311 - The Traveling Merchant Cody
Using all the available ingredients, the Mustaine medicine was made, and all of it was delivered to the Sedovara Church. I received word of this from Barbara via Siegwald, and the days of going back and forth to the annex of Siegwald's residence began again. Not all the ingredients were gathered yet, but just processing the raw materials into individual ingredients took time, so I was advancing the work on what could be done while it could be done.
"...Looks like things are going well, Tina."
As I was reading a letter in the rattling carriage, Leonardo spoke to me from beside me. When I wondered for a moment what he meant, Leonardo added that he was talking about the revival of the secret arts.
...I have too many things going on, so even when someone tells me things are going well, I can't immediately tell what they mean.
What I was doing out of necessity was the revival of Saint Yuuta Hiraga's secret arts and ladylike education from Hermine. What I was doing as a hobby was making a guidebook for bobbin lace. I hadn't done it since coming to the capital, but back when I was in Grenore City, I also took in embroidery work on the side. All of it was finicky work, but it kept me quietly busy.
"I can't say the gathering of ingredients for Pant medicine is going well, but otherwise things are generally on track."
As for the Pant medicine, that was a matter of leaving it to fate. Since I was the one who drew that lot, there was nothing to be done about it. According to the report I received from Jasper just as I was leaving, it seemed they had secured the "snow hat," or snow berry. It said there would be some more drying work on the snow for a while, but it looked like it would return safely by early spring.
"...I wish spring wouldn't come at all."
I put the finished letter back into its envelope and leaned against Leonardo's body sitting next to me. When spring came, I would have to part with this large body for a while.
"Well then, everyone would be in trouble. They couldn't sow seeds, and the forest trees would all be cut down for firewood."
"I was just saying."
Even being apart during autumn was lonely enough, but the fact that he couldn't leave the fortress until winter meant that unless relations with the neighboring country settled down, I would be separated from Leonardo for all seasons except winter. As a little girl in the prime of wanting to be spoiled by her big brother, this didn't feel like something I could endure.
"Might as well wish for the Kingdom of Saenard to just disappear."
"If it were annexed by the Divine Kingdom of Quebia, that would be one thing, but if it's just a change of the king's head, it wouldn't make much difference."
"What if Christoph-sama annexed it?"
"That man isn't considering expanding the kingdom's territory. He wishes for the happiness of the people within the lands he already has."
Of course he would brush off any sparks that fell on him, but he wouldn't make a move to attack first -- that was Leonardo's view. Looking at King Christoph, I thought so too. Rather than using effort, money, and soldiers' lives to expand the territory, he would probably enrich the country by developing new farming and crafting methods on the land they already had.
"...Huh?"
"There's a bit of a commotion outside."
Just as we were about to arrive at Siegwald's residence, the carriage's progress slowed. When it finally came to a stop, I heard what sounded like arguing voices from outside.
"I'll go check the situation."
Giselle opened the small window to the coachman's seat, excused herself, and got off the carriage. After I waited a little, instead of the coachman's window, the carriage door was knocked on.
"Christina-sama, a merchant calling himself Cody is requesting an audience with you."
"Cody-san, is it?"
Now who could that be? I tilted my head in wonder, but still turned my gaze to the man kneeling behind Giselle. I couldn't see his face since he had his head lowered, but he was a small-statured man with red hair. He was a bit travel-stained, but he didn't give an impression of being unsanitary.
"Well, it must be cold out there. Come into the carriage..."
"Tina, even with a guard present, calling a suspicious person into an enclosed space like a carriage is..."
"He certainly is suspicious, but since Leonyaldo Big Brother-sama is here, it will be fine. Besides, we can't exactly bring him back to Siegwald-sama's residence or the detached palace, can we?"
I couldn't think of a convenient place to bring a merchant right away, so there was no helping it. I tried explaining this, but Leonardo's grim expression didn't clear. So I changed my strategy a little. "Won't Big Brother protect me?" I looked up at Leonardo with the smile of a lady recently back in training, and Leonardo looked troubled but agreed to let the merchant into the carriage. He puffed out his chest, saying he wouldn't let anyone lay a finger on me as long as he was there -- a big brother weak to his little sister's flattery.
I had the carriage pull over to the roadside, and called the merchant in again. The merchant, called into the carriage, looked apologetic but still performed a bow proper for a lady.
"Thank you for responding to my rude request in a place like this, Christina-sama. I appreciate your generous heart. My... my name is Cody. I am a merchant who used to transport various goods in response to the requests of the wise woman Aurelia of Waiyakku Valley."
Once the young, honest-faced red-haired youth introduced himself, my wariness quickly disappeared. In short, this was just a merchant who had supplied medicine ingredients to Aurelia, and had come to the capital to show his face following the letter he sent to Paula.
