“Yep.”
“Ugh, but I’m so bored…”
This will do. I smiled and handed him the contract.
“So, you’ll do it then?”
Hierian reluctantly nodded his head.
* * *
Hierian took the herbs to his room and on the second day, he came back with the medicine. Startled by his astonishing speed, Hierian had a proud expression on his face.
“I did well, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you’re truly an amazing magician.”
Hierian chuckled happily. The medicine was in the form of an ointment, just as it appeared in the original work. As he fiddled with the jar, he explained to me.
“This has a hair-growth effect. I made it into an ointment for easier application.”
“Is it safe to use directly on humans?”
“Yes, I’ve already finished the experiments!”
Hierian’s eyes sparkled. I wasn’t sure when he managed to finish the experiments, as it seemed like he had been in his room all this time…
‘Well, let’s live in ignorance.’
There was a reason why they say ignorance is bliss when it comes to medicine. Anyway, all that was left was to demonstrate its effectiveness and spread the word.
I shifted my gaze to the window. There were a few knights practicing swordsmanship with Therid. Among them, there was a suitable test subject.
‘That one.’
It was Mr. Mino. He often worried about his receding hairline and spent a considerable amount on hair loss treatments.
‘Since he’s well-known and easygoing, the rumors will spread quickly in Astita.’
If rumors spread within Astita, people from other territories would gather as well. It would only be a matter of time before word spread to many places.
I picked up the ointment and stood up from my seat. Hierian seemed to have noticed the person I was looking at and followed closely fidgeting. We approached Mr. Mino and enthusiastically shared the effective ointment with him.
That night, Mr. Mino was tricked into applying the ointment. The next day, with his newly grown hair, he went around the neighborhood, spreading the rumors.
“Look at this! My hair has sprouted!”
* * *
The hair-growth ointment was a huge hit. It was the expected result since it solved a long-standing problem.
I gave Hierian half of the profits and entrusted him with the distribution. As the owner of the magical store, he could sell it at a higher price, with a premium attached, compared to me, whose identity was unknown.
Hierian willingly put his name on it and sold the ointment at a high price. Even so, they were selling like hotcakes. We ran out of ingredients and couldn’t make any more ointment.
That’s why I gave some of the profits to Grandma Jimi and built a greenhouse for her. Hierian also helped her by hiring a skilled magician to cultivate the calendula.
It would take some time to start cultivation, but even in the original work, Hierian succeeded in cultivating calendula. If we waited patiently, the results would come soon enough.
I gave all the remaining money to my father. However, he refused to accept it. Due to his stubbornness, I gave the money to my mother instead.
“First, pay off the urgent debts.”
Although my mother initially refused, I secretly put gold coins in her personal storage room.
‘She’ll figure it out and use it when necessary.’
I didn’t interfere any further. I wasn’t a true member of the Astita family anymore, so I didn’t want to meddle and cause any misunderstandings.
Fortunately, sometime later, I heard that all the debts owed to Viscount Leven had been paid off.
* * *
The secretary approached Dianel in the office of the Crown Prince’s Palace, spreading documents in front of him before speaking.
“She is currently staying in Astita. It seems that the condition of the Countess of Astita has improved since her arrival.”
“What is the public reaction?”
“There is no confirmed information, but there is a belief that Siara might have had a healing effect.”
Dianel nodded his head. He had heard of the Countess of Astita’s condition before.
The once-healthy wife suddenly claimed to have a daughter and wandered around the mansion, and her symptoms worsened as time went on. As a result, the caring Count Astita had poured his estate into treating his wife’s illness. Therid, a knight of the royal order, also took leave and devoted himself to his mother’s treatment in their hometown.
However, despite the family’s care, the wife’s condition continued to worsen. In the process, the Count suffered fraud and incurred significant financial losses. As a result, debts accumulated in the once prosperous Astita estate, making it difficult to repay the large sum immediately.
The reputation of Astita suffered greatly as a result. Being a distant noble family from the political realm, coupled with the madness and fraud, was a natural consequence.
But now, everything had turned around because of the “Calendula Ointment.”
Dianel asked inquisitively,
“The co-developer of the ointment is Hierian, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. The profits are split equally between them.”
“Quite a dedicated effort.”
Dianel smirked a little.
Hierian, famous for being picky about everything, perked up at Siara’s words, like a mother bird feeding her young. It was an instinctive movement.
