The Rare Herb Awakens
The herb I was supposed to fetch for Remediela was one thing that brushed past my mind.
Megirurun. The Flower of Rest, the rarest plant in the world, and the most expensive ingredient for top-tier potions.
It wasn’t just expensive. There was a reason it was hard to obtain even for those who had money.
Everyone knew how rare it was, so even soldiers and knights rolling around on the battlefield had heard the stories.
I remembered that once, while sharing a drink with an alchemist near the battlefield, he had said he wanted to use Megirurun at least once in his life.
He had told me all about it.
The places where Megirurun grew were scattered across the kingdom, but the most famous one was Ebonic Tower, located in the Lagrand territory.
It wasn’t one of the three great towers — Amanecer, Noche, or Tardes — but it had built its reputation around growing nothing but Megirurun.
“…in the Lagrand territory.”
Dalek was the eldest son of the Lagrand family, and today he was heading back home.
The moment the thought crossed my mind, I started running without a second thought.
Unfortunately, I didn’t know where his house was.
So I had gone to every student and professor I knew who had been close to Dalek, asking one by one where his townhouse was.
After running so hard my heart felt like it was going to burst, I finally made it to his house right before he left.
“Yo, Dalek…!! In the Lagrand territory, I want to go too!”
I could only spit out those words with my chest heaving.
I was gripping the wall with both hands, breathing as if I was about to puke, but once I calmed down a little I lifted my head.
“Th-thank you… Sorry, I ran here from the academy without resting even once and I feel like I’m going to die…”
Whoa, I was dizzy.
I gave Dalek an awkward smile while he was still catching his breath, and then I felt someone watching me from behind.
Behind him, several maids were staring at me fixedly.
“Are you Master Dalek’s academy friend?”
“Yeah. Name’s Rir Ostrin.”
Dalek, still coughing and struggling to breathe, introduced me to the middle-aged man.
I knew it was rude to show up like this, but my situation was too urgent.
Who knew when the next rest day would even come?
“…Apologies, but Master Dalek must return home immediately. Accompanying him so suddenly is difficult.”
“How can I refuse? I really need to get to Ebonic Tower in a hurry…”
The moment he heard “Ebonic Tower,” the middle-aged man’s expression shifted with a hint of confusion.
The man, who looked like a butler, thought for a moment and then turned to Dalek.
“Normally this is unusual, but how does Master feel about it?”
“If it’s on the way to Ebonic Tower, then there’s no problem, right?”
“Very well.”
The maids started moving busily again.
The middle-aged man gestured with his hand toward the carriage in a polite manner.
“Master. Rir. Please board the carriage first. We’ll depart as soon as everything is ready.”
“Thank you, Dalek.”
“It’s nothing.”
After thanking Dalek, I gave the butler a light nod of gratitude as well.
And I was the first to climb into the carriage.
I couldn’t help but be amazed at the grand scale of the carriage that showed Dalek came from a noble family.
Meanwhile, Dalek was having a light chat with his butler Simon, who had arrived a bit late.
“I was supposed to say no, but what were you thinking?”
“If Father or the others were to meet Master’s friends, they might like it. Master never had any decent friends, did he?”
“So you introduced me as an excuse. Yeah, we didn’t have any friends you could call real friends until you entered the academy.”
“Because servants can’t make decisions on their own without the master’s permission.”
Taking Dalek with me wasn’t exactly bad. I figured the father who worshipped his son would be happy about it.
The only problem was that it made the schedule a bit tight since we had to stop at the castle first and then head to Ebonic Tower. But that was Rir’s problem to handle.
After giving a small nod in front of Simon, Dalek slowly climbed into the carriage.
---
Simon, the townhouse butler of the Lagrand family.
A middle-aged butler who had started as a simple page in the Lagrand household and risen to his position was a legendary figure.
He had spent half his life taking care of Dalek, and now their relationship had become close enough for casual jokes and genuine conversation.
Honestly, I thought maybe he could be considered a second father.
When Dalek couldn’t sleep because of nightmares, he would summon me and tell me to stay by his side.
After finishing brutal sword training, he would let me rub medicine on his swollen hands.
When he heard the news of his favorite hero, his grip on the sword would grow stronger.
I was the one who had watched every step of his growth.
I knew everything about Master’s worries, favorite foods, and even his small quirks.
So when I heard the news of Rir Belheim’s retirement and disappearance, I had been genuinely worried.
Ever since childhood, his one and only goal had vanished. Would Master’s heart break?
