CH 352

Words : 818 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Milina and Nick met for the first time “Ah, brother! Hello!” “Hello, Nick. And there you are, Milina.” “Yes, master. I thought it was almost time to concoct the medicine, and so I made preparations.” As we walked through the mansion, Ms. Gelda notified me that Nick had arrived. He was waiting in the drawing room, and so I went there in order to give him the herbs for Mr. Kalis. And that’s when I saw that Milina was with him as well. Apparently, she had been expecting me and prepared the pestle and mortar. “…Who is that?” “Ah, you haven’t met him yet, Liza. Uh, this is Nick. He delivers my herbs to Ractos.” “Nice to meet you. I’m Nick!” “…I am Liza. Nice…to meet you.” Liza had looked quite happy to see Milina in the drawing room, but she then froze up upon seeing Nick. Considering everything that had happened, it was no surprise that she was wary around strangers. While Nick wasn’t as bad as he used to be, he still looked a little intimidating… Even when he smiled. I was going to introduce Nick, but was a little troubled. It would take too long to explain how he got here…and so I just said that he was the guy who delivered the herbs. “Master… While I might not be the best person to say this, I had no idea that you would bring in such a person…” “Uh, Milina? He isn’t another apprentice of mine, okay?” “Aye. I’m more of a devoted brother to him!” “Devoted… I don’t know if I would agree with that…” I wish they would not say such strange things in front of Liza. “Brother…apprentice… Well, I suppose that puts me above you then!” “Uh, I don’t think it’s a contest…” “So you’re his apprentice… Which would make you like an older sister!” Apparently, Milina felt that she was above a younger brother. Nick agreed. But I didn’t see how any of this was important. Besides, I had hired Nick first… And he was also older than her. In fact, Nick was probably older than me… Though I had never asked about his age. “Nick, I thought that was Ms. Lyra?” “Mr. Takumi and Mr. Nick, please don’t call me that.” “Oh, Ms. Lyra!? Since when were you…” “I came just now. Gelda told me that you arrived, so I have brought Mr. Takumi’s herbs. Here they are.” Previously, when Nick was here, I had seen him talking with Ms. Lyra. And he had called her ‘older sister.’ I had no idea why he called her that. Regardless, while we were talking, Ms. Lyra suddenly appeared from behind. I hadn’t sensed her presence at all… But in spite of my surprise, she answered calmly and handed me the bag of herbs. “Th-thank you.” “Sister Lyra!” “Hehe. And how are you, Lady Liza?” I calmed myself and accepted the bag of herbs and thanked her. Nick and Milina were also surprised… Only Leo and Liza looked normal. In fact, Liza seemed to be relieved to see another familiar face, as she then rushed towards her. I suppose since she had given her a bath yesterday, Liza was now quite fond of her. Ms. Lyra hugged her gently and patted her on the ears. “Uh, in any case… Nick. Here are the herbs for you to take to Mr. Kalis. …Though, I heard that you have plenty in stock?” “Aye, we do. While sales are still good for the herbs, it’s true that we have plenty left. Really, I wish more people would buy your herbs instead of that other stuff!” “No, no. It’s important that his other products sell as well. Besides, if there are still herbs in stock, that means there are fewer people who need them. We should be happy that not as many people are sick or injured.” “That’s true, master!” As Liza and Ms. Lyra looked like they were having fun, I handed the herbs to Nick. I also asked him about how much stock he had left, and it turned out that they still had quite a lot. And while that may not sound good for business, it was not a bad thing for the residents of the town. Besides, it wasn’t just herbs that they sold. And Mr. Kalis would not be able to continue his business if he only sold herbs… It wasn’t a herb store. Milina was very happy when I said this. …Indeed, she felt strongly about helping people, and that’s why she wanted to learn about medicine. Though, it felt awkward to have both Milina and Nick treat me with such respect. Considering how life had been before coming here, I just could not get used to it…

CH 352

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