Chapter 202:
An Extraordinary Potion
I proceeded to sign all the documents. Since I was getting such a huge amount of money, it would be deposited directly into my bank account. And thank goodness. If he’d just handed the money to me, I would have been too scared to leave the room. The transfer would be made within the day, so I would check with the bank in a few days to see if it had gone through. To be honest, I was too scared to check my account. I wanted to keep it out of sight, out of mind…but apparently that wasn’t an option for me.
“Understood, sir.”
“If you have a problem with the transfer, please let me know right away. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That reminds me, you and Druid are going traveling together, right?”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Druid officially said that he would come with me.”
“I see. Thanks for that.”
“Huh?”
I looked at the guild master and saw a very gentle expression in his eyes.
“He’s been suffering alone all these years. Even when he smiled, a part of him always looked sad. But whenever he’s with you, Ivy, he seems genuinely happy. I guess he’s finally found a place where he belongs… It’s hard to put it into words. But anyway, you’re a huge support to him, Ivy.”
A support… “Well, Druid is a big support to me, too. Or actually…”
“Or actually?”
“He’s like a father to me.”
“Pfft! A father? Ha ha ha…ah, I see. You’re a family.”
He was right—Druid had become like family to me. Whenever I started working on something new, he was always there to watch over me…and lend me a guiding hand if I ever got lost. He was dear to me…so very dear to me…just like a father.
“Take good care of Druid for me, you hear? He’s my best friend, and I love that guy.”
“I will, sir. Wait…that sounds funny. He’s the one who’s taking care of me.”
“No, Ivy, I assure you, from everyone’s point of view, you are taking care of him.”
“Oh, please!”
“Ha ha ha… Oh, by the way, you found a blue fruit when you were foraging in the forest, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir. And it fetched a pretty high price, too, if I remember.”
“Yeah, well…it’s pretty expensive no matter where you go. The medicinal nuts go up and down, you know. But if you want to get into foraging more, you should focus on that blue fruit. It’ll give you a steady income.”
So medicinal nut prices varied. I didn’t know that. The blue fruit he was talking about had kind of a special flavor, I think. It was more than just sweet; it had a very unique taste to it. I didn’t care for it.
“Thanks for telling me, sir. If I find it again, I’ll be sure to collect some of it.”
I thought I’d found it pretty far into the forest. If it didn’t put too much of a burden on Ciel, maybe I would go exploring deep in the forest sometime. Come to think of it, I didn’t know that blue fruit’s name. I’d never seen it in any shops, either.
“Guild master!” A voice shouted from outside the room before I could ask about the fruit. It sure was a busy day here.
“Well, I’d better be on my way. Thank you for seeing me, sir.”
“Again, I’m sorry it took so long. I swear the money will be in your account by the end of the day.”
The guild master seemed more bothered by it than I was. I gave him a nod and turned to leave the room as he deactivated the magic item. Outside the room stood a pretty lady…who looked a bit angry.
“Ack! Sorry I’m running late,” the guild master stammered.
“Huh?! Oh, no, no, it’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it,” the lady said, walking through the half-open door with a big stride.
“Agh! Alumi, what about your baby?!”
“Baby, my foot! I told you to let me know if there were any problems, remember? Well, there I was, all relaxed because you hadn’t told me anything…then I find out you’re way behind on your work and you’ve messed everything up!”
“Er, well, I just—”
“You just need to ask for help when you need it…like you do now! If you’re so worried about my baby, maybe consider that I can’t relax and be a good parent in a town that’s in shambles! I told you over and over before I took the time off, remember? And you promised you’d contact me right away if the work was too much for you!”
Apparently, Alumi was the guild master’s assistant. Either she’d heard rumors that he was floundering, or she’d figured it out on her own. Regardless, the guild master would probably be okay now that she was here.
“I’ve told your wife you won’t be home for a few days. I won’t let you go home until we’ve gotten through this pile of backed-up work, you hear?!”
“Alumi! What are you even—”
“Did. I. Stutter?”
“Eep! Er…no, ma’am. Forget I said anything.”
I carefully slipped out of the room and left the guild lodge. Two adventurers were deep in conversation close to the door. I was going to walk right past them, but…
“Was the potion really that amazing?”
I stopped in my tracks. They were talking about the potion.
“Yeah, it was just incredible. I got gored by a gurbar tusk, ya see. Thought I was a goner for sure. I was even starting to black out. Then, the next thing I know, I’m awake, not bleeding, and not even scratched… It sure was a surprise.”
“Huh?! You mean you don’t know what happened?”
“Well, no, I don’t. I was out cold when it all went down.”
“Aw, some storyteller you are!”
“Sorry, I can’t help it. I lost a lot of blood.”
“So you’re saying you don’t know anything about that potion?”
“Well, no…I saw it.”
“You saw it?”
“Yeah… There was this poor bastard who was left until the end to be saved, probably because his wounds were the worst and they figured he was a goner. Anyway, I saw them pouring all the potions they had left down his throat. And it sparkled…that potion sparkled!”
“A sparkling potion? Never heard of such a thing.”
“At first, I didn’t know what they were making him drink. But there was no mistaking it—a guy who was gonna die in a few seconds was up on his feet only a minute after drinking that potion. I was pretty shocked to see it. The gaping hole in his stomach was all knitted together. And even though he’d been bleeding out and his face was all pale…his normal color was back.”
“Seriously? C’mon, I don’t care how extraordinary this potion was. I’ve never heard about anything like that.”
“That’s what I said in the first place: It was an incredible potion the likes of which I’d never seen before!”
“Okay, okay, I get it, stop yelling at me! Ya know…it makes me wonder, why did they use a potion like that on us? That guy everyone calls ‘Master’ was carrying it, right?”
“Yeah. We asked him for more details, but he wouldn’t give us any. Still, it was definitely his potion. No mistake.”
“Oh, wow. He’s a lifesaver, then.”
“Yeah, a lifesaver. When I volunteered to be a shield on this mission, I knew damn well I was likely to die. So when I came back to town in one piece…when I saw the looks on my family’s faces…I almost bawled.”
“I seriously did bawl when I saw you.”
He volunteered as a “shield”? I think those are members of a party who will shield their comrades if that’s necessary to make a mission successful. I quietly looked over the faces of the two adventurers. Both of them were still so young. And one of them had volunteered to be a shield? In a mission where he knew there was a strong chance of dying? I felt the tears well up inside me…but I swallowed hard and started to walk.
“You really cried?”
“Yeah, I cried for real.”
I heard the two laugh behind me. I was so glad that Sora’s potion helped people. I gave the bag hanging on my shoulder a gentle pat and sent a silent “thank you” to it, and the bag jiggled a little in response.
“Thanks, Sora… Thanks, Flame.” I just had to say the words out loud, so I murmured them quietly so nobody else could hear. The bag jiggled much harder than before, filling my heart with a reassuring warmth. I’m gonna give those slimes all the potions, swords, and spent magic stones today.
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