The Lord Ruler: Rise of the Cheat Potion Maker #3
The Lord Ruler: Chapter 15

[System confirmation. Kyushu’s F rank is indeed a major factor to why it is littered with major crimes and very little kingdom support. Things will continue to get worse, for there is no reason why an F-ranked town should exist in a thriving kingdom. A risk of being cut off slightly increases daily. Other negative factors fall into place. Despite your town not being an FF or FFF, it is still vulnerable to high crime. As informed previously, ranking up the town will increase your shop’s chances of thriving. Potential customers will eventually stop insulting it.]

Gee, thanks for waiting until this very moment to go into detail, System. However, this little ordeal pushed the town’s rank increase from the number one priority to the emergency spot.

Kyushu hadn’t been an F-ranker for long, so the people truly had no idea of the danger they were in. Well, they probably had an idea now. Maybe that was why merchants and some nobles were leaving. Not because of the high prices, but also the danger. Hell, my ignorant ass didn’t know there were town rankings until recently, really.

Stopping the local artificial inflation wasn’t enough, that much we already knew. Gwendolyn’s financing served as a bandage, but wouldn’t fully resolve the problem. Of course, the purpose of the money was to increase the town’s rank anyway. I just didn’t realize the urgency until now, with a guy trying to rob the shop in broad daylight. Also, it kind of pissed me off that he only just now realized the danger he was in, judging by the widening of his eyes and the drop of sweat as everyone looked at him without a shred of fear.

“Dude, what are you doing?” I asked, really not in the mood for this shit. A vine grew above the floor in an instant, snatching away the crappy crossbow before the robber even realized it. It crushed it into a ball of splintery mess and tossed it in the trash can. Hopefully the town’s trash service would accept it. They were lenient with some of my other unknown deposits.

I walked over to the terrified man, nonchalantly, and while there was a lot of psychopath shit I could do, this ordeal felt too hilarious to me. On Earth, I would’ve shat myself if a man pulled a gun on me.

“Let’s go,” I said, humor in my voice, patting his shoulder. “A nice and warm jail cell should help clear your thoughts. Come on.”

Wolverine growled at him as we walked. Cheetara, on my head, watched. The timing worked out since I needed to prioritize the town over Wingston. Gwendolyn was a capable adult with plenty of political experience. Mandi said it’d take some weeks for the Lord Ruler to arrive if he truly was coming, though if he used the lightning horses, that time would be cut drastically. He likely did. Lightning horses were basically the cars of this era, in a way.

After we dropped the moron off, we headed to the mayor’s office, though not before watching the jailers be as rough as possible with the bandit for daring to rob their potion maker.

This world seriously tried to change me and slowly, it did, but I vowed to remain true to myself. I would always be an earthling… not that Earth was any better.

“Hey Nate.”

I turned to see Kelvin walking toward me. I accepted his handshake when he caught up.

“I heard what happened,” he said. “Some shopkeepers would feel justified enough to instantly execute thieves, especially if he pointed a deadly weapon at anyone.”

“I thought about it, but come on, the guy was disarmed the moment he stepped into my shop,” I said, smiling. “Some suffering in the dungeon should do better than any quick and easy death, right? And no, I’m not about to justify not killing a guy and getting his blood all over my shop.”

I also didn’t want the guy haunting my place or something, so there was that. The shop’s a place where people come together, chat, and buy things from me. There’s no need for lethal force, except for outside of it. Also, the way this world urged me to up my body count was, quite frankly, concerning.

I didn’t pin any of this on Kelvin, a native. We walked into the mayor’s office together without me further explaining my lack of bloodlust. There was money to be made, after all. I didn’t want anyone’s blood on it.

Okay, I wasn’t going to hide behind the money excuse. I didn’t want to kill people. So the fuck what?

“Mayor Rue, how’s it going?” I greeted, waving at him as we approached his desk. “I hate to interrupt, but this is urgent.”

First, I told him about the Wingston situation, though he already heard most of the story from Harmony. With the warmup done, I informed him of the robbery attempt and also pretended like I witnessed the results of Serina’s attack. That confused him, since my act was quite convincing… probably, but I had no intention of revealing myself as Raider. The only people that knew were my crew, the hero’s party, and Gwendolyn. For the best.

