Chapter 10
Today is the pharmacy’s regular day off. After finishing my transaction with Hector and having him purchase several of the new tea leaves he said he might get addicted to, I headed to the shopping district as planned to buy materials for potions.
As I was called out to here and there, giving advice after looking at prediction lines and receiving small gifts in return, my bag had grown so full it was about to burst when I saw him.
(What is with that man who looks like a showcase of misfortune?)
Death, illness, injury, sorrow, pain, lines of predicted misfortune like those extended from him in numbers that would normally be impossible, even though each one was short. Since they were all short, he was probably in a state where someone was targeting his life, with danger constantly hanging over him.
That unfortunate man, dressed like a traveler, appeared to be enjoying a meal at a terrace with another similarly dressed companion. However, since there were several people nearby with gray lines of suspicion extending from them, I realized that a large number of guards were blended into the surroundings. …Only the wealthy could do something like that.
(Some rich person or noble, then. In that case, I shouldn’t get involved… I shouldn’t… but…!!)
I wanted to avoid getting involved. But just as a new dish was brought out, his companion’s lines of illness and death began rapidly extending. The unfortunate man’s lines were also growing little by little.
The food that had been served, the lines of illness extending alongside death, the answer derived from that was only one thing. Poison.
The moment I reached that conclusion, I grabbed a fruit from the top of my bag and threw it at the man about to eat. The fruit was knocked down before it could hit him, and I was immediately surrounded by people who appeared to be guards disguised as townsfolk, but I shouted anyway. If I could just stop him from eating, that was enough.
「You must not eat that!!」
Even I think that was a terrible blunder. But I’m not the kind of person who could stand by and watch someone die when I know they will, so can’t be helped.
At my words, the people who had been about to seize me stopped moving. Then I saw the waiter who had brought the food try to run, only to be subdued by guards nearby.
「What is it, Cyril? Another fortune-telling?」
「So what did you find out this time? Was there a mouse hair in the food or something?」
The townspeople, unaware of the guards, were as carefree as ever, smiling at me just like usual. As I brushed them off, someone lightly tapped my shoulder.
When I turned around, I found myself face-to-face with the man who had almost eaten the poisoned food. His face was smiling, but his eyes, clear like a summer sky, were sharp enough to pierce.
「Young lady, can we talk for a bit?」
「…Yes… of course…」
「That’s quite a large bag. Allow me.」
With a natural motion, he took the bag filled with what I had bought and been given. Was that a sign telling me to follow if I wanted it back? …No, surely it was just kindness. Probably. Hopefully. Even though I couldn’t see any kind-looking lines.
And so I was taken to a small, old house. Though I entered with the urge to run away, the inside was surprisingly well-kept despite its exterior.
In the center of the room, a beautiful young man with black hair and black eyes lounged elegantly on a soft-looking sofa with his legs crossed. In one corner of the room, the waiter who had brought the food was lying on the floor, gagged. It was an unsettling sight.
(This really might be a noble.)
The man before me, the one who had looked like a trade fair of doom earlier. From afar, with his face partially hidden by a turban, I couldn’t tell, but now that I saw him up close, he had a refined and elegant face. …Nobles often have attractive features, since they tend to marry beautiful people.
There were guards at each corner of the room, and there were likely more in the room past the door. Important people always travel with many guards.
(They are very cautious about me… but how come this person alone is also keenly curious…?)
The man who had nearly eaten poison was still radiating intense caution. Yet the black-haired man, who should’ve been in equal danger, had a long line of bright green curiosity extending from him.
「I can’t bear you standing there like that. Please, sit.」
「…Excuse me.」
He gestured to the seat across the table with an amused expression, and I sat down, trying not to look at the gagged waiter on the floor.
「Now then, the first thing I wish to ask… why did you throw this at me?」
He placed the apple on the table with a soft sound. Though he asked with a smile, the blue eyes peeking through his golden hair were still sharp and piercing.
But how should I answer? If I told the truth, it would sound like a lie. Yet I couldn’t think of any suitable excuse either. Maybe I could get by with an honest but vague answer.
「I had a feeling that you must not eat that food… and before I knew it, I had thrown it.」
「A feeling, you say. Is that what the townspeople were referring to as fortune-telling? I hear you’re quite a famous fortune teller.」
「Well… something like that, I suppose. Though I’m not a fortune teller, just a humble pharmacist.」
After hearing my answer, the already long line of caution grew even longer. That reaction was only natural, since even I would find it suspicious. But I didn’t know what else to say.
The man questioning me turned to the one who seemed to hold the highest status and asked, 「What do you think?」 The man addressed nodded with a smile and leaned forward slightly.
「She is not lying. Nor does she bear any ill intent. This girl truly understood your danger.」
I was startled by his words. I could tell from his emotions that he genuinely didn’t doubt me. What he felt toward me now was not suspicion or caution, but pure curiosity. And it seemed he was enjoying this situation.
「…If you say so, then it must true, but…」
I wanted to agree with the suspicious-looking blue eyes and prediction lines of the other man. Yet I was even more surprised when his caution line shortened slightly.
It seemed this 「showcase of misfortune」 man had an exceptional ability to judge people. Or rather, to read them. Even the guard-like man seemed to trust that ability, so it must be quite accurate and well-proven.
Perhaps, like me, he could see something others couldn’t. Thinking that, I cautiously glanced at him. His black eyes smiled with amusement, and as if in response, a yellow line extended. I had a bad feeling.
「I’ve decided. You said you’re a pharmacist, didn’t you? Today, we shall inspect your shop.」
「Huh?」
「That sounded like a favorable reply. Let’s go at once.」
The moment I thought that my upward-inflected 「Huh?」 was not any kind of favorable reply, I saw a moss-colored line of fatigue suddenly extend. Of course, it wasn’t from the black-haired man, but from the blond, blue-eyed one who had almost eaten poison. I could see the same color among the guards as well. …Since no one tried to stop him, it seemed this kind of sudden declaration wasn’t unusual. What a situation.
It’s not like I had the right to refuse anyway. Swallowing the sigh that threatened to escape, I ended up guiding the two men to my shop. …Though the guards would probably follow later, so it might not just be the two of them.
「What is your name?」
On the way, the black-haired man asked, and I snapped to attention. Should I have properly introduced myself to a noble?
I’m just an ordinary citizen and know nothing about dealing with nobles or the wealthy. I stopped walking, bowed deeply, and apologized
.
「My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Cyril Vedito.」
「Don’t stop in the middle of the road. Keep walking. I don’t require proper etiquette. I am Ky, and you may call him Don.」
Now dressed again like travelers, with their faces partly hidden by cloth, it was harder to see them clearly. The beautiful black-haired, black-eyed man was Kai, and the blond, blue-eyed man who still couldn’t hide his fatigue despite his vigilance was Don. Both were surely aliases, but I nodded in acknowledgment.
Ky was likely a noble, and Don his chief guard. The reason Don had tried to eat first was probably because he also served as a poison tester.
(A life where being poisoned is routine… I’d rather not live like that.)
Though in my case, I can tell whether something is poisoned just by looking at what someone else is about to eat. I feel uneasy about how these two interpret my ability. …Ah, I want to run away.
When we reached the shop and I guided them inside, the man calling himself Kai smiled in a way that gave me a bad feeling and issued an order to his guard, Don.
「Don, you stand watch at the entrance.」
「What!?」
「Good answer. I will speak with this girl alone.」
The Don who received the order looked like he had a terrible headache. His 「What!?」 was clearly not an affirmative reply, but Kai didn’t seem to care. I nearly made the same expression, but forced myself to keep smiling. …Ah, why did this happen?
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