OPDSP 24

Up until now, the Grand Duke’s medicine had been made using the herbs Aeryl had brought along just in case. While preparing to move north, Aeryl had gathered a separate bundle of herbs specifically effective on pheromones, intending to use them himself. When packing, he had tossed that bundle in on a whim—fortunately so. But now, after making a few doses of the Grand Duke’s medicine, his supply had quickly run dry.

‘Good thing I took the time to scout the area in advance.’

He’d worried that the climate here was too different for those herbs to grow, but luckily, he had found some plants of a similar type.

Today’s plan was to go out into the forest to gather them. Of course, he wouldn’t be going alone. When he reached the entrance, ten armed soldiers were already waiting for him. All unfamiliar faces.

“Hello.”

Aware of the rumors circulating among the troops, Aeryl approached with a warm smile, trying to appear friendly.

“Good day, sir.”

The soldiers bowed their heads politely. They didn’t make it obvious, but there was an awkward, uncomfortable air about them. No one had said anything, yet they were already on edge out of guilt for having misunderstood Aeryl based on hearsay alone.

Still, they seem like decent people.

If this had been the imperial palace, they’d have twisted the situation to make it his fault for “causing” the misunderstanding, stirring up a mess. Compared to that, the people here in the North were blunt, but at least you could see right through them. It was easier on the heart.

“Shall we head out?”

“We’re still waiting for the porter.”

“Oh, I see.”

They waited silently for a short while until the porter showed up, pulling a handcart. It was a face Aeryl knew well.

“Innis!”

Aeryl greeted her warmly.

“Lady Innis?”

The soldiers also called out her name. Aeryl looked at them curiously. Despite their surprise at seeing her, their expressions held a subtle fondness.

‘Did they just call her Lady Inis?’

It struck Aeryl as odd—why would they use an honorific for Innis, who was just a porter? But neither Innis nor the soldiers seemed to notice. It came so naturally that it must’ve been deeply ingrained. Still… what was the story there?

“Let’s go.”

Innis spoke to Aeryl without so much as glancing at the soldiers.

‘What’s going on with them?’

There was clearly a deeper backstory here, though Aeryl didn’t press. What caught his eye more was the bandage still wrapped around Innis’ hand.

“You didn’t get your hand treated?”

She’d thrown up and run off, only to leave the injury as it was.

“I applied some medicine.”

Innis replied casually, as if nothing had happened. But Aeryl clearly remembered her vomiting at the sight of healing magic. Even the claim that she used medicine seemed suspicious.

His instincts were telling him something was off.

And to be honest, he really wanted to know why.

“Why did you throw up yesterday? I’ve never heard of anyone having side effects from healing magic. Do you have some unusual constitution or something?”

Aeryl couldn’t hold back his curiosity. He was normally very patient, but when it came to things that piqued his interest, he had no self-control.

“Lady Innis isn’t that kind of person,” one of the soldiers answered in her place.

“…Let’s just get moving.”

Innis’ already cold expression hardened further—she clearly didn’t like the direction of the conversation.

‘So it’s not a side effect. That’s all I needed to know.’

Aeryl’s curiosity faded. He clapped his hands lightly to gather everyone’s attention. Eleven pairs of eyes turned to him.

“Before we head out, I’ll give a quick explanation. This is the herb we’re looking for.”

He held up a drawing of the plant and gave a brief orientation. From experience, Aeryl knew that when working with a group, it was best to clearly communicate the objective from the start.

“I’ll be the one picking it. If you see anything that looks similar, let me know.”

At his instruction, the soldiers formed a circle around Aeryl and Innis. It might have felt overwhelming to most people, but Aeryl was far more accustomed to traveling with a full escort than going anywhere alone. They set off into the forest.

***

About an hour passed as they searched the forest for the herb. They didn’t venture beyond the areas that had already been cleared for safety, but the soldiers remained vigilant.

Despite scouring the area, the herb was nowhere to be found, and as the search dragged on, a tense atmosphere began to form.

