Chapter 16

The monster subjugation unit, formed from the knights stationed in this town, returned after four days. I heard through others that although there were injuries, everyone came back without a single loss, which was a relief.

The knight who is my friend is extremely popular and well-known, so if anything had happened, it would have caused a massive uproar. Since that didn’t happen, he must truly be safe. On the next forest day, he would come as usual with that same smile, is what I thought.

That’s why, when I went outside to flip the sign as I was about to close the shop, I was very surprised to run into a figure wearing a familiar cloak.

「Hey, hello. …Do you have a moment now?」

「…Welcome. Please, come inside.」

Leaving the sign as 「Preparing」 I invited Hector into the shop and locked the door just in case. I thought he would come three days later, did something urgent come up?

「Sorry, I came just as you were about to close.」

「No, it’s fine… Did something happen?」

「Yeah. Today, the knights are going around paying the apothecaries who helped, covering the cost of the medicine. I figured it’d be better if I came here myself.」

I see, so it was work. It seems knights are visiting each shop in person, expressing thanks as well. Even though they just returned from subjugation, they could have rested more, how diligent. …Above Hector’s head, the color of joy stretches long, but there’s also the color of fatigue. He must be tired.

Knights who work to maintain public order are already highly supported by the people. On top of that, this town’s knight order treats even simple medicine suppliers with such courtesy, so their popularity only continues to grow. I’ve heard that knights in other towns aren’t this considerate toward civilians, so the one leading them must be a good person.

「First of all, welcome back. I’m glad you returned safely.」

「…Yeah. I’m back. Since you saw me off, Cyril-san, I felt like I absolutely had to come back.」

Maybe he’s too tired to maintain his usual composure. Even though his face should be hard to see under the shadow of his hood, I could clearly see a delighted smile. His expression matched his emotions perfectly. …That’s very rare. He really must be exhausted.

「You must be tired for now. Please, have a seat. I’ll make some tea.」

「Thanks. I like the tea you make.」

As he said that and removed his hood, I noticed, more precisely, I noticed his cheek. There was a fresh, deep wound. The shock made me freeze. He sat down in his usual seat without noticing my reaction, but before preparing tea, there was something I had to confirm, so I stood right beside him.

He had been fighting monsters. If this wound came from one,

「Excuse me for a moment.」

「Huh? Cyril-san, what are you…!?」

Carefully holding his face with both hands so as not to touch the wound, I fixed it in place and examined it closely.

It was a deep cut, but it carried no magical residue. In other words, it hadn’t turned into a magical affliction. That alone was a relief.

It was cleanly cut by a sharp blade, so if he used my medicine, it wouldn’t even leave a scar. …If this wound remained, the town would probably fall into chaos from the lament of young women, but it will be fine.

「Good, this won’t have any negative effect on your right hand. You didn’t get hurt anywhere else… did you?」

Magical afflictions worsen the more they accumulate. In my concern, I prioritized checking the wound, but thinking about it, I could have judged by how little the color of pain had changed. More importantly, I should have considered the other person’s feelings.

Last time, I had also grabbed his right hand the moment I noticed something and examined it thoroughly, but that was still better, since it was just his hand.

…In short, one probably shouldn’t observe so closely, and directly from the front, a face so beautiful it could be compared to a flower, flushed with embarrassment.

And those eyes contained a great deal of heat. Just looking into them made me feel a sweetness as rich as honey.

Perhaps that sight wasn’t good for my heart either, as it suddenly began pounding rapidly. Feeling quite awkward, I excused myself with, 「I’ll go prepare the tea」 and retreated.

(I probably misjudged the distance between us…)

I’m not very familiar with the proper distance between friends, but even if it’s to examine a wound, grabbing someone’s face and peering in that closely is probably best avoided. From the projected lines above Hector, I could tell he was internally in great turmoil. His emotions shifted rapidly between joy and embarrassment.

(His feelings of love have grown again… It’s not good to let feelings grow when I have no intention of returning them.)

It’s good that there are no negative emotions, but the fact that his feelings have deepened further is my fault. …That was careless. Since he likes me, I need to maintain an appropriate distance.

While waiting for the water to boil, I prepared some wound medicine. It’s enhanced with magic, so it doesn’t last long unless stored properly, but if used for two days, even scars would fade to almost nothing. I intended for him to use it on his cheek.

