58
‘Why isn’t it working?’
These five methods were the very basics.
I let out a sigh as I looked at the results.
‘This one has too little substance, this one is toxic, and this one…’
I thought about using even the tiniest extracted amount, but proportions were crucial in formulation.
Mixing various elements haphazardly in hopes of getting the right ratio would only ruin the entire thing.
‘It’s because they haven’t been completely separated from other impurities in the first place.’
I could feel my body getting stiffer and more sore.
Though I was holding up well for a child’s body, it was still taking a toll.
Cough.
“…Are you okay?”
Gilbert, who had brought easily digestible cabbage rolls all the way to the infirmary, looked at me with deep concern.
“Really, if it gets too bad, just say so. We can always make a run for it.”
We hadn’t carelessly sent Titan and Isaac away without reason.
Titan had already mapped out the entire structure of the castle and passed it on to us.
Even if the captain and first mate were absent at the moment, Isaac could manage the rest of the Caelum family’s leadership.
‘And with Dexter and Clara being so observant, this is the perfect elite crew for a stealthy escape.’
But I didn’t want to run away.
The symptoms of Pond poisoning had already started, and even surviving was uncertain.
‘If I run away now, this entire estate is doomed.’
I might no longer be a navy officer, but I didn’t want to turn my back on those I could still save.
“No, cough, I’ll keep trying a bit more.”
Ding—!
At that moment, a clear sound echoed beside me.
The drying of the Desmer mushroom, soaked with Cornella oil, had completed.
“.....…!”
A spark of insight struck my mind.
‘This is it!’
Because the magical dryer was already in use, I had completely overlooked it.
After all, drying minerals wasn’t exactly a common practice.
‘Everyone just thinks of minerals as something to grind and use.’
When making medicine from minerals, the first step is to grind the stone, then mix it with neutralizing agents and additives that can dilute the toxins within.
However, because the antidote for Pond poisoning originates from poison itself, it was incredibly difficult to preserve its delicate properties while mixing other substances.
‘But if I dry it first, it should condense right from the start, so it should be fine.’
I placed the luminous stone into the magical dryer and pressed the button.
A low humming sound began.
‘Five hours. That should be enough for perfect drying.’
If my assumption was correct, the dried mineral would retain some of its original glow.
‘Alright, let’s get other things ready while I wait.’
The failure was only in extracting substances from the mineral.
I had already tested various reagents in the water samples I had collected.
‘Based on this reaction, the base should be juice from Bazul. Then add a tonic from the Wittar Medical Association, cap of a Diken mushroom, and powder from a non-toxic centipede…’
‘The proportions will need to be exact, of course.’
Fortunately, there was a person suffering from Pond poisoning nearby.
Or rather—should I say 'nearby'? It was me.
‘I can test it on myself.’
“Lala, you’re not thinking something crazy, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
I replied firmly to Nereus’s concerned voice.
‘This isn’t even a crazy idea.’
Wouldn’t any doctor think of this?
Besides, I wasn’t going to die—probably.
***
“I’ve decided not to use my authority for a while.”
Clink.
After a few days of settling in more comfortably at Castle Terminus thanks to Gilbert, Ekati Terminus summoned me and said that out of the blue.
“The other sisters agreed to it as well.”
“I see.”
I was munching on an apple Gilbert had sliced for me.
At this point, even chewing was a hassle, so it was convenient.
“…How’s your body holding up?”
“Well, it’s okay.”
At the onset of Pond poisoning, I felt like I might die—perhaps a slight exaggeration, but even my joints and bones ached.
‘But humans are creatures of adaptation.’
Back in the navy, I had endured far worse training.
It was all meant to keep us from leaking information under torture.
Because of that, I had a relatively high tolerance for pain.
‘Honestly, I feel more embarrassed that I whined to Nereus about feeling sick.’
That was really unlike me.
Then again, I’d been 'unlike myself' ever since I came back to life.
Anyway, that wasn’t the point right now.
“More importantly, why did you decide to stop using your power?”
Cough, cough.
I asked haltingly, with small coughs between words.
Ekati’s expression became subtly complicated.
“There hasn’t been any sign of corrupt beings appearing lately, and we've agreed to leave management of the castle entirely to Evelyn.”
“I see~”
“Yes, as you know, all the servants in this castle are deceased souls. Our family has never kept living people nearby.”
She didn’t seem inclined to explain why.
‘Well, we’re not close enough for that kind of talk anyway.’
“Then why keep Evelyn around?”
“She’s the last descendant of a retainer who has long served our family.”
So if Evelyn dies… will she also be summoned back as one of the dead?
‘Hmm, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.’
Even in death—no retirement.
I quietly pitied her and returned to eating the sliced apple.
‘Still, it feels like I’ve forgotten something.’
I tried to retrace my thoughts, but nothing came to mind.
Most likely because the Terminus family had already been wiped out by the time I joined the navy.
‘Even when I studied history, there weren’t many details.’
Yes, no one seemed to know anything about the Terminus family.
Not a single person.
***
The medicines for Maddie’s disease and Pond poisoning were coming along nicely.
