The Apothecary Varnir And The Secret Room

In the great forest, there existed an exclusive territory that rejected ordinary adventurers and could only be entered by members of Black Dragon’s Fang.

Deep within that exclusive territory was the base of Varnir, one of the Eight Stars, who managed the gathering division.

It was a large mansion built by clearing away part of the forest, and Varnir’s subordinates carried out their gathering activities in the great forest with this place as their center. It was basically a building open to clan members, but that did not mean anyone could enter every part of it.

There were many places that only Varnir and his most trusted aides could enter.

The place where Varnir was now was exactly one of those.

Underground in the building, and deeper still at its farthest end—

It was a place so secret that even Clan Master Orfred had not been told of it. Here, Varnir conducted numerous experiments.

Standing before a huge pane of glass as tall as he was, Varnir looked down at the scene below.

“Well then, which one will win, I wonder…”

Varnir muttered to himself, his mouth twisting in amusement.

It was a large space, and standing in it was a single humanoid monster. It held a sword and shield in its hands and wore crude leather armor. It was a little shorter than an adult human, but its more distinctive feature was its dog’s head.

A kobold.

It was a low-level monster on the same level as a goblin, but something was clearly wrong with it. It was not a race known for especially high intelligence to begin with, yet its expression was one of extreme excitement, and the breathing leaking from its nose and mouth was unnaturally ragged.

Ahead of the kobold, an iron-barred gate embedded in the wall opened. From there, a huge figure lumbered out.

An ogre.

An ogre possessed monstrous strength and a huge body over two meters tall.

It was a monster far more dangerous than a kobold.

Ordinarily, the moment a kobold saw an ogre, it would panic—

But this kobold did not cower. Repeating rough, huffing breaths, it only sharpened its fighting spirit toward the ogre.

The ogre, too, raised a threatening roar at the kobold.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The ogre’s voice was overflowing with confidence. There was no way it could lose to a mere kobold! That roar declared exactly that. It was the voice of one who knew the racial barrier that decisively separated the weak from the strong.

There was no way some mutt could ever beat me!

“Quite right, Ogre. There is no way a kobold could ever defeat you…”

After chuckling to himself, Varnir continued.

“But what if it is my kobold you are facing?”

The battle began.

The ogre approached the kobold with clumsy steps, then threw a punch powered by its bulging muscles. It seemed as though the match had been decided at once, but the kobold dodged it with swift movement.

It was agility one would never expect from such a low-level monster.

Unbothered, the ogre kept throwing punch after punch.

The kobold continued dodging, but—at last, one of those blows caught it.

A heavy clang rang out, but the ogre’s fist had been blocked by the kobold’s shield. Only then did a complex expression appear on the ogre’s face for the first time.

There was no way a mere kobold should have been able to stop an ogre’s blow. Its frail body should have been sent flying backward together with the shield that took the hit. But this kobold, as though roots had grown from its feet, splendidly received the ogre’s attack with astonishing strength.

The kobold did not miss that single instant of hesitation caused by the ogre’s shock.

The kobold darted past the ogre’s flank.

It was movement far too swift for a kobold, and the ogre failed to react. Flesh split open, and red blood spilled out.

It was abnormal.

Because there was no way a mere kobold’s strength should have been able to cut through an ogre’s trained muscles.

That was only the beginning.

The kobold truly set upon the ogre. Countless swift slashes carved up the ogre’s body one after another.

In desperation, the ogre swung its arms wildly, but the kobold dodged with quick movements and continued attacking.

The ogre’s voice, which had been filled with rage at first, gradually weakened—

Then stopped.

The ogre’s huge body swayed unsteadily—

And then collapsed to the ground with a heavy crash.

Beside the fallen ogre, the kobold let out a loud cry of victory.

(…Hmm, this is turning out rather well…)

Varnir watched the scene in high spirits.

This too was one of the experiments Varnir had been conducting. He had made it drink a medicine concocted from special plants to dramatically heighten its abilities.

The effect was tremendous—so tremendous that an inferior species like a mere kobold could overwhelm an ogre.

But there were drawbacks as well.

Once it drank it, it lost its reason and became consumed by destructive impulses. On top of that, it burned through its very life, so that kobold would probably die today or tomorrow as well.

