Hubert immediately noticed that Hugo’s grip wasn’t as strong as it used to be.
Though he felt like crying at how rapidly his father’s condition was deteriorating, he forced himself to hold back.
Ian, watching from behind, also sensed it.
Even without feeling the grip, he could tell.
‘He’s become much thinner.’
Hugo’s body had visibly changed.
Despite his busy schedule, Hugo had never neglected his training, maintaining a solid, muscular build.
But now, that robust physique was gone.
In this sickroom, there was only an skeletal patient sitting on the bed.
Though Ian wanted to find a way to treat him, there was nothing he could do at the moment.
“I’d like to talk more, but my body isn’t cooperating.”
Hugo complained of sudden fatigue.
“Don’t worry about anything else, Father. Just focus on recovering.”
Hubert reluctantly let go of Hugo’s hand and stood up, his expression tinged with regret.
“Everyone except the caregiver, please leave the room.”
“Yes, Young Master Hubert.”
As everyone followed Hubert out of the room, Ian locked eyes with the caregiver standing by the entrance.
The maid bowed her head, and Ian walked past her.
Once everyone had left, Hugo quickly fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
After the brief visit, Ian headed straight to the alchemy lab. Sera, who had been waiting for him, immediately began to share what she hadn’t been able to say while he was away.
“You were right, young master. I found the secret tome containing the formula my father left behind.”
Sera had gone home and read through the books her father had left as keepsakes, just in case.
The books she hadn’t been able to understand before due to her illiteracy.
To her surprise, one of them was an alchemy tome her father had written while working in the royal palace of a neighbouring country.
She had only heard from her mother that her father was a great alchemist, but she hadn’t fully grasped what that meant.
Now, reading her father’s tome with her own eyes, she realized just how remarkable he had been.
“Was the Half Elixir formula in there too?”
At Ian’s question, her expression darkened.
Seeing her face, Ian began to worry.
‘Could it be that the formula wasn’t there?’
It had been a long time since he played the game, so he wondered if he was misremembering.
‘Was there another way to discover the Half Elixir formula?’
If so, how was he supposed to find it?
Ian felt uneasy, but—
“The formula for the Half Elixir was definitely there.”
‘Phew, thank goodness!’
Fortunately, he hadn’t misremembered, and there was no need to search elsewhere.
“But I’m not sure if I can make it with my current skills.”
The reason for her dark expression was simply her lack of confidence.
After all, the name ‘Elixir’ wasn’t given lightly.
“There are even ingredients I’ve never seen before. Figuring out how to obtain them is a problem in itself.”
Many of the ingredients likely didn’t grow in Schrantz.
But there was no need to worry.
‘The urgently needed ingredients can all be obtained from the herb garden.’
As for the ones that didn’t grow in Schrantz, they could simply be purchased with money.
‘Originally, the cost of those ingredients would have severely strained the territory’s finances.’
Fortunately, Schrantz was no longer a territory struggling to save every penny.
With mithril mining now in full swing, the territory’s finances were steadily improving.
“Don’t worry about the small stuff. That’s not your concern; it’s mine.”
Ian had already requested the merchants traveling to and from the pioneer village to procure the ingredients he remembered. For the ones he couldn’t recall, he could simply place additional orders.
‘Originally, obtaining those ingredients would have been a huge hassle.’
Luckily, the merchant group traveling to the pioneer village was operated by the Duke of Endran’s household, so they had a high level of trust.
If they needed something, they could get it quickly by paying a little extra, which significantly reduced the difficulty.
For Ian, this was a great relief.
“Even if you fail to create it, I won’t hold you responsible. So don’t worry about the small stuff. If you need any ingredients, just tell me, and always do your best. That’s why I hired you, and that’s what I expect from you.”
This was the best way to ensure Sera could focus on her work and increase her chances of success.
Feeling deeply grateful to Ian for his trust, she bowed her head.
When she had first been scouted by him, she had accepted out of necessity, feeling she had no choice.
But over time, she realized the rumors about him were wrong, and through firsthand experience, she came to see him as completely different from what the rumors suggested.
‘Someone who takes responsibility and believes in me until the end.’
Whether that made him family or not, it didn’t matter.
Following him had become her greatest happiness and fortune.
“Yes, young master. I will definitely succeed.”
[Sera’s Loyalty increases by 10.]
Hugo’s sickroom.
Nea, who had been hired as a maid in the mansion just a month ago, was assigned to care for Hugo.
Her father had been a doctor, and she had some medical knowledge from working as his assistant.
“Nea, you’ve worked hard. I’ll take over now.”
“Alright.”
When a maid of the same age as Nea entered, she was finally able to take a break.
“Oh, by the way, Young Master Ian called for you.”
“Young Master Ian? Why?”
“Who knows? I just heard it from the head servant and passed it on.”
Nea didn’t know why Ian had summoned her, but she had a rough idea.
‘Is it to ask about his condition?’
Those assigned to care for Hugo were strictly instructed to keep his detailed diagnosis and symptoms confidential.
Given Schrantz’s position, surrounded by hostile families, this information was treated with extreme secrecy.
