Kays Translations

Chapter 118: The Trusty Antidote

Baron Ambert had taken both remedies. Even if the antidote didn’t neutralise the cause, the elementary stamina-recovery potion should support him until I could prepare stronger treatment.

Fabienne and I returned to the salon.

“I hope it works,” I said. “I believe he’ll recover.”

“I’m sure he will. Perhaps Father will finally abandon his bad habit.”

“Bad habit?”

The words had escaped her unintentionally. She lowered her head, embarrassed, then eventually explained.

“Father enjoys eating unusual foods.”

“Unusual foods?”

“He tried something rare, and apparently it wasn’t prepared correctly.”

“Food poisoning?”

Fabienne nodded.

If commercial antidotes had failed, the toxin was severe. I decided not to ask exactly what he had eaten. I didn’t want anyone inviting me to taste it later.

“Kyu!”

“Sorry, Mira. I couldn’t take you into a sickroom.”

I stroked the holy dragon, who had waited in the salon. Their displeasure vanished immediately.

Fabienne smiled at us.

“You’re so close that I almost feel jealous.”

“What?”

“Kyu?”

She flushed and looked away. Perhaps her true feelings had slipped out again.

“Let me show you the compounding room,” she said quickly, clapping her hands to change the subject.

I accepted the escape. Pressing her would only make the atmosphere worse.

The compounding room was close to the salon and contained new, good-quality equipment.

“I’ve already made facial toner here several times,” Fabienne said.

“This is more than sufficient. With tools of this quality, you should be able to produce excellent work.”

I inspected the distillation apparatus and glassware. Both equipment quality and the maker’s skill affected the final product.

“May I see your toner?”

“Certainly.”

The sample she brought was very high quality. She had clearly mastered the method.

“This is excellent. You have the talent to become a magic pharmacist.”

“A magic pharmacist?”

“Would you be interested?”

She lowered her eyes. The antidote and recovery potion she had just seen should have shown her what the profession could accomplish.

“You produced toner almost equal to mine,” I continued. “That isn’t ordinary for a beginner.”

My most reassuring smile had its usual effect: Fabienne turned bright red.

We continued discussing potions while touring the room. It was compact but comfortable for one worker, though too small for several apprentices.

When we returned to the salon, Fabienne stopped in surprise.

“Father? Mother? Why are you here?”

Baron Ambert was seated beside his wife, and his complexion had already improved.

“The potion worked,” he said. “I didn’t expect such an immediate effect. I understand why the knights call it the Goddess’s Secret Medicine.”

“I’m relieved,” I replied. “The antidote removes poison, but it can’t fully restore lost strength. Please rest and avoid exposing yourself to illness.”

“I will. Thank you, Lord Julius.”

The Baron, Baroness, and Fabienne all bowed. I hurriedly asked them to raise their heads.

“I merely happened to carry the right remedy.”

We resumed tea together. The conversation soon returned to the Baron’s dangerous eating habits.

“My dear,” Baroness Ambert said, “please stop eating strange things.”

“But the fish was reputed to be delicious. It was rare, and I heard that it swelled up while alive. I had always wanted to see it.”

A fish that inflated itself sounded very much like a pufferfish. It had probably been prepared without properly removing the toxin. I was surprised he had survived as long as he had.

“Don’t eat food merely because someone calls it a delicacy,” his wife said. “At least have it properly tested for poison first.”

“I understand. But if I had Lord Julius’s antidote—”

He looked at me hopefully.

I refused to encourage him under Baroness Ambert’s increasingly dangerous gaze.

“When commercial antidotes fail,” she said, “we’ll ask Lord Julius for help. Is that not enough?”

“Of course,” I said. “I’ll assist whenever ordinary treatment proves ineffective.”

The Baron’s expression collapsed. Having tasted my antidote, he clearly didn’t want to return to ordinary potions.

Perhaps that disappointment would finally discourage him from reckless meals.

Our private tea party ended with the entire Ambert family present, but I had enjoyed the visit. More importantly, Baron Ambert now respected properly made magic potions and would permit Fabienne to continue using her compounding room.

That was a considerable victory for both her health and her future.

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