Author: Nikss

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The herbs of Tir na Nog are primarily divided into two categories.

One consists of herbs essential for daily life, intended for medicinal purposes.

Most of these were affordable and not a burden to purchase.

The other type, while not absolutely necessary, was nice to have—these herbs served more as lifestyle aids rather than for direct treatment.

Their prices varied drastically depending on their effects, but since they weren’t essential for daily life, nobles frequently purchased them as VIP products, more so than commoners.

Thus, the affordable medicinal herbs always enjoyed explosive popularity.

It was in this Tir na Nog that a new medicinal herb arrived.

“An herb good for the sense of smell? Then my grandmother would like this.”

“I’ve been getting nosebleeds a lot lately; would this help?”

Even without any particular promotion, visiting customers showed curiosity about the new herb.

Morgana, wearing her robe, waited each day while watching the customers from a corner of Tir na Nog.

The morning after the new product’s sales began.

During the least busy hours, a quiet female customer entered. Her head was deeply bowed, and she made almost no presence at all.

Her dress wasn’t made of expensive fabric, but the design minimized the fabric’s shortcomings, creating an illusion that it looked quite costly.

Morgana, holding her breath, watched the woman quietly moving around and tilted her head.

‘Why does she seem so lacking in confidence?’

If not for her timid demeanor, he would have believed she was just a noble lady who had casually dressed to go out.

Because there were so few people, she actually drew more attention.

Just then, the door jingled and opened as a group of customers entered.

“Ugh, really. I don’t know why the child is so prone to getting sick. Last time, she tumbled down the stairs, you know.”

“See, I told you to buy some emergency herbs in advance.”

“I did buy them. How was I supposed to know she’d get hives from being pricked by a hedgehog quill?”

At the noisy chatter of the customers, the woman’s shoulders hunched further inward.

The group of customers who had entered together noticed the woman standing in the small shop and called out to her loudly.

“Hey, uh, excuse me. Sorry, miss, but behind you, what’s that thing… you know, the sweet herb that’s good for headaches? What’s it called again…?”

Not knowing the name of the herb, the customer mumbled vaguely, but the woman immediately picked up a bottle of herbs and handed it over.

“T-this is what you mean, right?”

“Ah, yes! The herb for hives. The name is so hard to remember. Thanks!”

The boisterous customer paid and left the shop in a hurry.

The woman looked around the shop, which had fallen quiet again, hesitated for a moment, then picked up a new product and headed to the counter.

Percival opened the ledger and asked, “Yes, that will be 12 silver. May I have your name?”

“Lu… Lune.”

The moment she heard the name, Morgana’s eyes flew wide open.

‘Lune?!’

It was a name she had been searching for all this time.

Seeing Lune’s plain appearance, Morgana, who had imagined a similar image based on the fact that Oted, who made the perfume, had such a striking impression and was friends with her, swallowed hard.

‘They said she lost her sense of smell, but has she not lost it completely?’

There was clearly no hesitation in his hands as she promptly picked out the right bottle for the customer’s question.

Percival glanced at her, waiting for Morgana’s instruction.

Watching her slowly count, she smiled faintly and spoke to Lune.

“Wow, customer. You seem to know a lot about herbs. You found the exact herb you mentioned right away!”

“Huh? Oh, no. I don’t know much about herbs.”

“Then did you distinguish it by scent? You must have a talent. You’re the first person I’ve seen who can distinguish them in such detail.”

“No. I, well, I don’t know much about scents either. I have no talent…”

Lune bowed his head as if uncomfortable, her eyes darting nervously around the empty space. She looked as if she wanted to disappear anywhere she could hide right that moment.

Countless herbs were spread across the first floor of Tir na Nog.

Among them were innumerable herbs with sweet scents, and it was not easy to distinguish just one from the mix of various aromas.

It was an even more difficult task for an ordinary person unfamiliar with the properties of herbs.

Morgana replied in an even brighter voice.

“No. This isn’t just empty praise from me as a shopkeeper; it’s genuinely rare to find someone who can distinguish them to this degree. Right, Jayden?”

Jayden, who had been standing beside her nodding off, jolted awake and hurriedly bobbed his head in agreement.

“Ah, yes. Sigh, that’s right! I only remember them by their location; even if I smell the scent, I can’t really tell.”

Lune, seemingly not immune to sudden compliments, hurriedly brushed her cheek with one hand.

