Volume 5 - Chapter 3

The Next Day

“The training today’s the same as yesterday, so please split yourselves into the two groups before, and then begin your training.” [Ryouma]

After Ryouma instructed the girls, he excused himself to make some medicine, and then he went to the medicine room. This was because Ryouma had not yet finished concocting Michelle and Miyabi’s magic recovery potions.

Ryouma tried making them last night, but after finding out his ingredients were nearing their expiry, he decided to use those particular ingredients to create the potion.

Unfortunately, one of the ingredients nearing their expiry, the root of a tree known as tolmandor, needed to be soaked in alcohol overnight to bring out its effects. So until then Ryouma was left with no choice but to do other preliminary work or mix other medicine. Which is why, Ryouma could only make the medicine now.

As Ryouma entered the medicine room, he went to the center where the workbench was, and he quickly prepared the tools he needed such as the pots and the containers. Then he took out a vial in which splinters of wood taken from the floor of the medicine room could be seen submerged in liquid.

“‘Identify’… OK.” [Ryouma]

Ryouma poured the contents into the pot, filling it with the brown alcohol that had absorbed the medicinal efficacy of the tolmandor. Ryouma then added distilled water twice the amount of the brown alcohol, cooked the pot with the flame slime, and then the unnecessary water started evaporating.

“I’ll just leave this for a while…” [Ryouma]

Next he took out two of the three medicinal plants he prepared prior, and cut them. Then he grinded them with the pestle & mortar while keeping an eye out for the boiling pot.

As he quietly continued his work, he noticed that the amount of liquid in the pot had finally returned back to the levels before he added the distilled water, so he stopped the fire, and he took out a transparent vial from the cupboard.

Then he poured exactly 1 liter of that transparent liquid into the pot, and then he mixed it with a spatula as he added a little bit of the medicinal plants he grinded.

Speckles of dark gray and green started to float up the brown liquid in the pot, making the liquid inside look like muddy water. He let that liquid cool down until it reached the temperature of a bath’s waters, then Ryouma added the last medicinal plant.

That medicinal plant was light pink all over, while its petals were a beautiful color of vivid orange and a hue of red reminiscent of fire. Ryouma lifted the lid off the pot, then he added this plant into the mixture. A few seconds later, the color of the liquid changed to amber, and it started to shine a gentle light.

“This reaction is always so beautiful…” [Ryouma]

Ryouma gazed at that light for a while, then he filtered it with a clean cloth, and then he called over a big medicine slime, (In the past three years, his medicine slimes grew to number 150.) who then brought with it small bottles and caps that looked much like the ones used for cosmetic samples.

After that, Ryouma grouped the magic potions he finished making into batches, and then he filled the small bottles with the mixture he made. After the slime covered the bottles with their caps, it took them away. Ryouma and the slime continued to work like this for a while, until–––

“Good! It’s done~…” [Ryouma]

Right after filling up the last bottle, Ryouma rubbed the area in between his eyes as he muttered that. He currently had 250 potions. Each of which was able to restore 5000 magic power. Ryouma gave 50 potions to the big medicine slime, while he stored the remaining 200 into his Item Box. Then he left the medicine room.

“Thank you for your efforts.” [Elia]

The first one to realize Ryouma’s return was Elia, and she called out to him while still in the middle of her practice. Following after her were Miyabi and Michelle who thanked Ryouma for the magic potions. But as it was already noon, Ryouma suggested to have lunch first. After they called the sword team over, they had their lunch.

Elia and the others didn’t want to impose too much on Ryouma by asking him to make them lunch every day, so this time around, they had bentous ordered from the inn. Of course, Ryouma’s portion was included in that as well. As they ate, they talked about medicine.

“Ryouma-han, about the potion…” [Miyabi]

“Putting it bluntly, exactly how much would all those potions run for?” [Michelle]

“Hmm… I used ingredients near their expiry, so I don’t think you really have to worry too much over it, but… Excluding the ingredients which were homegrown and the labor costs… The potions I made for the two of you – 200 potions all in all – would go for about 16,000 suits.”

After hearing the cost, Miyabi started thinking. Seeing that, Ryouma spoke.

