Chapter 55
“That one’s called a cookie. It’s a type of dessert.”
The elder bit into it as if hypnotized.
Crunch!
“Huh?!”
Just like before, the reaction was instant.
The cookie in her hand disappeared as if it had evaporated.
She gasped in delight. Not only was it perfectly crispy, but its fragrant, buttery flavor followed by a gentle sweetness was absolutely divine.
“What is it? What is it?!”
“Elder, is it really that good?”
“Please tell us! We’re dying to know!”
The fairies bombarded her with questions, but the elder didn’t reply. She was too busy tasting every other dessert Philly had brought.
Her eyes sparkled with joy as she sampled each one. Every treat had its own unique shape, texture, and taste.
Truthfully, desserts in the Demon Realm weren’t usually this varied.
The prettiest ones were based on the royal sweets Ariella had once eaten back when she was a princess, recreated as best as possible by Chef Lavo.
They might not have been identical, but they were more than enough to impress the fairies.
“Hey! Why are you eating all of them yourself?!”
“I can’t take this anymore! I want some too!”
The other fairies finally swarmed toward the bundle Philly had brought, abandoning all sense of decorum.
There was no waiting their turn, no politeness—just pure instinct.
And, of course, their reactions matched the elder’s.
“Wow! What is this?! How does this even exist?!”
“I feel like I’ve wasted my whole life! You’re telling me food like this has been out there all this time?!”
“It’s not just the taste, look how cute it is! This cake decoration looks like a real flower blooming!”
“And this tiny jewel-looking thing! You said it’s called jelly? It’s chewy yet soft… I’ve never had this texture before!”
“When I chew it, it bursts with cool, citrus flavor! This is unreal!”
Watching their reactions, Philly couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
Yeah… I was just like that too.
The taste of civilization was dangerously sweet.
Their amazement wasn’t exaggerated.
It was obvious if you thought about the way fairies normally ate.
Fairies love sweets. Actually, it’s more accurate to say they won’t eat anything that isn’t sweet.
In the forest, they lived off honey and fruit, all gathered without the need for fire.
Until now, they had never complained about their simple, raw diet. It was all they knew.
But once they got a taste of outside cuisine?
“They’ll lose their minds. They’ll be completely addicted.”
That was what Ariella had predicted.
Snacks with richer flavors than honey, desserts sweeter and more complex than any fruit—these would become the fairies’ new “staple food.”
She was absolutely right, Philly thought. Even I knew this would happen. If you’ve spent your whole life eating the same things, the shock of discovering a whole new food culture is overwhelming.
The fairies hadn’t even realized they loved desserts until now. Naturally, there had been no demand for them either.
But Ariella had just created a brand-new craving out of nothing.
Soon enough, the huge bundle of desserts Philly had brought was completely gone.
“What? It’s already empty?”
“Bring us more! I love this! Give me more!”
“Why did you only bring this much? How do we get more?!”
Everyone’s attention turned to Philly, each fairy shouting the names of their favorite desserts.
“Philly! I want more jelly! Especially the strawberry-flavored one!”
“I liked the rose mousse cake!”
“I love cookies! No, cakes! No, cream! Argh, I want them all! Just bring everything!”
“Philly, hurry back to that Demon King’s castle or whatever it’s called! Bring us more! Please, we’re begging you!”
The scene was pure chaos. Philly calmly watched her fellow fairies screaming and pleading.
The elder, at least, regained her composure first.
“I see what you want.”
Her eyes gleamed knowingly. Taste was the ultimate equalizer. In front of true delicacies, young and old were no different.
“You want us to trade herbs from the forest, don’t you?”
Philly nodded.
The fairies chattered amongst themselves.
“Trade? You mean… trade herbs for desserts?”
“But herbs are everywhere in the forest! I can go gather some right now!”
Philly pointed at the now-empty bundle.
“Please gather enough herbs to fill this bag—exactly the amount you just ate. Next time, we’ll trade them for desserts of equal weight. Deliveries will be once a week.”
“Once a week? Can’t you come every day?”
“Yeah! I want to eat this every day! That guy ate five cookies while I only got one!”
The fairies whined, but Philly firmly shook her head.
She was following Ariella’s advice.
“If you supply too much too often, no matter how delicious it is, they’ll get used to it. If they think they can have it anytime, its value will drop. Scarcity is what makes things precious. Make them crave it, and they’ll want it even more.”
