A new section (or should I say “arc”, but it’s too late to rename everything) has begun, chapters 88-139 are called “Master and Disciple”.
Section Four: Master and Disciple
Chapter Eighty-eight: Orphans’ Request
“For a child, this fever-reducing potion should help. Let’s observe how things go for now.”
“Thank you, Miss Karen.”
The nobleman placed his hand on his chest and bowed to Karen. While still surprised by his meticulous manners that showed attention to every detail, Karen smiled.
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
Karen bowed in return and left the nobleman’s mansion with Sara, who was carrying her belongings.
“Sara, what kind of symptoms does the next child have?”
“Let’s end here for today. You’ll make yourself ill, Lady Karen.”
In the carriage, Sara, sitting across from Karen, spoke firmly. She held a list of patients suffering from the Bloodline Blessing, but Sara tucked it away in her own belongings.
“I’m perfectly fine, you know.”
“Even if you’re fine, you need to rest. Despite having a magical powers rank of D, you’re making too many potions—even if it was for the sake of medicine.”
Since returning to the royal capital from Ehlertt territory after the New Year, Karen had been visiting noble houses one after another, accompanied by Sara, with introductions from Earl Ehlertt.
The patients suffering from the Bloodline Blessing were all children, though their ages varied slightly. It was understandable parents’d been cautious, but during the time they were investigating Karen, the children had continued to suffer. Wanting to ease their pain as soon as possible, Karen had been packing her schedule late into the night for the past few days.
“Thanks to the alchemy workshop, I feel like I can make more potions now. If I get a high-quality alchemy cauldron, things might get even more amazing.”
“Please head to Lady Karen’s alchemy workshop.”
“Saraa…”
Sara gave firm instructions to the coachman, not allowing any room for argument.
And so, Karen was taken straight to her alchemy workshop.
“Karen! You’re finally back!”
Upon arriving at her alchemy workshop, Karen found familiar children waiting in front.
They were from the orphanage in the adventurers’ district where Karen used to live—a blue-haired boy around ten named Tim, and a thirteen-year-old girl with red braided hair named Bianca. Though it was still cold, both their faces and noses were bright red from waiting outside the workshop.
Recently, because she’d grown accustomed to dealing with nobles, Karen’s demeanor had apparently changed—in a good way. So even though she often went unnoticed in her old neighborhood, these familiar children immediately recognized Karen as herself.
“It’s been a while! How did you find my alchemy workshop?”
“This isn’t the time for chit-chat, you need to come with us!”
“A new child at our place has a terrible stomachache!”
“Is that so? That’s terrible.”
Thinking it was good that she had returned early as Sara suggested, Karen turned to Sara.
“That being the case, you can go home first, Sara.”
“I cannot leave until I’ve seen you enter the alchemy workshop. I will accompany you. It will be faster by carriage, so please let these children ride with us as well.”
“Do you know where the orphanage is?”
“I am familiar with the geography of the adventurer’s district, where you lived, Lady Karen.”
“She says you two can ride in the carriage.”
The children climbed into the carriage with Karen without excitement, their expressions serious.
“The fact that you came to me means that regular medicine didn’t work, right?”
“Yeah. We gave him the healing potion you gave us, and he got better for a moment, but then his stomach got upset again right away. He looks really miserable.”
“I see. Do you know what triggered it?”
“…We had a welcome party. And I… I made the food…!”
Karen stroked Bianca’s back as tears welled up in her eyes.
“I’m sure it’s not your fault, Bianca. Don’t worry.”
“That’s right! Everyone ate the same food, so it definitely wasn’t your cooking!”
“Tim, everyone ate the same things?”
“Yeah! I ate all the different dishes faster than anyone else. But I didn’t get a stomachache at all. It’s definitely not the food’s fault!”
“Hmm.”
Given Tim’s notorious appetite, this was probably true. If someone had eaten something bad, a non-magical detox potion might help, but without knowing the cause, it could also have the opposite effect.
While Karen was pondering what to do, Sara spoke up with a puzzled look:
“Lady Karen, I didn’t realize you had connections with orphanage children.”
“I almost ended up there myself for a brief moment.”
“…Ah, right, you lost your father when you were a child.”
“I was known to have talent as an alchemist, so I knew I could survive by selling potions. In the end, my brother and I managed on our own, but the orphanage helped us when we held the funeral.”
Since it was an orphanage in the adventurers’ district, most of the children there had lost their adventurer parents in dungeons. Since they were in the same situation as Karen, she had been helping within her means. One of those ways was providing minor healing potions.
“So I want to help them however I can.”
When the carriage stopped, Tim jumped out.
“Teacher! I brought Karen!”
“Tim! I told you not to simply fetch Karen like that!”
The middle-aged woman scolding Tim was Jutta, the orphanage director. She had originally been a teacher at a commoner’s school and now took care of the children at the orphanage while teaching them.
“But he’s been suffering for three days already!”
Karen’s eyes widened at Tim’s words.
“What?! Three days? Why didn’t you call me sooner?”
“Karen, you’re never home, no matter when we go!”
“I see, I’m sorry. I’ve been getting home late recently.”
“I told you not to call her…”
As Jutta held her head in frustration, Karen asked with confusion:
“Why was I not supposed to be called?”
“You’re an E-rank alchemist now. Our orphanage simply can’t afford potions made by someone of your level.”
“I don’t need payment!”
“That’s unacceptable. Making children believe that an E-rank alchemist will give them potions just because they ask is bad for their education.”
“B-But still, there’s a child who’s been in pain for three days, right?”
“Even so, children at the orphanage must learn to recover on their own.”
“Charity! Like a donation!”
“We’ve already received more than enough from you, and the minor healing potion you gave us last time didn’t help. There’s no need to waste any more of your potions.”
“Then let me use him as a test subject for my new potion!”
Hearing Karen’s insistent offer, Jutta sighed.
“Really, you’re too kind-hearted…”
She seemed to finally accept. Why did everyone only agree to drink her potions when she threatened to use them as test subjects? Even Sara was looking at her with exasperation.
“You behave this way everywhere, I see. You even hesitated to accept payment from our household, Lady Karen.”
“That’s why I got the alchemy workshop, right?”
“That was a gift from the lord and lady to celebrate your promotion to E-rank, not payment for the potions you made.”
“So you’re going to remind me of this forever?”
Karen gave Sara a look of astonishment.
Jutta, who had been watching their exchange, shook her head.
“Karen, are you doing this elsewhere too? This is wrong. Those with an ability should receive appropriate compensation. The goddess who acknowledged you and blessed you with talent would be saddened.”
“Why am I being scolded, I wonder?”
“Karen, if you’re done talking, hurry up and come over here!”
Called by Tim, Karen rushed over. The child in the infirmary was a boy about the same age as Tim, with yellow-green hair. On the bed, the boy was curled up, his face pale and slick with sweat, breathing heavily.
Gah! Why does world not have a "fast forward" button so I can skip to when the next chapter is ready!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hard work!