Chapter 57

The Failure Alchemist of the Royal Capital

I want to eat cheese #

It had been a few days since I opened my shop.

I had come to realize that my alchemy workshop, where I mainly worked as the shopkeeper, was quite busy in the morning but fairly quiet after that. Due to its location and pricing, my main customers were adventurers who went to the labyrinth city to complete dungeon raids and other guild requests. They usually left early in the morning, so after the busy morning rush, it was relatively quiet.

In particular, those who purposely chose to buy my potions were adventurers who were attempting to conquer the depths of the dungeon. They had a pressing “bathroom situation”. According to them, it was more valuable to buy my expensive but effective potions that could be consumed in a single dose, rather than drinking multiple ordinary potions sold in other shops.

Why? Because it reduced the number of times they needed to use the toilet.

Especially popular among magic and recovery classes who didn’t sweat much in the dungeon, and among female adventurers in particular, my mana potions were a lifesaver. In the dungeon, there were no toilets, so they had to go in areas with some bushes or hide behind objects. It was mentally agonizing for them. That’s when my potions came in - they were expensive but efficient.

One customer, who had purchased from me once had spread the word through word of mouth at the adventurers’ guild pub. It was a grateful act.

Thanks to this, my atelier, which was originally not struggling financially due to deliveries to the country, was able to run its shop without being hit by the storm of business difficulties and was able to enjoy a peaceful daily life.

As for the bakery, Mina worked hard every day. The classic “fluffy bread” was purchased by the neighbors, while the “crescent-shaped Danish” was bought by slightly more affluent merchants or servants of aristocratic households. The two types of daily bread, which looked and smelled delicious, were picked up by passersby.

There was quite a bit of hustle and bustle in the morning and at lunchtime, and Marcus often supported customer service.

One of the regulars at Atelier Daisy’s bakery was an old lady who lived on the opposite side of the road. She also owned an alchemy atelier and her name was Anastasia (nickname Ana). She had moved from another country for various reasons.

She was petite and slender, with a slightly bent back. Her grayish-white hair was tied back, and she wore small round glasses on her face. Despite her wrinkled face, she was always a kind grandmother who never stopped smiling.

She was loved locally, with people saying things like “When a child has a fever, use Ana’s potions.”

“Hello, Ana-san,” Mina greeted her as she entered the shop.

“Mina’s baked bread is delicious. I came today too,” she smiled and approached the shelf where the samples of bread were displayed.

“Today’s savory bread is chicken and rosemary-flavored potatoes. It looks delicious, doesn’t it?”

Ana-san smiled, but muttered wistfully, “It would be even more delicious with cheese on it… I miss it.”

She left with one savory bread and one “fluffy bread,” leaving behind a slightly lonely expression.

Later at dinner time, after the store had closed, Mina told me about Ana-san’s story.

“Cheese is very expensive in this country. I’ve never even tasted it. Maybe Ana-san ate it when she lived in another country…”

Cheese was a food that was made in other countries where the church had a lot of power, like monasteries that had their own territories. They raised cattle and goats to produce milk which was used as the main ingredient. It was also produced in countries where large-scale animal husbandry was carried out in mountainous areas.

However, in our country, there were no institutions like the church or monasteries that owned territories, and the scale of farming was small. Therefore, there were no cheese makers, and it was a food that was difficult to obtain.

“Shall we try making cheese with alchemy?” I decided to investigate during my free time the next day.

When I searched for “alchemy recipes for delicious meals,” I found out that cheese was made by fermenting fresh milk and adding a “coagulant.” The traditional method was to slaughter young goats or calves and use the liquid inside their stomachs as a coagulant, but that was not economically feasible. However, there was an alternative method.

I decided to make cheese. 🧀