Using the knowledge of medicine I had acquired from the previous incident, I tried to bluff my way into the shop and make the pharmacy think that I was "no ordinary person!" ...by mentioning the names of three rare and expensive ingredients that would not be found in an ordinary store, and which are necessary to make the "Longevity Elixir", and which very few people are able to compound.
And the result was...
Do you have all of them?! ...Haa haa haa...
Well, if you think about it, more than 70 years had passed since then, and technology might have advanced to the point where it became possible to cultivate rare medicinal herbs, and they might have become similar to ginseng in modern Japan.
...No good.
The 70 years from Showa to Heisei had changed a lot, but nothing would have changed in 70 years in the primitive age. So I thought that the civilization of this world hadn't changed that much in the 70 years. But still...
No no, even so, the amount they had just offered me wasn't much different from before. This means that the value of medicines and ingredients has hardly changed at all since the old days.... Perhaps this store has an unusually good selection, or perhaps it's the season when those three types of medicinal herbs are harvested, or perhaps the Longevity Elixir has become very popular since my potion was lost... Anyway, this store stocks the three main ingredients of the Longevity Elixir, and the prices are just as ridiculously high as they always were, so I asked if they had it... No, I just asked if they had it, I haven't said I'd buy it yet! Safe! Safe! Ha ha ha...
"..." (Kaoru)
The old man working at the store looked suspiciously at me as I remained silent.
"…………" (Kaoru)
Ugh, this is awkward...
"………………" (Kaoru)
Uaaaahh!
"…Well, it’s an expensive item, and it would be bad if the person in conflict found out that you needed it. Shall we talk in the back for a bit? ...Hey, can you take over the counter for a second?"
Aaaah, it's getting even more mired in mud! …Well, I guess I'll listen to what they have to say in the back, buy some not-too-expensive medicine and then leave.
Medicine. After careful selection, this was the item we least needed—In any case, rice crackers from the souvenir shop would have been much better!
And so, I was led to a small room in the back, served tea and sweets, and after the female attendant left.
"...So, what does this mean?"
Hmm? Is he angry? He seems quite grumpy... Are you angry because you thought I was teasing you about something expensive you're not even going to buy? But surely it's normal to be hesitant to buy expensive items, right? And does an older, experienced salesperson really need to be so emotional about it? I wonder if that's different from Japan...
"I'm asking you what it means! Why... why are you so slow, Kaoru-sama... Uh, uh, uh, uhhhhh!!"
The old man jumped on me, hugged me tightly, and sobbed, and I just stood there, stunned and unable to push him away—Then, suddenly realizing something, I let out a small voice.
"...Emi, le...?" (Kaoru)
The old man somehow reminded me of the boy I remembered fondly. Well, even though I said it felt nostalgic, for me it was only a few days ago... But…….
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." (Kaoru)
All I could do was apologize. And all I could do was cry. For me, it only lasted for a split second, before I even had time to realize it. What long days those must had been for these children. A person's life. Spent most of it waiting for me. Their own life.
"No, I'm married to Bell, we have children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren, and I'm making a lot of money from business, so I'm living a very comfortable life." (Emile)
"What the hell is that?!" (Kaoru)
It seemed like the old man... Emile had finally calmed down, so I asked him about what had happened since then. If it was Emile, I could ask him anything without hesitation, and he would probably know pretty much everything I wanted to know. There's no way that Emile hadn't looked into the whole situation. After all, he'd had plenty of time to look into it—Yes, over 70 years.
Ah, regarding the complaints about it being "slow", I got away with it by saying that "for me, it's only been a few days". ...I'm not lying.
Emile was muttering to himself, "Damn, maybe it's the difference in the flow of time between here and the Gods' Realm, or the difference in perception between here and the Gods who have lived for tens of thousands of years...," but it seemed like he was convinced for the time being. Then…….
"Eh? Five of the original seven "Eyes of the Goddess", including Bell, are still alive? Layette-chan and Francette are still alive too?" (Kaoru)
"Yeah. Wally was in a carriage accident, and Eik was attacked by bandits on his way home from purchasing supplies... Other than that, everyone is fine. ...I've used "that" in times of epidemics and serious injuries." (Emile)
Ah……. I see, injuries and illnesses that would normally be fatal were all thanks to "that", that is to say, the three dozen special all-purpose potions that had no limit on effectiveness and could treat both injuries and illnesses that were given to the children and hidden under the floorboards... Well, unless you die instantly or before you can get back here, it's not that easy to die.
"But isn’t Emile, the oldest member of the ‘Goddess’ Eyes’, almost 90 years old? For some reason, you looks only about 60." (Kaoru)
Yes, for his age, Emile looked incredibly young... So, at first, I didn't notice it at all. If this had been a feeble, withered old man, I might have thought, "Maybe."
"Yeah, we all look so young. That’s one of the reasons why our business is doing so well, people say the ‘Goddess’s Eye’ medicine is effective and that we’re people blessed by the Goddess… Besides, I hardly ever get sick. ...Of course, I do get sick if there's a serious epidemic or something..." (Emile)
Emile was an old man, but he talked like a young person. Well, he probably talked like someone his age normally, but now that he had met me, he was probably talking like he did back then. I guess he didn't want to talk to me like, "It's been a while, hasn't it?" For Emile, too, it's like going back to "Those days." The "Time" is...
"Ah" (Kaoru)
And then I realized. The reason why Emile and the others were less susceptible to illness and looked young was probably due to the potion. When I first met Emile and the others, they were malnourished and skinny, with minor injuries and various illnesses, so in order to do something about them, I gave them a potion that had the effect of completely curing all injuries and illnesses. Unlike the limited-function version I made later, I made this without much thought.
Complete cure of the disease.
This could be due to a variety of factors, such as genetic causes that might develop in the future, DNA transcription errors at that time, or the repair of shortened telomeres, and other things....
Well, it feels like it's under some kind of divine protection from Celes, so no one lays a hand on it...
So that's why he's been able to get by without getting involved with people in power or being bothered by business rivals...
That's cheating!!
Author's Note
"I Shall Survive Using Potions!" Volume 5 will be released on October 2nd! (^^)/
Some places said "3rd", but... it was probably 2nd. (^^;
You should be able to get the bonus SS at bookstores that are members of Kodansha's bookstore communication system "WEB Maruko."
Please check whether your store is a member of "WEB Maruko" and if so, ask them to print it out. (^^)/