"Old man, let me go! Let me go!"
The kid thrashed around, kicking and punching while suspended mid-air. By then, a crowd had gathered. While some tried to calm the situation, urging Loik to let the child go, the rest only watched curiously.
"What is going on here?" a calm voice called out.
"Fa-Elder?"
Seeing the Elder, Loik felt a little relieved. He was sure the Elder would be able to help manage the situation. Wanting to explain what was happening, he hurriedly walked over, the kid still firmly held in his grasp.
"Loik, what in the world are you doing?!"
"Elder, it's-"
"Let the kid go."
"Elder, this kid... he did something."
"Are you not hearing me?!"
Loik stopped in his tracks. The expression on the Elder's face was not unfamiliar. Looking at his father, who was full of disappointment, he immediately lost all desire to convince him.
"...No, Elder. It's dangerous; I cannot do that."
"Are you disobeying me?"
"No, I am not disobeying you. Let's go somewhere quieter first."
He turned around, wanting to lead the Elder to a more private place. While he could just explain what had happened, there were too many people around, and he saw no need for everyone to hear.
"Sontra..."
'Sontra, do you mind coming along?' was what he wanted to say. He felt it would be better to have Sontra there to help explain the situation to the Elder. He was confident Sontra understood what had happened far more clearly than he did. However, the moment he turned around, Sontra was nowhere to be seen.
***
"..."
In a barely lit room, a man stood beside a small bed. His gaze moved slowly across the empty space before settling in front of him. Lying on the bed, the child appeared to be sleeping peacefully. The man was Sontra.
He let out a short sigh as he gently brushed the hair from the child's face. The incident in the town had made him worry about the child's safety. Not wanting to stay any longer, he had rushed back home.
Fortunately, when he arrived, everything was fine.
"Ha..."
He bent over, his hands pressing against his stomach. He felt his clothes had become damp; a warm liquid was trickling between his fingers. Lifting his shirt, his eyebrows furrowed. He found that the wound on his stomach was bleeding.
However, he was not paying much attention to the bleeding, as it was not too severe. What worried him was the blackened skin around his right rib. He had thought it would only react if he used his Arts directly.
'Was I wrong?'
The doctor had left, leaving behind a burning incense and an acrid smell of herbs. Slowly standing back up, Sontra walked over to the small table on the other side of the bed. There, he picked up two notes that had been slipped under the incense burner.
'Sontra, the medicine fortunately works well. However, I need more Sylvarin.'
One of the notes, most likely from Haulz, was clear and direct. It mentioned that the elixir was effective but required much more Sylvarin than expected. The other note was from the doctor. Only two words were written on it. Sontra stared at the notes for a few seconds before stuffing them inside his robe.
Sitting beside the child, Sontra placed his thumb on the boy's forehead. After a few seconds of silence, his eyebrows furrowed.
"...It worked?"
He was genuinely surprised. He glanced at the plain bowl beside the child's head. Although cleaned, it was the source of the pungent smell that filled the room. Confused, he picked up the bowl and inspected it carefully.
Tap.
His eyes still full of contemplation, he gazed outside the window. The sky had already turned bright orange, and birds were returning to their nests. Ignoring the hunters who had also taken their places around the house, he shut the window.
Morning arrived just as always. Sontra had spent the whole night looking after the child, feeling that something was not right. Fortunately, other than the hunters leaving earlier than usual, nothing else happened.
After helping Marvin load the textile boxes at the crack of dawn, Sontra waited for the doctor. Sure enough, a couple of hours after dawn, the house door was knocked upon. However, only one person was present.
"Where is the doctor?"
"...The doctor is not faring too well. He could not attend to your son today."
"That's unfortunate. Is it something serious?"
Facing Haulz, who looked strangely uneasy, Sontra became confused. He could sense both fear and anxiety in the noble's eyes. Knowing he had done nothing to elicit such a reaction, Sontra glanced around the field in front of the house, searching for anything that might have caused Haulz's behavior.
Haulz, as usual, looked a little pale and tired. He carried a large satchel slung across his back, overfilled with apparatus and leaves peeking out from its opening.
"I am not sure."
"I see."
Seeing that Haulz clearly did not want to speak more on the topic, Sontra invited him upstairs. Unlike the previous day, Sontra did not leave as soon as Haulz arrived. Due to the incident in the town, he felt it was more sensible to stay home.
