Chapter 11: A Struggle Against Aging

Chapter 11:
A Struggle Against Aging

 

SALES ROSE, and the amount of time I dedicated to making medicine went up. The drugstore’s selection grew quite nicely. As a result, I had lots of free time behind the counter at the drugstore, chilling and staring off into space.

“You’re zoning out again, Manager,” Mikoto said as I daydreamed.

She was here from the next village over to buy medicine. She was probably fifteen or sixteen—a cheerful, ordinary girl with wavy black hair.

“That’s Mr. Manager to you,” I replied.

“Three potions and three energy drinks!”

“Haven’t you ever heard of saying please?”

“Don’t sweat it! Me and you are already besties.”

“Since when?” I grabbed the potions off the shelf and bagged them.

Mikoto handed me the money. We shot the breeze for a bit, and then she pointed at the door and informed me of a customer. An old butler, apparently.

“Welcome,” I said.

“Are you Sir Reiji?” asked the elderly man.

“Yes, that’d be me.”

“My name’s Rayne. I serve Lord Casty Fen Dran Valgas. I’m here to summon you to the mansion on behalf of Lord Valgas’s wife, Lady Flam.”

“Er—um—who?”

“Count Casty Fen Dran Valgas is the lord who governs our villages, Manager,” Mikoto explained.

Lord Valgas is a nobleman? Why would nobility—the count’s wife, at that—summon me, of all people?

“As for this invitation’s purpose, Lady Flam said she wishes to explain it in person,” Rayne continued. “I’d like you to accompany me to the mansion immediately.”

What is this, a kidnapping? Meh. It’s not like I’m busy.

“Sure, fine,” I replied. “Mikoto, watch over the store for me.”

“Since when are you my boss?!”

“You don’t have anything better to do, do you? If you have any problems, just grab Mina.”

I waved to her and got into the carriage parked outside with Rayne the butler.

It took the shaky carriage about fifteen minutes to arrive at the manor. Rayne led me inside, guiding me through a lavishly decorated hall.

He knocked on an equally lavish door. “Sir Reiji has arrived, Milady.”

“You may enter.”

Rayne opened the door for me, and I headed inside.

“So, you’re the genius alchemist everyone’s been talking about,” Lady Flam greeted me. “Have a seat.”

I sat down as instructed. “Um, ‘genius alchemist’ isn’t quite right. But, yes, that’s me.”

Lady Flam wore a luxurious outfit suitable for a noblewoman; she waved an expensive-looking hand fan. In terms of her demeanor, she certainly seemed like a snooty old lady. Honestly, she was exactly what I’d imagined a rich person in this world would be like.

“What business do you have with me?” I asked. “Rayne told me that you wished to speak directly.”

“Allow me to get to the point,” said Lady Flam. “I’d like you to make a de-aging medication.”

De-aging medication? I could imagine the ingredients, but I doubted I could get my hands on them anytime soon. Still, the fact that I can actually make one at all is kind of nuts. “What’s the deadline?”

“Five days from now. Wait, no. The dinner party’s in five days, so could you bring me the treatment by that afternoon?”

Okay. Now I see the full picture. She wants the other nobles at this party to go crazy over how young she looks.

“That’s not enough time. I won’t be able to make the treatment on that schedule,” I stated firmly.

She slouched in disappointment. “Then I suppose I must resign myself to the prince gossiping about how I’ve aged.”

“Aged?! That’s not true at all! Lady Flam, you’re as beautiful and young as anyone!” I exclaimed. If I’d learned one irrefutable rule in any society, it was that complimenting women was always a good idea.

Lady Flam slapped open her fan and covered her mouth with it. “I-Is that so?” she asked, trying to hide her happiness. “It’s no good. Even if you feel that way, the prince surely won’t.”

I honestly felt bad for her. Tearing her down because of her looks was just plain old bullying. There was nothing she could do about getting older.

I wanted to help Lady Flam. Still, I couldn’t make a de-aging potion in only five days. “Wait, so I just need to do something about your wrinkles?”

“Excuse me?”

Whoops. She sure didn’t let that one slip by. “Sorry! No offense meant. Ha ha…!”

“Sir Alchemist, can you do something to help me? I have plenty of money.”

“If I create a treatment, I’ll be more than happy to accept the appropriate payment.”

If I did something about her wrinkled skin, she’d certainly look younger. At least, that was the basic idea I’d come up with. I probably wasn’t too far from the right answer; even I, as a guy, saw that Lady Flam’s skin was aging. If someone like me could tell at first glance, her peers most certainly could.

“All right, I see,” I said. “I’ll do what I can. I may not be able to literally de-age you, but I’ll try to mix something to make you look younger.”

“Oh, my! Really?” exclaimed Lady Flam. “I’ll finally defeat the curse of aging?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but…”

“Sir Genius Alchemist, you truly defy even God’s will!”

“Yeah, okay, enough of that.”

