The Power of the Saint is All Around (LN) - Volume 8 - Chapter 3

Act 3:

The Annex

“HMM.”

“Seeeiii? Whatcha doing?”

“Oh, hi, Jude.”

Ever since our return from Hawke’s Domain, there had been no news of black swamps being discovered. Although I suspected I could finally hang up my Saintly hat, that didn’t change my daily routine. One day, just as always, I was standing in front of my garden plot at the institute and thinking about planting new herbs.

That was when someone I knew turned up. When I looked back at Jude, he was wearing a curious look on his face.

“I was contemplating where to grow my new herbs,” I explained.

“You mean the ones you collected at Hawke’s Domain?”

“Yup, and some others too.”

Among the plants I had collected up north were some species referred to as “medicinal herbs” because of their effects. A few of them weren’t currently grown at the institute, so I was thinking about cultivating some that would likely prove useful for my research.

But the seeds from Hawke’s Domain weren’t the only ones on my list. I had also received some species from Klausner’s Domain and Zaidera that I wanted to try my hand at as well.

“Hmm. I don’t know which ones are most likely to take, but isn’t it a bit too soon to be planting any?”

“Yeah, I’ll do that way later. It’s just that…”

Jude was right; it was winter. The season wasn’t famous for its perfect herb-growing weather. It was obvious that they’d be doomed if I planted them now, so I wasn’t going to force it. But the thing troubling me was, frankly, the soil.

The seeds we had received from Klausner’s Domain and Zaidera were rightfully available to all the researchers at our institute. You can imagine how everyone here—who were to a one totally crazy for herbs—had ­responded upon receiving these unusual specimens. Every one of them had planted the herbs they were interested in growing. As a result, the entirety of our immense garden had been put to use. There were no free plots left.

“So the problem is where to plant them, then?”

“Yeah. I want a bigger field, but there’s just no room.”

“Maybe you could use the communal fields?”

“I don’t think that’ll work either. We can’t scale back use of the plots we use to grow potion ingredients for the knights. I have a feeling there’ll be competition for those sections as well.”

“Ooh, yeah, I bet you’re right.”

The garden’s communal field was commonly used for growing all kinds of herbs that we used at the institute. It was also where we cultivated the herbs we needed to make potions for the Orders. As you might imagine from the word “communal,” you could get permission to use part of the fields for a limited time, but the plot wasn’t that huge. As a result, the researchers were frequently embroiled in fierce quarrels over advanced reservations—even more so recently.

Jude’s subject of research was potions, so while he had his own personal garden, he didn’t need to expand. He clearly knew how crowded the garden was at this point, though, because he gave me a big nod when I brought up the competition.

“Maybe you should ask Johan?” he suggested.

“Why him?”

“Because I’m sure he’s noticed that the garden is packed. He must be trying to come up with some kind of solution. I mean, we could always just buy the herbs we need for the knights’ potions.”

Jude had a point. Whether you wanted to expand your field or use the communal one, you needed Johan’s ­permission. And anyway, nothing good ever comes of stressing about a problem without telling anybody about it.

“I guess I’ll go ask him.” I nodded. 

Jude nodded back with a smile. “Okay. I think that’s a good idea.”

I left a waving Jude and headed straight to Johan’s office.

“You want to expand your garden?” Johan asked me.

“Yes. I have new herbs that I want to plant when spring arrives, and I don’t have enough space.”

“Ah, the fields have been pretty full recently, haven’t they? I’ve got a ton of things I’d like to grow too.”

Unlike Jude, Johan’s subject of research was herbs. He used his privileges as head researcher to keep a personal garden that was larger than everyone else’s, and he was using a part of the communal field too. It appeared that the garden was so full that even he was hesitating to add more herbs to his roster. He had been trying to come up with a solution because we were in the same boat.

When I told him why I was visiting his office, he frowned and touched his right hand to his chin. However, epiphany failed to arrive, and he lowered his hand with a hefty sigh.

