The reek of medicine was pungent throughout the room when I stepped in.
I almost choked but quickly recovered when a call came for me.
“It has been a long time, Lord Nacht.”
My gaze turned right to the large bed in a corner of the room. My eyes were met with an old man who had a stack of pillows keeping his back upright.
His hair and beard were pure white from age as his eyes were sunken, cloudy, and yellow. His hands that showed through the shabby white clothes were thin and dry like dead branches of a tree. The number of wrinkles on his face evidently alluded his age. I couldn’t believe it… No, I just didn’t want to.
“…Yes, it has, Sir Geisster.”
The head of the Geisster family, the man who governed the western lands as well as Grenze, replied. I was taken aback by the Margrave’s—by Heinz von Geisster’s—complete change in appearance.
Sir Geisster smiled as I stood there with unconcealed shock. His kind, grandfatherly gaze, as if he were trying to soothe a crying child, certainly felt nostalgic.
“Please forgive my rudeness. I have shown you my unsightly appearance.”
“Don’t worry about it… I, too, am sorry.”
I apologised for my awkward staring from earlier. He asked me to pull up a chair next to the bed, and I complied.
The closer I got to him, the stronger the medicine smelled, and as if trying to bury me in it, another whiff relentlessly attacked my nostrils. It was somehow similar to the odour I recognised around my mother before her death. Right behind the jolly old man, I could practically see the God of Death itself raising its scythe.
I had heard he had a heart condition, but perhaps the situation was more serious than the rumours made it out to be.
“I don’t intend to lose to you younglings, but every day, it’s getting harder and harder to wake myself up. I wish I wasn’t so old.”
Sir Geisster’s face was calm, but it was plain to see the tinge of envy for the youth.
When I met him a few years ago, he had an unrivalled and powerful build, so strong that no one would dare think it would wither, and an arm that could easily swing a greatsword with ease. But forget holding a sword, right now he couldn’t even stand by himself, and what’s more, he’s appeared to have accepted his destiny.
However, the shadows in Lord Geisster’s eyes suddenly disappeared.
His right hand, which had been lying on the bed, slowly raised up. Since he couldn’t muster enough strength into them, his fingertips trembled as they painstakingly stretched out, and he quietly stared at his empty palm.
“But there were some things I never realized that I now understand for the first time in my life. I didn’t know anything at all about my son… about Philipp.”
His weakening voice was full of regret.
I didn’t know what their relationship was like between the tough lord and his ailing son. However… If they were to be willing to meet halfway, perhaps another future could be waiting for them. Thinking thus far, I shook my head to counter the stupid thoughts that arose in my mind. It was because there was no use thinking about it now since the matter had already come to a close.
“Sir, let’s talk about your son…”
“I have already heard of how the people under my rule suffered by my son’s hand. I cannot offer you any excuses. Philipp von Geisster’s sins are my own. As both his father and the head of the Geisster family, I am willing to accept any punishment.”
“…The sentence is still under debate. I’m sure we will hear of it sooner or later.”
While our first and foremost priority was to tend to the people, it was still necessary to reach a verdict as soon as possible.
If Philipp said he acted as the Lord’s proxy when attempting to stop the spreading of the disease, at the very least, he wouldn’t face the death penalty. Once he was stripped of his status, he would likely be put under house arrest. The Geisster family would not fall to ruin, but someone else would take their place in ruling the western front.
To replace Lord Heinz von Geisster, who was undoubted in his abilities and adored by his subordinates and the people alike, would most definitely pose a headache in the future.
“By your will.”
Lord Geisster’s gaze dropped along with his head.
Silence fell upon the room. Shortly after, Sir Geisster raised his face in a dignified manner, and the gentle, grandfatherly expression changed to something fitting of a margrave.
“Speaking of which, Your Highness. If you can forgive my rudeness, may I ask about the current situation regarding the epidemic?”
“The sick are being quarantined in a secluded village in the southwestern forest as we speak. I returned to the royal capital by myself for medicine and food, leaving Johan behind to take care of the rest for the time being.”
