Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 56

Episode 56

I stopped Guadang for a moment.

Arette finally caught up with us and stood still in his place.

“What, ugh! Humans can be, ugh! So fast!”

Even I, who had only been hanging on top of Guadang, felt like I was suffocating.

But Arette didn’t pant for long; he caught his breath in an instant. He wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, but that was all.

“I’ve been trained.”

Could I become like that with training too?

I looked at him with a bit of hope. Then Arette calmly nodded.

“Weaklings die.”

Arette had subtly called me a weakling. …But I couldn’t deny that he was right.

Grumbling to myself, I dismounted from Guadang.

His eyes were asking me why I had come to the forest. If he had followed me all the way here, he probably intended to continue following me. If I lied, he would probably see through it quickly.

I reluctantly confessed.

“If I ask you to keep my herb search a secret from the Duke, will you keep it a secret?”

Arette didn’t respond.

“Won’t you keep it a secret?”

“Yes.”

I expected that.

‘If I can shake him off, I might be able to keep what herb I’m looking for a secret….’

I glanced at Guadang, who was leisurely munching on grass. Then Arette crouched down and plucked some grass as well. He was determined to follow us to the ends of the earth.

It seemed like it would be quicker to find an excuse for Leonel than to escape from Arette. I let out a sigh and took out a piece of paper from my pocket.

‘Let’s see. I might be able to find the red berries quickly, but how will I find the other herbs?’

I scanned the surroundings. To my untrained eyes, all the plants around looked the same, whether it was potato leaves or sweet potato leaves.

‘Should I ask Arette?’

Since he dealt with herbs a lot on the battlefield, he probably knows better than me. Plus, he seemed determined to chase me, so I might as well make use of his knowledge.

“Hey, Arette. Do you happen to know this herb?” 

I asked, showing him the paper.

He examined the paper closely and nodded.

“I’ll find it for you.”

Before I could say anything else, he took the paper and quickly disappeared into the trees.

A short while later, he returned carrying a bunch of plants and roots that looked exactly like the ones in the drawing.

He handed them all to me and pointed in a direction.

“I saw the red berries over there.”

As I turned, Arette took the lead. I followed him, leaving Guadang behind.

After walking for a bit, Arette stopped abruptly. He unsheathed his sword and cut through some thorny plants. That’s when I saw a small tree with red fruits.

‘It’s really here!’

If it weren’t for him, I would have wandered around for a long time.

Now, all I had to do was take this back to Frer, and I could ensure Leonel wouldn’t get any sleep tonight!

“Hehehe.”

Laughing excitedly, Arette picked as many fruits as possible and put them in my bag.

“Now let’s go back!”

Arette turned his body without saying anything.

When I climbed on Guadang, Guadang automatically followed Arette.

What should I make with what I’ve gathered? What should I do if he asks?

In my mind, I prepared dozens of answers to Arette’s question.

However, as soon as we arrived at the pasture, he just lightly nodded his head in greeting and turned back.

‘What’s this? Is that all? Really?’

I blinked blankly, then turned my body.

Sheep were seen grazing in the distance. Frer was walking around, keeping an eye on the sheep to make sure they didn’t wander off.

“Frer!”

Our eyes met. I shook the bag to show him.

“Have you already found everything?”

“Arette helped me. How long does it take to make the medicine?”

“I just need to grind and mix it. But the taste might be a bit terrible.”

Why can Frer only make terrible-tasting medicine? The taste of painkillers came to mind, and my face involuntarily crumpled.

…Can I give it to Leonel? No, is it even safe to give it to him? Just thinking about it makes me nauseous!

Frowning and covering my mouth, Frer scratched the back of his head with his staff.

“It’s not that bad.”

“Frer, your taste buds are not to be trusted.”

I said firmly, and Frer gave me a stern look and took the bag I was holding.

He entered the cabin first. I closed the door, sat down on a chair, and watched Frer bustling around.

He put an ingredient into a mortar, mashed it, and squeezed the juice. Then he transferred the juice to a wooden bowl.

He repeated this action about three times. As a result, two bowls of a dreadful-colored liquid and one bowl of red liquid appeared.

Frer carefully measured and mixed them with a spoon.

Then he filled a bottle with the mixture and handed it to me. I looked at the glass bottle with apprehensive eyes. The color was terrible, indeed.

“Is it safe to consume this? It looks like poison…”

“It may look that way, but there’s no poison. The effect isn’t that strong, so it won’t strain your body. Even if you’re very tired, you won’t get a good night’s sleep.”

That’s somewhat reassuring. I want to torment Leonel, not poison him! But this is not the color I’d prefer to hold in my hands.

When I hesitated to accept it, Frer uncorked the glass bottle with a cork.

“If you’re suspicious, shall I try it?”

