Chapter 24: CH 24

I was frozen stiff at the unexpected words. When I remained silent, Hierian shook my arm.

“….”

“Sister?”

Ah, this isn’t the right time. I barely managed to turn my head and answer.

“Savior? There’s no such existence now.”

“Hmm, they say a savior appears once every hundred years, so why isn’t there one this time?”

“Well, maybe they’re somewhere else.”

“Where else?”

“…Well, maybe on another continent? Besides, there hasn’t been any magician who killed a savior. There must be a reason for that.”

“Hmm, well, if Sister says so, then maybe.”

He nodded as if convinced and turned his head back to the book. I swallowed a sigh and wiped the surprise that had startled my heart.

I never knew such words were written in magic books until now. But if even ordinary books scattered around Astita’s bookstore have mentions of a savior, it seemed that Hierian already knew about the existence of a savior.

‘So, did Hierian plan to kill me once the subjugation of the Demon King is over?’

I never thought about it that way… I almost put my life in danger. When I looked at Hierian with a betrayed expression, he stared back at me as if questioning why I looked that way. I couldn’t bring myself to ask him why, so I shook my head and said I was nothing.

Fortunately, Hierian didn’t seem to doubt my words too much.

I didn’t have time to worry about the protagonist who would be born in my future. I received the curse of the Demon King, so the main characters won’t go insane, and maybe I will die before she is born.

‘The rest is up to you.’

With my nose in the air, I had no time to worry about others.

Anyway, it seemed like a wise decision not to reveal my true identity to him. While I was finishing my thoughts, he kept flipping through the books without realizing his speed and asked again.

“But Sister, why did you come here?”

Seeing his innocent eyes, I remembered why I came down to the shopping district.

‘Right, I came to buy Calendula.’

How absent-minded was I to forget something important like that? Fortunately, I still had plenty of time to buy the herbs.

Herb gatherers would dig up the herbs as soon as dawn broke and sell them around the time the sun was setting. And now the sun was setting. It was the time when freshly dug herbs would appear in the market. I’ve always been interested in herbs, so I knew that well.

My regular shop was Grandma Jimi’s. She would always search for new herbs, fulfilling my childhood curiosity.

Unfortunately, other healers used to look down on Grandma Jimi for selling weeds. That’s why I felt sorry for her even when I was young. Grandma Jimi was just a person with an endless curiosity about new herbs.

‘But she discovered Calendula.’

I remembered the original story for the first time in a while.

Calendula was a poisonous herb that killed people. However, it was known that when diluted and made into an ointment, it affected skin diseases. But it had a fatal side effect: hair would grow in the area where the ointment was applied with a high probability. People were reluctant to use it due to its bizarre side effect.

One day, the original female lead accidentally spilled tea on her hand. The villainess who was jealous of her knew about it and bribed a doctor to give the female lead Calendula ointment. As a result, the female lead grew hair on her hand due to the side effect, and the protagonist mentioned it casually to Hierian.

‘This might be good for hair loss.’

Hierian immediately started researching. The calendula ointment became a hair tonic and sold like crazy.

But since the original was a deteriorated harem novel, the female lead didn’t become wealthy or receive recognition. Only scenes of the villainess and the doctor going to the afterlife and Adandito treating her hand appeared.

Then where did the money from selling the hair tonic go?

‘He must have gulped it all down.’

I thought as I glanced down, pretending to be innocent.

Delicate and fair skin, purple hair, and hazy gray eyes. Even as an adult, his appearance looked fragile, and now as a child, he had a more appealing side that touched people’s hearts.

However, I shouldn’t be deceived. The child in front of me was an eccentric who was on the verge of madness even under the curse of the Demon King.

‘He has all the money himself.’

Moreover, he was even considering killing the savior. I couldn’t just willingly hand over the fruits of my labor to such a wicked person.

‘There was no mention that magic was necessary to create the ointment.’

I didn’t even know if I could create the ointment on my own. So, I spoke abruptly.

“I came to buy cookies.”

“Cookies?”

“Yeah, the cookies they sell at that bakery are quite delicious.”

I reached out and pointed to a place. There was a peaceful bakery that had been there since before I was born. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it was like a taste of home for the Astita people.

It was a store that gave warm and generous flavors as a gift. Cookies were also one of Hierian’s interests, so his eyes sparkled.

“Cookies? I like cookies too.”

“Yeah, go and buy some.”

“…Me?”

“Yeah, because we’re going to use them in the mansion, you need to buy plenty. Oh, and be sure to get blueberry cookies too.”

