Chapter 88
Everyone who came to help first signed a secrecy agreement before being assigned here. Since they were all skilled doctors, their hands moved quickly and precisely.
The one who had just called me was Tan—the doctor I had once pushed aside on the day of the fire. Back then, he had seemed resentful of me. But now? He had become one of my most loyal helpers.
All thanks to the antidote.
‘T-this… does this really purify the land?’
‘Yes. And if you help, the purification will go even faster.’
I had shown him a small area of land near the wasteland that I’d purified with the antidote. It must have left a huge impression on him.
“Rita, what if we add hyangacho herb? Wouldn’t it spread faster?”
“Hmm… not a bad idea. But if we add more ingredients, it will take longer to make. Time is important for us.”
“You’re right. And hyangacho is difficult to handle anyway.”
Thanks to that, Tan’s attitude changed completely. Now he even gave suggestions, almost like we were holding meetings together.
It was a relief. To turn a bad first encounter into a positive partnership—what joy that was.
That day, Selin’s condition had been too critical for his treatment to work. But in truth, Tan was a very skilled doctor. I was now relying on him quite a lot.
While I was finishing the potion in his cauldron, Tan circled around, watching closely. He couldn’t learn my method just by looking, of course—but his attitude of carefully observing and taking responsibility for the herbs he prepared pleased me.
He frowned at the cauldron, pushed up his slipping glasses, and said carefully:
“The energy of Runtea and Moktanru herbs seems too heavily tangled together.”
“You’re right. This recipe uses a lot of Moktanru. Since it’s tied to the earth’s energy—”
…Wait.
What did I just hear?
“What did you say?”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“You can… read energy?”
Reading energy wasn’t the rarest ability in the world. But without training, the skill quickly dulled. Normally, children who discovered the talent would be trained as potion makers.
“Ah, I only learned a little.” Tan gave an awkward smile.
“Reading energy makes it easier to plan treatments.”
“…I found it.”
“Eh?”
“I found it!!”
Who cared if his talent was small or unpolished? At this moment, even the help of a cat’s paw would do.
Right in front of me was someone with the gift of a potion maker.
Oh, gods—or rather, oh dragon!
I grabbed Tan’s hand and lifted it high into the air. Cedric, who had stepped inside to check the situation, sighed deeply and left the tent again.
“This is great, really!”
“W-what? What are you doing?”
“Will you become my student?”
Yes, that was it. This was perfect!
It felt like a grand opening ceremony. Behind Lueta village, the wasteland was crowded with people. Everyone stared nervously at the barren land.
All eyes were fixed on one spot. The murmurs faded, and spring sunlight fell gently over the wasteland.
“Y-your Grace, the Grand Duke.”
“Your Grace.”
Cedric stepped forward. Unlike his usual light clothing, today he wore a sharp, formal uniform.
His upright steps carried him toward the platform.
Step, step. His steady footsteps echoed.
As if by agreement, the people fell silent and bowed their heads. Cedric’s eyes looked heavy as he gazed at the bowed crowns of their heads.
“It is spring.”
The silence broke as Cedric began to speak. Thanks to a magic device, his voice carried far.
“Seeds are planted, sprouts grow, and in time, they bear fruit.”
His voice was calm. His eyes swept over the people slowly—each face reflected in his gaze.
“Sometimes the harvest disappoints. Other times, it brings joy beyond expectation.”
His speech had no formal greetings, but his words pulled people in. Slowly, people raised their heads to look at him.
“But such ordinary lives… our people have been unable to enjoy for a long time.”
“….”
“I am sorry.”
A shocked silence spread through the crowd.
A ruler’s apology.
In an age where class differences were so clear—this was almost unthinkable.
Arms crossed, I watched Cedric from the back.
“Someone once told me, ‘A ruler must never bow his head. A ruler must be flawless.’”
Cedric always used polite speech, no matter who he spoke to. With me, with servants—it didn’t matter. I had found that so striking.
“But if people have suffered, isn’t it more irresponsible not to apologize? As leader of this duchy, I must take responsibility. And I want to.”
…Truly, he was no ordinary man. No wonder the Empire disliked him.
“It’s not your fault, Your Grace!”
Someone shouted suddenly, then quickly covered his mouth in shock, bowing again. Cedric just smiled warmly in that direction.
“And fortunately, I have been given a chance to take responsibility—at least a little.”
Harun, also dressed formally, handed him a large vial. Cedric received it carefully.
“This is the antidote.”
As soon as he spoke, murmurs rose.
“W-what antidote? I heard something was being made, but…”
Cedric let them murmur for a while, then continued calmly:
“It is the only medicine we have right now that can heal and purify the twisted energy of this land.”
After Tan, I had found others with the talent to read energy. They all signed secrecy agreements and began learning potion-making from me. Thanks to them, the antidote had been completed much faster than expected—enough to purify a whole territory.
“You remember how I once warned against using potions. I could not allow broken, harmful products to spread in the duchy. Some of them even carried traces of dark magic.”
“Dark… magic…”
“But now, we have secured the true method of potion-making. This antidote is the proof.”
He stopped speaking, left the platform, and stood where everyone could see.
“Your Grace…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll do it.”
He steadied his breathing, then walked slowly into the wasteland.
I just watched him quietly.
Despite worried whispers, Cedric did not stop. He moved forward like a man performing a holy ritual, solemn and sincere.
He turned to face the people. Tension filled the air, even the warm spring sun could not melt it.
Pop!
The cork of the vial came off with a crisp sound.
The emerald antidote, in the most transparent bottle we had chosen, shone like the sea under sunlight. All eyes followed it.
Just as planned. Everything was going according to plan.
It felt like a natural flow—like fate itself.
Cedric slowly tilted the vial, pouring the antidote onto the ground.
It was dazzling.
“Ah… ahhh…”
“Dear heavens, look upon us!”
“Impossible… is this a dream?”
Shhhhhh…
It was almost like the land itself was making a sound.
