Magic Stone Workshop 1-5 part 2

 

Chapter 1-5 : The Girl, The Cat, And The Black Devil (part 2)

 

「I think I know those symptoms… If I’m not mistaken it’s a disease called ‘black spot’.」(Elle)

「A disease? Are you sure? I think he’s just drunk.」(Yoyo)

「No, I don’t think he’s drunk. Yoyo, you wait here.」(Elle)

Saying that, Elle turned around, but when she was about to take a step forward, Yoyo stopped her.

「Whoa, hold on! What are you gonna do?」(Yoyo)

「I’m going to see that man and check if he really has black spot disease or not.」(Elle)

「What? No, stop it! You will only annoy that person!」(Yoyo)

「But I have to! If he really has that disease, he will die soon!」(Elle)

「Seriously…? But even if he’s really suffering from that disease, there’s nothing you can do for him. You’re not a doctor.」(Yoyo)

「That’s… You’re right. I’m not a doctor. And it’s not something that can be cured with magic…」(Elle)

「See? We should leave him alone.」(Yoyo)

「No, I can at least tell him to go see a doctor before it’s too late.」(Elle)

「It’s pointless. Do you think he would listen to you, an outsider and someone who they thought was the minion of a Monster Eater? You saw how the other villagers reacted when they saw you, didn’t you? Besides, I don’t think there’s a doctor in this small remote village, and I don’t think that man has the money to go see the doctor in the town either. Moreover, it would be bad if we got infected. We shouldn’t get too close to him.」(Yoyo)

「……」(Elle)

After listening to Yoyo, Elle turned around and looked down at the ground.

She thought Yoyo was right. There was nothing she could do for that person now, so she decided to continue walking toward the village entrance and went home.

 

◇◇◇

 

Elle went home to Moritz’s house with Yoyo as if she had given up on the man with the fatal disease, but she actually hadn’t.

As soon as she got to her workshop in the basement, she took a piece of paper and wrote down everything she remembered about the black spot disease she read in one of Moritz’s books collection quite a while ago.

The black spot disease was first identified in a small village about thirty years ago and spread to urban areas within a few years.

It was an acute infectious disease caused by bacteria that spread to humans through fleas, mice, and other animals.

It was a terrifying disease in which pathogens could enter your body from infected people and animals very quickly.

Apparently, more than a thousand people died back then. It was predicted that that number would continue to increase, but it didn’t thanks to Moritz who found the cure immediately.

In the book Elle read, Moritz wrote about how he saved humanity back then.

As soon as he heard the news about the black spot disease, Moritz began his research and created an antibiotic made from the good bacteria he found in the soil around a certain plant.

When she was about to write it down on the piece of paper, Elle suddenly realized something.

She remembered that Moritz usually stored everything related to his research in his lab. She thought she might be able to find the antibiotic there.

She went to the deepest part of the basement where the laboratory was located, but she was somewhat hesitant to enter.

It was because she was told to not enter the lab without Moritz’s permission.

「Elle, what do you want to eat for dinner? …Hmm? What are you doing here?」(Yoyo)

Yoyo, who had been preparing for dinner, went downstairs to the basement and found Elle standing still in front of the door to the lab.

「I’m thinking of going into the lab, but…」(Elle)

「You need something there?」(Yoyo)

「Yeah. Yoyo, can you come with me?」(Elle)

「Eeehh… I don’t want to enter that room…」(Yoyo)

「Come on. It won’t take a minute.」(Elle)

Elle grabbed Yoyo who was about to turn around in the stomach and hugged him tightly in her arms.

She then opened the door and entered the masterless laboratory.

It was a bit cold inside the lab, so Elle hugged Yoyo’s body tighter to warm herself.

There were many weird-looking plants and jars with animal and monster body parts lined on the shelves.

「Now, where is the medical cabinet… Ah, there it is.」(Elle)

Elle approached the wooden cabinet in a corner of the room. She saw the key hanging in the keyhole.

「He left the key hanging…」(Elle)

「He usually locked it, but I think he left the key so that you can use the medicines.」(Yoyo)

「You think so?」(Elle)

「Yeah, I’m sure of it.」(Yoyo)

「I see… Thank you, Master.」(Elle)

While thanking her master, Elle opened the cabinet and saw various medicines were lined up inside.

