The Return of the Talented Monopolist is Special

Mule visited Pencel’s herb field around 3 PM on the 18th of every month.

Whether the weather was cold or warm, herbs always had time.

One of them was the herb known as ‘Gergantine,’ which helped with the circulation of Auror.

Mule was scanning the ground thoroughly with a pocket at his waist, ready to store the Gergantine.

While doing so, he suddenly heard a rustling sound and looked up to find a little child.

“Huh? What’s a kid doing here… Hey, you there!”

Judging by the lack of any threatening aura or presence, it seemed like a random encounter.

The child quickly turned their head and gave a faint smile, staring at Mule.

‘What’s this… They look like they know me.’

But soon after, the child wore a wary expression.

“Who are you?”

Mule chuckled and reassured the child.

“I’m not a bad person. I’m just here to collect herbs.”

“What herbs?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Haha. By the way, what’s your name?”

“I asked first, Mister.”

“Mule. And… do I look like a mister?”

“Yes. What herbs are you collecting?”

Mule briefly made a solemn expression before shrugging it off.

“Gergantine. Anyway, that’s what I’m looking for. Are you here to collect herbs too? Did you come alone?”

“Yes. I have something to prepare.”

“I see.”

Mule quickly made a rough guess about the child’s identity.

‘The fact that they don’t know me means they must be from a branch family. Not having attendants with them also seems to confirm that. In that case…’

Mule didn’t feel the need to reveal that he was the eldest son of the Duke family, Jade’s firstborn.

He didn’t want to risk the child trying to get close to him or make troublesome requests just because of his position.

“Alright, go ahead and gather your herbs and head back quickly. The temperature difference here is large, and dangerous insects come out at night.”

“Okay.”

Surprisingly, the child responded briefly, and Mule found it odd but decided to let it go.

Mule turned his back and began picking the Gergantine to put it in his pouch. The child silently looked around and began searching for herbs.

‘There’s only Gergantine and Kieckel here, but do they know where other herbs are growing?’

Ah, whatever.

Deciding it wasn’t worth overthinking, Mule focused on finding the Gergantine.

“Wouldn’t it be better to look for Kieckel instead? It seems like that would be more useful for you.”

“… Huh?”

“I don’t think Gergantine would be very helpful to you…”

“Are you saying you know why I’m looking for Gergantine?”

The child scratched his head.

“Gergantine is an herb that helps with healing Auror holes and blood circulation, so considering you don’t have any visible Auror, it’s probably for the healing part.”

“How did you…?”

“But Gergantine has a bit of poison in it. If you take too much, it’s bad for your body.”

Mule hid his surprise and responded.

“Hmm… I don’t know how you figured out that I don’t have any Auror, but Gergantine is harmless to the human body. I think you’re mistaken.”

“No, I’m not.”

For a brief moment, Mule realized that the child had incredible insight.

While it was true that Gergantine was harmless, the certainty in the child’s words made Mule doubt himself.

The child asked again.

“Are you doing some kind of research? Are you a scholar?”

“You’re very sharp.”

Mule felt a strange desire to talk more with this child.

“Are you curious about what kind of research I’m doing?”

“I’m interested in alchemy and Auror techniques.”

“Oh?”

When the topic of Auror techniques came up, Mule couldn’t help but open up.

“As you noticed, the research I’m doing is about healing Auror holes. I can’t handle Auror myself.”

“I see.”

“So, after I treat this, I plan to study a technique to combine the Auror hole and the circle, but first, the Auror hole needs to be healed with Gergantine…”

“I’m telling you, Kieckel is better than Gergantine.”

“Huh?”

“Kieckel initially weakens the cohesion of the Auror, so it might seem like it’s not working, but later, it reduces the rigidity of the Auror hole and helps with healing.”

“…Really?”

“Gergantine does the opposite. The poison I mentioned is why.”

“…That can’t be.”

