Chapter 5
“That’s him! It’s that guy!”
One of the bandits Valentis had subdued must have escaped and returned with reinforcements.
A loud uproar announced the arrival of a group of bandits charging in.
Despite this, Valentis didn’t take his eyes off Sophie as he brought up the real reason he had come.
“I heard you’re using some special magic on a certain duke.”
The bandits pushed through the greenhouse as if they intended to tear it down.
Only then did Valentis finally shift his gaze and start flexing his wrists.
“I came to confirm that rumor. Is it true?”
He blocked the entrance to the greenhouse, standing between the garden and the chaos beyond.
From that spot, he dealt with every single bandit surging in like a tide.
“I’m not a mage or anything like that…”
Sophie squeaked, alarmed when a stray arrow nearly struck Valentis.
He grabbed a bandit by the neck, twisted his torso, and slammed the man to the ground.
“Is that so? Then what about the story of you treating the duke?”
Even with sword-wielding enemies right in front of him, Valentis kept firing off questions.
What if he got stabbed while doing this?!
“So that story isn’t true either?”
Sophie swallowed hard.
She didn’t even need the spirits to intervene—Valentis was overwhelming on his own.
“Eugh!”
A bandit who had fallen to the ground grabbed a sword and swung it toward Valentis’ face.
Valentis simply tilted his head back to dodge the strike.
“That part is true! There was someone—technically, I just treated his insomnia…”
Sophie was on edge, constantly tracking the movements of the bandits sneaking up behind Valentis even while answering.
‘Why does he carry a sword if he never uses it?’
Despite having a blade, Valentis hadn’t touched his scabbard even once.
The sound of bones snapping and fists landing sent chills down Sophie’s spine.
“So, you really did treat the duke’s condition…”
A prince showing up alone at a pharmacy? That was strange enough. But the idea of him getting stabbed here? Absolutely terrifying.
“How did you ease that curse? The one from a demonic creature.”
At that, Sophie froze.
The duke had said that only a select few knew of his curse.
“Your Highness… You knew about the Duke’s curse?”
Valentis didn’t allow a single attack to land on him.
Not a scratch marred his body.
Upon hearing her mumble, Valentis, still gripping a bandit by the collar, looked up.
“I heard hardly anyone knows about it.”
“Of course I know.”
“…”
Valentis gave a faint smirk and drove his knee into the struggling bandit’s gut.
He didn’t elaborate further—just confirmed he knew.
But wait, did I just imagine that?
Sophie recalled a brief red glint that had flashed in Valentis’ eyes.
“Insomnia can occur when mana fails to flow in the correct direction. Helping ease that is essentially helping mana circulate properly.”
“…”
“What I want to know is, how did you regulate his mana flow?”
He looked around the pharmacy as he asked.
By then, the bandits were all sprawled on the floor. The few still conscious were helping each other flee.
“Now, will you tell me? How did you calm the mana?”
“…All I did was brew him a cup of tea.”
“…Huh?”
You’re baffled? So am I.
Sophie stared blankly at Valentis, who looked dumbfounded.
“Are you seriously joking right now?”
“I’m in no position to joke.”
She added, “Besides, you came all this way and even cleared out some bandits. Why would I lie?”
“If you’re hiding something from me…”
“I have nothing to hide.”
How many secrets could a village apothecary possibly have?
“I made him a herbal tea using something light like hedelia.”
“Just tea?”
Valentis let out a dry laugh.
Was she really expecting him to believe that?
But she wasn’t avoiding his gaze or acting suspicious. Just a bit nervous, maybe, but standing her ground.
“Then let’s test it. Brew me a cup, would you?”
He gave a gentlemanly bow as he requested.
This isn’t a tea shop, so why is everyone suddenly obsessed with tea?
Sophie didn’t prepare the exact same tea she made for Arthur.
She used hedelia as a base and added a few herbs to help with mana circulation.
“Hmm…”
Valentis rested his chin in his hand as he looked around the pharmacy.
There were no visible weapons. The closest thing to a blade was a small herb knife.
“I noticed there’s a spirit in your greenhouse.”
“…Yes. I receive their help.”
For a spirit user of earth to nurture plants wasn’t unusual.