“It’s really nothing. It’s just, just that I took a bit of an interest in scents before…”

“Wow, that’s perfect. I’ve actually been very interested in scents lately myself!”

Morgana nodded toward Percival, who had been watching from behind the counter.

Upon her signal, he stepped onto a chair and climbed up a shelf that reached all the way to the high ceiling.

Percival retrieved a small medicine bottle hidden near the top and placed it next to the vial of herbs Lune had set on the counter for purchase.

Morgana gave Lune a slight smile and asked,

“I noticed you purchased herbs that are good for the sense of smell. This one here is an herb that makes the nose more sensitive. Do you think you might need it?”

“Uh, but herbs like that are priced…”

Since it wasn’t for medicinal purposes, it naturally fell into the more expensive category.

Seeing Lune hesitate as she realized this, Morgana shook her head.

“Regarding the cost, there’s a specific scent I’ve been searching for lately. If you could just tell me about that, I won’t charge you for this.”

Lune’s green pupils trembled slightly.

Fidgeting with her fingers and glancing at the potion Percival had taken out, she bowed her head deeply.

“I-I might not be as helpful as you think…”

“That’s alright. I’m just looking for advice, not asking you to give me all the answers!”

When Morgana nodded readily, Lune hesitantly continued.

“W-well then… It might be difficult to explain the scents properly here, so if it’s alright with you, could you c-come to my house?”

It was exactly what Morgana had been waiting for. She nodded without hesitation.

“Of course!”

Percival and Jayden would look after the shop, so there was no reason not to go.

Morgana immediately followed Lune out.

Not wanting to arrive empty-handed, she stopped by a bakery and bought a slice of cake.

But Lune firmly refused it, “Really, it’s alright. I’m not someone who deserves to receive something like this…”

Why would she think that…?

Morgana tilted her head, watching the girl apologize excessively over something as simple as a slice of cake.

“This is just a courtesy from me for visiting your home. You can gladly accept it.”

“But…”

“You’re doing me a favor by agreeing to this, Miss Lune. It’s perfectly fine for you to receive something like this.”

She was surprisingly timid for someone said to be close to Madame Oted, unable to even hold her head up properly.

The entire way to her house, she kept glancing anxiously at the slice of cake, as if it weighed heavily on her mind.

The place she led him to was a shabby street crowded with tightly packed houses.

Lune opened the gate to one of them and answered softly.

“It’s a bit too much… to receive such a thing while hosting you at my, my home…”
Click.

As she opened the door and entered the small house, a pungent, complex scent struck her nose.

‘Ugh, the scent is a bit strong… Did she spill something?’

It was strong enough to sting her nose, more than just the smell of a lot of perfume.

But pointing it out felt a bit awkward.

‘She might not want to mention that she’s lost her sense of smell.’

Unless she brought it up first, she had no intention of poking at her sore spot.

So, Morgana desperately tried to act normal and looked around the house.

A sewing machine that showed signs of use and neatly organized needles and thread.

One wall was filled with small sample perfume bottles.

Other than that, there was only an old bed and a small table that seemed to serve for both work and meals.

She seemed embarrassed and couldn’t keep her hands still, but it was still in better condition than the place Morgana, before the possession, had lived with Igraine.

Morgana placed the cake box he had bought on the table and asked, “Wow, you can use a sewing machine too?”

“J-just a little. Clothes are expensive… so it’s better to make my own.”

The person who creates Salon Lu’s signature perfumes lives in a place like this? I couldn’t believe it.

As if feeling awkward with the conversation, Lune fiddled with the ends of her hair and then moved her steps toward the shelves densely packed with perfume bottles.

She, who had been busily fidgeting with the bottles for no reason, asked,

“Oh, what kind of scent are you looking for?”

“Hmm… They said it’s a scent that’s like ‘Hwaaa‘ and ‘Kwaaaa‘… It’s a bit hard to describe, right…?”

Even Morgana felt awkward hearing herself say it and unnecessarily stroked her chin.

No matter how skilled the perfumer was, this kind of description was bound to feel a little cryptic.

Lune took out a few sample bottles and handed them to Morgana.

“I-Is it perhaps a scent like this?”

“It wasn’t me who smelled it, but someone else. So I’m not really sure either.”

“Ah… Hmm…”

Seeing Lune look troubled, Morgana quickly added an explanation.

“Well, actually, almost no one has smelled that scent besides that person. Is something like this difficult to find?”

“Well, hmm…”