“Well well, my dear friend, you’re amazing! To go on a date with the hard-to-please Aigis-sama! What kind of magic did you use?”

“Fufu, Weiss-sama is a wonderful person, after all. It’s only natural. But I’m a bit jealous, you know.”

After Nyarl said that in surprise, Rosalia spoke proudly, then pouted her lips with a slightly dissatisfied expression. ++What on earth is going on?++

++I feel bad for them, but right now I have a mountain of things to do, and my head is full. The disease that Aigis’ mother is suffering from is a plague spread by the Hades cult, and it is a disease that will attack the protagonist’s territory in the future.++

++I didn’t expect there to be people affected by the disease so early on… It seems they may have been using it as a tool to gain favor with powerful people. It’s a disease they developed themselves. They must know how to cure it. The protagonist actually defeated a leader of the Hades cult and obtained the cure… and of course, having played the game, I know the cure.++

“Hey, Rosalia… Is there any way we can get our hands on some Mandrake root? I need it urgently.”

“Mandrake root… If we ask the Adventurer’s Guild, we should be able to get some after a while, but… It’s a rare material, so there’s no telling when we’ll get it.”

“Yeah… you’re right…”

I groaned along with Rosalia’s troubled expression. ++The protagonist and his friends managed to get it during an event, but it won’t be that easy for me. If I don’t get it quickly… If the Hades cult provides the cure first, Reinhardt-sama won’t be able to oppose them. He’ll be exploited and discarded, and Aigis will fall into darkness.++

“Eh? If you need Mandrake root, I have some at my place.”

“What? Why in the world…”

“I told you, didn’t I? My family deals with medicinal herbs, and we also collect rare plants… so…”

“Please, Nyarl! Sell it to me!!”

Overcome with excitement, I grabbed his hand and pleaded. He widened his eyes in surprise and let out a slightly dashing laugh.

“Anything for my dear friend. Of course, it’s fine. But I have one condition. Let me join in on what you’re doing. I’m done being left out in the cold.”

And so, I ended up explaining to Nyarl that I needed it to cure an acquaintance’s illness.

“I never thought I’d get my hands on some Mandrake root so easily…”

“Hmph, you should be grateful, my dear friend! Thanks to Nyarl, your plan has progressed quickly!”

“Oh, you’re not just a dashing advice-giving character, are you?”

“Hmm? I don’t quite understand what you mean by ‘advice-giving character,’ but I understand that you’re not praising me, my dear friend.”

◇ ◇ ◇

A few days later, I invited Nyarl, who had brought what I requested, to my office. Just as he said, he proudly displayed the Mandrake root, which was supposed to be a rare item.

The root, which resembled the face of a person with an expression of agony, certainly looked like it had some magical power, and it was creepy.

“So… what are you going to do with this, my dear friend? Mandrake root has life-giving properties, but it’s also very poisonous. If you handle it with half-baked knowledge, it could become a deadly poison.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’m going to purify the poison with the Sacred Spring and mix it with a potion. That way, the poisonous components will be reversed.”

“I see… but isn’t the Sacred Spring a pure spring that is frequented by divine spirits and divine beasts? It is monopolized by the nobles of the royal capital and some of the potion guilds, and should be managed by the church. I don’t think it would be that easy to find a new location, though…”

Nyarl frowned in surprise at what I said. ++Yes… the Spirit Spring is just as he said, a valuable thing. Most of them are under someone’s control, and you can’t use them unless you pay a lot of money or have a lot of power.++

++But I have the game’s knowledge. In fact, there is an untouched spring of divine spirits in my territory. Moreover, the monsters there aren’t that strong, and I know what kind of monsters appear. With Rosalia there, I should be able to protect someone like me.++

++It might seem convenient, but it’s originally meant for the protagonist. It makes sense that it’s placed in a useful location. So, I’ll use it.++

“Fufu, that look on your face tells me you have something in mind. So, when are we going? I have to prepare, you know. It’s troubling if you don’t tell me soon.”

“Huh? You’re coming too?”

“What are you talking about…? I told you, didn’t I? Let me in on this in exchange for the Mandrake root. Besides… I hate it that I can’t do anything while you’re in a pinch…”

“Nyarl…”

His words made me tear up a little. ++Ah, there were others besides Rosalia and the Kaiser who cared about Weiss… Nyarl’s fighting ability may not be that high, but if Rosalia can protect at least one person, then surely it should be fine… right? It would be tough if there was one more person…++

As I was thinking that, there was a knock on the door, and Rosalia entered. No, it wasn’t just Rosalia. She was…

“Weiss-sama, Aigis-sama is here. Fufu, you’ve become quite close.”

“Oh, hello, Aigis-sama. How are you?”

“Seeing your face puts me in a bad mood. I hate you!!”

After Nyarl said that with a suspicious smile, Aigis-sama glared at him and said that with a frown. ++Whoa, isn’t she being a bit too tsundere?++

“So… Aigis-sama, what brings you here today…?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s about the request I made. I came to see if you were keeping your promise.”

With that said, she looked straight at me. She was acting strong, but I could tell she was nervous. Her hands were trembling, as if she was afraid to hear my answer.

++It’s an unknown disease. Even if someone said they’d look into it or handle it, they might have given up without a clue.++

++But… I’m different, Aigis.++ I smiled reassuringly at her.

“Ah… You can rest assured… I’ve found a solution.”

“You’re… not lying… are you… really…?”

She looked straight into my face, and when she heard my reply, she burst into tears in disbelief. Then, she clung to me and hugged me.

++Huh? She believes me already? Why does she trust me so much?++

!next

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