Just as I predicted, after thoroughly drying the minerals, I was able to separate them into chunks and grind only the useful parts.
I struggled a bit with the exact proportions, but since I had memorized the properties of all the ingredients thoroughly, I quickly got the hang of it.
Once the mixture was aged and boiled, it would be ready.
And at that moment, what I was doing was…
Flash!
“Yaaawn.”
…getting enough sleep.
Maybe it was the constant aching, but falling into deep sleep was hard. It was one of those vicious cycles: always sleepy, but no matter how much I slept, I didn’t recover.
Nereus insisted on staying by the patient’s side, making a fuss, but Gilbert ended up dragging him to another room.
'Since the rooms are all connected, we’ll notice right away if something happens,' he said.
‘Those same guys were totally unreliable during the White Rot outbreak.’
My throat was dry and scratchy.
Even though I had changed the water, I could tell my condition was steadily worsening.
‘I’m so thirsty.’
My body felt as heavy and sluggish as a soaked cotton ball.
It was a noble’s bedroom, so there was a pull rope for attendants, but Evelyn was the only staff here.
‘Even if I pull it, it wouldn’t alert anyone in the adjacent rooms.’
And there was no water left on the bedside table.
I guessed they assumed I wouldn’t wake up during the night.
As soon as I stepped out the door, Nereus, who had been snoring on a couch outside, suddenly jolted awake.
“Gah…! I wasn’t sleeping, I swear!”
“…Wipe your drool.”
He shuffled toward me groggily, clearly having slept well.
“How are you feeling, my daughter?”
“Not terrible.”
Cough, cough. I kept coughing, and he grumbled.
“Not terrible, my foot. You’re coughing like you’re on your deathbed.”
“The medicine will be done soon.”
At times like this, I was really glad I had knowledge of the future.
Otherwise, I’d be stumbling through trial and error endlessly.
“Tsk. That head of the Terminus family sure seems busy lately. Still, how could she just leave the castle with guests here?”
“Maybe she’s just busier than we are.”
“You’re the busiest one here, you punk!”
Nereus gently tugged at my cheek, careful not to hurt me.
Then, worried a cold breeze from the hallway might touch me, he wrapped me snugly in a blanket and suddenly lifted me up.
“My daughter. Always insisting on doing things even when you're sick… This poor father’s heart can't take it, even if I had ten of them. By the way, is your foot all healed from last time?”
“Mmhmm.”
It had been a while since then—of course it healed.
There was only a faint scratch left.
“And you're not just working on the cure for the poisoning—You're brewing up all kinds of other stuff, too. Why the heck did you toss Oceanis into the dryer?”
“It was... a sort of scientific curiosity?”
“Well, if it’s what you want to do, then you should.”
Nereus busily waved his hands around, fidgeting about.
I honestly had no idea why he was acting like that.
Once we reached the kitchen, he handed me a cup of lukewarm water, then filled a glass bottle with more and carried it for me.
“Sigh. Having a daughter is exhausting.”
“So you hate it?”
“Love, by nature, is a bit unreasonable—but you just go with it, right?”
If only he didn’t talk so much. I gave him a side-eye, and he cleared his throat with a big ahem.
As we walked back, he suddenly stumbled a bit, his upper body dipping forward sharply.
I almost fell, too, but despite the jolt, he held me steady—just how strong were his arms?
“If you’re gonna fall, at least fall backward.”
“You really are a filial daughter.”
Can’t you just say ‘be careful’ like a normal person?—Nereus grumbled but didn’t look displeased.
“Lala.”
“Mm.”
“Now don’t wake up anymore. Sleep deep.”
“Come on.”
I was planning to anyway.
I wasn’t usually a deep sleeper, but these days my condition was so rough that just lying down made my eyes close instantly.
Click—the door shut, and the room went silent.
***
Outside, Nereus smiled as he looked at the closed door.
‘She’s so cute. Definitely my daughter.’
Though her personality was a bit fierce, that was just right.
She wouldn’t be easily intimidated anywhere.
Humming to himself, he walked back down the hallway he had just passed, casually ripping a wall-mounted lamp off with one hand.
Whoooosh—!
Clang—!!
A blade flew from the distance, but Nereus effortlessly deflected it with the back of his hand. His movement was flawless—sharp and unhesitating.
“Damn. These bastards must have a death wish.”
The walls around them were riddled with needles and thrown blades—clear evidence of a surprise attack that had occurred while he was carrying Polaris.
“My daughter’s sick right now. She finally fell asleep, and these lunatics attack?”
“Captain, you’re here?”
Clara, bracing herself on her mace, greeted him with a relieved smile.
"How the hell did you smuggle that thing in? The body checks here were insanely thorough."
“You shouldn’t ask a lady about her secrets~”
“Tsk.”
In the midst of that carefree exchange, a man lay sprawled on the ground—bleeding heavily.
“Gh… grrkkk…”
With bloodshot eyes, he glared up at them.
“No matter what you scum say… I will—!”
Crunch!
Clara slammed her mace down on his head, cutting him off mid-sentence.
Silence fell.
Nereus let out a weary sigh.
“Let’s finish cleaning this up before sunrise.”
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