Volume 5: Charming Overheat

Miracle Herb

---

“A miracle herb that can immediately cure any wound or illness? The hell is that? Sounds like a religious thing or some kind of scam,” Ryner Lute said lazily as he laid down, relishing in the feeling of his full stomach after dinner.

It was the same dining room of the same inn as always.

Despite it already being dinnertime, his hair was still messy from sleep. His slouch was no better than usual. He fixed his sleepy eyes on his partner who sat across from him at the table. “Hey, Ferris. Where did you even hear about that?”

She spoke through a mouthful of dango. “Mm. Do you remember those ruffians who we disciplined at the tavern before?” she asked, strangely calm to the point of monotone. She had glossy blonde hair and cold but clear almond-shaped blue eyes. Her delicate limbs didn’t look like they could hold the longsword she held.

Ferris Eris.

Anyone and everyone would consider her a world-class beauty. The thing was that she always had this blank expression on her face - one that entirely lacked warmth. The part that bothered him most was the way her expressionlessness didn’t even budge as she ate dango, though…

“The ruffians from the tavern… so you’re still pushing those guys around and making them gather info for us?” Ryner asked.

“Mm. When I told them that ‘lately, none of you have gathered any information… don’t you think it’d be a pleasant start to a day if you were to wake up and see your wives and children’s heads rolling away from their bodies?’ After that, they found this information for me rather quickly, and that was that.”

Ryner lightly held his head in his hands. “I’d rather not hear gruesome threats like that right after eating, but… complaining about that wouldn’t be productive at all, so… anyway, I think I get what you’re trying to say. Basically, you’re saying that it’s credible because you threatened them to hell and back if they didn’t find anything, right? But scams like that are everywhere here. If it was real, then honest doctors and magic researchers would be all over it, but as things are now it sounds more like something straight from Estella’s field.”

Ferris shook her head. “This is a bit different from that.”

“Oh? How so?”

“It seems as though knowledge of this legendary miracle herb has been passed down for generations in the northern rural portion of the country…”

“Yeah. It’s a pretty common myth. But even if you believe in all the myths like that—”

“However, it seems that rumors of this particular ‘miracle herb’ have been incessantly appearing in that village. On top of everything, it is said that it’s able to bring the dead back to life…”

Ryner was entirely disinterested. “That’s a pretty common myth too… They might just be trying to revitalize their village… I bet no one’s gone there for a long time, and…”

“Mm. Just as you say, it appears that those who believe that rumor nowadays are few and far between.”

“Ah, thought so.”

“Mm. Brining the dead back to life should be impossible as well,” Ferris said.

“Exactly. What kind of medicine could work on thousands of illnesses? They need to think of some other interesting way to get tourists…”

Ferris made direct eye contact with him. “Go.”

“…Like, for example, a dragon coming out of the ground… wait, what? What’d you just say, Ferris?”

“Go to that village to determine if that medicine truly exists.”

Ryner’s face went blank with amazement. “Hey, uh, do you understand what I just said? That ‘miracle herb’ is so obviously fake that looking into it would just be a waste of time—”

“We must go regardless of if it’s a waste of time or not,” Ferris said stubbornly. “That is the nature of our work. We must research potential Heroic Relics no matter how fake they may seem and recover them if they exist. That’s our mission.”

“Umm… uh, is it okay if I ask a question?”

“Mm? What is it?”

“You said ‘go’ just now, right?”

“I did.”

“Does that mean you want me to go by myself?”

“What else could it mean?” Ferris said without hesitation.

“You’re on the exact same mission as I am! How come you get to stay here but I have to go there!?” Ryner yelled, but Ferris didn’t budge.

She was definitely looking down on him for asking such an ‘obvious’ question. “Hmph. There’s a dango fair in town, so I’m too busy—”

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

In the blink of an eye, Ferris disappeared, as if she’d just been a mirage since the beginning… and by the time he realized where she’d gone, she was already holding her sword to his neck from behind. She pressed it against him slowly… slowly… and…

“Don’t you think it’d be a pleasant start to a day if you were to wake up and see your wives and children’s heads rolling away from their bodies…? Ah, but you don’t have a wife. I suppose it will have to be your body, so unfortunately, you won’t wake up to see it. There is nothing I can do about that - I’m sorry. I pray that you won’t be in your room tomorrow morning…”

“…I hate this life…”

With that, Ryner left for the village before morning…

---

The land was rural for as far as he could see.

