A year has passed since I was summoned. The seasons have cycled through, and spring has come again. That said, it’s still technically the tail end of winter right now. The climate around the capital is milder compared to Japan, but cold is still cold. So, naturally, I’ve been holing up indoors most of the time.
“Sei, are you making potions again?”
The one who called out to me with an exasperated tone was Jude. I wonder how many times we’ve had this exchange by now.
“Yeah, I am. Orders have been picking up lately.”
“Even so, isn’t this a bit much?”
“You think so?”
Tilting my head as I look at the potions lined up in front of me, Jude lets out a deep sigh. He doesn’t have to act that exasperated. It’s true that orders have increased, after all.
What started as just supplying potions to the Third Knight Order has now expanded to the Second Knight Order and the Court Mage Corps as well. That’s all because word spread within the palace that the potions made at the institute are highly effective. Though, that’s not the only reason.
It seems that with the recent increase in monsters, the demand for potions in the market has spiked, and there’s been a persistent shortage. You’d think the solution would be to increase supply, but it’s not that simple. Only a limited number of people can reliably make potions, and even then, there’s a cap on how many they can produce in a day.
For the palace’s knight orders, potions are a necessity since they’re tasked with subjugating monsters. As the number of monsters around the capital grew, the amount of potions they needed apparently skyrocketed too. However, even though the palace gets priority on supplies, they can’t monopolize the market’s stock. Based on that palace policy, the amount delivered has increased compared to before, but it’s been tough to ramp up production any further. They’ve been managing by letting light injuries heal naturally and relying on mages with holy attribute magic to handle more serious wounds, compensating for the shortfall that way.
That’s where the potions made at the institute come in. Not only are they highly effective, but our daily production rivals even the specialized apothecaries in the capital. There’s no way the knight orders, who’ve been enduring chronic potion shortages, wouldn’t jump at this.
“Even if orders have gone up, this is ridiculous.”
“I did think about the quantity while making them, you know.”
“Really? No matter how you look at it, there’s no way this many advanced HP potions were ordered. You’re going to get scolded by the director again, aren’t you?”
Lined up in front of me are potions, specifically advanced ones. The herbs used as ingredients are expensive, so they’re not something you’d use lightly. Naturally, the knight orders don’t request them in huge quantities either.
So why did I make so many? It’s because I wanted to level up my alchemy skill. To raise your alchemy skill level, you have to make potions. But at my current level, I can’t improve anymore unless I make advanced potions. The herbs for advanced potions are costly, and the director told me to keep the production in check, so I was being careful… Hmm, maybe I overdid it after all?
“What about the other orders from the knight orders? You’re not neglecting those, are you?”
“Oh, I’ve already made those.”
“Huh? Already?”
“Yeah, most of the orders were for low- and mid-tier potions anyway.”
Jude’s mentioned this to me before, but apparently, the number of potions I can make in a day is a lot higher than what a typical apothecary can manage. Like, I can finish in one day what would take a normal apothecary several days to produce.
I suspect this has something to do with my high base level. From what I’ve heard, most people making potions out there don’t even reach a base level of 10. The difference in base level directly affects your HP and MP totals. Making potions requires infusing them with magic power, so it’s likely that someone with more MP can produce more potions. I don’t know exactly how much of a gap there is between my total MP and someone at level 10, but I imagine it’s pretty significant.
“Sei, I need to talk to you about something…”
Speak of the devil. Just as Jude and I are chatting, the director shows up. It seems he came looking for me, but his eyes are glued to the advanced HP potions on the desk. Oops. He caught me before I could put them away.
“I don’t mind that you’re passionate about your work, but isn’t this a bit excessive?”
“Sorry…”
Like I told Jude, I did make them with the knight orders’ supply needs in mind. The potions lined up here might be more than a single order can use up, but it’s about enough for two or three orders. The director seems to understand that, so I don’t get a huge lecture. Still, I get why he’d feel the need to comment when he sees them all lined up like this. So, I honestly apologize to him as he looks at me with an expression full of exasperation.
“Well, it’s good timing, actually. What I wanted to talk about is the potions.”
“What’s going on?”
Seeing the unusually serious look on the director’s face, I start to panic, wondering if I’m about to get a real scolding this time. I straighten up and prepare to listen as he continues.
“We’re going to have to suspend potion production for a while.”
“Huh? Why’s that?”
“The truth is, we’re having trouble securing the herbs we need.”
“What!?”
According to the director, the amount of herbs brought into the capital this fall was significantly lower than usual. It seems that a certain region, a major herb-producing area, sent far fewer herbs than expected, which has led to a shortage circulating in the capital. The shops we’re on good terms with have been doing their best to deliver the planned amounts to the institute, but it’s finally become too difficult. Just a little while ago, the director got word that they won’t be able to take orders for a while.
“Sounds like things have gotten pretty serious, huh?”
“Yeah. I’d heard around fall that there might be a shortage, but I didn’t think it’d get so bad that orders would stop entirely.”
“Is the suspension going to last long?”
“It’s hard to say for sure, but according to the shops, it’s looking likely.”
“That’s a problem…”
The region in question supplies not just low-tier potion herbs but also a lot of the materials for mid- and high-tier potions. Generally, herbs for low-tier potions can be grown relatively easily regardless of the land. But for mid-tier potions, cultivation gets trickier. They don’t grow well in ordinary soil, and raising them takes considerable effort. The only reason we can grow them at the institute is because the researchers here use all sorts of special methods.
That region is one of the rare places where mid-tier potion herbs can grow with minimal effort, making it a local industry. Plus, there’s a forest there where herbs for advanced potions grow wild in abundance, so they ship those out too. These herbs are processed properly before being transported to the capital. Since it’s tied to nature, though, the delivery times can shift a bit.
That’s why the director figured the smaller shipments at the start of fall were just a timing issue. But even by mid-fall, the amounts didn’t recover, and the herb shortage has dragged on. Both the director and the palace’s civil officials suspected something must’ve gone wrong. A little while ago, the palace apparently sent an investigation team to that region to figure out the cause.
“What about the knight orders’ orders?”
“For now, we’ve got no choice but to stop accepting them.”
“Got it.”
After explaining everything, the director heads back to his office. Since it’s a good stopping point, Jude and I decide to get back to our respective tasks too. That said, with production on hold as instructed, potion-making is done for now.
As I clean up the tools I’d been using, I let my mind wander. The number of monsters around the capital has apparently dropped compared to before, but subjugations are still ongoing. They might be using fewer potions, but that doesn’t mean they’re unnecessary. If this herb shortage keeps up, it’s bound to cause some kind of problem eventually. I just hope the shortage gets resolved before that happens.