Only two wall lamps were lit in the room. Under the dim yellow light, heavy shadows twisted and swayed against the walls. Riyao squatted in front of an iron rack, clutching a dark solid wood stick, slowly stirring an iron pot on the rack. The purple medicinal liquid inside bubbled and rolled, splashing fine purple mist as the bubbles burst, carrying a strange, fishy-sweet scent. It was as thick as melted amethyst, wrapping around the stick as it turned and then slowly sliding down, pulling into sticky, gooey strands.
His sleeves were rolled up, his forehead stained with a bit of wet medicine, and his profile reflected a cold purple luster from the liquid. His eyes were focused intently on the pot, his lips unconsciously pursed. With the dark environment and the bubbling purple liquid, the scene looked exactly like an evil wizard brewing a curse potion; even the air held a strange atmosphere as if he were about to summon a magic creature at any second.
Arcadios stood at the door, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of his sword at his waist, his brow slightly furrowed. He had seen countless Mages cast spells and apothecaries brew medicine, but he had never seen such a bizarre scene. The color and thickness of that purple medicinal liquid, along with the lingering fishy-sweet scent in the room, gave him an inexplicable sense of discord. It was only due to Riyao's previous healing results that he suppressed the urge to step forward and question him, his eyes full of vigilance and scrutiny.
Princess Hisui stood beside him, her emerald twintails glowing softly in the gloom, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the celestial spirit key at her waist. She wasn't as tense as Arcadios, but she was somewhat exasperated by this deliberately created darkness. Finally, she couldn't help but step forward and walk straight to the window.
Swish
She pulled open the heavy velvet curtains, and the morning light instantly flooded in, dispelling most of the shadows. The sunlight hit the purple medicinal liquid, refracting a clear purple rainbow. The previously eerie atmosphere suddenly faded, and even the fishy-sweet scent in the air seemed a bit fresher.
Hisui turned to look at Riyao, who was still squatting by the iron rack, and remarked with a touch of exasperated amusement, "Mage Riyao, you are clearly brewing a healing potion. Why do you have to make it look like an evil wizard refining pills? Closing the curtains and lighting two broken lamps—anyone who didn't know better would think you were secretly crafting Forbidden Magic Items."
Riyao's eyes were momentarily dazzled by the sudden sunlight, and he subconsciously squinted, though his stirring didn't stop. "Eh? Doesn't this give it more of a sense of ritual? Besides, a dark environment makes the magic fluctuations in the medicinal liquid more stable and less likely to dissipate."
"I think you just think it looks cool." Hisui raised an eyebrow and walked to the table to examine the liquid. The sunlight allowed her to more clearly perceive the gentle healing fluctuations within. "Furthermore, with such dim light, can you even see the thickness of the liquid? What if you overcook it?"
Arcadios also breathed a sigh of relief, his brow smoothing out. The morning light had dispelled the room's eerie feeling; the purple liquid looked less evil and more fantastical in the sunlight. He quietly let go of his sword hilt, though his gaze toward Riyao remained a bit helpless. This Fairy Tail Mage's way of doing things was indeed as unpredictable as the rumors suggested.
Riyao scratched his head and smiled a bit sheepishly. "It seems... it really is a bit hard to see clearly." As he spoke, he dropped a small piece of a Moonlight Flower petal into the liquid. The petal instantly merged into the medicine, making the purple color look a bit softer. "Besides, acting cool is one of my few hobbies."
"Better not do it next time," Hisui said helplessly. "If His Majesty the King happened to pass by, he might think you were harming Brother Leo."
Riyao grinned and suddenly pulled out the wooden stick. The purple liquid slid down the shaft, leaving a purple trail at the bottom of the pot. "Got it, got it! Next time I'll brew medicine in broad daylight!" He picked up a nearby ceramic bowl and began to carefully scoop out the liquid. As the sunlight fell on his face, the "evil wizard" vibe finally faded, replaced by the vibrancy of a youth.