“That brings us to my current point,” I said. “The crime. It is only recently that I realized having an F-rank may be playing a big role of why we keep getting plagued with crime.”

Mayor Rue actually deflated. “And why our guards are so pathetic,” he unhelpfully added. “The nobles’ schemes have damaged this town far more than I thought, and gold isn’t going to solve the solution any time soon. Getting a wealth manager to risk opening a branch in an F-rank town has been met with difficulty after difficulty.” He slumped even further into his seat. “I’ll be lucky to get even a reply to my messages. It may even point to why the Lord Ruler practically forgot we existed.”

“That’s kind of a shitty thing to do after you served as one of the captains in his army for years,” I said. “But I didn’t come here to just rub that fact in your face. We’ve got to do something about it as soon as possible—today, even—before things get worse. I can’t imagine what could happen to innocent kids if bandit sects or even monsters start targeting the town.”

I especially wanted to be pissed off about the system in that regard, but this was more a people thing.

[A town or city’s ranking is determined on the availability of necessary buildings, merchants, population, and sometimes even the satisfaction of the people, though there are some cities that somehow function under tyrants such as the Goblin Warlord. To advance to E-rank quickly, try establishing a bank or inviting the presentative of a wealth management family. The bank must be capital-approved, however, and entered into magical logs, which can be expensive to purchase and manage. Other things that could help will not be shown to you without access to Town Management, as you are not a lord.]

The prompt sucked, to say the least. However, banks shouldn’t the only way to boost the ranking of a town. City founding and ranking up simply wouldn’t happen, right? Or did this little tidbit come into play well after Wanda’s gift was bestowed to the people?

“If we can’t get a wealth manager on board, can we train one from scratch or just put someone trustworthy in charge until we can replace a professional company to take over?” I asked.

“If only things were that simple,” Rue replied. “We barely have a teacher with no one else stepping up to help out, mainly being unqualified. The teacher once had assistants, but they fled when the town received its downgrade for the first time.”

“I’ll teach,” Kelvin suddenly volunteered. “Iris can handle temporary money management, though she will probably complain a lot. Of course, we can’t do this for free. I don’t have a teacher’s certification, but before getting drafted into the party, I was working on one. Almost finished it too. I can easily teach kids and adults alike to read and write, as well as arithmetic and a few skills, though my specialization is in reading and writing.”

I gaped at him. “Any particular reason why you said nothing until now?”

“Had a lot of other things on my mind, like my future,” Kelvin said. “We weren’t sure if we were going to stay in this town long until recently. Also, this is the first time I’ve heard of the teaching situation. It’s not like anyone’s keeping us up to date on the town’s management. We’re just a bunch of fighters, after all.”

The mayor laughed. “You really are heroes, and we’ll gladly pay you the proper salaries and a sign on bonus. After Nate approves it, of course.”

My eyes widened as I looked at him, then chuckled. “Like I said before, I won’t be taking your job any time soon. Now, let’s establish a bank today. We’ll use a temporary building.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way,” Mayor Rue said, shaking his head. “Iris can be a temporary manager, but without capital approval and the right certificates, she won’t have access to the kingdom-wide magical wealth management system. No one would consider it a true bank.”

“The trip to the big city, but banking on anyone to move to an F-ranked town isn’t going to happen, now that I think about it,” I said. “Crime and misfortune are naturally attracted to this place. Are you sure there isn’t any way to get this done quickly? For everyone’s safety.”

“Well… there is one way,” Kelvin said, “but it’s a bit unethical, risky, and probably illegal.”

“You’re in the hero’s party, man, why would you bring this up?” I said. “What’s the idea?”

Mayor Rue gulped.

“Serina Starrigon is actually a qualified wealth manager,” Kelvin said.

Mayor Rue’s eyes widened, and he too knew where the hero’s party member was going with this.

I placed a hand on the dark man’s shoulder. “I don’t know how you’re not the leader of the hero’s party. You’re clearly smarter than the rest. You’re a fucking genius.”

“I… don’t know, I brought it up, but it may not be the smartest idea to dangle around with the law like this,” Kelvin said.

