Shuri and Ileana pestered the healer with worried faces. They seemed shocked by the diagnosis of ‘memory loss’. Ileana asked the healer pitifully.

“Then what should we do?”

Nevertheless, the healer smiled with utmost gentleness.

His expression was too peaceful for someone who had just been hung from the fingertips of the large Shuri and then thrown aside. Like a clergyman who had received a calling from God. He answered in a voice as calm as his expression.

“What can we do? We should rush to the temple right now and offer a prayer of thanks. It’s a miracle that Lady McCain has woken up, regardless of what happened to her memories.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

Even though Shuri’s expression turned fierce, the healer paid no attention and spoke with an extremely holy face.

“It’s funny for me, a healer, to say this, but until now I thought Lady McCain needed an undertaker, not a healer. Because there was nothing I could do.”

I agree with the thought that Lady McCain would have already died, but… I understood why that healer ended up dangling from Shuri’s hands.

One should be careful when dealing with patients and their families, but saying an undertaker was needed – I looked at him with a shocked expression, wondering if that was something a healer should say.

Shuri and Ileana seemed to feel the same way as me, looking at the healer with incredulous expressions.

No, Shuri’s gaze went beyond disbelief to the point where, if I wasn’t the only one watching, he might have torn the man apart with his bare hands.

Can’t the healer see those huge fists? If he gets hit by those, he’ll be the one needing an undertaker…

While Claire McCain’s recent activities have been gaining attention, Shuri McCain was also an extremely famous figure.

The only knight trusted by the current Emperor. Although he was nicknamed the ‘Emperor’s dog’, it was also proof of how much the Emperor trusted him.

It was said that he could even crawl on the ground if the Emperor ordered it. It was said that he would take lives without blood or tears at the Emperor’s command, and he was widely known for his excellent martial skills as well as his loyalty.

In fact, I heard that he, who was the eldest son of the declining McCain family from the frontier, started to establish himself in the capital after showing considerable ability in a martial arts competition to select imperial knights.

Just looking at how the McCain baronial family became an earl family, one could guess how great a talent he was.

Seeing him mutter “Little Cherry…” to me with reddened eyes makes me wonder if it’s a case of mistaken identity, but looking at that imposing build that can’t easily be found among ordinary people, it seems to be correct.

The healer who was carelessly running his mouth in front of such a person seemed remarkable in a different sense.

“So you’re saying Claire’s memories can’t be recovered?”

He asked, gritting his teeth.

The healer, intimidated by Shuri’s fierce expression, slowly backed towards the door but spoke with unabated excitement.

“There’s no special treatment method for memory loss, and all we can do is wait for the memories to return naturally. Of course, symptoms vary from patient to patient, so memories may return naturally over time, or they may never return.”

“You mean the memories might never come back at all?”

“Oh dear…”

Shuri and Ileana wore deeply distressed expressions, but the healer still spoke with a delighted expression bordering on madness.

“But whether Lady McCain has lost her memories or not, how big of a problem is that? The important thing is that she woke up healthy without a single scratch. Does this make sense? You saw it, didn’t you? Her skull was almost caved in! For her to regain consciousness so perfectly like this. Having experienced such a miracle, instead of worrying needlessly, we should rush to the temple to offer a prayer of thanks.”

He looked like someone who had just encountered the face of God. Filled with religious fervor, he hurriedly packed his bag. He really seemed about to dash off to the temple right away.

“Then I’ll be taking my leave now. May God’s grace be with you…”

Leaving behind a religious greeting, he hurriedly left. I stared blankly at his retreating figure and muttered.

“That healer… He must be a very devout believer.”

“…”

“…”

Shuri and Ileana were looking at me with expressions that seemed unsure of how to take this situation.

I was just as confused about how to process all this… How am I supposed to accept the fact that I woke up as a different person?

‘The most memorable thing before the fire was getting lost in the imperial palace after a long time. No, was it when the head chamberlain visited the pharmacy?’

