Rare Disease Cure (4)
“Got anything else to show me?”
I neutralized the queen’s magic with just the wind pressure from swinging my sword and tossed the question her way.
“Th-that…”
The Lamia Queen broke out in cold sweat, her eyes darting everywhere as she didn’t know where to look.
“Alright then.”
“…H-heek?!”
As soon as I gave off the vibe that I’d made up my mind, she freaked out completely.
“My turn.”
I raised my hand upward, declaring it was time for my counterattack.
“Fire Ball—”
The first spell I cast was the most basic of fire-element magic.
Fwoosh!
The moment I chanted the spell name, a fireball blazing as hot as the sun formed.
“Hiiik—?!”
It was so massive that it lit up the entire cave with its flames, perfectly coalescing into a sphere.
“Y-yes, yessir…?! F-F-Fire… B-B-Ball, right?!”
The queen clutched her staff tightly, her voice bordering on outright horror. It was just like a scared kid hugging a teddy bear after spotting a monster.
“This is the basic spell I’m thinking of, right?!”
I could feel the Lamia Queen on the verge of tears from sheer terror.
“Y-you’re… joking, right?! That kind of firepower… and chantless, from your bare hand?! How is that even possible?!”
Her speech had changed a bit from earlier, too. And her attitude was a far cry from her initial haughty impression—practically pitiful now.
“Let’s see how you handle this.”
Well… I was just going to kill her anyway, so it didn’t matter.
“Hiiiik—?!”
Right as I figured this would leave nothing but a few drops of blood behind and prepared to launch the spell—
“W-wait a second—!!!”
The queen flung herself flat on the ground with a voice laced with desperation and fear.
“Hngh… sob…”
In the deepest part of the lamias’ lair.
“So.”
“You’re surrendering. That’s what you’re saying?”
The queen of this place, in a manner utterly unworthy of her title, bowed her head to me with a pitiful expression.
“Yes…!! Please, just spare my life…!”
She’d definitely had sharp, suspicious eyes and a wicked smirk when we first met—an arrogant queen through and through.
“Hwaaang… I’m sorry…”
Now, anyone could see she’d devolved into a fragile, teary-eyed girl.
“……”
This makes me look like the total villain…
Not that it’s wrong, but it left a bad taste in my mouth somehow.
“Let’s get this straight first? I tried to resolve things peacefully at the start, but your lamias attacked me first.”
I offered at least a minimal defense, but given the current atmosphere, it just came off as self-justification. It felt like a bully insisting to the kid they were tormenting, “I’m not bullying you, okay?”
But what could I do? It was the truth. I’d definitely tried a polite conversation at first. I’d even brought gold coins thinking maybe we could negotiate.
But the moment I spoke, the lamias charged like they wanted me dead, forcing me to fight my way here.
“B-but!! Didn’t you humans come targeting our home first…!”
Hearing my words, the Lamia Queen shouted back with an indignant look.
“What?”
But one word in particular grated on my nerves.
Humans? I came alone—why use the plural?
“What are you talking about? I just needed a few things…”
“Huh? The bandits said they were taking all our lamia resources…”
What the hell was she saying…?
“What have you been talking about this whole time? I’m not a bandit to begin with.”
But when I denied it, she just tilted her head in confusion.
“Huhh?? You sent your underlings, didn’t you?”
“Me? I’ve been alone from the start.”
“Ehhh…?”
The more we talked, the more tangled it got, and I ended up scratching my head.
“What are you even saying? I just came for a bit of blood to make an antidote.”
“But that… Jack, was it? The human bandit named Jack—”
“I don’t even know who that is…”
“Huh?—”
Then a third party’s name popped up from the queen’s mouth.
“Huh?”
“Eh…”
““……””
A brief silence fell between us—
““Huh…?””
And we both instinctively realized our positions and stories had crossed wires.
The situation was roughly this.
“I-I’m sorry…!! I heard from my subordinates that someone had come for revenge…!”
To sum up the lamias’ side: Before I arrived, they’d fended off some bandit group. They mistook me for their reinforcements because of my intimidating look… and attacked.
“So you, the queen, along with the other lamias—”
“It’s… Kara!”
“Right. So Kara thought I was with the bandits and attacked?”
