Chapter 28: Smoldering fire after the storm
Translator: Tseirp
The storm approached as the day turned to evening.
Strong winds blew outside as the horizontal rain kept a steady tempo like waves in the sea, leaving transient traces in the puddles.
“There’s no way there would be customers now so let’s close the shop.”
I closed the shop door and locked it from the inside.
Even though the door was only opened for a brief moment, the floor was already wet.
“Here.”
“Oh, thanks.”
I accepted the dust cloth from Lit and wiped the floor.
During that time, Lit checked the account book for the measly amount of medicine sold today.
Both of us ended our tasks in no time.
“We’ll take tomorrow off. I doubt anybody would come by.”
“It’s a storm, after all, I don’t believe anybody would be walking about outside at a time like this.”
“Yeah.”
The winds intensified and the house creaked under the wind.
But a house built by the premier carpenter downtown, Gonz, would not yield even in a storm.
We leisurely welcomed the coming storm.
『Don don!』 Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.
“Why on a day like this?”
“Red-kun! It’s me! Newman!”
“Doctor Newman!?”
I opened the door and there stood Newman in a cloak. And also,
“Al!?”
Newman was carrying on his back a limp Al with blood flowing from his head. Al was soaking wet and he wasn’t even wearing shoes. His feet were dirty with mud and were pale due to the cold.
“Lit! Blanket and towels!”
“All right!”
Lit had already taken action when I called out to her.
Such a reliable worker.
We laid Al on a blanket placed on the store floor.
Lit had already prepared heated water using Spirit Magic.
I wrapped Al’s cold body due to the rain and loss of blood with a blanket to warm him up.
During that time, Newman got an antidote and hemostatic medicine from the medicine shelf and administered first aid.
“It’s deeper than expected ... ”
Muttered Newman.
The gash on the side of Al’s head was bleeding profusely.
“That’s bad.”
I looked from the side and found that the wound was extremely deep.
Regular treatment would not make it in time.
“Please wait a moment.”
I ran to the storage and decisively grabbed five Cure Potions.
They were magic potions with the Cure spell contained within them. Even if it was a wound that could not be treated in time with regular means, it could be cured by using magic.
(They might be luxury items for ordinary people but these are copies after all.)
They were Cure Potions duplicated using the Multiplying Potion. They weren’t something I bought so I used it freely.
☆☆
After investing five Cure Potions one after the other, Al’s condition stabilized.
“We made it, that’s great.”
I felt relieved.
Even if I possessed the Cure Potions, it would not be able to revive a dead person.
“That was shocking, I didn’t think you would actually use Cure Potions ... However, this is hard to say but I don’t think Al-kun’s family can afford to pay the expenses for five Cure Potions ...”
“I know. But, this child is a friend.”
“Friend huh.”
“So, please keep the fact that I used Cure Potions here a secret. Inform others that we treated him normally.”
“Understood. Red-kun, you’re a good guy.”
Newman said that with a smile.
“Leaving that aside, what happened?”
“I don’t know. I was just returning from a call from an idiot who fell down when he was fixing a leak in his roof in this weather when I found this child on the ground. It was obvious that he was injured but Red-kun’s Apothecary was nearer than my clinic so I came barging over even though I felt bad. Sorry for bothering you.”
“No, I should be thanking you for helping my friend. If Doctor didn’t pass by, Al probably would have died.”
Al’s body temperature had returned to normal and he had a restful expression.
“There were countless small fragments of rocks stuck inside his wound. I believe he was probably hit in the head by a rock or something similar that was blown by the wind.”
“I see, but why was he out walking today out of all days and was even headed downtown. Furthermore, he doesn’t have a rain-repellant outer cloak on and is in just his house wear. He isn’t even wearing shoes.”
“I have no idea.”
” ... There’s no other choice other than to wake him.”
It wasn’t recommended to wake Al given that he had lost so much stamina but I had a feeling that something serious had happened.
I lightly shook Al’s shoulder and called his name.
“Hn ...”
After rocking him back and forth a few times, Al slowly woke up.
“Are you all right?”
“Red-san ...”
Al’s eyes swam with relief but the next moment.
“Ah, ahhhhh!”
“What’s wrong!?”
Al’s eyes were wide open with fear and he screamed while gripping my arm.
“It’s okay, I am here. Calm down.”
“He-help!”
“It’s all right now, this is my shop. Nobody will harm you here.”
“No!”
Al shouted.
“Home, Ademi came, mom and dad, attacked, holding an axe!”
That memory caused the recently recovered Al to have difficulty breathing due to the fear. Newman quickly tried to calm him.
Ademi, that kid they fought with previously?
And an axe?
I have to hurry.
“Here.”
I heard Lit’s voice from behind when I stood up.
Turning back, I saw an outer cloak and a bag with two Extra Cure Potions already prepared for me.
“The outer cloak is mine. It is a Shield Cloak with environmental tolerance.”
“Thank you.”
I quickly wore the cloak, wore my shoes and ran to Al’s home in the storm.
☆☆
I’ll start with the conclusion.
Al’s parents were fine. But they were injured.
By the time I reached Al’s home at South March, the entrance to his house was wide open and the rain was being blown into the house.
I passed through the puddles formed at the entrance. The house had a simple structure with just a kitchen and bedroom so I could survey the entire house with a glance.
Al’s parents had collapsed in the bedroom. They were bleeding but the wounds were not slash wounds but more like blunt force trauma.
It seemed like Ademi used the blunt end of the axe instead of the axe blade.
Both of them were bleeding profusely but the wounds were not deep. To the extent that the Extra Cure Potions Lit prepared were not required.
They would be fine once their wounds were washed, their bleeding staunched, given analgesic to ingest and had the broken bones fixed in place.
Newman also arrived a step behind and confirmed that there was no immediate threat to their lives.
We avoided the worst outcome.
However, this incident still had a major root of evil missing.
Let’s move time forward a little.
Ademi was actually the son of the Guard Captain living in the Congress Street.
After the incident, Ademi went missing. However, beginning from the Half-elves, the Half-humans in South Marsh protested that Ademi was being sheltered by the guards.
But, the guards did not give a response.
There was no telling when the smoldering embers would ignite.
Even though the storm had passed through Zoltan, anxiety could be seen on the resident’s faces.