Morgana, who was seated at the table, flipped to the last page of the paper she had been using to make a list and began writing down the herbal ingredients she needed from Herzel.

Since Herzel gathered most of the herbs from the mountains, Morgana described their appearance in detail so she could recognize them.

At first, she had sent drawings, but Herzel found them too difficult to understand, so Morgana ended up both drawing and writing detailed descriptions.

 

As she mentally recalled and listed the herbs she needed, Percival peeked over curiously and pointed to one of the drawings.

“What does this one do?”

“It sharpens your sense of smell. Though only temporarily.”

“Then what about this one?”

“It’s a herb that protects the inside of your nose from foreign particles. It’s quite useful when you have a wound.”

 

No herb could fully restore a lost sense of smell.

While consistent use might lead to some improvement, it wouldn’t be much help to someone whose sense of smell was already sharp enough to craft perfumes.

‘Still, Lune will probably come to buy it.’

 

It was a kind of bait.

If she were willing to buy common herbs, she wouldn’t pass up the chance to acquire new ones. While Morgana was intently working on her list, an employee rushed upstairs in a panic.

“I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but knights from the suddenly elevated Count’s household are blocking the entrance downstairs and refusing to move.”

The employee was so flustered that their voice trembled faintly.

 

Meanwhile, Morgana, Perceval, and Jayden, who were sitting on the second floor, stared blankly at the employee who had entered, then turned their attention back to the herb list.

 

“Miss, do you think there will be a lot of demand for this? I’m really not talented when it comes to memorizing things.”

 

As Jayden asked in a serious tone, stroking his chin, Morgana tilted her head.

 

“Hmm, maybe one or two?”

 

“How do you and Perceval even tell all these apart? To my eyes, they don’t look much different from weeds.”

 

Percival, who had been glued to the table staring intently at the list, blinked and answered in an innocent tone.

 

“But they clearly look different.”

 

As if unable to believe their calm conversation, the employee mustered his courage and spoke again.

 

“Um, excuse me… Did you hear? It’s a knight from the Marquis’s household. It’s obvious the Count is trying to shut down the shop because he was removed from the VIP list!”

 

The frightened man explained the current situation in a bit more detail, but the reactions of the three didn’t change.

 

Morgana shrugged and replied, “Just leave it. He’s probably angry because I snatched up the building next door.”

 

“Tsk, acting so petty just because we bought a building first.”

 

Even Jayden clicked his tongue as if it were no big deal. The employee slowly shook his head in disbelief.

 

“Are you really sure it’s okay? If you offend a noble lord, closing down a shop is nothing to them.”

 

Morgana set down the pen after finishing the list.

 

She calmly asked the employee, “Hey, who’s guarding this place?”

“Raon’s mercenary group.”

Only then did Morgan break into a bright smile.

It wasn’t just any mercenary group.

“Right. And Raon’s mercenary group is out on a subjugation mission.”

 

💫

 

“Hey, mister. What brings you here?”

One of the mercenaries stood menacingly at the entrance, arms crossed.

Compared to an average person, a knight from the Marquis’ household wouldn’t be considered small, but next to the mercenary, he looked utterly diminutive.

Knights were nobles, often raised delicately and trained primarily through drills.

They were no match for mercenaries who had grown up rolling in the dirt on actual subjugation missions—their experience levels were fundamentally different.

If they were to be pushed around by guys who only saw group action maybe once a year by tagging along with the royal subjugation force, it would be a blow to the mercenaries’ pride.

The knights, caught off guard by the unexpected show of force, widened their eyes and tried to intimidate.

“Well, I never! Don’t you know who the Marquis of Owen is? How dare you open a shop without permission and even block the entrance?”

“Come on, surely the Marquis has some business ethics. Isn’t it troublesome to cause a scene over a well-run shop?”

The mercenary, who had been picking his ear, answered dismissively.

He even scoffed mockingly at the knights, who looked like they’d be easily pushed back with a slight shove.

It was a blatant provocation, but a knight couldn’t just draw his sword anytime.

