Chapter 492: Branded as a drug
After playing with Naris for a while at the tavern, Dianne, Hilda, Laila, Maia, Sahul and Rika gathered at the tavern. The old men who had begun to gather at the tavern cheered.
“Oh. Today, we have more beautiful women back!”
“Hilda-san, what’s wrong with that bandage?”
The girls are generally popular, but Laila, Hilda and Dianne, who frequent the men’s baths, are especially adored by the old men.
“I’ve done a little bit of work in the south. Thanks to the miraculous spring here, I’ll be fine tomorrow”
“Hou, that’s good”
“There are quite a few cases where the miraculous spring won’t heal your eyeballs. I’ve seen some customers leave disappointed after coming all the way here”
“Ah, I’ve seen it happen. I’m sorry for that kind of thing. It’s not our fault”
The old men became sad. The people who were treating the guests were also in a state of sorrow and joy.
“Eh. But I was completely blind”
“Uee, really Cute-chan?”
“Yes. Master cured me”
“What did you do, Andy?”
“No, you see, that’s just……the technology of the elf territory. I helped”
It’s more of a combination of sacred land technology and Breakcore than the elf territory, but it’s troublesome and the place where it was performed is not wrong, so I’ll say that.
“I didn’t know there was such a technique……does that apply to everyone?’
“If so, we won’t have to say, 『Even in the miraculous spring, what’s impossible is impossible』, in the future”
“N, No, no, I can’t decide on my own because it involves going in and out of the elf territory. Tell Irina or Christie”
“Haa, so that’s how it’s going to be?”
“It feels weird that Irina-chan is the boss though”
No, old men, she’s a 150 years old woman. I mean, just how much of an old man’s carefree love is Irina?
“But, regardless of whether your limbs are missing, if it’s a little lighter……I might be able to manage something that’s difficult to heal with just the miraculous spring. I’m sure I’ll be able to do something about it”
“Oh, yes, Hilda-san is also good at southern medicine”
“My wife said she saw you heal some old scars”
“That’s right. Other internal organs, well, it’s usually not that bad, but……I can help you regenerate. And teeth, too”
“Hee, teeth”
“That’s right, even a miraculous spring is tough. It’s not like the cavities people talk about it, but there are still some broken or chipped teeth”
“If it’s been a while since it broke, it will grow again, so it will take some time. So if anyone is in trouble, call me☆”
“Oh, thank you”
“It’s Hilda-sensei”
The old men clasped their hands together.
“Ah, but only when I’m in Polka. When my eyes heal, I’ll go with Andy-kun for a while”
“Hey Andy, just finish exploring and settle down here
“Don’t be ridiculous. I mean, it’s not up to me, either!”
“I know. Don’t take me seriously”
The old men laugh. Well, they’re lightly boozed, so I guess I’m much more comfortable than getting involved in something that’s not pretty.
“Or rather, make sure to catch Hilda-san properly so that she can come back to Polka”
“I don’t know how it’s going so well, but Hilda-san’s presence or absence is a big deal”
“Huhu. That’s right, Andy-kun☆ If you don’t take good care of Sensei, everyone will bully you☆”
Hilda was in a good mood as she sipped her whiskey. Finally, Rika finally got involved in the conversation.
“Umm……going on an expedition doesn’t mean you’re going to keep getting me examined”
“Hmm, right now you’re having seizures from time to time, aren’t you? Do you want medicine?”
“I, I don’t know……I mean, I don’t really know what it feels like to want medicine”
“Well, it’s not like you’ve been forced to take it a lot……it’ll come in increments now, but I’m sure after a week of taking the miraculous spring water at the latest, the weird seizures will go away”
“So……is that so? I’m scared because they come so suddenly……. I’ve lost consciousness, and my memory until Sahul-kun made me drink water is cut off for a few minutes”
“Really, it’s bad, isn’t it? But it’s okay, the efficacy of the miraculous spring here is really the best”
“But there are some pretty amazing medicines here. The south?”
“I’ve heard of them, but I guess rich people lose their wealth and become scamps because of those medicines, right? Why did you get involved in such a thing, sister?”
“Ah……”
From the point of view of the old man who turned his back on Rika-dono, he probably intended to admonish her for her slightly free-spirited life. I don’t know what’s going on. But Rika-dono looked at him with a frightened look on her face. She was forced to take drugs and was experiencing the horror of it right now, so it must have been unwilling for her to be seen as a person who would fall apart if she tried to use it. But she wondered how she could argue with herself for having shown such an abomination in reality. How would she be perceived by others? The misunderstanding that had been slowly flowing through her mind was trying to cause a panic in Rika, who was weakened by a drug attack. I sensed this on a hunch and tried to clear up the misunderstanding by saying something to the old man.