"Sontra, with the Doctor unwell, may I tend to your son alone for the time being?"
"Of course, I entrust my son to you."
"But I should warn you. While my knowledge isn't far behind the doctor's, I lack his experience."
Nodding, Sontra opened the door for Haulz.
"Have you read my note?" Haulz said as he put his things down. "I did not expect the elixir to require so many herbs. At the rate they are being consumed, the Sylvarin will run out by tomorrow. I apologize...," he continued.
"There is nothing to apologize for," Sontra said as he slowly shut the door.
Sontra then walked over to a small cabinet beside the door. Under Haulz's curious gaze, he took a bundle from inside. It looked exactly the same as the one he had given Haulz the previous day.
However, no Sylvarin was among the herbs inside.
"I already asked Marvin to deliver the Sylvarin to the doctor's house. Did you not meet him there?"
"Ah, I might have missed him... That Sylvarin, did the Elder's son provide it as well?"
"I went to his house yesterday," Sontra recalled. He continued as he handed the bundle to Haulz, "I wanted to pass it to you immediately, but something came up."
He had not sent the other herbs because he recalled Haulz saying they were unnecessary. Haulz had claimed he did not require the apothecary room to concoct medicine from them.
"That's truly fortunate. Thank you; it will help a lot."
"Haulz, if possible, would it be alright for me to watch as you prepare the elixir?" Sontra asked politely.
"You want to learn how to make it?" Haulz asked in surprise.
"I am worried that I won't be able to do anything if something like this happens again."
"Well, it's not that I don't want to," Haulz said hesitantly.
"If it's difficult for you, it's completely fine."
"I apologize, Sontra. And thank you for your understanding," Haulz said apologetically. He took a long pause before continuing in a concerned tone, "I believe you should head to town first. The Elder said he wanted to talk with you."
"The Elder did?"
"Yes, he asked me to relay that before I set off."
While he was disappointed that he could not follow through with his plan to stay at the house, he knew the Elder would not call him for something trivial. He was fairly certain it had something to do with the incident in the town the previous day, and he did not mind leaving if he could get some of his questions answered.
Sontra bid farewell to Haulz and left for town without hurry. As he did not know how long he would be, he set up some defenses around the house, hoping they would last until his return.
Having been to the Elder's house before, Sontra had already mapped out the route in his head, making the journey relatively quick. Strangely, on his way there, he noticed the townsfolk giving him unusual looks. Their faces portrayed both fear and anger as they whispered and scoffed in his direction.
Naturally, Sontra was curious. He paid extra attention to the murmurs, trying to discern what was going on. Listening closely, he heard a myriad of stories, each with its own variation. He did not brush off any of them, carefully evaluating and piecing them together. From the jumbled and ridiculous tales, he discovered that unpleasant rumors about him were circulating.
'Hm?'
A little way from the Elder's house, Sontra saw Loik's silhouette. He was crouching beside the pond near the house, appearing lost in thought. As Sontra approached, Loik didn't notice his presence at all, still entranced by the crystal-clear water.
"Loik."
Loik flinched. Turning his head, his pensive expression was swiftly replaced by a carefree one. With his usual grin, he greeted Sontra.
"The Elder called you?" he asked as he stood up.
"He did."
"I see."
Loik nodded with a smile that was just a little too sorrowful. Resting his hand on the hilt of his sword, he didn't meet Sontra's gaze. Instead, he followed the erratic swimming of the fish in the pond.
"Just head in; the Elder is inside."
Sontra could tell Loik did not want to converse further. It was not surprising. If Loik were acting normally amidst the rumors, that would indeed be concerning. Nodding his way out of the conversation, he left Loik to himself.
With the homeowner's son's permission, he did not hesitate to let himself in and made his way through the room filled with artifacts.
Sure enough, the one who had summoned him was waiting inside.
"Sontra, we meet again. I apologize for calling you all this way."
"It's no trouble at all, Elder. I am always honored to be called upon."
"I'm glad to hear that...," the Elder said with a forced smile.
"Have you thought it over?" he continued.
The Elder looked restless. He had not even let Sontra sit first, cutting right to the chase. Though his question was vague, Sontra knew the Elder was talking about him moving to the town.
"Is this about the Doctor?"
