TUHWKM 10

Chapter 10

“…What is this?”

“An antidote.”

Come to think of it, Kaierus was also a patient.

Moreover, he had been exposed to black magic far longer than the farmer I had met at the orchard. Some mad black mage had even boldly attempted to plant a curse directly into Kaierus’s body.

If Kaierus had been even slightly less strong than he was now, he would probably have already lost the use of one body part.

That said, it wasn’t as if his current state was fine either.

Look at that pale skin.

If he closed his eyes, I’d believe he was a corpse.

Kaierus coldly pulled up one corner of his mouth.

“You haven’t forgotten that you fed medicine to the Crown Prince and ended up here, have you?”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

“And yet you’re telling me to drink this?”

His voice was quite chilly.

“You’ve got nerve, you.”

Since it was something Charlotte had done, I had nothing to say, but I wished he wouldn’t look at me so terrifyingly.

This is genuinely good medicine.

Around this time, Kaierus was dealing with black mages nearly every day. Naturally, he suffered from chronic headaches and fatigue. Because insomnia kept him from sleeping properly, his nerves grew sharper by the day.

If you think about it, that’s my fault.

Because I created that setting.

“Calm down. Even if I have no backing, would I openly try something like this?”

I wore the most harmless expression I could and held the potion bottle out to him again.

“It will purify a body eroded by black magic. I made it stronger than the version for the territory residents. I guarantee its effectiveness. So… if you think about it, it’s like a bribe? To make you stop thinking about killing me.”

Kaierus’s gaze lingered on the potion bottle. That was all. Even as my hand grew awkward, he remained motionless as if lost in thought.

Since I couldn’t gauge what emotion was on Kaierus’s face with his smile gone, I waited patiently until he reacted.

Eventually, Kaierus raised his head.

“…You really are strange.”

His bright yellow eyes carefully scanned me.

“Did something happen to your head during the transfer?”

If I had to say, something had been wrong with me even before the transfer.

“Aren’t you going to drink it?”

“No, I’ll drink it.”

Kaierus finally took the potion bottle. And before I could say anything, he downed it in one gulp.

“Come to think of it, I seem to have some resistance to black magic. It would be best to test it before it goes to the territory residents.”

He could have just accepted it graciously—why does he have to be so contrarian?

“Don’t come asking for more later.”

After saying that pertly to him, I picked up the basket I had set down.

Kaierus’s persistent gaze followed me. His expression was utterly unreadable.

“If you want revenge, you have to at least stay alive first, don’t you?”

His eyes narrowed.

“You said you want to find them, didn’t you? The culprit.”

In the latter part of the story, Kaierus struggles as desperately as Fabian to defeat the mastermind. That bastard was a being who threatened the world, but before that, he was the goal Kaierus had chased his entire life.

To do that, he couldn’t be ailing from the start. Stamina is national power.

More than anything, if I was going to obtain the divine artifact unlike in the original work, I desperately needed this man’s cooperation.

“I want to live too.”

“……”

“So if possible, please shift your thinking toward keeping me alive longer.”

I really want to go home, you unfilial brat.

After saying this as if urging him, I shrugged and slipped out of the pharmacy. Kaierus remained in place, watching me until the moment I closed the door.

—

***

“Yawn, I’m sleepy.”

The next day, by the time I came outside with the medicine basket in my arms, the sun was already high in the sky.

To think I pulled an all-nighter trying to make potions. Even during my senior year of high school, I always made sure to get eight hours of sleep.

Still, thanks to a night of hard work, I had plenty of potions.

By the time I arrived at the orchard, farming was already in full swing. Unlike yesterday, many territory residents were out.

Good, they’re doing well.

The once-contaminated land was now densely planted with small saplings, and some crops were already sprouting new shoots.

Since the land had just been restored by magic, the crops would grow at an incredible rate over the next few days. That meant my snacks would become abundant too.

Excellent.

“You’re working hard.”

“Cough… Oh, Mage-nim?”

The farmer who spotted me looked surprised.

“What brings you all the way here? Cough, cough.”

“The mage is here?”

“That woman is the mage?”

“She’s not a black mage?”

“She is a black mage, but apparently she can use white magic too.”

“Th-then is she different from those bad ones…?”

“Enough, why ask.”