There were mountains towering above him, and the sky was a clear blue. He was in the heart of nature.

Anyway, he had something he wanted to say, but…

That village…

“Heeey! It’s seriously way too far away! The hell is Ferris thinking!? It’s ten days by foot away from the port town we’ve been staying at!” Ryner yelled, exhausted, resentment engraved on his face.

Ferris didn’t tell him shit about it, but according to the villagers in the places Ryner found along the way, the place he was looking for was called Mcknatt. It was apparently a stereotypical agricultural town, rural to the max.

Ryner crossed his arms once the village was finally in sight. “Seriously, though. An agricultural place like this shouldn’t need any tourists… so there’s no reason for them to ‘revitalize’ it. Hmm. It’s getting a little more interesting…”

But the second he stepped foot into the village—

“You’ve come!” a young man yelled and flew towards Ryner. He was on the verge of tears. “Finally! You’ve finally come! We’ve been waiting for you!”

“Huh? You’ve been waiting? For…?”

“He’s finally here, everyone!” the young man shouted, and a bunch of heads popped out from the houses, each one wearing a shocked expression.

“It’s true!”

“Really!? Call the mayor!”

Ryner, meanwhile, had absolutely no idea what was going on. “I-I’m saying, what the hell is happenin—”

The young man in front of him cut him off. “We’ve been waiting for you for so long!”

“For me?”

“Yes! Welcome to our village! Now please, come with me! Everyone’s long since lost their patience waiting,” he said and grabbed hold of Ryner to pull him along.

“…No, ahh, well. I think you’re majorly misunderstanding something, and you’re not listening to me… But I guess it’s good that I’m being welcomed with open arms and all…”

Ryner watched the man tugging him along with half-lidded eyes. He was definitely emotional.

Ultimately, Ryner was brought to a large town square. That put him in an even bigger dilemma.

“…So what do you want from me…?”

It was weird. Super weird. All the townspeople gathered and surrounded him with awe.

Ryner bore the brunt of their combined eyes. “So? Do you guys think I’m a particularly rare animal or something?”

The man who’d brought Ryner there smiled happily. “He thinks he’s a rare animal! But maybe ‘rare’ is a good word for it…”

A deep, hoarse voice was next to speak. “Come now, Shurla. Don’t go calling our esteemed guest a ‘rare animal,’” an old man in his seventies said as he approached.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Mayor. I’m just in such a good mood,” the young man called Shurla said.

The old man nodded. “Understandable, really… You’ve been waiting for him most of all, after all,” he said, then faced Ryner. “We have been waiting for you, good sir. I apologize to hurry you so, but would you come look at my granddaughter?”

A cute girl of about twelve years old stepped forward from behind the mayor. Her face was a bit red.

“I’m really not following this conversation,” Ryner said, “b-but you just want me to look at her, right?”

Everyone in the village nodded in unison.

It was creepy! And the whole atmosphere there was just bizarre - it was tense as all get out. Everyone was staring at him so seriously…

“Uuuh… ah, what the hell. ‘Look at my granddaughter,’ he says… But looking is just looking. What do you want from me?” Ryner asked and looked back down to his granddaughter. Her face reddened even more and she hung her head.

“What do you think?” the mayor asked.

“Even if you ask me what I think, uh… d-don’t tell me that this is some kind of marriage interview? Are you trying to find new blood for your village? Th-that’s not happening, you know. There’s no way I’d marry a kid like that. Ferris would call me a sex fiend again and—”

The mayor was shocked. “Marriage!? What are you saying? You are a doctor, are you not? What kind of perverted doctor would speak of marriage when faced with a twelve year old!?”

“I just said that I’m not… So, umm… you’re talking to me, right? You’re calling me a doctor?”

“Aren’t you?” Shurla asked. “It goes without saying that our rumor of a ‘miracle herb’ would attract a doctor in search of it! That’s the entire reason why we spread that rumor to the nearby villages…”

“W-wait a minute. Then that whole ‘miracle herb’ thing…”

“I’ll apologize for spreading falsehoods,” the mayor said, and he did look like he was sorry. “However, we had no other choice. Doctors don’t come to rural villages such as this. When we become ill, that is the end… That’s why we…”

“Ahh, I knew it was fake,” Ryner said, fed up with the whole situation. “Well, I understand where you’re coming from, but this is kinda depressing… and anyway, is there really a dumb doctor out there who’d believe a rumor like that?”

