Chapter 155 |
Sylvia,
As one deeply connected to nature, as a proud member of your clan, you are meant to embrace and savor the beauty that surrounds you, indulging in its splendor until nature’s very last breath graces your presence. In every fleeting moment…
“……”
Sylvia, the esteemed leader of the elf tribe, slowly opened her eyes, which had been shut in contemplation. Her gaze fell upon the table set before her, upon which rested a pristine white bowl. Within that bowl, a rich, dark brown liquid steamed, wafting an aroma that was undeniably nutty and savory.
‘Hoo,’
She struggled to suppress the urge to recoil. She couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. Hadn’t her mother assured her that she would only partake in the finest of nature’s offerings? That she was an integral part of the great natural world? But did this great beauty of nature truly encompass such peculiarities?
‘Reality can be quite perplexing.’
Never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned herself drinking something like this. She certainly hadn’t expected to taste a concoction resembling water infused with dried and roasted dregs chewed by a Minotaur!
“What are you waiting for?”
A subtle nudge came from across the table. Raising her eyes, Sylvia was met with the beaming countenance of a human—the Crown Prince, the very individual responsible for scorching their forest.
“If it cools, its effectiveness will wane. You must consume it promptly.”
“That, well…”
“Do you require a moment to prepare yourself?”
“……”
“Tsk. I hadn’t anticipated our esteemed leader to react this way.”
“……”
“I assure you, I collected and processed it with the utmost sincerity to minimize any discomfort.”
“……”
“That is indeed the case.”
Raciel offered a rueful smile.
Indeed, it was the dregs of Uruus, and collecting and processing them had been no trivial task. The size of these dregs rivaled that of a human, and he hadn’t been exaggerating!
He had painstakingly gathered and shaped them into appropriately sized dumplings, carefully dried them in the shade, and then roasted them to perfection. The result was the very first batch of a genuine lung fluke treatment potion, known as ‘Uruus Coffee.’
‘Well, it’s certainly not like Luwak coffee, which involves animal cruelty.’
In truth, Raciel had never sampled Luwak coffee back in Korea. He harbored no intention of casting judgment on people’s preferences, but he had always felt a twinge of sympathy for animals involved in the process. Boiling animal dregs in water seemed somewhat distressing.
Pushing aside these fleeting thoughts, he urged,
“You promised to drink it, to cooperate. After all the effort I’ve invested in brewing this, you can’t back out now, can you?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Ah, don’t worry. Just give it a try. Come on, take a sip.”
“……”
Sylvia squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
She had come this far, and there was no turning back now. With her determination steeled, she lifted the bowl and downed its contents as though it were poison.
“……Pfft!”
She nearly spat it out, and she desperately wanted to. However, she fought the urge and failed. The Crown Prince had expected such a reaction and promptly covered her mouth with his hand.
“You can do it! Swallow!”
“……Gulp! Blp!”
She managed it. She swallowed!
‘Mother, I did it!’
Sylvia didn’t shed tears of emotion. Instead, as soon as she pushed Raciel’s hand away, she started coughing violently. She had choked while forcing the medicine down.
“……Cough! Gulp! Hack! Cough!”
The intense coughing persisted. Was it because she had choked so badly? But something was peculiar. Typically, when one chokes, the coughing begins initially but soon subsides. This time, however, it was different. The coughing showed no signs of stopping. In fact, it grew worse?
“Cough! Gulp! Hack cough… Gulp! Cough!”
She couldn’t cease the coughing; it was agonizing. It felt as though something constricted within her chest, causing pain and making it difficult to breathe. This was undeniably unusual!
‘Could it be… poison?’
Sylvia shuddered with dread. Amidst the torment of her escalating cough, a chilling suspicion washed over her.
The Crown Prince, the one who had ignited the forest. To him, she was just an irritating adversary, someone perhaps better off eliminated.
But why had she placed trust… Why had she believed in that human?
‘I’m such a fool… I’ve been deceived.’