I shook my head. To think of a way to feed it to Leonel, I had to taste it myself.

I closed my eyes tightly and put some on a spoon into my mouth. It didn’t taste like vomit as it did last time… It was just close to the taste of vomit.

Essentially, it didn’t seem that different, but at least I could consume it.

“Ugh…”

“You should drink at least half the bottle for it to have an effect.”

“Is there a more palatable way to consume it?”

“Locally, they mix it with a sour fruit.”

“Locally?”

“Yeah. This medicine is an improved version of what some tribes used to drink.”

“You did it yourself?”

Frer nodded.

If he improved it himself, he must have more than just a basic knowledge of herbalism or medicine.

As I stared at Frer, he handed me two bottles of medicine and asked.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You seem quite knowledgeable, even if you didn’t receive a formal education.”

“…Oh.”

Frer was slightly taken aback by my belated admiration.

I shook the liquid, which had turned a strange shade of green, in the light. 

The reason for disturbing Leonel’s rest was to make him tired. But Leonel had the stamina of a monster, so this plan might fail.

“Is there any medicine that can make someone feel tired?”

Frer, who was tidying up the remaining herbs and mortar, turned his head.

“Why do you need that?”

“Well…”

My improvisational skills seemed to have deserted me as I couldn’t find the right words. No matter how hard I thought, all that came to mind was, “I enjoy feeling tired.” But, honestly, there’s no reason for me to feel tired right now!

As the silence lingered, Frer’s eyes narrowed.

“No way…”

He trailed off at the end of his sentence, looking at me with a suspicious gaze. His eyes seemed to pierce through my conscience.

“What… what could you possibly mean?”

“Trying to pull a fast one on me?”

“Yes!”

“If you’re trying to bluff, you’re answering quite boldly.”

I awkwardly laughed and digressed for a moment before returning to the original topic.

“So, is there a medicine that can make someone feel tired?”

“Well, there is, but it would be easier if you just pretended.”

“Why?”

“Most of the substances that induce fatigue can be quite taxing on the body.”

“Would taking it be fatal?”

“Not to that extent… um, I think?”

Frer mumbled in a vague voice and then closed his mouth firmly.

Come on, tell me!

As I stared at him with intense eyes, Frer scratched the back of his head. Eventually, he opened his mouth with an expression that said, ‘Well, it’s not that big of a deal.’

“Usually, they use Agathium Van root juice, but if you mix it with alcohol and drink it, you could die instantly.”

I involuntarily took a deep breath. Then Frer chuckled softly and, as if intentionally trying to instill fear, spoke in a sardonic tone.

“Suddenly feeling extreme fatigue and then dying in excruciating pain. So, never, ever, try it.”

I don’t even want to imagine it. Especially the part about experiencing such extreme fatigue. I shivered, and then I suddenly felt something odd about Frer’s words.

“‘Usually,’ Agathium Van, um…”

“It’s Agathium Van.”

“Yeah! So, does that mean this medicine is quite common if it uses the juice from that plant?”

“It’s used quite a bit among the nobility.”

“Are there many people who try to trick others with it?”

“Rather than trickery, it’s probably used more for tests or battles to secure an heir… I guess? Maybe.”

His sentence trailed off strangely in the middle and then ended abruptly.

For someone who used to be a ranch keeper, he seemed to know a lot about noble society, or maybe he was just speculating.

“So, if you take it, you’ll die?”

“Drinking a little alcohol won’t cause instant death. Besides, the antidote is easier to make than you might think, so someone with expertise in herbalism could survive.”

I nodded, and Frer continued his explanation.

“In any case, many people have died because they drank it without knowing. That’s how its toxicity became known. Even without alcohol, it’s not good for the liver.”

“So, I should avoid using it. Are there any precautions, like not mixing it with something else?”

“No, there aren’t. It’s a bit vague to call it a medicine.”

“That’s a relief! Thank you for helping today. Of course, this conversation is confidential.”

I nodded to Frer, then left. I put the medicine bottles in my pocket and tightly closed the entrance. I secured them around my waist. Afterward, I called for Guadang, who was playing in the pasture and returned to the mansion in a dignified manner.

* * *

Leonel put down his pen and rested his folded hands on his knees. He had heard from Arette that Nelly had gathered herbs and brought them to Frer. 

In Leonel’s hands, there was a piece of paper that Arette had secretly slipped to him.

‘These are herbs that aid in awakening and fatigue recovery.’

Leonel thought to himself as he examined the paper. However, the red fruit was something he hadn’t seen before.

“Levance.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Find out about the red one.”

Levance nodded, took the paper, and left the room.

Alone now, Leonel closed his eyes. He didn’t doubt Nelly. There was a deep-rooted trust in his mind, and though his suspicion simmered loudly, it wasn’t enough to shake that trust.