The rarer something was, the more they would desire it.
Remembering Ariella’s words, Philly spoke clearly.
“No. Supplies will only come once a week. Preparing these desserts at the castle takes a lot of effort.”
That wasn’t even a lie.
Desserts used different ingredients from the demons’ daily meals, and some of them were harder to source.
“Fine! We’ll gather the herbs right away then! So you’ll come back in a week, right?”
“Everyone spread out!”
“Collect every single herb you can find! As long as you don’t damage the roots, they’ll grow back in a few days anyway!”
“Let’s go!”
Led by the elder, the fairies all took off at once.
They scattered like bees searching for nectar.
Philly had never seen so many fairies moving with purpose at the same time.
All of them worked tirelessly, spending their own time and effort to earn something they wanted.
For the first time, fairies were experiencing labor.
Watching this, Philly felt an odd mix of emotions.
* * *
Ariella, Ludwig, and Philly returned to the Demon King’s domain with a bundle of herbs the fairies had gathered.
Naturally, handling trade with the Southern Merchant Guild was Geru’s responsibility.
“Contractor… Impressive. I’ve traveled… all over… the Demon Realm… but I’ve never… seen herbs like these.”
“It’s all thanks to Philly,” Ariella replied with a smile.
At that moment, Geru muttered bitterly, almost to himself:
“If only… herbs like these… had existed… back then…”
“What?”
“…Nothing.”
His face returned to its usual calm expression.
“I’ll… contact… the guild.”
Back when the Fedwick Trading Company was still alive and thriving, this might have been a challenge. But now, with a reliable trading partner, everything moved quickly.
The gnome who ran the Southern Guild was shocked when he heard the explanation.
“Herbs from the Fairy Forest? Are you serious?”
Most demons didn’t know about the extraordinary potency of those herbs, since they were rarely traded outside the forest.
But this seasoned merchant did.
“These herbs are almost impossible to find on the market. Senior… how did you manage to get your hands on them?”
He addressed Geru with deep respect, even though he was now a zombie.
He had admired Geru when he was alive, and nothing had changed.
“No Demon King has ever successfully entered that forest… How did you do it?”
The Demon King’s new finance officer smirked.
“That’s… a… trade… secret.”
“…”
The guild purchased only a small amount at first, planning to test their effectiveness before a full launch.
Not because they doubted Geru, but because proper testing and market research were essential before releasing a high-end product.
But the very next day, Ludwig’s domain received an urgent message from the guild.
In short, it said:
We want to buy every last herb you have in stock!
Geru smiled with satisfaction and began negotiating terms at his own pace.
Naturally, he planned to make a hefty profit.
Just because the herbs were ten times more effective than normal didn’t mean he had to price them at only ten times more.
He could charge much higher, and they’d still sell.
“This… is… basic… business… strategy.”
Geru’s tone was calm, but his pricing was ruthless.
“Besides… we… are the… only… exclusive… supplier!”
He looked absolutely thrilled.
“Both the building compound mix… and these herbs… We now hold… a complete monopoly… Every merchant’s… dream!”
Monopoly.
Just saying the word was like tasting sugar on his tongue.
“Let’s begin the trade, then.”
And so, a brand-new supply chain was established:
Herbs from the Fairy Forest would be supplied to Ludwig’s domain, and from there, distributed across the Demon Realm through the Southern Guild.
The response was explosive.
* * *
“Hey, did you hear? The Southern Guild is selling some kind of new herb.”
“New herb? What kind?”
“They say it’s the same type of herb we’ve always used for fevers and pain relief.”
“Then what’s so special?”
“They say… it works instantly! Just boil it and drink, and the symptoms disappear on the spot!”
“Come on, that’s impossible. What kind of herb works like magic?”
“I’m telling you, it’s true! The rumors are everywhere!”
The Southern Guild had deliberately targeted high-ranking demons living in each Demon King’s capital.
They had positioned it as a luxury product and priced it accordingly.
Just as Geru had supplied them, the guild sent out small “sample” shipments of the herb to each Demon King’s castle.
And without exception, every single castle sent back the same message:
We want to buy more.
“Senior, the response is beyond anything I expected. We’re drowning in orders! This is an emergency, I tell you!”
“I… told you… The… supply… is… limited!”
The gnome merchant was so desperate that he personally came to Ludwig’s castle, begging for more stock.
His request was urgent enough that both Ariella and Ludwig attended the meeting.
