"Occupational hazard, occupational hazard!" Hibiki chuckled awkwardly.
"You all clearly didn't come here just to apply for a job," Noel said directly. "Judging by the way you're moving, I'm guessing this is a mission. If you need help, just let me know. At the very least, I do own this shop."
The group exchanged glances, seemingly communicating with their eyes. Finally, it was Ichiya who spoke up.
"We need to use this shop as a cover while we conduct the mission in secret."
As expected, just as Noel had guessed. Still, there was something odd about the situation. There were plenty of storefronts in Border Town that could serve as cover—why had they chosen his apothecary?
"May we use your store for our cover?" Ichiya asked formally.
"That's not really going to work," Noel replied. "You're welcome to stay here temporarily, but using it as a full cover operation? That's a bit much. I'm not even actively selling anything—I've got no stock."
"That's no problem," Ichiya said, already having thought it through. "I can dilute my pain-relief essence and sell it as over-the-counter pain medication."
"That's actually a solid plan," Noel nodded.
"I heard you're a master apothecary?" Ren asked curiously.
"'Master' might be an exaggeration," Noel replied. "But I'd say my potions have a solid reputation. Why do you ask?"
"Because our team just so happens to be short one apothecary," Hibiki jumped up, excited. "This is perfect!"
"So you're trying to recruit me?" Noel asked.
"That was the idea," Eve confirmed. "Naturally, we'd compensate you appropriately."
Ichiya seemed to be considering things carefully. As the leader of the mission, he had to be sure of every arrangement.
"We'll give you a 30% cut of the mission reward. Is that acceptable?" Ichiya offered.
Thirty percent was a very generous share—especially for someone whose job would be mostly support. For Noel, this was shaping up to be a highly profitable deal. Plus, earning the favor of Blue Pegasus was a nice bonus.
"I'm in," Noel agreed. "But I still have no idea what this mission actually is. Mind filling me in now?"
"Then it's settled. The team is officially formed!" Ichiya declared.
He took out the mission request form, which was covered in unfamiliar symbols and messy writing. Noel had absolutely no clue what he was looking at.
"Mind explaining this?" he asked.
"I'll share everything we know so far," Ichiya began. "First off, this mission was commissioned by the Magic Council. We were briefed by an official, so don't worry if the paperwork doesn't make sense—it wasn't meant to be easily understood."
He then handed the request form to Eve. "Eve used to work for the Council, so he's more familiar with how these things work."
Taking the form, Eve began to explain. "This mission is officially classified as S-Rank, issued by the Magic Council. It's extremely dangerous."
He gave Noel a quick glance. "But don't worry—Master Ichiya will be protecting you. Your job is to analyze a substance. Should be within your skillset, right?"
"That's well within my capabilities," Noel replied confidently. He was genuinely curious to see what exactly he'd be analyzing.
"However, you need to be extremely cautious," Eve warned. "The substance in question is likely a flower birthed by a demon."
The air grew heavy with tension.
"A flower… born of a demon?" Noel asked, his voice low with unease.
Anything tied to demons was always ominous. There were even stories of demons who once laid waste to entire cities—though supposedly, one was sealed away by a mage who gave their life.
"What does this flower look like?" Noel asked.
"It's a deep crimson," Eve said. "So vivid it's almost like blood." He pulled out an old tome, its pages filled with densely packed notes and scribbles. Opening it, he read aloud a passage:
'A flower that willingly threw itself into hell was cast back by the demons, yet it still lingers on the path to the afterlife. The demons, unable to bear its sorrow, allowed it to bloom on the road to Yomi, offering lost souls a guide… and a form of comfort.'
"So this flower… originates from the underworld?" Noel murmured, deep in thought.
"That's right," Eve confirmed. "And there's another legend. That flower, after taking root in hell, gradually absorbed demonic power. Eventually, it transformed into a red demon itself, feeding on people's life force and souls."
"That's why we specifically chose to use a pharmacy as our base," Hibiki explained. "The shop owner would likely know how to counter the flower's effects. That's why we chose you."
"Now for the bad news," Ren said grimly. "According to the Magic Council, someone has already begun cultivating the Flower of the Underworld. What the consequences might be… no one knows yet."
"So you were dispatched to investigate after the Council discovered someone was growing it?" Noel asked.
The group nodded in unison.
Noel's mind was already churning. Back when he was detained at the Council, there was another prisoner—locked up for unknowingly growing some strange flower. Could that be connected?
"I might have some useful information," Noel said slowly.
The others looked surprised—skeptical, even. After all, they'd spent a full day investigating with no results. Noel had only just arrived.
"You've checked everywhere except West Hill, right?" he asked.
"We haven't gotten around to West Hill yet," Hibiki replied. "Do you know something?"
"It might be worth checking out," Noel said. "Back during the Iron Forest incident, the Council 'invited' me over for questioning. While I was being held, I met another detainee."
"His family lives in Border Town, right near West Hill. He was tricked into mass cultivating a particular flower."
Noel's tone grew serious.
"The Council discovered it, burned all the flowers, and detained him. Now that I think about it… the timeline matches up. You guys probably received the mission not long after that incident, right?"
"If what you're saying is true," Hibiki muttered, "then everything starts to make sense. And yes, the timeline matches. There really might be something going on in West Hill."