To explain all of this, I need to start with how I, a mere commoner pharmacist, came to meet Ian the Crown Prince, and the head chamberlain.

* * *

It was about two months after my grandfather and I, who had been living in a small port city in the Kingdom of Monferana, moved our base to the capital of the Kalovanian Empire, 17 years ago from now.

It was a day when rain was pouring down as if a hole had opened in the sky. The streets, which had been gloomy since morning, were deserted with no one passing by.

I was about to ask my grandfather, “On a day like this, when no one will come to buy medicine, shall we organize the herbs that are weak to moisture?” when it happened.

As soon as I finished speaking, someone started banging on the door violently. Thinking something serious must have happened, I hurriedly opened it, and an elderly man with a black umbrella entered with a grave face and spoke threateningly to my grandfather.

“I have a place to go, so come with me quietly.”

My grandfather turned his head towards the direction of the stranger’s voice with a puzzled expression.

I stood in front of him and asked.

“What’s going on that you’re trying to take my grandfather away so suddenly?”

“This is not a matter for a child to interfere with.”

I was 10 years old at the time. Looking back now, I was undoubtedly young, but it was a time when I would get upset whenever I was treated like a child.

“I’m not a child, but an apprentice pharmacist and the owner of this place. So explain to me. Why are you suddenly barging in and trying to take my grandfather away?”

“There’s a patient. A very important person.”

At the old man’s words, I widened my eyes. I might not be intimidating at all, being a small child barely reaching his waist, but trying my best to look fierce and speaking in the most nonchalant tone I could manage, I said,

“If they’re such an important person, you should be looking for a healer, not a pharmacist.”

I prided myself on the fact that my grandfather could perform better medical skills than most healers.

In the Kingdom of Monferana, the distinction between pharmacists and healers wasn’t very important, but in the Kalovanian Empire, being a healer was a profession only nobles could choose, and perhaps because of that, healers were held in higher regard.

If it was an important person, it meant they were at least a noble, and nobles don’t receive treatment from lowly pharmacists.

They believe that receiving treatment from healers of noble birth doesn’t tarnish their noble reputation. Of course, there are cases where nobles who are too poor to maintain their dignity seek out pharmacists, but these are few and far between.

So his behavior of suddenly seeking out a foreign-born blind pharmacist while claiming there was an important patient was extremely suspicious.

“There are no healers who know the exact name of the disease. I heard that the pharmacist here has experience traveling through various countries. If by chance you can cure… His… I mean, that person’s illness, a great reward will be given.”

“Then I’ll go too.”

“There’s no time for this.”

He said, pushing my shoulder aside as if annoyed with arguing with me.

I planted my feet firmly, trying not to be pushed back by his larger frame. I felt anxious that if I let my grandfather go alone with him now, I might never see him again.

“My grandfather can’t see.”

“…I know.”

He answered after a beat.

Why did he come all the way here knowing that my grandfather was blind?

He hurriedly corrected himself to say ‘that person’, but he clearly said ‘Your Highness’. There weren’t many people in the Kalovanian Empire who were called ‘Your Highness’.

Suddenly, I became curious. Those healers who couldn’t figure out the exact name of that person’s illness… are they still alive now?

“Then all the more reason I should go with you. If you need a pharmacist to treat that person, not a blind old man.”

My grandfather, who would normally express his disappointment at the phrase ‘blind old man’ and scold me, said nothing. He seemed to sense that the situation was unusual.

I don’t know what misfortune has befallen that esteemed person, but I had this thought. Maybe they were looking for someone who could keep this matter secret, or rather, someone who could be made to keep it secret.

A blind pharmacist. Moreover, a foreigner who had just arrived from another country. Were they looking for people who would be easy to dispose of after the job was done…?

“Grandfather needs me when he’s examining patients. I act as his eyes. So if you really intend to treat that person, you must take me with you.”

The elderly gentleman nodded reluctantly.

“Hmm… It can’t be helped. Alright. Let’s depart quickly.”