NOVEL WEB Chapter 29: Receptionist and Alchemist
As Achmea picked up a crate of potions, a customer walked inside the store. She recognized the beautiful brunette.
“Laura?”
Achmea rarely interacted with the people of her town, but she surely kept tabs on important people. Laura Richfield, the youngest daughter of the Richfield noble family, was one of those individuals.
Achmea frowned at the faint smell of blood around Laura. She wouldn’t have noticed without her keen sense of smell and her innate disgust for blood.
“Hello, Achmea!” Laura put on a cheerful smile. “I’m here to buy some healing potions. I finally have a regular hunter in my branch. Isn’t that wonderful? We don’t have any smiths here, or I’d have given him some armor. It’s the best way to keep him safe and build a good relationship.”
“Really wonderful. Are you talking about Zephyr and Sherine by any chance?”
“You’re already acquainted with Zephyr. Who is Sherine? His fiancée?”
Achmea nodded curtly to confirm Zephyr’s relationship with Sherine. “Drake is kind of friends with him.”
Laura clapped her hands. “I always thought our town mage was a loner. It’s so wholesome seeing him make friends outside of his soldier squad.”
Laura giggled but her happiness didn’t quite reach her aquamarine eyes. Her happiness was undeniably fake. Achmea didn’t call her out on it, however. Achmea was sharp at reading emotions even though her eyesight barely let her see the world.
Achmea couldn’t help but shake her head. “Drake’s straightforward words scare off people.”
“He is still pissed at me for poaching his warriors for the Hunters Society.”
“It’s reasonable…”
Achmea went to the other room to fetch the potions. As soon as she turned, a hostile glare pierced through her back and a dense, nauseating smell of blood filled the room.
Achmea instinctively looked over her shoulder. Laura was smiling, the kind of smile that concealed daggers.
“Say, Achmea. Would you be surprised if I say I hated you from the day I came here?”
Laura couldn’t hold back the hatred surging through her. Achmea’s exposed and vulnerable back brought up her repressed emotions.
“No. I can’t make the entire town happy. It’s what my husband taught me.”
“Town?” Laura laughed. “It’s a pet house for your amusement. The cute animals can search for their food and shelter in the wild. These bunch can’t. What a town you run.”
Achmea sold grains and other necessities at less than half of its original price. On top of that, she distributed free food on a daily basis. She paid for everything with her own money that came from her potions.
Achmea responded without turning around, “They are alive and not part of the broods. I take it as an accomplishment.”
“What a bunch of rubbish.” Laura clenched her fists, her eyes turning crimson. “Thou art an utter disgrace to the ruler class.”
Achmea shook her head and proceeded to do her job. She brought back potions and placed them on the table.
Laura smiled at Achmea’s calm, almost robotic way of handling situations. “His death shut down your heart.”
“It’s a pack of nine potions, thirty bronze coins each. Two silver and three bronze coins.”
Laura took out a small wallet from her breast pocket and placed three silver coins. “You can’t run away forever.”
Achmea returned the change and bowed with her hands on her lap. “Thanks for your patronage.”
Laura’s smile twitched. She came to provoke Achmea to show her true form. All of her attempts were ignored. She felt like she was yelling at a wall. It sucked!
“If you don’t want to be friends, I’ll go make friends with Zephyr.”
Laura threw out a bait. Achmea’s slight frown indicated Laura’s success. With a grin, Laura continued, “He is a hunter with a promising future. I might steal him from his fiancée.”
“Stay away from him,” Achmea coldly said. “Or I’ll make you regret that you were ever born.”
Laura laughed and took the potions. “I am not so petty as to steal another’s man. Be relieved.”
As Laura left, Achmea came out to the door and gazed at the clear sky.
“Eldon, you told me to protect this town with my life… Is my method of governance bad if less people died than last year?”
The rate of death skyrocketed after the birth of the Brood Queen. To keep the death count under ten was an astonishing feat. It took sacrifices but she managed to keep her promise with Eldon alive.
***
Zephyr brought Athena to the Great Forest. She leaped off his hand and flapped her giant wings. Bouncing through the rough hot air of the forest, she scaled the trees and ascended the sky until she became a black dot in the sky.
“Did she leave us?” Sherine asked, frowning.
The thought of killing Athena crossed her mind.
‘Betrayal hurts.’
Zephyr nudged Sherine. “Nope. She is coming down.”
Athena dove through the sky like a missile and stopped short of hitting the ground. She perched on his shoulder and happily chirped, rubbing her beak against his face.
“You fluffy bird, I also want to fly.”
Come to think of it, he never stepped foot on an airplane or anything remotely close to that. Now he was in a fantasy world with a half dragon as his lover.
Fate worked in mysterious ways.
Sherine, the saintess, held his hand. “I can carry you.”
Athena dug her claws into his tunic and flapped her wings. A powerful gust slapped his back and then some more. His feet left the ground and he hovered. Athena’s wide wings generated enough force to take him through the skies.
“Stop! It’s not the same. I want to fly on my own.”
Athena put him back down and chirped. He raised his hand to flick her, but her innocent eyes put an end to all violence.
Zephyr frowned. “Ask me before trying anything like that.”
A cheerful nod from Athena put an end to his displeasure. He couldn’t stay mad at her.