Chapter One Hundred and Eight: The Cornered Rat and the Kittens
“Hmm… this herb doesn’t conduct magical power very well…”
“That’s the one Tim collected.”
“I haven’t even tried to channel magical power into it!”
Tim panicked at Harald’s command.
Karen was even busier than usual because of the strife that had been thrust upon her. After making her rounds to the homes of children with Bloodline Blessings, she was scheduled to be drilled in royal etiquette by Alise at the Ehlertt estate.
Because she was too busy, she had decided to entrust the gathering of materials to the two children she employed as errand boys. Recently, just as the orphanage kids had mentioned, herbs were truly scarce in the dungeon, so one had to go gathering first thing in the morning or they’d hardly find anything.
The two had gone straight from the orphanage into the dungeon and brought back herbs, which Karen inspected before heading out—and this was the result. Neither of them seemed to be lying, so something Karen had been wondering about finally made sense.
“I see… Tim, hold this. Don’t channel any magical power into it.”
“Just hold it, right? Got it!”
Karen had Tim hold a different herb she already had in stock for ten minutes. Afterward, when she tried to channel magical power into it again, she sighed. Magical power flowed through it, but there was clearly more resistance.
“I’ve been thinking that some of the materials the orphanage children delivered seemed unusually resistant to magical power…”
“Did I mess up again?”
“Tim, just the magical power leaking from your body unconsciously is enough to soak into the materials.”
“Whaaat?! I didn’t mean to do that!”
“I know you didn’t do it on purpose. But from now on, could you let Harald handle the gathering?”
“Leave it to me, Lady Karen. Since I barely have any magical power, I won’t waste the materials.”
“What? So that’s what was happening… Oh no, what should I do? I’ve been delivering these to the guild too…”
“I don’t think it’s a problem for alchemists with more reserves than me. If anything, the herbs might last longer, which could be appreciated?”
“So having a lot of magical power has its pros and cons.”
Harald said this with a composed face, but he couldn’t hide his delight as he grinned. He seemed unable to contain his joy at having his area of responsibility expanded.
“Would you like me to sort the herbs? I can distinguish between the ones I picked and the ones Tim picked by the cut marks and vein patterns.”
“You can do that?! Amazing! Please do!”
“As you wish, Lady Karen.”
After leaving it to Harald, he sorted through the box of herbs with almost no hesitation. Karen tested one of the herbs Harald had separated as Tim’s by channeling magical power into it, and indeed, it was difficult to do so. Harald, with his limited magical power and talent for magic, couldn’t have determined this through magic detection, which meant he truly was identifying them by the cut marks and veins—the physical form of the herbs.
“Wow, that’s incredible… Don’t you have an amazing memory? Have you remembered all the materials and names I’ve taught you so far?”
“Of course. I remember everything you’ve told me.”
Harald nodded with a serious expression. His hands continued to sort the herbs without hesitation. Previously, Harald had mentioned that he immediately remembered everything Karen told him after hearing it once. At the time, she thought he was just expressing his dedication to his work. But if Harald truly remembered everything, that was remarkable.
“Harald, do you know what this is?”
“Chamomile, isn’t it?”
Harald answered without hesitation when Karen showed him a flower she had brought from the alchemy workshop.
“Do you know its effects?”
“It has calming and digestive properties, and you mentioned it’s good to drink as tea on sleepless nights, during colds, or when digestion is poor. When distilled, it also has anti-inflammatory effects.”
Thinking it might have been a coincidence, Karen showed him various flowers and herbs one after another, but Harald was able to identify all of them. Expecting him to finally be stumped, Karen went to the shelf and took a bottle of already processed dried herbs. While hiding the label on the bottle, she asked:
“What’s this one?”
“Linden flower, I believe you called it. Or lime flower.”
“Then what about this?”
“It’s a different part of the Linden tree, isn’t it?”
“Wait, how do you know that? I don’t remember explaining this to you!”
As Karen became flustered by his correct answer about something she thought he wouldn’t know, Harald tilted his head and said:
“Like this…”
Harald made a gesture as if taking something from a high shelf. It seemed he was mimicking Karen’s movements.
“I once heard you look at this bottle on the kitchen shelf and say, ‘This is the same as linden flower, so it should be placed next to it.’ I figured ‘same’ meant it came from the same tree.”
Karen was amazed and nodded.
“…That’s right, it’s linden wood, the white part. It has diuretic properties.”
“I see.”
Harald nodded with a serious face. He had no notebook in hand. He was simply remembering everything on his own—not just what Karen had taught him, but even her casual remarks. Even all the gestures and movements Karen had made at the time.
“Harald, that’s incredible!”
“I’m humbled by your praise, Lady Karen.”
Harald blushed slightly, but that was all. He didn’t seem to feel even half the amazement that Karen was experiencing, which made her tilt her head as she said:
“It’s a remarkable ability. Do you understand that?”
“People often tell me I have a good memory. I don’t know if it qualifies as an ability, but I’m glad if it’s useful to you, Lady Karen.”
Tilting her head even more at his humble and modest attitude, Karen clenched her fist.
“Anyway, with such an ability, I certainly can’t keep employing you at your current salary! I’ll give you a raise!”
“—Thank you for the generous offer, Lady Karen.”
Harald caught his breath for a moment, then composed himself and smiled.
“Please discuss it with Lady Natalia, and if there are no issues, I would appreciate it.”
“Why Natalia?”
“She’s your guild representative for alchemy matters, so please consult with her.”
“Look, Harald, your memory is amazing, sure, but anyone other than Karen would totally oppose raising your salary! Why say something unnecessary?”
“Don’t be stupid. If she’s going to object later anyway, it’s better to be upfront about it from the start. I want to continue working here.”
“You think she’ll object…? It’s such an amazing ability…”
With this memory and Harald’s level of comprehension, he would probably have been a top student in her previous life’s school system and could have attended the best universities. He could learn by observation without being taught, and could even make helpful suggestions to Karen on his own initiative. Judging from his usual behavior, he wasn’t inefficient or clumsy. While he did sometimes go overboard trying to be considerate toward Karen, that seemed more like a habit shaped by his past environment than a lack of skill.
As she had thought for some time, Harald was an exceptionally talented individual from Karen’s perspective.
“Please consult with Lady Natalia. Whatever the outcome, I’m grateful that you value my abilities enough to consider a raise, and that alone will sustain me.”
Harald smiled faintly. It seemed he already believed Karen would face fierce opposition from Natalia and end up abandoning the idea of giving him a raise.
“…I’ll stop by her place on my way back and ask her! Make sure you’re ready for good news!”
“Karen, that phrase is usually used when someone’s about to be executed.”
Karen left the house, sent off by Harald’s wry smile and Tim’s exasperated comment.
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