Chapter 61 Departure
I, Leaf, returned to my hometown, the Dead End Village.
I had completed the request in Abyss Wood, so it was time to go back.
But when I leave this village, there will be no pharmacist to take care of the elder people' health.
So, I decided to raise Dokuonna as my successor.
After various twists and turns, I decided to recognize her as a pharmacist.
"Leaf... this..."
I helped her in the forest and returned to Master Asclepius's house.
"My house... was in terrible condition... but now it's so beautiful."
"I had some free time while waiting."
When I first came here, the house was in a complete mess.
But now, it is as clean as it was when I used to live here.
Dokuonna had prepared the environment so that she could start working as a Pharmacist right away.
"Sni... sniff... sniffle... Ugh, Leaf... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
She collapsed in tears on the spot.
I wonder what happened?
"I... I-I've been nothing but a bother to you, Leaf, doing terrible things... even though you forgave me... being so kind to me..."
"...It's not like it's for your sake."
I corrected her.
"The medicine for the elder should have been made right away."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Haven't you noticed? The number of monsters coming out of Abyss Wood has drastically decreased."
The disappearance of the dungeon could be part of the reason.
But this forest easily accumulates miasma, and monsters quickly spawn and come out.
"Y-Yeah, now that you mention it, the monsters that attacked were just orc... oh."
"...Looks like you figured it out."
I've been sensing it since earlier.
"Don't just stand there, come on in."
"As expected of Leaf-chan, did you notice?"
When the door opened with a clatter, who walked in were Old Man Arthur and the other elder people from the village.
I knew everyone had been keeping watch outside. And...
"Thank you, everyone, for protecting Dokuonna."
"!? Th-That's right, we... "
"Yeah. You must have been thinning out the forest monsters."
Dokuonna stood there in shock.
In her arms was the lucky rabbit.
Old Man Arthur glanced at her and gave a small smile.
"Don't misunderstand. We did it for Leaf-chan's sake."
"For Leaf...?"
"Yeah, Leaf-chan was worried about Dokuonna, so we just wanted to ease his concerns, that's all."
...Even though I didn't ask, old man and the others did it for me and Dokuonna.
"Th-thank you so much!!!!"
Dokuonna bowed her head to everyone before I could.
She never said thank you to anyone before.
Bowing herself, she's showing her gratitude... Oh, master. Why aren't you here now? I want to show you this, her, this sight.
"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble until now! I'm sorry for being mean!"
She sincerely apologizes from the bottom of her heart. It's not tainted by any ulterior motive, just pure emotions overflowing from her heart. The feeling of apology.
The villagers, including Old Man Arthur, closed their eyes and soon returned quiet smiles.
"It's okay now."
...Dokuonna held back tears and collapsed on the spot.
I approached and handed her a handkerchief.
"That's good."
"Yeah... yeah... sorry, sorry everyone..."
...Suddenly, a familiar scent wafted through the air.
I instinctively looked up, expecting to see someone who shouldn't be there.
...He was there. But why? No, I don't know, but that's not important right now.
I used the Tenmoku Medicine Pot to compound medicine.
It's... an incense that allows you to see the invisible.
The smoke rose gently to the sky, forming a single shape.
"Huh...? Gra...nd...pa... why, are you..."
All I did was make the invisible visible.
Master Asclepius' spirit was able to be summoned here because he came.
"I'm sure... he wanted to see Dokuonna's growth. Master did."
Master smiled at me and nodded.
It was as if he was saying that was the correct answer.
Master looked at Old Man Arthur and bowed his head.
He did the same to everyone else, showing his intentions.
...In other words, he was expressing his desire for forgiveness for his granddaughter's misconduct.
"Grandpa..."
Master looked at his granddaughter one last time and slowly approached her.
She embraced Master Asclepius and said,
"I... will become a pharmacist. Grandpa, like Leaf, I will become the best pharmacist in the world...! So...! You don't have to come anymore... It's okay, so..."
Master nodded quietly and gracefully danced into the sky. He disappeared from the window into the clear sky.
"Thanks... Leaf. For making him visible."
"Yeah. You're welcome."
With a sniffle, Dokuonna wiped her tears and looked at me. She looked like a full-fledged Pharmacist now.
"Well then... Dokuonna. I'm heading back now, everyone."
As I left Master's cabin, Tai-chan and Mercury-san were waiting there.
I glanced back, but nobody tried to stop me.
"It's useless to stop him."
"Yeah, seems like it, old man."
Everyone, including Granny Merlin, nodded in agreement.
"Take care, Leaf!"
"""Take care!"""
The villagers sent me off with smiles.
I didn't look back anymore.
Before, I left this village like a runaway in the night. I worried that everyone thought I was leaving without saying goodbye, abandoning the village.
But... things are different now.
I look at everyone and raise my hand.
"I'm off! I'll... I'll come back, I promise!"
I join my friends and start walking.
Our destination is the capital city, where new adventures await me.
This time, I truly embark on a journey of adventure.
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