Chapter 52: The Phantom Spirit Herb
“Geo-san, hello!”
“Ah, sorry, Denis-kun. I really shouldn’t have made you come all the way here.”
“No, no, it’s fine! You’ve done so much for me already, Geo-san.”
“Well, come on in, then.”
“Right—excuse me for intruding.”
It was the first time I had ever invited the always adorable Denis-kun to my home. But for some reason, today, he wasn’t wearing his usual maid outfit.
“U-um, well… wearing that outside would be, you know… kind of embarrassing…”
Or so he said. Honestly, I thought it looked great on him. I couldn’t see anything to be embarrassed about.
By the way, I’d always assumed Denis was around ten years old from his appearance—but apparently, he was already thirteen. No wonder he always seemed so composed and polite.
“Myaa.”
“Hyah!?”
When I brought him into the living room, Denis let out a cute shriek. He had just spotted Milk.
“W-w-what is that creature!?”
“She’s my pet, Milk.”
“P-pet!? That’s… that’s way too big to be a pet, isn’t it!?”
“Well, yeah, she’s a bit large. But she’s basically like a cat. Come here, Milk.”
“Myaa!”
Milk bounded over and threw herself against me in a big, affectionate hug. She had long since outgrown me in size, so I had to brace myself or risk getting toppled over completely. I stroked her soft fur from head to tail, feeling the warmth beneath my palm.
“She seems affectionate enough, but… a-are you sure she’s safe?”
“Don’t worry. Milk’s smart—she can tell friend from foe. You could try petting her, you know?”
“N-no thank you!”
Denis-kun was trembling slightly, his big eyes darting nervously toward Milk. She really wasn’t scary, though. Not in the least.
“Milk, why don’t you go play in the garden for a bit?” “Myaa!”
Since Denis looked so uneasy, I decided to have Milk spend some time outside in the yard.
“Wow… that’s amazing. Is this a home garden?”
“Yeah.”
The first section of my garden—the “primary plot”—only had ordinary crops growing right now. So at a glance, it just looked like a normal vegetable garden. That meant I didn’t have to worry, even when I had guests like today.
Neither Merlin-san nor Denis knew about my Gift. They were a bit puzzled about where I kept finding such rare herbs, but so far, they hadn’t pressed the issue.
“So, what did you want to see me about today?”
“Actually, there’s this plant I wanted you to take a look at.”
I said that as I placed the Phantom Spirit Herb on the table.
Truth be told, I was too nervous to show it to Merlin-san directly, so I figured I’d have Denis take a look first. He didn’t just handle customers—he also helped Merlin with brewing and mixing, so he might recognize it.
“What is this…?”
“Do you know it?”
“Um… I don’t think I’ve seen it before. But maybe… I’ve come across it in one of the plant encyclopedias…”
Apparently, Denis had been diligently studying from herbal compendiums to live up to his role as an apothecary’s apprentice.
“These large, lustrous leaves… and the way the surface glows as if it’s emitting light… It’s so beautiful. Just looking at it makes me feel… almost purified. Um, what do you call this plant?”
“It’s called Phantom Spirit Herb.”
“P-Phantom Spirit Herb!?”
Denis’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“You mean that Phantom Spirit Herb!?”
“Oh? You’ve heard of it?”
“Yes! I’ve never seen it in person, but it was in one of the books! R-right, yes—this shape matches the illustration perfectly!”
So it was a known plant, then.
“Well, yes and no! It’s incredibly rare! You almost never find it, and it certainly never shows up on the market!”
“Really?”
“‘Really?’ That’s all you can say!? Where did you even get something like this!?”
“Uh… j-just by chance…”
“You don’t just ‘happen’ upon things like this! Between this and those Chillweeds and Airgrass… Geo-san, where do you even find these? None of them grow anywhere near here!”
“W-well, let’s call it a trade secret. Anyway—what exactly is this Phantom Spirit Herb used for?”
“W-well…”
Denis swallowed hard, his expression turning serious.
“They say… it can be used to make Elixir.”
“…Elixir?”
That was a name I hadn’t heard before.
“You don’t know it?”
“No.”
“Elixir is a legendary potion—sometimes called the Panacea. It can cure not only the most severe afflictions that potions can’t touch, but even congenital diseases!”
“What? That’s incredible!”
“It is! Some even say that continued use of it can grant immortality!”
“Immortality!?”
If that was true, this “Elixir” thing was downright absurd.
“And this plant is one of the ingredients needed to make it?”
“Yes. But it only grows in places suffused with strong sacred energy—and even then, it’s found only once in a great while.”
“I… I see.”
Sorry, Denis. I could grow as much as I wanted right in my garden.
“I was thinking of taking this to Merlin-san. But she’ll probably yell at me again…”
“Hmm… well, maybe not. If you only have this one piece, you might just avoid getting scolded…”
From the way he said it, though, I could tell he was silently implying, You probably have more of it, don’t you? And yes—he was absolutely right. Sharp kid.
“Merlin-san’s been upset because she’s gotten too famous, you know.”
“Is that really my fault?”
Honestly, I thought that was just misplaced resentment.
Denis gave a helpless little smile.
“When she gets her hands on high-quality materials, she just can’t resist brewing something amazing. It’s in her nature as an apothecary. But if this is truly the only Phantom Spirit Herb we have, then she can’t sell it anyway, so maybe it’ll be fine.”
“I see. Well then, I’ll give it to you. You can decide when to hand it over to her.”
“Eh!? You’d give it away that easily?”
“I was planning to from the start. No need to pay me. It’d just wither away if I kept it.”
I’d worked hard cultivating it—it’d be a shame to let it go to waste. And if anyone could handle it responsibly, it was Denis-kun.
(In other words, I’m totally leaving it to him.)