Episode 22: As Fleeting as the Pale Moon
“For riffraff to speak ill of my master… how insulting.”
The one who appeared was a man whose gender was indistinguishable.
His cream-colored long hair was tied back in a braid, and he wore a butler uniform with a rapier at his waist.
He looked to be around twenty? Even his age was vague, giving off an unreadable impression.
Identical twin women also appeared, looking exactly like this man.
“‘Milady’ came to visit the master, yet this is what we find…? Master, with all due respect, might I suggest moving your shop to the main street? We are prepared to offer our support.”
Sigh…
“Tch…! Dogs of the Lord!”
“”Don’t underestimate us, thugs.””
Oh geez, this is a mess.
“If you’re going to fight, do it outside! And if you get hurt, come here to get healed and pay up!”
“””””Eh…?”””””
Eh?
“N-no, Master, shouldn’t you say something like, ‘Keep your hands off my patients!’ or something…?”
“Nope. If it were a cute girl, maybe, but would I risk my life to protect some slum thugs?”
“”…So, instead of ‘don’t get hurt,’ you’re saying ‘get hurt and come to get healed’?””
“Yep, it’s profitable.”
“But Master, you hardly ever accept treatment fees, do you?” “You’ve declined almost all of ‘Milady’s’ treatment fees, haven’t you?”
“Listen… unlike merchants who sell goods, I’m an apothecary and a doctor, okay? I can’t go around jacking up treatment fees. If I don’t prioritize trust over profit, my shop will collapse sooner or later.”
“””””…You’re a strange person.”””””
You guys are weirder.
For now, I reset the dislocated shoulder of the thug patient, put on a supporter, lightly stitched up the knife wound, wrapped it in bandages, prescribed ointment and painkillers, and sent him home.
And then, when I noticed…
“Good morning, Dru.”
…That girl was there.
Pale silver hair, a slender yet refined and gentle demeanor, topped with a dash of liveliness, a lovely girl…
Rosalinde Mortimer, the Lord’s daughter.
“Rosa… I always tell you not to visit without an appointment, especially since you’re the Lord’s daughter…”
“I just suddenly wanted to see you… okay?”
That’s how it is…
This girl looks like a delicate lady from a sheltered home, but in reality, she’s a total airhead tomboy…
To the point where she has two attendants watching over her.
That’s right, those two attendants are the twin man and woman with cream-colored hair tied up… Laurence and Lulaiya. They’re sword masters, those two.
Rosalinde is the tomboy who gives those two masters a hard time.
However, I cured this frail tomboy’s chronic illness, gained the Lord’s favor, and continue to generate profits with the soap business, which is why I was allowed to become a citizen living within the city walls in one generation. I can’t ignore that point.
Incidentally, I’m also this girl’s primary physician, so I can’t refuse her visits, I guess.
“What’s wrong today? Are you feeling unwell?”
“Well, Dru. I’m bored, okay?”
Hmm.
Don’t come to a doctor’s place to kill time…
Well, she’s cute, so I’ll forgive her.
“Then, since you’re here, I’ll give you a checkup. Come on, show me your chest.”
“…Eeeek♡”
Hiding her super flat chest with her thin arms, Rosa twisted her body. Are you trying to pick a fight????
“We always do this! You’re frail and had a lung disease when you were little, so I have to listen to your lungs regularly!”
“Laurence, help me? Dru is going to do indecent things to me…♡”
The male twin attendant, Laurence, said expressionlessly.
“Then, Master. Please take care of Milady. I will be guarding outside the door…”
…Yeah! He doesn’t trust Rosa even a little bit!
That’s right, the twin attendants have been endlessly tormented by Rosa since they were little…
“Hehe, my attendants abandoned me… Can I become a child of Dru’s house?”
“No, you may not.”
Now then, let’s examine her with my homemade stethoscope…
Hmm…?
Oh, good.
It’s been about four years since the illness was completely cured, right?
She’s still frail, but she’s healed quite a bit.
No problems with her lungs. Well, she doesn’t have much stamina, but that’s something for the future.
“Are you eating properly?”
“I am, okay?”
“I know you can’t gain weight easily due to your constitution, but that doesn’t mean you should only eat oily foods and grains, okay? Eat meat and vegetables in a balanced way.”
“You know, Dru, if you became my chef, I think I could eat more.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Muu… I’m serious.”
Sigh, she’s really a handful.
I get scouted from many directions…
I don’t want to work more than necessary.
My goal is self-actualization through work, not work itself.
In the extreme, if I secluded myself in the ‘Garden,’ I could survive…
“Okay, checkup’s over. No problems. I’ll give you some digestive medicine just in case, so take it if your stomach hurts.”
“Thank you, okay.”
“…You can go home now, okay?”
“…Why?”
What do you mean, why?!
“We haven’t talked yet, okay?”
“We did, didn’t we?”
“We didn’t, okay?”
Ah, okay, okay! You want me to entertain you, right?! I understand!
I looked at the clock.
…It’s almost three o’clock.
“Then, let’s have a snack. Tris!”
“Yes!”
I took out the custard pudding I had prepared when I made lunch.
I added some berries from the ‘Garden,’ brewed some tea…
“If you would allow me.”
Oh, the female twin attendant, Lulaiya, brewed the tea. She also tasted it for poison.
“…This is wonderful. With this level of skill, it seems like it could be a viable business.”
“I don’t want to antagonize the existing Guilds and cause discord. It’s enough for me to serve it to customers I like.”
“…Thank you, Master. Thanks to you, Milady has regained her health. She can run around outside again. I am grateful, more than words can express.”
“It’s fine, it’s my job.”
Now then, shall we have a snack…?