episode_0050

“……”

My breath hitched.

Is Dienbus such a rare medicine?

The royal physician-nim said it could be found in Deseo.

I believed that and somehow came all the way here.

Most people don’t even know of the medicine’s existence, and those who do just say it doesn’t exist.

I couldn’t grasp how difficult it truly was.

Since it’s come to this… I’ll have to find out what kind of medicine I’m trying to obtain.

“What is Dienbus, and why is it so hard to get?”

“First, I should explain ‘Enbus.’ Enbus is a type of poison.”

“I’ve heard that much…”

“Is someone perhaps poisoned by Enbus, which is why you’re looking for Dienbus?”

“Yes. My friend is.”

“That’s strange. Enbus doesn’t have a significant effect on humans, so it can’t cause poisoning.”

The physician stroked his chin.

“However, it has an excellent paralyzing effect on animals, so there’s a demand for it in hunting. And the antidote for Enbus is ‘Dienbus.’ But think about it. Is there really a need to antidote Enbus, which is used for hunting animals?”

According to the explanation, Enbus is used for animals, not humans.

It’s a medicine applied lightly to arrowheads to hit fleeing prey, making their legs stiff so they can’t move, but still alive, to obtain fresh meat.

Conversely, it has almost no effect on humans.

There’s no reason to put Enbus in hot tea to paralyze someone.

Unless a hunter suddenly feels pity for paralyzed prey and decides to release them back into the wild, there’s no need for an antidote itself.

It was frustrating.

“Then can’t you make it now? If not, please tell me the recipe. I’ll make it myself!”

“If it were as easy as talking about it, I would have made it for you already.”

The physician sighed.

“When I received my pharmaceutical education abroad, I once glimpsed the manufacturing method for Dienbus. To be clear… it’s impossible to produce. The process is dozens of times more complex and difficult than making Enbus.”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as it can be made…”

“Would you be convinced if I told you the manufacturing method spans 20 pages?”

“20 pages…?”

Among the books in Ritsu’s pharmacy, even the most difficult manufacturing method didn’t exceed 4 pages.

“Yes. Dienbus was a medicine created by a scholar just for fun, to actually create and prove the ‘theoretically most complex medicine’ could be made. It had no practical efficacy, but it was a kind of ‘thesis’ that held significance in showing that a medicine with a difficulty level of 8 could be realized with current technology.”

“……”

“Even setting aside such difficulties and cost issues, ‘time’ would be the biggest problem. It takes a year to obtain 1 ounce of Dienbus.”

She swayed.

For a moment, she lost her balance and almost fell backward.

The physician approached to support her, but she refused and shook her head.

A year.

Ritsu was said to be able to last only half a year at most.

Even if they started making Dienbus now, there wasn’t enough time.

In other words, she still had to obtain it.

The ‘Dienbus’ that some eccentric pharmacist, overflowing with money and time, made just for fun.

But… by what means?

How should she find it?

Suddenly.

The physician, who had been quiet, suddenly got up, as if a thought had occurred to him.

“The fact that you’re looking for Dienbus… means some physician told you about it, right? Who is it?”

“I’ll show you this.”

She handed over the royal physician’s letter.

The physician quickly skimmed the letter and nodded.

“Indeed. It was the royal physician-nim. Then it makes sense. Your friend seems to be a very precious person. For the one called ‘Hand of Miracles’ to ‘resurrect’ someone other than His Majesty…”

“…What?”

“Anyway, since the royal physician-nim said Dienbus is in Deseo, it must certainly exist somewhere here.”

He tore off a corner of his notepad, wrote something with a fountain pen, and handed it to her.

“I know a rare goods dealer. Honestly, I wouldn’t say we’re close, but… this person would know of Dienbus’s existence. You should try visiting them.”

“…Thank you.”

“Oh, and.”

Finally, the physician warned her in a serious voice.

“You and I have never met. I also… recommend you burn the royal physician-nim’s letter in the safest place possible.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The political situation in Deseo is not very good right now. The royal physician-nim is currently outside, so it seems they weren’t aware of the situation here. So, it would be best for you to finish your business as soon as possible and leave. I can’t say anything more than this.”