(Putting the side effects aside, this effect is astonishing. If I continue the research, it will surely lead to good results.)

If it went well, it would make Varnir’s position within Black Dragon’s Fang even more secure. Imagining that future, Varnir relaxed his mouth in a dreamy mood.

It was then.

“Lord Varnir, do you have a moment?”

His trusted aide Raios approached him.

“What is it?”

“Yes, we have received information regarding the medicinal herb market. It seems that high-quality medicinal herbs are once again beginning to circulate.”

“What…?”

That was an unpleasant fact. Varnir had already reported to Orfred, the Clan Master of Black Dragon’s Fang, that the matter had ended.

But it had not ended.

At this rate, this would become very serious.

He had reported that it was over, and yet it was not. There was no way the strict Orfred would forgive such sloppy work.

(What is happening…!?)

Varnir bit his lower lip.

Arisa said this to me.

“…It is called Granveil Grass—have you heard of it?”

Granveil Grass—of course I knew it. That was because I had been on the gardening committee. I was pretty sure I had heard that it was used as a raw material for a wonder drug that cured a rare illness.

“N-no way, Arisa, do you have that disease?”

“As if!”

Arisa denied it in a sharp tone.

Thank goodness… Onii-chan seriously panicked there for a moment.

“It is my friend. Do you remember Mika?”

“She used to come over to our house a lot when you were in elementary school.”

She was a girl the same age as Arisa, what you would call a childhood friend. She had come over to our house to play back then, but now that Arisa mentioned it, I realized I had not seen her these past few years.

I had simply assumed they had grown up and drifted apart, but—

“Mika actually came down with that illness.”

“Wait, really!?”

That was… well, how should I put it… a terribly pitiful story. I knew that illness mercilessly consumed the patient’s life, and that in the end, they died.

“Will she recover?”

“She will. If we can get Granveil Grass.”

But after saying that, Arisa shook her head.

“But finding it is the hard part…”

I understood what Arisa was trying to say. Granveil Grass itself was extremely rare, so not only was it hard to get, it was not even sold in the first place. And even if there happened to be some in stock, it would cost an absurd amount.

“And yet—”

With a sigh, Arisa continued.

“Mika’s parents worked so hard to save up money. They were finally going to be able to save her! They were just about to have the medicine made! And right before that, getting the herb became even harder, and the sale price shot up all at once.”

“Why did that happen?”

“You know the clan Black Dragon’s Fang, the one you applied to? Lately, you can only buy it through them. The price has become outrageous.”

Black Dragon’s Fang again…. They had apparently been making money by monopolizing high-quality medicinal herbs too, so they were quite a rotten bunch. Good thing I failed that application….

“Her parents are trying everything they can, but Mika herself has already given up. And seeing her like that… it hurts me too…”

“So that is what has been happening.”

It was a story from childhood, but even now I could remember what Mika was like. Her lively voice, her expressions. The memories of us playing together too—so the reality that she was now dying from an incurable illness was simply shocking.

Arisa opened her mouth.

“So, that is why I thought I might ask Onii-chan, self-proclaimed medicinal herb gathering pro. Go find some Granveil Grass for me. Could you maybe make that kind of miracle happen?”

A miracle, huh…

It probably really would be a miracle. To find such a rare medicinal herb.

Even so, I—

“It is a request from my cute little sister. I will do my best.”

That was what I said. Not some harmless evasion, but from the bottom of my heart.

Hearing my words, Arisa smiled happily, but her expression was not bright and clear. It was not the face of someone who truly, genuinely believed in success, but a faint, fragile expression wishing for the slightest hope.

It was the pained face of someone reaching out for the smallest shred of hope.

That kind of emotion did not suit the ever-cheerful Arisa.

I wanted to cheer my sister up, so I continued.

“Just leave it to me. I might surprise you, you know? At the Adventurer’s Guild, they call me the Hand of God.”

“What is that?”

Arisa laughed. It was the bright, cheerful laugh that suited her.

“That is just flattery.”

“Maybe so.”

But even that was enough. Just having words I could cling to gave me strength. I did not know whether those words were true or false, but they would support my heart when I grew weary from walking the endlessly vast great forest.

I would do my best.

For my sister who had placed her hopes in me, and for her friend.

All I had to do was draw that miracle in with my own hands.