The source of this cšØntent is freewe(b)novšl
Someone is making a fuss near my ear.
Noisy.
Andāam I being shaken?
I donāt quite get it, but thereās noise, shaking, and hitting.
Itās a rough treatment. What did I do to deserve this?
Light bursts into my vision.
In the blurry world, a man is peering at me.
āā¦!ā
The man pries my eyelids open with his fingers and points at something with his other hand.
Thatāsā¦ alchemy equipment.
In the middle of brewing?
Oh, itās Valerie.
She collapsed from illness, so I brewedāno, the cure should be done.
Valerie should be fine, right?
I moved my eyes, but Valerie was nowhere to be seen.
Who is this guy anyway?
Where am I again?
I canāt remember anything.
Meanwhile, the man keeps shaking me.
Whatās he so desperate about?
Let me sleep a bit. Then my consciousness willā
Suddenly, my vision blurs, and gray spreads across my sight.
Cobblestonesā¦?
Oh, itās the floor.
āā¦! Wakeā¦ wake up!ā
āNoiseā¦ā
āWhat do I do next!? Is it done!?ā
The fog in my mind clears, and my thoughts become sharp.
And as I look around, my memory returns.
Iā¦ lost consciousness.
Helped up by a subordinate, I look at the alchemy equipment.
The solution is fine.
The antidote potion needs to be boiledāboiled and thenā¦ what was it?
My consciousness fades again.
Though Iām shaken back, I canāt speak.
Itās no use. My thoughts are scattered.
Everything is blurry.
I canāt even remember this manās name.
Come to think of it, this has happened beforeā¦
That wasāthe Trumble Cube.
Right before being swallowed, I couldnāt think of anything.
Back thenāyeah, [Multi-Casting] activated.
My consciousness fades again.
Days in Selen and life in Reedvald flash randomly.
Like a kaleidoscope.
As I watch, I suddenly think.
Someone mentioned this.
Thereās something useful in times like thisā¦
What was it?
āāāā
When I slowly open my eyes, I see the manās back.
He holds up a Kungus root, staring down the alchemy equipment.
āDonāt waste the materials.ā
āYouāre awake! Thank goodness, really!ā
The subordinate almost leaps at me, ready to hug me.
I raise my hand to stop him.
āMy sweat might be mixed with poison. Donāt touch me.ā
Hearing that, he jumps back in a panic.
I confirm my strength returning and feel deep relief.
That was close.
I almost die sometimes, but this was a first.
Poison is terrifying. No matter how much you train, it comes to kill.
Standing up, I cleanse my body with [Operate Water].
āHow long was I asleep?ā
āJust a little while. I just gave you the potion.ā
āThen, Brent and the othersāā
āTheyāre not great, but stable.ā
Talking to my subordinate, I gather my sweat and discard it in a basin.
Checking the contents with [Appraisal], it contains faint traces of poison.
Once everyoneās treated, Iāll neutralize it with an antidote potionādoesnāt seem possible.
If the potion only promotes excretion, its effect is limited.
Better to scatter it on the ground.
Thinking about this, I look down and see a parchment on the floor.
Itās blank, but doesnāt look new.
Following my gaze, the subordinate speaks.
āDonāt you remember?ā
āNot at all. Could it beāa scroll?ā
āYes. [Concentration Up]. You asked for it before losing consciousness. It was tough to use it on you.ā
He laughs, mimicking a slap.
I donāt remember, but it seems I requested the [Concentration Up] spell.
Since it canāt be cast on others, they used a scroll.
The defense squad scoured shops, caravans, and the adventurersā guild, securing it and somehow making me activate it.
Then I passed out again after explaining the antidote potion recipe.
I donāt remember any of it.
I pick up the blank parchment, feeling nostalgic.
[Concentration Up].
Itās a favorite spell of Virgil, who taught magic to my brother and me.
Itās been seven years since then.
He was nearly thirty, so he must have retired.
Virgil would probably open a private school somewhere.
Placing the parchment on the table, I check my bodyās condition.
Thereās no weakness in my left hand.
I open my status, shaking my head slightly.
The poison hasnāt cleared.
Thanks to [High Toxicity], itās incredibly persistent.
āIāll resume brewing. Umāsorry, Iām still not fully recovered. I canāt remember your name.ā
āDonāt worry, I havenāt introduced myself. Iām Morris.ā
āThen, Morris, help me.ā šššššš¢šššš³š¢š©.š ššŖ
Hearing this, Morris frantically waves his hands.
āIām just a soldier. The potion worked because you almost finished it. Donāt be unreasonable.ā
āNo problem. Iāll direct you. And as I said, Iām not fully recovered.ā
Morrisās face clouds instantly.
āStill poisoned?ā
āYes. Iām almost better, but we need to be prepared.ā
āā¦Got it. Iāll help.ā
Then, I resumed brewing with Morrisās help.
Unknown to me, more alchemy equipment had arrived, so I switched one for alchemy solution use.
The reason my poison didnāt clear was the solutionās quality.
Morrisās solutions were all low quality; I usually use ones two levels higher. With these, even standard antidotes are tough.
Using the remaining solutions to buy time, Iāll brew my own high-quality solutions to fully recover.
Without losing consciousness, I continued brewing with Morris.
By evening, I and the adventurers were cured. By sunset, the defense squad, and by nightfall, Brent was fully recovered.
About half a day after encountering Sophric, all victims were treated.
āāāā