“When you research the technique to combine the Auror hole and the circle, it’ll be hard to explain the cause-and-effect relationship, but you can use examples from other papers. It’s such a unique argument.”

“Are you… saying this because you know what you’re talking about?”

The child stopped picking herbs, seemingly done with his task, and stood up.

“I’ll leave now. I’ve gathered everything I need.”

Mule, left speechless, stared at the child and then shouted.

“Wait a second! Kid, what’s your name?”

“My name?”

The child walked off and casually said, “Eugene. Eugene Robert.”

Then, he walked away, his figure disappearing.

Mule, still processing what he had just heard, was approached by his servant.

“Lord Mule, it’s time to head back. The sun is setting.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

The child, who had disappeared without a trace, was none other than Eugene Robert.

Mule let out a hollow laugh.

“Heh, so there was a reason for the attention.”

“What?”

“Never mind. The appointment ceremony is in a week, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The appointment ceremony was a small event that recognized the children who passed the Lion’s Trial as members of Pencel’s household.

Mule’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“This time, I’ll be attending as an observer.”

***

“If you deal with them so softly, they’ll just look down on Pencel. Clark.”

“There’s no need for that, brother. I made it clear enough.”

Sirius was critiquing Clark’s approach to handling the situation.

“You should have gathered the enforcement officers and crippled them,” Sirius said.

“And what would be left after that? There would be no reason for them to spread rumors like, ‘Pencel is a ruthless place, so don’t touch it.’”

“…You don’t always need to say things for them to be known.”

Clark shrugged his shoulders and changed the subject.

“By the way, did you hear that our eldest brother will be attending the appointment ceremony?”

“The eldest brother? Why?”

It seemed like Clark, who handled the minor tasks and reports within the family, hadn’t been informed of the reason since Sirius only involved himself in major matters.

“I didn’t hear a specific reason. It must be frustrating for him to be stuck on the island.”

“…I see.”

Sirius began to speculate about Mule’s visit in his mind.

‘The Lion’s Trial is already over. What could be the reason for his visit? He’s someone who never cared about the kids… Or has he fully recovered? Is he coming back to participate in the succession struggle? Or is it…’

Because of Eugene?

Sirius felt a little more concerned than expected about Mule’s visit, even though it was news he hadn’t anticipated.

Clark seemed to sense something in Sirius’s reaction but chose not to speak about it. He instead casually probed.

“Why does your face look so dark, knowing that our eldest brother is coming? Aren’t you happy to see him?”

“Happy? Not really…”

Sirius chuckled softly.

“We grew up as rivals before family. It’s normal for suspicion to come first, not joy.”

Clark clicked his tongue in response but said nothing.

“If we get complaints for absurd reasons like today, I’ll handle it myself. It’s better to deal with it clearly to avoid further rumors.”

“…Understood.”

***

That night.

Sirius called the Ince brothers into his room and handed them something.

“Boys. As I mentioned a few days ago, you need to take this medicine tonight.”

“Yes…!”

“Alright!”

The Ince brothers received the black-coated glass bottles, their faces filled with eager anticipation.

“This is an elixir made from the rarest herbs, not just in Pencel, but across the entire continent. Not a single drop should be wasted.”

“Yes, we understand!”

Sirius explained it as an ‘elixir,’ but in reality, the liquid inside the black bottle was far from any elixir.

Pop!

When the cork was removed and the liquid was about to be consumed, Ains and Janes paused as they smelled it.

“Ah, Father… but… does it always smell this fishy?”

“It doesn’t smell like any herb I know…”

Sirius shouted angrily.

“Shut up and drink it! The moment the cap is off, its potency starts to fade!”

“Ah, yes!”

The brothers carefully poured the thick, fishy, and unpleasant liquid into their mouths.

“Don’t spill a drop, or you’ll be in for a severe punishment from me!”

They drank cautiously, trying not to spill even a drop. The taste was rancid, and the smell was enough to make them want to vomit, but they held back desperately.

