Heal me, please
"Then rest well and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay. Sweet dreams."
After exchanging farewells with the Jenex household, Jinhyeok returned to his assigned room. He confirmed that no one was nearby, then manifested Seira.
"How is it?"
Seira nodded.
"It's not a name I recognized, but that sword is the one."
"Oh."
Jinhyeok rubbed his chin. The same question from the Elia incident surfaced again. How on earth could a sword once wielded by the Black Knights have ended up in the Matsuna family's possession? In any case, that ruled out leaving Muramasa behind.
"Loyalty!"
Suddenly, the devoted Kancho puffed out his chest.
"Yodle Ranger Deputy Commander Kancho! Theft sortie—ready for deployment!"
He looked proud and solemn. The way he seemed ready to blow up the whole shrine to steal the thing was a little frightening, but at least he felt reliable. Jinhyeok patted Kancho's perky ears and opened the workshop door.
"I'm going out for a bit. Rest here. There are things to eat in the fridge and the drawer—help yourselves."
"Roger!"
Watching Momo and Kancho run off with a thundering "dodo-do," he pushed the door open.
Elia Fosen, the alchemist's Star Workshop.
Bubble, bubble, bubble.
Elia—wearing oversized goggles—stood at a massive cauldron, stirring with a ladle. The usually pristine, clear air of the place was today thick with purple smoke.
'Is this what alchemy usually looks like?'
It could've been a scene from a fairy tale witch's kitchen: transmutation circles drawn, a cure popping out like magic. But that wasn't the case here.
"Oh, Master. You came at the right time."
Elia gestured for him to step up onto the stand. When he did, she pointed into the pot.
"It's almost done. Don't go diving in or anything, okay? It's super hot."
Jinhyeok swallowed dryly. Elia warned him not to enter, yet her eyes sparkled with curiosity. She seemed genuinely curious about what would happen if someone jumped in and mixed with it.
'The amount is small,' he thought.
Compared to the size of the cauldron, the contents amounted to about a cup. Elia kept stirring with care to prevent it from burning.
A little while later.
"Done!"
Elia stomped out the fire and shut it off. Now that he looked closely, there were transmutation circles from the hearth to the cauldron. That made her look less witchy and more like a real alchemist.
She hurried to a shelf and spread her arms wide.
"What bottle do you want? I've got everything from cloud bottles from the Sky Islands to seaweed jars from the pitch-black depths—very diverse selection."
"A bottle, huh."
Jinhyeok folded his arms beside Elia and went into deep thought. Someone might say the contents mattered, not the container. But that someone didn't get this—appearance mattered in situations like this. He needed something that looked the part.
"This one!"
He picked a bottle where black and gold blended elegantly—a very luxurious design fit for a royal household.
"You have excellent taste! That bottle was used by the greatest con artist in the Empire when he soaked the royal treasury! He was an incredible friend of mine."
Elia nodded, lost in memory. She'd apparently been close with that thief.
She carried the bottle to the cauldron and filled it with potion.
"Taste it."
"Oh."
He'd momentarily forgotten his role. As he stepped forward, Elia scooped a ladle of the potion she'd been stirring and handed it to him.
Bubble, bubble, bubble.
"Elia?"
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"It's boiling like lava."
"A little hot, sure. But Master can drink it, right? You won't die."
"Lava will kill you if you drink it."
"Really?"
Elia took the ladle back and blew on it, pursing her lips. After doing that dozens of times, she handed it over again—this time noticeably cooled.
Jinhyeok brought it cautiously to his lips and sipped. A viscous liquid slid down his throat. It felt like eating a slime-type monster raw.
Ding!
[A potion created by the Star Alchemist! An antidote painstakingly wrought by grinding the thousand-year-old eye of an Imugi into alchemical perfection! It neutralizes venom from snakes lower than an Imugi in rank!]
Below it, the names of the snakes it could detoxify were listed.
—The venom and curses of Guranos.
The taste and mouthfeel were horrific, but the effect was unmistakable.
"This is legit."
He gave a thumbs-up, and Elia puffed up her chest proudly.
"You can praise me more, you know? I've devoted three thousand years to alchemy—this great grand alchemist."
She basked in compliments until her saliva dried up, then handed him the potion bottle.
"But, Master."
"Hm?"
"Do you plan to trade this potion? With the Matsuna family?"
"No."
"Why not? We have to get Muramasa. There's nothing that can replace it."
"You're right. But…"
Jinhyeok shrugged slightly, staring at the potion.
"It lacks style. To go to her father and demand the sword in exchange for his daughter's life—there's no class in that. I'd rather steal it if that's the alternative."
Elia smiled, reaching out to tousle his hair.
"Well done. That's my kind of Master."
