Lucian headed straight for the herbalist.
He would have preferred to take a carriage, but he couldn't afford to draw attention. Instead, he pulled a hood over his head and went on foot.
Hans walked beside him, supporting him while wearing a look of constant bewilderment.
"Young Master, what on earth are we doing at an herbalist's shop?"
"What else would I be doing at an herbalist's? I'm buying herbs."
"I mean, why are you the one buying them? Couldn't you just buy medicine from the Alchemist Guild?"
The herbalist and the Alchemist Guild both dealt with herbs, so they shared some common ground. However, their social standing was worlds apart.
An herbalist shop, which did little more than pluck, sort, and sell raw plants, was a facility used by commoners or low-ranking knights at best. Compared to the Alchemist Guild, which handled everything from quality control to the manufacturing of proper medicine, it was nothing more than a hole-in-the-wall.
A single professional gatherer would be at the beck and call of a mere apprentice, let alone a proper alchemist. Naturally, anyone with a modicum of status went to the Alchemist Guild, not an herbalist.
"I don't know what you're expecting, but an herbalist is just a corner shop. They have nothing better than the Guild. In fact, they sell all the good stuff to the Guild and only keep the sub-par stock for themselves."
"I know, so stop nagging. Do you think I'm going there hoping to find some legendary spirit grass?"
"You aren't?"
"Of course not. I'm going to the herbalist because they have things the Alchemist Guild doesn't bother with."
"What kind of herb would the Guild not carry? They usually sweep up everything worth having."
"Herbs that can't be processed into medicine. They're most effective when chewed raw."
To be precise, it was more accurate to say they were herbs for which a recipe hadn't been discovered yet. A proper recipe wouldn't be found for another few years.
Moonlight Grass.
It grew near lakeshores with good moonlight and had a significant effect on physical enhancement. The medicinal properties themselves were excellent, making it quite expensive, but since there was no known way to process it, it was a white elephant to alchemists.
To high-ranking nobles with vast territories, it was equally unpopular because they had access to much more expensive and superior medicines. At most, it was something a few low-ranking nobles or commoners might celebrate finding as a stroke of good luck.
With the money I have on hand, I can probably clean out one herbalist shop. A year from now, the price will skyrocket so much that this amount wouldn't even come close.
In a year's time, the Alchemist Guild would buy up every scrap of Moonlight Grass on the market. It wouldn't be known until much later that the reason was the development of Nectar.
Looking back, they likely also wanted to intentionally drive up the rarity of Nectar. Therefore, I had to buy as much Moonlight Grass as possible before the Alchemist Guild made its move.
Lucian finished his thoughts and was about to head toward the village below the castle.
Come to think of it, is the 'me' from my past life still on duty?
To check, Lucian went to find the Guard Captain at the guardhouse.
Fortunately, the Guard Captain was the same as he remembered. At first, the Captain didn't recognize Lucian, but once he realized who it was, he jumped to his feet in surprise.
"Young Master, what brings you here?"
"It's nothing major. I'm looking for someone among the recent recruits."
"The recruits, sir?"
"Yes. Wasn't it just a month ago that you recruited new guards because of the increasing number of retirees due to injuries?"
The Guard Captain reflexively sucked in a breath.
How did the Third Prince, who had been shut in his room until now, know that?
"T-that is correct. Seven new men joined."
"Is there a man named Jake among them? He's nineteen, has black hair, and he probably brought a bow with him when he applied."
In his past life, he had brought a bow, claiming he was applying to be a guard. He didn't even know how to shoot it properly, but he figured he needed some kind of weapon. He had been mocked for it, but they passed him easily because they appreciated his preparedness.
He had been famous among his peers, so with this much information, the Captain should be able to find him immediately.
"I'm sorry, sir. There is no such soldier."
"What? No one?"
But the Guard Captain's answer was completely unexpected.
"No, sir. Who would bring a bow to a guard application? If someone had, the rumors would have spread everywhere by now."
"Then what about a nineteen-year-old with black hair?"
"None of those either. Black hair isn't a common color, and I haven't seen a single soldier with it."
He wasn't there? He should have been on duty for over a month by now.
Just in case, Lucian even checked the ledger, but the name Jake was nowhere to be found. Instead, a different name occupied the slot. When he asked for a description, he was told the man was a blond youth of twenty-five.
It seemed he was one of the people who had failed the guard exam in his past life.
It's a bit unsettling, but... well, it's not a bad result.
It would have been strange if his past self were alive and well with the same personality. Whether his existence had vanished or history had changed, it was for the best if they never crossed paths.
Having shaken off his final curiosity, Lucian headed to his original destination, the herbalist, with Hans.
Clatter.
"Who is it? It's break time, so come back later."
"The herbalists these days certainly have a lot of nerve. Making a noble wait."
"What kind of nonsense is— Gasp!"
The slouching herbalist owner immediately prostrated himself upon realizing Lucian's identity. He clearly hadn't expected a noble to visit such a hole-in-the-wall shop.
"M-my Lord, what brings you to a place like this...?"
"I came to buy herbs, obviously. Did you think I came here for a meal?"
Lucian intentionally spat out the sarcasm. This was the shop owner who used to rip him off mercilessly when he worked as a guard. When he was seriously injured once, the man had taken three months' worth of his salary for the price of herbs.
Since things had turned out this way, he intended to take a small bit of revenge.
"I am sorry! I asked a stupid question!"
"It was a stupid question indeed. So shut your mouth and bring out the herbs."
"I-I will bring everything! What are you looking for...?"