“…His Highness Johan?”
Sir Geisster frowned and muttered those words with a pained voice.
Johan was a lot closer to Sir Geisster than I ever was. I knew that Johan was like a nephew—no, a son, to him. Without a doubt, Johan being in such a dangerous place only served to drive the margrave’s anxiety even further.
“This is a new disease, so the current medicine we have won’t work. I was in such a situation when a princess from our neighbouring country arrived, showing me the light.”
“…When you said princess, did you mean Master Johan’s elder sister?”
Perhaps it was an unexpected story that the Lord had a slight glint in his waning eyes.
I nodded and continued.
“Yes. Her Royal Highness Princess Rosemarie not only delivered a miraculous cure but also brought along with her many excellent pharmacists. The person herself even helped with treating the sick.”
“The princess got hands-on with the sick herself?!”
Lord Geisster’s surprise was not the same as the one before. Because he had suddenly raised his voice, as a result, he violently coughed with a hand on his chest. I rubbed his back to relieve him.
When breathing eased, Sir Geisster thanked me and sank back into the bed. A smile floated on his face when he finally relaxed.
“His Highness is so stoic and wise beyond his years, but whenever it comes to his sister, he always had a smile befitting a boy of his age. I’ve heard that his sister is kind and beautiful, but clearly, it was more than I had imagined.”
I agree. It was more than I could’ve imagined as well.
I knew Johan loved his sister very dearly, that was why I didn’t place much trust in his words whenever it came to her. I wouldn’t say he was grossly overselling his sister, but I did think he was exaggerating a little.
However, the moment I met her, the princess overturned my expectations on its head in an instant.
“Was the pharmacists you spoke of also provided by Nebel’s royal family?”
“Not at all. I haven’t heard the details, but it is unlikely. Even Johan didn’t know about the cure. If I had to guess, it is that they are from another country altogether.”
Sir Geisster went into thought for a while, then he looked at me as if something had clicked in his head.
“If it’s another country… Perhaps Flamme?”
“…Ah, thinking about it, they did ride from Flamme’s direction.”
‘As I thought,’ said the lord, and a broad smile floated on his face.
I remained confused as he added a small chuckle.
“Sir?”
“Excuse my rudeness. It seems this old man couldn’t hide his joy.”
Lord Geisster laughed while leaving me confused.
“I didn’t expect that a princess straight out of a fairy tale was herself a hero.”
“The princess, a hero?”
At first, I, too, thought that she resembled a princess or a saint straight out of a book.
But I realised that wasn’t quite right. Like Sir Geisster said, she was the hero.
“I’ve heard of a family of pharmacists living deep inside the mountains of Flamme. They are a hidden clan with vast amounts of unrivalled knowledge and advanced techniques, one that even the royal family’s own doctors and apothecaries couldn’t match. It was thought that their existence itself was a myth because of how rarely they were ever spotted in public, but to hear that they now recognise the princess as their master…”
“…It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
“Yes, and that is exactly why I called her a hero.”
Lord Geisster nodded at my stunned words.
I couldn’t find a way to object. Firstly, she sought out the mythical pharmacist family and actually gained their cooperation. After that, despite knowing the dangers, she still jumped head-first into helping others. And lastly, she tried her best to help another country’s citizens; a kindness that couldn’t be overlooked. All seemed to fit the description of a hero.
As my thoughts ran, I regretfully realised that our meeting time was finally up.
********
I continued my stay in Grenze for a while longer.
Supplies were sent from the capital into the forest along with other goods, ready to be delivered on-demand. We organised information while seeing to the health of each doctor and pharmacist, and rotated their shifts accordingly. As I helped out the margrave by acting as the proxy Lord of Grenze, I also paid close attention to the city itself.
Although their numbers occasionally increased, most of the isolated sick was getting better every day.
And so, one month later—
The last person was finally cured, and my friend Johan, along with his sister the beautiful hero, returned to the bustling town once again.
