By the end of August, judging by the calendar, Ethan’s so-called academy exams should’ve been underway. Business picked up a little. People even came from other towns, having heard that Ethan had done exceptionally well and staged an incredible comeback. But in the end, when he faced some formidable old rival, they both used forbidden methods and were pulled into a shattered space. No one knew what had become of them—

Dude, was your enemy a woman or something?

Still, it didn’t really matter. It was better if he didn’t come back. Ethan wasn’t the only one holding all the cards here. The shop’s reputation wasn’t just thanks to him. Her Potions really did work well, and the prices were reasonable too. Especially since she’d introduced a membership program: spend more than one gold coin in a single purchase, and you became a member and got ten percent off.

Ideally, she wanted to sell them even cheaper. With the profit margins she had, increasing sales was the right way to go. But she was worried about disrupting the market and drawing unwanted attention, so in the end she only dared offer a ten percent discount.

It wouldn’t be long before someone copied the membership program. But once she had a first wave of customers, that would be enough to keep business flowing.

Mi Luosha visited the Witch’s House again. This time, instead of wearing a nun’s habit, she had on a pale yellow dress that gave her a gentle, elegant air. She looked like a woman who’d stepped out of a biography. She said to Lydia, “Please bring out your shop manager, Tori. There are a few things I’d like to discuss with her.”

Tori had recently been trying to research other Potions. She still had a ways to go before she could create her own complete series. To make it truly comprehensive, she’d need to create a Potion for every attribute.

Miniature Meditation Potion, Miniature Healing Potion, Miniature Stamina Potion. The ingredients used to make them were red chili peppers for the fire attribute, ice mint for water, and wood fruit for life. What about earth? She knew of an ingredient called earth essence. Could she make a Potion with it as the main ingredient?

And then there was wind. The Green Lake Crane Ethan had obtained earlier might be another option. What kind of Potion could she brew from its materials...?

What about materials for the lightning attribute? She hadn’t even seen any yet.

And then there were light and darkness...

Wasn’t this a bit of a problem? Earth, water, fire, wind, lightning, light, darkness, and life. She’d need far too many ingredients for a complete Potion series.

Thinking about all this, she left her laboratory and spotted Mi Luosha sitting in the guest area.

“Miss Mi Luosha, what a rare visitor. It’s been several weeks since I last saw you. What brings you here all of a sudden?”

Seeing how composed she was, Mi Luosha asked, “Haven’t you heard about Ethan? It seems he’s gone missing.”

“I have heard. But what does that have to do with you?” Tori thought she understood what was going on. “You signed that sort of contract with Master Ethan. If I’m not mistaken, it’s still in effect, which means Master Ethan is alive, doesn’t it?”

That surprised Mi Luosha even more. She’d already known this girl wouldn’t be easy to deal with, but she hadn’t expected her to be this sharp. “You’re even calmer than I imagined.”

“Though, now that I think about it, I heard that a magic contract remains in effect even if one of the parties dies. It just gets weaker. Is that true?”

Mi Luosha didn’t answer directly. “I was under the impression that you spent all day shut away in your laboratory, making Potions?”

“Making Potions doesn’t mean I can’t gather other information or study other subjects. If anything, someone like me, always trying to glean information and inspiration from old stories, might know quite a few obscure things.” Tori gave no indication either way. “But you, on the other hand—weren’t we supposed to have an agreement? I was meant to get access to some of the Church’s knowledge, but you don’t seem to have done anything about it.”

Tori’s gaze sharpened as she looked at Mi Luosha, a hint of judgment in her eyes.

Mi Luosha once again felt the pressure emanating from the young girl. She coughed twice before saying, “I came here in good faith.”

“Oh? Good faith?” Tori crossed one leg over the other, looking at her as if to say, Go on.

Mi Luosha thought for a moment. “They both used forbidden methods, and their duel shattered space. In a situation like that, there are usually two possibilities. Either they died after being swept away into the rift, or they were transported somewhere else.”

“But Ethan isn’t dead, so he must’ve been transported somewhere else. You came to see me because... you know where he was sent, don’t you?”

Mi Luosha fell silent.

Tori waved a hand casually. “That’s just a random guess. But is the cooperation you mentioned about finding Ethan together?” Tori gave Mi Luosha an interested look. “You’re awfully eager. That’s a little strange...” Her voice trailed off, the teasing in it unmistakable.

