A Genius Pharmacist Whom the Empress Is Obsessed With

36th Chapter. The Problem with the Oyster.

The decorations were just a few withered vines and small flowers clustered together. The room was in the best part of the city, yet it was more pitiful than any other, with several large windows that let in the setting sun. A rickety old chair was placed under one of the windows, and it creaked with every movement.

Creak. Creak.

The chair creaked whenever it moved, but it seemed to make no sound to the woman sitting in it, who was staring out the window at the fading sunset. The wind, which occasionally blew in, brushed against her darkening eyelids.

Creak. Creak.

Creak. Creak.

How much time had passed? The once-bright sky had turned a deep shade of gray, and the woman who had been sitting there lifelessly finally moved.

The woman got up from her chair and, after a brief moment of hesitation, grabbed the rope that was dangling from the window and pulled it with all her might. The large window was suddenly yanked open, and the shutters that had been closed earlier were thrown wide open, revealing the plain interior of the room.

“…Scary.”

The woman trembled.

Once upon a time, the woman loved the comfort that the night brought. The night covered everything that troubled her.

When she looked at the dark violet mesh-like sky and the stars embroidered with golden thread, she could forget about the suffocating reality that choked her neck and the noises that made her want to cry.

But the comforting night sky no longer existed.

Since the day Iden jumped out of the window, Laudemine has been plagued by nightmares.

The content of the dream was always the same. Iden smiled sadly and fell out of the window, and Laudemine trembled while sitting on the ground, looking at the broken window. Beyond the creaking window, the night sky spread out beautifully.

Iden, who falls with a smile beyond the window filled with a beautiful night sky, and Laudemine, who can do nothing.

At the end of the never-ending, repeating nightmare, Laudemine could no longer love the night sky. No, just looking at the night sky sent intense fear rushing towards her, causing her head to freeze.

It was the same even now.

As the tapestry fell, Laudemine became petrified as she saw the sky turning black from the center.

Under the tapestry, under the night sky that unfolded, it seemed like Iden was falling.

“…I’m such a fool.”

Laudemine bit her lower lip.

Despite more than ten years having passed, Laudemine could never erase the man named Iden from her mind.

In a way, it was only natural. The man’s death was the result of her foolish actions, and he was such a special existence that even his ending in suicide was too hollow.

“Oh my! Your Majesty!”

Laudemine was stumbling while holding onto the ropes, and Piaca, who had rushed from somewhere, quickly supported her.

Piaca hurriedly sat Laudemine on the bed, then brought down all the other tapestries from different windows. Piaca didn’t forget to securely fasten the edges with a string, afraid that the tapestries might flutter in the wind.

“Are you alright, Your Majesty?”

Piaca massaged Laudemine’s right hand and spoke. Although her body was generally cold, Laudemine’s hand felt like ice due to her tension.

During her official duties, Laudemine always exuded a composed and dignified atmosphere, but when she was left alone in the darkness, she became so weak.

“…I’m fine.”

“I’m glad. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. I’ll tidy up the things.”

Piaca put a blanket over Laudemine’s shoulders, then turned around. The items that Laudemine had discarded on the carpet were rolling around.

For a handmaiden to disregard the Empress’s belongings, it was an absolutely unacceptable behavior.

However, holding onto the curtain rope and seeing the petrified Laudemine, Piaca’s mind turned completely white, leaving her no time to think about anything else.

“By the way, how would you like to have dinner, Your Majesty?”

While tidying up the items one by one, Piaca spoke.

“Do you have anything specific you want to eat? Shall I bring it to the bedroom?”

“…No. I don’t particularly have an appetite. I just want to rest.”

Rudimine spoke as she gripped her left arm. Her left arm was tightly wrapped in bandages from her fingertips to her elbow.

“Your Majesty, what are you saying? You barely had lunch. You should have a proper dinner.”

“….”

“Even if you don’t have an appetite, it’s best to eat something.”

“….”

“Should I get some simple fruits?”

Despite Piaka’s continuous urging, Rudimine maintained her silence.

It became too awkward to continue speaking at this point, so Piaka quietly tidied up Rudimine’s bedroom.

“Your Majesty, I’m always here if you need anything, so please don’t hesitate to call me.”

After finally organizing the firewood in the hearth, Piaka left the room and said.

However, Rudimine didn’t hear a reply from her until the very end.

Piaka had no choice but to close the door without any reward.

“Ha.”

A deep sigh escaped Piaka’s lips as she walked down the hallway.

‘It must be a problem that she saw the night sky….’

Piaka knew very well from experience that the reason Rudimine refused to eat was because of that incident – when the chief physician went down.