"Moonlight Grass, Red Thorn, Winged Lantern, and Stem Flower. Especially the Moonlight Grass—bring every bit you have. Keep in mind, if I find out later that you hid some to sell elsewhere, I'll have your head."
Terrified by Lucian's cold aura, the shop owner sprinted to the warehouse. Whether out of guilt or fear, as soon as the items were requested, he frantically searched the warehouse and poured out the Moonlight Grass he found.
As expected of an expensive material, the quantity wasn't massive, but it was quite a lot for a single herbalist shop.
"This is all the Moonlight Grass we have in the shop!"
"The quality is mediocre. Is this really all?"
"I-I'm sorry! I'll give it all to you, so please, forgive me...!"
"Fine. I'll pay the price."
His reputation was already bad enough; there was no need to add the infamy of shaking down an herbalist using his authority. When Lucian paid exactly the fair market price for the time, the herbalist wore a complicated expression. He had likely hoped a noble would pay a generous premium.
A dry laugh escaped Lucian's lips. How many seconds had it been since the man offered to give it all away for free?
"Is it not enough? Then I'll add more. But I'll also have to charge you for your earlier insolence."
"N-no, sir! I have committed a mortal sin!"
Only after watching the herbalist bang his head on the floor a few times did Lucian step outside. Seeing the shop owner's face covered in tears and snot made him feel refreshed.
Is this the true taste of power?
Hans, who had watched the entire process, muttered with a dazed face.
"Young Master, you seem to have changed a bit."
"Hmm?"
"Before, you were someone who couldn't say a harsh word to anyone. But now..."
"How have I changed?"
"You've become confident. You even have a bit of dignity."
Lucian felt a slight prick of conscience. Hans hadn't served him long, but he was still his personal servant. Was he sensing the discrepancy?
"Is it strange?"
"Strange? Not at all. It's wonderful. Now I can walk with my chest out among the other servants."
Fortunately, Hans was simply happy about his master's change. Lucian chuckled and handed the Moonlight Grass to Hans.
"Don't worry. I won't just make it so you don't have to walk on eggshells around the other servants; I'll make it so they have to walk on eggshells around you."
"I'm grateful just for the words, sir."
"I'm serious."
If nothing else, he knew well that a master's prestige was the servant's prestige. The reason Hans had been ignored until now was because Lucian himself had been so pathetic.
But from now on, it would be different. The Lucian of the past and the Lucian of now were entirely different beings.
Before returning, Lucian stopped by a general store to buy a few more items. They were tools commoners used when making medicine. They were low-grade items that the Alchemist Guild wouldn't even look at, but for Lucian, they were better.
I only know how to use these, anyway.
Back when he was a penniless nobody, how could he have bought the expensive equipment used in alchemy? The tools commoners used to roughly mash and boil herbs were his limit. Even if he bought proper high-end equipment now, he wouldn't even know how to use it.
Having finished the preparations, Lucian spoke with a serious expression.
"Stay outside the room and make sure no one enters. If someone tries, block them with your body. If you can't block them, at least scream. If anyone says anything, I'll take responsibility."
"Even if the other Young Masters come?"
"Even if my father comes, block him."
Hans was terrified, but seeing Lucian's expression, he nodded with a firm face.
Left alone, Lucian pushed the cluttered books into a corner and began compounding the medicine. Even calling it 'compounding' was a stretch; it was just mashing herbs to extract juice and mixing them in a certain ratio.
However, if even this crude recipe were to leak out, it would turn the world upside down. That was why he had Hans guard the door even though no one was likely to visit. Even finding a tiny hint could create a massive variable.
As Lucian squeezed the herb juice, mixed it, and heated it with a lamp, a pungent smell began to spread. As time passed, the acridity grew so intense that his eyes began to water.
I swear, what was I thinking drinking this in my past life?
No matter how he thought about it, a normal person would suspect it was poison, not medicine. He wouldn't have touched it if he hadn't been incredibly desperate.
When the liquid finally turned red, Lucian turned off the lamp. The smell gradually faded as the liquid cooled, leaving only the red medicine behind.
Lucian took a deep breath and downed the medicine in one go.
Gulp.
"Phew!"
The scorching liquid traveled down Lucian's esophagus and into his stomach. A moment later, he felt a wriggling energy surging in his lower abdomen.
Mana!
The result of a human converting the power of nature into their own. And, depending on how it was used, the power that could elevate a human to the rank of a superhuman.
Now is the critical moment.
Controlling the mana, Lucian focused and moved it. As he revived his old sensations, the mana slowly descended toward his pubic bone.
A sigh of relief escaped him when the first attempt succeeded. The biggest hurdle had been cleared.
No, it's too early to relax. The circulation remains.
The process of spreading the energy throughout the body along the mana paths and then retrieving it. This was the 'circulation' that had to be mastered before one could become a knight.
With a typical elixir, the mana would seep into the body and slightly widen the paths. But Nectar could do more; it could enhance muscles and bones, and even open paths that were previously blocked.
The problem was that the less trained a person was, the more painful the circulation process became. It would get much better after the first time, but that damn first circulation was the issue. It was a pain like having a clogged pipe forcibly gouged open!
Ugh, this is going to hurt like hell.
Lucian's current body had never even done farm work, so it would likely be worse than in his past life. Bracing for the coming pain, Lucian squeezed his eyes shut and moved the mana.
However, no matter how much time passed, not a hint of pain arrived.
A moment later, Lucian snapped his eyes open, startled by the unexpected situation.
What is this? Why is there no resistance?