Kara nodded, her shoulders trembling. She’d been on the verge of tears for a while now, looking just like a kid getting scolded by strict parents—almost pitiful.
“Yes… Most humans who seek us out aren’t exactly friendly…”
I didn’t show it, but I felt a bit sorry for her. On the way here, I’d taken out more than necessary.
“Anyway, the reason I came here is because I needed something from you—”
“Wh-what is it?! Food, resources, our hoarded gold and jewels—anything!”
At the mention of needing something, Kara’s eyes went wide, like she’d hand over her liver and gall bladder if asked.
“Nothing that extreme… I need ingredients for medicine to cure someone sick. Could you spare some blood?”
But when I specified just a little blood, Kara looked puzzled.
“Blood…?”
“It’s for an antidote, and strong lamia blood is key. Just a small amount from one person is fine.”
“Eh…”
Her face screamed, That’s really all?
“That’s enough? For real…? Just a few drops in a vial is okay?”
“Herbs or healing mushrooms if possible?”
The more we talked, the more questions piled up on her face. She seemed to be wondering if this was worth all the chaos.
“Grab that much, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“I’ll prepare it right now!”
At my words about leaving, she jumped up and dashed off somewhere in a panic.
……
“Here…! Your requested ingredients!”
A moment later, she returned with everything on a wooden shelf: five herbs, five healing mushrooms, and her blood in a straight vial with a rounded bottom. She bowed deeply, extending her arm politely—like a lowly employee offering something to the CEO with excessive courtesy.
“Thanks, I’ll take them.”
Thud.
I took the ingredients from Kara without another word and placed a small pouch of coins on the shelf.
“Wh-what’s this…?”
“Payment for the materials.”
The simple reason I gave her payment: Even if it was a misunderstanding, I’d… hurt too many of her kin.
“Huh…?”
I wanted to see it as a humble apology.
“Uh… uh…”
Kara stayed rooted in place long after Arnold left.
She seemed frozen from shock and bewilderment.
“It’s all gold coins…”
The obvious reason was her terror at the overwhelming magic from that powerhouse she couldn’t have imagined.
But a minor factor was the pouch she’d received.
“Isn’t this way too much for what I gave…?”
Compared to her offerings, it was outrageously generous. Excluding the blood, it was dozens of times overpaid.
“And now that the tension’s gone… my body feels weak…”
The queen of this lair, Kara, shivered like she was chilled from the battle’s aftermath.
“Ka… Lady Kara!”
Finally, one of her injured subordinates rushed down.
“Y-you… you all!”
“Ugh, sorry we’re late… We survived, but the wounds were critical…”
Even wrapped head to toe like a mummy in bandages, the lamia asked after her queen.
“Are you alright? We heard terrifying noises—what happened?”
“We saw the intruder leaving bold as brass… we were worried…”
“Ugh… that was…”
She hesitated at her subordinate’s urgent question—
“H-hwaaang…!!”
Then burst into endless tears, venting her grievances.
“Lady Kara?!”
“I… I really almost died…”
Unlike her usual strong, regal queenly demeanor, this time she showed her true self without a shred of pretense.
“It was lucky he was weird… Our home nearly got wiped out today!!”
She poured out her raw fears without exaggeration.
“Wasn’t the human with the bandit reinforcements?”
“No… Turns out he wasn’t. He just took some blood and herbs for an antidote?”
She showed her left hand to the puzzled lamia as proof.
“……”
The subordinate stared at the bloodstained bandages wrapped around her palm, stunned and speechless.
“And this pouch…”
“He called it payment… Enough gold to last a week.”
“Huh?”
She questioned the mysterious pouch too, but frowned even more upon realizing it was gold.
“It takes weeks to trade with beastkin villages or nations… But purely as profit…”
She couldn’t comprehend the intruder’s intentions more she thought about it.
He’d swept through her forces and subdued the queen… yet took only a few herbs.
At that level, he could’ve seized the cave and all resources, but he took what he wanted and left peacefully, without greed.
“Are you all okay…?”
“Yes… Not sure on casualties, but most of us danced on death’s door…”
To them, he was an enigma—unlike the greedy humans they’d known.
