Chapter 9 Sleeping Pills
"I really didn't peek at all."
"Did you want to peek...?"
"Not really?"
Just as he said before, Yuruyana came to my room with a beaker of what looked like a delicious, muddy green liquid and a cup of plain water, looking oddly dissatisfied.
But since he kept his promise, there's no reason for him to be criticized.
"Here you go. The sleeping pill you wanted."
I took the beaker, handed to me in my pajamas, and sniffed it.
Besides the scent of several herbs, there was also a spicy aroma.
"Are you sure it's okay? To be honest, I really don't want to drink it."
"The smell is fine..."
It smells much more natural and safer than the nutrient supplements we were given during the military when we had to stay up for several days.
Out of habit, I checked the flow of magic and saw Yuruyana's aura thinly and evenly wrapped around the liquid.
For a moment, I thought Yuruyana might be a leftover enemy from the organization I destroyed during my military days, and this could be a poison disguised as a medicine.
But then I quickly thought, well, if it's poison, I can neutralize it with magic, and I downed it in one go.
Yuruyana made a silent "Uwaa" face.
"You really can't taste it? Not at all?"
"Yeah."
I'm worried that I can't even feel the bitterness that pharmacists would be concerned about; it seems my senses are really going numb.
I'm usually sensitive to poisons and traps.
"Then, do you need the water?"
"No, I want it."
The taste aside, the gritty, powdery texture left in my mouth made me want to rinse it down.
Seeing me calm, Yuruyana twisted his well-shaped lips again in seriousness, started to say something, and then sighed.
"It might take some time for the effects to kick in, so let me explain the prescription in the meantime."
With that, Yuruyana left my room, or so I thought, but he returned with an Arcane Art bag and began explaining each material used.
As instructed, I lay on the bed, focusing my gaze on what looked like a dried-up piece of wood that his well-manicured fingers picked up.
"This is the main ingredient that delivers the effect. It's a mushroom called 'Dream Inducer'."
"The name sounds like it'll make you sleepy."
"Even a small amount hits you with a strong sleepiness. One stick could make a full-grown bear sleep."
Am I a wild bear?
Yuruyana took out several dried herbs.
"Next is this one. It's really great for nightmares and bad memories, but it's super bitter."
Yuruyana had a grim face, like the taste itself was a bad memory.
"This calms you down. This one improves blood flow and relaxes your body. This warms you up."
Yuruyana explained each one, but I couldn't really tell them apart.
Listening to Yuruyana's calm voice, without any posing, my eyelids became heavy, and I lost my consciousness without realizing it.
* * *
As Yuruyana peeked at my face, which had started to breathe regularly, he nodded with satisfaction.
"This boring talk always makes you sleepy, right?"
He snorted through his nose, checking the pulse to make sure everything was fine.
When awake, I seemed lost and had no gaps, but now I wouldn't wake even if you touched my arms or neck.
Yuruyana thought he might not handle the symptoms with just the materials he had, but he felt relieved that his medicine worked well.
"I was told to help Momota: Kreis if he was in trouble, but... well, I guess keeping my promise is good enough."
Nodding to himself, he agreed.
Yuruyana had a habit of saying what he thought when alone.
"Even though our masters knew each other, isn't it a bit much to easily lend a room to a stranger and drink sketchy medicine without hesitation? I don't know if it's kindness or just thoughtlessness, but trusting people too much seems risky."
Looking at my closed eyes with dark circles and 2 beauty marks, he felt a bit worried.
At the same time, he had a strange certainty that this quirky master had the same temperament as the one they completely trusted.
"Yeah, being a soldier isn't for you. I got lucky, though."
Yuruyana has confidence in handling most things well, but he didn't think he could achieve the necessary things for living in the capital──like fixing machines, securing a base, and connecting with the locals──within just one day, so he honestly feels very grateful.
Even if acting cute is just a performance, the words of thanks he said when getting the machine fixed were real.
"Hey, Master, did you send me out knowing that if I relied on Kreis General Store, everything would work out?"
Yuruyana is good at adapting his attitude to fit others and rolling them over, but his master was someone who bent the rules of cause and effect to get what he wanted without changing himself.
"Thinking about it is pointless."
Just when he felt somewhat relieved, he suddenly yawned.
He realized he was more tired than he thought because he had been walking since morning and had focused too much on making a type of medicine that he didn't often create.
"I should take a bath and get some sleep too."
So, after Yuruyana stretched widely, he collected the beaker and cup, turned off the lights, and left.
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