“Screw you!!”
One step ahead of me, Sahul. Or rather, the moment I opened my mouth Sahul had already grabbed the old man’s collar.
“How can Rika use this thing herself, you idiot! Rika knows she’s putting herself in danger, too……gugaa”
With a clang, the ceramic mug shattered on Sahul’s head. Maia was the one who smashed it. The contents of the mug seemed to be beer.
“Release your hands. Dragons don’t carelessly point their strength directly at humans”
“B, But!!”
“If you don’t like it, leave Polka. This is a place we protect. We will not let a dragon who doesn’t know how to handle his power in this town do as he pleases”
“K……Ku”
When Maia said that with a cold look while still holding the handle of the ceramic mug, Sahul reluctantly released his hand.
“That’s fine. I’m not telling you not to argue. But if you resort to violence, I will never forgive you”
“……I understand”
Maia seemed to want to reinforce his behavior in this town and by extension, his self-awareness as a dragon. The old man who had been held by the chest straightened his collar as if to mend it and the momentary tension somehow subsided. Relieved, I turned my mouth, which was about to open, to Rika.
“Well, how did you end up getting caught by such an outsider?”
“Ah, yes……a cat beast girl who seems to have special circumstances had her parents killed by her pursuers in front of me……it’s fine if she was there, but I secretly let her escape somewhere. I was secretly acting with the intention of doing so, but it didn’t go well because the other party was quite skilled, so I ended up getting caught while running away with no connection to Sahul-kun”
“Rabbines had an eye on you and forced you to take medicine, right? Did he rough you up?”
I casually emphasize roughness. The old man who had spoken lightly earlier looked away awkwardly. I guess he didn’t expect such an adventure from a seemingly slender elf beauty, in addition to being grabbed by Sahul.
“He was going to sell us to someone else, so there was no bodily harm at all……just that Mulan-chan was given more to drink than I was……and although Sahul-kun prioritized me, it hurts me so much. I wonder how she’s doing now that she’s in so much pain”
“This Mulan is the girl you ran away with?”
“……Yes”
“I think she should be able to tolerate it to some extent, since the illusion has blocked her senses. Rika-chan is having seizures because the miraculous spring has released the sensations that were blocked by the illusion……”
“But if that’s why she’s having seizures, don’t you think we need to give more priority to the adjustment for Irina and the others? If it’s just Rika, but from now on she’s going to be coming to Polka in droves……”
“Right……well, there are many excellent surgeons in the forest, so I’d like to think that we shouldn’t have any problems with a shortage of hands”
“Oh, come on, is that true? A lot of drug addicts are out there!?”
The old man who was listening rolled his eyes. The tavern owner, who had been listening silently, now admonished him in a quiet tone.
“Angus, I know you want to avoid trouble. But how can you behave like that when there are people in need? Polka is a healing town, right?”
“B, But……if they’re sick or hurt, I can’t help it, okay? But if they’re insane and they come here that much, are they going to be okay, Shopowner?”
“It’s our job as adults to be careful and make sure they’re okay. You heard what he said, right? Andy isn’t just bringing trouble to us irresponsibly. But we can’t help him, because he’s done something so outrageous that everyone can see it, so we have to help him, don’t we?”
“…………”
“Or are you saying, Angus, that Andy was wrong? You openly demand that Hilda-san stays to fix her teeth and eyeballs, but you don’t want Andy to try to save someone from a vile drug because it bothers you?”
“Okay, my bad……”
The old man sighs as the tavern owner argues with him.
“Thank you, Owner”
“What, I don’t want you to say anything tactless”
The shop owner raises his eyebrows as he polishes the silverware.
“You’re welcome to do as you please”
“Yes”
I’m glad he’s here. I feel once again that I have a lot of reassuring allies.
And Sahul was hugged on the head by Rika-dono.
“Thank you, Sahul-kun. ……For helping me”
“……I, It’s not something that needs to be said so openly”
“I’m glad you got mad for me and I’m glad I could count on you”
Sahul is hugged tightly without hesitation in the eyes of others. If anything, it’s because of their appearance that they’re like siblings. However, the combination of pure gratitude and clumsy nodding was still soothing.