Chapter 40
“You’re going, miss? Are you serious?”
Arno stopped mid-way through cracking an egg. Alice quickly held up the pan to catch the falling yolk as she answered.
“Yes. I’ll be the one going down to the sea.”
“But why?”
“Someone has to go, right? And I trust the professor’s antidote.”
“Well, yes, but… you?”
“Arno. I’m already exhausted from convincing the professor this morning. I don’t want to repeat the same conversation.”
“…”
Arno mumbled his unfinished questions but quietly took back the pan. While the eggs and bread were cooking, he kept glancing at Alice but managed to hold back unnecessary questions.
Instead, he brought up practical matters.
“What supplies will you need? You’re not really planning to go tied with rope, are you?”
“I’m thinking of taking a whistle. I’ll blow it three hours after entering. Since the medicine’s effect lasts 3-4 hours, if I haven’t returned and there’s no whistle signal, come get me.”
“That’s not exactly something you can use in immediate danger.”
“Can’t be helped. We don’t even know what we’re dealing with.”
“…Hah. Ah, damn it!”
Arno started to say something irritably but held back, and instead pulled out something more practical.
It was a pocket knife.
About a hand-span in length. The blade had an irregular saw-like pattern.
“Take this. Just because I came back unharmed doesn’t guarantee you’ll be safe too.”
“…”
“If things get dangerous, just swing it around. Though it won’t cause fatal wounds, the blade’s messy shape makes it look like blood’s gushing out. Perfect for dealing with loowlifes.”
“Thank you, Arno.”
She probably wouldn’t need to use it. Even Arno, who was used to fighting, had returned that day without putting up any resistance. Perhaps non-resistance might be safer.
Still, instead of arguing, Alice accepted the pocket knife, worn smooth from handling.
Nathan, who came down just as the food was ready, seemed to understand what had transpired between them just from Arno’s expression.
“Why are you glaring at me? Wasn’t this the conclusion you were waiting for?”
“You’re really sensitive, huh? Just because I sighed a little, now you think I’m glaring at you? Must be nice, living a life where you only see the good in things-“
A bang shook the table.
Alice had slammed the handle of her newly received pocket knife on the table.
“I’m the one who decided to go down, so why are you two being hostile?”
“Miss…”
“It’s not such a grand decision. If I’m going to die either way, I’d at least like to see with my own eyes what kind of hell I’m trapped in.”
Alice deliberately emphasized the word ‘hell’.
Surely the things that make up this land couldn’t be anything decent… As if trying to convince herself once more.
Arno sighed.
“Fine. Well, I’m not brave enough to switch places with you anyway, so I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“However, if I can’t return with proper clues, I want you both to investigate Doctor Esha’s cabin next.”
“Hmm… I’ve been there twice since your difficult visit last time.”
“Twice? You never mentioned that!”
“Nothing came of it, so there was nothing to say. The second time, I aimed for the storage room while Doctor Esha was out, but Fiore happened to pass by and struck up a conversation, making me miss my timing.”
“Oh? What about the first time?”
Arno smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile, but rather one that suggested he wanted to share his misfortune with others.
“Things were fine until we first introduced ourselves. But when I reached out for a handshake, Doctor Esha threw me out, yelling at me not to come near, calling me a male bastard.”
“Ah…”
“He was so agitated, if anyone had seen it, they might have thought I’d slapped him with my thing.”
Alice remembered Doctor Esha’s behavior, which had been overshadowed by the storage room’s presence. That person had told Alice not to approach carelessly because they were in a lonely period.
‘If she sees new males as potential mates… was it mating season?’
“The distinction is clear. When he first met me, he said they were in a lonely period so I shouldn’t approach carelessly.”
“Huh? That was the day they threatened to rip your guts out if you loitered around too much, right? So she went from being polite to having a knife at your throat? Quite an interesting character.”
Nathan shook his head.
“He’s just a consistent maniac! I won’t go near that bastard. Hell, I won’t even keep him in my line of sight. If I so much as talk to someone who dares to call themselves a doctor, my brain might get contaminated!”
“Then, Professor, please handle the clinic while I’m gone.”
“…Huh?”
“If a resident visits while I’m away and doesn’t want to leave empty-handed, they might go looking for me and discover I’ve gone to the sea.”
“Wait, Alice.”
Having his opinion – at least, what Nathan considered an opinion – ignored, and even receiving what was essentially an order disguised as a request, was unfamiliar territory for Nathan.
But Alice continued speaking, ignoring Nathan’s bewilderment.
“You’re the only one I can ask, Professor. The residents might be confused at first without me, but when they realize there’s someone who can treat them much faster and more accurately than I can, their complaints will quickly subside.”
“…”
“I’ll take out the charts in advance. Since you’ll be concerned about infection risks and might find physical examinations difficult, just sitting there should be enough-“
“Enough. I’m not so stupid that I can’t do anything without a rookie’s charts.”
“Oh, so you’ll actually see patients?”
“Yes. If you’re going down there, I should at least do this much.”
“I understand.”
Alice almost expressed her gratitude but managed to hold back.
Hadn’t she spent enough time in university catering to his petty desires?
Arno didn’t seem 100% satisfied with this modest division of roles. Still, they’d succeeded in getting this prince-like man to willingly sit in the clinic – perhaps someday they could persuade him to take on other tasks too.
A glance passed between Arno and Alice. A meaningless look, significant only in that it was exchanged between the two of them while ignoring Nathan.
The prepared medicine was enough for exactly three doses.
There would be few chances to check for side effects before the actual day. Alice decided to attribute any misfortune that befell her in the next week to the medicine’s side effects.
A few days after completing two test doses, on the actual departure day.
Alice drank the antidote at the clinic’s entrance.
The initial taste was slippery, leaving a bitter aftertaste that stuck to her mouth. She couldn’t even drink water for the next few hours for fear of diluting the medicine’s effect.
As Alice spat out green saliva, Nathan spoke:
“You’ve got everything? Whistle, pocket knife, writing materials, small pouch?”
“Yes. Professor, you’ve checked the charts?”
“Yes.”
“There shouldn’t be many visiting patients. Most find even my house calls bothersome.”
“Don’t worry about that, just return safely. …And in the very unlikely case…”
Lowering his voice, Nathan made an unexpected request.
“About those herbs that were in Arno’s stomach. If possible, could you bring back even a handful?”
“What? Well… I’m not sure if I’ll have the chance, and I don’t even know what they look like.”
“They look like this.”
As if he’d been waiting, Nathan handed over a note with drawings.
“The left shows the fresh herb, the right shows how it looks when dried. Either form is fine, just bring some back.”
“How did you figure all this out just from what came from his stomach?”
“That’s what a PhD is for.”
Though slightly puzzled, Alice tucked the note into her bag and left the clinic.
Behind her, Nathan called out belatedly, as if cramming in a final word:
“Come back safely!”
‘Thank you for your warm concern, Professor.’
Early morning. Every step on the dew-wet ground made squelching sounds. It felt like stepping on toad backs. Hardly what you’d call a hopeful departure.
What would lie at the end of these footsteps?
Would the rough sea that supposedly devoured large cargo ships and rescue vessels harbor something even more hideous than its waves?
For a brief moment, she thought of Fiore, who could travel to and from the shore alone, but that image was quickly swept away by the wind.
‘I won’t run into him.’
To prevent any unnecessary confrontations, Arno had agreed to keep Fiore occupied today.
