The next day, they headed to the apothecary.
Henry praised him, saying that even though he was a pharmacist, he was better at using medicine than most doctors and that it was cheap, but there was a never-ending line of customers waiting.
Judith and Erne also had to wait in line for a long time before they could see the pharmacist.
“What is wrong with you?”
“I have a headache and feel sick. I feel nauseous and have indigestion.”
The apothecary, who had been writing down Judith's story on a piece of paper, looked up at Judith and Erne, who had half of his face covered and smiled happily.
“We need to get a physical exam to find out more, but based on the symptoms you’ve described, there’s a chance you’re pregnant.”
What, what?
Judith doubted her ears. What did I do?
Erne was speechless. The pharmacist's eyes were kindly scanning him, and he seemed to think that the father of the child was him. He was so dumbfounded that he even forgot to breathe for a moment.
“No, no.”
Judith, who came to her senses first, waved her hand. Judith's cheeks were red as if she had imagined something for a moment.
“No? Is there no possibility at all? When was the last time you did it?”
“Well, what the...”
Erne, who was about to ask back what he was doing, realized the meaning of the question a beat later and trailed off.
“No, I didn’t do anything like that.”
Judith shook her head violently.
“Yeah, what made me do that?”
Anyone would do something like that, regardless of appearance, but Erne flustered, didn't think that far ahead and blurted out something.
“We both have the same symptoms. We are both patients.”
“Sometimes, the husband also suffers from morning sickness...”
“How many times do I have to say no?”
As Erne roughly placed his clenched fist on the table, the pharmacist immediately changed the question.
“Have you eaten any spoiled food?”
“I think it’s not because of the food, but because of the smell. I’ve been suffering from a bad smell for the past few days.”
“I’ll give you some painkillers and digestive medicine. But this is only a temporary measure. If you want to completely get rid of the symptoms, it’s best to avoid smelling it.”
The apothecary scribbled something on a piece of paper and told Judith and Erne to wait a moment while the medicine was prepared.
He went behind the wall and began to brew the potion.
Erne and Judith, embarrassed by the pharmacist's nonsense, waited quietly for the prescription with blushing faces.
“Tan, where did you put the dried celery and red-leaf grass?”
The apothecary opened the back door and shouted, "There are no herbs that should be there."
"Tan?"
Judith tilted her head at the name she had heard somewhere. She had a feeling that this was a name she should not forget.
Judith got up and peeked behind the wall, just to see the face of the man called Tan.
Just then, a man named Tan came in through the back door carrying the missing ingredients.
“The dried asters are here. The red leaves are in the bottom drawer...”
Tan, who was about to hand over the ingredients to the pharmacist, noticed Judith standing behind the wall and peeking in his direction, so he quickly put his hood over his head.
But Judith had already seen his amber eyes.
“Excuse me, sir, let me explain...”
When Tan was discovered to be a Chartin, the bewildered apothecary tried to explain something to Judith, but Judith raised her hand to stop him.
“I thought I’d heard that name somewhere!”
“Why all of a sudden?”
When Judith suddenly started to swear at the back door, Erne finally got up and came over. Judith grabbed Erne's arm and shouted excitedly.
“That’s the medium, the medium who performed the rite for you when you were a corpse!”
The name Tan seemed familiar, but it was the name of the medium who had saved Ern's life by sending his soul to heaven.
Henry searched desperately for him right after Erne woke up, but he hid so well that not a single hair was visible, so he gave up looking for him.
But, to meet him here like this.
“It’s nice to meet you. Give me my 2 gold!”
“Gasp gasp.”
His breath caught in his throat. In the back alleys of this area, the crispy coal intentionally ran away by turning into the alleys.
He didn't run far from the apothecary, but he didn't think he could beat the man in terms of running ability. The world is a small place, but how could he meet those people at the apothecary?
That day, Tan, who had saved the corpse that looked like a corpse and escaped, temporarily stopped working as a shaman. After failing in the ritual and stealing 2 gold, shouldn’t he take care of himself for a while?
So, Tan was running errands for his cousin, a pharmacist.
Tan always wore his hood pulled down low to hide his amber eyes, fearing that the presence of the Shartins in the apothecary would interfere with his business.
But who would have thought that he would run into that woman right at the end of his business when he took off his hood for a moment to hand over some herbs at the back door!
“Did you get pushed away?”
Tan slowed down and looked around. There seemed to be no one chasing him. It was a good choice. Now he should hide in a corner and move when the sun goes down.
Tan, who was catching his breath while leaning against the wall, swallowed hard at the cold sensation wrapping around the back of his neck. His head creaked and turned like a broken wooden doll.
