Alessandro (5)

Gregory could no longer scold Alessandro after hearing his apology. After all, their objective was to join forces to cure Walter's illness.

Although anger boiled within him for Alessandro's disregard of his warning, he decided to show some magnanimity and let it go this time.

So, Gregory accepted his apology with silence and moved forward, saying nothing.

"......"

Alessandro couldn't grasp Gregory's intentions. He could vaguely sense that he had done something wrong, but the stifling atmosphere was unbearable.

"Hey... Gregory, you're not mad, are you?"

Alessandro asked nervously, checking Gregory's expression.

The act itself irritated Gregory, but he judged that, right now, the one more upset than anyone else was probably Alessandro himself.

"It's not like that, so just be quiet."

At Gregory's half-hearted response, Alessandro put on a gloomy face.

"Alright...."

Gregory decided to accept that Alessandro still lacked experience and began to observe his condition carefully.

"How's your leg? Is it okay?"

"You said not to talk...."

Gregory let out a sigh.

"Ha.... If you can talk like that, I guess your head is clear, at least."

Alessandro looked down at his right leg. He felt a dull pain. If Gregory hadn't stacked up that pile of herbs, it would've led to a much more serious injury.

A bit relieved, Alessandro joked with a smile.

"I'm okay. I think it's just a bruise. Wait, or maybe not? It does hurt quite a bit, actually."

Gregory gave a small, hidden chuckle at Alessandro's words. Still, composing his expression to maintain his dignity, he kept walking as if nothing happened.

Although Alessandro felt a sting from Gregory's response, he couldn't bring himself to say anything, realizing that everything that had happened was ultimately his own fault.

Meanwhile, Gregory asked Alessandro,

"By the way, what did you bring?"

If what Alessandro said was true, then all the ingredients needed to make Walter's medicine had already been collected.

Gregory was curious about what Alessandro had brought from inside the knight order.

"It's nothing. Let's just go."

"No, really, what is it?"

As Gregory persisted, Alessandro began to rummage through his collar to take something out.

"Actually, there's nothing to hide... Since I already told you about my family."

What he pulled out was none other than a palm-sized portable mortar. Gregory turned his head to look at Alessandro, curiosity blazing, and asked,

"Why did you bring that? Don't tell me you're going to make medicine?"

"That's right... It'd be pretty suspicious if I started making medicine back there, wouldn't it?"

If the others realized Alessandro had such in-depth knowledge of pharmacology, they would definitely find it odd. Gregory felt oddly proud of Alessandro for using his head for once.

"Oh.... But can you actually make medicine with that tiny mortar?"

Alessandro waved his hand dismissively.

"Of course. Don't worry. I may look like this, but medicine-making is my specialty. And as for someone like the commander, a small quantity should be enough for a complete cure."

Then, he took out the herbs from his bag—herbs he had purchased and gathered, now all in one place.

"Gregory, could you let me down for a bit?"

Gregory scanned the surroundings. A dense forest—blended sounds of chirping grasshoppers and mountain birds.

After a while, deciding there was nothing suspicious in the area, Gregory lowered Alessandro as he had requested.

Alessandro began tearing up the herbs and adding them sequentially into the portable mortar. There were three kinds of herbs—the main ingredient seemed to be the ones gathered here.

He added about seventy percent of the painstakingly acquired main herb, then fifteen percent of "Ugly Herb", and mixed in the remaining herbs.

With deft fingers, Alessandro started grinding the mixture.

Even seeing Alessandro's professional display, Gregory still found it hard to believe.

He'd never seen Alessandro take such initiative himself before, so it was understandable that he felt skeptical.

However, Gregory figured it wouldn't hurt to check one more time and asked Alessandro,

"You're really sure this is safe, right?"

"Of course!"

Alessandro responded with bold confidence, as if expecting Gregory's skepticism.

Then, he started preparing the medicine with hands far more skilled than before.

Before long, the medicine was completed as a fine powder, and he carefully poured it into a pouch from his bag.

"Alright... It's done."

Watching, Gregory asked Alessandro,

"Instead, why don't you try focusing on making medicine?"

For Alessandro, this suggestion hit like a bolt from the blue. His face went pale as he stammered,

"Why medicine-making...? Am I really that hopeless at swordsmanship?"

Seeing the anxious look on Alessandro's face, Gregory's pupils shook. There was definitely something Alessandro was hiding.