“I—I need his help. It’s a win-win. He’s proved that he’s on his way back to his former peak. That means his standing with the lord will rise. If I want to become a nun in Dais City, I’ll need his help.” Mi Luosha didn’t blush as she said this. To her, it was only natural. “Ah—then why would he help you?”

“Didn’t we sign a magic contract?”

Tori thought for a moment, then asked, “It only took seven minutes for you to fall for him?”

“Seven minutes? What are you talking about?”

The worst thing about making a dirty joke was when the other person had no idea what you meant and just looked at you with innocent eyes. That was when the guilt hit maximum levels.

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

Tori thought for a moment. “But does Master Ethan really need our help? I’m not even one of the Weak. I’m just a Potion Maker who can make a few Potions. What can you do?”

“...I’m one of The Mediocre.”

“All right. Let’s say your combat strength is three and mine is 0.1. What can we possibly do?”

Mi Luosha hadn’t expected anyone to describe their own weakness in such a refreshingly original way. This girl really didn’t play by the rules. “What if—I’m just saying, what if—he’s in the Demon Mist Forest?”

Tori’s eyes narrowed, like a beast preparing to hunt. “Now that’s interesting. Your Witch Church is the largest Church in the world, after all. You really do have your ways if you can find out something like that. I won’t ask how you figured it out. Is he deep in the Demon Mist Forest?”

“I don’t know. He might be near the edge, but the Demon Mist Forest is enormous. If he hasn’t run into anyone, he might not even know where he is.”

“But if he’s deep inside, he’ll be in real danger.”

Tori thought for a moment. “If you want to look for him, you can go yourself. It’d be a good way to earn Ethan a favor. I’m not going.”

“Huh?”

That was not what Mi Luosha had expected. “Why? Shouldn’t you be the most eager to help? Ethan is your backer, isn’t he? People should know by now that Ethan isn’t dead. His father was asked about it too, and he said that as long as his son wasn’t dead, he’d definitely return. But Ethan is important to you, isn’t he?”

“Of course. He’s my employer. The person who hired me. Right now, I’m able to make money mostly thanks to his name and his backing—but we’re partners.”

Tori’s gaze turned cold. “He and I are partners, nothing more. I hope you understand that, Miss Mi Luosha. I’ll honor the terms of our contract. But that doesn’t mean I have to go save him. Do you understand? I don’t need to owe him a favor like that.”

“You don’t need it?”

“I can’t stay under Ethan Dais’s name forever. Do you understand what I mean? When the time comes, I’ll leave everything I’ve built here behind—even the Witch’s House—and set up on my own, with a shop or a trade association that belongs to me alone. If I owe him too many favors, it’ll be hard to escape his influence later. Do you understand?”

Mi Luosha still didn’t quite understand. “But Master Ethan’s talent really is terrifying. After losing everything, he caught up with his peers again in such a short time. No one can imagine what his future holds. He might become someone truly important.”

“That’s his future, not mine. I’m not coveting it,” Tori replied bluntly. “He can be a good business partner, and that’s all. At least, that’s how it is for me. So you’re better off earning that favor yourself. Besides, I can’t leave right now. Uncle Yabu and Lydia can’t run the shop on their own.”

Tori changed the subject. “Putting that aside, I hope you’ll honor our contract, Miss Mi Luosha. I need some knowledge from the Church. It doesn’t have to be Potion recipes, of course. I’d like some encyclopedias on history, geography, and things like that. Can you bring them to me? If even books like those are too much trouble, then I really don’t see much point in continuing our cooperation.”

Mi Luosha couldn’t help remembering what Ethan had said that night. Master Ethan thought highly of this girl, but she was... unexpectedly cold-blooded.

That Master Ethan really wasn’t a very good judge of character... Still, perhaps that was for the best.

She shook her head and stood up. “You’re right, Miss Tori. I’ll send people to look for him. I’ll have the books you asked for delivered tomorrow.”

Tori smiled brightly. “I’ve really enjoyed our conversation today. I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Miss Mi Luosha.”

Mi Luosha left without looking back.

Only after she was sure Mi Luosha had gone did Tori turn to Old Mr. Yabu, who’d been helping receive customers. “Uncle Yabu, you heard all that, right? What are you planning to do?”

“Nothing.” He smiled as he answered. “Aside from you, just about everyone has underestimated Master Ethan. There’s another power within him—one strong enough to make even me feel fear.”

“Exactly. Going to save him could just end up causing him trouble. Though it would earn us a favor, too.”