It wasn't just because they were bound by class abilities. In that moment, Elia Fosen, the Star Alchemist, thought: if she were to follow someone for a long time, if she had to choose someone to depend on, she hoped it would be the boy before her.
"You worked hard making the potion, Elia. Let's go out."
"Yeah. I'm a bit peckish."
Elia stretched and rubbed her belly as they left the Star Workshop.
With that, preparations were complete.
The Matsuna family's main residence.
The patriarch's chamber held Gyuto, Sachika, and Gaigen.
Sachika covered her mouth upon hearing the day's news.
"Did you really say… it can be cured? That Hiyori can be saved?"
Gyuto nodded. They had only just begun discussing it, yet tears welled at the corners of Sachika's eyes.
"Then why aren't we bringing her straight away to ask for treatment?"
Gyuto breathed out slowly. It was indeed unbelievable news. A disease the ancestors had never figured out—now a young stranger not only identified the cause but offered a cure. It was so surreal that Gyuto couldn't make up his mind.
Gaigen smoothed his beard and spoke.
"As records show, it was considered incurable. If there's a potion that cures it, it would be astronomically valuable. What did that boy ask for in return?"
"He asked for nothing. He said it was a courtesy among people in the same line of work toward one another—he asked nothing on behalf of Hiyori."
Their eyes widened at the unexpected detail for a moment.
"Ha hahahaha!!"
Gaigen laughed loudly, leaving Gyuto and Sachika bewildered.
"You're bold. Truly bold."
From the start, Jinhyeok had made his purpose for attending the exchange clear through Jintaegon. Thanks to that, Gaigen and Gyuto realized he wanted nothing but the Yodo Muramasa itself. When he revealed his card—something Matsuna couldn't refuse—Jinhyeok had not used it to negotiate. He'd offered it with no conditions.
By saying so himself, he practically handed them a gift they could accept and be done with. In effect, he'd passed up a guaranteed chance to secure Muramasa.
Of course—if Hiyori was genuinely cured, things wouldn't unfold so simply. The Matsuna family would never forget such a favor. Gyuto understood that this likely wasn't a calculated plan.
From the brief meeting, he'd judged Jinhyeok wasn't that kind of person. Jinhyeok simply wanted clarity. Even if he desired something, he wouldn't hold a daughter's life hostage to get it.
"What an admirable child. There aren't many like him these days. Gyuto, Sachika."
"Yes."
"Hiyori is your daughter. But she's also my precious granddaughter—someone I'd put into my eyes and still find no flaw. I want to trust that young man, but what do you think?"
Sachika looked to Gyuto. She would have nodded immediately, but out of respect for her husband, she waited for his decision.
After a moment of thought, Gyuto nodded. He couldn't save his daughter. The Matsuna family had no other options. So they had no choice but to trust.
At that moment—
"Master!"
A miko's voice called from outside.
"Miss has gone to the Jinn family's lodging! We tried to stop her at first, but… I'm sorry."
Even the patriarch couldn't stop his daughter.
"That's fine. Have them stand by."
"Understood."
Gaigen, Gyuto, and Sachika exchanged glances and prayed earnestly. They prayed that Hiyori would return with something changed.
Bang!
"Hey!"
Hiyori threw the door open without bothering with a knock.
"Hello."
Jinhyeok, seated in seiza, bowed and greeted her. Hiyori smiled as if she'd known he'd come. The more he looked at her, the greater his curiosity.
"I couldn't wait and just came. My grandfather and father are way too cautious. Also, speak informally with me. We're about the same age."
"Shall we?"
Pleased, Hiyori took a step closer, then pulled down part of her outer clothing to expose her upper chest.
'What?'
Startled, Jinhyeok took a step back. He could sense her arrival in advance, so he wasn't surprised by the sudden visit—but this move was something else.
Hiyori burst out laughing at his shocked face.
"What are you looking so shocked for? Everything's covered. I wanted to show you the brand that's pushing me toward death."
Hiyori exhaled softly. In front of her parents she had pretended to be unbothered, as if she were calmly prepared to die. She'd said she'd lived a satisfying life and had no great regrets. But that was merely consideration for parents who would suffer more than she would.
"Confessing your heart is easier to a stranger than to someone close," she muttered, brushing her hair back. For Hiyori, this was the first time she'd make such a request.
She took a deep breath and spoke.
"Heal me, please. I want to live. No matter how much time and effort it takes, I'll repay this favor. Not as the Matsuna family, but as Hiyori Matsuna, a person who wants to keep living."
Jinhyeok, who had been looking into her eyes, smiled.
"You'll feel awful pain."
"That's fine. As long as I can keep living."
Hiyori smiled along with him.
Seeing her like that, Jinhyeok reached into his inventory.
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T/N:
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