Chapter 48

Um, what should I do now?

Give up?

The word “give up” only exists in my vocabulary when I’m counting cabbages to make kimchi.¹

Before I knew it, all the kids had already surrendered to the boy’s words about having to die and had their eyes devoutly closed. Seeing the children like that, Camile looked at me without a word.

Seriously, what kind of weirdos are these.

Normally, in a situation like this, if someone tells you that you have to die, you’re supposed to go:

Waaaaah!! I don’t want to die! Mommy! Daddy!

Isn’t that how it’s supposed to go? Of course, if it were me, I probably would have accepted death devoutly, too. For the sake of the world.

Ahem, anyway, I needed to find a way. If there wasn’t one, I was ready to invent it myself and cure them. But no solutions were coming to mind. To think that not a single idea would pop up even with my brain running at full capacity. A new strain of the Black Death! What a terrifying disease.

This is the kind of situation where you need someone smart.

I wonder if some capable, useful entity could just drop out of the sky right about now.

No sooner had I finished that thought than a voice spoke up beside me.

“Did you call for me, Miss Armienne?”

“Gasp! Where on earth did you pop out from, Ahel?”

I thought my heart was going to drop out of my chest. With Ahel suddenly shoving his face right in front of mine inside a dimly lit cave, I felt like I had just walked into a haunted house. If I had stumbled backward as a result, I might have impaled myself right on one of those sharp, jagged rocks.

Still, to have a mage show up right when I needed one like this—it brought to mind a certain character I used to adore.

“By any chance, is Ahel’s real name Zelgadis?”

“Zelgadis? Um, I’m sorry to say this, but I’ve never changed my name from the day I was born.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Guess not. Well, considering strict copyright laws,² it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway.

Shortly after, as I inspected Ahel, who had suddenly revealed himself, I was startled. Judging by the state of him, it looked like he had just walked straight out of some mafia den—his entire body was covered in scratches. His clothes were torn to shreds, making it seem like he’d fit right in if he just lay down next to the kids resting over there.

We had just been drinking together yesterday, so what on earth did this guy get up to in the meantime?

“Did something happen?”

At my question, Ahel winced with one eye and pressed his index finger against his lips. He must not have wanted to tell me.

“It’s a secret.”

Watching Ahel—who more and more seemed to resemble a character I loved—I asked. Whether I liked him or not, this guy harbored a soft spot for me, and on top of that, he was a “genius” mage. If he was a genius, surely he’d have some kind of solution for this situation.

“You have a rough idea of what kind of predicament I’m in, right?”

“Yes, since I’m a genius. I figured it out immediately.”

What a punchable bastard. This is why geniuses all need to go. Still, since there were no words more reassuring than that right now, I wore a faint smile as I asked. There was a chance he could save the dying children.

“Then please tell me what needs to be done.”

“It’s impossible.”

What the hell. Was he messing with me?

“No, why? You said you were a genius.”

At my words, Ahel winked at me once more and declared with absolute confidence.

“Because I’m a genius mage, you see.”

“…………”

“If I had even become a genius doctor on top of that, every single physician in this world would be out begging on the streets.”

How should I put it—I wanted to rip that smug mouth of his right off and poke his eyes out on the spot, but arguing with him was too much of a hassle, so I could do nothing other than let my anger simmer down.

Just then, as if on cue, one of the children vomited a mouthful of blood.

“Cough! Camile. This is it for me.”

“That’s right. You look like you’re about to die any second now.”

Hearing that kind of banter while I was already fuming over Ahel made even that exchange sound like nothing more than a damn comedy sketch.

Gasp! No way. Kids are dying out here, and I’m thinking of this as a comedy sketch? I must be losing my mind because of Ahel.

“Is there really no way at all? Other than just sitting around waiting to die like this?”

My heart felt heavy even as I asked. Perhaps it was because Ahel had already given me a flat “impossible” earlier. But if I didn’t ask again clinging to even a straw of hope, I felt like I’d end up giving up right along with them.

“Well, strictly speaking, it’s not that there’s no way.”

Huh?

“You said it was impossible just a moment ago. Were you lying to me?”

I asked, my anger flaring up hot and fast. Seriously, what kind of situation was this to be telling lies in? I could feel Ahel’s already less-than-stellar image plummeting even further down in my heart.