The mayor looked at Ryner expectantly.

Ryner held his face in his hands. “Ahh… so that makes me the first dumbass to take the bait…”

“I’m sorry for doing this,” Shurla said. “But if we didn’t—”

“But I’m not a doctor, you know?”

Everyone’s expressions suddenly dropped to the point that it was fascinating, in a way. They all faced him with despair.

“Th-then if you’re not a doctor, then you must be a researcher focusing on healing magic or something similar, right?” Shurla asked, flustered.

“Nope. I haven’t seen any doctors around here. And at least in Roland, all the magic researchers are either elite or rich, so I’m not really close with any of them either…”

“Th-then who are you!?”

“Huh? I mean, even if you ask me… I guess I’m someone who came here searching for the miracle herb?”

The villagers’ expressions changed drastically. Now they looked dangerous.

“What, so he’s useless.”

“I’m an idiot for ever believing that a sleepy guy like this could help,” a man said.

“I saw through him since the beginning,” a girl added. “It’s obvious that a stupid guy like him can’t do anything.”

“We don’t have to welcome him. Let’s chase him out!”

It was stupid. They had expectations all on their own, then they got mad at him when he didn’t even do anything… Even the villagers who’d looked gentle at first were glaring at him.

“Y-you’re the worst. You think we’re just stupid hicks. I hate even locking eyes with you…”

Ryner was just plain tired. “Umm, so… You guys were the ones who were expecting things from me without knowing anything, though…”

“What!? So you’re gonna keep running your mouth!? Fine! Let’s go, Fay!”

Ryner looked back to the mayor and his granddaughter as they left. “Ah, you were showing her to me because there’s something wrong with her, right? It’s bothering me that she’s red. She might be having abdominal problems… probably her spleen. It’s not my specialty or anything so I’m not sure, but… if she’s not feeling well, she needs to take it easy.”

Shurla, who had turned his back on Ryner, suddenly looked back. “So you are a doctor!”

Ryner shook his head. “No. But I grew up at a weird orphanage. They had me study some medicine. I’m not a real doctor, though, so it’d be trouble for us both if you try to rely on me—”

“Let’s feaaaast! We’ll feast to welcome the arrival of the doctor!!”

The villagers ignored his protests. They were too busy cheering.

“No, I just said…”

“Lord doctor! You’re our savior!”

“I juuuust said… okay, whatever. Just do whatever…”

And so they celebrated the birth of the super doctor Ryner as they feasted until late at night, shoving patients in his face one after another…

---

The following day.

Ryner, who had stayed the night at the mayor’s house, was rudely awoken by villagers bright and early.

“Thank you so much for yesterday. We are at a loss for what words to use to express our gratitude.”

“No, you really don’t need to think of any, so can you just let me sleep,” Ryner mumbled. The villagers continued to thank him, so his mumbling turned to whispers. “I have to leave… I have to get out of this village as soon as possible… They’ll kill me if I don’t… I absolutely can’t live in a rural place like this where I have to get up at dawn…”

Ryner frantically forced his sleepy eyes to stay open. The mayor had left breakfast out for him.

“Getting up early feels good, doesn’t it, Sir Ryner?” the mayor asked. In that moment, Ryner sensed killing intent from him.

The mayor and his wife were sitting at the table. For some reason, Shurla from yesterday was there too.

Shurla’s expression was horribly dark. “Ryner, I am truly thankful for yesterday. Please, if you could examine all the villagers—”

“I’d seriously rather you give me a break… Also, you woke me up way too early. You didn’t give me the chance to get enough sleep…”

“You are very well-liked, Sir Ryner,” the mayor said. “So? Won’t you become our village’s doctor?”

He’d fucking kill this guy! Or so Ryner wanted to say.

“We’re very grateful that you saw the other villagers,” Shurla continued. “So please, we have one more patient for you…”

“It’s a pain in the ass, so I refuse,” Ryner said without even thinking about it.

“Her name is Yuul. She’s my little sister…”

“Did you not hear me?”

“The truth is that I spread news of that scammy miracle herb for her sake…”

“Yeah, he’s not listening to a word I say…”

“It’s been three months since she collapsed from her illness. She’s too weak for me to bring her to a doctor, and she’s just getting weaker and weaker…”

“Hmm. So where is she now?”

Shurla’s eyes began to shine. “You’ll examine her!?”

