Your Scheming Is Practically Hitting Me in the Face

"Galan, you're back."

Lia held the door with one hand and rubbed her sleepy eyes with her right.

It was almost evening already, yet the girl still looked half asleep.

"Mmm... you took so long to come back..."

At the door, Duncan studied Lia with a slightly surprised expression. He had noticed her long elven ears at first glance and wondered why there was an elf in Galan's house.

"Sorry. A lot happened along the way, and I nearly died out there."

A little embarrassed, Galan scratched his messy hair, which he hadn't washed in two days. A flea flew out and landed on Duncan's face, making his eyelid twitch.

Come to think of it, he hadn't told Lia when he would be back when he left. Had she been waiting eagerly for him all this time?

No... I'm probably flattering myself.

Looking at Lia's dazed, sleepy face, Galan couldn't help finding her a little cute. He reached out and pinched it—her cheek felt so nice.

Lia stood there and let him put his hand on her without the slightest reservation, as though it were perfectly natural.

How strange. I've only known her for a few days, so why does she feel so inexplicably familiar?

After coming from Rock's place to his house by a coincidence, the girl had naturally become part of his life.

Yet Galan felt nothing out of place about it.

"You two really are close. She looks like your daughter."

Watching Galan freely play with Lia's chubby little face, Duncan also put aside some of his darker thoughts.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't seem to know very much about Galan.

When they had chatted before, Galan had rarely talked about his life, mostly sharing his experiences gathering herbs and what he had learned about making potions.

Most of the time, the two of them had listened to Reed recount his glorious exploits over the years and the story of his romance with his wife. After all, when it came to talking, the two of them combined couldn't match Reed.

That night, the three of them had gathered around a campfire and listened to a man covered in bandages tell them how, in his youth, he had played the hero and rescued his childhood playmate from a village under attack by monsters. After escaping the village, which had fallen completely, the two had traveled south in search of a large city that could take in refugees, supporting each other along the way until they finally got together.

Later, after learning magic, he had continued to train and become an adventurer and a mercenary. He had often taken on all kinds of commissions that kept him on the road, supporting his family single-handedly, and had eventually put down roots in a southern city.

Under Reed's exaggerated embellishments, the inspiring, romantic-sounding story had become a little one-man heroic epic grand enough to shake heaven and earth and move ghosts and gods to tears. Among its many exaggerated episodes was how he had severely wounded a [General]-class demon while protecting his wife, then escaped with the help of a masked man in black.

Charas knocked him unconscious on the spot, and he still has the nerve to tell it like that.

He had even thought the man in black looked a little like Galan, leaving Galan speechless.

Brother, how old was I back then? Did you expect a kid who could barely walk without stumbling to help you fight a greater demon?

Duncan even thought the middle-aged man was eloquent enough to become a politician or an orator, though his audience would probably consist of elderly men and women—the sort who enjoyed comic monologues and humorous stories.

Galan, on the other hand, thought he was better suited to telling bedtime stories to unruly children. He could ramble on for hours over such a long-winded tale that even the naughtiest child would lose all hope and give in, obediently going to sleep instead of causing trouble, lest their ears grow calluses from listening to him.

Still, his story had stirred some memories in Duncan. The happy memories he had made with his wife, Lecktire, over the years churned at his heart like a blunt knife. On a quiet night, he would stare for a long time at the pen Lecktire had given him.

Duncan drew his wandering thoughts back and looked at Galan.

He was such an outstanding warrior and a remarkably gifted apothecary as well?

Was it really just a matter of interest, or did he have a past he couldn't speak of?

After spending the last two days with him, Duncan had grown increasingly interested in this man with so many secrets.

Drawing on his years of experience and his instinct for judging people, he believed Galan was worth befriending.

"We're pretty close, I guess, but I can't call her my daughter. She's several hundred years older than me. If we worked it out, wouldn't I have to call her my great-great-grandmother?"

"I'm still just a child among elves! Galan, that's so mean!"

Lia bit Galan's hand, gnawing on it with an angry little mouth.

"Hey! Why are your teeth so sharp... Wait, when did you learn a trick like that? You really are like a little kid..."

Seeing the resentful look on Lia's face, Galan said nothing more and let the little rascal throw her tantrum.

He still hadn't figured out how to explain where Lia had come from, and besides, he had more important things to deal with right now.

They went inside, and after sending Duncan off to chat with Lia, Galan prepared the herbs he had picked and hurried down to the cellar.

He brought out some of the ingredients Glenn had sent earlier for making the [Panacea of Ten Thousand Poisons], then took out the parchment bearing its recipe and preparation method.

