Seeking Help

Seeing Ian's tense expression, so unlike his usual self, Malena asked,

"What happened?"

"On my way back, the badly injured Nolan caught up with me. I had no choice but to run into the wilderness and kill him..."

As Malena listened, her eyes gradually widened, and her cherry-red lips remained parted for a long while.

"Y-you really killed Nolan? And even took the Tranquil Flower?"

Malena shot to her feet and stared fixedly at Ian.

"Can you contact Wizard Alivia? I have an urgent matter and need her help."

After speaking, Ian held the faintly glowing crimson mark before Malena's eyes.

"This... this is a wizard's mark. How did you get this thing stuck on you? This is bad... it seems the other side is trying to locate you!"

After seeing the mark, Malena's expression immediately turned grave, and she no longer had the mood to ask about the Tranquil Flower.

"So can you help me contact Wizard Alivia? I'm afraid the owner of this mark is already on the way here!"

Seeing Ian grow increasingly anxious, Malena stopped wasting words and quickly entered the room, returning with a green rune card.

"This is the emergency contact rune card Alivia gave me. But asking a wizard to act comes at a costly price. You need to be prepared."

Ian nodded repeatedly. He had already considered it on the road. Among the people he knew, only Malena could ask a wizard to help him.

This was the fastest and safest solution. As for the price, Nolan's worth should be enough, right?

With a squeeze of Malena's small hand, the green rune card shattered. A flash of green light shot away toward the High Tower.

"Done. Just wait here. Before Lady Alivia arrives, don't leave my room."

Seeing that Malena herself looked somewhat tense, Ian nodded rapidly.

Right now, no matter who called him outside, he would ignore them.

"Now, can you properly explain how you killed Nolan?"

Malena's eyes were filled with curiosity. Ian, a mere intermediate apprentice, had accomplished what the four of them, all advanced apprentices, had failed to do.

How strong was Nolan?

Clayton and Christine were still lying in bed recovering. Neither would recover in under a month.

After Harvey cast his final spell, his mental strength had been exhausted, and the will rune in his mind had been shaken. He too needed time to recuperate.

She herself specialized in nature spells and had the strongest recovery ability among them, yet she still needed ten days to half a month of rest.

"When Nolan caught up to me, he was already seriously injured. One of his hands had been severed, and nearly half his body had been burned away."

"Even then, he wasn't someone an intermediate apprentice like you could kill. Hmph! I won't ask anymore. That's your privacy."

Seeing Ian evade the question, Malena did not press him further.

"Just be more careful in the future. Don't make your moves too shocking."

Ian understood that she was warning him. Being too outstanding was not necessarily a good thing.

He was already a potion genius. If he became even more exceptional, the benefits would not increase much, but his troubles would pile up instead.

Once Ian had calmed down somewhat, he took the wooden box from his bag.

"This is what Nolan left behind. Take a look. Is it the Tranquil Flower?"

He had examined it himself. Basic Potion Identification had even gained one point of proficiency.

Malena carefully accepted it and slowly opened the box.

Inside lay a black flower the size of a bowl. Its petals had already dried out. It had undergone preliminary processing once, which would not affect its medicinal properties.

The entire flower had seven petals, evenly spread outward. Their shape resembled the leaves of the Chinese medicinal herb "Paris" from Ian's previous life, except these were black.

Malena's gaze turned hazy as she looked at it. At last, she reluctantly closed the wooden box.

"It really is the Tranquil Flower. Ian, you're truly lucky."

Ian wore a helpless expression. "I'd rather not have this kind of luck."

"You mean that?" Malena looked up at Ian.

"Yes. As long as Wizard Alivia helps me erase the mark, I'm willing to offer the Tranquil Flower as payment."

Malena's heart began to race. She had wanted to agree immediately, but restrained herself.

"Let's wait until Lady Alivia arrives."

Although she felt that Lady Alivia would certainly agree, out of respect for her, she did not give Ian a definite answer. After all, she was not the one taking action.

"Malena, what is your relationship with Wizard Alivia?"

Ian had wanted to ask this question for a long time. Now was the perfect opportunity.

A reminiscent look appeared on Malena's face, and her voice grew low.

"Lady Alivia was my mother's best friend. My mother passed away when I was very young. After that, I lived with her, and she treated me very well."

"I'm sorry, Malena. I shouldn't have brought up something painful." Ian hurriedly apologized.

Malena shook her head. "Ever since I can remember, I've lived in Shadowmoon Tower. Even my memories of what my mother looked like are vague."

Ian suddenly recalled something. "When I first came to the shop, I saw a woman in a green robe there too. Why haven't I seen her again since?"

Malena's charming eyes shifted as she shot Ian a sideways glance.

"You have quite the memory. You only met her once, yet you remember her so clearly!"

Ian looked embarrassed and hurriedly waved his hands. "No, it's not like that. We were just chatting!"

"Hmph! Who knows what you're thinking." Malena snorted. She did not tease Ian further, but neither did she answer his question.

"Um... how are Harvey and the others now?" Ian hurriedly changed the subject.

"They're not dead, so don't worry." Malena seemed to feel that her tone was inappropriate and added some details about their condition.

"Clayton and Christine aren't seriously injured either, so there's no need to worry. As long as advanced apprentices don't die on the spot, there's generally still a way to save them."

"That's good." Ian could not help sighing inwardly. Those people had gained nothing, yet ended up covered in injuries.

Perhaps this was the normal state of a wizard's life. Putting in effort did not necessarily mean receiving a reward.

Ian noticed that the necklace around Malena's neck had begun to flicker, casting an emerald glow through her clothes.

"Lady Alivia is here." Malena's expression shifted slightly, and she hurriedly rose to open the door.

Ian rose as well and stood beside Malena.

Before long, a powerful pressure descended over Starleaf Apothecary. Cries of alarm rang out all around them, then quickly died down.

A familiar figure entered the room. It was Wizard Alivia.

"Lady Alivia, I hope I didn't disturb your rest?" Malena stepped forward, took Alivia's hand, and whispered a few words into her ear.

"Wizard Alivia!" Ian also bowed in greeting.

"Lady Alivia, he is Ian, the apothecary's potion master. This time, he is the one asking for your help."

"Oh?" Alivia looked at Ian, a thoughtful expression appearing in her eyes.

"I remember you. You attended one of my classes some time ago and sat in the last row."

There had been over a hundred people in that classroom, and so much time had passed, yet she still remembered him. A wizard's memory was truly terrifying!

"Yes, respected Wizard Alivia. This time, I ask you to help erase the mark on my hand."

Ian did not waste words. He quickly extended his hand for Alivia to inspect.

Alivia only glanced at it before nodding lightly. "This is Douglas's mark. Did you kill one of his relatives or students?"

"Yes. One of his students. I was fortunate enough to kill him just now."