The chilling suspicion turned into conviction.
It was poison.
Undoubtedly.
The Crown Prince was attempting to poison her to evade responsibility for the forest’s destruction and rid himself of the nuisance she represented. He had deceived her with talk of lung flukes. That was the truth. All of this had been a vile and treacherous scheme!
“……How dare you!”
Sylvia’s eyes blazed with fury.
Her conviction transformed into rage.
She clenched her teeth. Amidst the escalating coughing, she suddenly rose to her feet. She drew the dagger from her waist and resolved to swiftly slash the Crown Prince’s throat.
However, her resolve remained unfulfilled.
Unbeknownst to her, due to the coughing that had reached its peak, she had coughed up a clot of blood.
“……Cough?”
Gulp!
A lump of blood, the size of a mouthful, surged up her throat without warning. It was unstoppable. She vomited.
“Cough!”
The dark stain of blood spread on the sickroom floor. Yet, she paid it no heed. Her conviction solidified instead. If consuming the liquid had immediately caused her to vomit dark blood, what else could it be but poison?
‘I’ll end him!’
Murderous intent flared in her eyes. Simultaneously, a sly smile crept onto Raciel’s lips.
“Look here!”
He quickly pointed to the floor. There lay the dark clot of blood Sylvia had just expelled. Raciel clenched his fist and spoke excitedly.
“Look at this, can you see? Wow, it really came out, didn’t it?”
“……”
Sylvia had been on the verge of charging at Raciel. However, somehow, he had managed to steal her timing. Because of this, she came to an abrupt halt in an awkward posture.
She also felt perplexed.
‘Came out? Properly? What does he mean?’
She couldn’t grasp his intentions. Perhaps even this behavior was a part of his strategy. Sylvia heightened her vigilance and inquired.
“What’s your game?”
“Game? Just compose yourself and take a look here, would you?”
“……”
“Can’t you see this?”
“……”
Sylvia narrowed her eyes. She focused her attention on the clot of blood that Raciel was pointing at. Then, something small and wriggling emerged from it?
“Ta-da. Has a wild lung fluke that had been residing in your lungs made an appearance?”
“……What?”
“Since we’ve made its acquaintance, why not say hello?”
“……”
Really?
Initially, she was dumbfounded. However, as she continued to observe, it became undeniable. With her excellent eyesight, she could distinctly see it. Approximately one centimeter in size, a plump, oval-shaped worm was wriggling distinctly in view.
It was indeed a lung fluke.
‘Was it real? Was there no attempt at poisoning…?’
Since she had vomited blood, the coughing had ceased entirely. Realizing this, Sylvia finally released the tension that had been gripping her body. Feeling somewhat embarrassed for having been on edge, she asked.
“So, am I cured now?”
That would be a relief. Since she had vomited blood and the lung fluke had come out with it, perhaps her lungs were now cleansed. Maybe she wouldn’t have to endure that dreadful Uruus coffee any longer.
The glimmer of hope that had just started to blossom within her was shattered by Raciel’s nonchalant response.
“No? Not at all?”
“……”
“It would have been nice if you were cured. I’m not thrilled about dealing with cow dung either. But unfortunately, you’re not cured yet.”
“……”
“Don’t look so disheartened.”
“……”
“Oops, you truly did ingest dung.”
“……”
“Anyway, at least it’s evident that Uruus coffee is effective. It’s quite encouraging that the lung fluke emerged immediately after the first dose.”
“So I have to keep drinking it?”
“Yes. Twice a day, morning and evening, until no more lung flukes come out.”
“……”
“You won’t die from it, it won’t harm you.”
“……Sob!”
Sylvia involuntarily let her tears flow. But there was nothing she could do. The treatment had already commenced.
She faithfully followed Raciel’s instructions, ingesting Uruus coffee twice a day, every morning and evening. Each time, she experienced violent coughing and vomited blood. And on each occasion, one or two lung flukes inevitably emerged amidst the clumps of blood.
