Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Medicines for the Prince
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Pharmacist, since the 2nd Prince falls ill so often, we've decided to station a dedicated pharmacist in his palace. It feels like details of his condition might be leaking out as well."
"L-Leaking, you say?! Wh-who would dare commit such an act?!"
King Sedes's beast-like yellow eyes gleamed fiercely.
Having heard the full explanation from Sir Evan, Sedes was in a towering rage. Leaking information about a royal's illness to the outside world was a crime among crimes. Even if it was between royals.
Though no evidence remained, the errant pharmacist trembled and kowtowed on the floor. The assistant pharmacists and physicians watching from the side had backed away, fearing the sparks might fly their way.
"Why so frightened? I never said you were the one who leaked it. For now, I'm thinking of sending some of the palace medicines to the 2nd Prince's palace. Bring out one pouch each of the medicines listed on this note, if you have them."
"Y-Yes, sire!"
The pharmacists sprang into action. Though there were quite a few varieties, pouches stuffed full of medicines began to pile up one by one.
Sedes couldn't fully believe that the commoner boy could read pulses and handle medicines, but if Sir Evan was to be believed, it was clear the pharmacist had gone over to the 1st Prince's side.
He held no grudge against the 1st Prince himself, but he did against the Queen, so this wasn't something he could simply overlook. Besides, with the 2nd Prince falling sick so frequently, providing him with a pharmacist or physician wasn't a bad idea.
As everyone bustled about, one assistant pharmacist approached and bowed.
"Your Majesty, we've prepared all the medicines we have in stock. Shall we place orders for the herbs we don't have?"
"Quite a few missing?"
"About ten varieties. There are some poisons, and quite a few rare herbs. Some aren't used often, so it might take a little time."
"Poisons?"
"Yes. The ones marked here are all poisons. Nothing extremely dangerous—they're the kind occasionally used in medicines depending on the formulation. The recipes are a bit tricky, but skilled pharmacists use them routinely."
Sedes frowned slightly at the mention of poisons, but since they were clearly labeled and the pharmacists didn't seem to think it odd, it appeared there was no major issue.
"Very well, prepare what you can for now. And in your opinion, what do you make of this herb list?"
"It's faithful to the basics, but most are ingredients for mass-produced medicines, so there's little need to store them as raw herbs. It seems like they're planning to create new formulations from the start, tailored to the 2nd Prince's constitution."
"Constitution?"
"Yes, the effectiveness of medicines varies slightly depending on a person's constitution. Just as humans and elves differ. For a quarter-elf prince, custom formulations suited to his body would be far more effective than standard remedies."
"Is that so? The new pharmacist for the 2nd Prince's palace is doing some impressive work, then. The lad's still young—do you have any advice for him?"
"The 2nd Prince is so frail and falls ill often, but I hope he doesn't blame himself and steadfastly carries out his duties."
"That's excellent advice. Any additional herbs we should include?"
Sedes turned toward the chief pharmacist—not the assistant before him—lifting one corner of his mouth in a smirk.
His mouth smiled, but his eyes held no mirth, making it all the more menacing, like a judge soliciting final arguments.
The pharmacist instinctively sensed his dismissal and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Everything on the memo was for dried herbs only. Since that pharmacist seems intent on sourcing others, I don't need to step in. Instead, I have some very precious tea leaves—perhaps as a token of encouragement?"
Sedes nodded and had Sir Evan take charge of the tea leaves the pharmacist offered. The king's shadow knights, disguised in advance as coachmen and porters, hurriedly loaded the herb pouches onto wagons and headed for the 2nd Prince's palace.
Sedes pretended to return to his office, then donned a porter's disguise, mounted a horse, and followed to join them.
The once-peaceful 2nd Prince's palace now saw the arrival of Sir Evan, one coachman, three porters, and one hidden shadow knight for protection—six in total.
Everyone except the shadow knight shouldered five or six pouches each. The king was no exception. A porter not carrying loads would have no excuse to enter the palace.
Sir Evan, leading the way, grabbed a maid who was busily cleaning the stairs.
"Where's that wildcat guy?"
Sir Evan winced at his own words. Calling him a wildcat in front of His Majesty. And the servants had no idea it was a reference to that.
As Evan hurried to correct himself, the young maid piped up.
"Ah! You mean the prince's friend? So he is a beastkin after all!"
"...No, I misspoke. But beastkin?"
"Isn't he? Word's spread among the servants about his beast-like hearing and sense of smell. At first, when he arrived, there were rumors he was a divine beast because of his stunning beauty, or a magic doll, or a fox who seduced the prince. I thought he was a white-furred beastkin! I was so sure this time..."