"So you were the merchant who used to visit Aurelia-san. I had a letter sent to Paula-san -- did that bring you to the capital?"
"I came to the capital on business as well, but I also thought I should pay my respects to you at least once. I couldn't exactly visit the royal castle, so I was wondering what to do..."
Cody's words about being glad to have met me by chance on the road struck me as a bit odd. It was possible that it was truly a coincidence, but in that case, how did Cody know that I was inside this carriage? This question was soon resolved.
"...First, would you mind accepting these goods?"
"What do you mean?"
What he handed me with a "please take a look" was a list of the cargo Cody was transporting. The order was from the Sedovara Church, and the goods were to be delivered to them, but looking at the names of the items, they were things I needed. They were supposed to be brought to Siegwald's residence later through the Sedovara Church.
"Actually, I got into a bit of an argument with those Sedovara Church guys... no, with one of the pharmacists..."
When I heard the story, it was truly ridiculous. He had gotten into an argument with a pharmacist who was handling administrative work at the Sedovara Church, and after a fight about whether to deliver the goods or not, they parted on bad terms, and he left the Sedovara Church with his cargo still loaded. If he took the goods back like this, Cody couldn't do business, and it would be a problem for me too. I didn't mind paying the price on behalf of the Sedovara Church and accepting the goods, but that felt like it could cause trouble later, so it might be better to contact the Sedovara Church first.
...He has an honest-looking face, but is he quick to quarrel?
Looking at Cody, who spoke a little sheepishly about the argument with the pharmacist, I almost judged that appearances could be deceiving -- but then I rejected that thought. If he were truly quarrelsome, that misanthropic Aurelia would never have been friendly with him. Looking at his honest-seeming face, I could understand why Aurelia had valued him as a merchant, but the person Aurelia valued and the person who would pick a fight with a pharmacist didn't seem to match.
"What was the cause of the argument?"
"Well... I heard from Paula that the revival of Mustaine medicine was being researched in the capital Provall..."
At Cody's words, I tilted my head internally. The fact that they were attempting to revive Saint Yuuta Hiraga's secret arts wasn't something to be widely broadcast. It would be one thing if the revival had succeeded, but for a merchant from another country to have heard about it at this stage seemed a bit strange. I had informed Paula about the attempt to revive the secret arts by letter, but I shouldn't have mentioned which medicine it was.
...Is the Sedovara Church's information security full of holes?
Even if the revival of the secret arts succeeded, the people compounding the medicines would need to be watched. If someone thought "this is easy to do" and mimicked and spread the secret arts by imitation, and ended up making poison, it would be a return to the age when wise women were called witches. I couldn't let such an age come again.
Cody, who had come to the capital seeking Mustaine medicine, apparently negotiated to buy Mustaine medicine while delivering his goods to the Sedovara Church. The Mustaine medicine had already been completed by then, but the Sedovara Church refused. They said this was medicine for domestic use, and they had no surplus to send abroad.
"Well... that certainly might be difficult."
Mustaine medicine had been lost with Aurelia's passing, and not a single dose remained in stock at any Sedovara Church in the country. According to the research materials, among Saint Yuuta Hiraga's secret arts, some things kept well and others didn't. Mustaine medicine was the latter, and ideally it was supposed to be used within a few days of being made, or within a month at most even if not used immediately. Since there were only five pharmacists who could make it, the Mustaine medicine produced this time in the capital was to be transported to various regions, but ideally the pharmacists in each region where the medicine was needed should compound it themselves. With the number of pharmacists who could compound Mustaine medicine being limited, there was no surplus for the snowmelt season when it would be needed.
"I absolutely need Mustaine medicine. Even just one child's portion will do. Young lady, do you happen to have any Mustaine medicine?"
"I don't think one child's portion would make for good business..."
I understood why Cody had been in front of Siegwald's residence. During the argument, he must have heard from the Sedovara Church pharmacist about the revival of the secret arts being conducted in the annex of Siegwald's residence, and learned that I was leading it. Then he must have gotten into a dispute with the gatekeeper of Siegwald's residence, and when the carriage with the royal crest arrived, he guessed who was inside and latched onto Giselle who came to check on the situation. The carriage I used was from the detached palace, and the detached palace was normally given to royalty. At the very least, he must have thought it was the carriage of someone involved in the revival of the secret arts.
"I don't need Mustaine medicine for business. I need it for my older brother's child."
Apparently he had originally planned to place an order with Aurelia and had stopped by Waiyakku Valley while on business. There he learned of Aurelia's death, and at the same time heard that they were attempting to revive Saint Yuuta Hiraga's secret arts in the capital. I didn't know why the specific name of Mustaine medicine had come up, but apparently Cody had cut his business short and headed straight for the capital. At the Sedovara Church, where he had begged to deliver the medicine to his nephew as quickly as possible, he learned the good news of the Mustaine medicine's revival, but was refused the sale because they barely had enough to distribute domestically. And that was how he got into the argument with the pharmacist. He said it violated the Sedovara Church's doctrine of granting blessings equally to all people suffering from illness. In response, the pharmacist reportedly said it wasn't against doctrine at all -- they were simply prioritizing those who could be saved.
