Kays Translations

Chapter 424: Panacea

“Who was the man you were ordered to kill?”

　It was the most direct question Tauro could ask. The stranger’s identity might reveal the secret the village was protecting.

“I don’t know. I questioned the village chief, but he told me only that the man was an enemy who would bring harm to the village.”

“An enemy… I can tell that you received formal combat training. What did you do before coming here?”

　Tauro changed his approach.

“I once served as a knight of the kingdom. I was injured not long after joining the order and eventually resigned. I wandered from place to place before reaching this village. I had no work, so when I asked whether there was anything I could do, I was entrusted with raising Haku. We have lived as father and son for thirteen years. But after this latest injury, the chief decided that I was no longer useful.”

“Then he intends to remove you from your role as Haku’s guardian. The village clearly places unusual importance on Haku. In other words, Haku is at the center of whatever is happening here.”

“Haku… It’s true that the chief has always treated him differently from the other children. I had the impression that he was especially concerned about him.”

　Cross fell silent and reconsidered the past.

　He had devoted himself entirely to raising Haku and had never stopped to question why the village had assigned that responsibility to an outsider. Yet the moment his injuries made it impossible for him to wield a sword, his position had been terminated.

　Cross had always protected Haku simply because he loved him as a son. But perhaps the village had selected him not merely as a foster father, but as Haku’s bodyguard.

“Cross-san, if your injuries heal, they’ll no longer have a reason to separate you from Haku.”

　Tauro spoke with deliberate confidence.

“But I was bedridden until recently. Even now, my arm and leg barely move.”

“Have you tried treating the injuries with potions?”

“A physician came the day after I was wounded. The potion he used wasn’t enough, so he also attempted healing magic. Neither restored the damaged limbs.”

　Cross’s expression tightened. If not for those injuries, there would be no excuse to take Haku away from him.

“What grade of potion was used?”

“The village chief paid for it. I was told it was a valuable intermediate potion.”

“Then try this.”

　Tauro took a potion from [Magic Storage] and handed it to him.

“Is this an advanced potion? I can’t accept something so valuable!”

“I made it myself. Don’t worry about the cost.”

　Cross could scarcely believe him. Still, he was facing separation from the son he had raised for thirteen years. Clinging to the smallest possibility, he drank it.

“The pain… is gone. No—the pain is gone, but my arm and leg still won’t move.”

“Perhaps too much time has passed for an advanced potion alone. Very well. I’d like to try something else.”

　Tauro couldn’t bear the thought of this father and son being separated. He decided to take a calculated risk.

　He emptied the advanced potions from [Magic Storage]. There were twenty-five in total—a tremendous fortune in medicine—yet even one of them had failed to restore Cross’s mobility.

“I’ll use these as the base for a new medicine.”

“You intend to create something from advanced potions? Medicines beyond that grade belong to the legendary X-Potion class. Most people consider them myths, and the royal family is said to possess only a single bottle. Such a thing can’t simply be made.”

　Cross already found it astonishing that Tauro could occasionally brew advanced potions. Creating a medicine beyond them should have been impossible by ordinary pharmaceutical methods.

　Tauro, however, possessed a power that could transform suitable materials into something new: [Creation Magic].

　The “Weak” limitation had disappeared after [Ability Limit Breakthrough], but Tauro had nearly died several times while experimenting with [Creation Magic] (Weak). Since the upgrade, he had avoided testing the ability at full strength.

　For Cross’s sake, he decided to use it again.

　To improve his chances, Tauro added every high-grade medicinal herb he could find in [Magic Storage]. Because an Elixir was still an unknown medicine to him, he couldn’t know beforehand which ingredients the spell would require.

“This should be enough… I hope.”

　Tauro gathered the materials before him.

“[Creation Magic]!”

　The moment he invoked the ability, several pieces of information entered his mind at once. He understood exactly which ingredients the spell would consume, how many were required, and how much magical power the creation demanded. He also understood that the spell would refuse to activate if his reserves were insufficient.

　A dazzling light erupted from his hands.

　For an instant, radiance escaped through Cross’s windows and illuminated part of the forest village. The flash vanished so quickly that no one in the sleeping settlement appeared to notice.

“Damn, that was bright! Tauro, are you all right?”

　Cross rubbed the afterimage from his eyes and checked on him.

“I-I’m fine. It consumed a great deal of magical power, but it wasn’t enough to threaten my life. At least… I’m fairly sure it wasn’t.”

　The sensation differed completely from his dangerous experiments with [Creation Magic] (Weak), leaving Tauro momentarily unsettled. Nevertheless, he knew the spell had succeeded.

　Where the materials had been, a single new bottle now rested beside two remaining advanced potions and several unused herbs. The other twenty-three potions and the required ingredients had been consumed.

“So that feeling was real. The upgraded ability tells me the cost in advance. Even if I attempt something beyond my reserves, the spell should simply fail instead of draining me to death.”

　Relief washed over Tauro.

“Drink this.”

　He handed the newly created Elixir to Cross.

“Are you certain? It consumed more than twenty advanced potions and rare medicinal herbs. There must be people who would pay a kingdom’s ransom for this. Someone like me shouldn’t—”

　His hesitation was understandable. A single advanced potion was an expensive rarity obtainable only in major cities. The bottle before him had consumed enough valuable medicine to constitute a vast fortune.

“Now that I know the required materials, I can make another someday. Gathering them again may take a very long time, but at least I know creation is possible. More importantly, Haku still needs you. Is this truly the moment to hesitate?”

　Tauro met Cross’s eyes.

“…No. You’re right. I won’t hesitate.”

　Cross accepted the Elixir and drank it.

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