“Oh, but we are,” I said, turning to look at the mayor. “I know you were about to send the letter to the duke today, but let’s cancel it. Maybe this isn’t a place of misfortune, after all. Here’s the plan. We offer her a deal in exchange for keeping her hidden from her father. I heard Raider told everyone to spread the rumors. Which is reasonable, I guess, but he kind of ruined some of our leverage. We’ll have to play on her fear of being forcibly returned home. Offer her a way out.”

“But she could just run away,” Kelvin said. “Why would she agree to any of this?”

“Just create the contract,” I said. “Either she’s in or not. Mayor Rue will send out letters with his signature to clear her name if she does a good job.”

“You’re calling me the genius, when it’s clearly you,” Kelvin said, laughing.

The mayor first drafted the contract, then had one of his most loyal clerks review it. The older woman nodded twice and in that gaze glistened hope and excitement.

“One more thing,” I said as I took the contract. “Could you convince the librarian to teach? It seems like she’s wasting her time governing books that this town doesn’t want to read. Perhaps she could try changing that.”

“Sure,” Mayor Rue said, nodding, finger on chin. “Why haven’t I thought of that? I’ll offer her better pay, and perhaps she’ll consider permanent employment, turning the library over to her assistants.”

“Excellent,” I said. “Our setup is temporary until we can get well out of the F-rank. Maybe go for C or, perhaps one day, B.”

“We would need serious funding to become a city,” the mayor said. “Even C-rank is easier said than done.”

“That’s why you have me,” I said, grinning. “I’m not going to fight for you only to slack off at just one upgrade. Besides, a better ranking means a better shop for me.”

I started outside, pep in my step.

Serina Starrigon felt hopeless. She’d receive chaotic punishment, a timeless torture far worse than anything the Lord Ruler could conjure. Her foolish little brother currently suffered in that place. But as much as she wanted to be indignant about his imprisonment, the cloaked man was ultimately correct. He attacked the town, likely with the Crimson Sect he bragged about controlling, and put many lives in danger. She honestly didn’t expect him to go this far.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, while she sat in this disgusting cell, a boy that looked somewhat familiar looked at her with pity and disappointment. Serina really disliked being looked down upon, but this would be the least of her worries when the kingdom escort came to take her to her father. His ruthlessness would demand she be tossed into the chaos right away and for the next set of years, she’d be stuck in pure torture.

Family members that were released, if they were given that mercy, came out broken, unfeeling, sometimes suicidal.

Despair began to overtake the young woman. Just what was she thinking coming here? What would replaceing the ones responsible for her brother’s demise accomplish? They could be anywhere. Perhaps a female rogue that went by the alias of Kitten defeated her brother while passing through. It wouldn’t be a first. Female rogue magicians, particularly assassins, weren’t feared for nothing. Any man targeted by one would be dead, no questions about it.

Yet… all Serina could do was despair. Even if she made it out of the prison, where would she run to? She didn’t know a thing about survival. Becoming an adventurer would eventually get her caught, as all names were registered through the guild system. If her father generated the bounty for her capture, then she’d be done for, brought in to face an even worse punishment.

Tears threatened to pour from her eyes out of utter terror of her father and the chaotic punishment. Now she wondered if refusing to marry to prove the point that she required no such thing until she was ready had backfired. No, becoming a part of a different family did not remove the Starrigon name. She doubted she would’ve given it up anyway. She looked around, wondering if she could replace something to maybe… no. She couldn’t be that weak… right?

Suddenly, the door swung open and a white-haired man she’d never seen before walked in. She saw no robe of the Inquisition, thankfully, nor any insignia tying him to the kingdom’s army. Perhaps he was visiting someone else. To be allowed in here at all would at least make him noteworthy, someone of interest.

To Serina’s surprise, he stopped in front of her cell, probably observing her state, but those weren’t the disgusting eyes that she hated of pig men. They were… starry eyes. Eyes that came to offer her a deal. But why?

Remembering she was a noble, she quickly wiped her eyes and straightened herself. However, she couldn’t put on a cold mask due to the thought of being thrown into the chaotic imprisonment. Instead, she forced herself not to think about it. What could this man want, anyway? She didn’t hurt anyone, so no additional charges could be filed, although if he was of the Inquisition, it wouldn’t matter. They assigned any accusation they felt like if their quarry didn’t give them the information or item they requested.

