Mandrake Juice to the Rescue!
When you're sick, nothing beats mandrake juuuuuuice!!! My subspace is stuffed with all sorts of stuff. From alchemy ingredients to catalysts for magic rituals, war spoils, magical tools made by my little sister, textbooks from the Witch Academy, and all kinds of random junk. I occasionally stumble on things and think, 'Did I really have this?'
A prime example was Luine Asphodel's potion that helped heal the wound from that damn elf bitch Sonia von Trigrad. There are probably still more gems like that lurking in my subspace.
'Potions are probably all gone by now, though? Gotta be some usable alchemy ingredients for mana recovery… "Mermaid's Tears" needs processing to work, so out. "Moonflower"… damn, just seeds…'
There had to be at least one alchemy ingredient good for mana recovery even without making it into a potion.
'Argh! Moonflower's the best for mana recovery…!! Should've harvested some last year…… Huh?'
A humanoid root vegetable emerged from the rift in the air.
'Whoa… I stashed this away and forgot about it until now?'
The root vegetable I pulled out with space magic was the miracle herb mandrake. It lowers fevers, boosts stamina, restores mana, enhances immunity—the works. It's called a cure-all for its insane versatility.
In the past, mandrake only grew in mana-rich soil, making it super rare. But 400 years ago, the first successful cultivation made it widely available. Its potency depends on age: at least 10-year-olds are standard in pharmaceuticals, and anything older is so rare it's hard to get. Cultivated ones max out at 10 years, so for prime stuff, you hunt wild ones.
And the mandrake in my hand? Wild-grown. A whopping 100-year-old.
I got it as thanks from a small village in imperial territory after repelling a monster invasion. I was just there hunting ingredients to recreate Korean dishes and helped out on a whim. They shoved this priceless thing at me despite my protests—the village chief practically stuffed it in my sleeve. Turns out the monsters I took down were so dangerous the empire would've ordered an evacuation instead of a subjugation. By handling them, I saved their home of decades. Guess I was their savior.
Anyway, I'd planned to gift this 100-year mandrake to Luine Asphodel, the potion genius, but kept forgetting every time we met, so it stayed in my subspace until now.
'Actually, perfect timing! Mandrake's effects are guaranteed!'
I bolted to the kitchen and grabbed the blender.
'Can't make her chew it raw, so grind it super fine and feed it that way!'
Whirrrrrr——!!
The moment the 100-year mandrake met its brutally modern fate.
# At a house five kilometers from the pension where Yoo Ji-na lived.
A man was tensely taking a phone call. As the conversation wrapped up, his tension eased.
"I'll see you later."
Click—
The man hung up, straightened himself, and started gearing up to leave when a woman approached.
"Uncle, where are you going?"
The woman was Lee Ga-eul. And the man she called uncle was none other than Lee Dae-gun.
Tall and chiseled, with a no-fuss short sports cut. Though nearing middle age, as an awakener, he looked far younger.
Lee Dae-gun, slipping on his shoes at the entryway, smiled involuntarily at his niece who'd come out from studying in her room.
"Gotta handle some side work. Looks like a big issue."
"Ah… that pension?"
"Yeah. Might not be back before dinner, so eat with your aunt first."
"How long will it take?"
"Yeah, heading to a major hospital for a checkup, so at least three hours. Hope it's nothing serious."
"Hospital? Did that person get hurt? I heard she lives alone… sounds bad…."
"Hm? How'd you know she lives alone? Did I mention it?"
"Ah… well… Ra-yoon unnie said she got close to the person living there…."
"Haa…… Ra-yoon again…."
At the name Yoon Ra-yoon, Lee Dae-gun let out a deep sigh and clutched his neck.
"She's been curious since she was a kid… I just hope she didn't offend that person…."
"Don't worry. She's an idiot, but she's got a good heart."
"True, I know that… but still worrying. Anyway, the injured one's not her—an acquaintance's little sister, apparently. And since the little sister's an awakener, regular hospitals won't cut it."
