The Genius Perfumer of the Fallen Order — Chapter 15
The bishop inhaled the fragrance and closed his eyes. His hand trembled.
“Ahh…”
Baron Corvas had been glancing arrogantly at the priests, but he did not dare act that way toward the bishop.
That was because Baron Corvas did not possess the ability to discern what kind of blessing had been granted.
“Bishop, do you know what kind of blessing this is? What blessing did Retemor bestow?”
“The Blessing of Dreams! My goodness, it has been a very long time since such a blessing appeared… Retemor must have been truly pleased.”
“The… Blessing of Dreams?”
Baron Corvas looked at the bishop without letting go of the faint hope in his heart. The bishop smiled gently.
“It is a blessing that allows one to sleep very deeply and soundly.”
“Sleep… you mean? A sleeping pill?”
“Yes. And an extremely effective sleeping pill at that!”
Baron Corvas’ strength drained away, and he stood there in disbelief.
A blessing that lets people sleep deeply?
Just a sleeping aid?
Seeing his expression, the bishop spoke in a soothing voice.
“I understand that it may sound unimpressive. But Baron, do you know how many brothers and sisters suffer because they cannot sleep when the time comes? Many medicines fail to help them. There are also many who cannot sleep due to pain.”
“Hmm…”
“If one uses a fragrance with the Blessing of Dreams, even those who cannot sleep for any reason will fall into deep slumber. And when they awaken, their fatigue will vanish as if they had been reborn, and their mind will feel completely clear.”
But no matter what explanation he heard, Baron Corvas found it difficult even to maintain a polite smile. He bit his lip tightly.
Unaware of the baron’s thoughts, the bishop looked utterly delighted.
“Thanks to you, Baron, it seems we will all be able to sleep deeply tonight. Thank you.”
The bishop expressed his gratitude with a voice still full of emotion, then carefully stored the perfume bottle the baron had brought according to the proper procedure.
“What would you like to do with the formula of this fragrance? Would you entrust it to our Temple of Retemor? I would recommend that option…”
There were two ways to receive a blessing for a fragrance.
The first was “direct blessing.” The perfumer who created the fragrance personally offered it to the god to receive the blessing.
This method contained the strongest power and could be sold for any price, but because the perfumer produced it alone, the quantity was limited.
The other method was to trade the formula of the blessed fragrance with the temple. If the perfumer transferred the formula and received a certain percentage as compensation, the temple would produce the fragrance according to the formula.
Although it was not as powerful as a directly blessed fragrance, it could still obtain a moderate blessing. This was called an “indirect blessing.”
In this case, temples scattered everywhere could produce and sell the fragrance more cheaply and conveniently than directly blessed perfumes.
For the perfumer who created the scent, it was the easiest way to gain money and fame. Most blessed fragrances used by the public were produced this way.
However, Baron Corvas suddenly came to his senses and jumped in alarm.
“W-Wait! You’re asking for the formula right now?”
“Huh? Well… as you know, that is usually the standard procedure…”
“I already offered one bottle to the temple according to that procedure!”
Pointing accusingly, Baron Corvas clutched the remaining bottle to his chest and hurriedly left the temple.
Even when the priests called out urgently behind him, he did not look back and climbed straight into his carriage.
Did they ask knowingly?
When they mentioned signing a contract with the temple, Baron Corvas suddenly realized something.
He had not completely memorized the perfume formula.
If they discovered that he did not even properly understand the fragrance he had supposedly created, they might become suspicious.
Besides, selling the formula right now isn’t important. That would only bring small change.
Baron Corvas thought of Prim’s face.
At first, he had decided to adopt the girl because of her appearance. But now it felt almost like divine providence.
That brat only needs to keep making fragrances!
He had grumbled that the blessing they received was nothing more than the Blessing of Dreams.
But seen another way, they had already obtained a blessing.
Many more blessings would surely await them in the future.
At that moment, a dark and sticky emotion twisted inside his chest like black tar.
He remembered the countless perfumes he had wasted just to obtain a single blessing as light as a feather.
Those perfumes gathered in his mind and cried out like cawing crows in his ears, screaming that he was a talentless failure.
But wasn’t a daughter’s talent essentially his own talent?
And besides, he had rescued that girl from a filthy orphanage. She should naturally be grateful and repay that kindness.
Of course… she would.
* * *
Prim sat by the window, watching the sunset and thinking about how she could secretly create perfumes.
She had already confirmed the location of the perfumery room and the scale of the perfume organ.
Fragrances that Yulberon had once gladly granted great blessings to began lining up in her mind.
Just as she was about to choose a few of them—
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, a stabbing pain pierced her head, and Prim clutched it.
She had never felt pain like this before, except during the time when she had been cursed and forced to keep running.
“Ugh… ah…”
It felt as if someone had placed a nail against her temple and was hammering it in.
Prim bit her lip.
Her hair fell loose as she held her head, and her lip split open.
Should I stand up right now?
If thorns grew beneath her feet and she felt the pain of bleeding, maybe this headache would scatter and disappear.
Then suddenly, as if it had never existed, the pain vanished.
Prim leaned back in the chair, her face soaked with cold sweat and tears, breathing slowly.
Blood began circulating again through her body, which had been tightly tensed. Strength drained from her limbs, and her hands fell limp.
What was that?
If it were a problem with her body, she should have experienced it in her previous life as well.
But she never had.
Then perhaps something had changed this time…
Because things changed?
But Prim’s speculation stopped when she heard a rustling sound outside the window.
She hurriedly wiped her face.
By the time her sleeves were soaked, someone suddenly poked their head out of the bushes.
“Ussha!”
At first, Prim couldn’t recognize who it was.
She first smelled the harsh chemical scent of hair dye mixed with the smell of straw from a stable.
Then a clear, refreshing scent followed.
And then she noticed the straw-like brown hair.
“Prim!”
Only when the person called her name did Prim widen her eyes and release the breath she had been holding.
“…Rosien?”
“Finally found you. Ah, it stings.”
Rosien pushed through the leaves and stems and approached the window.
Prim simply stared at him with wide eyes.
“How… how did you get here?”
Rosien grinned mischievously.
“How else? I heard they were hiring workers for the stable here, so I came to apply. Got the job!”
“At the stable? What happened to your hair?”
“I dyed it.”
“Why did you dye it?”
Even as she asked, she already knew the reason.
People disliked red hair that resembled the fur of magical beasts.
In a rural noble estate like this, such superstitions were even stronger.
“I got tired of it. It just attracts attention and becomes a hassle.”
Prim stared blankly at the brown hair.
Seeing that her expression did not improve, Rosien laughed awkwardly and lifted his bangs with his fingers.
“Does it look that strange?”
“Not strange… I just don’t like it. I liked your red hair.”
Prim realized that even though she had returned in time, she was acting like a child.
Her impulses were hard to control.
She knew she shouldn’t say things like this, but the words came out before she could stop them.
But Rosien didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
“You didn’t have to work at the stable here.”
“That can’t be helped either. It’s time for me to start earning my own living. If you really hate it, hire me as your stable master later.”
“I don’t like that either. You were supposed to become a Grand Lord.”
“A Grand Lord who used to be a stable hand isn’t bad, right? Sounds pretty cool.”
Rosien said with a grin, leaning casually against the window frame.
