Ceres kicked aside a nearby examination desk, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. Without wasting time on explanations, she began issuing orders.
“Let’s treat the patients marked in red first.”
“...Pardon?”
Ignoring the healers’ confused looks, Ceres grabbed the red thread she’d spotted on the table earlier and moved through the rows of patients.
“Those wearing gold rings, start with these patients. The ones wearing silver rings can treat the rest.”
Anyone who had served House Ellesia for more than ten years was awarded a gold ring. After three years, they received a silver one. The rings weren’t meant to distinguish rank but to make it easier to assign tasks efficiently.
They surely knew that much.
“What are you all standing around for?”
Ceres frowned as she tied a red thread around the wrist of the patient in the most critical condition. The ward remained deathly still.
“Move. Or are you planning to wait until everyone’s dead before doing anything?”
“N-No!”
The healers who were frozen in place finally sprang into action, rushing off to carry out their assignments.
“Bring the newly arrived patients in here as well.”
“Yes!”
The treatment ward, which had been in complete disarray only moments ago, quickly settled into order.
“Whoa...”
Watching from the side, Herion gasped in admiration. Ceres handled the chaos with such ease that it looked like she’d spent decades doing exactly this.
Herion followed her every move without so much as a blink, determined not to miss a single detail.
“Herion, help sort the patients. Unless you’d rather keep watching.”
“Ah! Right away!”
Snapping out of it, Herion hurried over to the patients.
***
“...What are they doing?”
“Huh?”
“Why are they using holy water?”
“Well...”
At the question, Herion looked puzzled.
“Because the wounds are tainted with demonic energy.”
Treating someone afflicted by demonic energy was different from treating an ordinary injury. The corruption embedded in the wound must be removed first. Otherwise, no amount of herbs or medicine would do any good.
That was why the first step in treating anyone injured by a monster was to sprinkle holy water over the wound and purge the demonic energy.
I know that. What I’m asking is why they’re still using holy water.
What happened to the medicine she developed?
Things weren’t much different in the past. Minor wounds caused by monsters could be treated through ordinary means. Severe injuries, however, always required holy water supplied by the temple.
The problem was...
The people who sold the stuff were infuriating.
More than once, she’d nearly lost her temper watching temple officials act like they were bestowing some great favor whenever someone came to purchase it.
It’s not like they were handing it out for free.
Why should anyone put up with that attitude when they charged a fortune for every bottle?
“Are you raising the price of holy water again?”
“We have our own circumstances to consider. I hope you’ll be understanding.”
“People are already going without treatment because they can’t afford it, and you want to raise the price further?”
“It’s certainly a regrettable situation, but our hands are tied. We simply don’t have enough people capable of producing holy water.”
That greedy old cardinal.
“Well, if you were to lower your head and ask me sincerely, I might be persuaded to reconsider...”
Smack!
“Ghk! Y-Your Eminence!”
In the end, she’d lost her patience and punched that pig-faced b*stard right in the face.
“H-How dare you! You’ll regret this...!”
“If I were you, I’d start praying a little more earnestly from now on.”
“W-What?”
“Pray that a Black Forest never springs up anywhere near the temple.”
“What are you talking about?”
“From now on, if one does appear anywhere connected to the temple, House Ellesia, the Magic Tower, and the Persia Grand Duchy won’t be getting involved.”
“—!”
“Let’s see how well you manage once you’re trapped inside one, surrounded by monsters, with nothing to rely on but that precious holy water of yours.”
That was enough to make the temple back down.
The three powers most responsible for dealing with Black Forests had all threatened to withdraw their support. Faced with that prospect, the temple had no choice but to abandon its plans to raise the price of holy water.
But—
As if I would’ve been satisfied with just that.
The thought of them trying another stunt like that someday had irritated her enough to start looking for a permanent solution.
After months of work, she finally found one. A medicine capable of treating severe monster-inflicted wounds and cleansing demonic energy without a drop of holy water.
“Why aren’t you using it?”
“Using what?”
“The medicine for demonic corruption.”
“...Medicine? There’s something like that?”
“...There isn’t?”
Seeing Herion stare at her with wide eyes, Ceres was left speechless.
“Wait here.”
Leaving those words behind, she stepped somewhere secluded and opened a storage space. Dozens of medicine bottles tumbled into her arms. Each one was filled with a vivid green liquid.
“Urgh...!”
“Someone bring the holy water! Hurry!”
“Yes!”
Taking several bottles with her, Ceres headed back into the treatment ward and walked straight toward the healer frantically calling for holy water.
“The holy water, quick—”
“Hold on.”
“What do you mean hold on? This patient doesn’t have—”
The healer, already irritated by the interruption in a critical situation, abruptly stopped when he realized who had blocked him. It was the newly appointed acting head.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m treating him.”
“...Pardon?”
The healer stared in alarm as Ceres uncorked one of the bottles. An unfamiliar green liquid poured directly onto a wound slick with blood.
Normally, applying another substance before purifying the injury could make a patient’s condition much worse. He immediately reached out to stop her, but Ceres was faster.
“What do you think you’re do—”
The healer’s furious outburst died in his throat before he could finish.
“The wound...”
Wounds tainted by demonic energy didn’t clot. The corruption only spread faster with time, devouring the flesh around it. Unless holy water was applied quickly, the patient wouldn’t survive.
“...The bleeding stopped.”
No holy water had been used. Yet, the blackened flesh that was steadily spreading earlier halted as though frozen in place.
“How...?”
“It doesn’t just remove demonic energy. It helps heal the wound too. Frankly, it’s more useful than holy water.”
Ceres handed over another bottle and calmly finished treating the patient.
“What are you standing there for?”
“Huh?”
“There are still patients waiting.”
“Ah...! Right!”
The healer jolted back to his senses. Clutching the bottle Ceres had given him, he hurried off toward the next patient.
***
“Lady Ceres, what is this medicine?”
Once the worst of the commotion had passed and everyone was catching their breath, Herion immediately asked the question she’d been holding back.
“It’s incredible. How can °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° a wound corrupted by demonic energy heal without holy water? What herbs did you use?”
“You really don’t know?”
Ceres had many questions of her own.
“You’ve honestly never seen it before?”
Because none of this made any sense.
The Black Forests still existed and people were still being injured by monsters. How could a medicine this important just disappear?
“No. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Herion lowered her head awkwardly, looking like a child being scolded.
If someone who had spent more than ten years in House Ellesia had never seen it, then there was only one possible conclusion.
The formula was gone.
How did that happen?
She spent six whole months developing that medicine. And somehow the formula just vanished?
Enoch, you idiot...!
What in the world had that disciple of hers been doing?
Ceres silently fumed at her long-dead student.
“Lady Ceres... did you make this medicine yourself?”
“Mm.”
“Really?!”
Herion stared down at the bottle in her hands with amazement. Ceres watched her quietly, sinking into thought.
So House Ellesia doesn’t have it.
She still didn’t know why. But if Herion’s reaction was genuine, then nobody in House Ellesia knew this formula anymore.
No. Perhaps nobody on the entire continent did.
“Lady Herion.”
“Y-Yes?”
Herion blinked in surprise. Why was Ceres suddenly speaking politely?
In response, Ceres merely curved her lips into a dazzling smile. A very interesting idea had just occurred to her.
“Would you care to make a deal with me?”
“A deal?”
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