Having just switched identities, she had finally escaped the endless drudgery of housekeeping.
A reasonable amount of work could be called "experiencing life," but when the workload got too heavy, it was nothing but torment.
Those few days of unexpected closure had left countless adventurers deprived of their alcohol, so once the tavern reopened, the number of customers surged. The workload climbed in a straight line with it. Come to think of it, did this count as a new kind of truancy? It was unexpectedly novel.
Days without that woman around were simply wonderful. At last, she had gained true spiritual freedom.
And on top of that, yesterday's discovery—
That made everything feel all the more perfect.
That anomaly in the boy absolutely could not have been her imagination.
For those few seconds, his soul had truly changed.
It was the first time she had ever witnessed such a thing.
A soul was not supposed to change. Everything she had seen and known since descending to the lower world proved that. So if such an existence really had appeared, then it could only mean one thing—
Uniqueness.
The sole brilliance.
The one and only beauty.
For beings like them, who were fundamentally "unchanging," change itself was the object of longing. That was why they descended in the first place: only in this lower world could they find children who changed.
And now, she had found one child who embodied that change in the most vivid way imaginable—
If she could have him…
The thought had barely surfaced when a fierce rush of delight swept through Freya so strongly she nearly felt weak from it.
She still needed to verify it.
That state of his… it had happened while he was healing someone, so perhaps it had something to do with healing—
No. That wasn't right.
A simple phenomenon like that could never have produced such a drastic transformation.
Then she remembered the expression he had worn during the treatment: that sorrowful compassion, that boundless pity he seemed to hold for all living things.
Could it be intent?
A pure will bursting forth under a special state?
Yes. If it was one of the children of the lower world, then that was entirely possible.
Then she needed to recreate such a situation—
Not another treatment scene.
No. Better something else.
Desperation.
That was it.
If it was truly a matter of will, then the light and change born in desperate straits would undoubtedly be far more intense.
In that case… perhaps those people could be put to use.
Just as she was sinking deeper into those beautiful imaginings, there came a knock at the door.
"Lady Freya. Hedin has a matter to report."
"Come in."
"Yes."
The interruption displeased her, but she still allowed her child to enter. She knew his temperament well. He would not disturb her lightly. If he had come now, then it had to be something important.
"I heard from Ottar that you and Allen went to inspect the estate yesterday, but you returned carrying an unconscious Allen. What happened?"
Freya asked at once.
That was exactly what Hedin had come to report.
"Kneeling before you, my goddess, I humbly submit that I believe we should place Astraea Familia's 'Bountiful Apothecary,' Xien, under close observation."
Freya froze.
What?
Why had the matter suddenly circled back to him?
Was yesterday's incident related to Xien?
Her desire to know the answer sharpened her tone.
"Him? What happened? What does he have to do with this?"
"It is exactly as I said," Hedin replied. "Yesterday, when Allen and I were finishing our inspection of the estate, we encountered him before the main hall. Using the excuse that we had caused trouble for his familia, he demanded a duel. To preserve your dignity, Allen accepted."
Hedin paused, then said in a quieter voice, "He was defeated in a single exchange."
Freya stared at him, disbelief plain on her face.
"You are telling me that a newly advanced Level 3 defeated Allen, who is nearly Level 5, in one move?"
News of Xien's promotion had already spread through Orario over the past day, which only made this report more alarming.
Advancing two levels in under half a year was already monstrous. If no one intervened, Hedin felt certain that letting such a person continue unchecked would spell disaster.
Freya found it absurd.
She knew Allen's strength better than anyone. He was the sort of combatant ordinary Level 5 adventurers would struggle to handle. And now Hedin was claiming that such a fighter had been instantly overwhelmed by a boy a full level beneath him?
Was she supposed to believe that Xien could now bridge a two-level gap?
What kind of joke was that?
Had he really already become this dangerous?
If so, then yesterday's plans would have to be revised.
Hedin, meanwhile, clenched his fist.
His goddess's disbelief was punishment enough. Their failure had shamed her.
"Though it fills me with shame to admit it," he said, "the fact remains. I therefore submit, without excuse, that Xien should be placed under watch. From his words and conduct, I suspect he has some connection to that goddess. His complaint about us troubling Astraea Familia was only a pretext. It does not explain why he would appear there otherwise, nor the way he spoke—almost as if he were seeking redress on someone's behalf."
He lowered his head further.
"Considering both his talent and his behavior, I believe it prudent to monitor him closely. If there is any sign that he may become detrimental to the familia, we should be the first to know."
Freya fell silent.
Her emotions were in turmoil.
So that child had ties to Hera?
She drew a slow breath and spoke at last.
"If you were to take on this task, who would you assign?"
"I volunteer myself," Hedin answered immediately. "I will not fail your will."
Freya studied the kneeling elf for a long moment before responding.
"So be it. But you are not to interfere. Simply report everything about him to me on a regular basis. If action is necessary, I will decide it. Can you satisfy me, Hedin?"
"As you command."
He lifted his eyes just enough to meet her with unwavering devotion.
A short while later, he withdrew.
Only then did Freya's elegant calm fracture into something far colder.
What kind of joke was this, Hera?
Even after leaving, you still wanted to obstruct her.
Why did everything she wanted have to be taken by Hera first?
Fine.
Then let them see.
She would not allow Hera to succeed.
From now on, this world was hers.
Hera could watch and fail from afar.
The scene shifted back to Astraea Familia.
Now that Xien had a plan, there was only one thing left to do:
Act on it.
And so, for the next several days, he all but worked himself into collapse.
Other than the most basic sleep and mandatory duties, every moment went into researching the new medicine.
