It was a quiet afternoon after the lecture had ended.
In a corner of the royal palace’s library, I silently turned the pages of a book.
Today’s lecture was on magic, and I could have gone to the training grounds afterward. But for some reason, I didn’t feel like it, so I decided to read in the library instead.
Among the countless books, the one I chose was a herbal dictionary. This book contains detailed illustrations of medicinal herbs, as well as information on their effects and uses.
I’ve read it once before, but rereading it often brings new discoveries, which I find fascinating. As I casually skimmed through the pages, something suddenly caught my attention. In the descriptions of the herbs, their main places of origin were listed, and among them, there was a place name I kept seeing over and over.
Out of curiosity, I flipped back through the pages and noticed that this place was listed as the origin for many of the herbs. Not only for herbs used in potions to restore HP or MP, but also for those used to cure various status ailments, this seemed to be their main source. I thought to myself, “This must be a major hub for medicinal herbs,” and then I remembered that this place had come up in a recent conversation. Yes, it was the region people had been talking about, where the supply of medicinal herbs had reportedly been decreasing.
As expected of a place renowned as a major producer of medicinal herbs, it seemed that a wide variety of herbs could be harvested there. I don’t know the exact reason why the supply has been decreasing, but given the sheer number of herb types grown in this area, the impact of this issue might be quite widespread. After all, even ordinary citizens sometimes use potions to cure status ailments.
Once I start thinking about something, I can’t help but get curious, maybe it’s just my personality.
I decided to look into this region a bit more, but just then, I heard a sound from the entrance of the library.
With a creak, the door opened, and a head of brown hair peeked in.
“Oh, Sei-san.”
“Hello.”
The person who entered was Aira Misono, a girl who was summoned to this world along with me.
She’s supposed to graduate in about a month, but for now, she’s still attending the Royal Academy.
At this time of day, she should be in class at the academy, so why did she come to the library?
“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“No, I didn’t have any classes today, so I went to the Court Mage Corps instead.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And then, I wanted to look something up.”
According to Aira, students scheduled to graduate this year no longer have regular classes and are free to attend the academy at their discretion. Some students who didn’t perform well are currently taking intensive remedial lessons. In that regard, it’s quite similar to high schools in Japan. Meanwhile, Aira is an outstanding student and has already secured a position in the Court Mage Corps after graduation. She explained that she spends her days without classes at the Court Mage Corps because studying there helps her improve her skills more effectively than attending remedial lessons.
Aira has an aptitude for not only holy magic but also water and wind magic. However, until recently, she had only been leveling up her holy magic. Since she started training with the Court Mage Corps, she has been working on her other magic attributes as well, and her skills have been improving rapidly. People with aptitude for multiple types of magic are extremely rare, so there are high expectations that once she raises her levels, she’ll become one of the top mages in the Court Mage Corps.
Her studies at the Court Mage Corps seem to consist of lectures and training, just like mine. She mentioned that there was a part of today’s lecture she found difficult to understand, so she came to the library to do some research. While the Court Mage Corps has many texts on magic, they’re often highly specialized and difficult to comprehend. I’ve come to the library to research magic myself before, so I can relate.
“Are you looking something up too, Sei-san?”
“Yes, about medicinal herbs. Oh, and if possible, I’d appreciate it if you could keep my being here a secret.”
“Ah… I understand.”
At my words, Aira gave a wry smile. She probably guessed why I wanted to keep my presence here a secret.
Lately, about a third of the magic lecture time has been dominated by a certain topic. That topic, of course, is the 【Saintess】 technique I used. You know, the one that instantly obliterated the miasma swamp and monsters in the Western Forest.
Since returning to the royal palace from the Western Forest, I haven’t been able to activate the 【Saintess】 technique again. If I don’t know the activation conditions, there’s not much I can do about it, I suppose. The Magic Corps Commander was there and witnessed it up close, but even though he could track the flow of magical energy, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact conditions for activation. And he was extremely frustrated about that.
Yes, that’s right. The Magic Corps Commander’s research spirit was ignited. True to the rumors of being a magic fanatic, the Magic Corps Commander began researching how to activate that spell during magic lecture time. He’s been observing me closely while I use magic and conducting all sorts of experiments with great enthusiasm. If it weren’t for the bespectacled intellectual trying to stop him, I’m pretty sure all of lecture time would have been dedicated to his research. Thanks to that intervention, only about a third of the lecture time is sacrificed for now.
