chapter 15
The incident began the morning after arriving at the inn.
‘Ugh, I’m sleepy.’
Drowsiness hit me right after finishing my meal.
I was supposed to pack and head home now, but I wasn’t sure if that would even be possible—I was so sleepy.
‘Maybe I overate because it’s been so long since I had a good meal.’
I patted my belly, now round like a tadpole’s.
‘At this rate, I look like I’m pregnant with twins.’
I chuckled at the thought that maybe they were extra-large babies.
I was halfway up the stairs to my room in a daze when I suddenly heard someone gasping for breath.
“Urgh!”
Startled, I turned my head instinctively.
“Oh dear, I’m dying here!”
An old man had collapsed.
He’d apparently fallen down the stairs, having dropped his cane and luggage, and was trembling, unable to get up on his own.
‘I can’t just stand here and watch.’
Sleep had already fled far away, so I walked over to the old man.
“Are you alright?”
The old man pointed to his cane with a trembling hand.
“I’m… alright. But if it’s not too much trouble, could you pick that up for me?”
“Of course.”
I handed him the cane, and he slowly got up, gripping it with shaky hands.
But he looked unstable, likely from the impact of the fall.
Still, he groaned and tried to lift a bag nearly the size of himself.
When I lifted it slightly, I found it wasn’t actually very heavy—just big.
I hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.
“Which room are you in? I’ll carry this for you.”
I was pregnant and had a terminal illness, so I shouldn’t have been saying that—but I still had some strength left.
‘Besides, it’s not like it’s that heavy.’
“End of the hall on the third floor.”
I carried his luggage to the room.
Once inside, the old man looked at me apologetically.
“Really, I owe you one.”
“No worries. It was nothing.”
Even so, he still looked uneasy and guilty.
After hesitating a while, the old man finally said:
“Excuse me, miss.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t have anything to repay you with… but you look unwell.”
“…….”
“Would you mind if I gave you a checkup?”
“Pardon?”
My heart sank for a moment.
How did he know I was sick? Was he somehow related to Rochester?
But the mystery was soon resolved.
“Oh, come now!”
The old man suddenly raised his voice.
I blinked in surprise.
“Huh?”
He sighed and explained.
“Don’t look at me like that. Your complexion’s just terrible, that’s all.”
“Oh.”
Well, to be fair, I had looked like a walking corpse when I saw myself in the mirror earlier.
My face was pale and dull, and my body, already thin to begin with, had become emaciated from the carriage trip.
“Granted, I know what I said sounded like a scam, but I absolutely despise—no, loathe—scam artists who prey on the desperate.”
“……I see.”
I hadn’t thought he was a con artist—but now that he mentioned it, maybe he did give off that vibe…
Still, who was this old man?
Just then, he cleared his throat and said,
“Actually, I’m a doctor. I usually work elsewhere, but someone invited me here. If you’re sick, I could take a look.”
“You’re a doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Ah…”
I suddenly understood his intentions.
In the Empire, medical treatment was expensive. Poorer folks often relied on healers or folk remedies instead.
Seeing a proper doctor was a luxury for most commoners.
“I, uh…”
I was about to decline—but a thought struck me.
Wait.
‘What if this man knows about a cure… or an antidote for my illness?’
After a moment’s hesitation, I looked at him and said,
“…Alright.”
I didn’t know how skilled he was, but I had nothing to lose.
The old man pulled various instruments from a large bag and laid them out across the floor.
So many tools came out that I lost count.
At last, with a determined look, he gestured to me.
“Come here, child.”
“Oh, okay.”
When I got closer, he wiped my arm with disinfectant and picked up a syringe.
“This might sting a bit.”
A few seconds later, just as he warned, a sharp pain ran through my arm.
He pressed a clean cotton ball over the needle site.
It hurt, but not unbearably so.
Afterward, he placed a gauze pad and secured it with a bandage.
“The bleeding should stop soon. Now, hold on.”
He placed the syringe aside and poured a bit of some liquid into a small dish.
Then he added a few drops of my blood into it.
Drip, drip.
A few seconds later, the mixture darkened—blackened.
That’s when the old man’s face clouded.
He lifted the dish, inspecting it closely, then turned to me.
I gave him a bitter smile.
“…….”
“Did you… already know?” he asked quietly.
I nodded.
“Sort of.”
“It’s severe.”
He didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Depending on severity, the solution changes color. But this dark? That usually means there’s almost no hope.”
“……So there’s no cure at all?”
“Well…”
He glanced over my outfit.
“There is, but it’s… difficult.”
“There is a cure?”
The words flew from my mouth before I could stop them. I awkwardly smiled at my own lack of manners.
The old man nodded understandingly, though his face still looked grim.
“Ever heard of a healing potion?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Well… normally incurable diseases like this are treated with the help of the temple. But that’s costly.”
“Right…”
Just like the first doctor had told me.
“They said it could cost up to a billion Eckarts.”
A billion Eckarts—the price of a grand mansion in the capital.
Even working my entire life, I could never afford it.
The old man nodded.
“Exactly. That’s why it’s unrealistic. But a healing potion is cheaper.”
“If I drink it, will I be cured?”
He nodded.
“That’s generally the case.”
“How much is it? And where can I buy one? I’ve never heard of this…”
My heart pounded.
Could this be the answer to my prayers?
Could I really live—with my child?
‘We might survive.’
Just that possibility alone filled my dry, hopeless heart with a glimmer of strength.
Clink.
I emptied out all the money I’d brought from home onto the table.
Even though it looked like a lot, it felt pitifully small compared to the price of a potion.
‘About 300 gold coins…’
At 100,000 Eckarts per coin, that was just under 30 million Eckarts.
I thought I’d been frugal, but the pile had shrunk faster than expected.
I’d received 5,000 gold as dowry.
Most people used dowries for personal use or wedding gifts, but my case was different.
‘Rochester’s lack of household funds ate up 2,000 gold instantly.’
I regretted not saving more, but it was too late now.
Earlier, the old man had told me:
“That potion… goes for about 100 million Eckarts right now. I handle sales in this region.”
“Right now? So the price might go up?”
“I wouldn’t know. But the sooner you buy it, the better. Don’t have money? That’s a shame. I was willing to offer a discount because your situation seemed pitiful…”
“No, no—I have money. I’ll get it. Soon…”
I’d said that without thinking.
But after checking my wallet, my spirits sank.
I almost hoped the old man had been lying—it would make things easier to accept.
“Healing potion? My mom took that and got better!”
The innkeeper’s daughter had said her mother recovered thanks to the potion too.
“That old man’s well known around here. Some say he’s connected to famous alchemists or retired priests.”
After that conversation, I felt even more deflated.
Still, I tried to stay positive.
‘I thought I was going to die anyway.’
Even the possibility of living was a miracle.
I tried to keep an optimistic mindset—but it wasn’t easy.
I kept sighing.
“Why all the heavy sighs, young lady?”
While I was staring blankly into space after checking out an empty house, an old woman noticed and spoke up.
I must’ve looked really disappointed—it was a little embarrassing.
‘I acted like a child.’
I forced a smile.
“Sighing makes you age faster, you know?”
“…Right. I’ll stop sighing now.”
The old woman looked surprised by my response.
I smiled and said,
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Wh-what’s with you, child… I’m going to eat some chestnuts now!”
Her warm presence was oddly comforting, and the way she munched her roasted chestnuts was endearing.
That’s when the woman who had gone to inspect the vacant house returned, panting heavily.
Clearly out of breath from rushing.
“You’re one lucky girl!”
