SDIV 32

Chapter 32

Arin dispelled the double-layered magic and opened the warehouse in the mansion’s basement. Seeing it packed with small paper boxes, Altair’s jaw dropped.

“Are all of these… medicine?”

They were anti-inflammatory drugs Arin had been stockpiling during cooldowns before deployment. While she was at it, she pulled another one out from her system window.

「System」

• Universal Anti-inflammatory: In pill form, it suppresses all inflammatory reactions within the body. Gentle enough for use by pregnant women, yet highly effective. Takes effect within an hour of ingestion.

• Note: If taken by someone without symptoms, it may cause thirst for an hour. Dosage duration varies by symptom. Please refer to the instructions inside the box.

• Cooldown (10 pills): 1 hour

The cooldown for a box of ten pills was just one hour. While they’d need to check the instructions to know how many pills were needed per person, with the warehouse this full, they wouldn’t run out any time soon.

When Arin grinned at the sight, Deneb gave a dry laugh. She really was a woman whose actions defied prediction.

Deneb opened the box Arin was holding and inspected its contents. The pills were neatly arranged and wrapped in a smooth material. Every time he touched one, the soft crinkle echoed quietly through the warehouse.

“Quite unique. We’ll have to repackage them.”

Arin immediately understood what he meant. Even she could see the plastic and aluminum packaging was too conspicuous.

“So if we change the packaging before distributing them to the residents, it’ll be less noticeable? Should we say these were developed by Lord Haishan again?”

“Haishan is bedridden, so we can’t use him publicly. It’ll look more convincing if we say we developed it.”

To Altair, the two of them whispering like this made them look like a scam couple. He rubbed his eyes a few times, but their twisted smiles were eerily identical.

A few hours later, in Arin’s office, a fierce standoff was happening between one person and one animal.

“Aren’t you coming over here? I’m serious, you’re gonna get it!”
[“This noble one is fine. I don’t need any silly medicine. Kyaaack!”]

Arin was face-to-face with Yellow, who had a fever.

She’d accidentally touched Yellow’s head and was shocked at how hot it was. After all that wandering around the castle, he’d finally caught the epidemic.

“Open your mouth already!”

Yellow pouted and mumbled.

[“Get that weird-smelling thing away. I bet it tastes awful.”]
“Who eats medicine for the taste!”

Even if the label said it was safe for animals, what good was that if the animal refused to eat it?

Arin tried coaxing him like a stubborn seven-year-old, but quickly gave up. At this rate, she’d waste the whole day. She decided to use force.

Yellow swatted her arm with a cat punch as she tried to push the pill into his mouth while grabbing him by the scruff. The smack echoed through the room, but Arin’s grip didn’t loosen.

“Be a good boy? I’ll give you ten pouches of nut snacks if you eat this.”

His love for nut snacks worked wonders. Yellow went limp in her arms like he’d never resisted. His two front paws were even politely folded.

[“I’m a very good leopard. Go ahead, foolish one. Do as you wish.”]

Watching him act like a tragic heroine dragged away by a magistrate, Arin was dumbfounded.

“Wow, you really…”

Yellow fluttered his eyes at her mischievously, as if daring her to say more.

“Never mind.”

She gave a wry smile and decided to keep her comments to herself.

Having finally fed Yellow the pill, Arin collapsed on the sofa, completely drained. She wanted to become one with the cushions.

“I’m coming in.”

With a knock, Altair entered. He’d taken the anti-inflammatory and was resting in the adjacent room for his mild symptoms. He looked at her warmly.

“It’s time to work, so get up.”

The tone was gentle, but the content wasn’t. Arin sulked.

Only four people, including Arin, knew about her abilities. Excluding Ardu and Yellow, only two adults remained: Deneb and Haishan. But Deneb was busy managing the territory, and Haishan was still recovering. So the only ones left to repackage the medicine and run tests were Arin and Altair.

The two of them sighed as they descended into the warehouse of the antique brown mansion.

“Let’s do our best.”
“Yes, let’s.”

They unwrapped each pill and placed it into glass bottles imbued with purification magic. Thus began the endless home-based factory work.

