Let's Go Do Some Good

"Your skin is all shiny and smooth now!"

"I would have preferred a gentler touch."

Listening to Elza's cheerful voice, I stepped out of the bath.

My back and arms stung from how vigorously she'd scrubbed me with the towel.

Clean, sure, but it had been all brute force. If I was going to let someone do it, they could at least make it pleasant.

I dried off with the fresh towel that had been laid out.

"Then please let me do it again next time. Besides, I was in a rush today, so I'll take my time and be much more gentle."

With that, Elza roughly toweled the water out of my hair.

Having someone do my hair like this… it had been since I was a child.

Strangely, it didn't feel unpleasant.

Maybe because it was Elza.

But telling her that would only go to her head, so I kept it to myself.

"There we go. Looking handsome."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Grooming was fundamental to commerce.

Last time I'd met with Jacob, I'd been in such a rush that I'd let my appearance slip. I couldn't afford to show up like that again.

While I'd been in the bath, the laundry had been finished as well.

She must have used a magic tool. Everything was already dry.

I dressed and adjusted my appearance in front of the mirror.

The usual Yohane stared back at me.

Given that I'd looked one step away from a zombie just a little while ago, this should do.

When I returned to the room, the bath must have reset my nose, because the cloying smell of chemicals hit me anew.

Finn was sitting on the floor, stretching.

She bent forward until her chest lay flush against the ground.

Remarkable flexibility.

No doubt it came in handy during infiltrations.

"Out of the bath, I see."

"What happened to Ramiza-san? If they ask for an explanation, I'm not the right person."

Honestly, I had no idea what she'd done or how.

I could manage a layman's explanation at best, but certainly not the kind of technical detail needed to convince them.

Finn pointed with her chin toward the corner. There sat a blanket-wrapped lump.

That, apparently, was Ramiza-san.

"She's asleep again. The more you suppress sleep, the harder the rebound hits. After staying up that long, it's no surprise."

"I see. We still have a bit of time, so let's wait."

"In that case, I'll go put on some tea. She said we could use whatever we found in the kitchen."

Elza said that and headed off.

I watched her go, then sat down in a chair and clasped my hands together.

I could feel them trembling slightly.

"Even someone as thick-skinned as you gets nervous?"

Finn plopped down in the chair next to me the moment she finished stretching and spoke up.

No fooling those eyes.

There was a faintly teasing edge to her tone.

"If this were a business negotiation, I could face it with a clear head. Like at the duke's estate."

I thought back to meeting Anatia, the duke's daughter, and then Duke Baroba himself.

I'd been nervous in a different way, but since much of the conversation had revolved around business, the words had come easily enough.

Since I'd been given that tax exemption privilege, I should pay them a visit with goods in tow as soon as winter ended.

"Your color just improved out of nowhere."

"Did it? Maybe so."

Counting coin was rooted deep in my life by now. So deep that just thinking about it brought me joy.

It had started as a way of life born from necessity, but now I could say with pride that this was who I was.

While Finn and I chatted about nothing in particular, Elza returned.

True to her word, she'd brewed a tea from boiled herbs.

In the glass pot, the liquid was jade-green and translucent.

She poured it into cups, and steam curled upward.

A refreshing fragrance filled the air.

After the cloying chemical smell, it was a welcome relief.

She added brown sugar to hers. Having unrefined sugar on hand… typical of an alchemist's household.

Refined sugar was pure white and fetched a high price, while the unrefined variety, simply pressed and dried from sugarcane, was less popular and sold for a bit less.

Sugar was, of course, valued as a sweetener, but the refined version was treated more like medicine.

Probably because consuming it restored a significant amount of stamina.

I took a sip of the herbal tea. First came heat, then bitterness and sourness, and finally a sweetness that lingered as it went down.

It tasted like it was good for you.

"Bitter…"

Finn said, adding more sugar.

She could handle poison just fine but apparently didn't care for bitterness.

Considering her age, that was hardly surprising.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Mm, delicious!"

Finn glared at me, but I looked away and played innocent.

Elza was savoring the tea she'd made with obvious delight.

Then, perhaps drawn by the smell, Ramiza-san stirred from her sleep in the corner.

Whether it was a professional habit or just a sharp nose, I wasn't sure.

"Give me some too."

"Here you go."

The jade-green liquid was poured into a cup.

Ramiza-san drained it in one gulp.

"That wakes you right up. Well done, Elza."

"Hehe, thank you."

At some point they'd gotten on a first-name basis.

Ramiza-san was older, but I supposed they found common ground.

"Ramiza-san, I'd like to head to the governor's place. I'll need you to come along to explain the medicine."

"Ah, yeah. Right. Of course. I knew it'd come to that. Fine. Normally I'd refuse outright, but this time there's no helping it. I'll go."

With that, Ramiza-san donned her robe.

That alone instantly made her look every bit the alchemist.

"Let's go. We've got a tragedy to prevent."

Finn slipped back into her disguise, and Elza rose as well.

The four of us would face Governor Jacob and convince him.

He was short on manpower right now. If I laid out the reasoning properly, he shouldn't refuse.

My left hand fiddled with the accessory in my pocket. The keepsake Ithus had given me.

I was more nervous than I'd thought.

Then Elza took my free right hand.

Her hand was soft and warm. No, my own had gone cold without me noticing.

As warmth seeped into my hand, my nerves steadied.

"Fear is nothing but an illusion. Anxiety only masks expectation. Hold your head high. We're going to do something good."

"Is that a teaching of your god?"

"It is. It's been a while since I've said it to anyone."

"Being a priestess, I suppose tending to lost lambs is your specialty."

Since I had no choice but to go through with it, there was no point in being afraid.

It wasn't as if I was going to get thrown in a jail cell again.

I took one large step forward and headed for Jacob's residence.