With the knowledge he already possessed, the foundations of basic pharmacology he had purchased from Orange Cat, and the two medical formulas the Adventurers' Guild had recently obtained for him, the project progressed steadily.
Day after day, he experimented without pause.
The work was tedious, but the efficiency was astonishing.
After selecting the best combination of ingredients, Xien applied the same kind of rigorous method he had once learned from modern chemistry labs, adjusting ratios again and again, hunting for the optimal result among thousands of possibilities.
His relentless discipline once more drew the attention of everyone in the familia.
None of them knew exactly what he was doing, and while this kind of obsessive focus was no longer new coming from him, they could not help but feel sorry for him.
Their youngest member spent every day worrying about one thing or another for their sake—helping them grow stronger, easing their burdens, finding ways to support them. Compared to him, the others sometimes felt as if he were more of a captain than they were.
The one most worried, of course, was Ryuu.
When she noticed that Xien had stopped coming out even for meals, she began quietly bringing food to his room and leaving it by the door.
She knew he was busy with something important, and she never interrupted him. She simply did what she could, and waited for the day he finished.
At last, the effort paid off.
After nearly ten days, and almost a thousand experimental ratios—
He succeeded.
Cradling the small flask in his hand, Xien burst into wild laughter.
The sound was so deranged with triumph that it startled every member of the familia who had been about to sleep. Lights flared on one after another throughout the residence.
"Xien, what happened?"
Ryuu was the first to arrive. Still wearing her nightclothes, she kicked his door open in one swift motion.
"Ryuu!"
Xien whirled around, beaming, and in his excitement rushed forward and threw his arms around her.
"I did it! I finally did it!"
For a moment, the elf froze.
Then she turned bright red from head to toe.
Steam might as well have risen from her head.
More footsteps followed, and soon the rest of the familia had gathered in the hallway to watch.
Nize let out a low whistle, any irritation at being woken up already forgotten.
The younger elf, Celty, covered her face in embarrassment—though the wide gaps between her fingers betrayed how closely she was peeking.
By the time Xien came down from his high, he realized what he was doing, noticed the speechless Ryuu in his arms, saw the burning red of her ears, and caught the countless eyes staring at them from the doorway.
He immediately let go.
Rather than letting the awkwardness linger, he announced the real reason for his excitement.
"Everyone, I've got good news! We finally have our own healing elixir!"
"...What?!"
A short time later, the entire familia—goddess included—had gathered in the main hall.
On the table sat a single bottle of emerald-green liquid.
Everyone stared at it with solemn intensity.
Only one person remained half-boiled from embarrassment: the elf girl whose ears were still scarlet.
All traces of sleepiness or annoyance had vanished. Every gaze in the room was fixed on that tiny vial.
Because all of them understood instinctively what it meant.
"So," Alyshe asked, leaning forward, "how effective is it? Better than a panacea?"
Xien puffed up proudly.
"Yes. It can heal grievous wounds. As long as the person isn't already dead, it can save them. It also neutralizes poison and similar conditions. You can think of it as a simplified version of my own power."
Gasps rippled through the room.
They all knew what a panacea could do. To hear that this surpassed it—
Then Leila cut straight to the practical question.
"What about production cost?"
No matter how incredible the medicine was, if it required rare materials or a ruinous investment, its usefulness would be sharply limited. As the first one to fully grasp its potential, she immediately focused on the facts that mattered.
Xien had expected that question.
"Since the main ingredient is my own power, the cost can be kept under one thousand valis per bottle," he explained. "And there's no way to imitate it. As for the material base, it's basically just a broth with enough nutrients. The key component is still my power."
A second wave of shock went around the room.
Then Alyshe asked another.
"And how hard is it to make?"
Xien's answer gave them their first taste of what real mass production might mean.
"Once the process is refined, making dozens of bottles a day won't be a problem. The main work is producing the base batch. After that, it's just bottling and distribution."
The hall fell silent for a second.
Everyone understood at once.
This was a tremendous advantage unique to Astraea Familia.
A medicine stronger than a panacea, at a fraction of the price. If sold at anything near panacea rates, even ten bottles a day would be worth over a million valis.
They could actually become rich.
Just as the room began spiraling into visions of prosperity and excess, Astraea—who until now had been letting her children react freely—finally spoke.
As their goddess and head of the household, it was time for her to guide the discussion.
"Xien. As the creator, what do you want to do with it?"
All eyes turned to him.
Xien answered without hesitation.
"I don't know much about running a business, so I only want to be responsible for making the finished product. Everything else should go to whoever's best suited for it—Leila, for example. As long as it helps the familia grow stronger, that's enough for me."
Leila put a hand to her chest with exaggerated emotion.
"How thoughtful, little brother."
Xien smiled.
"I made it for exactly that reason. With this, everyone will still have a reliable treatment option even when I'm not around."
The hall went quiet.
It hit them all at once.
He had done this for them.
For a moment, nobody knew what to say.
"Honestly," someone muttered, "he's making the rest of us look bad."
"Ever since Xien joined, it feels like everything's been improving at rocket speed…"
One by one, the women of Astraea Familia spoke up.
They weren't complaining.
If anything, they sounded ashamed.
Their youngest member worked harder than anyone—training, thinking ahead, giving them surprise after surprise, and now creating something that would radically change their lives.
Meanwhile, the rest of them had begun to feel as though they were simply coasting.
This medicine meant more than money.
Used commercially, it could enrich the familia.
Used privately, it would dramatically improve their safety and overall strength.
And that meant once again, Xien had pushed them all forward.
A heavy quiet settled over the room.
Not from discomfort.
From the weight of realizing how much they owed him.
....
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