“Of course you’ll examine her - or else!”

“Enough,” Ryner mumbled and sighed. “I hate this village…”

---

Shurla’s house was a snug little thing made up of a kitchen and a single room. There was only enough space there for a bed for the brother and his sister who occupied it. There was a ‘garden,’ but it was basically just dirt. It only had the bare necessities at best.

That was all he had.

When they opened the door, they were already up against his sister’s bed.

“Yuul! I finally brought you a doctor! I know that he’ll save you! You’ll be able to live just as energetically as before.”

The mayor had followed them over, and he stood in the doorway with Ryner. “Shurla and Yuul… have always been very unfortunate children. When Shurla was six and Yuul was three, a landslide killed their father. After that, their mother grew ill as if to follow him… Ten years have passed since then. These siblings have managed to survive with only each other ever since…”

“No, Mayor, I really don’t plan on hearing their life’s stories or getting involved or anything…”

As expected, that didn’t stop the mayor. “And yet, this time it’s his sister! Why? Why must such commendable youths be faced with these harsh trials? Why should an old man such as myself continue to live while children like them suffer?”

“I’m telling you to shut up,” Ryner whispered back. “I don’t care how you feel about this, so just leave. I mean, what would you do if that girl heard you just now?”

“Ah… y-you’re right,” the mayor agreed. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Sir Ryner.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll do what I can, so hurry up and leave.”

“O-okay.”

With that, the annoying old man left, leaving Ryner to look inside the house on his own. Now he could hear Shurla and Yuul’s conversation.

“The doctor really came for me?” Yuul asked. She sounded very gentle.

“Yeah! He’s really good, too! I know that he’ll cure you! I just know it!”

“Then he should help you first, Brother. You’ve been working yourself too hard ever since I got sick. I worry every time you seem less than your best.”

“You shouldn’t worry about others right now…”

“No. You’re always hopeless, so he needs to examine you first. Then there’s the other villagers. He has to see them, too. We almost never have a doctor here, so everyone needs…”

“I already saw everyone,” Ryner said. “Including Shurla.” He took a few steps over to Yuul’s bed. She was a frail girl of about thirteen years old. She had the same blonde curly hair as Shurla. She had big eyes and pale, almost white skin, as if she was made of snow.

“……”

She was likely… that pale because of her illness. Just one look at her made it obvious that she was sick. Even just talking was probably hard for her…

Yuul looked up at Ryner and smiled. “What’s wrong? I’m happy as long as everyone is healthy, but…”

She shouldn’t be worrying about other people right now, but that was just the kind of person she was.

Ryner shrugged. “Ah, yeah, they’re all really healthy. Your brother is, too. Everyone here was super energetic and got me up way too early… I didn’t get enough sleep. Everyone said they had to thank me, but if they were really thankful they would’ve let me sleep a little longer, y’know?”

Kuul giggled. “Morning always comes early here in the countryside. Are you from the city, Doctor?”

Ryner grimaced. “Knock it off with that ‘doctor’ schtick. Just ‘Ryner’ is fine.”

“Alright, Doctor Ryner.”

Ryner pressed his hand to his head, troubled.

“So, Sir Ryner,” Shurla started, concern written all over his face. “About her condition…”

“Mmhm. Alright, Yuul. Give me your hand.” He felt the pulse of her wrist. She was painfully thin, like she was withering away…

Ryner’s eyes narrowed. Her pulse was weak. Her torso was swollen, yet she was emancipated, like livelihood had already left her.

“What symptoms are you having?” Ryner asked quietly.

Yuul thought about it for a moment, then looked to her brother. “Nothing special, really. I just feel a little weak. I probably caught a cold or something…”

“That can’t be it!” Shurla said. “You have a fever, and your chest is…”

His words trailed off. He looked like he’d cry.

Yuul’s small hand rose to run her hand along her brother’s arm, comforting him the best she could.

Ryner crossed his arms. “Hmm. I don’t know what’s going on, so I’ll have to research it. I’ll find some documents to consult.” He stood, then made to leave…

The mayor and other villagers were waiting for him outside. Shurla followed, too.

“What do you think about my sister?” Shurla asked, a frantic expression on his face.

Ryner heaved a sigh. From what he’d heard, she’d been having palpitations, and she was pale and feverish. She was fatigued and swollen… and gaunt. Even an amateur like Ryner could see that she was in critical condition. It was a nasty disease even among the ones that he’d seen in the past. It was known as the pale nightmare…

It was already too late for her. Treatment wouldn’t do anything for her at this stage…and besides, the treatment for her condition rarely worked in the first place.

