Nicole and the Apothecary Family Live Freely
Aunt Dahlia had also nodded in agreement with a furrowed brow.
“Lirina -chan too… She always had a bit of arrogance even as a child, but I guess it’s gotten worse since becoming the saint… Even though we’re both survivors from the same village, I don’t want her chosen for Sieghart …”
She held her head in complex frustration.
Lirina may have played the sweet little girl and charmed everyone, but Aunt Dahlia had noticed her mask even back then.
Memories surfaced of how I’d been secretly belittled behind my back!
Would it be bad if I quietly spread some rumors about the saint?
But they’re true…
I got pinched on the back of my hand by Mom!
The next day, Uncle and Aunt dressed up properly and went out.
Dad and I quietly immersed ourselves in potion-making, while Mom went to work at the sewing workshop as usual.
Alt had the day off, so I let him read a book called An Introduction to Alchemy that was inside the magic bag.
“Onee-chan! This book is amazing! I understood the basics of alchemy just by reading it once!”
Eh?
Isn’t it just a simple guidebook?
When I tried reading it too, it flowed into my mind easily—even without having the skill!
Maybe I could actually make potion bottles myself now!?
“Put that book away right now! Alt needs to learn properly from a teacher!!”
“Yes~”
Well-behaved little Alt obediently replied.
Alt-kun, you shouldn’t get ahead of your master, right?
In the afternoon, I carefully read through the catalog book of the magic bag, checking to see if there were any other useful guides.
“Dad, Onee-chan is seriously reading a book.”
“Really? I think she’s faking it.”
“Is that so~?”
I can hear everything!
Ah, come to think of it, there was money in here.
I took out one of each coin to test them and found out they were still usable.
Some of the coins looked unfamiliar, so I used my appraisal skill to check. There were ancient imperial currency, magic silver coins, and even legendary orichalcum coins.
Whoa, what era is this?
Wasn’t the Ancient Empire supposed to have fallen about a thousand years ago?
I ignored the fact that there was a mountain of these rare coins and instead admired the gleam of the platinum ones for a while.
Just looking at them made me feel happy—such wonderful platinum coins.
As the sun set, Uncle and Aunt returned.
Once again, we gathered after dinner for a discussion.
Uncle and Aunt had met with Sieghart and learned why they came to this town.
It turned out Sieghart was the one who proposed the trip, deeply worried over their hometown being attacked by goblins.
They knew that their parents and the neighboring childhood friend’s family had fled to Tokaran Town, but they wanted to personally confirm their safety during a break from hero training.
Though Lirina , the Saint, was also from the same region, her family remained missing.
Apparently, she had been harboring resentment toward our family for surviving.
However, soon after that, a knight checked the governor’s records and proved it was the Saint’s unjust blame.
Even though the Saint holds a high position in the temple, there are things she must not do.
It seems the accompanying priest gave her a stern warning not to pick on our apothecary family anymore.
The red-haired young beauty from before would apparently send a report to the king, which might affect the Saint’s and temple’s standing.
At the very least, their reputation won’t be good!
Even if she is called a Saint, she can’t perform miracles, so she doesn’t seem to hold much power now.
Though who knows what the future will bring.
By the way, the strong knight accompanying Sieghart was actually the commander of the royal knights, and the other knight was said to be a famous magic knight.
They serve as mentors and members of the Hero Party.
That slim, handsome knight is said to wield magic rivaling the royal court magicians.
The red-haired drill-haired beauty is the daughter of some Viscount family and is among the kingdom’s strongest magic users—a top-tier wind and fire mage.
Apparently, she volunteered herself to join the Hero Party.
Since the current king has no princesses, she might have been selected specifically to assist in recruiting the Hero.
In that sense, maybe Saint Lirina is desperately trying to pull the Hero into the temple?
That priest with her seemed to be her supervisor—and despite wearing priest robes, he’s apparently quite capable in battle.
Not that it really matters.
So, Saint Lirina , the red-haired noble girl, and Sieghart currently have two people in his harem?
I wonder a little if eventually all of them will be women.
“Technically speaking, Sieghart already has a harem, right?”
I muttered under my breath, and Mom looked shocked.
“Eh? Is Sieghart seriously trying to create a harem??”
When she asked urgently, I just answered that it probably was.
“I heard him muttering about it before receiving any blessings. Back then, Lirina was already clinging to him, right? I was already targeted by her jealousy—I swore when I was little that I’d stay out of their way and live my own life.”
“Well, you decided that when you were seven. Quite a mature judgment.”
“Right?”
Listening to my conversation with Mom, Aunt Dahlia looked visibly uncomfortable.
“Sieghart and the others plan to travel across various dungeons and monster-infested forests. After that, they’ll go beyond the kingdom. The role of the Hero and Saint is to defeat the increasingly active monsters worldwide and bring peace to the world…”
Uncle wore a complicated expression.
“If that’s the mission placed upon that child, I do hope they fulfill it… but I don’t want them pushing themselves too hard. That’s just a parent’s heart.”
Aunt looked anxious.
Of course, parents couldn’t accompany them.
At the governor’s mansion, that intimidating knight handed them a generous sum of money, saying, “We hope they can live strongly, without relying on the bond between parent and child.”
No doubt such a situation stirred up complex emotions.
Both parental love and a child’s affection cannot simply be erased.
Those in power trample human hearts without hesitation…
◆◇◆
Sieghart brought along a letter from Milia .
Thinking back, Milia ’s parents were also missing.
Her older sister was fortunate enough to marry into a nearby village and survived—but I don’t know what happened to Milia ’s younger siblings…
Milia ’s letter stated that she had been hired as an apprentice court magician.
From now on, she intended to stand firm and live alone.
The once timid Milia was now living with determination.
I felt relieved knowing that.
Lastly, it was written that Cain had been accepted as a city guard in the capital.
His uncle, the blacksmith, had fled to the capital and was now working as a hired smith, so Cain had no workshop to inherit even if he became a blacksmith himself.
For now, he planned to faithfully serve as a guard while young, and after retirement, hoped to take on small blacksmithing jobs.
After finishing the letter, I put it back into the magic bag and looked out the window at the endless blue sky.
We’re fifteen this year—old enough to be considered adults.
While I realize I can’t remain a child forever, I know I’ll probably never be able to fully leave my parents behind.
Well, it’s a wonderful thing to have such a close-knit family.
I truly wish to live together with my family forever.
That was my heartfelt desire.