Defected Dark Healer’s Rise to Wealth
“──I… I-I’m going to d-die……”
No sooner had Mukomuu said those words than she dropped to her knees on the spot.
Her eyes, gazing up at me, were unfocused as if they contained a chaotic blend of everything in existence.
“Even though you allowed me to conduct free-form applied research, I haven’t made any progress at all… I totally deserve to die, don’t I? Of course I do!”
“Huh?”
“B-but! At least my little sister… my sister is innocent! Please, at the very least, spare her life, I beg you!”
“W-wait, why!?”
“Ugh…! So it’s hopeless after all…!”
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
…Wait a second, I just asked about the progress of her research, didn’t I?
And yet, it seems my words failed to reach Mukomuu’s ears. Instead, she curled up on the floor, her body trembling as she started sobbing.
…What the hell is going on here?
I turned to the trio of elves, as well as Shes and Tigar, but they all simply shrugged and raised their hands as if to say, “Don’t look at us.”
Then—
“Kiwi-sama, please forgive my sister.”
Peeking out from behind Mukomuu’s seat in the research lab was a small face.
It was Mukomuu’s little sister—Melomei Milmihart.
She looked like a miniature version of Mukomuu, and judging by her size, she was probably around the same age as Amilta.
“M-Melomei! I told you to stay hidden!”
“But…”
“I told you you’d be eaten if you didn’t, didn’t I!?”
Mukomuu quickly pulled Melomei close, shielding her from me.
Does she see me as some kind of tiger or wild beast?
“Kiwi-sama doesn’t eat people. You’re just worrying too much, Sis.”
Melomei gently rubbed Mukomuu’s back with a loving, comforting gesture, making it unclear which of them was really the older sister.
Then—
“Kiwi-sama, my sister… has ‘zero progress.’”
“GYAAAHH!”
At Melomei’s innocent words, Mukomuu let out a scream as if she’d just been stabbed in the back with a knife.
“Every night, she mumbles in her sleep, ‘zero progress… zero progress…’ while crying.”
“Awa—Awaawawawa… M-Melomei, how could you…!”
“There’s no point in hiding it.”
I see.
That explained everything.
So all that talk about dying and begging for her sister’s life—it was all because Mukomuu thought I would punish her for not making progress in her research.
“…I wouldn’t get mad over something like that.”
“Huh?”
Mukomuu’s eyes widened in shock.
Was that really so surprising?
“Research doesn’t always go smoothly. I’ve had times like that myself.”
“I-it’s really okay!? But right now, my existence is practically worthless…!”
“It’s not worthless. I believe in you, after all.”
“You… believe in me…?”
Mukomuu pressed a hand to her cheek, looking both surprised and a little flustered.
Of course, I had high expectations for her.
The development of a new potion—one that could imbue liquids with magic—was likely something that hadn’t even been researched yet in the kingdom. If successful, its value would be worth more than gold.
I extended a hand toward the still-kneeling Mukomuu and continued—
“Besides, I also bear some responsibility.”
“Huh…?”
“Even if I gave you a fully-equipped research facility, you wouldn’t be able to make progress without the right budget to support your work.”
A budget—meaning money.
Researchers need funding to acquire personnel, equipment, and materials.
My plan was to have Tigar’s organization procure the funds, but since I had restricted them to legal operations, it would take time before they turned a profit.
“That’s why… I’ve prepared the money.”
“Huh?”
“I’m investing one hundred million gold in you, Mukomuu.”
“……”
Mukomuu froze, her mouth slightly open.
I waved my hand in front of her face. There was still some response—so she hadn’t fainted.
Good. Let’s keep going.
“Originally, this was part of the reward I was supposed to receive from His Majesty, but cashing it all at once takes time.”
“……”
“With a hundred million, you shouldn’t have any trouble funding your research. I’d like to see some sample results in two months. Based on that, I’ll decide how much to invest next.”
“…O-one hundred… million?”
“Yes. Use it freely to accelerate your research. However—”
I placed a hand on Mukomuu’s shoulder and attempted to smile.
—By the way, my smile had previously been described as “absolutely horrifying” by Milphobia.
Since it wouldn’t do for someone in a high-ranking position like me to have such an unsettling smile, I had Milphobia help me practice until I finally mastered the perfect smile.
Breathing out through my nose, I raised only one corner of my mouth—
—Fffft.
“I expect great things from you, Mukomuu.”
Milphobia had given this smile her seal of approval, saying, “It suits you far too well.”
Adding an unmistakable expectation in my tone, this should surely deepen our trust.
“I don’t know when I’ll next return to the capital, but I’ll be looking forward to hearing about your progress.”
“Heh… hehehe… he…”
Mukomuu smiled with a face that looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
Yes, yes, good.
With a hundred million gold, she should be able to carry out nearly any research she wanted. There was no greater happiness for a researcher.
＊ ＊ ＊
【～Side: Mukomuu～】
Mukomuu Milmihart trembled at the sight before her.
“…It’s real… There really is a hundred million gold…”
Some time after Kiwi had left the laboratory, a massive, burly zombie had arrived.
And what he placed in front of Mukomuu was a wine barrel—completely filled with gold coins.
“A research institution receiving this kind of funding… There’s nothing like it in this magic capital… No, in the entire demon nation.”
Mukomuu knew this firsthand, having once been affiliated with Sabbath Sorcière, the largest independent magical research organization in the demon nation, headquartered in the capital.
Even the most senior witches there had never received such an immense budget in one lump sum. Their funding had always required meticulous applications and detailed usage reports.
…And so, as a researcher, there was nothing more luxurious or thrilling than this.
That is—if not for the immense pressure that came packaged with this so-called expectation from a rising star among the demon nation’s elite.
Just think about it for a moment.
What happens when an overwhelmingly powerful figure hands you an absurd amount of money and tells you, “I have high hopes for you. I’m looking forward to it.”?
And then—what if, after two months, you still have no results to show for it?
What happens then?
“Ahh… I’m going to die… This time, for real… I’m definitely going to be killed…”
A suffocating anxiety pressed against Mukomuu’s chest.
This enormous research fund had also delivered an equally enormous specter of death.
Should she run? Take Melomei and flee somewhere far away?
She seriously considered it.
But—
…No. Mukomuu shook her head.
In the end, no matter where she went, research was the only thing she knew how to do.
And research required money.
She needed money to take care of Melomei, too.
Everything in life came down to money, money, money.
And here, in the lab that Kiwi Alaya had provided, she had money. She had a place. She had everything she could possibly need.
“I have no choice but to do it…!”
Mukomuu steeled herself.
She had now truly stepped into the realm where research was a life-or-death matter—literally.
Draping on her lab coat, she sat at her desk.
First, she needed to clearly outline a roadmap for the potion sample she had to produce in two months.
“If I’m doing this, I’ll do it right…! I’ll give him more than just a sample—I’ll deliver a finished product…!”
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
She ran her quill across the parchment, drawing timelines and adding deadline dates for each research phase.
And finally—
At the very top of the page, she wrote the title:
【Research Schedule for the Oral Regenerative Healing Potion (Tentative)】