“...”
About ten steps away, the man, the man who looked like a corpse, was looking at him with a cold smile.
“Are you giving up already?”
“Ugj.”
A few minutes later, Tan was gasping for breath.
“Ugh, gasp.”
It couldn't have gone this far. Tan ran away desperately. The man let Tan run away as if he could catch someone like him at any time. However, it was the man's mistake.
Born into the Shartine tribe and exposed to frequent violence, Tan was skilled at running away.
Earlier, he let his guard down because he thought the man didn't know the geography well, but this time, he chose a path that was absolutely difficult to find...
“I didn’t know there would be a road like this.”
“Ugh.”
“Thanks to you, I get to see some good things.”
The man, who didn't make a single sound of breathing, was looking around with an interested expression on his face as if he were a tourist.
Henry praised him, saying that even though he was a pharmacist, he was better at using medicine than most doctors and that it was cheap, but there was a never-ending line of customers waiting.
Judith and Erne also had to wait in line for a long time before they could see the pharmacist.
“What is wrong with you?”
“I have a headache and feel sick. I feel nauseous and have indigestion.”
The apothecary, who had been writing down Judith's story on a piece of paper, looked up at Judith and Erne, who had half of his face covered and smiled happily.
“We need to get a physical exam to find out more, but based on the symptoms you’ve described, there’s a chance you’re pregnant.”
What, what?
Judith doubted her ears. What did I do?
Erne was speechless. The pharmacist's eyes were kindly scanning him, and he seemed to think that the father of the child was him. He was so dumbfounded that he even forgot to breathe for a moment.
“No, no.”
Judith, who came to her senses first, waved her hand. Judith's cheeks were red as if she had imagined something for a moment.
“No? Is there no possibility at all? When was the last time you did it?”
“Well, what the...”
Erne, who was about to ask back what he was doing, realized the meaning of the question a beat later and trailed off.
“No, I didn’t do anything like that.”
Judith shook her head violently.
“Yeah, what made me do that?”
Anyone would do something like that, regardless of appearance, but Erne flustered, didn't think that far ahead and blurted out something.
“We both have the same symptoms. We are both patients.”
“Sometimes, the husband also suffers from morning sickness...”
“How many times do I have to say no?”
As Erne roughly placed his clenched fist on the table, the pharmacist immediately changed the question.
“Have you eaten any spoiled food?”
“I think it’s not because of the food, but because of the smell. I’ve been suffering from a bad smell for the past few days.”
“I’ll give you some painkillers and digestive medicine. But this is only a temporary measure. If you want to completely get rid of the symptoms, it’s best to avoid smelling it.”
The apothecary scribbled something on a piece of paper and told Judith and Erne to wait a moment while the medicine was prepared.
He went behind the wall and began to brew the potion.
Erne and Judith, embarrassed by the pharmacist's nonsense, waited quietly for the prescription with blushing faces.
“Tan, where did you put the dried celery and red-leaf grass?”
The apothecary opened the back door and shouted, "There are no herbs that should be there."
"Tan?"
Judith tilted her head at the name she had heard somewhere. She had a feeling that this was a name she should not forget.
Judith got up and peeked behind the wall, just to see the face of the man called Tan.
Just then, a man named Tan came in through the back door carrying the missing ingredients.
“The dried asters are here. The red leaves are in the bottom drawer...”
Tan, who was about to hand over the ingredients to the pharmacist, noticed Judith standing behind the wall and peeking in his direction, so he quickly put his hood over his head.
But Judith had already seen his amber eyes.
“Excuse me, sir, let me explain...”
When Tan was discovered to be a Chartin, the bewildered apothecary tried to explain something to Judith, but Judith raised her hand to stop him.
“I thought I’d heard that name somewhere!”
“Why all of a sudden?”
When Judith suddenly started to swear at the back door, Erne finally got up and came over. Judith grabbed Erne's arm and shouted excitedly.
“That’s the medium, the medium who performed the rite for you when you were a corpse!”
The name Tan seemed familiar, but it was the name of the medium who had saved Ern's life by sending his soul to heaven.
Henry searched desperately for him right after Erne woke up, but he hid so well that not a single hair was visible, so he gave up looking for him.
But, to meet him here like this.
“It’s nice to meet you. Give me my 2 gold!”
***
“Gasp gasp.”
His breath caught in his throat. In the back alleys of this area, the crispy coal intentionally ran away by turning into the alleys.
He didn't run far from the apothecary, but he didn't think he could beat the man in terms of running ability. The world is a small place, but how could he meet those people at the apothecary?
