Arcane Innovator

The feast continued long into the night, a symphony of flavors and aromas that tantalized the senses. I was not very good at small talk, so I blended into the crowd and observed everything from a corner.

Since I was just a small kid, nobody paid me any attention, which also meant I overheard many conversations.

"I must hand it to him; Leif surely made an impression on many people with such a feast."

"Hoh, that's for sure, but some of them won't be too happy about this. Many in the Guild are eyeing his business."

"Yeah, especially Rowan. He was trying pretty hard for Kari to marry one of his sons to get his hands on Leif's business..."

'Hmm, it seems Uncle's position isn't as strong as it seems...' I thought as I listened to some old men in expensive clothing talk nearby. However, I didn't pay much attention to it, as it didn't concern me.

But I perked my ears the next moment as I heard a few older women sitting close talking about me.

"Ah! Konrad looked so handsome and grown-up at the altar. I wonder when we can expect children..."

"Haha! I'm sure it will be soon... but what about their oldest Rolf? Wasn't he supposed to be married already?"

"Well, you didn't hear it from me, but his parents apparently tried to get him to marry for a long time. But so far, he has refused every girl! He's only interested in his work... If things continue like this, I wonder what will happen to their family's future."

"Didn't they have a third son, though?"

"Oh, you're right, but it seems that instead of learning his father's craft, they shipped him somewhere to the city."

"It must mean he wasn't very talented... Poor kid."

"It seems Konrad is the only responsible one. Such a shame he was a secondborn..."

My eyes twitched as I heard that. 'What do you mean by poor?' I'm very rich! Well, not right now, but I will be! Soon! Probably...

Not to mention, even Konrad gets jealous of my talent in everything I set my sights on...

I got up from my seat, not wanting to listen to such stupid rumors anymore. However, as I walked to the table for something to drink, the music suddenly stopped.

I looked around and could see the guests clearing the floor and making a big circle in the middle of the hall. 'Ah, it seems it is time for the gifting ceremony to commence.'

It was a tradition for the family and other guests to give something to the newlyweds to celebrate and commemorate their wedding. But what once started as a simple custom has turned over the ages into an intricate ritual of sorts.

Families and friends began to compete with each other to see who could give the most opulent and expensive gift. And it didn't take long before the gifts themselves became a symbol of wealth and status for the guests.

After all the gifts are collected, they are placed in the middle of the hall. The groom and bride then rate the gifts, and the person who is chosen as the winner with the most outstanding gift gets to sit at the place of honor right next to the couple, and a flower crown is placed upon his or her head.

To avoid bias during rating. The bride's father collects the gifts at the beginning of the feast, and the names of those who gave what gift are only revealed after the rating is done. And after that, it is finally time to officially present your gift to the newlywed couple in the order of your rating.

'What a stupid tradition...' Doesn't this just mean that the wealthiest person always wins?

Well, not really. Just because something is the most expensive doesn't always mean it is also the most useful. You also need to know the couple and what makes them the most happy.

Anyway, this doesn't concern me, as I'm currently almost broke. The only thing I'm worried about is that I don't embarrass myself too much in front of all those rich people by being the person with the worst gift.

The inn's staff brought all the gifts to the hall and placed them inside the circle. I watched Kari as she started looking them over one by one with a delighted expression. Konrad seems not to care much about this. He let Kari handle it alone while he helped himself to another glass of wine as he continued to chat with his friends.

Everyone in the crowd waited with bated breaths. Well, except for Rolf, I guess, who just stood there being indifferent. As it was acceptable to bring a single gift per family, Rolf didn't bother to bring his own gift and instead let our parents handle it.

'Lucky bastard...'

Ah, it seems they are done. I saw Kari talking to her father. Shortly after that, Leif started to loudly announce the results, as he was the one who collected the gifts.

'Whatever, let it be done already so I can return to eating...' I was pretty stuffed, but I still hadn't tasted all the dishes. I was intent on doing just that, as it was rare to attend such an extravagant feast.