“Miyabi, you really don’t need to worry about it.” [Ryouma]

If they need it, they should just use it. Ryouma made sure that they knew that he didn’t have any intentions of trying to forcefully make money from them.

“No, I’ll pay. These sort of things need to be properly handled. Besides, 200 potions for 16,000 would mean 80 suits per bottle. That’s cheaper than if I were to buy some normally.” [Miyabi]

The price of magic recovery potions depends on the amount restored and the quality of the potions, but even 100 suits is considered cheap for a potion that could restore 500 to 1000 magic power. Since the market price could be thought of as equal to an adult’s daily wage, Ryouma’s proposed price could be said to be cheap.

“If you insist, I’ll take it, but…” [Ryouma]

Do you really have that much spare money? Is what Ryouma wanted to say but hesitated to. Regardless, however, Michelle was able to sense what he was thinking, so she said.

“You don’t have to worry since we made some money thanks to you.” [Michelle]

“Money?” [Ryouma]

“We betted on you back at the magic tournament. Didn’t we tell you?” [Michelle]

“Not at all, actually. And didn’t you say you didn’t gamble?” [Ryouma]

Ryouma recalled hearing that when he first brought the five of them to the arena.

“It’s because we were seating in the noble seats. There, we could easily call for an official to make a bet without standing… One of the officials said to Elia, “Betting on the participant is also a form of support,” and so she betted on your victory, Ryouma-dono. Although she did bet the least amount she could.” [Michelle]

“Because of that, we figured we’d also bet ourselves.” [Miyabi]

“And because Ryouma-san won, our money came back.” [Elia]

“We also informed the official to place all the winnings into your next match should you win. Which I’m sure he didn’t expect as you only use slimes. But as a result, we made quite a profit.” [Sebasu]

“The profit’s good and all, but it’s a bit much to waste it on just random stuff, so just take some of it as compensation.” [Miyabi]

After hearing the five girls and Sebasu’s explanation, Ryouma thought, “Then in that case, I shouldn’t insist on refusing.” Then he agreed, and they continued to happily eat together.

“Is it hard to make magic recovery potions? Medicine’s outside my specialty, but I do have an interest in it.” [Kanan]

“There’re all sorts, and easier ones just need to be mixed in the right amounts, while the harder ones need preliminary work and will take lots of effort to make, right?” [Michelle]

“Right. And as you’d expect, the more effective potions have a tendency to be harder to make. Although, of course, there are also those that still work well despite being easy to mix.”[Ryouma]

“How about the medicine you made just now?” [Kanan]

“The preliminary work needed a night to finish, but the concoction itself is easy. Unfortunately, because the ingredients it uses can usually only be found in dangerous areas, gathering the ingredients is actually the harder part.” [Ryouma]

Aside from Michelle who had a medicine researcher for her mother, the rest of the girls weren’t familiar with medicine, so they asked a lot of question. Michelle and Ryouma answered each and every one of them.

Then this question came.

“Ryouma-dono, where did you study how to make medicines? Since you didn’t go to the academy, then did you study at the medic guild?” [Riera]

Medic Guild, as the name implies, is a guild for researchers who study healing magic and medicine. It’s also the guild responsible for raising doctors and nurses, as well as providing them should their services be required. （There are also people who register to the guild after learning under a registered doctor or nurse.）

There aren’t any special qualifications needed to call oneself a doctor. But in order to be registered to the guild, one must at least have some knowledge and ability relating to medicine, so the patients can be assured. It’ll also be easier to manage them if they’re registered. Which is why in most bigger towns, over half of the doctors and nurses in the hospitals and medical centers are registered with the guild.

“No, it wasn’t the guild, but my grandmother who taught me. My grandmother was the village’s doctor and was also a researcher herself, so around that time I learned a little from her… Nowadays, I’m studying to continue my grandmother’s research.” [Ryouma]

“What kind of research?” [Michelle]

When the word ‘research’ came out, Michelle responded faster than anyone else. Ryouma was already used to Michelle’s attitude, and he responded with his usual response.

“The recreation of my grandmother’s old medicines. Have you heard of the Silt Kingdom?” [Ryouma]

All the girls except for Michelle shook their heads. As for Michelle, she squeezed out the knowledge she had, and she slowly answered.

