PHATFO 40

Chapter 40

“Aaaaargh!”

Jacob screamed and pulled at his hair in frustration.

He was sitting in a popular bar in central Ermel. It was busy, but no one tried to stop him.

Everyone knew he was a notorious thug rumored to be friendly with the town guard. No one wanted to get involved.

Jacob had lived recklessly using the name of the Hobbes Trading Guild master’s son.

That part was true—but the Guild master never acknowledged Jacob as his son. There were many illegitimate children like him, and he was just one of them.

Still, it didn’t matter. Ermel was a small town, and the Guild master would never come here personally.

In this town where secrets were safe, Jacob lived like a king.

That’s why today’s rejection—and the embarrassment that followed—was a first for him.

He couldn’t forget it. The way he rolled on the ground like a fool, tricked by an illusion.

Just thinking about how not only Lala but also others who usually sucked up to him had seen him like that… it made his shame unbearable.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it…!’

Bang! Bang!

Unable to control his rage, he slammed the table repeatedly. A beer glass tipped over and rolled.

Right before it hit the ground, a man caught it and spoke.

“Why are you so mad this early in the morning?”

It was Gale, Jacob’s friend and the head of the town guard. He also happened to be the estate manager’s right-hand man.

The two often met for drinks at taverns near the lord’s estate, like today. That’s why people assumed Jacob had connections to power.

In reality, Gale just came for free drinks, and Jacob just bragged using Gale’s name.

“Problems with love?” Gale grinned and sat down across from him.

“Problems? What problems? She was this close to falling for me. I almost had her!”

“Yeah, sure.”

Jacob’s angry outburst made his story suspicious, but Gale didn’t press further. No use upsetting his drinking buddy.

“Good for you, man. Things are chaos on our end. Feels like a battlefield. The Dyurnar house sent a representative.”

“A representative?”

“You don’t know? Think of them as an inspector. Since this is the Duke of Dyurnar’s direct territory, they send someone every few years to check on things.”

“Oh yeah, I think I heard that. Every three years or so, right?”

“Exactly. The inspection itself is fine. The problem is who they’re sending.”

“Who is it?”

“Lady Wellington.”

Jacob frowned. He didn’t recognize the name.

Gale noticed and explained.

“In simple terms… she’s super strict. Always has a headache, so she’s always grumpy. You get the picture?”

Jacob imagined a noblewoman complaining about dust in every corner of the mansion.

“Ugh, that sounds exhausting…”

He was about to agree mindlessly, but then paused.

“Wait. If her headaches were cured, wouldn’t she be less grumpy?”

“Probably. Why? Know a good doctor?”

“Not a doctor, but I do know an apothecary.”

Jacob suggested Lala.

Gale looked puzzled as he read the name Jacob scribbled on a piece of paper.

“…Are you sure about this?”

“Ask around if you don’t trust me. She’s known for making great painkillers.”

Gale was surprised. He didn’t expect Jacob to be actually helpful.

“Thanks. If it works out, I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Why buy me a drink? Give credit to the apothecary.”

“Oh, right. Lala, was it? I’ll remember.”

Gale suddenly remembered something urgent and left. Jacob let him go, having achieved his goal.

As soon as Gale was gone, Jacob smirked.

‘Stupid idiot.’

He hadn’t recommended Lala to help. He had other plans.

His mother—though she had a child with the Guild master—was never even taken as a concubine. She died cursing his father and saying:

“Remember, son. People with wealth never settle beside those with less.”

Just like his mother wasn’t chosen because she was poor, he believed Lala refused him because she didn’t want to give up her successful apothecary shop.

‘So, if I drag her down…’

‘She’ll be mine.’

He already had a plan.

He had visited the estate many times with Gale and made friends among the staff.

One of them could be bribed to switch Lala’s medicine for Lady Wellington with another one.

‘Even better if the replacement makes her headaches worse…’

‘If rumors spread that a skilled apothecary worsened a noblewoman’s condition…’

Lala would face Lady Wellington’s wrath. Her customers would leave. Her business would collapse.

‘And then I’ll appear and say, “I don’t care what people say—I still believe in you!”’

‘She’ll be so broken that she’ll accept me.’

Jacob laughed to himself as the whole scheme played out in his mind.

‘Man, I’m a genius!’

To come up with such a plan on the spot! He truly admired himself.

He remembered when Lala first came to the village.

A woman with small steps bustling around her new shop. It was cliché, but she caught his eye instantly.

Even with her unkempt black hair and rough skin, her sharp features couldn’t be hidden. She looked slightly haggard, which stirred sympathy.

But Lala’s real charm wasn’t her beauty.

She had impressive herbal knowledge rare in a small town, and her refined speech made her stand out.

The more time he spent with her, the more he craved her.

It wasn’t love—it was possessiveness.
He wanted what others admired but couldn’t touch.
Marriage wasn’t about love, but proof he had claimed her.

But after being humiliated by Aisha, he had changed his mind.

Aisha had cast the illusion, but it was Lala who had triggered her to act.

‘If she hadn’t been friendly with a mage, none of this would’ve happened.’

His fist clenched.

‘Marriage? Forget it.’

‘I’ll just mess with her and throw her away, just like she made me suffer.’

* * *

“If I have the chance to help a noble lady… I’ll give it a try.”

Lala agreed to prepare a remedy for Lady Wellington’s migraines.

The estate manager had personally asked her, so she couldn’t refuse.

Time passed. On the day Lala delivered the medicine…

Jacob snuck into the estate’s medicine room using the servant entrance.

Inside, the strong smell of herbs filled the air, and two bowls of carefully prepared medicine were on the table.

“So this is the one Lala made?”

“Yes.”

“And this one’s yours?”

“Yes.”

Jacob knew nothing about medicine, so he had hired another apothecary.

The man, disguised as a servant, had been waiting inside.

“Are you sure the effects are what we want?”

“Yes… but… are you sure about this?”

The apothecary hesitated, glancing at Jacob.

Migraine medicine usually worked by helping blood vessels contract. But the one he prepared had the opposite effect—it was meant for people with high blood pressure or heart disease.

For Lady Wellington, it might not help—or even make things worse.

Was it really okay to give harmful medicine to a patient, just for money?

“Ha! You think you can back out now? You brought the medicine, you’re already in. You know that, right?”

“From the moment you walked in here and gave me that bowl, you became my accomplice.”