"Uncle Johann, how's the situation?"
Sir Enzo sounded anxious. So much time had passed, and the master still hadn't found a cure.
Hearing this, Master Johann put down the potion he had been working on and sighed. "For now, there's still nothing I can do. You should try inviting other apothecaries to take a look."
Other apothecaries… Sir Enzo's face turned pale. Master Johann was the most renowned apothecary in all of Aspiration City.
"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Johann. We've prepared a guest room—please take a rest there for now," said Phyllis calmly, her expression unreadable.
After a servant led Master Johann away, Sir Enzo turned to his sister and asked quietly, "Sister, what do we do now?"
"Wait."
Phyllis gave only that one word.
Just then, a knight entered the room, followed by two people dressed as apothecaries.
"Uncle Olai, you finally came!" Phyllis greeted warmly, then looked past him and smiled. "Apothecary Link, we meet again."
Seeing the girl in the purple dress before him, Link blushed slightly and quickly greeted, "Miss Phyllis, hello."
'Whew, no wonder she's called the Flower of Aspiration City…' Link swallowed hard and followed his teacher into the room.
Once inside, they immediately saw the Luxray lying on the ground, still afflicted by poison. There were also traces of potion work around.
"Master Johann has already been here," Phyllis explained.
Master Johann couldn't even cure the poison? Link's expression grew more serious. Though the old master was greedy, his skill was unquestionably among the best in the city.
Master Olai nodded and knelt beside Luxray to examine its condition.
Seeing this, Sir Enzo quietly shuffled to his sister's side and gave her a thumbs-up.
He had previously mentioned that apothecaries tended to be eccentric—Master Johann was greedy, but Master Olai was notoriously difficult to invite. The stubborn old man was only passionate about potion research.
Phyllis nodded calmly, though she sighed inwardly: 'Another favor our father left behind… spent.'
Taking a deep breath, Phyllis walked over to Link and asked in a soft voice, "How is it?"
"It's… complicated."
"The Luxray appears to be poisoned, but at the same time, it's not quite the same as a typical poisoning."
Link chose his words carefully. They had already analyzed the creature's blood, and the results had been strange.
"It's not poisoned?" Enzo leaned over, puzzled.
Link gave him a side glance. "It's not an ordinary poison—it's even more dangerous."
Upon hearing that, Enzo slumped again, his gaze filled with worry as he looked at Luxray.
His heart was full of regret. If he had known this would happen, he never would have gone to that farm to steal the Petilil.
But now it was too late to speak up. If he revealed what he'd done, they would be finished.
The incident would disgrace their viscount family, and if word got out to their rivals, they'd surely take the opportunity to strike. It wasn't a huge scandal, but it wasn't a minor one either.
As the minutes dragged on in torment, Sir Enzo felt like time was moving unbearably slow. He desperately hoped the apothecaries could cure Luxray, as if that would make everything go away.
But the response he received next dashed that hope—
Even Master Olai was unable to fully neutralize the poison.
However, Olai's stubborn side had kicked in. Instead of giving up, his eyes sparkled with excitement as if he'd discovered an interesting new toy.
But this was the opposite of what Phyllis and Enzo wanted to see. While Luxray's condition had slightly improved, if it went on like this, the situation would become dangerous.
"Apothecary Harlan! I also know Apothecary Harlan!" Enzo muttered to himself before sprinting out the door.
Now, he was willing to invite every apothecary in the city if that's what it took to save Luxray.
But when he arrived at Harlan's home, he found the man was not there. The door was covered in dust, showing it hadn't been opened in a long time.
Enzo's face fell. He had a sinking feeling, though he couldn't explain why.
"Master Olai, Apothecary Link… any new findings?" Enzo asked urgently after returning.
"It's very troublesome," Link replied in a professional tone. "This toxin appears to be a mutated compound made by combining several different poisons."
"A mutated toxin… is there really no way to cure it?" Enzo looked devastated.
Even Phyllis, who was usually composed, could no longer hide the tension on her face. Her expression turned grim.
They had already brought in the two best apothecaries in Aspiration City, yet neither of them could neutralize Luxray's poison.
At this point, even if they tried inviting more apothecaries, it was doubtful anyone else could do better.
No one could cure it—this poison, it seemed, was beyond anyone's ability to heal!
"I do know an apothecary who might be able to help."
Just then, Link stepped forward and said to the siblings.
"Who is it?" Enzo asked instantly, clinging to hope like a drowning man to a rope.
"His name is Aven—he's a friend of mine."
Apothecary Aven… Enzo looked puzzled. He'd never heard of this name before.
Then Link added, "Baron Ruize was in a coma, and it was Aven who made the potion that brought him back."
At that, both Enzo and Phyllis were stunned. They had vaguely heard of the situation with Baron Ruize, where all the city's apothecaries had been summoned.
But for some reason, the lord had issued a gag order afterward. Though they had tried to investigate, they never found out anything useful.
Now it seemed the one who saved the baron wasn't Master Johann, nor Master Olai—but this unknown apothecary named Aven?
"Where is he? I'll go get him right now!" Enzo blurted out, as if he'd found a lifeline.
"He lives outside the city at Mike's Farm. Just follow the stone path north from the North District and you'll reach it…" Link explained.
What he didn't notice was that as he gave the address, Sir Enzo's face grew paler and paler—until it was completely drained of color.
(End of Chapter)