He had just scooped out half a bowl of medicine when a soft sound of footsteps came from the doorway, accompanied by a small head peeking in. It was Leo, who had recently woken up. His face was still a bit pale, but he couldn't hide a child's curiosity. Taking advantage of the attendants' lack of attention, he had snuck over to see who was treating him.
But as he looked up, he caught sight of the ceramic bowl in Riyao's hand filled with cold-glinting purple liquid. Then, following the rim of the bowl to the bubbling, thick medicinal liquid in the iron pot—that eerie purple, those sticky strands, and the lingering faint fishy-sweet scent—his eyes instantly widened, and his little face turned pale in a flash.
"Waah!" A short sob escaped his throat. Leo suddenly backed up half a step, his small hands tightly clutching the corner of his clothes, tears welling in his eyes. "W-What is that! It's so scary!" He was shaking with fear and turned to run, but was caught by Hisui, who stepped forward just in time.
"Brother Leo, don't be afraid, don't be afraid!" Hisui quickly knelt down and gently patted his back, her emerald twintails hanging down and blocking most of his terrified view. "This is a healing potion brewed by Mage Riyao. It's here to help you get rid of the bad things in your body. It's not a monster."
Leo hid behind Hisui, only daring to show half his face as he stared timidly at the bowl of purple liquid, his voice trembling. "B-But it looks so scary... like... like a Dark Guild's curse water..."
Seeing him like this, Riyao's eyes lit up. He deliberately held the ceramic bowl a bit higher, the purple liquid shimmering with an eerie luster in the sunlight. He lowered his voice, putting on a sinister tone: "Oh my, you found out~ This isn't an ordinary potion. It's brewed from the tears of a hundred magic creatures. If a cowardly child drinks it, they'll turn into a little purple goblin and stay in the medicine pot forever to help me brew medicine!"
"Waaaah!" Leo was so scared he started crying outright, clutching Hisui's arm tightly. "I don't want to be a goblin! I don't want to drink that!"
"Mage Riyao!" Hisui glared at him with both anger and helplessness, then turned back to continue soothing Leo softly. "Don't listen to his nonsense, he's just scaring you. Look, the sister who took care of you yesterday got better after drinking the medicine he brewed. She didn't turn into a goblin at all."
Arcadios sighed, hand to his forehead, having completely lost his temper with this Fairy Tail Mage's penchant for making trouble. He still stepped forward to help: "Young Master Leo, Mr. Riyao means no harm. This medicine really can cure you."
Riyao's shoulders shook as he stifled a laugh. Seeing that Leo was truly pitiful while crying, he dropped his joking expression and held the ceramic bowl out to him, his tone softening. "Alright, alright, I'm done teasing you. This medicine just looks a bit ugly, but it actually tastes like grapes. After you drink it, the blue-black patterns on your body will decrease, and you'll soon be able to play Celestial Spirit Summoning with Princess Hisui."
As he spoke, he dipped a fingertip into a bit of the liquid and held it to Leo's mouth. "Taste it, it's really grape-flavored."
Leo hesitated before opening his mouth and licking the purple liquid from the fingertip. Finding that it indeed had a faint grape sweetness, his crying gradually subsided, though he still looked at the bowl timidly. "C-Can it really cure me?"
"Of course!" Riyao patted his chest. "When have I, Riyao, ever failed? After drinking this bowl of medicine and combining it with my Healing Magic, you'll be running and jumping within three days."
Hisui also nodded beside him. "That's right, Brother Leo. I'll stay with you while you drink it, okay?"
Looking at Hisui's encouraging eyes and then at the purple liquid that no longer seemed so terrifying, Leo finally nodded. He took the ceramic bowl with his small hands, furrowed his brow, and gulped it down. Although it looked strange, the sweet taste indeed made him less resistant to it.
"Tastes good, right? I was worried the booger I accidentally dropped in earlier would ruin the flavor."
"Ugh, WAAAH!"
"Riyao!!!"
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