The girl became more accustomed to interacting with the old woman. The old woman took her around the village and looked at the vendors' wares. The girl was no longer so afraid of the people around her.
Two months later, the old woman's son returned home.
"Mother, is that girl here again?"
"Yes. Why?"
"No, it's... About the medicine she gave me..."
Hearing this, the old woman was a little surprised.
"What's wrong with that?"
The man sensed something a little strange about his mother's behavior.
"The medicine is very good. One of my colleagues was injured, and I gave it to him, and the wound healed immediately."
"Is that so? Thank goodness it helped."
"It seems that girl is very skilled at making medicine."
"Yes, that's how it is."
"Doesn't she sell her medicine?"
Hearing this, the old woman fell silent for a moment. Her son, noticing the brief silence, continued,
"If she could make such a powerful medicine and sell it, it would surely be very profitable for her. The money she would earn from it would surely make her life easier."
"And perhaps once her name is known throughout the kingdom, the king will surely recruit her, and her status will rise."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
The old woman listened to what her son had to say. But even so,
"This is she's life. Even if she could make a medicine that might bring the dead back to life, if she doesn't want to do it, there's nothing she can do."
The old woman hadn't meant to say it that way. But because she was carried away by her emotions, the words just slipped out. Her son found it a little strange.
"Bringing the dead back to life? That's impossible, right?"
"Of course not. That's just a metaphor."
"By the way, where does that child live?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"At least I can give her some gifts. She's been so helpful to me."
"If there's anything you want to give, just give it to me. I'll give it to her."
"Why?"
"Don't you think the girl might be scared if a big man like you suddenly showed up?"
"Ah, that's right. Okay then."
Her son would stay for a week.
Two days later, the girl returned. She was selling some pastries they had made together with the old woman.
The old woman's son acted as if he didn't suspect anything, but he was secretly observing the girl. His suspicions that the girl might be an elf were reinforced by the hood she was wearing.
But then he saw the girl remove her hood. Her long hair covered her ears.
"Maybe she really is just an ordinary child?"
Then, one day, while the old woman and the girl were walking around the market, a small child coughed so hard that he fell down.
However, no one tried to help him. Even though people seemed friendly, that didn't mean they would volunteer to help.
The girl immediately approached and examined the child. The old woman seemed surprised because the child's symptoms were similar to the illness she had suffered from.
"Grandma, can we take he to your house? I still have the ingredients, and it might just take a little while to make it."
"Okay, let's do it."
The old woman's son happened to be out. He happened to see the scene. Inside the house, she laid the frail little boy's body down.
Because her long hair was getting in the way of making the medicine, the girl had tied it up.
The old woman's son quietly followed them and quietly peeked at what was happening inside.
That's when he saw it. The girl's ears.
Although not as long as described, they resembled elf ears. And there was also something else surprising.
A soft blue light surrounded the girl's body.
The light flowed from her hands and enveloped the medicine she was making.
He also saw his mother's shocked face, as if she were seeing it for the first time.
After finishing, the girl gave the child the medicine she had made. After a few minutes, the child's condition began to improve and he regained consciousness. She quickly covered her head again.
The old woman's son left the house, still processing what he had seen.
"Really an elf?" He murmured.
After seeing the child off,
"This is the first time I've seen your medicine-making process. Is that okay?" The old woman asked.
"It's okay, Grandma. You won't tell anyone, right?" The girl replied with a smile.
"Of course not."
Afterward, the old woman's son quietly followed the boy who had been healed by the girl. Along the way, the man sensed several strange gazes on him and the boy.
The man patted the boy's shoulder.
"Hey, there's something I need to tell you."
The boy was a little surprised.
"There's no need to be so afraid." The man knelt down to match the boy's height.
He said softly.
"You were treated by someone, right?" The boy nodded.
"Yes. My illness was cured immediately after taking it."
"Do you have any family or close friends around here?"
"I live with my aunt and uncle, but because I was disturbing them, I tried to leave." The boy said sadly.
"Do they know about your illness?"
"They don't know what illness I have, but they know I'm sick."
"Did you get any other medicine?"
"Yes, the older sister gave me another one, just in case my illness recurs."
"Listen to this. Whatever happens, and if anyone asks you questions like I did, never answer them."
The boy tilted his head, not quite understanding what the man meant.
The man patted the boy's head.
"When you fell, many people saw you. And those who know you're sick will realize you've recovered. Some might ask you where you got the medicine."
"If anyone does that, don't answer or just say you don't know. If they try to hurt you, scream and run to the guard post. They'll definitely help you."
The boy nodded in understanding.
The next day, the man quietly followed his mother and the girl.
He heard some people whispering.
"Hey, do you know that little boy who was sick yesterday? I ran into him this morning, and he looks very healthy now."
"Yeah, I remember that old woman was sick too, but she looks fine now."
"Has anyone seen that person before?"
"I haven't. But she's always with that old woman."
"Is she a great healer?"
"If that's true, why didn't she introduce herself?"
"Perhaps she was influenced by that old woman. She also looked very young."
"So she wanted to monopolize a powerful healer for herself?"
"That's possible."
That evening,
"Mother, a colleague of mine once told me something."
The man and his mother were having dinner together.
"What story?"
"They say that a few years ago, there was a murder in a village. Five mercenaries were killed by one person."
"And that person was an elf."
The old woman choked slightly upon hearing what her son had said.
"What kind of story is that? And aren't elves a vanished race?"
"Since the elf's body was nowhere to be found, people assumed he was the one who killed the humans."
"But what if those five people were the ones who tried to kill him? No, isn't it obvious that five against one is unfair?"
The man glanced at his mother. The old woman's eyes trembled unconsciously.
"The medicine made by elves can cure any illness quickly."
"Didn't we accept it?"