“Hey…”
Kara called to her subordinate in a weak voice.
“Yes!”
“You know…”
The lamia replied eagerly, and Kara spoke in a hushed tone after much deliberation.
“I thought I was pretty strong as queen material. So I acted superior, figuring it was fine.”
“From today, I need to live more humbly… Ditch the weird queenly speech—”
She’d realized the world was vast, full of bizarre powerhouses, and she was still weak.
It took a bit longer than expected.
Gathering materials and brewing the antidote couldn’t be helped.
Knock knock knock.
I knocked three times on the worn door, antidote tucked in my pocket.
Thud thud thud thud!
Hurried footsteps and a rush of presence came from inside.
Creeeak!
The door flew open like it might break, revealing a girl clutching anxiety and hope in equal measure.
“Master…!”
Eily’s voice was desperate.
“I’m back. With your sister’s medicine—”
“Yes?! No, wait—Master, your clothes are filthy! What happened?!”
She eyed my battle-worn outfit with worry.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go in.”
“Your sister’s waiting.”
I stroked her head reassuringly and headed to Julie’s room.
My clothes were just dirtied from fighting—no wounds at all.
“Hm? You’re… Sister’s…”
Inside the room, her sister still lay ill.
Personally, her voice seemed weaker than when we’d met.
“Drink this.”
I handed the antidote to Julie, whose breaths were shallow and fading.
“This is—”
“Master got the medicine for you, Julie… Drink up!”
Too urgent to wait, Eily helped her powerless sister drink it herself.
“Mm… ugh…”
She carefully supported her head, slowly trickling the antidote past her lips.
“Haa…”
After swallowing it all, Julie let out a deep sigh.
“……”
“……”
Silence followed.
Maybe it didn’t work instantly like in the game?
“Haaahm—”
But one thing was sure: her breathing eased after taking the full dose.
“Eily, let’s step out for a bit.”
“Yes…”
Now we just had to hope Julie beat the illness and give her space.
“Haa, hope it works out.”
Eily and I moved to the living room so she could rest alone.
“……”
In the sparse but functional living room, I sank into the visible sofa.
“Thank you…!”
Before I could catch my breath, Eily bowed so low her head nearly touched the floor.
“Thank you, thank you! Truly, thank you…!!”
She kept bowing, as if words weren’t enough.
“Master! Oh, Master…!!”
Eily really was a crybaby.
“Why the tears?”
I wiped the tears pooling in her eyes.
“It’s fine.”
“But… I…”
“I’m just a maid…! Always troubling you, begging for help like a weakling…!”
“Grateful for your kindness, ashamed of my incompetence…”
I smiled as kindly as possible, consoling her distress.
“Don’t worry about it. I chose to get involved.”
“Still…! I’m so happy to receive your grace… and so pathetic!”
Yet Eily kept blaming herself, tears flowing from joy.
“I’ll repay all your kindness and gratitude… over my lifetime!”
Fine… her gratitude was enough for me.
“No more crying. Your sister isn’t fully recovered yet. Let’s wait calmly.”
“…Sniff, yes.”
After shedding tears for a while, she finally calmed, replying in a voice suppressing her emotions.
……
Time passed.
About three hours since Julie took the medicine?
Creeeak.
“Ugh…”
The door to Julie’s room opened, followed by a groggy moan like she’d just woken.
“Sister?”
Her sister, who hadn’t left bed, emerged rubbing her eyes.
“……!”
Eily covered her mouth with both hands, gasping in silent awe like witnessing a miracle.
Whoosh!
“Eek…?”
She shot up like an arrow from a bow and hugged her sister fiercely.
“Sister? Ugh… it’s stuffy.”
“……”
Eily just held her without a word.
“…You okay?”
“Yeah… I dozed off after that, and the pain and discomfort vanished like a lie.”
To my calm question, Julie nodded slowly, her voice casual and normal.
“Thank goodness…”
Seeing her sister healthy, Eily sighed in relief and quietly relaxed.
“Sorry… I’ve worried you all this time because of me.”
“No, as long as you’re healthy from now on.”
The sisters exchanged tender words, confirming each other’s vitality.
“…………”
I watched their touching reunion from a step back, quietly taking in the sisters’ moment.