Click. Click.

Click. Click. Click.

Each time they unwrapped a pill, the aluminum made a clicking sound. Arin felt like she’d heard it a thousand times.

As the night deepened, Altair’s dark circles did too. Arin’s had descended from her chin down to her chest. They looked at each other’s faces with pity.

“Should we stop?”
“Let’s just finish this batch.”

They quickened their pace, eager to escape the warehouse. They filled 20 glass bottles with 100 pills each. Having reached their daily goal, they cleaned up swiftly.

Arin used disintegration magic to eliminate the old packaging. Altair cast protective spells on each glass bottle. After working in sync all day, they’d reached a level of wordless communication.

“See you at 7 tomorrow.”
“Yes.”

Without further words, they returned to their rooms.

Three days passed since Haishan joined the pill-packaging team. The medicine was now being distributed to patients temporarily housed at the construction site, and the Altair territory began to regain vitality.

Currently, Arin was seated at a treatment booth, prescribing medicine and applying purification magic. She examined Koon and Laura in front of her. They had no fever and looked fine—ready for discharge.

“You may return home now.”
“Oh, thank you!”
“Tank you!”

Arin smiled warmly at the adorable Laura mimicking Koon.

“You’re cured, but your bodies are still weak. Don’t forget to rest for a few days.”
“Yes, we will.”

Once the pair left, she stretched and yawned.

“Ugh, I’m dying.”

Since mages were so rare, she had to spend the day as a purification-magic shuttle and the night in the warehouse doing home-based factory work. It wasn’t just one or two days—this constant labor was wearing down even the steel-willed Arin.

After seeing four more patients, the bell rang signaling lunchtime. Just then, someone who had been lingering near her booth stepped inside.

“Sir Arin, let’s have lunch together.”

It wasn’t “Would you like to?” It was “Let’s.” Arin could only smile awkwardly and nod. The man smiling inside her booth was Respan.

Thanks to the crown prince, she was realizing how scary social hierarchy could be.

“There are too many eyes here. Shall we go to my quarters?”

Arin thought he looked like a tiger in front of prey. Respan, meanwhile, found her absolutely fascinating.

After Arin’s deployment, news spread that the pests had been wiped out. Upon entering the construction site, Respan realized the atmosphere was surprisingly good. He had his subordinates investigate why, and the report was quite interesting.

As the treatment saved lives, the mood turned around—and Arin was a central figure in that change.

Even more intriguing was that she was the only one Deneb kept close.

The royal family had compiled reports on everyone Deneb brought back after his disappearance, just in case. Respan had seen them before. Aside from Lemaine, most were former mercenaries—nothing of concern. But after this expedition, Arin stood out as someone worth watching.

His instincts told him there was something between her and Deneb.

If he could bring her over to his side, Respan would gladly win her over. She was powerful—and the only one Deneb kept close. It made him hungry with ambition.

Smiling on the outside, Respan was sharpening knives on the inside.

“Sir Arin, is there anything you can’t eat?”
“Nope, I eat everything. Hahaha.”

To him, the Duke of Altair’s misfortune would be his joy.

[“Something smells. I smell something suspicious.”]
“Hahaha.”
[“Squeak! This is super shady!”]
“Stop it!”
[“You’ve gotten bold, little one, hitting your elder like that!”]

What was happening was…

Yellow was circling Respan suspiciously while Ard scolded him.

On the way to the quarters, Yellow and Ard had popped up unexpectedly, making Respan break into a sweat. Arin, on the other hand, was thrilled.

She knew from novels and experience that Respan wasn’t the reckless type. So she used Yellow as a shield to keep his intense gaze at bay. Watching her beloved Yellow and Ard’s comedy act was delightful.

“Stop it!”
[“Tch! How dare you scold your big brother? Maybe I’ll gobble you up in one bite!”]

Just then, their stomachs growled loudly. The sound left no doubt—they were hungry.

“Hahaha. Looks like you’re hungry. Let’s eat together.”

Weak to cuteness, Respan allowed Yellow and Ard to join. Arin did an inner happy dance of joy.