EPISODE 14

<Veterinarian Druid Episode 14>

[Hey!]

Tinger shouted with determination.

- What?

[Why are you leaving us behind?]

- Where?

[Come on, don't play dumb. Do you think I wouldn't find out? I just heard it from Spica.]

[Spica said it's a place she really wants to visit, a really nice place.]

When Bella followed up, I had a feeling of what they were talking about.

-Are you talking about Alberburg?

[Yeah. If you're going, shouldn't we go with you? Who's going to make us breakfast if you're not here, huh?]

-Oh, that? Don't worry. I told them to prepare breakfast for you every morning."

[What? Where did you say that? No, it won't do. My palate is so picky. I can't entrust my food to anyone else. Once they take care of a meal, it should be forever...]

While Tinger grumbled, Bella smirked and said.

[Tinger wants to go with you. Despite how he looks, he's actually quite affectionate.]

[It's not like that! I'm just worried about this clumsy guy...]

Ignoring Tinger's protests, Bella and I continued the conversation.

-Why does Spica want to go there?

When she heard that I was going to Alberburg to take an exam, Spica said she wanted to come along.

Roykan also said flying with me, Spica, and even Seigen is no big deal.

[There's a high mountain near the Healing Tower. It's called Dashta Mountain, and a lot of Cohordes live there.]

-Oh, so that's why she wanted to go. She wants to see her kin.

[Seems like it.]

"Well, that's good. But can you guys really go that far? This place is our home."

[Hmm, I know that. I'll sacrifice myself for you. Who else will protect you if not me, huh?]

Tinger's sparkling eyes were adorable as his body wholeheartedly said, "Please take me with you."

-...Alright, thank you.

[Hehehe, that's the spirit.]

Tinger let out a satisfied laugh and flew away.

[We're going to brag to Spica about this.]

Bella flew away too.

* * *

When Shaun joined the potion research team, the development of potions gained momentum as if caught in a strong wind.

The first potion was the Mana Enhancement Potion, named "Mount Suri Potion."

It was derived from the belief that "Mount Suri is the best for mana stones."

When you consume Mount Suri's mana stone, your mana increases. At first, I thought it was absurd.

But the effects were tremendous.

"Hup!"

I swung down my wooden sword. Not with all my force, but just a light tap.

Clang!

The rock split in two with a loud noise.

"Wow! Is this for real?"

Does drinking just one potion make such a difference in strength?

I stared in awe at the rock that had split in half, just like a ripe watermelon.

"This was hit by a wooden sword."

I even checked the sword I was holding, just in case I had brought a real sword. Ever since my mana started accumulating, whether it was a wooden sword or a real sword, they both felt weightless.

It meant that my strength had increased tremendously.

But until now, I had only tested my sword at scarecrows or wooden tables, never on rocks.

And all it took was one potion.

"Well, it seems like your strength has almost doubled compared to before. But Master, you didn't use all your strength, did you?"

"No, I just swung down and this happened."

"I was right then. So you still have some strength left? Master, would you like to try striking this?"

Shaun pointed at a piece of metal.

"Cutting metal with a wooden sword, that's too much."

"It's not the wooden sword, it's your mana that's cutting it. To be more precise, it's using amplified mana."

Hmm, cutting metal with mana? That's quite something.

I firmly gripped my wooden sword.

"Hyah!"

Crash!

The piece of metal split in half and fell to the training ground.

"Wow... it worked?"

"Yes, it did."

Shaun, who had told me to try it, looked at me with his mouth wide open.

At that moment, someone entered the training ground. It was the Count's knight.

"The Count is looking for you."

"Oh, really?"

When I heard that the Count was looking for me, I headed to his office, where the alchemist was waiting for me. He was in charge of potions.

"Did you call for me?"

"Oh, yes. Marcus, the 'Mount Suri Potion' that you recently released in the market is selling well."

"That's good to hear. Even without that, Researcher Shaun is preparing something with better efficacy."

The potion I just drank was aimed at increasing magical power by 20% more than the one currently on the market.

