18 Backstory: One Year Earlier
***BossZaku POV***
"Let us go! We didn't do anything wrong!"
"We don't deserve this punishment!"
"We only wanted to earn extra money!"
"We'll never do it again!"
"Please release us already!"
It's a public execution or rather a public humiliation.
Those five Copper-Rank adventurers are being hanged on their feet at the center of the town square and are displayed in broad daylight in front of more than a hundred people, both locals and visitors of our town.
Their crime is selling the Monster-Materials and Monster-Cores of the Rank-0 Stinky-Bug monster. They are being punished for gathering and selling the materials needed for the production of the most illegal prank perfume in the MonoChrome continent, the Stinky-Perfume.
I didn't plan for all of this to escalate to this level.
Two years ago, I created the Stinky-Perfume and we started selling it to the Merchants that would visit our town. We did all of that so that our group could earn money for each of our gears and weapons.
For almost a year, the ZakuSyndicate, the group that I have formed, carefully and steadily conducted our business inside our town and gained enough money for each of our gears and weapons. But everything changed when we accepted that offer from FakeZaku.
FakeZaku expanded our business at an incredible rate. Our group didn't even need to do anything. All he needs from us is my formula of Stinky-Perfume and a 10 percent cut from our income.
He plans to sell my formula to the many Alchemists and Merchants in our continent by using his position and connection to the Merchants Association. By doing that, our group will earn more money not only from direct sales but also from the sales made by those Alchemists and Merchants.
Everyone in the group was blinded by how much money we could earn, even me. We were so blinded that we didn't see the possible consequences of selling my formula of Stinky-Perfume to the whole continent.
After a year of selling my formula using the Merchants Association, our group earned an amazing amount of money. It was so much that we couldn't believe how a group of more than a dozen children could have this much money. But aside from money, our group also earns something else.
During that year, many people suffered from the stinky smell of the Stinky-Perfume. From a simple citizen who will get pranked by a playful child, to the Nobles who will get pranked by their children. All of them were cursed to wear that stinky smell for a whole week.
But that didn't end there. Even some Kings and Queens of some Kingdoms got pranked by their princes and princesses. And not just using the ordinary Stinky-Perfume that will last for a week, those princes and princesses used the Premium Stinky-Perfume that will last for a month.
We earned the wrath of many people. From ordinary citizens to the nobilities, even from the royalties as well.
They banned the production and distribution of the Stinky-Perfume.
But even for a King and Queen, their power will only reach the border of their Kingdom. They can't stop the smell of Stinky-Perfume from spreading and coming from outside their land. Even if they threaten the Merchants Association in their Kingdom, they won't be able to do that in the other Kingdoms.
That's why those Kings and Queens asked the Adventurers Guild to find where it all started, where all the share of the money went. They asked for the capture of the progenitor of that cursed prank perfume.
That's how it all leads here, back to our town where all of it started.
But they won't be able to find us. We already earned more than enough money so the ZakuSyndicate stopped dealing with suppliers and buyers more than a year ago. All they would be able to capture are those old suppliers of ours, those traitors who broke their deals.
***FakeZaku POV***
"Do you know how long it took us to find you?"
"Well, I'm on vacation so I have no idea what's happening."
"Stop with your jokes and tell me what I want to know. If you tell me everything, I will consider reducing your hanging time by 30 seconds."
I was captured. When I woke up, I found myself inside of unused building while being hung on my feet in front of this woman.
I didn't think it would escalate to this degree. I was blinded by how much money I could earn by simply selling that formula using my position and connection to the Merchants Association.
I was also blinded by the thoughts of how funny it would be if that Stinky-Perfume spread all around the continent and maybe even abroad.
"Ohh!... You have the guts to grin even in your situation."
"I'm just reminiscing a funny memory before I face my demise."
When I first heard that those Royalties and Nobilities had issued a quest for the capture of the progenitor of the Stinky-Perfume, I immediately withdrew all our remaining money at the Merchants Association and met BossZaku to discuss our plan.
BossZaku proposed that I take a vacation somewhere far away from Green-Dale town. She even gave me enough money to support myself for two years.
She's probably thinking that I will be the cause of her downfall since those traitors Copper-Rank adventurers know that I tried to work with the ZakuNo.. And since I know her true identity, she would be in danger as well if I were to be captured.
"Pfft!!!... Hahaha!!!... Demise? You don't have to worry about that!... Hahaha!!!... We're gonna beat you up then heal you up before you meet your demise. We will repeat that cycle until you wish that you should have met your Demise-chan before you got captured."
Huh?... Why is she acting like this?
"You can't do that to me, I'm still one of the people that you raise in this town."
"I know! That's why I won't let Demise-chan take you... Pfft!!!... Hahaha!!!..."
"Wait!... Are you drunk right now?"
"I'm not drunk!"
"Yes, you are! I can see those empty bottles of wine on the table behind you."
Now this is bad! If this woman is drunk right now, she will probably do what she's saying. I thought that I could at least beg for my life since I was one of her old students. But now it's different, I might be beaten up here.
"You don't have to do that you know. We can make him talk using a much simpler way."
That voice came from the shadow at the corner of this room. It kind of surprised me because since I woke up while being hung on my feet, I surveyed the whole place using my detection ability and found out that there were only two of us in this place.
