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Chapter 23

Arleaf’s father stands up to stop me, but only to have the air choked out of him by his cough.

“Muu! Hold him back!”

“Mu!”

Following my order, Muu leaps at Arleaf’s dad.

I don’t think he’s exactly a match for Muu right now, but hopefully that’ll buy me some time.

Muu tackles the apothecary and pins him down face-up.

Just to be sure, I hit him with a bit of Mild Paralysis Poison.

“Gah!—cough...”

That should buy me some time.

“Yukihisa?!”

Arleaf scoldingly calls my name out in, worried for her dad.

“It’ll be alright. I’m gonna save your parents... though I’m doubtful whether they’d drink this.”

I probably look like I’m being pretty stubborn right now.

But this medicine is really tricky to make, and I don’t want to be liable for accidentally killing anyone. Of course, I don’t want anybody butting in.

It might have been a little heavy-handed of me, but it’s because I don’t trust myself doing this.

“No... I think Father will drink it once he understands what it is. He mentioned that the potions you previously made were quite good.”

Is that right... rather, will he really understand?

‘Then explain it to them. Medicines with Marphina as the main active ingredient are effective against Bloodflower.’

I explain on Veno’s behalf.

“The disease manifests itself in the shape of a flower on the chest. That’s because Bloodflower is borne out of these tiny parasitic mold-type monsters that live on the patient’s chest.”

I didn’t think there’d be monsters like that.

I guess not all monsters are visible to the naked eye.

It really makes me feel as if being a Poison-Wielder is playing on easy-mode in this world. Everybody else has it rough.

“Marphina by itself has the same poisonous effect on the body as it does on the monster. But when mixed with Red Deathfire, it becomes more effective against the mold yet neutralizes the poison for the host. It even gains some antidotal effect.”

I get it now. That’s why you said it’s instantly curable.

You just have to kill the monsters.

‘It is said that these mold-type monsters were the spawn of an infamous monster. The infamous monster has already been slain, but its creation lives on.’

The toxic mold monsters are instantly killed by the antidote. That’s why the symptoms go away immediately too.

... does that mean the viruses and bacteria in this world are all monsters?

‘The only answer I can give thee is that it depends on the situation. There exist illnesses not caused by monsters. Bloodflower, though, is one caused by a mold-type monster.’

Whatever it may be, it’s a troublesome one.

I don’t even know if I understand it completely myself.

I’m not an apothecary. I’m just a Poison-Wielder and an inexperienced one at that.

But if I can’t get them to understand it, they won’t take the medicine.

“That’s why Bloodflower doesn’t do much to people with high levels. The monsters’ attack is ineffective, so they just give up.”

I see. Because poison kills the parasites, I’m practically immune to this disease.

The poison coursing through my body is deadly enough to immediately kill them.

“Your medicine lacks enough poison to kill off the Bloodflower. That’s why I’ve added in the plant that causes suffocation, Pogneuk, and deadly Dietetrodake spores; five percent by volume, to be exact. With that ratio, it should be harmless to the user but deadly enough to wipe out the monsters. Do you get it?”

The Mild Paralysis Poison subsides. Arleaf’s dad stays quiet and remains restrained by Muu.

He doesn’t look too happy about it.

I signal Muu to get off him.

‘What else is there... aye. Thou ought to prove to them that thine medicine is safe, so consume some in front of them. Well, even if the medicine were to be a failure and turns out to be lethally poisonous, thou shall be fine testing for poison with thine Poison Absorption.’

That plan’s just downright dirty... with that said though, I have no choice but to do it like this.

“I’ll prove it to you guys by drinking some first. I probably have been infected just by being here, but if not, it’ll work as a vaccine for me. With this, may I have your trust?”

Arleaf rushes to her dad’s side and nods at me.

“... I don’t think Yukihisa is mistaken about this. Father, won’t you give this a try?”

“Cough cough... how boorish of you to get handsy on me, but I get what you’re trying to say. But I won’t trust you unless I see you drink some of what you’ve just made, seeing how it almost all poison. Don’t you fail now.”

“Yes, sir.”

With his consent, I add five percent of what seems like pure poison... and mix thoroughly with the medicine Arleaf’s dad has made.

I check if I had made this right.

Specialized Medicine

Quality: Superior

A fairly dangerous medicine made from toxic substances. Can heal certain illnesses.

Extremely dangerous when ingested in large amounts.

‘A spoonful should be enough for it to work.’

It looks just like a regular potion and nothing more. I let it cool down to room temperature and drink a spoonful of it.

It’s got... a particular flavor. A strong nose of osmanthus.

Detect Poison didn’t activate, so I should be fine.

“Is this good enough?”

“Cough... hold your horses. What if you go ‘Urgh!’ and fall over dead as I take a sip?”

Well, fair.

Not much I can do but wait about ten minutes.

As fine and unperturbed as I seem, Arleaf’s father looks at me with dubious eyes. His suspicion leads him to retrieving an expensive-looking bottle of antidote from a cupboard.

He’s a cautious one.

“Father, wouldn’t it be less effective if you take both the medicine and antidote together?”

