Chapter 4
I first found out about Grandfather’s illness half a year ago.
It truly felt like disaster had struck out of nowhere.
“Who are you?”
Grandfather had just woken up, and that was the first thing he asked me.
“Don’t joke around, Grandfather. What do you mean, who am I?”
When I said I was Elisha, he asked what nonsense I was talking about, because his granddaughter was only fifteen years old.
I knew at once, instinctively, that it was not a joke.
“My grandfather is acting strange. He wasn’t like this until yesterday…”
I barely managed to persuade him to go to the hospital by showing all kinds of proof.
After hearing my explanation, the doctor tilted his head.
“This is very strange. It does not seem to be dementia, at least. There were no warning signs either.”
“Then what is it? Memory loss? Grandfather, did you slip this morning and hit your head?”
“It does not seem to be memory loss either.”
“…Then could he have been cursed with some kind of magic? As you can see, my grandfather’s appearance is one thing, and his personality is also a little… well… he is not exactly someone who has never made enemies.”
“I am not an expert in curse magic, but it is probably not that either. According to the examination, Patient Michele’s internal mana level is zero. So low that it is almost unbelievable.”
We met other doctors and mages too, but they all gave similar answers.
Except for one doctor, who said he used to be the personal physician of a noble family.
“Hmm, perhaps…”
Muttering like that, the doctor handed Grandfather a tea made by boiling a pitch-black herb.
The color looked like oil. Was it really safe to drink something like that?
I watched in half doubt and half fear, and then Grandfather drank it and coughed.
“What is this? It’s so bitter. Elisha, bring me some water. Warm water. And if there’s lemon, put some in.”
“…O-Grandfather! You remember me? The way you’re naturally ordering me around, it really feels like your memory is back…!”
“What do you mean, ordering you around? You brat, cough.”
I ran out at once and somehow returned with warm water and some slices of lemon.
Only after drinking the lemon water did Grandfather’s expression ease a little.
“That’s such a relief. At least we found something that works. What kind of herb is that? No, more importantly, what is causing this?”
I asked brightly, but the doctor could not answer right away.
From the way he hesitated and watched my reaction, I understood immediately.
It was not going to be hopeful news.
“…I suspect it is a disease called Mendax. It is a rare illness. This is my first time seeing an actual case.”
“W-what kind of disease is that?”
“It is known to develop after long-term exposure to a certain poison. However, the incubation period is long, so it is hard to determine the exact cause.”
“But there is medicine for it, right? Right? If he drinks that tea, he can get better, can’t he?”
“This is a herb called the root of snow mint. It is a very strong antidote. Thankfully, it worked, but honestly, I would not recommend it. It is not a fundamental treatment, and it also has many side effects…”
“Give it to me.”
“Grandfather!”
While I stood there in shock, Grandfather cut in.
I panicked and tried to stop him.
“No, you can’t. He said it has a lot of side effects. Let’s go somewhere else too. Now that we know the name of the disease, if we ask around, someone might know another treatment.”
“Just today, we have already seen five doctors and two mages. Over a whole week, it’s been even more than that. And the only one who gave us anything close to an answer was this doctor.”
Grandfather was right. The others had not even been able to guess.
He tried to persuade me.
“So rather than that, wouldn’t it be better to ask this doctor to research it and ask around for us? He probably knows far more doctors than we do.”
“But still…”
“If he succeeds in curing me, I will gladly become the subject of his research paper. What do you say? Isn’t that worth trying?”
Grandfather laughed boldly, and the doctor nodded.
“I will do my best.”
“See? All we have to do is wait. Ah, my mouth is still bitter. Do you have any candy?”
Grandfather left calmly, and I was the only one left behind.
The truth was, we had no better option, so I also prepared to say goodbye and leave.
Then the doctor, who had been hesitating, stopped me.
“Excuse me, guardian.”
“Yes?”
“The patient… will keep going further and further into the past.”
Just as he had forgotten the me from age sixteen to twenty, one day Grandfather would go to a time before I existed.
In other words, he would eventually forget me completely.
“Please avoid asking questions that remind him of the present if possible. There is a risk that the symptoms may worsen quickly.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Are you alright?”
“…No.”
Tears began to fall.
I had been holding it in, but at that moment I finally broke down and sank to the floor, sobbing.
“I’m not alright at all…”
A long time later, I came back out pretending everything was fine.
Grandfather must have seen how swollen my eyes were, but he said nothing.
Instead, he simply handed me blueberry candy, my favorite, and roughly patted my head.
After that day, I could never eat blueberries—or anything blueberry-flavored—again.
There was no way I could ask Grandfather for help in that condition.
The effect of the root of snow mint was gradually growing weaker too. In the last few days, it had not even lasted a full hour.
And the side effects had become clearly worse.
‘He suddenly fell asleep as if he had fainted, and even when I tried to wake him, he wouldn’t open his eyes.’
In my previous life, it just so happened that he had fallen asleep when the relatives came too…
And because of that, I had no choice but to lose him.
‘That must never happen again.’
To-Do List
[1. Take back the Lionet family]
[2. Run the pawnshop well]
[3. Find a way to treat Grandfather]
Looking at the third item I had pressed into the page so hard, I told myself I would do everything I could.
“I won’t be able to visit him for a while anyway.”
I muttered it like a vow.
The Lionet family might have someone follow me.
I had gone to the trouble of making the sanitarium sign a confidentiality agreement. I could not risk revealing Grandfather’s location because of my own carelessness.
I would only go see Grandfather after the Lionet family was dealt with.
“And if I run the pawnshop, maybe I’ll find a clue about Grandfather’s illness.”
I might be able to get an old book or document that mentioned a cure.
‘For now, I need to focus on the pawnshop.’
I had already made all my plans.
‘Whose granddaughter do you think I am? I can do this!’
Playing with my necklace, I fell asleep before my hair had even fully dried.
I woke up at dawn and packed the few things I had.
Among them was the pouch of silver coins Hugo had given me. I considered throwing it away since it came from such bad luck, but one should never throw away money.
“Even then, he took out the gold coins before giving it to me? Seriously, what a tiny-minded man…”
As I walked along cheerfully, listening to the jingling coins, I suddenly realized something.
It had been a very long time since I had gone to the pawnshop.
“It must have been almost ten years. I haven’t gone there since I was ten.”
Grandfather had never liked me going to the pawnshop very much.
He had even sternly warned me not to think about coming until I was an adult.
It had been the same during the half year he had been too sick to open the shop.
When I asked if I should go and run it for a few days, he firmly shook his head.
“No. Opening and closing it on and off is worse than not opening it at all. I’ve already dealt with all the urgent matters, so you don’t need to worry about it for a while.”
Was it because of the atmosphere of the neighborhood?
‘It really isn’t the kind of place where a young girl should walk around alone.’
The pawnshop was located in an alley under the old fortress, in a place called Gray Street.
It had gotten that name because there were many old buildings there, making the street narrow and dark.
‘Just like the name suggests, there’s also an information guild there, and even a mage who takes somewhat illegal requests.’
From the way Grandfather used to grumble that pickpockets brought stolen goods there to sell, it seemed there was probably a thieves’ guild too.
Still, I was not afraid.
Grandfather had told me many stories about the place, and more than anything—
‘If we’re being honest, Grandfather is probably the scariest person there anyway.’
The pawnshop was getting close now. Familiar shops came into view.
“What should I start with before opening?”
Honestly, I wanted to open it right away.
But there was something I had to do before I could officially open the doors.