When the owner of that voice came out of the shadows, I got scared and panicked at the same time.
"Wait!... Why are you here?"
"I'm an Alchemist. Of course, I would be interested in this incident."
This woman is a crazy and selfish Alchemist who cares nothing but her experiment. I am seriously scared to think of what will happen to me now that she is here...
...pssstt!!!...
"Gahhhh!!!... Stop spraying that in my face. It stinks!!!..."
"I feel like you're thinking something rude about me so this is your punishment. Anyway, do you know how amazing this Stinky-Perfume is?"
"Of course, that's why so many Alchemists got interested in that..."
...pssstt!!!...
"Gahhh!!!... Cough!... Cough!..."
"The materials of this Stinky-Perfume include a few powdered scales of the Rank-3 Scarlet-Eyes monster, liquids of Rank-0 Stinky-Bug monster, and both Mana-Leaf and Heal-Leaf from the trees inside the Forest-Valley Dungeon."
"Yeah, I'm familiar..."
...pssstt!!!...
"Gahhh!!!... Cough!... Cough!..."
Damn it. If you're asking me, at least let me talk so I can answer.
"The Heal-Leaf preserves the life of the liquids and the Mana-Leaf gathers the Mana needed by the liquids to maintain its stinky smell. That's the reason why it can last for a week. That's amazing, but do you what's more amazing?"
...pssstt!!!...
"Gahhh!!!... Cough!... Cough!..."
Stop spraying it on my face and let me talk.
"What's more amazing is how the powered scale of the Scarlet-Eyes that can disturb Magic protects those first three materials from any purifying-skills while at the same time not disturbing the Magic of the Stinky-Perfume."
...pssstt!!!...
"Gahhh!!!... Cough!... Cough!..."
"That's why it can't be removed no matter how many Low-Level purifying-skills you use to remove the smell. And of course, you can't remove the liquid of Rank-0 Stinky-Bug no matter how much you wash because it will sink into the skin pores."
"Cough!... Cough!... I know that's why those Alchemists are going crazy for this."
"So tell me, who is the person who made this?"
"Tell us or we will get back to my idea of beating you!"
I'm scared of both of them but that didn't mean that I would just tell them everything. Even if it's just for a year, I did become a member of the ZakuSyndicate. And I, as FakeZaku, have pride as a ZakuNo.. I won't sell out BossZaku no matter what they do to me.
"....."
"Speak now! Or I will consider giving you to Demise-chan."
"....."
"You know, there's one more amazing thing about this Stinky-Perfume. And its creator probably didn't know about it."
"That's impossible. I already asked other Alchemists about this."
"Well, it's the most obvious thing but the most fun way of using this Stinky-Perfume."
"What... What do you mean?"
Upon my inquiry, that alchemist came close to me and whispered something in my ear like a child telling a secret to her friend.
"The thing is... This Stinky-Perfume is drinkable."
"What?..."
What she said made me wonder what kind of idiot person would drink perfume. But the sudden realization of what she meant, opened my eyes as wide as it could and caused my heart to throb like being scared of something very dangerous.
"Wait! wait! wait!..."
"I'm sure you won't die if you drink this, but I wonder what will happen to you?"
"I will talk so please stop!"
"If I made you drink the Premium Stinky-Perfume maybe your whole body from inside out will stink for more than a month. Or maybe, it might integrate inside your body and turn you into a stinky person forever... Pfft!!!... Hahaha!!!..."
"What are you laughing at?"
This is bad! This woman will do it. I'm sure she will. I'm sorry BossZaku, but I have no other choice left.
"Pffft!!!... Hahaha!!!... This is so much fun!!!... Whoever made this is a genius!!!... Hahaha!!!... Come! Open your mouth and drink this!"
"Stop!... It's Vier-kun!..."
"What?"
"You mean my Vier-chan?"
Both of them were surprised by the real identity of the progenitor of the Stinky-Perfume.
"Yes! She's the one who made the Stinky-Perfume! She's the one who started all of this!"
"You're telling me that a 13-year-old kid made this High-Level Concoction!"
"No! She was 12 years old when she made that!"
"What?"
"You're telling me that my Vier-chan caused all of this stinky trouble!"
"Yes! One of your current students made that! Then she formed the ZakuSyndicate and secretly sold the Stinky-Perfume inside our town for almost a year!"
"You're lying, Chad-kun!"
"I'm telling the truth! She even created that Premium Stinky-Perfume so we can sell it to children of Royalties!"
"Grrr!!!..."
"Please, believe me, Misaki-sensei. I don't want to drink that Stinky-Perfume."
"What are we going to do now, Misaki-san."
"Let's go Arenea-chan. We need to get Vier-chan before anyone else knows about this."
"Okay. Just let me pour this into his mouth first."
"Wait!... Stop!..."
Even after telling them what they want to know, Ms. Arenea is still trying to make me drink the Stinky-Perfume. But thankfully, Misaki-sensei grabbed her by the color and dragged her away from me.
"Let's go! We don't have time for your jokes!"
"Sigh!... Fine!... Just keep dragging me like this, I'm feeling too lazy to walk today."
"Huh?... Where are you going?... Wait, don't leave me here like this!... Wait!!!..."
