CH 101

The Beginning of Winter

The pharmacy in winter was quiet, with no regular customers in sight.

A red-hot flame swayed in the fireplace, and the firewood would occasionally crackle. The thick, poorly made glass windows were completely fogged up from the temperature difference from the outside air.

“Mother, Father

How are you?

Recently, it has been snowing heavily in the capital.

I’m sure the place is already piled up with a lot of snow there.

Maybe this letter will finally reach you in spring when the snow starts to melt.

Did you catch a cold? Is everyone in the village doing well?

It’s too bad that I can’t visit there because of my training.

I know that Lina and Hans’ child will be three months old soon.

I would appreciate it if you could apologize in my place for not being able to see them for a while.

I plan to buy a nice baby gift in the royal capital.

By the way, what about the matter I asked you about in my last letter?

If possible, I would like to hear the conclusion as soon as possible――.”

“…. You have no sense at all!”

Sheila quickly hid her letter at the sound of a voice behind her.

“Amy-san, please don’t look at it.”

Feeling embarrassed and sulking, the pharmacy manager, Amy, smiled mischievously at her, still as beautiful as ever.

“If you write in a place like this, you can’t help being seen.”

“Ah, that’s right. Sorry, I was supposed to work.”

A cup of steaming herbal tea was placed beside Sheila as she hurriedly tried to clean up.

“It’s okay. I’m the one who gave you the paper in the first place, and we don’t have any customers right now.”

With his own cup of herbal tea in hand, Amy sat across from Sheila.

Sheila had gotten used to working at Amy’s Pharmacy.

Disguise was also a skill, however, rather than the black wig and unfashionable black-rimmed glasses, the skirt that even a little girl could wear naturally was the most uncomfortable for her.

“Sheila-chan, you’re such a poor writer. You’re not very good at using honorifics, and I can’t sense your intelligence from the way you write. Why don’t you at least add ‘Dear’?”

He probably didn’t read through all the details, but it seemed to be hopeless to the extent that Amy could still tell it was terrible.

Amy’s exaggerated lamentation made Sheila’s cheeks puff up even more.

“I don’t write letters very often, so I’m not good at it. I get nervous and end up using honorifics.”

It was ridiculous to use honorifics with family members, but Sheila couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort when she wrote in her usual tone of voice, and this was the result of her attempts to correct it. It wasn’t wrong to say that she had no literary talent.

“I wondered what was going on when you suddenly asked for a letter paper, but it turned out to be a letter to your parents. I expected it to be a love letter.”

“Me and love letters are the most opposite words in the world, aren’t they?”

Amy shrugged his shoulders in a disappointed manner, which made Sheila wonder how much of a romantic brain he had.

If only she had a shred of that feminine power, Sheila might have been blessed with a cute baby like her childhood friend.

Would the day ever come when Sheila’s feminine power would improve, when she would rather hunt and court larger prey than confide her feelings in a love letter?

As Sheila looked into the distance with a slightly sentimental mood, perhaps due to the snowfall, Amy smiled at her.

“Speaking of which, your handwriting has improved a lot since you started working.”

“Ah, you noticed that?”

Sheila was in a better mood after just one compliment.

“Ahem, actually, I thought so too. When I first started going to the academy, I was often scolded for my handwriting being unable to be read, so I’ve made a lot of progress.”

She had sent letters several times, so she was sure her writing had improved with each letter. Her parents must be very surprised.

“Of course, it’s partly because I work here. I’ve had to write prescriptions endlessly.”

“Oh, my. I’m glad I could help you grow.”

“…. I meant to make a dig at the harsh working environment.”

Amy gracefully silenced Sheila’s laments.

“Sheila-chan is always helping me out. Now that there are no customers, please do as you please. You can continue your letter without worrying about me.”

“….”

He was playing the role of a kind employer, but Sheila couldn’t forget how hellishly busy she was until the other day. It was more work than the two of us could handle.

