Chapter 15:
Rare Ingredient Hunting
THE THREE HAUTBEAUXS thanked me, and I left their home.
“Are you sure you should’ve promised that, Sir Reiji?” Elaine asked in the carriage, concerned. “The town doctor couldn’t do anything more to help.”
She was absolutely right. I didn’t know if Mrs. Hautbeaux’s disease was something this world’s doctors couldn’t treat or if it was completely incurable.
“Master said help! So help! Master that kind of man!” Noela seemed to trust me entirely.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “As long as I have the ingredients, I can make the treatment she’ll need.”
Noela puffed out her chest as if telling Elaine, “See?!”
“What kind of treatment is it?” the young noblewoman asked.
“A panacea. It’ll do exactly what you think.”
“Wow,” Elaine whispered.
Noela repeated the word. “Panacea. Sound strong.”
It would, in fact, be very strong—the strongest medicine I’d created up to this point.
“I wish I could see this through to the end,” Elaine sighed. “You absolutely must tell me how things turn out!”
“Leave to us, Drills! Master real man. No sweat!” Noela was definitely setting a high bar.
✦ ✦ ✦
Once the carriage dropped Noela and I off at the drugstore, I thanked Elaine and her butler and said goodbye to the pair.
“The biggest challenge now will be procuring the ingredients,” I murmured, then called, “Ejil? Ejil?! Are you here?”
“No call Ejil, Master!”
Sorry, Noela. I need him for this. Man, where is he? To be fair, he’d actually never shown up because I yelled for him.
I headed outside and tried to summon Ejil there too. Suddenly, a magic circle appeared in the air. “You called, Doctor?!”
“Whoa! You actually came!” Says the guy who was calling him… But that’s neither here nor there.
“I had a feeling you and Noela were summoning me.”
“Noela no summon,” the werewolf girl interjected.
“I sensed that Noela was in danger, and—”
“Noela no danger.”
“Ejil, I need the horn of a one-horned beast for my next product.”
Usually, Ejil raced off to grab the materials I required. This time, however, he frowned as I mentioned the rare ingredient. “Hmm. Unicorns are such beasts, but even my army and I couldn’t find one easily.”
“I see.” I knew the horn was a rare material; of course the creature it came from was rare too.
“I have a general sense of where you’d find a unicorn. Actually obtaining its horn would be nearly impossible, though,” Ejil continued apologetically. “They’re incredibly bright. I doubt one would show itself quickly.”
“If you give me a sense of where to find one, that’ll be more than enough.”
“You’re sure?”
“Uh-huh. After all, the drugstore offers a beast-taming kit.” The kit included lure, millet dumpling paste, and Translator DX. Those should prove pretty useful for this. “Whatever it takes, I’ll get a unicorn horn.”
“All right. That’s enough out of me; I can tell you’re determined. Now, as to where to find a unicorn…” Ejil went on to explain that there was one in the forest at the base of Mt. Bizef, where we’d hiked the other day.
“Master! Noela come too! Make sure no mistake.”
“Thanks, fluffball.” I gently stroked her head, and she closed her eyes, savoring it.
“If I joined you, my aura of charisma and mighty demonic power would only impede you.” Ejil sighed. “Good luck to you both.”
He’s powerful, all right. But man, boasting like that is so like him. “Thanks, Ejil. We’ll be careful. Go get ready, Noela.”
“Groo! Mina! Lunch! Noela going with Master!” Noela headed for the kitchen immediately to tell Mina what she wanted to eat.
Does she think we’re going on a picnic? I stuffed some supplies and products we’d need—including emergency potions—into my bag. If we’re heading to Mt. Bizef, we should get Griffy to fly there.
“Hey, Griffy?! We’re taking a walk near Mt. Bizef, buddy.” I brought the griffin out from the stable.
Its wings flapped excitedly. “Kyuu! Kyuuuu!”
Griffy’s raring to go.
“Master! Ready!” Noela popped up, her backpack overstuffed.
“Mina sure made a big lunch, huh?”
The werewolf girl hesitated.
“Look, fluffball, don’t tell me…” As I tried to check inside Noela’s bag, she turned away. From the half-open backpack tumbled a single bottle—a potion, obviously. “Your bag’s full of potions!” I figured.
“This crisis! Need potions!”
“Go put those back, and quit drinking them like they’re water! I packed emergency potions.”
“Arroo…” Noela trudged dejectedly into the drugstore, returning with a lighter bag.
Mina and Ejil saw us off as we hopped on Griffy’s back.
“Mr. Reiji, Noela, be careful!” Mina called.
“Will do,” I replied. “We’ll be back before it gets too late.”
We made haste for Mt. Bizef.