"Hehe, is that so? Some of the top-tier pharmaceutical companies are starting to pay attention to us, even going as far as to bow to our upper management. Olif's top management is the most hostile, especially."

"They have declared that they will not provide their products to the shops that trade with us. It would be difficult to control the distribution of the Ulysses Pill, as it depends on the discretion of the healers. Do you think their pride is just regular pride?"

The alchemist explaining the situation seemed to be secretly pleased. It seemed that he had negative feelings towards Olif's upper management.

"It was a divine intervention when you told me to entrust the pills to the healers."

The Count smiled mischievously. That smile meant he was very satisfied.

At first, I thought he was just an angry and stern person, but it turned out he had never had a reason to smile.

"And take a look at this."

The Count showed me a file.

"This is the sales quantity of the Ulysses pill."

"Yes, it's an incredible sales figure considering it hasn't been long since its release. It's the first time we've had such high sales for medication among all the drugs we've released in the market."

"Well, it's natural. It's a pill that needs to be taken every day. And it's so cheap."

When the Ulysses pill was introduced, healers actively started applying it in clinical practice. There wasn't really any other effective medication for heart failure patients until now.

The fact that the medication could be prescribed through therapists captured their hearts.

And it was also cheap.

So, from nobles to commoners, from children to adults, the Ulysses Pill spread rapidly.

I was astonished when I saw the report handed to me by the Count.

"But why are so many people trusting and taking a medication that hasn't been on the market for long?"

Well, I already knew its effectiveness, so I confidently pushed forward.

And of course, Shaun believed in the effects after applying it to his son, but can people really be so enthusiastic about a medication that hasn't even completed phase 2 clinical trials, let alone phase 3?

"Oh, what are you talking about? These experimental results are more than enough, My lord."

The head supervisor clapped his hands.

Well, this place is still a region where potions are sold without listing the ingredients.

At that moment, the office door suddenly swung open, and the secretary rushed in. It was the first time I had seen the secretary in such a state.

"My lord, something terrible has happened. Someone died after taking our medication, the Ulysses pill."

What I feared had occurred.

"What did you say?"

The Count's roar shook the building.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the office changed. The Count's fierce aura overwhelmed the room, and everyone trembled under that pressure.

After what felt like an hour, but was actually only a little over two minutes of silence, the Count spoke.

"So, what's the situation now?"

"According to the newspaper, there has been one death each in the Zaihe and Shaol regions, and three deaths in the Bevola region. We have sent an investigation team there."

After the secretary finished his report, the head supervisor spoke up.

"My lord, it could be a conspiracy."

"It's possible. Find out who's behind it."

"But there's something that needs to be done beforehand."

All eyes turned to me.

"Have we ever received any reports of side effects from healers who prescribed the medication?"

"No, we haven't."

The supervisor replied.

"First, contact the healers and conduct a thorough examination of all the patients they prescribed the medication to. Of course, we'll cover the cost of the examination. And send someone to the homes of the deceased to retrieve the medication. Don't forget to offer condolences to their families."

"That's not acceptable. If we do that, won't it make us look like we're admitting our mistakes?"

"Even if that's true, it's the right thing to do. People have died. The blame comes after that."

"Hmm."

"Please issue a warrant for autopsy technicians."

"Autopsy?"

"We need to determine the cause of death."

"The Empire's Health Bureau has a department for that. It was created to investigate rare cases of poisoning that occur within the imperial family."

"Then offer sufficient compensation to the families and retrieve the bodies."

After a brief moment of contemplation, the Count made a decision.

"Buzz, gather our subordinates, and head to the homes of the deceased. And Todd, contact the Health Bureau immediately."

"Understood, my lord."

"As you command."

The knight, Buzz, immediately dashed out. Secretary Todd also followed suit, holding a communication device.

"Ugh, how did this happen!"

"If there is indeed a problem with our medicine, we will have to take responsibility. However..."

I interrupted and looked straight at the Count.

"If this is a ploy by Duke Olif, we must not let it slide. People have died."