Hierian blinked his eyes and asked eagerly,

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I have to stay here and watch over Liz. I can’t bring a horse inside the bakery.”

“There’s a temporary stable over there…”

“We have to save on rent. Now, go and come back.”

Hierian hesitated for a moment but then looked at me with a puzzled expression.

‘He really can’t be fooled.’

Indeed, a genius of the century like him couldn’t be easily deceived.

‘Maybe I was too careless.’

As the bakery was popular, there was a long line. Moreover, the most famous blueberry cookies were sold out as soon as they were baked. So, if you wanted to buy them, you had to wait for thirty minutes.

Above all, Hierian liked pastries, including desserts. It was a place that was like heaven to him, so his attention would be easily drawn there.

‘He must be too young to have his mind settled.’

While he was giving me a playful look, I secretly planned to visit Grandma Jimi’s place. However, judging by Hierian’s expression, it seemed like I had failed.

As I was about to change my plan, Hierian grabbed my sleeve and asked earnestly,

“Don’t go anywhere else.”

“…Huh?”

“Promise me.”

I couldn’t resist his puppy eyes, so I nodded without realizing it.

“…Okay, I got it. I’ll take care of Liz, and I’ll go to the market for a while.”

“Mm, you’ll come back soon, right?”

“I’ll be back before you come out.”

Grandma Jimi’s place was nearby, so it wouldn’t take much time. Hierian reluctantly nodded.

“Okay, make sure to come back. I’ll check if you’re here.”

“Yeah, let’s meet back here in about thirty minutes.”

“Okay.”

He nodded and headed to the bakery. In the middle of his departure, he checked if I was still there. Seeing him off and with a thought, I got up.

‘I should go too.’

On the street leading away from the bakery, there was Grandma Jimi’s herb shop. As I walked the familiar path, I could see the herb shop as soon as I turned the corner.

She was laying herbs on the ground as usual, with a white towel draped around her neck. When she felt my presence, she looked up.

“What can I do for you?”

It had been a while since I heard that voice, but it didn’t feel strange to hear it again.

‘Oh, my dear, I’ve prepared lots of new herbs, thinking you would come!’

She didn’t greet me with as much enthusiasm as before.

‘Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.’

I bent down and looked through the herbs scattered on the ground. Among them, there was also the calendula.

‘This is it.’

I smiled and picked up the calendula.

“Please give me this.”

“Oh my, this hasn’t even been proven effective yet.”

“It’s okay. Just give me all of it.”

To think that the floor was covered in nothing but money. It made me feel so good as if my shoulders were soaring into the sky.

‘Yay, it’s money!’

I chuckled softly, and then Grandma Jimi hesitated and spoke.

“We don’t even know if this contains poison. The research hasn’t been completed yet…”

It seemed like she was worried that I might accidentally eat the calendula herb. I waved my hand at her, telling her not to worry.

“It’s fine. I want to do some research too.”

“Oh, really?”

Grandma Jimi promptly handed me the herbs as if she was unburdening her heart. I took the herbs from her and carefully tied them to Liz’s back. Then Grandma Jimi muttered quietly to herself.

“I think I’ve seen that horse before…….”

It felt as if suspicious eyes were following me one after another. They were probably worried that I had stolen the words from the mansion. So, I casually pointed my finger at the castle and said.

“I’m staying at Astita Castle. So, from now on, please deliver the calendula herb there as you collect it.”

“…You’re staying at the castle? And why are you using herbs whose effectiveness hasn’t been proven?”

“I saw potential in these herbs. Oh, Grandma Jimi, the conditions for cultivating these herbs are said to be quite demanding. Please research them once. If it becomes possible to cultivate them, you will earn a lot of money.”

Grandma Jimi seemed to not understand. But I didn’t say anything more.

‘I’ll ask for her help once the efficacy of the ointment is known.’

It wouldn’t be believable if I told her now that cultivating those herbs would make a lot of money. As time passed, the sky was gradually dyed with faint darkness.

‘Hierian must be waiting.’

I left Grandma Jimi behind and started walking. As I turned the corner, Hierian happened to come out of the bakery. The bread bag he held made his figure a bit more imposing.

I accepted the baggage from him and immediately put it on Liz’s back. Hiding the calendula herb under the bag was just an extra measure.

‘My treasure, stay hidden quietly.’

Without realizing it, I couldn’t stop smiling. I already felt like a wealthy person.

Hierian, unaware of anything, simply laughed along with me.