She’d called it a cold.

Idiot. It obviously wasn’t a cold.

The pain she was experiencing now was much harder to endure than a cold could ever be. Killing herself would be less painful.

Even so, she had laughed, doing what she could to ease the worries of her brother and the townspeople. She was only thirteen…

“How is she?” Shurla asked again.

“…Do you think I can answer that?” Ryner asked. “I’m not a real doctor, so…”

“Is it bad? Is she in a bad condition?”

“…How do you want me to respond to that?”

“I want to hear the truth. I want to know if her life will end soon so that we can spend what she has left together…”

Shurla was showing him a serious expression. He’d already prepared himself for the worst.

This was the worst.

Ryner had to wonder why he was here in the first place. He wasn’t a doctor, so why was he doing something so tedious…? He sighed, then spoke, exhaustion reaching through his words. “Aah. Right. She doesn’t have a lot of time left. Actually, it wouldn’t be surprising if she died any moment now. Nothing short of a real miracle herb could cure her now.”

Shurla’s face contorted. He gritted his teeth, and it looked like tears could spill out of his eyes at any moment. He desperately tried to stop them from overflowing as he spoke. “Th-thank you, Doctor… Ryner. I’ll be able to do everything I can with her, knowing this…”

The mayor stepped closer. “I-is there really nothing that you can do to save her? She’s sixty years younger than me, but I’m still here.”

Shut up. That was all that Ryner could think. To think that he’d say that right next to Shurla… But the mayor didn’t stop there.

“Right, the miracle herb. Maybe the herb that grows at the summer of Wel Cliff could—”

The villagers spoke one after another.

“That’s right! That might help her.”

“But there’s no human capable of gathering it…”

“Ah!? Wait a sec. So you’re telling me that the whole miracle herb thing wasn’t a scam?” Ryner asked. “I mean, it’s true that there’s always been a legendary miracle herb that supposedly existed around here, but I thought that was another type of lazy legend—”

“No, it is true,” the mayor interrupted. “I myself was healed by the miracle herb when I was six years old… That is likely the origin of that story.”

“What!? Why the hell didn’t you start with that story!? If that’s true, then you don’t even need a doctor!”

The mayor’s face clouded over. “But that herb can no longer be gathered.”

“Why not?”

“Humans aren’t capable of climbing to the peaks to gather it. When I was a child, we were lucky enough for the wind to uproot it and blow it down the mountain from time to time, but…”

A scream suddenly cut through their conversation. “Yuul!?”

Ryner, flustered, poked his head back into the house.

Blood was leaking out of Yuul’s mouth. It began to pool on the bed, dyeing its sheets red…

“I-I’m sorry,” she said, “for getting the bed all dirty… I, I was trying to stop it, but…”

“What are you saying!? The bed isn’t more important! Your body is…”

“I’m, okay… so please, Brother, don’t worry about me.” She curled up… and fell unconscious.

“Yuul!” Shurla yelled. The tears he’d been holding back finally spilled across his cheeks. He gripped her too-small hand and pressed his head against her bloody sheets.

He was only sixteen years old, and here he was, being forced to tears because of his dying sister.

She was only thirteen years old, and here she was, causing her brother nothing but worry.

Ryner grimaced. “Auuugh! This is such a pain! Damn that Ferris for sending me here by myself! She’s gonna regret this when I get back!” he yelled and shot out of the house.

The mayor tried to catch his eye. “S-Sir Ryner, where are you going?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m going up. Up to the cliff!”

“The cliff… But people can’t…”

Ryner sprinted away without hearing him out.

---

He immediately understood where the so-called cliff was. It was close to the village, but it was obvious why people couldn’t climb it - it was a straight vertical line up to the sky.

But that didn’t stop Ryner from dashing towards it. As he ran, his arms danced in air, and he drew a magic circle of light.

“I wish for a spark of light - Cursed Tether!” A bright rope sprung from the circle. Ryner grasped it tightly. “I’ve gotta catch that boulder, and use this to constrict it!” he yelled.

He swung the rope to wrap around a boulder that was lodged at a high elevation. But he didn’t squeeze it to break it apart. Instead, he jumped up, and flew towards it using the rope as his guide.

