Chapter 85

I stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from my mother.

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With a look as if hiding something, I listened to my disciple's request to go to the Adventurer's Guild. The moment I entered the guild, a loud "snap" and a "thud" reached my ears.

"Oh..."

Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw that someone had been punched and hit the wall. Both the puncher and the punched were familiar faces.

"What are you doing, you two?"

"Old lady"

"It's me, Master. Well, I made a mistake, and I was just getting scolded."

Turning around at my voice were Leo and Gura, and Naga, who was standing a little further away. Leo scratched his cheek awkwardly, and Gura seemed to have accepted being punched.

"It's been a while, Gura."

"Yeah, it's been a while. I'm glad to see you're doing well, Master."

"You seem to have cut your lip a bit. That's a shame for such a pretty face."

"Haha, it'll heal soon, don't worry."

I thought about offering some medicine, but since he insisted he was fine, I put my hand back. Naga also came closer, nodded, and greeted me with "I'm back," so I patted his head and said, "Welcome back."

Oh? I noticed that Naga seemed to have grown a bit. He was supposed to be slightly shorter than Crane, but now he seemed to be about the same height. It's been less than a month, but he must be in his growth spurt.

"So, old lady. What brings you here?"

"Well... the young one asked me to come here, giving a reason, but is it related to you two fighting?"

"...Crane?"

Since Leo, Gura, and Naga all tilted their heads, it seems to be a different matter. What is that child up to... Just as I thought that, the door to the Adventurer's Guild opened.

"...Huff, huff... I need to request assistance... immediately..."

The one who entered was the patient of that child... Crow, right? He came in out of breath, went straight to Leo, and made the request for assistance.

"What happened? Where do we need to send the rescue team?"

I was impressed by how quickly Leo got back into work mode. Well, it's a problem that he was punching Gura in the first place, even in the workplace. And now, I notice there's another man behind Naga, watching the situation. Given that Naga, who usually doesn't approach people, is standing next to him, they must be acquaintances.

"Near the west gate, in the forest... huff... the adventurers... Crane was fighting... huff, huff..."

"What!?! Wait, Guranos, Naga!"

The moment they heard Crane's name, Gura and Naga ran off without listening to Leo's attempts to stop them. I'm impressed by their speed. It would be a problem if they didn't make it in time after hearing the details.

"Hehe, they're quick. ...Leo. I want to hear that boy's story, but I'll be in the way here. Take me and your companion to the back room."

"Hey, old lady... tsk, you guys come too. The others are handling the rescue, so it's fine."

We led the patients of the disciple, who had just entered, to the back room. I told the child who looked worried about being left behind, "They'll be back soon, so just wait around here."

"So, what happened?"

Sitting on the sofa in the guild leader's room, I prepared to listen. The guild leader, Leo, and I were present, and we heard the story from Crow, Leus, and Tiga.

"Sorry... I thought Crane was about to fight with other adventurers, so I wanted to request assistance, but it seems it wasn't necessary."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It was 1 vs 5, but it seems he handled it. I apologize for the commotion."

Tiga bowed his head, and the other two confirmed, "Is he okay?" It seems only Tiga knew what was happening.

"Can you explain from the beginning?"

"I have better hearing than most. I happened to notice a girl acting suspiciously in town, so I was watching from a distance. I thought she might get into a fight with an adventurer, which would be dangerous... but it seems he handled it alone. Now, he's talking to the other party."

"What are they saying?"

"He sent you to the Adventurer's Guild because he thought it was the safest place. It seems he was told to bring you there as a hostage... and he fought at the scene."

I see. He sent me to the guild to avoid being taken hostage.

Not calling for help means he thought he could handle it. If he cared about an old man, he should have at least explained what was happening.

"Is he okay?"

"Yes, it seems he got help from others and managed to control the situation... after a bit of a struggle, an argument started."

"An argument?"

"A catfight started with the woman... Is it Christina?"

"She didn't say her name, but it seems to be the wife of the Alchemist's Guild leader."