Apparently deeply moved by my determination to help her, Lady Flam then listed off the top ten awful insults other aristocrats had lobbed at her.

This isn’t doing much for my motivation, I’m not gonna lie. It seemed like I’d be stuck listening to her complaints all day. “Okay, I’m gonna get to work, so I need to head back to my drugstore.”

I fled from the mansion in Lady Flam’s horse and carriage as quickly as possible.

Back at Kirio Drugs, I grabbed some ingredients—goat’s milk, a pear-like fruit, and various medicinal petals—from the kitchen. Holed up in the laboratory, I combined all the ingredients.

 

Beauty Gel: Moisturizer. Makes skin fairer and more supple. Prevents dry skin.

 

“It’s done!” The beauty gel was more of a cream than a liquid.

I got directions to the lord’s mansion from Mina, then followed the route with the finished product in hand. Finally, I arrived at the huge estate. The elderly butler, Rayne, came out to meet me after I stated my business, and once again led me to Lady Flam’s room.

“What’s the matter, Sir Alchemist?” Lady Flam inquired. “Is there something you’d like to ask?”

“No. I just wrapped up, so I’m here to deliver the finished product.”

“Pardon me—did you say ‘finished product’?” Lady Flam seemed utterly confused.

I whipped out the freshly made beauty gel and passed it to her. “Massage this beauty gel on your face just after getting out of the bath. Make sure you do it every day.”

“Y-you want me to put this on my face every day?!” Lady Flam cast me a doubtful look. “Sir Alchemist, I trust you aren’t trying to play me for a fool.”

“Even if I am, what’s the worst that could happen? How about giving it a try? If you get no results, you don’t have to pay me.”

“Hrm.” She opened the bottle and sniffed; her eyebrows rose in surprise. “What a delightful aroma.”

“Well, the gel contains flowers and fruit.”

“It’s just… Massage it on my face…?”

I spread some gel on the back of her hand. Fortunately, it blended just fine with her skin. Still, Lady Flam seemed hesitant.

“I’m not the one who’s going to be humiliated at that dinner party,” I pointed out. “That’s you, right? If you refuse to use this, then it’s all over.”

“Hrm…if you truly believe this cream will work, I suppose I can at least try it. I’m quite tired of being a laughingstock.”

“Then let’s make them all swallow their words!”

At my call to arms, Lady Flam nodded intently, and so her week-long battle against her age began. That said, I didn’t actually witness it in person. Rayne would drop in at the drugstore to update me. Lady Flam apparently made sure to apply the cream every night, as directed.

On the fifth day, I found it odd that Rayne hadn’t yet dropped in. Just as I began to ponder what had happened, I noticed a horse and carriage parking outside the store. Lo and behold, Lady Flam had come.

Er…seriously? This isn’t exactly what I expected. Her face…even her skin… She was matronly before. Now, she looks more like a young woman. She seems happy as can be, too.

“How do I look, Sir Alchemist?”

“Wonderful! You really gave it a shot, huh?”

“I don’t know how I can ever thank you,” she added as Rayne took out a wallet.

“Now, now. Let’s not talk about that yet. You’re about to head to the dinner party, right? I’m more than happy to accept payment after you show those fools what’s what.”

Lady Flam instructed Rayne to put the wallet away. The pair got back into her carriage, heading to wherever the party was being held.

I’m sure my new beauty gel had an effect, but I’d also say that she gained a bit of self-confidence. If so, this was all worth it.

A few days later, I received payment for the de-aging treatment—and tons of boxes of apparently pricey sweets. There was even a thank you card. Inside, Lady Flam expressed her triumphant feelings about the whole situation, and she couldn’t stop thanking me.

The mountain of sweets amazed Mina and Noela.

“Aaah!” Mina gasped. “Mr. Reiji! Mr. Reiji! These are super-expensive, super-sweet delicacies! Where’d you get them?!”

“I helped a noblewoman out. This was her way of expressing her gratitude.”

Noela, of course, had already ripped into one box. She sank to the floor and dug into the sweets like a machine.

“Tasty, tasty!” Her tail slapped the floor lightly. She looked as though she was about to melt from glee on the spot.

Seeing Noela so satisfied, I decided to grab one myself. From a modern-day Japanese perspective, I’d say this is maybe a tad too sugary. Still plenty tasty, though!

“If you eat too many, you’re not going to have room for dinner, Noela,” said Mina, munching the desserts just as quickly.

“Mina, I know they’re good and all, but you’re gonna put on weight,” I remarked.

“Nngh! Wh-why would you go and say something like that? Mr. Reiji, you big meanie! Now I can’t even enjoy these in peace!” Mina cried, her mouth still full. Clearly, my comment was nothing against her sweet tooth.

Either way, Lady Flam was ecstatic, and Noela and Mina were thrilled with the abundant sweets. Being surrounded by those happy women, well, that made for one extremely happy day.