“Arleaf! You were watchin’, weren’t ya? If he screwed up at all, I’m drinking nothing but poison. I’ve got to be prepared.”

“Goodness... Yukihisa tested it for poison already! You’re being rude! Now, hurry up and take some of the medicine.”

Arleaf helps her father drink some of the medicine I had prepared.

“Ugh...”

It works promptly.

“Cou—huh?!”

Shocked, Arleaf’s father stops mid-cough and pats his chest.

The petals on his chest disappear, as does the paleness on his face. He truly has fully recovered in an instant.

“What in the gods’ names?! I’ve been cured that easily?!”

That’s quick for sure. It took almost a whole second.

The reason why it’s so easily curable is because monsters were the cause of it.

Well... I might be cherry-picking, but the medicine in this world is amazing. It’s just like in a game, where your ailments heal at once.

‘Bloodflower may be dangerous, but the monsters are weak. Take the appropriate steps and they are easily defeated.’

They may be resistant to all sorts of potions and antidotes, so they do have some kind of fortitude.

Not to mention, they’re microscopic, just like a virus.

They’re bound to quickly die if you pump your body full of poison.

“Bloodflower isn’t really a disease and this isn’t really a cure... it’s monster hunting.”

“Monsters, huh? No wonder medicine doesn’t really work...”

Seems like he believes me now.

Well, he should naturally, seeing how effective the medicine was.

“How amazing... it worked this quickly.”

Arleaf chimes in, her voice filled with joy.

“The antidotal properties of the medicine you mixed up is enough to neutralize it. Well, make it safe enough to consume in small amounts at least. You should hurry and give some to Arleaf’s mom as well. We can eradicate this village of Bloodflower.”

“By the by, thou shall gain a fair amount of experience just by being near someone who is cured by thy medicine. Furthermore, the medicine is effective against similar diseases.”

I ignore Veno’s good-for-nothing comments.

Luckily, only Muu and I can hear him.

Let’s see... we’ve also got to eradicate this epidemic.

Else Veno’s worst case scenario might become a reality.

I had Arleaf’s mom take some of the medicine her husband and I made, and she quickly recovers too.

It took some potions and healing magic to compensate for her depleted stamina, but she’s fit to be out and about by tomorrow morning.

The next morning, the medicine made with Veno’s instructions was distributed amongst the villagers. And as expected, Bloodflower no longer plagues the village.

For the next few days, I took on the role of apothecary and supervised the production of this cure.

It goes without saying, but everyone in this village and the next village over knows my name.

They’ve all been impacted by the epidemic and all have gone through rough times.

Desperate for a cure, people from nearby villages come to purchase medicine.

Well, the ones afflicted by Bloodflower hoping to find an easy cure do so.

Adventurers have returned as well, bringing their liveliness back to this village.

“Oh, Cohgray. You goin’ out?”

The proprietress was previously bound to her bed but now seems to feel much better. She suddenly calls out to me as I walk past the reception desk.

Her bag-of-bones figure is a thing of the past. In a mere few days, she’s back to a healthy look for her size.

Apparently, her other illnesses had complicated, but after a few trips to the apothecary, it seems like she’s fully recovered.

As a result of her vitality returning... all the fat she’s lost had resurfaced. Or something like that.

However it may be, that sickly appearance is no more. I’ve even seen her borrows Muu’s axe to split firewood.

They say she was a pretty famous adventurer back in the day.

“Yeah, the apothecary has just called me over.”

“That right? Yer givin’ it all every day, aren’tcha? Well, this is all thanks to you anyway. Ain’t that right, Muu-Muu?”

“Mu!”

I’m glad she’s so bright and energetic now, but I wish she’d stop grinning at me all the time.

“Hey, why don’t I introduce ya to my niece? She’s a sweetheart.”

‘She is attempting to coerce thee into a marriage. Avoid it.’

“Oh, uhh, I’m flattered. Really. But I haven’t really haven’t given that kind of thing much thought yet.”

“That right? Cohgray, yer about that age, aren’tcha? Might be a good time for you to settle down.”

Ah, jeez. She’s changed classes from Invalid to Nosy Auntie.

She may be letting me stay for cheap, but damn.

Time to bust out a secret ancient Japanese technique—the ol’ vague non-answer.

“I-I’ll think about it.”

It’s a roundabout way to reject her offer, but I wonder if it works in this world.

“Heh heh.”

Ah, crap. She laughed.

Gah... what should I do?

‘”I do not have the time of day for your niece!” would have been acceptable, I believe.’

Yeah, acceptable for picking a fight!

“Sorry for holdin’ you up. Take care out there. You too, Muu-Muu.”

The proprietress thoughtfully sends us off.

“Mu!”

“Right. I’ll be back.”

With that, we leave the inn for the apothecary.

“Oh, Yukihisa!”

Arleaf greets me in front of her family’s shop.

“You’ve made it, eh, Cohgray?”

The doctor calls my name with an annoyed look on his face.

“How is progress, doctor? Not just with the village... the whole thing.”

“It’s tapering off. Surely you know too.”

“Well, yeah...”

He lets out a heavy sigh.

“Now then... it’s time we discuss payment.”