The reason I asked Aira to keep quiet is that I didn’t want the Corps Commander to know about this. If he found out I was reading a book on herbs in the library right now, there’s no doubt he’d drag me into more research. Absolutely no doubt. I’m sure every mage in the Court Mage Corps would nod in agreement on this point, absolutely no doubt.
I’m interested in the 【Saintess】 technique myself. After all, it can enhance medicinal herbs. But honestly, spending so much time on something I can’t do has started to wear me down mentally. That’s probably why I didn’t feel like going to the training grounds after the lecture. So today, I decided to do something I enjoy as a way to refresh myself.
“I thought medicinal herbs were unique plants to this world, but that doesn’t seem to be the case,” Aira said.
“That’s right. Plants that were called herbs back in our world are generally treated as medicinal herbs here,” I replied.
Peeking at the book I was reading from the side, Aira spoke with a somewhat nostalgic tone. The page I had open happened to feature a herb that was familiar in Japan as well. From there, Aira and I chatted about herbs for a while until the library door opened again with a sound. We both turned toward the entrance and saw Liz standing there.
“Greetings, Sei, Aira.”
“It’s been a while.”
“Hello.”
It felt like it had been quite some time since I last saw Liz here. Despite everything that happened with the First Prince, Liz is still receiving education at the palace to become the future queen. Unlike the First Prince or Aira, Liz has another year before graduation, so she still has to attend the academy. Because of that, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say her days are entirely occupied with commuting between the academy and the palace. She’s incredibly busy.
And since I started attending lectures myself, I’ve been quite busy too. It’s no surprise that the chances of us running into each other by coincidence have decreased.
“You’re reading a book on medicinal herbs again today, aren’t you?” Liz said with a smile as she peeked at the book in my hands, just like Aira had. Now that she mentioned it, I realized that every time I’ve met Liz, I’ve been reading something related to potion-making.
“It’s a good way to refresh myself.”
“Even though it’s a book related to your work?”
“It started as a hobby. I used to enjoy doing various things with oils extracted from herbs.”
“Aromatherapy?”
“Exactly.”
“What is aromatherapy?”
“Well, aromatherapy is…”
Since Liz tilted her head at the unfamiliar term, Aira and I explained it to her together, stumbling over our words a bit. As we talked, the conversation naturally shifted to the recent shortage of medicinal herbs.
“We’ve been talking for quite a while. Are you okay with the time, Sei?”
“I’m fine. Researching herbs is part of my job, after all. Besides, even if I return to the institute, I can’t make potions right now.”
“Really?”
“Recently, it’s become hard to get herbs, so the director finally issued a ban on potion production.”
“Come to think of it, I heard something similar. Because of that, the price of herbs has skyrocketed.”
“Do you know about Klausner Territory? It’s apparently famous as a producer of medicinal herbs.”
“I do. That territory is not only renowned for its herb production but also as a sacred place for pharmacists.”
“A sacred place for pharmacists?”
Klausner Territory is the name of the region where herb production has decreased, leading to the potion production ban I mentioned. I thought Liz, who is receiving education to become queen, might know more about the regions of this country, so I asked her. As expected, she did. When I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term “sacred place for pharmacists,” Liz and Aira explained it to me together. Aira said she learned about it in her academy classes.
According to them, Klausner Territory is not only known for its high herb production but also for the wide variety of herbs it produces. Even rare herbs that can’t be found in other territories grow there in small quantities, which has led to the development of many different potions over time. The variety is so vast that there are even potions not recorded in any texts. A prime example would be secret potions passed down through generations in certain pharmacist families. Many pharmacists have visited Klausner Territory seeking the recipes for these secret potions, and over time, people began calling it the sacred place for pharmacists.
“Wow, so many different kinds of potions.”
“Yes. I’ve never seen them myself, but my father has. He said he not only saw the potions but also witnessed them being used right in front of him. Apparently, even members of our family were test subjects, and he assured me the effects were genuine.”
“That’s amazing.”
Hearing about all these different potions got me excited. Among these secret potions, there might even be ones that surpass advanced-level potions. I wonder if there’s any way I could learn their recipes. Even after parting ways with Liz and Aira, I couldn’t get the thought out of my head.