors.

“Come in, come in. The floor is a bit cluttered, so watch your step… Um, are you uncomfortable with informal language? I’m your senior, but only by a year, so if you don’t like it, I can stop using it.”

“It’s fine. You can call me however you want, Senior.”

“Hehe, you called me ‘Senior.’”

After clearing up a slight misunderstanding due to bad timing, Faye guided us into the workshop with a strangely uncomfortable laugh.

But it wasn’t that she looked uneasy or anything like that. It was just Faye’s laughter itself that seemed odd.

However, what was more bothersome than that was the cluttered floor.

Stacks of random items, unidentifiable chunks of metal, and even potions glowing in dangerous hues.

The floor wasn’t just a ‘bit’ cluttered. There was barely any space to put your foot down.

Both Carla and I carefully raised our feet as we walked, and we eventually reached the center of the workshop.

Despite the clutter, there was a spacious empty space in the middle, confirming that someone lived there.

Dim lighting. Unknown objects scattered around. Even a cauldron bubbling and emanating a foul smell in the corner.

It looked more like a witch’s house from an old tale than an alchemist’s workshop.

But Faye, seemingly familiar with the surroundings, casually pushed aside some items with her foot and sat down in front of us.

Unlike earlier, when we had no such opportunity, now we could finally get a good look at Faye.

Even considering that she was sitting down, she was quite short. However, her chest was disproportionately large for her height.

Her hair, while not unkempt, seemed poorly maintained and hung down to her hips like a fluffy tail.

Her eyes, which had been nervously darting around since earlier, made me feel dizzy, magnified by the thick glasses perched on the bridge of her nose.

Faye Yareunshade was just the person I remembered vividly in my mind. However, seeing her in the flesh brought a strange sense of warmth.

Born among dwarves who led a life of either shattering skulls with a hammer or working metal, she was a half-dwarf. Her height barely reached my chin, showing her Dwarf lineage, but her chest, even larger than Carla’s, seemed to display her human ancestry. Typically, dwarves were rather flat-chested.

From a young age, she was ostracized among dwarves for being a half-breed and choosing the path of an alchemist over being a warrior or a blacksmith.

It wasn’t like she was aiming to make standard potions or special materials either. Faye wanted to create weapons using alchemy. Like pouring molten metal into a mold, she aimed to forge everything with alchemy.

Had she decided to strengthen elixirs or metal solvents, the dwarves might have welcomed her. But the idea of creating a complete weapon was heretical among the dwarves, who considered hammering a sacred act.

Hence, she had been ostracized since childhood. Of course, the dwarves never abused Faye. They took care of her basic needs.

It was just that she was treated as if she didn’t exist. And that was enough for Faye to grow into her current gloomy character.

In any case, amidst these circumstances, Faye delved deeper into alchemy, thinking that if she could achieve results, she would be acknowledged.

She managed to get into the academy but hit a wall there. The path Faye sought to walk was entirely new, requiring countless trials and errors, which in turn required money.

Moreover, Faye couldn’t get any support from her family, and her lack of social interaction made it difficult for her to speak and seek sponsorship.

Her alchemical products, still off track, were terribly mediocre. And in the Manufacturing Department of Class A, where dwarves were the majority, she was ostracized just like she was back in her hometown.

Looking at the state of her workshop, you could see that even the apprentices the academy provided were rejected by her. This seemed like her last struggle.

Faye Yareunshade had removed all distractions to fully dedicate herself to her last endeavor in alchemy.

She probably neglected her dorm, staying buried in her workshop.

However, despite all this, Faye couldn’t find even a shred of progress in her research.

Realizing she would slowly wither away like this, Faye had lost hope and contemplated ending her own life, but there was no need for that now.

Because I was here.

Perhaps it was my prolonged silence while lost in thought that urged her to finally speak.

Faye hesitated but eventually managed to open her mouth.

“Um, nice to meet you. I’m Faye… Faye Yareunshade. What’s, um, your name, Junior?”

Her gaze moved frantically, never meeting mine. Her fidgety fingers couldn’t stay still.

Just how nervous was she to simply say hello?

I smiled and nodded gently towards Faye.