“I’ll try petitioning the palace, but I think expanding the herb garden any further might be difficult.”

“Really? There are still so many areas lying fallow, though.”

“They’re probably using them for something. I’ve tried petitioning about them before, but they rejected the request.”

“So you already bothered them about it…”

“That was before you came to the institute. They might respond differently now.”

“Then we should petition them again.”

I had no idea how long ago Johan had sent his original petition, but perhaps he was right that times had changed. As they say, it was worth a try. We had nothing to lose by asking.

With my encouragement, Johan’s serious expression turned into a grin. I did have kind of had a bad feeling about that face, though.

“What?” I asked, suspicious.

“Well, I’m not sure me sending a petition is the right move. I think you’ve got a much more efficient way to fix this.”

What did he mean? I was honestly wondering what he meant. I furrowed my brow and frowned at him.

Johan was still smiling as he said, “If you tell His Majesty that you desire your own land for growing herbs, I’m sure he would instantly grant the request.”

“Are you talking about the land that he offered me before?”

“Well, yeah.”

I knew I had a dark premonition! 

The king had once offered me lands as recompense, and I had declined at the time. I’d thought that topic was over and done with. 

“No way.”

Johan gave me a crooked smile when I flat-out shot down his idea. “Still won’t budge, huh?”

“I’ve already received my favors.”

In short, I was taking lessons at the palace and had ­access to the Forbidden Depository. Those were the ­favors I had accepted in lieu of territory. I couldn’t ask to be granted land so long after the fact! 

But Johan seemed to have a different opinion. “Yes, but you’ve done a great deal more for the kingdom since. I bet you he’s planning to come up with another reward for you.”

“But I wouldn’t be able to manage a domain on my own.”

“You could just leave it to people you trust, like you do with your company.”

“It’s not that easy.”

By “done a great deal more for the kingdom,” was he referring to how I had traveled around purifying black swamps all over Salutania? Had I not already received remuneration in addition to my wages from the institute? Don’t tell me the stuff they’ve already given me was just for the expeditions… 

Were they planning to give me a bonus for purging the swamps?

I had all kinds of income in addition to my wages from the institute, such as the dividends from my company and the compensation everyone got for participating in monster-slaying expeditions, but it would be irresponsible to blithely shrug it all off just because I could live without worrying over funds. I had to find out for sure. Also, while I didn’t remember anyone saying something about this kind of thing, if Johan said the palace was going to reward me again, then it was likely true.

My own domain, huh? Even though Johan’s acting as if it’s just like everything with the company, I feel like the scale of responsibility I’d be undertaking would be way different. But maybe it wouldn’t be? No, even if I did have a steward managing the lands, it’s just too conceptually big. I have cold feet already.

“But if you had your own domain, you could grow whatever herbs and as many herbs as you want.”

“Uh…”

“And not just herbs either. You could likely grow Zaideran crops too.”

“Uhh…”

“And His Majesty would be sure to assemble a contingent of servants for you. I’d take the offer, if I were you.”

Although my mouth was saying no, Johan could see I was conflicted and continued to tempt me.

Having a vast field with which I could do whatever I wanted certainly had its appeal. I could even grow all the crops I desired too, which I couldn’t really do at the institute.

Wait, does that mean I could grow rice as well?! No, no, wait—calm down, me! I shook my head back and forth, casting away the temptation. “No, I couldn’t!”

“Okay, fine, fine.”

It was a highly appealing proposal, but I just didn’t have it in me to be a lady ruling over a whole gosh-darn domain. Besides, if I did become the lady of a domain, I would have to live far away from the institute. The thought kind of bummed me out.

Johan gave up and dropped the topic with a smile.

Several days after that conversation, he delivered a shocking announcement: “We’ve been granted permission to build an annex for the institute.”

What?!

***

“What do you mean by an annex?”

An annex was like a branch office; a part of the institute would split off and set up in a separate place.

