Phew, thankfully…

“However, it seems necessary to examine whether this medicine is really an energizer. Is it okay to analyze it in detail now?”

Analyzing an energizer…?

According to what he had learned before, it seemed that this one had different ingredients compared to a typical energizer.

Was it Setia leaves…? Anyway, ingredients used in magical suppressants were in it. So, he had once told Nelia that the medicine the Duke takes might not be an energizer.

“If it is confirmed to be an energizer, I will purchase it for one gold coin.”

One gold coin?!

It was a much higher amount than he had anticipated.

“I-Is it that expensive?”

“Energizers are always in high demand. If it’s from Griff, it’s worth it since it’s hard to come by, and it holds that much value.”

Dumbfounded by the extravagant price, Layton, with an open mouth like a fool, was once again asked by Crow.

“Is it okay to analyze it now?”

“Y-Yes, of course.”

Alright, let’s leave it to the analysis for now.

It could be an energizer with magical suppressant ingredients, or even if it wasn’t, Crow might not notice it.

With a faint smile that seemed visible yet not, Crow, holding the energizer, entered the room.

Left alone, Layton swept his chest at the mention of one gold coin.

‘I did well to go to see Nelia yesterday.’

Even though he couldn’t meet Nelia, didn’t he meet this expensive energizer!

Even if it was a different medicine, he expected to buy it if it was made by Griff.

Layton, suppressing his excited feelings, considered taking a look around the fortuneteller’s shop while waiting.

There were plenty of interesting things, such as a blue-glowing sword, a helmet made of gold, and many more.

As Layton absentmindedly browsed the shop, something caught in his hand and dropped with a thud.

But it was strange. Although there was a sound as if something hit the floor, there was nothing visible below.

‘What is this…?’

Layton squatted down and carefully examined the floor, but, as expected, he couldn’t see anything.

Was it because of his mood? As Layton touched the floor to stand up, at that moment, something touched his hand.

Layton lifted something unseen. The texture was soft and flexible, like fabric.

Just in case, he brought his backhand to it, and it didn’t seem like his backhand disappeared.

‘W-What is this…!’

At that moment, Crow came out of the room. Layton had to quickly sit back down.

Suppressing his surprise at the unknown object, Layton pulled the chair and sat down.

“How is it…?”

Crow’s mouth under the hood looked a bit stiffer than before.

“This medicine is not an energizer.”

A sense of defeat swept over Layton’s face.

“While it contains ingredients of an energizer, it seems to be a medicine for a different purpose.”

Darn it…!
“Unfortunately, I cannot purchase medicine whose identity is unknown.”

To Layton, it sounded like a bolt from the blue.

‘My one gold coin!’

However, he couldn’t give up like this.

“W-Well, what if I find out what kind of medicine it is?”

Layton’s words now meant that he didn’t personally buy the medicine from Griff, but Crow didn’t seem to have a problem with that.

“If it seems to be an authentic medicine from Griff, I’ll consider buying it if you find out what kind of medicine it is. Anything made by him is valuable.”

Layton quickly nodded, saying, “Yes…! I understand.”

Exiting the store, Layton frowned as he stared at the medicine bottle.

‘It really wasn’t an energizer…!’

Although Layton said he would find out what kind of medicine it was from Griff, now that he thought about it, it seemed overwhelming to actually figure it out.

He couldn’t go to Duke Hart and ask him to teach him what kind of medicine it was, saying he snatched it because he didn’t know.

‘Nelia might know…’

Since she had been working with the Duke for quite a while, she might know. However, even if he asked her, she would probably respond that she didn’t know.

Originally, Nelia wasn’t the type to talk endlessly about various things, but especially when it came to stories related to Duke Hart, she tended to stay more reserved.

When did she become such a loyal maid?

‘It won’t work.’

Even if he asked Nelia, he would probably only get sarcastic remarks about bothering with unnecessary things, so it would be better to find out for himself.

How could he find out the identity of the medicine…?

Despairing, Layton concluded that there was no way other than asking the Duke.

However, instead of asking directly, he thought he could subtly figure out the identity of the medicine by asking if there were any sore spots, or if there was a secret to having a sturdy body like the Duke.

But there was one more problem here.

How could he create a situation where he could have a conversation with the Duke about this?

‘Should I go to the mansion without any plan again?’

However, if he went like this, Nelia might chase him away even before meeting the Duke.

As Layton pondered, he remembered what the Duke’s butler had said yesterday.

“It would be nice if you could see Master ReNew when you come. It seems like you’re not in the room together with Miss Nelia.”

The butler had spoken as if ReNew was Nelia’s cousin.

Layton didn’t know what this girl Nelia, who supposedly created a non-existent cousin, was up to, but at the moment, it was very useful information for him.

Layton looked up at the sky and chuckled.

Tone approached Nelia, who was leisurely drinking coffee to conclude lunchtime.

“Miss Nelia, a letter has arrived.”

“A letter…?”
“Yes, it seems the sender is Miss Nelia’s older brother who visited Duke Hart’s residence a few days ago. The letter envelope is addressed to Layton Benedict.”

Layton?

As if she wasn’t planning to write a letter soon, asking Layton why he visited Duke Hart’s residence, he sent one first.

Nelia immediately set down the teacup she was holding and opened the letter.

As Nelia read the letter, her expression gradually stiffened. Duke Hart, who was sipping coffee and casually looking at Nelia, asked,

“What’s in the letter, Nelia?”

Nelia, with a tense jaw, answered,

“Layton… He wants to come and visit Duke Hart’s residence.”