I went on without caring.
“Before that, I want to know the side effects of the drug. I heard that if a person in love drinks it, they will become emotionally numb. Is the effect certain?”
“Well, the effect is amazing. But I can’t guarantee the duration. Most of the time, the effect lasts for one or two years, but sometimes it can last a lifetime for those who respond well to the drug.”
“A lifetime…”
“Usually, women ask for this medicine to maintain their boring married life. But since you’re asking about the side effects first, it doesn’t seem like that’s the reason.”
“…….”
“It seems like you have quite a story, but you should be cautious with a potion like this. If you’re unlucky, you’ll never feel love for the rest of your life. Won’t you regret it someday if that happens?”
I didn’t give much thought to the duration of the effect. I thought that if I could just calm down the raging emotions within me, I could pay any price for it.
I’ve already experienced enough pain from the love in my past life and even in my reincarnated life as Lethenia. But for some reason, the word ‘lifetime’ bothered me and I couldn’t understand why.
He looked at me closely as I blanked out for a moment, then spoke with a suspicious look in his eyes.
“By the way, that drug is quite expensive.”
“How much is it?”
“30,000 Knets. These days, catching unicorns is like picking stars in the sky, so the market price has risen a little.”
He smirked, holding his chin. When I looked into it before, I thought it would cost around 10,000 knets, but now it has tripled.
I couldn’t find anything to say for a while because it was more expensive than I thought.
Spending 30,000 Knets just for the love potion was a big burden. He was still looking at me with a smile. I wondered if he was trying to take advantage of me. I carefully opened my mouth and tried to negotiate.
“That’s too much. I don’t think other mercenary groups will charge that much.”
“Then go somewhere else. I don’t know if there is a mercenary in Asha who can catch unicorns.”
He tried to get up, but I grabbed his clothes in a hurry. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I watched him closely and spoke.
“Let’s go with 10,000…Knets.”
“20,000 Knets. I won’t go any lower. I don’t like bargaining. Hurry up and decide.”
He answered, sitting roughly on a chair as if he could leave anytime.
“15,000….”
He jumped to his feet as soon as I uttered the number “5,”
“Find someone else. I’m out.”
I grabbed him by the arm once again. He roughly shook off my hand. 20,000 Knets… As expected, it’s too expensive.
But I offered 15,000 Knets didn’t I? If I couldn’t get the love potion, I wouldn’t know what to do with the painful emotions I feel every time I face the male lead. If I let it go now, I’ll have to wait for months again.
I hesitated for a moment, thinking about the complicated emotions of Lethenia that might mess things up. But before I could say anything, he got up from the table and started walking towards the stairs. I bit my lip and shouted reluctantly.
“Okay, 20,000 Knets!”
He didn’t seem to hear my voice in the noisy atmosphere and continued walking down the stairs. I shouted again, desperate for him to come back.
“I’ll do it your way! Come back!”
For a moment, there was silence around me as curious eyes glanced back and forth between me and Linus.
Soon, the surroundings became even more chaotic with mocking laughter and whistling sounds. Linus came back to me with a satisfied expression and sat down again.
“You must pay half as a down payment. But there will be no refund even if the hunt fails.”
“Half is still too much.”
“Don’t worry. There’s no way it will fail. Sometimes there are despicable people who intentionally fail the hunt and take the deposit, so be careful.”
He explained when I didn’t look convinced.
“Of course, the Falcon Mercenary Group would never do such a shameful thing. Trust is everything in this business. I’m just mentioning it in case. No need to be concerned.”
He folded his arms arrogantly as if he had nothing to lose. I made one last attempt to bargain with him.
“Still, it’s too much to pay such a large amount as a deposit when there’s a chance of not getting it back. I think 2,000 knet would be appropriate at the most.”
“You’re quite something. Deposits are usually set at this level in Asha.”
Even in the modern world, isn’t 10% the standard for deposits? It was a moment when I felt extremely resentful of this ruthless world.
“No, but this is…….”
Before I could finish my sentence, he made a gesture to get up from his seat. I bit my lip and took out the box.
He looked very satisfied when I handed it to him. Looking at him now, he wasn’t a fearsome giant race but rather a nine-tailed fox, a creature that devoured the souls of innocent people. He turned his body again and sat properly on the chair.
Then he took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table. It was a small plaster statue that could fit in my hand.