Was that what Johan was referring to when we discussed expanding the herb garden the other day? Surely he didn’t suggest this to His Majesty by telling him that I wanted land, right?

I peered at Johan, feeling just a tad concerned. Johan smiled wryly as he began to explain.

As it turned out, Johan had resubmitted his petition. He was subsequently summoned by the prime minister to discuss a different matter. The prime minister had wanted to discuss my reward again, just as Johan said was going to happen.

As expected, they immediately offered land as a ­potential reward. And like before, they also offered to grant me a title as well. Johan declined on my behalf, based on our conversation. It took a lot of effort to decline an offer from someone in such a high position, so I was glad that Johan had done it for me.

Ultimately, they settled on monetary compensation.

“Okay, I follow you so far, but what does that have to do with being granted permission to build an annex?” I asked.

“After we finished discussing your reward, we chatted and I asked if we could expand the grounds of the institute.”

According to Johan, the palace was eager to expand the herb garden. However, because there was no unused land in the periphery of the institute, they were unable to do so directly. That was when they proposed building an annex. There was a perfect location just a short distance outside the royal capital, so they suggested constructing it there.

“Does that mean the institute will be split?”

“While we’ll be calling it an annex, it’ll mainly be an herb garden. I wouldn’t say we’re splitting the institute itself.”

“So, basically, we’re expanding the herb garden outside palace grounds.”

“More or less.”

Each kind of herb required specific conditions to grow. One of the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora’s duties was to research the optimal conditions for growing every variety.

I wonder how far the new herb garden will be from the capital? If it’s not too far, I imagine the soil and climate won’t be so different. Although I suppose it would be useful if there was a big difference too. Oh, but this all came about because we wanted to expand the herb garden, so maybe they’ll purposefully seek out an environment that’s similar to the one we have now.

As I got lost in thought, Johan started grinning. “You interested?”

“Huh?”

“In the new garden.”

He saw straight through me—I was fantasizing about a new environment to experiment in. I was a bit embarrassed, but I nodded. 

Johan nodded several times as well. “Me too.”

“Oh yeah?”

“It’ll be easier to maintain an air of secrecy out there. We’ll be able to grow herbs that we haven’t been able to until now.”

“Really?!”

Johan wore a pleased look as he explained. Since the institute was on palace grounds, we had some security. However, at times important people from abroad came to observe, just as the Zaideran prince had, so we couldn’t totally prevent outsiders from seeing what we were up to.

The annex would be a completely different matter. We could implement a total ban that prevented un­authorized people from entering. In other words, just as Johan implied, we could grow all the herbs we couldn’t at the institute due to security concerns.

Some of the herbs on Johan’s to-grow list had to be of that restricted variety. He sounded unbelievably excited as he spoke.

“It sounds like it will be very secure,” I said.

“Indeed, especially since Lord Goltz was the one who proposed how to keep it that way. The palace must have some rare and precious plants they want us to cultivate as well,” he said with a meaningful look.

Why are you looking at me like that? Rare and precious plants? I frowned at him for a moment, puzzled. Suddenly I understood what he was talking about. Those words applied to the plants I was growing.

I was cultivating all kinds of plants, from those that were merely unusual to kinds that required a particular environment to thrive. The former included an endemic species I had received from Zaidera while the latter covered the seeds I had received from Corinna. Between them, the ones from Corinna needed to be strictly controlled, as the particular conditions they required were related to my Saintly powers. In short, they needed fields like the ones I had blessed with my magic at Klausner’s Domain and the institute. Besides that, I had recently used my Saint’s magic to force an apple tree to grow, one which had borne fruit with miraculous effects (accidentally).

In order to ensure my physical safety, the palace kept my powers—beyond those that allowed me to purify the miasma—a closely guarded secret. No one in the public arena knew about these things. Therefore the fields in Klausner’s Domain, the institute, and the apple tree were under strict supervision.

Johan’s words suggested to me that they were planning to isolate everything that required extra supervision at the annex. Did that mean that all my plants in the institute’s gardens were going to be relocated to the new one?