‘He said he had to confirm it himself as an apothecary.’

Even though there was no such thing as this “chief physician.”

Frankly speaking, Piaka also missed the chief physician. His skills and personality – for 10 years, she had met countless doctors and apothecaries, but never once encountered someone like the chief physician.

However, the chief physician was already deceased.

Even a passing child would know that searching for someone who no longer exists in this world is a foolish endeavor.

‘The problem is that her Majesty herself is doing this foolish thing.’

Every time she heard the mention of the chief physician, Rudimine would become hopeful and then disappointed.

It would be better for her to leave, without any lingering feelings, so that she would no longer have those tiresome nightmares.

“I might have to check around midnight, in case she has another nightmare.”

Piaka’s footsteps grew a bit heavier as she walked down the hallway.

***

The man was incredibly fast. Even though his condition wasn’t great, it was difficult for skilled knight Sven to keep up with him.

However, he couldn’t afford to lose sight of the man. The more he chased, the more suspicious the man became.

‘Author, you move as if you can’t reveal your identity.

Moving in crowded places like this often led to bumping into someone and having your cloak or hat knocked off naturally.

But the man never let go of the grip on the collar of his cloak, under any circumstances. Even when he collided with someone.

‘Normally, if you feel like you’re about to collide with someone, you push them away with your hand.’

But that was not the only issue.

The man’s movements were suspicious as well.

Most travelers who had been on the road for a long time would head to an inn as soon as they arrived in the city. Inns were the only places where they could rest their tired bodies and fill their stomachs.

However, the man did not head to an inn. At first, he went into a back alley where there was a black market, and this time, he was walking along a street frequented by wealthy people.

‘…Is he involved in money laundering?’

If so, he could be someone who had evaded surveillance in Mellow. Even if that wasn’t the case, he could be involved in someone else’s illegal activities.

“!!!”

Sven, who was following the man with quick steps, suddenly stopped in his tracks. His slightly rumbling stomach felt like it was being stabbed by a burning spear, causing him excruciating pain in an instant.

He tried to support himself by putting strength into his legs and back, but it was futile. Sven couldn’t overcome the pain and had no choice but to stoop down and take a step back. As a knight of Aurun, he couldn’t collapse on the street in a disheveled manner.

‘…I need to find a place to relieve myself!’

As soon as Sven arrived at a corner of an alley, he couldn’t hold back the rising vomit and started retching.

Because he hadn’t eaten anything all day, only sour water kept flowing down his throat whenever his stomach growled.

“Tsk tsk, seems like you drank a lot since early evening.”

“Must be the child of a nobleman.”

Some passersby frowned as they watched Sven vomiting.

‘Hm, something’s not right.’

It wasn’t something to be proud of, but Sven often suffered from stomach problems because he enjoyed eating. However, it had never been this severe, and it usually cleared up completely after he vomited everything.

But this time, it was different. Even breathing was painful. It felt similar to when he was stabbed with a knife before.

Realizing the seriousness of his condition, Sven tried to ask for help, but he couldn’t even catch his breath properly, let alone do anything.

‘…It’s cold and dizziness.’

With a thud, Sven’s upper body collapsed.

*

He suddenly stumbled and now he’s lying there.

Edun looked at the man on the ground. The man’s abdomen in Edun’s eyes seemed to be on fire, shining a sickly yellow.

‘No one would come all the way into this back alley to save this man.’

It seemed that things were getting complicated, so I let out a sigh.

I didn’t particularly want to help this mysterious man who had been chasing after me, but it was a matter of life and death.

Even if I had to go through a little bit of trouble, I knew I wouldn’t die, but this man was different. He was not only suffering from severe pain, but also showing signs of dehydration.

If I left the man alone, he would not only fail to receive treatment from someone kind-hearted, but also become an easy target for pickpockets or beggars in the back alleys.

“Fine. Given the situation, let’s save him first and then think.”

Luckily, my prayers were not in vain. After laying the man down properly, I turned my head to the side.

Judging from the vomit stains, the man seemed to be suffering from nausea. In that case, it was necessary to turn his head to the side. If I laid him down flat, there could be a situation where vomit would flow back into his airway.

Next, I gently pressed on the acupuncture points under the man’s clavicle with my left hand in order to calm his rigid stomach and intestines.

Not long after I pressed the two acupuncture points, the stiff limbs of the man began to loosen.

“It must be acute gastritis.”

As I concentrated on stimulating his blood, my hand, which had been treating him, suddenly stopped. I hadn’t noticed so far because I had been focused on the treatment, but there was a very familiar inscription faintly engraved on the man’s chest.

It was the sentence of Queen Redimine.