The Count and I already suspected that this was Duke Olif's conspiracy.

"Of course. If it is revealed that this incident is Duke Olif's doing, he will have to pay the price for tarnishing the reputation of Ulysses. Absolutely!"

The Count clenched his teeth, grinding them until they almost broke.

* * *

At the Duke of Olif's residence, laughter was heard for the first time in a while.

"Hahaha, those fools are taking the bait."

The Duke laughed with delight upon seeing the advertisement on the front page of a daily newspaper.

"They claim to offer check-ups for all patients who took the Ulysses pills? I can almost hear their impending failure. How do they expect to afford the cost?"

"I've heard that people are rushing to pharmacies with pill bottles in hand. They must be growing desperate, don't you think?"

"Let's seize this opportunity and send even more people. The more people who raise concerns, the more attention the Health Bureau will pay."

"Understood."

"Any other developments?"

"I went to the house of the dead and prayed with my head touching the ground."

"Hahaha, it seems like the suffering one is gone. How refreshing, very refreshing."

Duke Olif laughed for a while, delighting in the situation.

"What kind of potion do they have?"

Because lately just hearing that name made Olif furious, his secretary hesitated to speak, but still gathered the courage to answer.

"...It's the Healing Mountain Potion."

"Really, is that all that guy's financial power? Starting tomorrow, sell the 'Mana Enhancement Potion' at half a price."

"If, if we do that, we won't even break even..."

Bang!

Before the secretary could finish speaking, Duke Olif hit the desk with his fist.

"Now is not the time to be concerned about that. We need to completely cut off their breath and show them that they can't rise again!"

"I will carry out your orders."

The situation was in Duke Olif's favor.

People flocked to the Ulysses headquarters, shouting and clamoring, and the daily newspapers were filled with stories about the Ulysses headquarters every day.

The Mana Enhancement Potions from Olif's headquarters were also selling rapidly.

Everything was going according to Duke Olif's plan.

Then one day, the Health Department contacted Duke Olif.

Recently, autopsies were conducted on patients who had died after taking the Ulysses pills, and the ingredients from the heart potion distributed by Olif's headquarters were found. They requested the attendance of relevant personnel to confirm the facts.

A few days later, the person in charge of the potion research at the Health Department entered Duke Olif's office with a deep sigh.

"...It turns out that their medicine does not contain any lethal doses. Our heart potion matches the signs..."

Bam!

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted.

Duke Olif picked up a decoration on his desk and threw it.

"How dare they! Playing with me like this."

Duke Olif's rage shook the office.

Only then did the Duke realize that it was not him who had cornered them, but rather they had willingly walked into their own trap.

But that wasn't all. Soon, the Legal Department also contacted him. It was discovered that Olif's headquarters had distributed a medicine that only healers were allowed to prescribe in their stores. It was suspected to be related to the recent accident, and they would be contacted soon with a summons.

And that day was today.

The interrogation session between Olif headquarters and Ulysses headquarters.

As the representative of Ulysses, Marcus came forward with his lawyer and meticulously refuted each accusation, tightening their necks one by one.

On Olif's side, they had gathered the best lawyer in the Empire, but their arguments fell flat.

Duke Olif had gathered the best lawyers in the empire, but their arguments fell flat. That was because the evidence presented by the Ulysses had no flaws whatsoever.

And Duke Olif watched the entire situation from the front row of the spectator's seat.

Although the verdict had not yet been announced, the outcome was obvious.

It was their complete defeat.

As soon as the Duke got on the carriage, he shouted.

"Bring me the person responsible for making that medicine right now!"

He had no intention of sparing the person who had brought him such disgrace by not being able to properly make a simple medicine. Marcus, who had mocked him in the courtroom, was no exception.

"That fool dared to underestimate me when his head wasn't even dry of blood?" Duke Olif muttered to his retainer, consumed by thoughts of revenge.

"Did he say he's going to the healing tower?"

"Yes, that's what I heard."

"Take care of him on his way there."

"Yes. I will handle it, Your Grace."