As if telling a secret, the physician’s voice also lowered.

There was no more information to gain by staying, and he also seemed uncomfortable with her presence.

She immediately took the note and went outside.

A short address was written on the note.

From a pharmacy to a physician, from a physician to a rare goods dealer.

The journey to find Dienbus continued like a chain, one leading to the next.

The dealer’s address, which she found with difficulty, was in an isolated area of the harbor.

There were many warehouses in the harbor for storing unloaded goods.

One of them was managed by this merchant.

She was worried the merchant might not be there because it was late at night.

When she knocked on the warehouse, a person walked out from inside.

He was an old man shorter than her.

With a beard as bushy as a sailor’s, and casually dressed.

He greeted her with a face that seemed annoyed by everything.

“What? Dienbus? Hahahaha!!”

He held his stomach and laughed.

“I never thought someone would come to buy this in my lifetime!”

The merchant hummed a tune and went deep into a corner of the warehouse.

He brought a ladder, took something off a high shelf, then rummaged through it for a long time.

Finally, he pulled out a small medicine bottle.

It was a tiny bottle, smaller than a fingernail, transparent like crystal.

“I tell ya—I’ve got a good memory. I even remember exactly where I stashed this tiny thing.”

Sloshing.

Clear liquid sloshed inside the small medicine bottle.

Dienbus.

It was the first moment she saw its physical form.

The merchant explained.

“Dienbus, the antidote to Enbus. It’s a legendary medicine with a crafting difficulty of 8, hellishly hard to make, with no reason to make it, and only one or two people in the world who’ve ever made it.”

“That’s right! I’ll buy it!”

“Ah, good, good. It was bad inventory, so I’m the one who’s grateful to finally get rid of it. Sometimes, whenever I remembered I had this, it reminded me of my rookie days when I didn’t know anything, and I’d kick my blanket. I want to sell it quickly.”

She immediately opened her wallet.

“How much is it?”

“One thousand.”

“……?”

One thousand?

Did he mean 1,000 silver?

Converted to gold, that would be 10 gold…

She took out 6 gold from her pocket.

This was all she had left.

Hmm… but wouldn’t 10 gold be fortunate?

She just needed to get 4 more gold from somewhere.

She placed six gold coins in her hand and looked up at the merchant, but he didn’t budge.

He just stared at her, as if asking what she wanted to say now.

“Ahaha… I only have this much right now, could you give me a discount?”

“Yes. That’s already with a discount, it’s 1,000. When I first bought this, it was 3,000. I’m selling it at a huge loss right now.”

“T-Then… I just need to bring 4 more gold… right?”

The merchant blinked.

“What would you do with 10 gold? Buy me a drink?”

“No. The price of Dienbus…”

“Huh? What’s with that nonsensical talk all of a sudden? Didn’t you hear? It’s 1,000. 1,000 gold.”

“……”

1,000 gold.

That was the price of Dienbus.

She hadn’t even known that a unit of 1,000 gold existed in the world until now.

If she went down to the lower village, she could have a blast with just one gold coin and come back with plenty of snacks.

10 gold was enough to throw a party for an entire week.

100 gold was enough to recruit a mercenary group traveling to and from Mesrod.

But 1,000 gold… was the price of this medicine?

Rather than surprise, the unrealistic price left her with no thoughts at all.

The very first thought that came to mind was simply, how on earth could she gather 1,000 gold?

“P-Please… don’t sell that Dienbus to anyone yet.”

“Hahaha! Don’t worry! I haven’t seen a single soul try to buy this in 10 years. You’re the first. Anyway. 1,000 gold. Can you even get it?”

“I can! Of course!”

“Oh-ho.”

“I’ll come back in a few days. So just… just wait a little longer.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I always do business here.”

She ran out of the warehouse frantically.

She ran until she was exhausted, not even knowing where she was going.