The reek of medicine was pungent throughout the room when I stepped in.
I almost choked but quickly recovered when a call came for me.
“It has been a long time, Lord Nacht.”
My gaze turned right to the large bed in a corner of the room. My eyes were met with an old man who had a stack of pillows keeping his back upright.
His hair and beard were pure white from age as his eyes were sunken, cloudy, and yellow. His hands that showed through the shabby white clothes were thin and dry like dead branches of a tree. The number of wrinkles on his face evidently alluded his age. I couldn’t believe it… No, I just didn’t want to.
“…Yes, it has, Sir Geisster.”
The head of the Geisster family, the man who governed the western lands as well as Grenze, replied. I was taken aback by the Margrave’s—by Heinz von Geisster’s—complete change in appearance.
Sir Geisster smiled as I stood there with unconcealed shock. His kind, grandfatherly gaze, as if he were trying to soothe a crying child, certainly felt nostalgic.
“Please forgive my rudeness. I have shown you my unsightly appearance.”
“Don’t worry about it… I, too, am sorry.”
I apologised for my awkward staring from earlier. He asked me to pull up a chair next to the bed, and I complied.
The closer I got to him, the stronger the medicine smelled, and as if trying to bury me in it, another whiff relentlessly attacked my nostrils. It was somehow similar to the odour I recognised around my mother before her death. Right behind the jolly old man, I could practically see the God of Death itself raising its scythe.
I had heard he had a heart condition, but perhaps the situation was more serious than the rumours made it out to be.
“I don’t intend to lose to you younglings, but every day, it’s getting harder and harder to wake myself up. I wish I wasn’t so old.”
Sir Geisster’s face was calm, but it was plain to see the tinge of envy for the youth.
When I met him a few years ago, he had an unrivalled and powerful build, so strong that no one would dare think it would wither, and an arm that could easily swing a greatsword with ease. But forget holding a sword, right now he couldn’t even stand by himself, and what’s more, he’s appeared to have accepted his destiny.
However, the shadows in Lord Geisster’s eyes suddenly disappeared.
His right hand, which had been lying on the bed, slowly raised up. Since he couldn’t muster enough strength into them, his fingertips trembled as they painstakingly stretched out, and he quietly stared at his empty palm.
“But there were some things I never realized that I now understand for the first time in my life. I didn’t know anything at all about my son… about Philipp.”
His weakening voice was full of regret.
I didn’t know what their relationship was like between the tough lord and his ailing son. However… If they were to be willing to meet halfway, perhaps another future could be waiting for them. Thinking thus far, I shook my head to counter the stupid thoughts that arose in my mind. It was because there was no use thinking about it now since the matter had already come to a close.
“Sir, let’s talk about your son…”
“I have already heard of how the people under my rule suffered by my son’s hand. I cannot offer you any excuses. Philipp von Geisster’s sins are my own. As both his father and the head of the Geisster family, I am willing to accept any punishment.”
“…The sentence is still under debate. I’m sure we will hear of it sooner or later.”
While our first and foremost priority was to tend to the people, it was still necessary to reach a verdict as soon as possible.
If Philipp said he acted as the Lord’s proxy when attempting to stop the spreading of the disease, at the very least, he wouldn’t face the death penalty. Once he was stripped of his status, he would likely be put under house arrest. The Geisster family would not fall to ruin, but someone else would take their place in ruling the western front.
To replace Lord Heinz von Geisster, who was undoubted in his abilities and adored by his subordinates and the people alike, would most definitely pose a headache in the future.
“By your will.”
Lord Geisster’s gaze dropped along with his head.
Silence fell upon the room. Shortly after, Sir Geisster raised his face in a dignified manner, and the gentle, grandfatherly expression changed to something fitting of a margrave.
“Speaking of which, Your Highness. If you can forgive my rudeness, may I ask about the current situation regarding the epidemic?”
“The sick are being quarantined in a secluded village in the southwestern forest as we speak. I returned to the royal capital by myself for medicine and food, leaving Johan behind to take care of the rest for the time being.”
