(Risking My Life) Proposing to Miss Hazel - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 22

A long argument ensued between me, who wanted to pay more money, and the herb gatherers, who refused to accept it.

“Come on, you should at least take three silver coins.”

“Hey, if you keep that up, I’ll give it to you for free.”

“I told you I have money.”

“If you have money, go buy some snacks.”

“Do you gentlemen still think I’m seven years old?”

“Whether you’re seven or twenty-two, a kid is a kid.”

The gentlemen stubbornly refused to take money, saying it would be better for me to extort them than for the lord to exploit them anyway. Come to think of it, they weren’t wrong.

“Thank you. I’ll definitely create a hit product for Golden Goods and buy your herbs at a really high price.”

“Sure, just hearing that makes my purse feel heavier.”

“When you get that hit product, be careful of Felix. Even if he seems to have come to his senses, you can’t let your guard down.”

“Of course. I’m keeping a close eye on him.”

The herb gatherers nodded with serious expressions. They all had a history of being betrayed by that scoundrel Felix, so their wariness was considerable.

The gentlemen were listing Felix’s various incidents and accidents in unison when they suddenly changed the topic. Their eyebrows wiggled mischievously.

“By the way, Hazel, is that rumor true?”

“What rumor?”

“That you and Baron have been getting along well lately…”

“Goodbye, gentlemen! I’ll be heading down now!”

***

5 PM. When I returned to the general store, I was greeted by purification water portions stacked sky-high and Felix, who seemed excessively cheerful today.

“Our Hazel, you’re back?!”

His eyes sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight, and his voice was overly bright. It almost seemed like there was a halo shining behind his head.

I stepped back hesitantly and opened the conversation with a business topic. Not to crush my brother’s spirit, but because checking inventory was essential.

“Felix, how many bottles of purification water did you sell today?”

“I couldn’t sell a single bottle. Not yet.”

“Not yet?”

“There are still three hours left until closing time.”

“Right, right. Move aside for now.”

I nudged my hopelessly positive brother aside with my elbow. It was to secure workspace.

I placed the white claw grass stems and lamp flower calyxes on the counter that had neither dust nor money. Felix muttered beside me.

“Do you have some business where you need to torture someone to keep them awake and then put them to sleep in one shot?”

“…Oh.”

Come to think of it, that’s right. White claw grass has the effect of allowing you to move without sleep, and lamp flower puts even insomniacs to sleep.

It would sell well as a set product, wouldn’t it? There would definitely be demand from students during exam periods or people embarking on long journeys.

As I hummed with excitement at the thought of making money, Felix’s eyes narrowed. He looked extremely curious.

“So what are you going to do with that?”

“I’m going to use this to make money for your drinking and gambling. It seems like your calling is to live as an idle man while being a housewife.”

“Could you not arbitrarily judge other people’s capabilities?”

“Are you ‘other people’?”

“Well, no.”

Felix glared at me with his mouth agape, then finally added a comment.

“Just wait and see. I’m going to draw purification water from the Monster’s Domain down to the very bottom and let you live in luxury.”

“If you say you’ll let me live in luxury like you’re making a threat, all the women will run away.”

“Let them go.”

“Are you planning to grow old and die as a lifelong bachelor?”

“I’ll think about that after I get you married off.”

“Hmm, you talk big for someone who chases away any man who comes near me like shooing flies.”

“That’s because they’re all no good. Men can tell about other men.”

“Stop talking nonsense and just bring me ten bottles of 30% diluted purification water.”

My brother grumbles but listens to me very well. As soon as I gave the order, he reflexively got up and brought the purification water portions.

“Open the caps too.”

“Yes.”

I waited for him to open all the caps, then conspicuously dropped the herbs into the purification water portions with a plop.

My brother’s narrowed eyes became round.

“Do you know what I’m trying to make?”

He wouldn’t know. Felix is someone whose creativity only overflows when it comes to playing around and eating. Naturally, he doesn’t know much about how the world works either. He’s been reading newspapers lately, but it’s questionable whether there are any articles he properly understands.

However, betraying my deep-rooted distrust, surprising words flowed from Felix’s mouth.

“Purification water… health drink… city sales.”

“…!”

My goodness, he hit my intention exactly. Has my brother really gotten smarter since he quit drinking?

“She didn’t even… how does she know something like this?”

“…?”

What kind of nonsense is this now? What didn’t I do?

I became puzzled in many ways and interrogated my brother.

“Felix, what did you just say?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

His startled and excessive denial was quite suspicious, but I generously let it slide. Felix being strange isn’t a recent development, so there’s not much gain from questioning every little thing.

He turned the purification water bottle with herbs this way and that, then looked at me with sparkling eyes and said.

“Isn’t our Hazel a genius?”

“!!”

This is undoubtedly 100% pure sincerity.

I curled up one corner of my mouth.

“I am pretty great!”

“Smile a little less. That expression just now was too cocky.”

“I did it on purpose. Success.”

My brother stretched my cheek as if I were being cheeky, then burst into laughter.

“Have you decided on a name for the new product?”

“Yeah. It might be a bit childish though…”

Baron said it was good.

I swallowed the rest of my words and trailed off. I wasn’t deliberately hiding my business with Baron; I just found it bothersome to spend time explaining unnecessary misunderstandings.

My brother seemed to think I was hesitating due to lack of confidence and kindly patted my shoulder.

“It’s okay, even if it’s a stupid name.”

“Really?”

My brother pointed to the purification water with white claw grass.

“Tell me this one first. What’s its name?”

“Sleep Be Gone.”

“Pfft.”

My brother had encouraged me just 10 seconds ago saying it would be okay even if it was stupid, but immediately burst into deflated laughter.

‘Is it bad…?’

I pondered for a moment, then slightly drew out the ending and said again.

“Sleep Be Gooone.”

“Kek, kehehehe.”

“Ah, don’t laugh and just tell me if it’s bad.”

“It’s not bad, it’s…”

“What.”

“No, never mind.”

He pointed to the purification water containing lampflower petals with his chin, still unable to suppress his laughter.

“That one?”

“Sleep Soundly.”

“Pfft.”

With a short breath, Felix’s massive body collapsed to the floor. He buried his face almost to the ground and shook his shoulders, laughing heartily for a long while.

“….”

What a mean brother.

How could he mock the name of a new product that someone had worried about (well, not really worried, more like had a flash of inspiration) like this?

As I was contemplating how to get rid of the annoying Felix, the fish bell rang with a ding-a-ling.

I reflexively put on a smile and greeted the customer with a bright voice.

“Welcome! This is Golden Goods. Do you happen to have a reservation?”

“Ah, not a reservation. I came looking for someone.”

“…Someone?”

Did they mistake this for a pawnshop again? This isn’t that kind of store.

Just as I was about to feel slightly disappointed—

“Is Felix here?”

At the voice asking for Felix, Felix jumped up with a start. He shouted happily as if he had been waiting for this.

“I, I’m Felix!”

“Good thing I found the right place.”

The middle-aged man slowly removed the brown robe he was wearing.

With a black eyepatch over one eye, he looked extraordinary by anyone’s standards. The uncovered eye flashed like an eagle’s.

‘Who is this? I’ve never seen him before.’

Unlike my bewildered state, Felix had an excited expression as if something he’d been waiting for had finally come to pass.

The mysterious man looked around the shop and slowly opened his mouth.

“I came to this mountain village’s general store at the request of an old friend.”

“Could that old friend be….”

“The person who was indebted to Felix three weeks ago.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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