Day by day passed, one, then two, until finally, the sixth day arrived.
……Eject!
No more lung flukes appeared in the blood clots she vomited. Simultaneously, a joyful notification sound rang out loudly in Raciel’s ear.
Ding-dong!
[You have endured intense nausea and personally administered Uruus Coffee to the patient, Sylvia.]
[Thanks to the effect of Skill: Potion Brewing (Lv.5), the potency of the medicine increased by 14%.]
[The patient, Sylvia, was suffering from typical symptoms of lung fluke infection due to long-term dietary habits, and without proper treatment, she was destined to die from various complications within 3 years. However, thanks to the potent Uruus Coffee you prepared, all the proliferating lung flukes in her body have been eradicated.]
[The Skill: Medical Billing (Lv. 2) is activated.]
[The patient, Sylvia, has received a total life expectancy extension benefit of 732 years and 6 months due to your intake of Uruus Coffee. As a result, you are credited with a bonus lifespan corresponding to 1/1950 of 732 years and 6 months.]
[Since the patient, Sylvia, is not human, an interspecies penalty is applied.]
[The bonus lifespan credited to you is reduced by 50%.]
[67.61 days of bonus lifespan are calculated.]
[The smallest unit for lifespan settlement is 1 day.]
[The credited bonus lifespan is rounded off.]
[A total of 68 days of bonus lifespan are awarded to you.]
[Your expected lifespan: 376 days]
‘……Ha, nice!’
Raciel’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. Earning a remarkable 68 days of lifespan from just one treatment was a remarkable achievement. Moreover, for the first time, his projected lifespan had exceeded a year!
‘As expected of elves! I knew I could rely on them!’
After all, weren’t elves renowned for their thousand-year lifespans? If he continued to treat them, he might live without ever worrying about bonus lifespan. He could even accumulate an excess of it.
‘Then I’ll join the ranks of the long-lived, won’t I?’
He indulged in his budding dreams and raised his head.
“Congratulations. You’re cured.”
“……Really?”
“Yes. You don’t have to drink Uruus Coffee anymore.”
“That… that’s… Sob!”
Sylvia, realizing she was free from her ailment, welled up with emotion. Raciel’s gaze softened as he observed her, like someone admiring a jar of honey.
“By the way, do you happen to know of any family members, neighbors, or colleagues who have similar symptoms?”
“……Lung flukes?”
“Yes, or anyone suffering from different ailments, not necessarily lung flukes?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Why not?”
“Well, it’s been over 30 years since I last visited my homeland.”
“……Did you run away from home?”
“No, not at all.”
Sylvia chuckled.
“I am an executor who handles external affairs.”
“But when you receive a mission or orders, don’t you return to the village?”
“No, that’s not how it works. I receive missions in dandelion fluff.”
“……Excuse me?”
“The Great Elder blows dandelion seeds imbued with his will. Then, guided by his will, the dandelion seeds travel all the way to me. Enclosed within them is the content of my next mission.”
“What kind of…”
Raciel’s shoulders slumped. His sweet dream of treating an entire elf extended family and amassing decades of bonus life expectancy had soured in an instant.
However, he swiftly regained his composure. Such opportunities could be pursued later. There would come a time when he could visit an elf village.
So, what now? He should focus on other immediate gains that he could secure.
‘…Perhaps it’s time to add a little flavor.’
Pure joy radiated from Sylvia upon being cured of her lung fluke ailment. As Raciel looked at her, the next plan he had been concocting lately came to mind as effortlessly as a sushi conveyor belt. He had prepared the bait for it.
‘You’ve got to seize opportunities when they arise. Even if it means squeezing every last drop out of them!’
With unwavering determination, he moistened his lips. Gazing at Sylvia with a shrewd smile, he casually uttered a statement as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“So, it’s time for you to settle the medical fee, isn’t it?”
“……What?”
Taken aback by the unexpected demand, Sylvia froze in her tracks.
(To be Continued)
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