“Serina Starrigon, right?” the man asked. “How’s it going? I’m Nate, the town’s potion maker and a friend of the mayor. I heard what happened and of course of Duke Starrigon’s nasty punishment.”

For some reason, Serina felt something from this man, a… mana? But she couldn’t fully scan him due to the anti-magic handcuffs. She also faintly felt a blocking mechanism coming from one of his bracers. A bracer like that had to be worth thousands of gold, though a high-level scan or even a master magician could probably pierce through the defenses like gelatin.

“I thought about this, and you seem like a capable woman,” Nate continued. “Don’t give me that look, I’m getting married. I’m not a noble nor bandit in noble’s clothing. Just a potion maker.”

Serina wasn’t buying that one bit. Wanda’s rippling, bouncing bottom, who did he think he was fooling?

“Judging by the skeptical look on your face, you don’t believe me. Fine, whatever. But this contract here is another story. It’s an offer. You work a normal job, of your free will of course, and in exchange, we don’t send you off to your demise. We will also send signed letters, telling the world of your good deeds.”

Serina’s eyes and soul filled with enough hope that she chastised herself internally for the weakness. The man clearly wasn’t there for any pranking or to take advantage of her. She did admit to calming down after he openly admitted to getting married and looking quite happy about it. It almost made Serina wonder what kind of a woman his wife was.

“W… what’s this job?” she asked, deciding to get to the point. “If it’s something humiliating, then you can forget it. I’d rather get executed.”

“What? No. What is up with…? Never mind, I forget where I’m at,” Nate said. A strange comment, but Serina had no time to ponder on it. “How does wealth management sound?”

Serina frowned. “So someone knows that. And what makes you think I just won’t take the money and run?”

“Honor,” Nate said. “Or to be real, if you do that, then we’ll have no choice but to report everything to both the duke and the Lord Ruler. Not out of blackmail, but because you know, it’s the law. And threaten to kill us and all that jazz. Believe it or not, we’ve got some powerful people hidden in the shadows.” The man folded his arms. “Listen, let’s cut the bullshit, we’re both adults, no need for the games. The contract isn’t permanent, just temporary until we could replace a replacement, then you’re free to go. We’ll make sure your reputation’s fixed too. How about it? Or do you prefer we just send you back with the kingdom guard?” Nate turned to leave.

“No! Don’t call the soldiers,” Serina said. “I will need somewhere to live.”

“We’ve already got you covered,” Nate said, grinning. “A house of your own. Oh, just so we’re clear, betrayal the moment I remove your cuffs isn’t tolerated.”

“You’re removing my cuffs?”

“How else will you work your new job?” Nate said. “This isn’t slavery or any of that bullshit. Sign this contract only if you want to. If not, then…”

“I’ll sign! Just stop threatening me with the soldiers,” Serina said.

Suddenly, she froze as she felt a massive wave of unimaginable power and sainthood from Nate and it made her tremble.

It reminded her of the Peace Spawner, though it was far more… dormant? Gentle? Frightening and pure? The Peace Spawner, on the other hand, was a walking incarnation of hell itself and no one knew his true form.

Nate’s aura vanished, completely hidden again. He opened her cell and led her to the table to sign the contract.

She was surprised at what she read. A normal job, time off. She could live like a commoner, and it even paid. This… wasn’t so bad.

Serina signed as if her life depended on it. Well, it did.

“Hey, could you remove her cuffs, please?” Nate asked the jailer. The boy who looked to be eighteen, ten years younger than Serina, nodded and did as the potion maker asked. For some reason, he seemed terrified of Nate.

Then again, that power he demonstrated spoke volumes and contained a threat that this Nate could in fact act on.

“We appreciate this, Lady Starrigon,” Nate said. “Follow me, let’s go talk to the mayor.”

“Please, call me Serina,” Serina said, surprising herself. She decided to just continue. “I tire of the formality. Had enough of that at home.”

“Fair enough,” Nate said, then started outside, Serina following.

And for the first time in her life, she felt… hopeful, relieved, but also baffled. Just what kind of town was this?

End of Phase 2…