When I lost my temper, Ahel let out a sigh and shook his head.

“Phew, the problem is that the method is utterly impossible. Did you really think of me as some bloodless, tearless piece of trash who just cracks jokes in a situation like this, Miss Armienne?”

Ouch.

Seeing Ahel look straight into my eyes as if he could read my very soul, I stealthily looked away.

“There’s no way Ahel would do that. I always trust Ahel, you know.”

“We met yesterday, Miss Armienne.”

“…………”

I had nothing to say to that.

“Anyway, let’s at least hear it out first. What kind of method is it that makes it impossible?”

At my words, Ahel mentioned a name I felt like I had heard somewhere before. And upon hearing that name, I had no choice but to concede why he had called it impossible.

“An Elixir. If we use an Elixir, also known as the God’s Potion, we could cure even a brand-new strain of the Black Death.”

“I see. Is that even something you should say out loud right now?”

Easier said than done. Try asking a random person walking down the street where to procure an Elixir. They’d smack you across the cheek and ask if you’ve lost your mind.

“I figured you’d say that, which is why I didn’t want to mention it.”

That hit a little too close to home.

“Damn it. Is there really no other way besides an Elixir?”

Since the children right before my eyes were far too pitiful to just give up on like this, I asked once more, clinging to the absolute frayed edge of a straw, and in response, Ahel explained in greater detail. Hearing his words, my head snapped right up.

“Actually, if we just have one specific ingredient, I could brew an Elixir right this instant. I’ve actually had experience making an Elixir before, too. Though I used all of it up, of course.”

“What kind of ingredient is that?!”

Right about now, I felt like I could pluck the stars out of the sky if I had to. Hope had marched right up to my doorstep. We were just one step away. Something I thought was completely impossible had made it this far.

If it required the heart of a Demon King, I’d summon a demon using dark magic right this second and head straight to the Demon Realm, and if it needed the heart of an angel, I’d pour all my money into the temple to force an angel to descend and rip out its heart.

……Well, that might have been a slight exaggeration, but anyway, you get the point. That was how excited I was right now.

Seeing my ecstatic expression, Ahel shook his head with an apologetic look. And the moment I heard what kind of ingredient was required next from his lips, my eyes flew wide open.

“It’s dragon’s blood. Dragon’s blood possesses properties on its own that surpass just about any supreme medicine. With just that blood, I can craft an Elixir right this second. But it’s been nearly a hundred years since legendary dragons vanished from sight. Where on earth are we supposed to find the blood of a dragon whose current status—whether it’s alive or dead—is a complete mystery?”

“…………”

“On top of that, even if we managed to track down a dragon, it’s hopeless. From birth, dragons not only wield magic as freely as breathing, but their scales are so unimaginably tough that even Sword Masters struggle to leave a single scratch on them. Furthermore, the moment one decides to use its breath weapon, no matter how great a genius I might be, I’d be cut off from this world without even a second to run away.”

A dragon.

That sounds like a total lie.

A dragon, a creature so impossibly rare to encounter.

It existed.

And what’s more, right over there—just a short dash away if you broke out of this cave.

There existed a legendary dragon, the kind people claimed you’d be lucky to see once in your entire life. I asked once more just to double-check.

“Is that really all we need?”

“Yes, I have all the other ingredients, I have experience making it, and my tools are stored inside my subspace, so the moment we get dragon’s blood, we can start immediately.”

Good grief.

I was left completely dumbfounded by Ahel’s words. Who would have thought that Aria—who ate more than every single member of our household combined every single day, and whose entire repertoire consisted of eating, sleeping, and throwing tantrums—would actually turn out to be this useful.

“As expected, my grandfather was right when he said there’s nothing useless in this world.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Ahel, please go bring Aria from the carriage right now.”

At my words, Ahel’s expression hardened, and just in case, he asked me cautiously. With how confidently I was making this demand, there was no way a guy who constantly rambled on about being a genius could fail to put two and two together.

“Could it be that little miss Aria, or rather… Lady Aria is a dragon?”

I had no idea when Aria had earned enough status to warrant being called a “Lady,” but I shook my head at Ahel’s question.

“Nah. She’s just a freeloading parasite.”

“…………”