Johan brought me back from my reverie with a teasing tone. “That being said, half the new garden will be yours to use.” 

I don’t know how big this new garden is, but surely it’s an exaggeration to say that I’ll get half of it.

“Will you get the other half then?” I joked to get revenge.

However, Johan gave me an unexpectedly serious answer. “Yes, but I know everyone will complain about it.”

There were other researchers who wanted to grow the herbs we were trying to keep under wraps. They were sure to be frustrated if Johan and I hogged the new garden all to ourselves.

“True. I’m sure everyone else will want to be able to work on things there too. Could we actually do that, though? Let some of the others use the new garden?”

“It should be fine so long as we section off areas based on the degree of secrecy required—and designate who’s actually allowed to enter those areas.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

Johan’s response did wholly circumvent the problem of people potentially seeing what I was growing with my Saintly powers. I was impressed but not surprised that he had come up with an idea so quickly.

“I’ll let you know what we’re transplanting later. I’d like you to prepare them so they can be moved to the annex once its ready.”

“Understood.” I nodded as I started considering the steps I would need to take.

A short while later, Johan announced who would be using the annex and what herbs were to be transplanted from the institute. Several people in addition to Johan and I would be using the annex’s garden. A lot of researchers wanted to expand their fields, but there was a limited amount of available land. As a result, several fierce disputes erupted among those who wanted to use the annex. Since they couldn’t settle things on their own, Johan wound up picking who got what.

Johan told me that he prioritized those who wanted to grow herbs that required a high degree of confidentiality. So, the people who were chosen were those who wanted to grow the Zaideran herbs or herbs that required a great deal of caution because they could be used in deadly poisons.

By the time the decision was made, we were all about done getting everything prepared, and we received word that the annex was ready to receive us.

***

The land we had been given was part of the royal family’s holdings. It was close to the capital, so we could commute, and it was said to have wonderfully fertile soil. I thought it most magnanimous of the king to grant us such an excellent place to use as our garden. Perhaps that was just proof of how much importance they placed on the development of herb cultivation and potions.

The town where the annex was located looked like any typical city in the Kingdom of Salutania and was encircled by stone walls. Inside the walls were wheat fields.

The building where the annex would be installed was surrounded by additional walls, and the garden was ­located within those. When I heard it was behind two sets of walls, I imagined that the annex premises would be small, but they were actually quite spacious.

The annex grounds were huge. The garden took up the majority of those grounds, and it was so large that it rivaled the one we had at the institute.

Our annex would be part of the complex where the territory’s magistrate worked. That was partly because only a few people would be working at the annex full time, but it was also because the magistrate’s hall was large, so they’d decided to share it. How big am I talking? Nearly as big as a noble manor in the capital. There were also a number of rooms that never saw use, so we claimed them for our own. It would have taken time and money to build a new structure, so I thought this was a great way to effectively utilize unoccupied places they already had on hand.

We were provided with several rooms, including ones for clerical work as well as rooms for brewing potions and the like. As for a parlor for receiving guests and guest rooms for researchers who stayed overnight, we would be sharing some additional rooms with the magistrate. The magistrate would take care of keeping the common areas clean, which I thought made us quite fortunate.

It would have been no exaggeration to call this our second institute, with its vast grounds and prominent structure. You would have thought they would put someone other than Johan in charge, but they didn’t.

When we first talked about it, I feared he would wind up overworking himself, running both the annex and the institute. According to him, though, he was totally fine. The magistrate was helping him by writing monthly reports. I thought that meant the magistrate would have it rough instead, but apparently it wasn’t an issue, as he had been managing the land for a long time now.

Needless to say, I was impressed by the competency of both Johan and the magistrate.

I was crouched in the annex’s garden, checking on the herbs that we had moved from the institute, when I heard someone approach from behind. I looked back to find an incredibly charming and beautiful woman grinning at me.

“Oh, hello.”