It has the shape of a black leopard symbolizing his mercenary group and his initials were engraved with silver foil at the bottom.
The plaster statue bounced on the table and came towards me. This was a symbol of a successful trade in the Falcon Mercenary Group.
I had heard from Stella that it was impossible to forge this item because it was made with special magic infused into the plaster. When I held it, I felt a slight vibration from the black panther plaster statue.
“It’s like a contract that indicates the trade has been completed.”
“When can I get it?”
“About three or four months. It could be sooner or later. The orders are piling up these days. As soon as the job is done, I’ll send a signal with this plaster statue. Then you can come back here again.”
Even the delivery date was uncertain. It was clear that the contract was unfair, but I couldn’t think of a more sharp point. I looked at the plaster statue on my palm again, which seemed to move on its own like a living thing, reminding me of a magic notebook. Before he left, he lifted one corner of his mouth and said:
“Well, welcome to the Falcon Mercenary Group. I wish we had more customers like you.”
“…….”
“Is this your first time trading like this? Anyway, thanks. I needed the money right away. See you later.”
He looked very pleased. It didn’t feel good. I felt like I had been scammed somehow, but I couldn’t confront him because I didn’t know anything.
Before I could say anything, he had already disappeared into the distance.
* * * * *
“Paying half as the down payment? Pfft, who makes such a foolish contract?”
A few days later, I asked Stella in a roundabout way how much the deposit for a trade was in Asha, and if there were cases where half of it was paid.
Unaware of my wretched feelings, she continued in a derisive tone.
“The most common is 10%. There are rare cases where 30% is paid, but that’s only when it comes to finding really rare materials. It’s true that unicorns are hard to hunt, but they’re not that rare.”
“But if they can get the item anyway…”
“Anyone can say that. In this day and age, who’s naive enough to believe such lofty promises and hand over a large sum of money without question?”
Stella’s scathing criticism made my pupils tremble without me realizing it. The smile on her face faded away when she saw my helpless expression.
Eventually, her pupils began to shake anxiously like mine.
“Your Majesty, could it be… that fool…”
“…….”
“Did you really pay half of it? An amount that you won’t get back if the hunt fails?”
“…….”
“…The date was clearly discussed, right?”
“…….”
“Oh my goodness.”
Stella looked at me with dispirited eyes. A wave of regret surged over me like a giant wave. I had made a hasty decision because of my anxiousness to avoid another situation like last time.
His infuriating expression, as if he had the upper hand, came to mind, and it stirred my anger.
“Did you trade with that man who was on your candidate list for lovers?”
Feeling overwhelmed by disappointment, I just nodded my head silently.
“You did receive the plaster statue, right?”
I showed her the black Panther plaster statue. Stella sighed in relief.
“That’s a relief. Falcon mercenaries are known for their exceptional skill.”
As we talked, Stella’s face suddenly turned dark and she asked cautiously:
“May I ask why you are looking for a love potion now?”
Stella seemed to have a hunch that I wasn’t going to use this medicine on Ian. There was a worried look in her clear eyes.
“That’s right. It’s convenient to have something that can sort out useless emotions.”
A love potion that, when consumed by someone in love, causes them to lose their feelings. Stella’s face was tinged with bitterness. To cheer her up, I raised my tone a little and spoke in a bright voice.
“Don’t look at me with such pity. Once it’s gone, I’ll eat and live well. I don’t know how long the effect will last, but if I can get through my time here unscathed, that’s enough.”
Stella spoke in a very serious tone, unlike her usual self.
“The duration of the magic potion varies depending on the person. The same goes for the side effects. It’s very rare, but… it could last only a few hours, or even several decades, or even a lifetime.”
“I know.”
“For me, not being able to feel love feels like a curse. If you’re really unlucky, you may never be able to love anyone again for the rest of your life. Is that okay with you?”
Stella’s meaningful question made me feel strange.
The curse of never being able to love anyone again for the rest of your life. I have seen a movie with a similar plot before. The story of a protagonist who can’t love anyone because of a curse.
Because of that curse, He had constantly been at odds with his feelings for her. In the end, the curse was lifted when the other person died, making for quite a sad ending where he realized love after his partner’s death.
Suddenly, my memories of the movie led to an unrelated question. What if I was unable to realize my love for someone even if they were right in front of me? At that moment, I remembered someone and my heart started beating faster.