“I’m Yandel. Nice to meet you, Senior.”

“Uh, um!”

Faye hastily nodded back, but she bowed so deeply that her large chest pressed against her knees.

Thump.

Her chest protruded here and there, greatly distorted by the movement.

Even though she covered herself with a uniform and a billowing robe, such a small movement caused this.

Caught staring, I soon locked eyes with Faye, who had raised her head.

“Ah, oh…”

Quickly straightening her posture, Faye tightly adjusted her clothes.

She probably wasn’t aware that her chest had bounced around wildly while she was adjusting it.

Impressive.

The real, moving Faye was more astonishing than I had ever imagined. But I couldn’t keep staring at her chest like this. It would be rude.

I cleared my throat, pretending it was nothing, and got straight to the point.

“Ahem. You might be curious as to why I sought you out, Faye, from the very first day of classes. This isn’t an easily discoverable location, after all.”

“Huh? Oh! Right. So, are you planning to commission something from me? I can make all sorts of things. Potions, materials, catalysts, bombs… Whatever you need!”

Faye confidently patted her chest in a gesture meant to be reassuring.

Each time she did that, waves more intense than before rippled through her chest, but she seemed unaware, only trying to read my reaction.

I calmly shook my head at Faye.

“No, I didn’t come here today to give you a simple commission.”

“…Oh? Then what?”

“Well, I’m interested in the alchemical brewing that you’re working on.”

“R-really?”

“Of course. Why would I lie?”

“Wow…! So, would you like to know how it works?”

Faye’s face brightened noticeably.

She still didn’t meet my eyes properly, but she couldn’t help but enthusiastically spill information I didn’t even ask for.

I hadn’t even brought up the sponsorship topic yet, and she was already this eager.

How starved must she be for attention?

I waited until Faye’s overly excited reaction calmed down a bit.

“Very intriguing. I sense potential in your research, Senior.”

“R-really? Ahaha… It’s the first time anyone has said that to me…”

I bet. To be honest, she was so excited that I couldn’t understand a word she was saying.

Considering Carla, who was next to me, also tilted her head, it was clear that Faye’s explanations were confusing, not that my alchemy knowledge was lacking.

Of course, I would have to pretend I understood them for now.

“So, with that in mind, I was thinking of sponsoring you, Senior.”

“S-s-s-sponsorship?!”

“The amount is 300 gold per month. If that’s insufficient for a legitimate reason, I can consider giving more.”

“300 gold a month?! And even more?!”

Was the amount too unusual? Instead of getting more excited, Faye looked at me with suspicious eyes.

It was understandable to be skeptical.

Typically, sponsorships involve a few dozen gold coins per month and some additional support.

Actions speak louder than words, so I took out 300 gold from my inventory right then and there.

Swoosh.

A golden wave spilled onto the floor.

“Wha–!”

As Faye stared, gasping and swallowing hard, I added an explanation.

“Unlike other sponsors, I won’t be able to offer discounted materials or free alchemy tomes. All I have is money. Is that enough for you?”

“Uh-huh! Yes! More than enough! With this, I can afford the new alchemy furnace, a mana purification kit, and even various rare minerals! Are you really sponsoring me this much?”

“Of course. But there’s a condition.”

“A condition…?”

Faye looked uneasy at the mention of a ‘condition,’ glancing at me to gauge my reaction.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“Become my exclusive alchemist. And when I have a request, you have to prioritize it.”

“Exclusive?”

No matter how desperate one is for money, the word ‘exclusive’ makes one pause to think.

For the first time, Faye looked directly into my eyes without avoiding them. She then glanced at Carla, who was beside me, and seemed to shudder for a moment.

“So, you mean I have to prioritize what you ask for…?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t ask for anything outrageous.”

I had no intention of asking her to create a Philosopher’s Stone within three days or something equally ridiculous.

Of course, it could be possible someday, but not now.

Faye appeared to contemplate for a moment, her gaze lowering as if looking at her chest. She stole a few glances at me and then tightly closed her eyes.

“I-I’m sorry! Let’s pretend I never heard that! I, um, find it a bit too much…!”

What?

Was I just rejected?