The Miracle Potion

Titania patted Donovan’s shoulder, offering him a bit of comfort.

[Still, you know, there might come a point where you don’t even need to meet that entity.]

It was a voice devoid of certainty, merely raising a simple possibility, but the content was intriguing enough to make Ensi’s eyebrows twitch.

“You found a clue, didn’t you?”

[Mhm. Though it’s also something quite problematic…….]

She trailed off, scratching her cheek. Her hesitation stemmed from questioning whether the information was actually reliable, even if she was happy to have found a lead.

“Is it some kind of folk remedy?”

At Ensi’s half-joking question prompted by her lack of confidence, Titania flinched and then slowly nodded in affirmation.

“……It’s really a folk remedy?”

[It’s hard to call it purely a folk remedy, but the person who wrote the records is…….]

[To put it kindly, a herbalist; to put it bluntly, a quack. Of course, for a quack, they were quite renowned in the Principality of Celine. But objectively speaking, they had no medical license and no formal education.]

Donovan explained in place of Titania, who was struggling to find the words. Certainly, the author’s background lacked credibility, making it clear why she had hesitated. Resting his chin on his hand, Ensi tapped his lips behind the veil.

“Still, there must be a reason a book written by such a person occupies a shelf in the Archduke’s library.”

[It’s one of the materials collected during the previous reign to assess the overall medical level of the Principality. It’s been confirmed that some methods recorded are similar to actual treatments, or even better. Of course, some are nonsense, and we haven’t confirmed the specific details regarding the Utia disease yet, but—]

“So it’s not just a collection of wild stories. Fine, that’s enough to make it worth a try. You worked hard to find the records, Titania.”

Ensi whispered, habitually wearing a soft smile. Though his expression was hidden, his gentle voice was enough for Titania. She gave a shy smile, expressing pure joy at the fact that she had been of some help.

[Wait, hold on a second. You do realize Ensi is the only person around us who would be testing this medicine, right?]

Donovan intervened, unable to let things slide even if he didn’t want to ruin the heartwarming atmosphere. He found it absurd that a man already in poor health had decided to test unverified medicine on his own body—and was treating it as no big deal—but he struggled to maintain his composure.

“And?”

[……Has anyone ever told you that you’re reckless?]

“Is it any different from what that spirit or fairy entity might tell me?”

[It’s different! You can’t treat a ‘Mystery’ and a folk remedy the same way! Do you think people who chase after Mysteries are all fools?!]

I guess there are still people who chase Mysteries. I thought they had all gone extinct.

Ensi nodded noncommittally, his thoughts drifting away from the point. Seeing that Ensi was clearly not listening to a word he said, Donovan let out another groan.

“Titania, it would be better to explain the details to Luke. Even if I listen to the explanation, I’m not confident I can relay it perfectly.”

[Mhm, I’m just telling you what’s recorded anyway. So Ensi, when are you coming here?]

“It’ll be hard to leave the capital until the Crown Prince’s appointment ceremony—so I’ll probably be able to go in about a month. I don’t know if the Wanderer will still be in Celine then, though.”

It was difficult to leave the capital immediately because of the “troublesome burden” he had unintentionally taken on. It would be a headache if a problem arose while he was away. It was better to stay put until the appointment ceremony—or more accurately, until he returned the jewel.

Unable to press Ensi further after his explanation, Titania just stared intently at Donovan. Her gaze seemed to be pleading with him to say the Wanderer wouldn’t leave Celine for at least a month, so Donovan scratched his head.

[Even without that look, she’ll be there. She’s a wanderer, but once she settles, she tends to stay in one spot for about a year.]

[Really? One month, one month…….]

If what Donovan said was true, she could see Ensi after a long time. Clasping her hands together, she didn’t hide the expectation on her face as she gazed at where Ensi’s eyes would be behind the veil.

[You’ll stop by the Archduke’s mansion, right?]

Not wanting to betray Titania’s expectations, Ensi answered with a nod. Since the merchant group’s reach extended to Celine, Ensi could have easily arranged his own place to stay, but there was no need to go that far. Seeing a friend’s face for the first time in a while wasn’t a bad choice.

Haggard.

If that word were to take human form, it would probably look like Luke right now. Ensi thought as much while offering a wave to Luke, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

“Don’t you think you guys are using me a bit too much for your own convenience?”

Luke, scowling at the somewhat leisurely greeting, told Ensi to show his face. Considering Luke’s sensitivity from lack of sleep, Ensi didn’t hesitate to pull back the veil covering his face.

“Hmm……. It’s worse than I expected.”