"Ah, then it's definitely her."

I thought she would show up after Frank... Crane didn't want to involve me. Rather, I involved him.

"Since it's not directly related to Crane, what are you talking about?"

"I'm not sure, but a woman named Josephine seemed to be resentful because the man she once loved chose you. Crane was mercilessly cutting her down."

What is she doing? Telling old stories won't change anything.

"Come to think of it, that girl was quite fixated on you."

"Was she? I don't remember. But it seems your disciple will have many enemies."

The guild leader, Josephine, who was pretending to be unaware. She used to stalk me, and I was annoyed by it. The young girl I was entrusted with by the Alchemist's Guild to train was a noble's daughter who lacked the skills to match her words. Her and her parents' goal was to use her time as my disciple to enhance her status and marry into a noble family. She had no interest in being an alchemist.

She wouldn't follow any instructions, and eventually, her ex-boyfriend, who was a frequent visitor, started to pursue her... and in the end, the Alchemist's Guild and she announced that my medicines were fake, causing a lot of trouble.

At that time, I felt the power of the nobles. The guild and the girl's words were taken as truth, and as a commoner, I couldn't even get a fair hearing. Before I knew it, I had become a fake alchemist, and my medicines were being used to enrich myself.

I was about to leave town in despair. But then, something unexpected happened.

The adventurers I knew from the past came to my defense.

Among them was Josephine, and many other adventurers from this town and others. They were people I had met while gathering materials across the country. They came to this town to defend me and my medicines, saying that they had been saved by my medicines.

Around that time, a stampede occurred. The concentration of adventurers in this town caused an imbalance in the region's forces, and some noble territories were in chaos, even with the dispatch of knights. A plague also broke out.

In this town, I made a medicine that protected those who had gathered for me from the plague, and distributed it free of charge to the adventurers. The townspeople, hearing the rumors, also came to request the medicine, saying it wasn't fake... and the plague was contained before it spread. The false testimony about the medicine was proven wrong, and the evidence against me was discredited. At this point, the nobles changed their stance and started to listen to me.

While everything wasn't connected, the royal family ended the case by making me a baron for my achievement in creating a cure for the plague.

However, the Alchemist's Guild, both in this town and others, refused to recognize me. They declared that anyone who distributed valuable medicines for free was not an alchemist and welcomed the girl as an alchemist.

"Nostalgic... I also made many enemies without thinking... I guess some things are bound to be similar."

"If you could help, you'd do it for free... but you also made enemies of the alchemists by making medicines for the nobles. No one can do that. You're just like that, saving the patient in front of you and then panicking when you realize the consequences."

"Indeed... I was young."

If the young one continues like this, he will make many enemies and allies... Given that the current enemies are my fault, he might be able to handle it well.

"They seem to have arrived safely. They'll be back soon."

"Is that so? ...So, what are you going to do? The young one must have made a proposal, right?"

"I was going to give an answer... but it's difficult today, sigh."

"Since Gra and the others are back, it's good to talk to them together. If you have a relationship with the young one, you can't avoid it. It's better to decide after discussing it."

They must care about the young one, whether they have the power to protect him or not.

The cute disciple will continue to help people... not just with <Alchemy> but also with <Magic> and <Alchemy>. He will save more people than I do.

When someone is saved from a truly dangerous situation, they will feel gratitude, regardless of gender or age. Whether it turns into lasting affection or a fleeting infatuation varies from person to person, but many will feel some level of gratitude. And when he fails to save someone, it might turn into resentment. There will also be those who see him as an obstacle...

Apart from romantic relationships, if they can cooperate, they can be a strong shield for him. I want to see how it turns out, but if it takes years, I might leave it to Leo.

"Is it settled that the suspicious person lurking around the young one's house is no longer a problem?"

"That's too lenient. After all, it's not just one house."

Sighing at Josephine's words, I realized that my ex-boyfriend, who has become a cunning old man, is still watching over the disciple.

I was given a list of adventurers who seem to be working for various nobles. I should pass this on to Gra.

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