...Considering the medicine's expiration date, the pharmacist was right.
Cody, who traveled the continent over the course of a year, apparently had his family home in the northwest of the neighboring Kingdom of Saenard, near the Divine Kingdom of Quebia. Even if he were given Mustaine medicine made today, it would be difficult to deliver it to his nephew within the month it should ideally be used by. Considering that, the decision to allocate this batch of Mustaine medicine for domestic consumption was itself correct. There was no guarantee he could bring it back while the medicine still retained its efficacy, and even if he could bring it back, there was no guarantee the patient would still be alive. Rather than using medicine for such an uncertain recipient, it was more rational to prioritize patients who could receive the medicine within its effective period.
If you set aside emotion and thought about it, anyone would reach this conclusion. Even I would. I would, but...
"...There might be one I submitted to Christoph-sama for my report."
However, time had passed since it was made, and depending on the days needed for the return journey, even if it still retained some efficacy, it would most likely be lost. I was just saying there was one item outside the Sedovara Church's jurisdiction that might have just a little medicinal efficacy left. For Christoph, he would have no need for medicine that would only lose its efficacy even if kept on display.
"There's a higher chance it will be wasted, but would you still want it?"
"I don't mind! If there's a possibility, that's enough!"
When Cody tried to take my hand while saying thank you, Leonardo did something unusual. Before Cody's hand could touch me, he knocked it away.
"...Leo?"
"No, just keeping bad bugs away from my little sister..."
"Huh? How does that come up in this situation?"
If I were to add, Cody wasn't a bad bug at all -- he was a favorably-impressive bug. He was so devoted to his brother and nephew that I thought if I were to get married in the future, a husband as honest-looking as Cody would be nice.
...Ah, was that why?
He must have realized that Cody subtly matched my tastes, and was warding him off. I had thought it would be hard for me to get married, but I never expected Leonardo to interfere in non-violent ways too.
...No, wait. Cody-san looked younger than Leonyaldo-san, but even so, I was way too young compared to him, wasn't I?
There was no way I could meet with Alfred or the king and negotiate on the same day, so I arranged to meet Cody at the inn where he was staying and we parted ways. After borrowing someone at Siegwald's residence to send a letter to Alfred explaining the situation, by the time I returned to the detached palace, Solana had come back with the Mustaine medicine and a letter. According to the letter, it was fine to personally give the Mustaine medicine to Cody, but I shouldn't give it for free, and the requested payment wasn't money but the delivery of a letter. Since he was returning to his family home near the Divine Kingdom of Quebia, it was perfect. The letter asked him to commission the collection of Laroche pollen from merchants in the Divine Kingdom of Quebia, and to deliver it.
...As expected of Alfred-sama. He uses whatever he can.
It had never occurred to me to have Cody carry a letter or to obtain Laroche pollen through him. Considering the location of his family home, he was indeed the perfect person to hitch a ride with.
...It felt like a back-loaded condition, but in exchange, Alfred-sama had prepared new Mustaine medicine, so that was fine, right?
It wasn't the one I had made, but it was fresher for that. Considering he had to cross countries to return home, newer Mustaine medicine was better. The Sedovara Church hadn't yielded the Mustaine medicine even when Cody negotiated, but it seemed they listened to a prince's negotiations.
I waited for morning and raided Cody's inn. I woke up the still-sleepy-looking Cody and entrusted him with the letter from Alfred and the new Mustaine medicine. When I explained the gist of the letter, Cody said something that easy was no trouble at all, and accepted.
Since Cody said he would head for his hometown right away, I guided him by carriage to the north gate so he could pass through the city gates with priority. This carriage, with a silver-white knight as its escort, was conspicuous just by existing, so they opened the gates for us immediately.
"Young lady, I truly appreciate everything you've done for me. I will never forget this kindness. I promise I will deliver the letter."
"Never mind the pleasantries, just be careful. Please hurry and take the medicine home."
I told him I wanted to hear good news the next time he stopped by the capital, and hurried him along. The gates wouldn't open at night, so we had waited until morning, but now that the sun was up, it was better for him to start moving quickly.
"Thank you so much!"
As Cody departed, bowing his head many times, I stopped seeing him off once he passed through the gate. If I kept seeing him off here, Cody would keep worrying about what was behind him and wouldn't be able to make his carriage go fast. Since it was better for him to deliver the medicine quickly, even if it seemed heartless, it was better to cut the send-off short.
Will fix typos and errors at a later date.