“Hello, Lady Sei.”

The woman had sky-blue hair in a loose updo and arching, almond-shaped eyes that were silver-gray. She was very pretty and had a mole by the corner of her left eye that lent her a coquettish air. Though she was dressed modestly as always, that didn’t diminish the combination of her curves and her striking allure.

This was the magistrate’s secretary, Zara. She appeared to be about the same age as me. Though I knew she was an adult, I didn’t know exactly how old she was. I did know she was still unmarried, and as she was a single woman in my age range, we’d become friends over time as I began coming to the annex.

“How are they?” Zara asked as she peered over my shoulder.

“They appear to be doing pretty good, thankfully. I think they’ve managed to take root.”

“That’s great news.” Zara’s smile deepened. She was able to enter this high-security part of the garden because she had permission from the king. As the magistrate’s secretary, the king placed a tremendous amount of trust in her.

This probably went without saying, but the magistrate had permission to enter the garden as well. In addition to the magistrate and Zara, the gardeners employed by the magistrate also had permission. While the plants we were growing in the annex’s garden were highly classified, they were also difficult to cultivate. We needed the gardeners’ help because of their special expertise.

They hadn’t been offhandedly granted permission to join our work, obviously. Everyone who had permission to enter the garden—including me, Johan, the researchers, the magistrate, and the gardeners—had signed a non-disclosure agreement with the royal family to tell no one what we knew about its contents.

“Are you on break, Zara?”

“Indeed I am. I just got my hands on some new tea leaves, so I was hoping to invite you for a cup.”

Zara loved tea and always had it during her breaks; she’d done so even before the annex was established. Soon after we set up at the annex, she had spied me drinking a cup of herbal tea. That was the first time she’d spoken to me. Perhaps we had become friends and gotten along so well from the start because of our shared love of the stuff. Now yet again Zara was here to invite me to enjoy some.

I wonder what kind of leaves she got this time? We can easily get herbal varieties, so maybe it’s black tea? Whatever the case, I can’t wait to find out.

“Thank you! I would love to join you,” I responded enthusiastically to her lovely offer, making Zara’s smile deepen even more.

As a tea lover, Zara was very particular about her brewing. That was why she always made it for us—but to be clear, she was super good at it. She made black tea that day, and it was as delicious as if it had been brewed by a palace maid. You could even have said that it was in a league of its own.

I wonder if I could get her something nice for always making such delicious tea for me? Recently I’d been racking my brain, trying to come up with a good idea. As I was mulling it over and we drank together, the topic of cosmetics came up and I got an idea.

The cosmetics sold by the Saint’s company in the capital were considered incredibly fashionable by noble ladies, so much so that the most popular products were on backorder. I wouldn’t dream of cutting the line, so I wouldn’t do that, but I could give Zara something I’d made personally. I was scared my fifty-percent-­bonus curse might do something weird to it, but if I just tweaked the recipe a bit, I could probably just blame any additional effects on the new ingredients.

Having come to that conclusion, I asked if Zara would like me to make her something.

Zara’s eyes sparkled with delight. “Oh my! Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not. It’ll be my way of saying thanks to you for always making me such delicious tea.”

Voila!

Just as we had settled on this exchange, we finished the pot and our little party came to a close.

What should I give her? The rose oil cream was on backorder, but that was actually pretty pricey as well. While I would’ve loved to make it for a special gift, Zara might think it too much. Maybe it would be better to go with something from the standard line. That series was made with lavender oils. I would also still be tweaking the recipe a bit. 

That reminded me that I had an oil that would go well with lavender. I had made it recently, and it had been wondrously beneficial in and of itself. It was also a ­precious ingredient, so I wouldn’t be using it to make a new product for the store—which made it perfect for hiding the effects of my fifty-percent-bonus curse. I’ll get started on making it as soon as I get to the institute, I thought as I walked toward the garden with a spring in my step.

***

“Lady Sei!”