Sir Evan's expression grew complicated. He never knew such rumors were circulating inside the palace, with the boy never leaving the prince's side.
"...Rumors like that, huh? Anyway, where is he?"
"He passed by the kitchen about thirty minutes ago, but I don't know where he is now. He was hugging the prince's Poofu tight."
"...P-Poofu? The bear doll? Got it."
Sir Evan took the lead again toward the kitchen. King Sedes, following behind, murmured softly.
"The boy's looks must be quite striking."
"...Yes. Enough to understand why such rumors spread."
"The prince never mentioned his appearance... It only piques my curiosity more."
Sedes showed keen interest, but Sir Evan's face hardened.
Poofu—no, a bear doll. It strangely suited the boy while clashing entirely.
Sir Evan felt an inexplicable unease as they reached the kitchen. A servant peeling potato skins spotted him first and jumped up to bow.
"Sir Knight, what brings you to the kitchen?"
"Have you seen the prince's friend by any chance?"
"I saw him in the dining hall about an hour ago, hiding something. Hugging a bear doll to his chest. The other servants say he's wandering around hiding things everywhere, but it's so cute, we all pretend not to notice."
"Ah, I saw him in the first-floor lobby."
"I spotted him in the third-floor corridor."
"I saw him heading to the butler's office this morning."
"I saw him on the second floor..."
The servants gathered around, chiming in one after another. All wildcat sightings, but no consistent location—it was maddening.
Where the hell is that guy prowling around?!
"Sir Knight, what's the young master's deal? Is he really a living doll?"
"I heard the lonely prince begged a demon to make him a doll!"
"What doll? He's beastkin, I tell you!"
"Some say he's not just a demon doll—he's a demon himself!"
"You know, he gets so shy around servants, he scurries away!"
"No! He's definitely a divine beast who hasn't learned human speech yet!"
"You know he hugs the prince's things one by one when His Highness isn't around? Must miss him. So adorable!"
Magic doll? What do they even think of the prince?! Shy? Fleeing? Can't speak human? And why's he hugging the prince's stuff?! What the hell does this kid do when he's alone?!
Sir Evan, who had come to find Nihil only to get surrounded by servants spouting nonsense, felt a throbbing headache coming on.
"...Enough! Back to your posts, all of you. Only speak if you know where he is now."
"If he's nowhere else, maybe he went back to the bedroom?"
Sir Evan nodded. Deciding to check the bedroom first, he quickly dispersed the servants and led the way again.
Then something shiny caught his eye.
A gold coin hidden in a hallway statue.
"A gold coin. Did the boy hide it?"
"...Looks like it."
Sir Evan picked up the coin, pocketed it with a furrowed brow, and continued to Nihil's bedroom door.
He knocked roughly and opened it. The room was similar in layout to the prince's but felt even more spacious and empty.
"...Does the boy use this room?"
Sedes's question made Sir Evan wince inwardly. Truth be told, it was a room meant for royalty. Not only on the fifth floor, but directly across from the prince's bedroom.
Sir Evan quickly made excuses.
"He insisted on a room close to the prince, so His Highness gave him this one. He was so stubborn..."
"The prince must truly cherish him. That said, doesn't the room look too barren? No sign anyone's been staying here."
"......"
It was true. No one had been staying there.
Now that he thought about it, had that wildcat ever even entered this room?
Is he in the prince's bedroom right now?
Cold sweat trickled down Sir Evan's back.
A friend rolling around in an empty bedroom—how was he supposed to explain that?
"...Your Majesty, he doesn't seem to be here. And if the boy has been rude in any way, please don't punish him too harshly."
"How could a mere porter like me punish anyone?"
"...A little scolding would be fine."
Sir Evan closed Nihil's bedroom door, turned, and headed for the prince's bedroom. On second thought, it was unlikely he was there. The boy was so sensitive to presences that he would've noticed Evan coming and emerged by now.
He opened the door to a deeply familiar sight.
"Is this the 2nd Prince's room?"
Sedes scanned Lianus's bedroom. He hadn't expected it to be cute and cluttered, but even this felt sparsely furnished.
"Yes. Truth be told, he spends most of his time here with the prince."
"I see. That explains the barrenness of his own room. But he doesn't seem to be here either..."
"It looks that..."
Bang! Thud!
As Sir Evan inwardly sighed in relief, the terrace window suddenly flew open with a loud crash. And an ash-gray head appeared...
Ash-gray?
"Y-You! What the hell happened to you?!"