“Hah… Hah…”

After swallowing all the liquid, the Ince brothers rinsed their mouths with the water Sirius gave them and collapsed onto the floor.

“Father, I feel so sick…!”

“Endure it. If you can’t stand it, then just die.”

“Ah…”

The “elixir” Sirius had given them wasn’t an elixir at all—it was the blood of a black dragon.

Dragon blood was strictly forbidden from consumption within the church, as its effects were too powerful, and the side effects were equally extreme.

It would cause a craving for blood, and as one grew older, the desire to kill would intensify.

But Sirius, unconcerned with these aspects, fed the Ince brothers the black dragon’s blood.

‘The honor of my sons is my honor. They didn’t stand out during the Lion’s Trial, so they must make a name for themselves from now on.’

Once they were recognized as “Pencel’s vassals” after the appointment ceremony, the brothers would eventually be given tasks by the family as they grew older.

Sirius hoped the brothers would show great achievements when those tasks came their way.

There was only one reason for this.

‘That way, both in front of my father and in the eyes of the public, my position will rise. As a result, I will be one step closer to becoming the head of the family.’

“Ugh…!”

Sirius pressed his hand to the Ince brothers’ mouths as they tried to vomit.

“If you don’t want to die, swallow it, my sons.”

***

Eugene arrived at the apothecary and took out the Gergantin from his bag.

In front of him stood a pharmacist, whose face was mostly hidden by a mask, hat, and monocle.

“Good day, pharmacist. I’d like to make two potions—one elixir and one poison—from this.”

“Understood. When would you need it by?”

“Well… maybe when your awkward formal speech becomes natural?”

“Excuse me…?”

The pharmacist, whose eyes were narrowed, looked bewildered.

“You said ‘doegeusmi’—it should be ‘doegesseumnikka’, pharmacist.”

“Oh, I see…”

“It would be better if you just said ‘degassed’. Why do you keep speaking so awkwardly?”

The pharmacist had to admit that he had been caught as a gungwi (a royal spy), but he stubbornly continued to deny it.

“No, it’s not true!”

“What’s not true? You didn’t even say anything.”

“No, I mean—no, it’s not true!”

“Gungwi.”

Eugene shook his head, then asked the gungwi.

“When did you start following me?”

“……”

“Stop acting, just tell me. You’re not cut out to be an actor.”

“…Do I have to go back?”

Eugene sighed deeply.

“Just stay. It’d look more suspicious if you lleftnow. Besides, you’re good at refining herbs. I’ll bring more herbs for you to work with in the future. Just do your job well, and I’ll leave you alone.”

The apothecary in Pencel had many facilities for making elixirs, poisons, and potions. From juicing to alchemical devices that add or subtract various attributes, and even rare tools that can’t be bought with money.

All of these were things that Pencel, being the largest power and wealth holder in the North, could afford to have.

“As expected of you, Young Master Eugene I knew I could trust you. Is there anything else I can do to help?”

“Just don’t get caught. If you’re going to speak fothe rmal language, do it from the start, and if not, just stick to your usual solemn tone.”

“I’ll do so.”

“You should just stop using formal language altogether.”

“…Understood.”

On the outside, Eugene pretended to scold the gungwi, but inside, he felt grateful to the gungwi, Geumgeum, and Tugwi.

‘I want to keep these people with me.’

Not only were they helpful, but they were also showing loyalty, so there was no reason not to take them along.

Moreover.

‘There will be a lot of suspicious things to make with the elixirs in the future, but I can leave it all to gungwi without worrying. Like the healing potion for Uncle Mule.’

Nodding, Eugene was about to leave the apothecary room.

“Oh, gungwi.”

“Yes?”

“Where is Tugwi?”

“…In the kitchen.”

Eugene let out a small laugh, feeling a little reassured by the news that Gungwi and Tugwi were together even in the Pencel household.

The return of the talent monopolizer is special.