* * *
I guess following him around enough helped him understand my nature.
But the slight smile on his face quickly faded as he recalled the current situation.
“So then…”
“I heard everything, that’s enough.”
“Ah, you overheard?”
He’d opened his mouth to explain something heavy, but his lips drooped, as if suddenly drained of energy.
Did he want me to be just as shocked as he was?
Well, I was. I was so shocked my eyes nearly popped out.
“What will you do now?”
His lips trembled like he was about to cry.
It’s understandable—Klen was taken into the forest where divine beasts dwell.
No one comes out of there unscathed.
No one except the protagonist.
And since that part hasn’t happened yet, I could safely assume no one has made it out alive for hundreds of years.
That’s how serious this is.
“I’m going to the East Tower.”
“The East Tower?”
I didn’t answer—just started walking.
A moment later, I heard his hurried footsteps following behind.
The East Tower, where the healer resides, still smelled strange.
I wanted to pinch my nose, but that would’ve been rude.
I left Vis at the entrance, his face already scrunching at the stench, and headed up the stairs.
As before, the higher I climbed, the stronger the smell became.
And at the center of it all was the healer, vigorously stirring her cauldron.
Back when I last came here, I never imagined I’d return in such a heavy mood.
“Do you need more medicine? If the last dose didn’t work—”
“No, that’s not it.”
I cut her off before she could go on.
“I need recovery potions.”
“Recovery potions, huh…”
She repeated my words softly, then walked to her shelves.
She grabbed a basket and, without hesitation, began filling it with various bottles.
The soft clinking sound of glass bottles echoed as they stacked up.
By the time she set the basket on the table in front of me, it was already full.
‘Can I even carry all this?’
The problem wasn’t the weight.
It was that carrying it would slow me down.
The clinking glass and sloshing liquid could give me away.
Not ideal for moving stealthily.
“This one is for poison or paralysis. It should cure most conditions, but it’d be best to return for a proper check-up just in case. There may be lingering effects, and leaving them untreated would do no good.”
She picked up a bottle to explain—but the color was anything but reassuring.
It was bubbling with strange foam, and the color alone made me hesitate.
Was this really… just a simple recovery potion?
The bottle he took out fit perfectly into a pouch that seemed small enough to be full with just two of them.
Yet even after he put it in, the pouch didn’t puff up at all.
“Oh? That’s something rare you’ve got there.”
A dimensional pouch, designed to reduce one’s burden.
It didn’t create a completely separate space but rather connected to somewhere else, so it couldn’t store things infinitely.
Still, it was incredibly useful for reducing weight and volume.
“Is it connected somewhere around here?”
Most likely, it was linked to somewhere within the East Tower so it could be retrieved easily in case of an emergency.
As she moved the rest of the bottles into the pouch, she handed me another one.
“This is for stamina recovery. It’s effective not only for physical exhaustion but also for healing wounds. If you’re injured, don’t hesitate to use it. Remember, ignoring a small wound can lead to serious danger. And if it’s a serious injury, it’ll work better if you apply it directly to the wound.”
This one was a stamina recovery potion.
Its reddish color usually would make one expect a sweet taste… but its oddly dark hue hinted at something more metallic and bitter.
Regardless of the taste, the quality was undoubtedly excellent.
Once everything had been packed into the pouch, the last thing she handed me was a ball of beige-colored yarn.
“Yarn? What’s this for?”
Was she suggesting I knit or something?
I never learned how, but I knew it was said to be good for calming the mind.
Maybe this was her way of telling me to keep calm.
Advice only someone who knew about Klen’s situation would give.
It felt like everyone knew except me.
Trying to suppress my rising irritation, I held the yarn and rolled it between my hands.
I grabbed the small end sticking out at the side.
It looked like even a gentle tug would unravel it completely.
“…!”
But before I could do anything, the healer gently pressed down on my hand.
“Unraveling it is easy, but you won’t be able to wind it back.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s a very special thread infused with magic. It won’t snap under normal force. It won’t tangle no matter how much it loops around, and it’s long enough to circle the entire country several times. But once unraveled, it can’t be rolled back again. And if you cut it with these scissors, not only will the unraveled thread disappear, but so will the entire ball.”
She showed me the scissors—a tiny pair, with finger holes barely big enough to fit one finger.
Hard to believe such strong thread could be destroyed with something so small.
That only confirmed how special it was. I picked up the scissors and tested the blades with a soft snip.
This healer wasn’t the type to make jokes.
Everything she said had to be taken seriously.
“Do you know where I’m planning to go?”
Too many things had been given to me—more potions than I asked for, a pouch to reduce the load, and a ball of thread perfect for navigating mazelike paths.
None of it seemed appropriate for someone who was just going back to their room.
She smiled faintly.
Her fragile appearance seemed like she might collapse at any moment, but that smile radiated a gentle warmth.
“If Lord Klen is in danger, of course you’d be the one to move.”
“Is that… so?”
Come to think of it, she never treated me like someone weak.
She’d already examined me several times.
She probably knew I was in perfect health, with no chronic illness or frailty.
Yet she never revealed that to anyone—perhaps seeing it as something beyond her responsibility.
“Thanks.”
“Ah, one more thing.”
She had started to say goodbye but suddenly added something as if just remembering it.
“Have you met the head magician of the West Tower?”
“Elliot? Yeah, I’ve met him.”
“Don’t get too close to him.”
“…Why?”
Her voice turned frosty, making me instinctively look up at her face.
Her expression was just as cold, her eyes sharp and piercing.
Could there really be something suspicious about that lazy magician?
I swallowed hard, anxiety welling up.
“Laziness is contagious.”
Despite being someone who usually liked to explain things thoroughly, she kept it short and firm.
“Right. I’ll be careful.”
Unlike her, who spent most of her day making medicine, he seemed to laze around every chance he got.
She was in a position to scold him, so perhaps it was just a matter of personal friction.
The two were polar opposites.
“Also, that pouch is valuable, so make sure to return it.”
“Got it.”
She never forgot to remind me of the important details.
I thanked her once more, tucked the yarn into the pouch, and left the room.
She didn’t need me to say it—she already knew where I was going.
Her request to return the pouch probably held more meaning than one.
Vis, who had been waiting outside the tower, lit up the moment he saw me.
The strange smells of this place must have been bothering him, and now he was finally free.
I pulled him along until we were a good distance away from the tower before stopping.
“Go back and tell Linda something for me. If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I fainted after hearing some bad news and I’m not seeing any visitors. No matter who it is.”
That included the Count and Countess.
Vis frowned.
* * *