The sharp-minded Lee Ga-eul pieced together every keyword from her uncle's words swirling in her head.
'Acquaintance's little sister…… recently befriended by Ra-yoon unnie……… awakener?'
Lining them up by train of thought formed a fitting picture. She fixed her uncle with a serious gaze.
"That couldn't be Ra-yoon, right?"
"…………..Ra-yoon?"
Back then, ex-C-rank hunter Lee Dae-gun had received three directives from the Maru Guild.
First: Don't pry into Yoo Ji-na's identity at the pension or get too nosy.
Second: Report anyone curious about Yoo Ji-na's identity to guild master Cheon So-hee immediately.
Third: If anyone approaches Yoo Ji-na, "handle" them at your discretion.
But Yoo Ji-na hadn't summoned him once in the past month. He'd assumed no contacts, but hearing about his niece now made him think he'd missed something.
"Could be Ra-yoon like you said. Gotta head out fast……"
"Uncle, I'm coming too."
"Ga-eul, I get you're worried, but it's not confirmed Ra-yoon yet."
"No, it's 100% Ra-yoon."
She was certain, and Lee Dae-gun didn't argue further.
"Nom nom, yum! Tastes better than expected!"
Even if Yoon Ra-yoon was out cold, chugging raw mandrake might be tough. So I mixed in some fairy honey and minotaur milk from my subspace to make it palatable—and the result was surprisingly satisfying.
I rushed the finished juice to the fainted Ra-yoon.
Still just breathing shallowly on the floor. To get her to drink, I propped up her upper body forcibly.
'What if it goes down the wrong pipe? Better pour slowly.'
I pried open her mouth and tilted the glass.
Gulp—
The swallow was so clean and crisp, I panicked a bit.
'She actually swallowed it?'
Great for me, but… out cold and downing it like a champ? Maybe the fairy honey—hailed as a fantasy seasoning—stimulated her appetite. Appetite's no joke.
"Ngh… mm…."
Ra-yoon's brow furrowed as she groaned in discomfort.
"Whoa?! Ra-yoon!! You awake?!"
As expected from 100-year mandrake—potion-level effects.
"Ngh, mm….. Unnie? When'd I fall asleep?"
"What're you talking about? You've been passed out the whole time!!"
"Passed out? Hmm……. Feels too refreshed for that? Nom nom, anyway, whatcha feed me? It's insanely good."
"Oh? Uh, like a health juice……. Want more?"
"Yeah!"
She snatched the mandrake juice I offered and chugged it down without pause—one-shotting the whole thing.
"Pwah! So freaking delicious!!"
Her face lit up refreshed, her signature ponytail wagging side-to-side like an excited puppy tail.
"Ra-Ra-yoon, you really okay? No pain or discomfort?"
"Huh? Well? Hmm……… sticky from sweat aside, I'm good. No, overflowing with energy..!"
Mandrake definitely worked. Mana pouring from her body was visibly surging, different from before. Temporary, sure, but a good sign. At this rate, she'd recover to normal soon.
Haa… one worry down.
Ding-dong——
Cheerful doorbell.
"Unnie, who's here?"
"Ah, they're here already….. wait a sec."
I dashed to the entryway. Slipped on sneakers haphazardly, unlocked the door—and there stood a man a head taller than me.
Muscular build in a muscle-hugging tee and shorts, the type middle-aged ladies swoon over.
"First time meeting. I'm Lee Dae-gun, assigned manager."
He bowed slightly in greeting. His politeness had me bowing back instinctively.
"Hello. I'm Yoo Ji-na, just moved in."
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Yoo Ji-na. Where's the one who collapsed?"
"Ah… well….. she's okay now, I guess….. but just in case, we should still go to the hospital……"
"Unnie~!! Can I go run a bit? Body's all itchy………. Huh?"
Ra-yoon had wandered from living room to entryway and froze at the manager.
"Why's Dae-gun ajusshi here?"
"Haa….. so it was you, Yoon Ra-yoon?"
They knew each other—chatting casually.
……What the hell's going on here?