90 - a blue flower

"No, it has nothing to do with that.

Asked bluntly, Yuril replied firmly.

Unfortunately, while his expression remained as calm as ice, his ears did not.

The long tips of his ears were trembling slightly.

Odle smiles at this and replies in a nasty tone.

"Hmmm, I see. But as far as I know, your man--"

"Hey, wait a minute. Please give me a moment of your time."

Yuril turned around and hurriedly called Thor.

"Um, Thor, I'd like to discuss something with you.

Yes, how can I help you?

When approached, Thor returns to the table, leaving Sola with the child who is peering intently into the greenhouse.

"That actually ............."

A puzzled-looking Yuril consulted me in a whisper about the fact that Odol, the owner of the medicine cell, apparently knew that I had lied to him.

She and Yuril had known each other for fifty years, and of course they knew each other well enough to know that she had no children, let alone grandchildren.

"I didn't know that. Is Mr. Oordle a tight-lipped person?

"Yes, that's right. Basically, I'm only interested in plants, so I don't have much to say.

"That's terrible. I care a little about people, too.

"Also, you didn't say anything else in the temple director's office earlier, so I'm not sure you have any intention of doing so."

Then, the sooner you tell us, the better. I'm sure you don't want to keep secrets from your dear friend.

"Are you sure?

Judging from the unusually open evaluation by the usually condescending Yuril, it is clear that they are on good terms with each other.

It was a development that he wanted to avoid as much as possible, but there were times when it was unavoidable.

"Well then, let's make a little show."

Saying this, Thor takes out a bouquet of blue crown grass from his backpack.

The flowers had already been picked a few days ago, and they were already wilting.

"I'm sorry to ask so abruptly, but could you please make a medicine to restore blood stasis with this?"

"Hmmm. It's pretty withered. I don't think I can make much with this.

Audre looks at him expectantly as he answers.

Nodding lightly, Thor reached out his hand and touched the tired petals.

--

Immediately the blue-crowned grass regains its freshly picked appearance.

"...... revitalized?　No, I see that even the cut is back to ......, is this close to rejuvenation?"

Almost without a hint of surprise, Odle takes the restored flower in his hand and looks at it intently.

Then, in a calm voice, he inquired about the details.

"Are there any conditions for the magic to be activated?"

"Up to the point when you have a relationship with the monster, right?"

"I see...it's because I've been getting nutrients from the rock lizards. What is the limit?　And only for living creatures?"

I'll keep quiet about that.

Well, there's just one thing. What about the dead?

Despite his lighthearted tone, the medicine man looks at me seriously.

Thor shakes his head silently, recalling that this is the first thought that comes to everyone's mind.

"Except in the realm of the dead. There was a god of time in the central land of ......, wasn't there? According to the tree of genealogy, ....... Hmmm... this is interesting. I'd like to borrow it for a few days to study it.

Odle, with a happy gleam in his eyes once again, looks alternately at Yuril and Thor.

"No?"

"No. Thor is very busy.

"Then give up. I'll take your offer. How about 30% for our share?

Yes, that would be fine.

The price of the medicine is five silver coins each when purchased at the Adventurers' Bureau.

For such a small transfer, it is definitely more economical to have them made.

"Well, that's a relief. It seems that Yuril's distrust of men has finally been cured.

"Nah!"

"Did you hear the old story about this girl?"

"A little bit."

I had heard that Yuril used to be a member of a party that was famous for being a candidate for a heroic character, but he had been removed from the party because of the curse.

He was simply kicked out of the party by his friends with whom he had shared many hardships and joys.

The pain must have been indescribable.

"They said some pretty terrible things to me, and since then I've become a complete man hater. And now suddenly she has a grandson.

Perhaps remembering the earlier exchange in the temple director's room, Audre suddenly burst out.

"It was hard for me to hold back my laughter," he said, "I'd been keeping men at a distance for so long, and suddenly I was having a grandson, it was just too much.

"I've been doing a lot of things with you when you weren't looking!"

When Ulil retorts, the tips of his ears have turned bright red.

The three of them were talking happily, and Sora and the others joined in the conversation, perhaps noticing.

"What's going on?　Thor-chan."

"Grandma, are you all right?　Do you want to see butterflies with Moo?"

"She's always seemed to be a very good-looking girl, but she's done a lot of things. He's done things before..."

How many times have we talked about this? That time you said Audre was--"

The pleasant conversation continued, and before I knew it, quite a bit of time had passed.

The tea party comes to an end at the sound of the bell that signals the end of the evening.　

Oops, is it that late already? It's too late to go to the court temple now. I guess we'll have to wait for Mu another time.

"Thank you very much for sharing your interesting stories with us.

No, no, it's been a long time since we've had a chance to chat, and I'm very satisfied.

You talk too much!

Can I come back to see the butterfly again?　Oh, Grandma."

"Yes, yes, you are always welcome.

Audre, who was supposed to see them off, walks out alongside Thor and the others.

"Hey, are you going somewhere?"

"Well, it's getting dark, so I thought I'd pick up the potted plants I left with Mirila-sama."

"Oh, I had them lined up. But why is it warmer in the greenhouse?"

Those seeds need to be exposed to the wind once in a while. In the greenhouse, it's not so easy. Well, I guess this is goodbye then. Come visit me again anytime."

"Yeah, see you later!"

The medicine man gives a small wave to Thor and the others, humming lightly as he enters the main building.

Then, in front of the stairs in the small hall, he stopped abruptly.

Quietly looking up at the railing, Odle smiles again with amusement.

The stiff and inflexible childhood friend had willingly slid down the railing.

The old woman mutters a few words to no one in particular.

"............Go ahead and enjoy the free wind, Euril."