“…His Highness Johan?”
Sir Geisster frowned and muttered those words with a pained voice.
Johan was a lot closer to Sir Geisster than I ever was. I knew that Johan was like a nephew—no, a son, to him. Without a doubt, Johan being in such a dangerous place only served to drive the margrave’s anxiety even further.
“This is a new disease, so the current medicine we have won’t work. I was in such a situation when a princess from our neighbouring country arrived, showing me the light.”
“…When you said princess, did you mean Master Johan’s elder sister?”
Perhaps it was an unexpected story that the Lord had a slight glint in his waning eyes.
I nodded and continued.
“Yes. Her Royal Highness Princess Rosemarie not only delivered a miraculous cure but also brought along with her many excellent pharmacists. The person herself even helped with treating the sick.”
“The princess got hands-on with the sick herself?!”
Lord Geisster’s surprise was not the same as the one before. Because he had suddenly raised his voice, as a result, he violently coughed with a hand on his chest. I rubbed his back to relieve him.
When breathing eased, Sir Geisster thanked me and sank back into the bed. A smile floated on his face when he finally relaxed.
“His Highness is so stoic and wise beyond his years, but whenever it comes to his sister, he always had a smile befitting a boy of his age. I’ve heard that his sister is kind and beautiful, but clearly, it was more than I had imagined.”
I agree. It was more than I could’ve imagined as well.
I knew Johan loved his sister very dearly, that was why I didn’t place much trust in his words whenever it came to her. I wouldn’t say he was grossly overselling his sister, but I did think he was exaggerating a little.
However, the moment I met her, the princess overturned my expectations on its head in an instant.
“Was the pharmacists you spoke of also provided by Nebel’s royal family?”
“Not at all. I haven’t heard the details, but it is unlikely. Even Johan didn’t know about the cure. If I had to guess, it is that they are from another country altogether.”
Sir Geisster went into thought for a while, then he looked at me as if something had clicked in his head.
“If it’s another country… Perhaps Flamme?”
“…Ah, thinking about it, they did ride from Flamme’s direction.”
‘As I thought,’ said the lord, and a broad smile floated on his face.
I remained confused as he added a small chuckle.
“Sir?”
“Excuse my rudeness. It seems this old man couldn’t hide his joy.”
Lord Geisster laughed while leaving me confused.
“I didn’t expect that a princess straight out of a fairy tale was herself a hero.”
“The princess, a hero?”
At first, I, too, thought that she resembled a princess or a saint straight out of a book.
But I realised that wasn’t quite right. Like Sir Geisster said, she was the hero.
“I’ve heard of a family of pharmacists living deep inside the mountains of Flamme. They are a hidden clan with vast amounts of unrivalled knowledge and advanced techniques, one that even the royal family’s own doctors and apothecaries couldn’t match. It was thought that their existence itself was a myth because of how rarely they were ever spotted in public, but to hear that they now recognise the princess as their master…”
“…It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
“Yes, and that is exactly why I called her a hero.”
Lord Geisster nodded at my stunned words.
I couldn’t find a way to object. Firstly, she sought out the mythical pharmacist family and actually gained their cooperation. After that, despite knowing the dangers, she still jumped head-first into helping others. And lastly, she tried her best to help another country’s citizens; a kindness that couldn’t be overlooked. All seemed to fit the description of a hero.
As my thoughts ran, I regretfully realised that our meeting time was finally up.
********
I continued my stay in Grenze for a while longer.
Supplies were sent from the capital into the forest along with other goods, ready to be delivered on-demand. We organised information while seeing to the health of each doctor and pharmacist, and rotated their shifts accordingly. As I helped out the margrave by acting as the proxy Lord of Grenze, I also paid close attention to the city itself.
Although their numbers occasionally increased, most of the isolated sick was getting better every day.
And so, one month later—
The last person was finally cured, and my friend Johan, along with his sister the beautiful hero, returned to the bustling town once again.