Of course, since it was an unknown illness, the only thing they could say was that it was an “incurable disease.”
“He said he’d be waiting in the training hall, so you should head there. Oh, and you can’t just enter the training hall without permission, so make sure to announce your arrival and get approval first.”
“Got it.”
The maid often looked out for Nea, who was still unfamiliar with many things.
Nea left the medical room and made her way to the training hall.
When she arrived, she saw Ian, who had just finished his personal training.
“Young Master. I’m Nea, the caregiver for the lord. I heard you called for me.”
As instructed, Nea stood outside the training hall and called out to him.
“Yes, come in.”
Ian gestured her inside and roughly wiped off his sweat with a dry towel he had set aside.
“Your name is Nea, right?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
After drying off, Ian put on his shirt.
“I called you here because there’s something I want to ask.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“How’s his condition?”
She bowed her head and answered.
“Not good. The doctors who come regularly say they don’t know the cause of his illness, and his condition is gradually worsening.”
Hearing that there was no sign of improvement, Ian nodded.
His calm expression puzzled Nea, but she kept her composure and bowed her head.
“How’s your father doing?”
Realizing that Ian hadn’t called her just to ask about Hugo’s condition, she wondered if he had heard about her father being a skilled doctor and wanted to bring him in.
“My father passed away a few years ago.”
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry.”
Ian apologized, realizing his mistake.
Long-time servants might remember, but no master would keep track of every detail.
Especially not the family background of a new hire who had only been working for a month.
There was no reason for Ian to remember such things in the first place.
“I made a mistake.”
“It’s alright.”
But Ian’s apology wasn’t for that reason.
“I think you misunderstood me. I meant your real father, Count Erce, not the fake identity you used to infiltrate. How is he doing?”
“……!”
Nea’s expression turned to one of shock and surprise.
Seeing her reaction, Ian smirked.
Thud!
Nea instantly jumped back, creating distance.
It was clearly a movement no ordinary maid could make.
And in her hands were daggers.
She had drawn them so quickly that even Ian hadn’t seen it happen.
“How did you know?”
“Who knows, how did I find out?”
As Ian teased her, her expression twisted.
The reason he knew her identity was simple.
She was one of the famous NPCs in Meta Pangaea.
That’s why he recognized her immediately when he saw her during his visit to Hugo.
‘The illegitimate child of Count Erce.’
She was the illegitimate daughter of Count Erce and a maid who worked in the count’s household.
That’s why she had no surname, and her mother had been driven out of the household.
Even after being driven out, their life wasn’t easy.
The Erce family didn’t provide any financial support, and her mother had to raise her alone despite her frail health.
Her life was one of being cursed by her birth and ignored by the villagers.
Yet, she had infiltrated Schrantz on Count Erce’s orders.
He had threatened her, saying her mother’s life would be in danger if she didn’t comply.
Starting with this mission, she discovered her talent for assassination and eventually rose to become the head of the empire’s top information and assassination guild.
‘She’s a character who becomes a major figure in the underworld later.’
If you play as an assassin, you can’t help but hear about her.
On the other hand, Nea couldn’t understand.
‘How did I get caught?’
There was no reason for her identity to be exposed.
Coincidentally, there was a doctor with a daughter who shared her name.
That doctor and his daughter had been killed by bandits while traveling to another village for medical treatment.
It was impossible to think that anyone would know about the story of an ordinary doctor and his daughter among the countless events in the Erce household.
Moreover, Count Erce had only entrusted the mission to two trusted subordinates.
So, if she had been caught, it must have been due to some mistake on her part, but there was no obvious reason for her to be exposed.
Since arriving here, she had only done her job normally and hadn’t even sent any information to Count Erce.
‘She doesn’t seem to have much composure.’
Unlike the relaxed Ian, Nea was visibly nervous, sweating profusely.
If this were the Nea who became a major underworld figure, she would have handled it calmly.
‘But right now, she’s just a rookie spy.’
It was inevitable that she would appear inexperienced.
This was her first mission, after all.
“Curious about it? We’ll talk later.”
With those words, Ian’s figure vanished.
Thud!
“……!”
“Sleep for now.”
Nea was knocked unconscious as Ian swiftly struck her abdomen.
Ian caught her as she fell and slung her over his shoulder.
“Y-young Master? What is this?”
At that moment, people entered the training hall from outside.
Ian hadn’t called only Nea.
He had also summoned Oswell and Jurdan.
Having been called by Ian after work, they were greatly startled by the scene before them.
‘What on earth is going on, Young Master!’
‘Is he starting his troublemaking again?’
Ian realized the looks he was getting weren’t favourable.
‘It must look strange to others.’
It probably looked like he was trying to kidnap her.
Ian shook his head.
“This woman is a spy from the Erce household.”
“……What?”
“That’s what I know. Advisor and Sir Oswell, keep what you’ve seen and heard to yourselves. Understood?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Realizing this was Ian’s way of informing them, they bowed their heads.
He had told them because they were among the most tight-lipped people around.
And because he trusted them to handle the situation discreetly.
“I’ll interrogate her myself now, so let’s move to the underground dungeon.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