Other than the sheer number of spirits, there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
But Valentis had confirmed that Arthur’s curse had indeed weakened.
Arthur Clafield had been cursed by a monstrous being—something even high-level spirit users and mages couldn’t lift.
That’s why Valentis had tracked him down and, without informing his men of his real reason, came alone to this place.
‘But there’s nothing suspicious at all.’
When Sophie placed the teacup in front of him, Valentis let out a chuckle.
“I made it a bit milder this time, using hedelia.”
“Why? Is there some reason you can’t serve me the same tea as the duke?”
“It’s the same base, so don’t worry. It’s a very ordinary herbal tea, nothing special.”
Valentis was more of a drinker than a tea person.
And yet here he was, sipping tea.
With a bemused smile, he took a sip.
“Hmm…”
It was savory and warm—not quite like alcohol, but soothing in its own way.
A comforting tea that warmed the body in the early cold.
‘You’re telling me this tea eased a curse?’
The flavor and aroma were excellent, but Valentis hadn’t come here just to enjoy tea.
He came to confirm why Arthur Clafield’s curse was subsiding.
‘And this is it? This tea?’
What am I even doing?
Snorting, Valentis stood.
Sophie was just as exasperated.
Arthur’s curse had weakened thanks to the herbs, but she couldn’t explain why.
What could be so special about a low-level spirit user’s herbs?
Even she didn’t fully understand it, and now both Paul and this man were grilling her for answers.
‘And now he’s laughing at me.’
Valentis clearly found the idea of tea curing a curse ridiculous.
The tiny teacup looked comically small in his large, rough hands.
“Enough of this child’s play. I’m leaving.”
Valentis rose.
“You don’t seem like you’re lying.”
“…”
“And I get the sense you really believe you’re the reason the curse lifted. But I don’t think that’s the case.”
He spoke as if urging her to wake up from a foolish dream.
‘Should I throw this at him?’
Sophie clenched her teeth, glaring.
Arthur had been the one to confirm her herbs had helped.
Sophie stared in disbelief at the man before her.
“A mere cup of tea, you say…”
“…”
“Well, it was a good final cup. Doesn’t seem like I’ll be enjoying tea again anytime soon.”
Valentis hadn’t come just to confirm Arthur’s curse.
He had hoped Sophie might be able to do something about the strange affliction on his body too.
The curse on Arthur came from a powerful demonic beast.
If Sophie’s tea could alleviate that, maybe she could help him too.
He’d spent all day hovering around, observing her.
But she was just an ordinary apothecary.
It was all a waste of time.
* * *
Showing up unannounced and talking down to her—
“Unbelievable.”
The greenhouse and pharmacy were wrecked after the fight with the bandits.
[That man misunderstood!]
[Yes! The Duke’s curse really was easing!]
The very power that accelerated the herbs’ growth came from Sophie’s affinity.
The spirits had merely channeled it. The affinity infused in the herbs was clearly hers.
Being ridiculed for that power infuriated Sophie.
“Silco.”
[Yes, Sophie?]
“Didn’t that prince seem strange to you? Like… almost monstrous?”
[Not exactly sure. He’s said to be a monster hunter, so maybe some traces rubbed off.]
Silco hadn’t noticed the strange gleam in Valentis’ eyes, but the spirits definitely found him suspicious.
“Hey, Silco. I have a question.”
[Go on.]
“Can a person be a monster?”
The thought struck her suddenly, recalling the red flash in Valentis’ eyes.
“A monster turning into a person, maybe…”
[Do you mean monsters that transform into humans?]
Silco explained that when monsters took human form, they faced heavy limitations.
They couldn’t hold the form long, and it strained them physically.
[In rare cases, a monster’s heart can be transplanted into a human.]
“What?”
Because a human’s body and a monster’s heart must be perfectly balanced, it was an extremely difficult feat.
“Could someone use, like… a dragon’s heart?”
She remembered the shopkeeper calling the prince a dragon slayer and asked.
[Unlike regular monsters, a dragon’s heart is too powerful. It disrupts the balance between body and mana.]
Such cases were virtually nonexistent, Silco explained.
A human body couldn’t handle the mana of a dragon’s heart—it would go berserk or self-destruct.