He really does trust me. He gave me the recipe before I'd even retrieved the Red Mirror Flower.

"After accepting such a precious recipe from you, I can't just stand by and do nothing about your trouble."

Galan murmured to himself.

He hated the feeling of owing someone something most of all. Whenever he thought about it, he felt uncomfortable all over.

But perhaps Glenn had trusted him with everything precisely because he had recognized that sense of obligation in him?

After Galan added powder from a jar beside him, he watched the boiling potion in the cauldron turn bright red. A pungent smell rose from it and enveloped his face.

"Cough, cough!!—cough!"

That's strong.

The moment he smelled it, the sharp sensation shot straight to the top of his head, making him cough.

There's chili pepper in this recipe? I didn't look carefully when I put it in just now. This ancient recipe really does use everyday ingredients.

Wait... why did Lia switch the chili powder and the nanhong powder around?!

After two attempts, Galan successfully made a small bottle of [Panacea of Ten Thousand Poisons].

He rushed straight to Rogley and found Glenn at his home.

Glenn, who had been drowning his sorrows in drink, was overjoyed to see that Galan had actually made the [Panacea of Ten Thousand Poisons]. Even with the medicine slowing the poison, another day might well have meant saying goodbye to his right arm.

As the two watched nervously, the potion slowly seeped into the wound on Glenn's right arm, which gave off an ominous aura.

A vapor like white steam began rising from the black scar. The strange poison was being forced out of the wound at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into a foul-smelling green liquid that dripped onto the ground with a sizzling sound.

After a dozen or so seconds, Glenn's entire arm returned to its normal color, and some color returned to his face as well.

"Thanks. I'm definitely buying you that drink."

Visibly moved, he squeezed Galan's shoulder. Galan hadn't expected the big man to look as though he were about to cry even when sober; he seemed so excited that he didn't quite know what to do.

Seeing him like this, Galan felt that his efforts over the past few days had been worthwhile—though it still hurt a little to have used up so many precious potions.

"Make sure you thank your goddess. Honestly, if it weren't for her, I might have met my end there too."

With Glenn's commission settled, Galan felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and even the walk home felt much easier.

Birds perched on the branches, looking this way and that, hopping now and then and chirping away.

The setting sun slowly sank behind the mountains. With autumn here, darkness also fell faster.

By the time Galan got home, Duncan and Lia were already sitting at the table, waiting for him to return for dinner.

"Did you take care of the commission?"

Duncan turned to look at Galan, a rare faint smile on his face.

"Yeah. It was thanks to your help."

That was the truth. Without Duncan and Reed's help, even fully equipped, he would have had a hard time gathering the Red Mirror Flower on his own as easily as he had.

Galan pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table.

A large hamburger patty sat in front of him.

"Huh? Did Duncan make dinner?"

"I made it!"

Lia pouted in displeasure, apparently unwilling to let someone else take the credit.

"You can make hamburger patties now?"

Galan was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Lia to teach herself and come up with a new dish during the two days he had been away.

"I tried lots of times so I could fry a tasty hamburger patty!"

She looked proud of herself, but her words gave Galan a bad feeling.

"What do you mean, you tried lots of times...?"

"I used up all the ingredients you left, Galan, before I figured out the best way to fry hamburger patties."

That's no reason to waste all the ingredients, is it? That was a week's worth of food!

Galan's uneasy heart completely gave up.

He had planned to treat himself when he got back and make a late-night snack. Now this hamburger patty would probably be the only meat he'd get for the next two days.

Never mind. At least it's fried pretty well.

He took a big bite. Juice burst into his mouth, and it was cooked just about right, perfectly suited to his taste.

Duncan, who spent most of his time at court, rarely ate this kind of food either. He found it novel and seemed to be enjoying it.

Looking at Lia, who was eagerly waiting to be praised, and Duncan beside her, Galan suddenly remembered that he had nearly forgotten something.

He promptly composed himself and turned to Duncan with a fawning expression.

"Duncan."

"Hmm?"

Seeing the sudden, sleazy look on Galan's face, Duncan was somewhat puzzled and didn't know what he was up to.

"You said you didn't have anything planned for the near future, right?"

"Right, I don't..."

"Then could you give Lia some magic lessons while you're here? You don't have anything else to do anyway, right? Hehe. Considering our friendship and how I've looked after you these past few days, wouldn't it be nice if I found you something to occupy yourself with?"

Seeing the sleazy expression Galan had finally revealed, Duncan was stunned for a moment, then didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Well, you little rascal!

So you've been stringing me along from the start.

Were you trying to trick me into coming back here to teach your elf girl?

What a clever scheme. Your scheming is practically hitting me in the face.