Two days after I gave Zara her gift and visited the annex garden, I heard someone call my name as I was heading off to check on a certain herb. I recognized the woman’s voice and looked back to find, just as I’d expected, Zara walking over to me with a soft smile on her face.

I had only just arrived at the annex. Daily business at the palace had started about an hour ago, so you could have said that it was still first thing in the morning. Although the annex was located outside the capital, I assumed that work there started at the same time as it did for us at the institute.

I normally talked to Zara during breaks. She had never approached me at this hour before. While I thought it odd, I smiled back at her. “Good morning, Zara.”

“Good morning. Thank you so much for the cream you gave me the other day!” The first words out of her mouth were words of gratitude.

In other words, the special gift I’d devised as thanks of my own for her superlative tea-making skills. Judging by her appearance, it had worked wonders.

“Don’t mention it,” I said. “Your skin didn’t have any bad reactions, did it?”

“Not at all! If anything, my skin has been in splendid condition since I started using it.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

I was pleased to see her delight. As I smiled back at her, her gaze filled with hope as she said, “That cream you gave me is sold at your store, right?”

“No, I actually made that one special.”

“Truly?”

“Yes. The recipe is a bit different from the ones on the market.”

I had expected this question. I’d only ever wound up selling cosmetics in my shop after I once gave some to Liz. Once her friends got wind of it, I’d been hounded by a horde of young ladies from well-to-do families asking to buy more from me. I received the same requests from noble ladies whenever I socialized. I’d therefore had a feeling Zara would ask the same, if she liked the cream. However, this time I wouldn’t be able to tell her where she could get more. At any rate, the ingredients were far more expensive than the ones for rose-oil cream, which was our most popular product.

At first I had made this new cream just for myself, since it was so expensive, but I had, ah, accidentally ­become a bit excited. Now I’d made something even more expensive than the rose cream. I could thankfully conceal the effects of my fifty-percent-bonus curse, but I couldn’t deny that I had probably overdone it.

“So this won’t be sold in your store?”

“No. It’s made using special ingredients.”

The cream I had given Zara used lavender, which was in some of my commercial products, but it also had all sorts of other ingredients that were considered good for your skin in my original world. The most standout of these was frankincense, a resin incense that had been considered precious since ancient times. You could extract oils from the resin just like you could with lavender.

The tree from which you got frankincense was susceptible to the cold, so it didn’t grow naturally in Salutania. However, I had happened to notice that tree several months ago in the palace’s greenhouse. Since finding it there, I had asked the palace to let me use its resin. But I obviously couldn’t use trees from the palace greenhouse for products I intended to sell. There weren’t enough trees to manufacture a meaningful amount of cream either.

I’d also added some herbs that were used as ingredients in superior-grade HP potions. I figured they might be good for revitalizing skin. I summed all this up by calling them “special ingredients,” but I suddenly worried that Zara might think I’d added something kinda weird to the recipe.

“Oh! Of course, I didn’t add anything that would be detrimental to your skin,” I assured her. “I tested it myself before I gave it to you too.”

“I know you wouldn’t. I tried it on my arm first to make sure I didn’t have any reactions, just like you told me to.” Zara nodded.

Whew, what a relief.

Just like I had instructed her to do, I had tested the cream on myself first. This was called a patch test; you smeared a bit on the inner part of your arm and let it sit for a little while to make sure your skin didn’t tingle or turn red.

I had warned Zara to do the same on her skin, because everyone’s complexion is different, and that she should do it on a part of her body where people wouldn’t notice. She had done just as I asked.

“You must have used precious ingredients, then. To think I received such a gift…” Zara had interpreted “­special ingredients” as meaning “precious,” and her expression clouded with guilt.

It’s not your fault, Zara. It’s mine! I had been having so much fun while I made the cream that I went a bit overboard with the extra ingredients. I really hoped she wouldn’t overthink it. “I wouldn’t say that. They’re more ingredients you don’t usually see used. Don’t worry about it.”