Ryner made another magic circle at an inhuman speed, just like how he’d done before. “I wish for a spark of light - Cursed Tether!”

Just like that, he climbed the cliff with ease.

“Oof,” he groaned, “it’s actually pretty hard going this fast… and the top is really high up there. Ugh, next time something this exhausting happens, I’m definitely pushing all this on Ferris instead of doing it myself…”

So he said, but he didn’t slow or stop. He climbed and climbed, without ever taking even the smallest of breaks.

And so… when he finally reached the peak…

“…Hah, hah, hah, haah…”

He focused his eyes ahead as he tried to catch his breath.

There, countless flowers were blooming…

“……”

---

When Ryner returned to Shurla’s home, he infused the medicinal herbs into water with practiced ease. He transferred the liquid medicine into a small vial, then handed it over to Yuul with a smile. “Everything will be okay if you drink this. “Oh, but your stomach’s pretty weak now, so take it slow.”

Yuul nodded, brought the medicine to her lips, and drank it.

Ryner stood once she finished, then tapped Shurla on the shoulder. “Alright, I’ll be outside. You can call me whenever if something happens.”

“Okay. Thank you so much.”

Ryner nodded lightly, and left without another word.

---

It was nighttime, and the moon was high in the sky.

Maybe it was because he wasn’t around any bright city lights, but it felt like there were many more stars out than what he usually saw.

Ryner was curled up for sleep in the garden just outside of Shurla’s house, staring up at the sky. He could hear Shurla’s happy voice from inside.

“Yuul, you’ll get better now. You drank the medicine that Ryner made for you, so you’ll get better!”

“Really? I’m happy,” Yuul responded with her kind but feeble voice. He could only barely hear it… “So I’ll be able to play with you again, won’t I?”

“Ah! Yeah, that’s right? We’ll play lots and lots when you’re all better! And I’ll make you eat all sorts of delicious things that you haven’t been able to stomach lately. I’ll work really hard so that you can taste them!”

“Nuh-uh. You don’t have to put tons of work into it. I’m happy just being so close to you. All I want is for us to grow up normally together.”

Ryner stared up at the night sky as he listened to them, two siblings who got along better than anyone.

It was a quiet night. He couldn’t hear much of anything else.

“Hey, Yuul,” Shurla said. “Let’s take it easy tonight, okay? You’ll definitely be able to get up tomorrow. Mr. Ryner said so. Just going outside might take up all of your energy now, but… you’ll be able to run around soon.”

“So we’ll be able to play together, then. We can race, but you’re really fast, so I’ll definitely lose. But someday I know that I’ll be able to win.”

“Yeah. I know that you can do it, Yuul!”

Their conversation went quiet for a moment before Yuul broke the silence. “Hey.”

“Hm?”

“…You won’t be sad, will you?”

“……”

“You don’t have to cry anymore. I’m cured, right?” Yuul asked. It was clear by her tone that she was worried.

“Th-that’s right. You’re gonna be all cured. So…”

“Mm. So I can sleep easy. I want you to hold my hand the whole time, okay? Because for some reason, I’m really cold…”

“I’ll hold your hand,” he promised. “So you don’t have to worry. Get some sleep, okay?”

“I love you, Brother.”

“And Brother loves you, too. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

That was the end of their conversation.

Shurla walked over to where Ryner lay and sat down. “Thank you so much,” he said and sniffled, a sure sign that he was crying. “She can have a good dream thanks to you, Mr. Ryner.”

Ryner didn’t look his way. He just continued to stare up at the sky. “I haven’t done a single thing for you,” he whispered.

---

When Ryner finally returned to their usual spot in the inn’s dining room, Ferris was there eating dango just like always.

“Oh, you’re finally back,” she said. “How did it go? Well?”

Ryner shrugged and pulled a single flower out of his pocket. “If by ‘well’ you mean this, then yeah.”

“Mm? Is this the ‘miracle herb?’”

“No, it doesn’t heal anything. Well, they say it healed an illness from fifty years ago, but right now it’s functionally useless.

Ferris was confused, in her own way. “Then why did you bring it here?”

Ryner’s expression betrayed his sadness ever so slightly as he looked down at the thin, pale flower. It was a small flower, the color of snow. “It’s… a miracle flower in its own right,” he said softly.

Ferris was quiet for a moment before finally responding with a quiet voice of her own. “I see… if you say so, then it must be true.”

---

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