kscans

Chapter 184 - Interlude, Adon and Old Man Audel

That night, after Yuri’s party had safely arrived in Laurenzen, Old Man Audel was sharing a drink with his old friend Adon in his private study.

"You looked like you had something to say about Yuri-kun’s crops."

Old Man Audel brought up the glance Adon had sent him on the night of the welcome party in End Village.

"There were still some uncertain parts, so I hesitated to say anything..."

"Hmm? Was there some sort of problem?"

"There’s no problem. ...No, in a way, perhaps I should say there is a problem..."

To Adon’s strangely indecisive manner, Old Man Audel silently prompted him to continue.

"...It’s about the ingredients I’ve been sourcing from Yuri-kun."

"Oh... now that you mention it... you said you were going to investigate their effects at your place before selling them elsewhere. What happened?"

"...Have you noticed anything about my wife’s appearance?"

"Your wife? Now that you mention it, I feel like she’s gotten younger... Hey, don’t tell me..."

As Old Man Audel leaned in with a changed expression, Adon gave a weak nod.

"It’s exactly that. There were absolutely no negative health effects. ...There were only positive effects on beauty and health. ...Incidentally, my own shoulder and back pain, which I’ve had for years, has improved."

At his old friend’s unexpected confession, Old Man Audel could only groan. The effects themselves were probably wonderful, but when he considered what would happen if this became public...

"So the reason your wife and the others gave Yuri-kun a welcome that was twice as grand as last time... was because of that..."

Yuri, for his part, had seemed bewildered by the reception, which was more lavish than he had expected.

"I have given strict orders to everyone in the mansion to not breathe a word about this to anyone. ...However..."

"If your wife and daughter are walking around looking like that, such an order is meaningless."

Adon could only nod weakly at Old Man Audel’s blunt assessment.

"...You are right. Apparently, they are already being flooded with questions from all over. They say they are laughing it off for now, but..."

"...Eventually, someone they can’t laugh off will appear. You had better think about what to do then."

"Yes... The cause... is it really Yuri-kun?"

"Yuri-kun’s doing is certainly a part of it, but you can’t forget the location of Salt-Sour Mountain either. The mountains are already a place where magic is dense. And when it’s Salt-Sour Mountain on top of that..."

"Ah... there was that... No, rather, perhaps that should be the reason."

"Indeed. ...Personally, I think Yuri-kun did something..."

"...He is the kind of child who would try to use the bones of a Gambit Grizzly to make soup broth..."

At the mention of the name "Gambit Grizzly," Old Man Audel recalled something he would rather not have. He was honestly reluctant, but under these circumstances, it was probably better to tell him.

"...I’m reluctant to tell you this..."

"...What is it? Did Yuri-kun do something again...?"

It was questionable to assume that the cause of his reluctance was Yuri, but learning from past experience, that was the conclusion one would reach.

"Yes. ...The other day, Yuri-kun taught me that bone is also an important fertilizer for the fields..."

"Bone? ...Hey... don’t tell me..."

"Yuri-kun didn’t say anything, and I didn’t dare ask... but that’s probably what it is."

"What has he done..."

The bones of a Gambit Grizzly, which would fetch gold coins even as raw materials. If they were being used as bone meal, then the high quality of those crops was understandable.

"...In that case... does this mean the purchase price was wrong?"

"But... can you even put a price on crops that have been fed fertilizer worth several gold coins? And for Yuri-kun, it’s just simple waste disposal."

"Waste..."

Hearing a line that would make Professor Magam faint, Adon resolved to keep this matter to himself. But that meant he had to do something about the current situation with the womenfolk, who were spreading the word about the effects of Yuri's crops...

"Can’t you stop eating them, or mix them with regular crops?"

What came back in response to Old Man Audel's simple question was a sigh from a dejected Adon.

"Do you think I didn’t consider that? ...I was met with a firm refusal from my wife and daughters."

"Mmm..."

Old Man Audel was not so naive as to have been born yesterday. He was aware of the obsession women had with beauty. That was precisely why he could easily guess that the women, having once been given the forbidden fruit of Yuri’s crops, would no longer have any intention of letting it go.

"It seems I will continue to purchase Yuri-kun’s crops in the future..."

"...I see..."