“It seems he did draw something else again, though.”
“If it was all drawn in one day, a large-scale teleportation is impossible. Are we going to go destroy it again next time?”
“We’ll have to see what he did.”
We put our heads together and smiled faintly.
If someone who didn’t know the situation were to see us, it might look like villains plotting a scheme.
The next afternoon, the healer paid me a visit.
Bringing a tightly woven basket, she placed it on a corner of the table and sat facing me.
Meeting her in this quiet room, devoid of the cauldron and herbs, felt somehow unfamiliar.
“I heard you came. I apologize that I had to refuse all visitors by the Count’s order, even though I had already recovered.”
She carefully bowed her head.
“Ah, no. I already knew that. I only went to get the medicine prepared as a reserve, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
I quickly waved my hand, denying the statement, and the healer slowly lifted her head.
Her face was still pale, and dark shadows lay beneath her eyes, suggesting she hadn’t had a proper day of rest.
I pushed a plate of cake, a slice topped with rich cream and fruit, toward her.
‘Come to think of it, I still haven’t given that medicine to Klen.’
His face was so clean for someone who had used a lot of magic that the existence of the medicine completely slipped my mind.
With Aren’s whereabouts becoming the main topic, I had even less room to focus on other things.
And Rodney, who eagerly took the bait I offered.
So much had happened at once yesterday that I hadn’t even thought of giving him the medicine.
Otherwise, I would have forced him to take it.
“Hearing that Lady Adrian was looking for a medicine that restores all vitality, I brought a newly made batch.”
“……What?”
I only blinked at her words.
I searched through my memory for a long time to see if I had remembered incorrectly, then finally managed to voice my question.
“A newly made medicine? Didn’t he specifically order you to rest? I heard he told you not to even light a fire in that cauldron.”
“The order not to light a fire was only until yesterday. I finished all the preparations before that and waited, then lit the fire exactly as the date changed, so there is no problem whatsoever. This medicine was made without violating the command, through an open and honorable method. You can take it with peace of mind.”
“……I wasn’t worried about that.”
I was worried that she hadn’t rested properly.
No wonder her complexion wasn’t good for someone who supposedly had a good rest.
Perhaps a more specific command, like not touching or grinding any herbs, was needed?
She opened the basket she brought and took out a pouch inside.
One by one, the vials taken from the pouch began to be placed on the table.
She spoke confidently of having made a new batch, and the liquids, with their strange colors, looked slightly clearer than before.
“And perhaps…”
The healer, who was taking out the vials, cautiously opened her mouth.
The reason she came all the way here might be more for the story she was about to tell than for the purpose of delivering the medicine.
I took a sip of tea and waited quietly for her to continue.
“Have you noticed any changes after eating the fruit you brought from the forest back then?”
“Ah, that.”
Oops.
Come to think of it, she had asked me to let her know if there were any symptoms or changes.
I completely forgot to tell her.
But how should I explain that I realized it raised magic power, even though I wasn’t a mage?
There was no way to explain it. I couldn’t say that a Divine Beast told me.
In times like this, it might be better to ask her a question in return.
“Did you find out anything?”
“Actually, I ate the fruit myself.”
“Oh.”
Since learning about its effect, I had hoped she would eat it herself.
And to think she actually ate it herself.
This was actually a good thing.
Careful not to let my lips curl up into a smile, I held the teacup to my mouth.
“Were you alright, Lady Adrian?”
“Hmm. I was fine. Why?”
“The fruit certainly tasted crispy and sweet, just as Lady Adrian described. However, it doesn’t seem to be merely a tasty fruit. I confirmed that my magic power increased after eating it. And it seems that the pain is proportional to the amount of magic power one possesses.”
“Pain proportional to magic power?”
She straightened her posture again and continued speaking.
“At first, I thought I was tired because I had gone to the ball after a long time. But gradually, my body became heavy, and I felt a throbbing headache and chills. I didn’t realize it myself… but one of the apothecaries in the tower witnessed me staggering. And that was reported to the Count, which resulted in the command to rest. Only then did I realize that my body was unwell. It is certain that I felt more exhausted than at any other time I have experienced.”
“Exhausted?”
“Yes.”
She nodded slightly.
Perhaps because of hearing that story, her face looked even more shadowed as she drank her tea.
“Could it be that I wasn’t exhausted because my magic power is low?”
“It is a pity that there are no other test subjects. Everything is merely my hypothesis, but if Lady Adrian was fine, I can trust it a little more.”
I also recalled Klen being tired after eating that fruit.
If he, who usually showed no such signs, was struggling to the point where he couldn’t even act…
It meant that his magic power was also that strong.
I only managed to understand the Divine Beast’s words thanks to a very slight increase in my magic power.
“The medicine was made after my magic power increased, so it will be more effective than before. And I plan to research new healing magic, so even if you get hurt… Ahem. No, even if you overdo it, you will be able to recover quickly.”
Despite her pale face, her eyes sparkled like a child who had received a new toy, her voice was higher than usual, and her excitement, as if she was about to sing, was fully evident.
Now I understood why the command to rest was completely useless.
She was the type to relieve stress by doing her own research.
“Ah, and I brought this for you to try.”
The healer, who quickly contained her excitement, reached into the basket.
If she was only bringing medicine, the pouch would have been enough.
It seemed the basket was prepared for the purpose of bringing something else.
And what she took out onto the table was…
‘Huh? Did she like these kinds of things?’
What she placed one by one were sweet desserts that would go very well with the tea we were drinking now.
Various kinds of cookies and savory scones.
She even brought strawberry jam, butter, and fresh cream to top them with.
Not stopping there, tarts generously topped with fruit, madeleines, and financiers followed in succession.
“Ah, these were brought from the West Tower.”
As if reading my confusion, the healer said awkwardly.
“The West… Elliot?”
