Chapter 64
“Elaina!”
“Diane!”
The moment the carriage stopped, Diane practically leapt out and ran toward Elaina. Seeing the two of them throw their arms around each other in a tight hug, Nathan shook his head in mild exasperation — though a fond smile tugged at his lips.
It was the first time they’d met since Diane had gone down to Henet. They had exchanged many letters in the meantime, but actually seeing each other again only made their affection for one another overflow all the more.
“Now I understand why you and Nathan grew so close while writing letters,” Elaina said with a laugh.
She still remembered the day Diane’s letter had arrived, carried by Gugu — the bird that had landed right on her bedroom window, startling her half to death. When she saw the bird cooing happily from its cage, recognizing her and calling out, she couldn’t stop smiling.
“You came at the perfect time,” Elaina said, beaming. “It’s finally time to put the guest rooms to use!”
With great pride, she led the couple into the grand duke’s mansion.
In the half-year that had passed, the estate had changed so completely that it was hardly recognizable anymore. What had begun as simple repairs had grown into a full restoration, and now even the previously unused guest rooms were ready to welcome visitors. Elaina gave the two of them the best suite in the house.
“Wow… this is a guest room?” Nathan said, wide-eyed.
“This is even nicer than our own room back home!” Diane added, clearly astonished.
Elaina glowed with satisfaction as Diane wandered the room, admiring every detail she had poured her heart into.
After unpacking, the three went out to the garden for tea. Nathan was due to begin an experiment at the Academy Tower the next day, but he had deliberately cleared this one full day — a gesture of gratitude toward Elaina, whom he considered something of a benefactor.
“About that medicine we discussed…” Nathan began, once their light chatter had wound down.
At the mention of the medicine, Elaina straightened slightly, swallowing her tension.
“It still needs a little more preparation,” Nathan said, “but there’s been a lot of progress.”
“Really? That’s wonderful! You’re moving faster than I expected.”
“It’s easier when two people are working together,” he said warmly, taking Diane’s hand.
Diane smiled shyly, looking up at him. “Henet is such a quiet place — there’s not much for me to do there. But helping Nathan with his research keeps me busy, and we get to spend the whole day together.”
Elaina grinned teasingly. “Well, since you’re in the capital, you’ll be staying with me for now.”
Nathan flustered, waving his hands. “Of course! Don’t worry, I didn’t bring any of the medicine research materials with me this time.”
“Oh? Then what kind of experiment are you doing?”
Nathan scratched the back of his head. “Remember that herb I mentioned before?”
“Oh — the one that grows naturally in the Marbel Mountains?”
“Yes, that one. The same herb you used to make the sachet for me. It worked so well that I became curious about its properties. Thanks to Your Grace sending me a larger supply, I’ve had a delightful new subject to study.”
He reached into his coat and pulled out two sachets.
“This one is the original you sent me, and this is my modified version.”
Elaina took both and brought them to her nose. The one she had made smelled the same as ever — soothing, relaxing, the kind of scent that melted tension from the body.
As she moved to sniff Nathan’s version, he quickly warned, “Careful — don’t inhale too deeply. It’s still experimental.”
Elaina cautiously drew in a light breath. The fragrance was nearly identical, except for a faintly bitter undertone — the sharp scent of medicine, likely from an added herb.
But as soon as she inhaled, she realized her fingertips were going numb.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Exactly what you’ve noticed,” Nathan said. “It causes paralysis — the subject remains fully conscious, but their body can’t move. The herb alone seems to only induce relaxation, but when blended with other compounds…”
“Nathan believes that once it’s perfected, this could help a lot of people,” Diane chimed in eagerly. “Especially in medicine.”
She leaned forward, eyes bright. “Many patients die not from their illnesses but from the pain of surgery itself. They can’t endure it. The anesthetic drugs nobles use are addictive and deadly if even slightly misused.”
Elaina blinked — she had never seen Diane speak so passionately before. Nathan nodded beside her, his eyes shining with conviction.
“And with a few adjustments,” he added, “it could even serve as a painkiller. We’d just have to reduce the dosage.”
Elaina’s eyes widened. A drug that reduced pain itself? She’d never heard of such a thing.
“I know you asked me to prioritize the medicine research,” Nathan went on, “but I couldn’t ignore this discovery. Still, I’ll have the other project completed on schedule.”
Diane nodded in agreement. “Drain said this approach would actually help him produce better results. Nathan tends to get too absorbed in one thing — he needs to clear his head sometimes.”
“Drain?” Elaina tilted her head. “Who’s that?”
“He’s Nathan’s cousin,” Diane explained. “He runs a small trading company in Henet — very capable.”
Apparently, Drain was practically part of the family, having grown up alongside Nathan.
“I didn’t study this herb just because it might help patients,” Nathan said, clenching his fist. “I’ve never seen a plant like it in any of the regions I’ve visited. It must be native to the deep Marbel Mountains. The locals who found it didn’t recognize its true potential — they only used it for sleep sachets. In short—”
“In short,” Elaina interrupted, smiling, “if you can develop this paralysis sachet, it could greatly benefit the northern territories.”
“Exactly,” Nathan said, eyes lighting up. “Because it would be a monopoly. We could set the price ourselves — nobles and commoners alike would be interested.”
“Hmm…”
Elaina studied his face carefully. Until now, Nathan had always struck her as a pure academic — a man of study, not of business.
“Was this Drain’s idea too?” she asked.
Nathan blinked in surprise.
“Don’t look so shocked,” Elaina said dryly. “I just can’t imagine you or Diane thinking that way.”
“Ah, well… yes,” Nathan admitted. “When he heard about the grand duke’s monster subjugation campaign, Drain became very interested. He said the Marbel Mountains could become a key trade route if secured.”
He explained further:
The Marbel range was treacherous, but if a safe mountain path could be established, many merchants would choose it over the sea route. The ocean was never truly safe — storms, pirates, and privateers could appear without warning. Even if the odds were low, one disaster could destroy both cargo and lives.
And traveling by sea was vastly more expensive than by land.
“If proper roads are built through Marbel,” Nathan said, “merchant caravans will use them. Mercenaries will gather to guard them. Eventually, even monster-hunting expeditions could be outsourced to those groups.”
Where people gather, money gathers. And where money gathers, people follow. It was the most direct way to revive the abandoned Marbel region.
“I see… road development,” Elaina murmured. “I hadn’t considered that.”
Given how thoroughly the monster hunts had scoured the mountains, it wouldn’t be hard to find a viable pass now.
“You said this cousin runs a trading company?”
“Yes. He’s preparing to take over from his father — currently the vice head of the firm.”
For a mere vice-merchant, his insights were remarkably sophisticated — monopolies, infrastructure, trade routes. None of those were ordinary ideas.
“It sounds like a waste for him to stay a merchant,” Elaina mused. “With that mind, he could rise far higher.”
Nathan scratched his cheek awkwardly. “I think so too. But he’s a commoner, so… there’s a limit to how far he can climb.”
“A commoner, huh?”
Elaina chuckled softly, thinking of a certain knight currently slaying monsters in the far northern frontier.
