The frontier alchemist ~ I can’t go back to that job after you made my budget zero – Chapter 3 – Let’s head to the borderland!!

I leave town and follow the road on the back of Hipopo.

The dominion that Kalin is developing, and my new post, is in the far north of this country.

I’ve contacted her and told her I’ll be under her care, and she responded that she’ll gladly take me in.

“Kalin makes such a big deal out of everything. I don’t think what a regular alchemist like me can do is that important. Alchemists are pretty much like handymen, is what Mister Halhammer used to say…

Then again, that might be exactly what she needs if she’s developing the region. Someone who can do a little bit of everything like a handyman.”

I stretch while on top of Hipopo.

Its steps are rhythmical, and the spring weather and wind feel nice.

I’ve been so busy trying to work out how to do my research and chores with my meager budget that I haven’t been outside like this in a while. I used to come to these parts to get materials all the time.

I’m really noticing now just how stressed I was in that environment.

“If Hipopo runs at full speed, it will take me at most a few days to get there, so maybe I’ll pick some ingredients. I haven’t done that in a while.”

I give Hipopo indications to go off the road and into a place where medicinal herbs grow.

“I wonder if there are any left near the lake.”

And then, Hipopo suddenly starts shaking its head and whipping its tail. This is a sign that something is not right.

I brace myself and tell Hipopo to carefully approach whatever unusual thing it noticed. Judging by the signal itself, it could mean that there is an injured person nearby.

And then, we find a person collapsed just before the area where medicinal herbs grow.

“Hipopo, stay alert!”

I jump down from the saddle and carefully approach the person on the ground.

If we were on the side of the road, it could very well be a bandit pretending to be injured, but that is probably not the case, since almost no one passes by this place.

What I should be worried about is the reason why this person collapsed. Whatever did it may have gone into hiding after it saw me. Maybe it’s still lurking around here.

That said, I reach the person with no issue. She’s a woman wearing a blue priest’s uniform.

“That’s rare, a knight priest. And judging by this uniform she’s a follower of the goddess of vengeance…”

I whisper as I kneel.

After touching the shoulder of the person face down on the ground, I try speaking to her to see if she’s conscious.

I can feel how hot she is even through her clothes. She has a fever.

Now that I’m closer I can also tell her almost clear silver hair is covered in sweat.

“I don’t think she’s conscious. Now that I think about it, there are medicinal herbs over there that can alleviate fevers. Does she know that too?

I can’t secure her respiratory tract or check her overall condition like this. I have to turn her over.”

I turn the knight priest over while being very careful not to move her head too much.

I can see her face. Her white skin is red due to the fever, and her expression looks anguished, but she still looks beautiful, and I lose focus for a second.

But she also has what looks like big jet black tattoos on her face.

“Is this a curse!?”

I quickly take out a scroll from my backpack.

“《Activate》.”

The scroll fixates on top of the forehead of the girl on the ground, and opens.

“《Initiate transcription》.”

The scroll starts shining, which turns into a beam of light directed at the knight priest. It starts on the top of her head and goes all the way down to the tip of her toes.

I keep watching until it finishes, and whisper.

“《Display》.”

Letters appear on the scroll. It’s information about the woman, but nothing more than simple things. But it is enough to see wounds and learn the general condition of her body.

“So it really is a curse… It’s not an emergency, it’s the sort of thing where I should just inform a specialist of her location. But it looks like she’s suffering…”

I continue reading the scroll.

“Here it is! The fever was caused by poison! It entered her body through a wound on her flank. It’s a special type of poison, probably from a familiar… I don’t have the right potion to deal with this, so I guess I’ll have to make a new one with these herbs.”

After reading the information on the scroll, I put it back in my backpack.

“Hipopo! Please watch over her!”

I say while taking out a potion from my backpack and running towards the medicinal herbs.

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