Chapter 1 Days Of Enduring Bullying From Fiancé
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"Hey, Leaf! Where are you, Leaf?"
One morning, while I was mixing potions in the workshop, my fiancé [Dokuonna] called out to me from behind.
She was petite and insecure about her flat chest.
"My meal isn't ready yet?! "
"It's ready... don't get mad over such things..."
"What!? You want to talk back to me!? Leaf, do you even know whose house you're living in!?"
Dokuonna approached me and kicked my waist.
I fell down, my face plunging into the mud-covered herbs nearby.
"You're here in my granddaddy's workshop, [Asclepius] the medicine master. I'm his granddaughter! Who's important now, huh? Huh!?"
"...Well, nobody's really important or anything like that."
"Noisy! Since granddaddy passed away, this workshop is mine! I let you live in this house, so you should act a bit more grateful!"
Well, yeah, that's how it is.
I'm Leaf Chemist, 18 years old.
I was an orphan, but I was taken in by Dokuonna's grandfather, Master Asclepius.
After that, I lived with him and learned from him.
In his later years, her grandfather asked me to take care of this workshop and his granddaughter, Dokuonna.
To repay my debt to him, I work here as an apothecary while taking care of Dokuonna. But...
"Come on, hurry up and get dinner ready!"
"...Heat it up yourself."
"I can't use the magic tools! I don't even understand that, you lazy bum! Hurry up and wash your face! You smell dirty and herbal!"
With that, Dokuonna left the room.
Without realizing it, I let out a sigh.
"Master... you were such a noble person, so why did your granddaughter Dokuonna turn out like this?"
Dokuonna's mother, who was Master Asclepius's daughter, had passed away along with her husband.
They were both eaten by monsters when they attacked the village.
Feeling sorry for the granddaughter left behind, Master spoiled her.
And that's how she grew up to be such a terrible person.
It's not Master's fault.
"Sigh..."
I left the workshop and stretched.
There, the scenery of a rural area with almost nothing around stretched out before me.
Here's "Dead End" village.
Even though it has a dangerous-sounding name, it's actually a village located at the farthest edge of the kingdom.
Some people call it a remote or demonic place.
"It's a nice day today... although the future seems dark..."
I was taken in by Master in this village, raised here, and have been living here ever since.
I'm not dissatisfied with country life.
"Leaf-chan..."
"Granny Merlin, what's up?"
An old lady, leaning on a cane, approaches me.
She lands silently and slowly approaches with her cane.
"Sorry to bother you so early... my back is hurting again..."
"I see, the usual pain, right? Got it, I'll make it right away."
"I'm always sorry for this..."
"It's okay. Just wait a bit."
I was told to make food by Dokuonna, but Granny's pain takes priority.
Granny suffers from terrible back pain.
I can tell she's enduring a lot of pain right now.
Who should I prioritize: the patient in pain or my hungry fiancé?
...Depending on the time and situation, I prioritize patients.
I mean, her breakfast is already prepared, you know!
I've taught her how to use the warming magic tools, but she still can't use them because she doesn't bother to learn.
I return to the workshop and prepare the medicine.
I approach the workbench and place the necessary herbs on the table.
"[Prescription: Painkiller]"
At that moment, the herbs break apart and turn into powder.
It's one of my skills as a pharmacist.
Pharmacist.
Literally, it's a job that makes medicine. In this world, people receive special powers called "jobs" from the Goddess.
For example, if you have the job of a swordsman, you can easily swing a sword, and if you're a magician, you can use magic without studying it.
The specialty of the pharmacist job is literally prescribing medicine.
However, since that's all they can do, many people treat it as a secondary job.
But I trained under Master Asclepius and honed my skills in potion-making, resulting in...
"[Prescription: Poultice]. And, [Prescription: Stomach Medicine]."
I became able to create any medicine existing in this world.
Well, compared to my master, I still have a long way to go.
Once I finish making the medicine, I put it in a paper bag and head towards Granny's place.
"Granny Merlin, sorry to keep you waiting. Here, as usual."
"Oh, Leaf-chan, thank you so much..."
Granny bows her head repeatedly. It's okay, even if her back hurts.
"I also included Old Man Arthur's stomach medicine."
"Oh, Leaf-chan, you're really thoughtful... Leaf-chan, you're an indispensable pharmacist in this Dead End Village. Since many retired elderly live here."
Both Granny Merlin and Old Man Arthur seem to have been remarkable people in the past.
Or rather, everyone living in this village seems to have been active and successful in the past but ended up tired and settling in this place.
Yeah. In this village, there are more elderly people than elsewhere.
That's why having pharmacists to manage their health is important.
"But... Leaf-chan, it's okay, even if you leave the village."
"Does that mean... you don't need me?"
If that's the case, it's sad...
But Granny smiles and shakes her head.
"No, Leaf-chan, you're needed. But you should be appreciated more. It's a waste for a pharmacist like you to spend your whole life in this remote, deserted village."
...Appreciation, huh.
Indeed, besides Granny and Old Man, nobody really appreciates me around here.
Dokuonna has never praised me once.
I've never been appreciated by anyone outside the village... now that I think about it.
"So, Leaf-chan, if an opportunity to leave comes, grab it without hesitation."
"Thanks... but, what about Granny and Old Man then?"
"We'll figure something out. We also have connections from the past. Of course, it would be better if Leaf-chan stayed with us forever, but more than that, we all wish for Leaf-chan's happiness."
"Granny Merlin..."
Outside the village, huh?
I do want to go see it.
But, I have this apothecary left by my master, and I also have Dokuonna who he entrusted to me.
"Thank you... but I can't leave the village."
"Leaf-chan..."
And then,
"Hey, Leaaaf!!! How long are you going to keep me waiting, you slacker!"
Coming out of the hut was my fiancée, Dokuonna.
She looked really mad as she approached me.
"Sorry, but I have a customer..."
"Whaaaat? A customer? Come on, old hag! Do you even know what time it is? Come when the shop is open! You old fool!"
Dokuonna scolded Granny Merlin.
I felt bad. How could she act so rude to a regular customer of our medicine shop?
And the way she treated Granny Merlin, who cares about me so much... What's up with that attitude?
"Hey Dokuonna. It can't be helped, her back hurts."
"Shut it! It's your fault for being so soft! You run your business so leniently, that's why those old geezers walk all over you!"
Old geezers, huh...?
They're important customers who frequent our apothecary...
"Hey, what's with that tone..."
"It's okay, Leaf-chan. Sorry, it's so early in the morning."
"I don't give a damn, you old hag! Next time, come during business hours! Come on, Leaf! Hurry up and make breakfast!"
Saying that, she heads back to the hut.
Seriously, what a woman...
"Sorry, Granny..."
"It's okay... I never imagined that Asclepius-sama's granddaughter would grow up to be like that..."
The elderly people in this village have respect for my master.
It's because he had been managing the village's health all alone until the end.
"Because she's Asclepius-sama's granddaughter, I've been enduring it, but... I think we've reached our limit soon. If Leaf-chan weren't here..."
"...Sorry."
"You don't need to apologize. Well then, Leaf-chan."
With that, Granny flew home on her cane.
Sigh... I'm so tired. Mostly because of Dokuonna.
"Will these days... continue like this forever?"
Days of being treated like servants by Dokuonna.
How long can I endure this?
If it weren't for the elderly people, I feel like I would have collapsed from stress long ago.
"It can't be helped... huh..."
...But such days didn't last long.
* * *
"Leaf. Sorry, but I... I'm going to marry someone else."
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