Yet, unsure what Alessandro might say next, Gregory decided to press him further.

"Don't you have something you want to achieve, too?"

"Well... I just want to become a strong warrior."

Gregory was prodding, but Alessandro's answer was lukewarm. If he was hiding something, naturally, all his attention would go there.

Ever since learning the secret of Alessandro's family, Gregory thought there must be something he could help with.

"You can be honest with me."

Alessandro hesitated at Gregory's words. He forced a smile, trying to deny it.

"No, it's nothing like that."

"It's fine, really."

Persuaded by Gregory, Alessandro sank into thought, but only briefly. He had already confided somewhat to Gregory.

Even if he returned to the knight order, it was obvious he'd have to deal with the burden and secrecy alone.

At that thought, he decided it would be better to just get everything off his chest once and for all.

"Well... The thing is."

The Lucenberg family. As Alessandro had mentioned before, their house was originally founded on herbal lore, but transformed into a house of swordsmanship.

However, it was said that the Lucenberg family's rise as a swordsmanship house hid a historical secret. The retainer had assassinated the head of the house.

Gregory was appalled by Alessandro's story.

Even recalling memories from a previous life, he'd heard plenty about struggles for the throne or internal ranking battles within noble houses.

He had heard stories of brothers being overthrown to secure a family passed down by primogeniture, using any means necessary.

But for a retainer to bear a grudge against and directly kill the house's head—that was shocking. At least for Gregory, it was unheard of.

'What am I hearing...?'

Alessandro's explanation grew even more shocking: When the Lucenberg family head was targeted, "it wasn't done with a sword, but rather with poison, secretly given over a long period."

Each day, a small amount of poison was slipped into the head's tea, taken from the family's own gardens, all done secretly so no one would notice.

As he listened, something nagged at Gregory's mind, so he asked Alessandro:"How did they figure out there was poison in the tea?"

"Wait... That was part of what I wanted to tell you. But you really can't let anybody know what you heard today, alright?"

"Okay."

Alessandro continued. The retainer had used so little poison each day that the head of Lucenberg never noticed.

But then, one day, when the lord returned to retrieve something he'd forgotten, he happened to see the butler adding something to the tea; scholars analyzed the substance and discovered it was poison.

The rumor almost spread, but the family head, fearing a bad omen on the house, suppressed the information.

After this incident, all studies of pharmacology were forbidden in the Lucenberg family.

But why were knowledge about herbs still passed down through the family?

He didn't know... Alessandro hadn't explained that part.

Gregory got a rough grasp of the situation. However, Alessandro's explanations were so long-winded that the main point escaped him.

"Hm... So that happened. But I still don't understand what that has to do with you joining the knight order."

Alessandro's eyes widened as he spoke.

"Oh! Sorry. I got so caught up talking about my family, I kinda lost track...."

He then explained how he came to join the knight order, and what his future aspirations were.

Gregory couldn't ask any further about why herbal knowledge remained in the house—it didn't seem polite to bring it up.

"One day, I was out in the mountains alone, found some herbs, and snuck them back to my family estate. That's how it started."

Alessandro said that he'd secretly gathered and tried mixing the herbs, even though he supposedly had no knowledge, it turned out surprisingly easy.

But when that was discovered, he was beaten so badly he could barely move.

The family head told him that if he didn't get stronger in the knight order, he would be exiled.

Alessandro knew almost nothing about martial arts except for herbal medicine; were it not for his strength and his benefactor Gregory, he wouldn't have passed the knight order's entrance test.

He confessed that he decided to tag along with Gregory because working hard by his side made him feel he could at least become something, kill or cure.

'A genius of misfortune...'

That was the phrase that came to Gregory as he looked at Alessandro.

Clearly, if Alessandro had continued to pursue pharmacology and his dream, he would have become a giant in that field.

Everyone has their own story, and each person makes different choices for different reasons.

Even in Gregory's case, his determination to kill Meren and King Blandi, and to prove his worth to his father Parsei were reasons he joined the knight order.

Adrian had his own reasons; guilt and anxiety about being a burden to his comrades drove him to become a stronger knight.

In contrast, even with natural talent, Alessandro couldn't find recognition, and eventually had no choice but to struggle in silence.

Gregory, seeing Alessandro sitting on the ground making medicine, reached out and suggested,

"Then, why don't you study medicine alongside everything else while you're at it?"

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.