Hearing this made Zara smile at me with a powerful emotion in her eyes. That expression was…kind of familiar.

Oh, I know what it is. It’s the same look that the Knights of the Second Order wear. Why is Zara looking at me with that same kind of reverence? Did the cream I gave her work that well? I didn’t think it was that effective when I tried it on myself, but maybe it actually is?

I got a bit of a bad feeling as I squirmed under Zara’s gaze. 

Thankfully, someone came to my rescue as he called out, “Excuse me.”

“Oh, Paul! Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Paul was the head gardener; he had hired the other gardeners at the annex. He was in the prime of his life and had dark-brown hair and eyes, as did many Salutanian people. However, his eyes were sharp, and he had a solid build, so he was one of those folks who gave off an oddly intimidating air even when they were silent. He was a man of few words, which only served to intensify that impression.

Paul rarely spoke to me, so I assumed he had some business he wished to discuss. I swiveled to face him, and it turned out that he wanted to ask me about taking care of some herbs. I figured that it would be easier to show him than to explain, so we decided to head over to the herb plots together.

We happened to be heading in the same direction as the magistrate’s hall, so Zara accompanied us as she went to return to her own duties. She was walking behind Paul and me, which was when I realized that Paul seemed to be acting kind of strangely. He was dragging his left leg a bit.

Does he always walk that way? I was a bit curious, so I glanced at him. “Say, Paul?”

Paul stopped to look at me. “Yes?” 

“Did you hurt your foot?” I asked as I nodded toward it.

“Yes,” he replied. “It’s an old injury.”

It had happened a long time again and was pretty much healed, but sometimes it hurt when the weather turned foul. I looked up at the sky, and indeed, it was overcast.

I see. So we’ll have some rain or something. But it’s an old injury, is it? It must bother him when it hurts just ­because it gets cloudy. And it’s not like that’ll go away someday. Wouldn’t it be better to heal it, if possible?

Luckily for Paul, I was highly proficient with Healing Magic. I could easily take care of even old injuries that hadn’t fully healed on their own. Furthermore, unlike my potion-brewing and cooking skills, this wasn’t a secret. There would likely be a bit of an uproar if I offered to heal any and everyone, but Paul had done a lot for us with the annex garden. I had a feeling it would be okay to help him out—he was a colleague. I had similarly healed my coworkers at the institute when necessary, after all.

Yeah. Okay. I’ll do it! I had made up my mind, so all there was left to do was take action. I faced Paul right away. “May I heal you?”

We heard a, “Huh?” from a surprised Zara, who had been listening to our conversation. It was no surprise that she was taken aback, since ordinarily potions and Healing Magic couldn’t do anything about old injuries. Or perhaps she didn’t know that I could also cast healing spells.

Just in case, I clarified, “I’m very proficient in Healing Magic.”

“I thought old injuries were impervious to that.”

Healing Magic was tied to one’s skill with Holy Magic. It was said that Level 10 was typically the limit, but my skill level was the absurd “Level ∞,” so I usually coasted by simply claiming that I was especially skilled. However, I didn’t know if everyone who was good with Holy Magic could actually help with scars and the like, so it was awkward to have that pointed out.

Zara was peering at me with a dubious expression, so I merely nodded at her to try and dodge any more ­questions before looking to Paul again.

Paul’s expression had remained unchanged during our exchange, as if it had nothing to do with him. Never­theless, he replied, “Please do.” 

So, I went ahead and cast Heal on him.

The ever-expressionless Paul’s eyes widened slightly the second after I cast the spell. After the light of magic abated, Paul tested the effectiveness of my spell by stomping on the ground.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“It…doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Please let me know if it flares up. I’ll cast the spell again.”

I was pretty sure Paul was fully healed now, but follow-­ups are important!

“Thank you. I shall.” Paul bowed deeply to me.

It wasn’t until much later that I learned the effects of the cream I had given Zara were, in short, miraculous—and that my number of devotees had secretly increased.