“That’s the ruined country, right? According to my mother, that’s the country that excelled the most in medicine. But that’s about all I know regarding it…” [Michelle]

“Then let me give a quick explanation.” [Ryouma]

Ryouma took a few seconds to put his thoughts together, then he spoke.

The Silt Kingdom was a small country, but because of a plague that once spread, the townsmen, the nobles, and even the royalty suffered greatly. Moreover, because the surrounding countries all feared the spread of the plague, they cut off all connections, and refused any calls for support or trade. Thus, the country drew ever closer to ruin.

But although their once large population had been greatly reduced, the remaining aristocrats and royalty of the Silt Kingdom worked hard to raise healers and doctors. Even townspeople started gathering knowledge for themselves regarding medicine. As much as possible they took care, and made preventing even requiring treatment in the first place a priority.

Because of that, Silt Kingdom’s golden age was a time of prosperity in healing magic and medicine. They became number one in the world, both in paper and reality, when it came to medicinal knowledge and healing techniques.

“So what grandma was researching was the knowledge and technique of the world’s most advanced country in medicine. Their medicine was supposedly able to not only heal wounds, but even restore lost body parts. The name of their medicine is unknown, so for the sake of convenience, it’s currently called, “Elixir”.” [Ryouma]

“Could such a dreamlike medicine actually exist?” [Michelle]

Half interested and half dubious, all eyes gathered on Ryouma. Being on the receiving end of such gazes, Ryouma responded as expected.

“It can’t be helped if you think such medicine is dreamlike. After all, there’s no definite proof of its existence… But there are old documents found in the ruins as well as the descriptions suggesting at their existence written in the medical certificates of the patients written by the doctors then. There’s also the theory that suggests that other countries might’ve heard from somewhere of the Silt Kingdom’s elixirs, and attacked their country because of them.

Which is why grandma says that the possibility an elixir or a medicine with proportionate effect is high.” [Ryouma]

Even if an elixir can be made, it still remains a question whether it could actually be given to the suffering people. It wouldn’t be strange for it not to be given if it is a medicine too difficult to acquire.

Moreover, if there’s a way to be cured, and yet that way can’t be provided to the suffering people, then conflict might arise out of that suffering. But despite that, grandma still wanted to recreate that elixir.

Said Ryouma as he read out aloud the note left by his grandmother and the information he got from his inheritance, while Sebasu and all the six girls listened carefully to his words.

“What a splendid person.” [Riera]

As Riera muttered that, the other people also agreed.

“So Ryouma-kun, you’re continuing that same research then?” [Michelle]

Ryouma could only smile bitterly to Michelle’s next words.

“Whether you could actually say that is a difficult question… After all, even with just recreating grandma’s incomplete medicines, I can’t create anything else except for medicines loaded with horrible side effects, making them no different from poison.

I also can’t find a better combination of medicinal, poisonous plants, and other ingredients to create a better medicine. Even with just improving, my knowledge is lacking.” [Ryouma]

The main points of her research have all been consolidated in the inheritance. If it weren’t for that, Ryouma would’ve taken much longer just to recreate her medicine. That was how deep the knowledge that the “Sage”, Melia, left in those books.

Ryouma did consider bringing the books to the medicine guild, but because of the possibility of the books being taken away to a place he couldn’t reach, he instead, decided to spend night after night, studying the contents of the inheritance.

Him completing the medicine aside, at the very least, Ryouma could definitely ensure that the research results and materials could reach a suitable place before he dies. But before that, although a little, Ryouma also had in him the desire to personally complete the elixir with his own two hands. Because of that, Ryouma remained firm on his decision not to borrow the medicine guild’s help.

“Something like this can’t be rushed after all… So for now, I’ll just continue to store up knowledge. Looking at it long term, at the very least, 10 years.” [Ryouma]

Ryouma chuckled as he said that, then that gentle atmosphere for talk ended. After they finished eating the remaining food in their bentou, the girls rested for a little, then they returned to training.

Later, in the magic training after this, all eyes will gather on Ryouma’s magic potion as his potions’ efficacy prove to be far higher than anything Miyabi or Michelle could’ve thought. But as for now, the girls were still unaware.