After running for a long time, cutting through the night sea air.

She stopped, leaning on her knees, at the spot where she had parted ways with Mister Fosao.

She panted heavily.

What… was she hoping for?

There was no way that old man would be here.

Mister Fosao wouldn’t have ‘1,000 gold’ either.

She sighed.

She leaned against the wall and looked up at the sky.

It was pitch black.

Even though Deseo had countless streetlights and bright lights shone from every window.

The night here seemed darker than in Breezedon.

No stars were visible.

It was just damp and cold.

* * *

She dragged her tired body and went to find a place to sleep.

Fortunately, there were many inns where travelers could stay.

She found a suitable place and asked for the price.

“A private standard room for one night is 50 silver.”

“50 silver…”

“There’s also a common room, but that’s 25 silver.”

50 silver meant staying for just two nights would cost 1 gold…

In Tailedon, an inn was 10 silver a day, what kind of murderous price was this?

If she used a standard room, by simple calculation, she could only stay for about 12 days.

That calculation was made excluding all costs for food and clothing.

Ultimately, she took out 25 silver.

“I’ll take the common room…”

“Go on in.”

The owner pointed to one side.

Following the corridor, a dark and spacious area appeared.

There, people were lying on the floor, sleeping like discarded clothes.

“……”

A sudden stench and loud noises.

There were no bedrolls or blankets. They just slept wrapped in rags.

It was so poor that she would rather sleep with Mister Fosao.

She quietly went to a corner and lay down.

She was startled by the hard, cold floor, but there was nothing she could do.

She had to spend at least one night here.

She didn’t know how she slept.

She had only just closed her eyes for a moment, but she woke up to someone roughly shaking her.

It was the caretaker.

“Get out.”

“Huh?”

“The day is breaking.”

Even though there were no windows, the caretaker pointed outside.

She thought she had over slept and went into the corridor.

But in reality, it was still pitch black outside.

“It’s… not night?”

“It’s morning. Didn’t you see everyone else leave? You’re the last one to check out.”

She was practically chased out.

Only then did a reddish glow begin to swirl on the distant horizon.

“……”

She greeted the morning with hollow eyes.

1,000 gold.

If that red sun were all gold… would it be about 1,000 gold?

She didn’t know.

She had to get it somehow.

Because she had to save Ritsu.

She clutched her necklace, called Ritsu’s name a couple of times.

Then she reaffirmed her resolve.

Right, let’s try earning it.

If she worked herself to death or until she fainted, 1,000 gold. Maybe she could do it.

Since everything in Deseo was expensive, daily wages would probably be high too.

Walking along the street, she found a large restaurant.

She bought a 10-silver salad there and asked if they needed any help.

They said they happened to need a server and wanted to hire her right away.

After a brief lesson on how to deal with customers, she started working immediately.

Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult.

When she brought food, customers gave her a few silver as tips.

She worked frantically, and night fell again.

When business hours ended, the owner handed her coins, calling it her daily wage.

“……Is this my daily wage?”

“Of course! Is this your first time, young lady? You seemed quite experienced! All the customers were satisfied too! Anyway, thanks to you, I got to catch my breath, so I gave you a specially generous amount.”

She couldn’t believe her eyes and blinked several times.

60 silver coins lay in her hand.

Including the 30 silver she received in tips, she earned a total of 90 silver.

Only 90 silver?

The owner didn’t seem to be making a bad joke.

Even the girl who served alongside her said that was a lot and asked her to treat her.

90 silver. It was a lot of money, indeed.

With this, she could buy a large chunk of pork in Tailedon.

But if this was the daily wage.

To get 1,000 gold, she would have to work here for approximately 1,000 days.

“……”

Rumble.

She hadn’t eaten anything recently and was terribly hungry.

She paid 15 silver for two pieces of cold, hard bread and an additional 25 silver for the common room.

The moment she lay down, a thought occurred to her.

In the end, she earned 50 silver in one day.

It was nowhere near enough.

She couldn’t earn 1,000 gold this way.

She had to look for other work.