In the end, I hoped that Master’s decision to go to the academy wasn’t just some random outburst thrown out in despair.
Thankfully, Master had maintained the dignity I had taught him.
Rather than that, seeing him spread his wings even wider at the academy and sharpen his path toward the future gave me great joy as his butler.
“…There’s a reward for enduring puberty.”
Honestly, even five years ago it had been tough.
The phenomenon known as self-satisfaction during the growth years.
And because I had already accumulated more than any boy in his growth period, the effect had been quite intense.
“Haha! Really?! Dalek, that’s so different from what I imagined…”
“Of course. Once he came back from the warehouse holding an old sword that was about to be discarded, he told the sword that he was destined to become the head of the knights. He even wore an eye patch on one side.”
“Simon! Stop right there!”
The girl’s laughter echoed from inside the luxurious carriage, along with the young man’s voice suddenly raising in alarm.
Rir couldn’t stop laughing at how gravely calm Dalek had been during his turbulent teenage years.
“So? Simon, you really are a storyteller. If you weren’t the butler, you could’ve made a living as a storyteller.”
“Master gives me a new topic every single day, so my storytelling skills are constantly improving. Not just me — the maids who follow behind are also story experts.”
“Dalek, stop getting worked up. Isn’t it natural for friends to share their pasts with each other?”
At first I had been a little intimidated by the butler’s strict attitude, but once we got talking, he turned out to be a really fun person. He was just like Dalek — completely free and unrestrained.
Laughing until my chest hurt and taking a deep breath, I rested my chin on my hand and stared out the window as the world outside grew dark.
It was slightly jolting, but the carriage had separate shock absorbers, so the vibration wasn’t bothersome.
Coming from the saddle of a horse the whole way, this was actually an extremely comfortable means of travel.
While I was watching the scenery, I noticed Dalek’s face. He was clenching his fists on his knees, blushing furiously.
Yeah, every guy goes through that phase at some point.
The stormy adolescence years. The turbulent time that every single male in the world inevitably faces.
Even if they have powers that make it seem larger than life, that doesn’t change anything. They just go through the same ridiculous teenage drama in their own scale.
“Wasn’t the sword you used back then called Brünnhilde?”
“Don’t say it! Simon, stop right now!”
“Then I’ll stop. Master’s Brünnhilde is still in the warehouse. If you want to hear the story, Rir?”
Simon gave me a wink while glancing at me. The sight of Dalek trying to stop him made me burst out laughing.
That was only five or six years ago!
If the academy kids knew that the serious, model-student Dalek had a past like that, they would laugh just like me!
“By the way, were you jealous of the head of the knights? Most people aspire to be a great mage or a hero, right?”
“It’s because Dalek-san admired Rir Belheim. He heard about Rir around the time he was going through his stormy years.”
“You really are observant!”
I raised my voice and smiled in delight.
Both their faces froze in surprise at the sudden outburst, and I realized I had gone too far.
So I cleared my throat, calmed down, and looked at Dalek.
“Well, the wandering of my childhood was just a momentary escape. But even now, my respect for Rir remains the same. She was an incredible person — everyone who is a knight would know that.”
Saying “respected in front of her” and “incredible” made the corners of my mouth twitch. Keeping my expression normal was torture.
To have a fan speak to me so directly like this, I couldn’t hold it in anymore and started wiggling my toes.
You’ve really grown on me, kid.
Of course. She was obviously incredible. The first person in their twenties to become the head of the knights.
I don’t know the reason she left the knights, but if I had been able to contact her, I would have begged to take her as my disciple…
The feeling was subtle. Like a blunt stick poking my heart just slightly.
Of course I was happy, but… there was a faint sense of guilt.
Should I have thought about taking on a disciple?
No, thinking about it, if Rir hadn’t gone missing, those kids would have come pouring in one after another.
That would have been quite troublesome too.
Ah, maybe it was actually better that my body changed…
I was originally planning to join the knights and aim for Rir’s position. But she suddenly disappeared from the knights.
Entering the academy was the right choice. I think the academy is a better place for talent to bloom.
It raises “soldiers,” not “knights.”
Of course, “knights” do appear during training, but the fundamental ideology differs from that of a higher education institution like the academy, so the difference is obvious.
Well, even if Dalek was here, the Royal Guard might have taken him anyway.
Either way, it was good.
I wasn’t the type to let a fan in front of me just walk away.
“You’re mine to protect.”
I smiled at Dalek.