After checking Ensi’s skin, Luke decided to understand—just a little—the feelings of Titania, who had badgered him for three whole days through their communication device. Since it had been about five days since the allergic reaction and it was still swollen, it meant it had been even worse before. He began setting down the potions Ensi needed most from his collection on the table.

“Well—this isn’t exactly what I asked for.”

“Right, you didn’t ask. It’s just that Titania saw you and bothered me from morning till night.”

It’s like greenery has been dissolved into clean water. Ensi had a rather sentimental thought as he picked up the glass bottle containing the potion.

“So, what is this?”

“It’s good for things like hives or acne. Just apply it to your skin after washing your face.”

“You can make things like this, too? What about for wounds?”

“I saw a potion that people interested in beauty frequent, so I modified it slightly. It wasn’t hard since there was a base. For wounds—well, it won’t be poisonous, but it won’t be medicine either.”

If this works well, it could be a money-maker. Ensi let Luke’s explanation go in one ear and out the other as he opened the cap of the glass bottle and caught the scent. Seeing as it had a faint, fresh scent of grass, it didn’t seem like it would be unpleasant to use.

While some potion recipes were widely known, others were kept strictly confidential, passed down almost through a single lineage. This was especially true for individuals or organizations that developed and monopolized new recipes.

Of course, there were potions on the market with effects similar to what Luke had made. However, those often had significant side effects, or the merchant groups selling them failed at marketing and couldn’t secure a proper distribution network, failing to find a place in the market. So, if this works well—

“Hey, Ensius!”

“Ah…… right. Does this have side effects?”

Snapping out of his thoughts at Luke’s shout, Ensi cupped his palm and poured some of the potion. The liquid in his hand looked like water, sloshing as if it might spill at any moment.

“Did you say the reason you couldn’t use the potions on the market was because of side effects? When I tested this, there were none. But rather than bothering with potions, wouldn’t it be faster to call a priest?”

“I’m keeping outside visitors to a minimum. And it’s embarrassing to ask Cyril for such a trivial favor.”

Above all, calling a priest for something like hives wouldn’t earn him any praise. Healing priests were high-level personnel even within the Order.

The reason Ensi could normally request a healing priest whenever necessary was thanks to the massive donations he made to the Order every year. While it was true it had become even easier recently due to his friendship with Cyril, even for Ensi, requesting a priest for hives on his skin was difficult.

He wasn’t exactly a ruler of all people, was he?

“Tch. Then I can’t give you this medicine.”

Luke pulled another bottle from his pocket and shook it. Ensi instinctively reached out to take it, but then realized his palm was occupied by the potion for hives and lowered his arm again.

Since it had come to this, he should test the skin potion first.

“What medicine is it?”

“I made it based on the records Titania found…… but it’s not a proven method. So the ‘effect’ is just a guess; I don’t know what it will actually do. Considering the risk, taking it when a priest can’t be on standby at the mansion is a bit…… no, wait. I told you to wash your face and apply it!”

Why did no one listen to him? Not even a minute after he told him to use it after washing his face, Luke grumbled as Ensi simply poured the hive-soothing potion onto his cheek.

“It’s a waste to just throw it on the floor. Especially considering the sincerity you put into making it.”

“It’s fine, so just throw it away next time…….”

Whether it was thrown on the floor or not, Luke preferred that the instructions for use were followed correctly. Pressing his hand to his forehead, Luke let out a deep sigh.

“It’s a bit tingly.”

“That’s the right feeling, so don’t worry. It’s the process of the hives subsiding.”

His already cool skin felt even colder. Feeling a slight numbing sensation, Ensi touched his cheek.

“Then what about taking the medicine at the temple where a priest will be?”

“That isn’t a great method either. You never know when or how your body might take a turn for the worse. Unless you’re going to live at the temple, it’s better to bring a priest to the mansion.”

“I guess I have no choice……. I’ll let you know when I find a priest.”

If he looked, he could probably find at least one healing priest who wouldn’t mind staying at the mansion. It would be better to follow Luke’s advice than to take unnecessary risks.

Cleanly giving up his stubbornness, Ensi suddenly realized that the strange sensation on his cheek had completely vanished. Despite his worry when it had been cold and even momentarily numb, the sensation in his cheek had returned to its normal state.

He instinctively realized the medicine was working and pulled out a hand mirror. Exhaling a thin breath of anticipation, Ensi pushed back the veil to check the cheek where he had applied the potion.

“……Ah.”

Seeing his cheek in the mirror, Ensi let out a small exclamation. The hives that had tormented him for quite some time were completely gone. The part where he had applied the potion had returned to its usual skin, smooth as white porcelain.