"...You have heard what happened?" the Elder asked, finally gesturing for Sontra to take a seat.
"I heard he had fallen ill."
"You are right, and it is one of the reasons, but...," the Elder hesitated.
"It's better if you go see him for yourself," he continued after a prolonged pause.
The Elder pointed to a door behind him with his cane. He then shut his eyes, leaning back in his chair as if all his energy had been drained.
Sontra, looking at the Elder's worried expression, understood that the situation was more serious than he had initially thought. He became certain that the spreading rumors were not totally baseless.
"Excuse me."
Behind the door, a large room sparsely furnished greeted him. In the right corner, a bed similar to the one he used in Marvin's house was situated. Books, papers, pens, and quills were scattered on top of it, making it look more like a desk than a bed.
As for the other side of the room, the best way to describe it was 'a doctor's workspace.'
Bookshelves held volumes as thick as one's leg. Apparatus and herbs lay rolling on the floor, with stains from crushed plants everywhere.
Amid the mess sat the doctor. He was perched on a table, writing in his book with intense concentration. His face was pale, and the hand holding the pen trembled slightly.
"Oh, you are quick. It's good to be young, isn't it?"
"Doctor, how are you faring?"
"Not too good," the doctor chuckled softly.
Giving a slight smile, he closed his book gently.
"Come, help me down."
Sontra hastily lent a hand, helping the doctor down from the table. He guided the doctor to the bed. Just from supporting him, Sontra could tell the doctor was having a difficult time merely walking.
"Haa...," the doctor sighed as he sat down on his bed.
He then patted the space beside him, gesturing for Sontra to sit. Sontra, having no reason to refuse, sat down quietly.
"How is the boy doing?"
"He is doing fine, and his core has stabilized somewhat."
"Hm, that elixir does work. That is really good to hear..."
Pulling a pipe from his long sleeves, the doctor pointed to a matchstick on the floor. Sontra, looking at the doctor's trembling, pale hand, went and picked it up.
Chuckling weakly, the doctor lit it using the side of his pipe.
Puh.
"Doctor, why did you write me that note?"
The other note left behind had only two words: 'Find me.'
Sontra had felt the urgency in the shabby writing. He had wanted to find out what was going on, but due to the previous day's events, he felt cautious about leaving the child alone. He had also thought the matter might not be too serious, reasoning that if it were truly urgent, the doctor would have come to find him at the plaza.
"...I have lived in this town for almost a century. When I was a child, this town was so obscure people barely knew about it. If one or two merchants visited our town in a year, we considered it a great achievement."
The doctor suddenly began reminiscing.
"But much has changed from what I remember. The town has grown bigger and richer. People of all sorts came here to learn about our culture. Recently, I heard they are planning to build a cattle farm. It will be big enough so that our people do not have to rely on the anima-cough-from th-cough, cough..."
The doctor's voice grew weaker the more he talked. By the end, he struggled to speak, coughing dryly as his breathing grew labored. Sontra tried to find water for him, but the doctor pulled him back.
"...I thought it was a ridiculous idea. Beasts and wild animals would certainly be attracted to the farm. Giving them a reason to get so close to our town... I don't understand what they are trying to achieve..."
"But they said things have changed. They said those from the capital found a way to make it work..."
"Lately, even the beautiful and calming song of the town has changed. But you see, Sontra, it is the only thing I wish would remain the same. Do you know why?"
"..."
"Because whenever it changes, bad things always happen."
The doctor locked eyes with Sontra. His wise eyes were unusually sharp and full of vigor.
Puh.
He blew the smoke right into Sontra's face.
"It changed when that merchant brought you here."
"...I don't understand."
The doctor's eyes remained fixed on Sontra. With a deep sigh, he set his pipe aside and carefully lay down. He didn't seem to mind the piles of papers becoming part of his bedsheets, quickly making himself comfortable.
"You do not need to. Just know it will be more dangerous outside. It's best to bring the child to town. I could lend a hand to the Jurin boy if anything happens... I feel bad passing all the work to him," the doctor smiled hopelessly.
"Doctor, may I ask what happened to you?"
"It is nothing to worry about. It's just my age catching up to me..."
The doctor's voice drifted into a soft mutter. His rough breathing filled the quiet room. Looking at him, Sontra realized the doctor had fallen asleep. He gazed at the old man for a moment before standing up and leaving the room quietly.