Sheila gave him a resentful look and cleared the table.

“No, it’s not a good idea to do it at work. I’ll continue in the dormitory.”

Sheila looked out the window as she sipped Amy’s herbal tea. It was snowing again outside.

“But still, no customers are coming at all.”

In the first month of winter, the number of customers dwindled, as if all the previous business had been a lie.

In the beginning, Sheila was happy that her work had become easier, but if it continued indefinitely, she would have too much free time on her hands.

Amy, with a look similar to Sheila’s, sighed languidly.

“In winter, the medicinal herbs that can be collected inevitably decrease, and the medicinal effects are inferior compared to the seasonal ones. The only advantage is that, because the effects are inferior, they can be used by people with weak bodies.”

Since the medicinal herbs would decrease, sales would drop no matter what. No regular customers would come all the way out in the blizzard to visit. Winter was an off-season for the pharmacies.

“If it’s like this, I don’t think I’ll have to go to work during the winter.”

Sheila was honestly grateful for the time off, as she would be busy with other things besides training.

As she nodded to herself, Amy’s eyes widened in disappointment.

“No way! It’s the time of year when there are fewer customers, so there are other things we can do, right?”

Sheila had a bad feeling about this. She looked into his eyes, which shone so brightly, and the nape of her neck felt itchy.

Amy stood up slowly.

“I’ve been planning to sell herbal teas for a while now, and I think it’s time to work on my plan to make a lot of money selling herbal teas!”

“Your dreadful true feelings are spilling out…”

Feeling the pressure for applause, Sheila mechanically moved her hands. Her heart was filled with the thought, ‘I knew it.’

And then Sheila said the words she had prepared in advance.

“…. Well, as far as business goes, I’ll have to ask my friend. He’s the one who spotted the herbal tea before anyone else.”

It was an excuse to bring up Zechs’ name before, but Sheila, who didn’t know the ropes of the business, was seriously planning to ask her friend to act as an intermediary.

“If I remember correctly, he was a child of the Gallant family, right? Then, I wonder if I can entrust you with securing sales channels, business expansion, and mass production.”

“I can’t produce such a large quantity. I can’t even disclose the manufacturing process on my own. I’ve told my parents that I want them to ask the village chief about it first, so can you wait a little longer to hear back from him?”

“Oh my, you’ve made quite the preparations, didn’t you?”

“I had a feeling this would happen.”

Sheila was relieved that she had added the urging content to the letter.

Amy’s enthusiasm was genuine. She knew there was no way she could run away from it forever. Sheila herself also saw the usefulness of promoting herbal teas.

There were many people in the royal capital who were chronically ill.

Most of the customers, except for the regulars, were migrant workers from the countryside, so they might be overworking their bodies for the sake of their families back home. They all looked pale and seemed to be carrying the seeds of several illnesses within them. Sheila had seen this firsthand since she started working at the pharmacy.

‘The cause is probably a low basal body temperature.’

In Denan Village, there was a concept called “pre-symptomatic.”

The term referred to a condition of the body that wasn’t exactly sick but wasn’t healthy either.

You got tired easily, your body felt heavy. You couldn’t sleep well, and you still felt tired the next morning. This was already the beginning of the illness.

When the basal body temperature dropped, the metabolism also declined and the body’s immune system weakened. Because the body was always in such a state, it became susceptible to various diseases.

Herbal tea wasn’t a dramatic cure for anything.

However, by continuing to drink herbal tea, the body could be rejuvenized from the inside out.

For example, it might gradually help Cody’s weak stomach. Sheila began to think so as she watched the people in the city.

‘By spreading the word about herbal tea, we may be able to help someone.’

However.

She would have to work, make herbal tea, study, train, and be sent to Jornwerner for experiments.

Would there really be time to rest and relax during the three months of winter break?

Sheila smiled dryly as a sense of fatigue came over her, almost shaking her resolve to ensure everyone’s health.