The territory residents scattered here and there murmured and gathered around me. There were faces I had seen yesterday and faces I was seeing for the first time.

I stood holding the basket and carefully observed them.

Some simply looked tired, but most not only had pale, sickly complexions but also had dark circles reaching down to their chins.

If I had been a little later, several of them would have become patients.

“Mage-nim, thank you truly. Cough, thanks to you, the crop yield will increase soon. I was so worried about what to do with all this land…”

“Oh my, indeed. I planted trees this morning and they grew so quickly, just like a lie! I thought it was magic!”

That’s because it is magic.

Even the people who had been subtly avoiding me until yesterday gathered around, beaming with wide smiles.

Not a witch but Mage-nim.

It’s surprisingly nice to hear?

“Cough, but what really brings you here?”

“Ah, I came to give you these.”

I held out the medicine box I was carrying.

“It’s a supplement and antidote. It’s good for your health, so please take it.”

“An anti…dote?”

“Yesterday I saw that everyone looked unwell and was coughing. That’s all the aftermath of the black magic remaining in this land. There are neighbors who have collapsed too, right? If you give it to them as well, they’ll recover.”

Now, be moved again and call me Mage-nim.

“I see… I understand.”

What?

Why is the reaction like this?

A lukewarm answer came back.

I thought they would rush to take the medicine, but the territory residents only exchanged glances and hesitated, not one of them daring to reach out first.

“Aren’t you going to take it?”

An older woman asked cautiously.

“Is it really safe… truly?”

“What?”

“I-I’m not really doubting you. It’s just, you’re suddenly being so kind to us…”

I understand.

They’re grateful I restored the land, but they haven’t fully cleared me of being a black mage.

It was a bit deflating, but I understood.

The residents here had suffered a lot at the hands of black mages. Accordingly, black mages had a bad image.

“It’s perfectly fine medicine. Even His Grace the Grand Duke took it yesterday, you know?”

“H-His Grace the Grand Duke did?”

“Yes. He downed it in one gulp.”

I shouldn’t mention that he volunteered himself as a test subject.

But my explanation was in vain—the territory residents remained unmoved.

Now I’m starting to feel a little hurt.

Hey, I stayed up all night making this.

“Why would I bother restoring the land and then feed you bad medicine? If something happens to you, who’s going to grow my snacks—I mean, fruit?”

“Th-that’s true.”

An awkward atmosphere flowed.

These people, really.

Just as I was about to genuinely feel hurt, a hand suddenly shot out from between the crowd. It was the farmer ajusshi who had yelled “Witch!” at me yesterday and tumbled into the field.

“Ugh, I don’t care anymore. Sick is sick either way, isn’t it? I’m going to take it. Cough, cough. The coughing is killing me!”

Gulp.

The farmer ajusshi downed the medicine in an instant.

A silence fell all around.

“…Hey, a-are you okay?”

“Gasp.”

“What, what! What’s happening!”

The farmer ajusshi, who had slowly grabbed his throat, opened his eyes wide.

“The cough… it’s not coming.”

“What?”

“The cough isn’t coming! My throat doesn’t hurt either! I think I have more energy too?”

The farmer ajusshi, who just moments before had dark lines streaking down his face, jumped up and down in place. Vigor fairly glowed on his face.

The territory residents, who had been staring blankly at the farmer ajusshi, finally opened their eyes wide as if struck on the head.

“Wait, is this real?”

“Then me too, me too!”

“What are you all doing, pick one up each!”

The earlier silence was nowhere to be seen as the territory residents all rushed forward and began grabbing the medicine.

“It’s real! The cough is gone!”

“My muscle aches have completely disappeared!”

“What in the world is this…”

See, what did I tell you?

“There’s plenty, so take one each. Share some with your neighbors too.”

“Yes, Mage-nim! Thank you, truly thank you!”

“What are you doing, Aiden? Get the Mage-nim a basket of tomatoes at least!”

“Ugh, I was just about to.”

A farmer busily moved about and thrust a basket full of tomatoes and strawberries into my arms. He bowed repeatedly, telling me to come anytime I needed fruit.

“Long live the Mage-nim!”

“She’s a benefactor, a benefactor!”

Haha, that’s right.

Get healthy quickly and grow my fruit nice and big. So I can eat to my heart’s content.