“I don’t think it’s around here,” one of the soldiers finally said.

Aeryl frowned. He was sure it had been nearby. But it was the forest, after all—hard to pinpoint exact locations.

“We’ll have to go a little farther.”

At that, the soldiers shook their heads.

“It’s dangerous to move further away from base.”

“I know. But this herb is absolutely necessary.”

“I thought we already had all the herbs we needed… Can’t the infirmary’s supply handle it?”

“No…”

“What on earth are we even trying to do?”

One of the soldiers grumbled. The others didn’t say anything, but they clearly seemed to share the same sentiment. From their perspective, it must have been frustrating to wander through the forest just to find some seemingly useless herb.

‘This is all for the Grand Duke.’

Aeryl felt just as frustrated. This was really important! But he couldn’t say a word! His expression hardened, and just then, Innis casually spoke up.

“This is something His Grace has permitted.”

“Ah…!”

“Sorry…!”

The soldiers quickly straightened up and bowed their heads. The soldiers, who had been dissatisfied, turned into docile sheep with just one command. Aeryl glanced at them once and then at Innis.

‘This person… I’m really curious about her! She doesn’t seem like just a porter.’

“It’s true that it’s dangerous to move too far from the main camp. Let’s just go a little further, about thirty more minutes.”

Innis subtly avoided Aeryl’s curious gaze.

“Alright. Just thirty minutes.”

With that agreement, the group set off again. After another twenty minutes or so, Aeryl became increasingly anxious.

‘Why can’t I find it?’

If he couldn’t find the herb, he would be stuck by the Grand Duke all day, constantly thinking of inappropriate things. He felt the pressure of the soldiers’ gazes on him, worrying about what to do if he couldn’t find it. It was a stressful moment, but then, something sparkled in Aeryl’s line of sight.

“I’ll check over there for a moment.”

Aeryl brushed aside some unknown grasses and walked ahead. The ground was obscured by dead tree vines, making it hard to see clearly. The soldiers and Inis watched him closely.

It should have been around here.

When Aeryl finally cleared a thick vine, he found a small patch of plants underneath, resembling clover. The shape of the flowers was like bell-shaped blooms, but they glistened like red glass beads. It was the exact herb he had been searching for.

“I found it.”

Aeryl called back to the others and kneeled down in front of the herb. The soldiers and Innis approached.

“Can we harvest this?”

“Yes. The flowers are poisonous, so don’t touch them. We need to dig up the roots.”

“We’ll help gather it.”

Five soldiers kept watch while the other five helped collect the herbs. Aeryl and Innis also worked together, gathering the plants and placing them in the cart. In no time, they had gathered a large pile of herbs.

Aeryl looked around. There should be another cluster nearby. As he expected, just a few steps deeper into the forest, there was another patch growing.

“Finish up here. I’ll go get that one.”

Aeryl ventured further in and cleared away more vines. Then, he heard a rustling sound.

‘What’s that?’

Looking more closely, he saw a small animal about the size of two fists. It looked like a baby bear or a puppy—its round, fuzzy shape typical of young animals.

“What’s wrong?”

E had approached, pulling the cart alongside her. Aeryl smiled and pointed to the baby animal.

“There’s a baby animal here.”

At his words, Innis and the soldiers froze. Innis grabbed Aeryl’s arm with a serious expression and pulled him back.

“There are no animals here.”

“Huh? Then what’s that?”

“That’s the baby of a monstrous creature.”

It was hard to believe, but Aeryl allowed himself to be pulled away by Innis. The soldiers formed a circle around them, raising their shields and spears.

“You never leave a baby alone. The mother must be nearby. We should leave quickly.”

Aeryl understood. He got ready to run with the soldiers. But just before he moved, something began to approach. There was no sound of footsteps on the grass, but the presence of something powerful was unmistakable.

‘Something’s surrounding us.’

Aeryl swallowed nervously. Soon, the creatures revealed themselves.