So who is that lucky winner...? Darian, huh?

...

..

.

Wait... what...? I... won?

Is this some kind of joke? I looked up with wide eyes, and all I could see was Kari's radiant smile, beseeching me to come over.

I reluctantly started to walk over to the center of the hall. The corners of my mouth twitched as I tried my hardest not to burst into laughter as I observed the reactions of the crowd in front of me.

Konrad stared at me in utter bewilderment. His friends were hurriedly whispering to each other as they tried to figure out who I was.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me as the crowd cleared a path for me to the makeshift platform in the middle. I forced a smile while everyone smiled and clapped. But I could see that behind the thin veil of politeness, there was nothing but indifference or even envy on the faces of the people I passed.

I couldn't help but smirk internally: 'If that pile of trash was all it took to win this damn thing, I wonder what would happen if I brought some of the good stuff...'

Well, now that I think about it, I guess I went a little overboard with my gift.

Medicine can be expensive, after all. Compared to the price of herbs, elixirs, and herb mixtures, which can cost triple, sometimes even quadruple, that of the herbs themselves.

The reason for this is mainly because herbalists are few and far between. And as most humans are greedy by nature, the majority of herbalists seek the things that make them the most money.

This is primarily accomplished by working exclusively for Alchemists and Nobles. This, in turn, means that the amount of medicine that gets to the common people is far less than the demand for it. Which results in such high prices that most commoners can't afford.

I thought hard about what kind of gift I should bring. I was even thinking of gathering herbs in the city's forest, but the herbs themselves would be useless on their own.

Then it hit me. Since Isadora doesn't yet have the reputation to work directly for Nobles, most of her business still comes from commoners. And one of the most sought-after herb mixtures isn't even real medicine.

It's a simple painkiller that is highly popular among the rich women of the city, as it can alleviate some of the pain during childbirth and menstruation.

I know the recipe for it by heart by now, as we need to make several batches of it every month due to high demand.

And as Isadora mainly deals with the rich and powerful, she needs to maintain a high reputation. Meaning that every part of the herb that isn't flawless gets thrown away. This leads to a lot of trash, even though most of it is still perfectly usable, although slightly less effective.

That was why I asked Isadora if I could use this "trash" to train myself to make the herb mixture, and she agreed. But she warned me to properly clean the tools and discard everything afterward so that it wouldn't mix with real medicine.

That wasn't a problem for me, and I happily "discarded" it right inside my bag as I finally got my gift for Konrad and Kari.

So here I stand, in this grand hall, surrounded by all those fancy people whose gifts have lost to a small child. I tried my best to smile politely as Kari placed a flower crown on my head and took me to sit with them at the head of the table.

I guess Kari must have really liked it, as this amount of painkiller wasn't something Konrad or even Leif could easily afford. Not to mention men usually look at it as a frivolous expense, as this medicine didn't actually "heal" anything except the pain.

I found myself seated beside Konrad, our forced camaraderie tested under the watchful gazes of our parents. I studied him discreetly as the soft candlelight cast shadows across his face.

His eyes once filled with an impetuous fire, now held a softness I had never witnessed before. It seemed that he had forged a bond between himself and Kari, possibly tempering his contentious spirit a bit.

Leif, a jovial figure in his element, tried to dissolve the tension in the air by regaling the guests with tales of his craft and the trials he had overcome. His booming laughter resonated through the hall, drawing everyone's attention. Kari sat beside her father, her admiration evident in her eyes as she hung on his every word.

As the night wore on, the revelry continued, the music erupted, and the dancing began. I watched as my brother and his new bride eagerly danced across the floor. Konrad, usually reticent, seemed to have shed his reservations, joining the festivities with unexpected fervor.

I looked at it absentmindedly, lost in my thoughts. Seeing this unexpected side of my brother come to light, a spark of hope welled up within me. Maybe, just maybe, this union could help bridge the gap that has divided us for so long...