By the time I finished making the tea, I had calmed down considerably. Hector should have settled down a bit too, so I returned with two cups of herbal tea, keeping a neutral expression. …I also added a small recovery spell to help restore some energy.

「Here you go. It’ll help with fatigue. And this is wound medicine. Please disinfect the cut before using it.」

「Ah, right. Thanks. How much is it?」

「No payment is necessary. I just want your injury to heal quickly.」

「…I see. Then I’ll gratefully accept it.」

As expected, he was skilled at masking his expression, he picked up the cup with his usual smile and tone. But his embarrassment hadn’t faded yet; I could tell from the rosy hue above him and his reddened ears. I followed his lead and maintained a composed expression.

「This is from the knight order. Could you check if the amount is correct? It’s based on the market value from the invoice you wrote… If it’s not enough, let me know.」

「…Ooh.」

When I checked the contents of the pouch he handed me, I couldn’t help but let my voice leak. Even at a rough estimate, it contained at least twice the value of the medicine I had provided. That was far too much, I felt uncomfortable accepting it. The regular price would have been more than enough.

「Um… this is too much, so I’ll take what’s necessary and return the rest.」

「Is it too much? Considering how effective your medicine is, we thought that was about right.」

According to Hector, the effectiveness of my medicine far surpassed that of other shops. Painkillers worked instantly, fever medicine reduced heat within minutes, and wound medicine closed injuries within a day. He said it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them secret remedies.

(…Ah, I was a bit anxious while refilling them, so maybe magic got infused… I need to be careful.)

When emotions fluctuate, magical power can leak out. While refilling the medicine for the knights, I had been thinking about Hector, wishing for him to return safely. That emotion may have turned into magic and strengthened the medicine’s effects. …My medicine is already stronger than normal to begin with, and I ended up enhancing it further into magical medicine.

「Then I’ll gratefully accept it. I’m glad it was useful.」

「Yeah. …Also, would it be possible to sell regularly to the knight order, maybe at a lower price, even if the quality is slightly reduced?」

I can’t lower the quality, but I can provide my usual medicine without magical enhancement. They would likely perceive that as slightly lower quality. If I sell it at half the price, it should conceal the magic.

「I can provide it at half the current price.」

「That would help a lot. Everyone would appreciate it.」

「Yes. …And it would help you too, Hector-san.」

If the knights use my medicine, then Hector will too. If I can support him even a little in his dangerous work, that would be good.

That was my intention, but the color of his joy began fluctuating restlessly. It was as if he didn’t know whether he should be happy or not.

Do people really become this unsettled in front of someone they’re in love with? Recently, Hector’s projected emotions have been very lively. …Since no one has ever fallen in love with me before, this is a new discovery.

「Oh, right, I brought you a souvenir.」

「A souvenir?」

The usual gift from a man to a woman would be flowers, but I would find that troublesome. I watched carefully as he took out a somewhat large leather bag, slightly worried he might have brought a bouquet.

「I thought you might like this kind of flower, Cyril-san.」

When he loosened the string, I widened my eyes at the sight of the white and purple mixed flowers inside. It was indeed a flower, but a rare one. It’s called Feferi, a plant used as a medicinal ingredient that can’t be obtained in this region, and it’s not even sold in the local market. It’s something I can’t easily acquire. …I didn’t expect Hector to bring something like this.

「I dug it up with the soil, so it might be messy, just take it as it is in the bag.」

「…Thank you. This makes me happy.」

It’s used for medicines I don’t usually make, but since he brought about five whole plants, I could cultivate them and produce as much as I wanted.

Unable to hold it in, I smiled as I accepted the bag. New materials are exciting, even if I have no plans to use or sell the medicine made from them.

「That’s good. …By the way, what kind of medicine does this make?」

「Ah, well… um.」

It seemed he had no idea what kind of medicine it was used for. Well, if he did, he probably wouldn’t have given it to a woman. If someone knowingly gave this to a woman, it would make them a certain kind of pervert.

Besides, he has probably already been dosed with medicine made from this flower before. In that case, is it really okay to tell him?

(…Well, whether he learns now or later somewhere else… maybe it’s better to tell him.)

Resolving myself, I told him its effect.

And the way his projected emotions plunged as if into despair made me deeply regret saying it. …Human relationships really are difficult.

I tried desperately to explain that I was genuinely happy because it was such a rare material, but Hector left with a somewhat hollow smile.

…From the fruit of the Feferi plant, a very potent aphrodisiac, particularly effective for men, can be made.