They had been enchanted with Preservation Magic to prevent them from deteriorating, so they were safe to consume.

「Let’s see…… Ah! There it is! This is the antibiotic!」(Elle)

She grabbed the small bottle filled with many small paper packages containing antibiotic powder.

「Elle, what do you need that medicine for? Don’t tell me… Are you going to return to that village!?」(Yoyo)

「Umm… Yeah…」(Elle)

「Hahh… I told you to leave that man alone.」(Yoyo)

「But I can’t pretend I didn’t see him. If he spread his disease, all the people in that village might die! I can’t let that happen!」(Elle)

「You know those people hate you, right? Elle, you’re too kind, you know that?」(Yoyo)

「I don’t think I am… It’s just… I don’t know what kind of society I’m living in, so trying my best to be a good person is the least I can do now. Yoyo, please, don’t stop me.」(Elle)

「Elle…」(Yoyo)

It wasn’t a bad thing to be a good person, but it made Yoyo worried.

Seeing Elle’s determined eyes, Yoyo couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

「Hahh… Alright. I won’t stop you, but I’m coming with you.」(Yoyo)

「Thank you, Yoyo!」(Elle)

「You should take other medicines too. Some people there might need them.」(Yoyo)

「Ah, you’re right!」(Elle)

Thinking that all the useful medicines in the cabinet would only gather dust if she left them there, Elle decided to put them all into her magic bag.

 

◇◇◇

 

The next day, Elle went to the village again with Yoyo, bringing the antibiotic for black spot disease and many other medicines along with her.

When she got to the village square, she saw the middle-aged man from yesterday sitting on a worn-down wooden bench. He looked very weak.

However, before Elle could approach him, she was spotted by the woman who accused her of being the minion of a Monster Eater.

「You! How dare you return to this village, you evil girl!」(woman)

「Ca, Calm down, Ma’am. I just want to give that man some medicine.」(Elle)

Saying that, Elle pointed at the sick-looking man on the bench.

The man noticed her and looked at her with a terrified face.

「Wh, What do you want!?」(sick man)

「Sir, you are sick. I brought you a medicine that will cure you.」(Elle)

Elle took out the bottle of the antibiotic and showed it to him.

However, that man didn’t show the slightest sign that he believed what Elle said.

「No! You are the minion of that evil Monster Eater, aren’t you!? Stay away from me!」(sick man)

「That’s right! This girl is evil! She’s pretending to give you medicine but she’s planning to spread her curse upon our village!」(woman)

「Wh, What? No! I justー」(Elle)

「ーShut up! We don’t want to hear anything from the minion of a Monster Eater!」(woman)

While yelling at Elle, the woman slapped Elle’s hand which was holding the antibiotic.

She knocked the bottle off Elle’s hand onto the ground just like when she knocked a fire magic stone off Elle’s hand yesterday.

The glass bottle broke apart as soon as it hit the ground, spilling all its valuable contents.

「Nooo!!」(Elle)

It was the only antibiotic for black spot disease, and it was all wasted thanks to the mad woman.

「Go home already!」
「Leave this village and never come back!」
「Go home!」
「Go away!」
「Leave us alone!」(villagers)

Soon after, the surrounding villagers in the square started yelling at Elle, telling her to go home.

Seeing the mad faces of the villagers, Elle couldn’t help but shed tears.

「…Hiks… I just… want to… help… Ukkhh…」(Elle)

「Elle… Khh!! These bastards!! I’ll teach them a lesson!!」(Yoyo)

Yoyo was hiding his appearance from people other than Elle, so the villagers couldn’t see him.

Seeing how badly the villagers treated the kind Elle, he could no longer hold his anger.

However, Elle stopped him.

「No, Yoyo, don’t hurt them!」(Elle)

「But!」(Yoyo)

「If you hurt them, it would only prove to them that we were evil…」(Elle)

「Khh… Dammit!!」(Yoyo)

Yoyo looked so frustrated, but he thought Elle was right. He would make things even worse if he hurt them.

「…Alright, I understand… Let’s go home, Elle.」(Yoyo)

「…Un.」(Elle)

While trying not to look at the villagers’ faces, Elle nodded at Yoyo and turned around.

 

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