 

Since their master’s honor was at stake, they suppressed their anger as much as possible and shouted.

 

“Pray tell, who gave Tir na Nog permission to operate?!”

 

“Since when did you need permission to run a shop? Isn’t this too much, just because you were excluded from the VIP list?”

 

“Are you aware that the sale of these herbs is causing great chaos in the current situation? How can we distinguish where these herbs come from or if they’re illegal?”

 

It was a blatantly unreasonable argument to anyone who heard it, but commoners could not answer back in front of nobility.

 

Therefore, the commoners who had come as customers could only glare resentfully at the knights, biting their tongues in frustration.

 

Mercenaries were, after all, just commoners with a bit of strength.

 

Just when everyone thought they would inevitably yield to the knights’ demands.

 

“My, my, have you come from the Right March?”

 

Clomp, clomp—

 

Raon walked out from inside.

 

His affable smile and the leisurely way he walked out with his hands behind his back irritated the knights.

 

As their gazes turned sharp, Raon chuckled.

 

“Why are you all looking at me like that? You’ve come to check if this is an unlicensed shop. You’re here to do a good deed, you should be smiling.”

 

“Ahem. Be that as it may, if you cannot provide proof, the shop must be dismantled promptly—”

 

“Now, now, let’s have a look. Where do you procure the herbs…? Here, you see this script that says ‘Mountains bestowed by the Royal Family’?”

 

Raon handed them the documents.

 

The area he pointed to was clearly marked as belonging to the owner of Tir na Nog, a mountain granted by the royal family.

Therefore, gathering herbs from his own mountain could not be considered illegal.

Even the royal knights were left speechless, unable to find any fault.

“W-well, let’s say the herbs are fine. But the shop!”

“Ah, the shop? We also have permission from the royal family for that.”

As Raon turned the page of the document, a shop permit bearing Guinevere’s signature and seal was plainly visible.

The knights had nothing more to say.

 

💫

 

“What, so you’re telling me you just came back empty-handed?!”

Count kicked the table lightly and shouted. He had sent his knights out, only for them to return with nothing, and he couldn’t help but be furious.

“Ha, this is insane. The shop’s been taken, and there’s not a single weak point to target in Tir na Nog.”

He had already completed under-the-table dealings to buy the shop, and now it had all been snatched away today.

Hoping the shop across the street might still be available, he inquired about purchasing it, only to be told that Tir na Nog had bought it long ago.

The timing was uncanny.

The Count gritted his teeth, biting his lip in anger.

“How did they know to buy it all up just now? How much money did they even make selling those herbs to afford to buy everything?!”

“Well… it seems a mercenary group is backing them.”

 

The knight who had gone to threaten them spoke with an awkward expression.

 

It was rare for a shop to be guarded by a mercenary group of this caliber.

 

Most shops couldn’t afford to hire mercenaries permanently, opting to call them only when necessary.

 

Tir na Nog was expected to be the same, so who could have predicted they’d have a permanent garrison?

 

As Count Aestiva’s sharp gaze turned toward the knight, he quickly closed his mouth with a gulp.

 

“It seems there’s no other way now.”

 

Count Aestiva took a deep breath and gestured to the knights.

 

At the signal to leave, they all hurriedly exited the Count’s office.

 

After glancing around the room, he murmured quietly.

 

“If I cannot have it, then I have no choice but to ruin it.”

 

If he couldn’t purchase the medicinal tea, he would simply have to make it fall out of favor.

 

And as luck would have it, he had the perfect excuse.

 

“It seems His Highness Mordred has truly acted in our favor.”

 

If the medicinal tea was said to have an odor, and if that odor was deemed repulsive by royalty…

 

What noble would dare praise it then?

 

Popularity was always something that could soar in an instant, only to plummet just as quickly.

 

There were surely other nobles who harbored resentment toward Tir na Nog’s shrewd business practices.

 

It might only be a matter of time before things exploded if a spark were lit.

 

So, all he needed to do was provide that spark.

 

A despicable smile spread across Count Aestiva’s face.