He wiped his ears with a handkerchief as if indicating that he had heard an unpleasant story, then tossed it onto the floor. The handkerchief, carefully embroidered by his artisan, was mercilessly trampled upon.
Dianel paid no attention and immersed himself in thought. Despite being daytime, the dimly lit office with drawn curtains cast a flickering candlelight across his face.
It was late summer. It was the time when the sunflower festival would be held in Astita, but due to the Countess’ madness causing the cancellation of the festival in the past three years, there was no guarantee it would take place this year. However, if he had the intention, he could make it happen.
Dianel took out a piece of stationery from the drawer and began writing with a graceful touch.
[To my faithful subordinate, Therid le Astita.]
Therid, the heir to Astita, was a knight in the Crown Prince’s Palace. A knight who inherited the power of the fairy race. In reality, he was a practically useless existence. He was neither physically imposing nor exceptionally strong. His mediocre fighting skills were laughable.
However, there were complaints among the nobility about the imbalance in employment between the houses.
‘A specific family monopolizes the positions!’
‘The discrimination between families is increasing.’
‘We must set an example in the royal family.’
The only reason Therid was hired was because of that, and there was a little bit of Dianel’s ambition involved. But now, he was assisting with this. A lukewarm smile appeared on Dianel’s dry face.
He finished the letter and placed it on the desk. The letter mentioned the Countess of Astita’s recovery, expressing relief, and anticipation for the upcoming sunflower festival.
“To Astita.”
The secretary bowed and left the office. The sunlight that entered through the slightly open door briefly permeated the office before disappearing.
Dianel stared at the vanished sunlight like a residual scar, then snapped his fingers. Suddenly, even the faint candlelight in the office disappeared.
In broad daylight, the office of the Crown Prince’s Palace was engulfed in profound darkness.
* * *
The letter from the Crown Prince was promptly delivered to the Astita Mansion. He expressed his regret for the talented individual taking a leave of absence and conveyed his congratulations on the good health of Lady Astita. He also sent a splendid sword as a gift.
The sword, painstakingly crafted by the royal artisan, was magnificent enough to be regarded as a family heirloom. Therid, in turn, felt a surge of pride.
“Look at this! I told you, His Highness the Crown Prince must have been waiting for me!”
Therid exclaimed. He was determined to impress His Highness and rolled up his sleeves to prepare for the festivities.
‘Hmph, he seems excited.’
Thanks to him, the mansion buzzed with preparations for the festival. While everyone was getting excited, I couldn’t fully enjoy it.
‘Dianel, what’s your ulterior motive?’
The memories of when I traveled to the burial chamber through the magical pillar were still vivid. If I hadn’t withdrawn at the right moment, I might have been imprisoned in the burial chamber by now.
Nothing happened after that, so I assumed he’d given up, but I was mistaken.
‘Well, Dianel always had an intense obsession once he set a target.’
Whether it was money, honor, or material possessions, he was a person who could only find satisfaction by obtaining what he desired.
In that sense, I couldn’t trust the letter sent by the Crown Prince at face value. He was not a compassionate person who would care for the welfare of his subordinates’ families. The high likelihood was that he had a reason to visit Astita.
‘Maybe it’s better to leave the territory before the festival begins.’
If Dianel became interested in Astita because of me, his interest would naturally diminish if I left. The problem was where to settle.
The Empire occupied all the largest and most livable lands on the continent. The rest was divided between the Eora Temple and the Mage Tower.
All three were territories of noble families. There was little difference no matter where I went.
‘Should I leave the continent?’
As I agonized over this, Hierian, who was eating a cookie next to me, asked,
“Sister, do you have a headache?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“Should I give you medicine?”
I shook my head. I didn’t need medicine. It was just a dilemma of whether I should leave this place or not. Then suddenly, I remembered what Hierian had told me when I was at the Mage Tower.
‘He said I should hide in the restricted area from non-administrators. Why did he say that?’
Finally, I decided to speak up.
“Hierian, why did you tell me to hide before?”
“Huh? That…?”
Hierian clenched his lips and hesitantly answered.
“…Because of Dianel.”
Then he closed her mouth as if he didn’t want to say more. It wasn’t like this during our expedition, but the current Hierian displayed his dislike for Dianel.
Anyway, his words made it even more certain. Dianel was undoubtedly chasing after me.