That day, Tan, who had saved the corpse that looked like a corpse and escaped, temporarily stopped working as a shaman. After failing in the ritual and stealing 2 gold, shouldn’t he take care of himself for a while?
So, Tan was running errands for his cousin, a pharmacist.
Tan always wore his hood pulled down low to hide his amber eyes, fearing that the presence of the Shartins in the apothecary would interfere with his business.
But who would have thought that he would run into that woman right at the end of his business when he took off his hood for a moment to hand over some herbs at the back door!
“Did you get pushed away?”
Tan slowed down and looked around. There seemed to be no one chasing him. It was a good choice. Now he should hide in a corner and move when the sun goes down.
Tan, who was catching his breath while leaning against the wall, swallowed hard at the cold sensation wrapping around the back of his neck. His head creaked and turned like a broken wooden doll.
“...”
About ten steps away, the man, the man who looked like a corpse, was looking at him with a cold smile.
“Are you giving up already?”
“Ugj.”
A few minutes later, Tan was gasping for breath.
“Ugh, gasp.”
It couldn't have gone this far. Tan ran away desperately. The man let Tan run away as if he could catch someone like him at any time. However, it was the man's mistake.
Born into the Shartine tribe and exposed to frequent violence, Tan was skilled at running away.
Earlier, he let his guard down because he thought the man didn't know the geography well, but this time, he chose a path that was absolutely difficult to find...
“I didn’t know there would be a road like this.”
“Ugh.”
“Thanks to you, I get to see some good things.”
The man, who didn't make a single sound of breathing, was looking around with an interested expression on his face as if he were a tourist.
When on earth did you follow me here!
“Ugh!”
Tan was out of breath and almost nauseous. The soles of his feet felt as if they were on fire.
“...Ugh.”
Tan now ran without knowing where he was going. He even forgot his original purpose of shaking off the blond man. He just ran instinctively.
Now, without even looking back, she could feel the blond man following him.
If he slowed down even a little, the man would draw his sword. The blade gleamed in the sunlight, and fear flashed in Tan's eyes. So he had no choice but to run as the man wanted.
“Huk, huh, huh.”
His legs were getting weaker and weaker. He was out of breath and couldn't run anymore. Tan fell forward like a puppet with its strings cut. He didn't have the energy to get up anymore.
“Yes, I was wrong.”
Tan knelt down towards the man who was approaching him, sobbing.
“Please save me.”
It was the moment when he was about to burst into tears.
"Tan!"
The pharmacist's voice was heard. He turned around in surprise and found himself in front of the apothecary. The pharmacist ran over and hugged Tan.
“I heard the explanation from Miss Harrington. I will give you the gold, so please spare Tan.”
“I don’t need gold. I don’t want to do anything to him. I don’t want to know how he...”
Erne, who had been talking up to that point, raised his head at the burning hot gaze.
Judith, who had just emerged from the apothecary, stared at him intently and then raised her eyes. This meant, 'Don't we need gold coins? In our situation?'
“...I also need gold coins.”
“I apologize again for Tan’s actions.”
Pharmacist Beichi looked like an imperial, but he was actually a Shartin and was Tan's eighth cousin.
He gave me two gold coins from the apothecary's safe and apologized several times politely.
While waiting for the runaway Tan to return, I told him about the situation and the stench that wouldn't go away no matter how much I cleaned.
“As an apology for what Tan did, I would like to solve the stench. I think my godmother will know how to get rid of the stench.”
So Erne and I headed to where Tan's godmother lived.
At first, I was reluctant to go to the place where the Shartins lived, following the guy who scammed me. But I got my money back, and as an apology, I was told that they would teach me how to get rid of the stench without asking for a reward, so how could I not go?
Well, since Erne was there, I didn't have to worry too much about my safety.
I spoke to Tan, who was walking as far away from Erne as possible.
“Excuse me, Mr. Tan. When you saw Erne that day, you told me that his soul was trapped in his body and couldn’t come out. Was that just a rumor?”
Tan nodded gloomily. In fact, it was the first time he had seen a corpse that looked as alive as Erne's.
“To be honest, I was a little scared. I pretended to know because you said you’d give me 2 gold.”
“Then what about the ceremony?”
“I did it because I saw it in a book once.”
“No, you told us not to see what you were preparing back then. Why is that?”
Tan hesitated for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“I’m afraid I’ll get caught doing nothing.”
After locking Judith and Henry in the room, Tan just sat there until the full moon rose, thinking about how he could make it look good.
“Then what would you do if Erne didn’t rot even after the ceremony?”
“Ugh!”
Tan was out of breath and almost nauseous. The soles of his feet felt as if they were on fire.
“...Ugh.”
Tan now ran without knowing where he was going. He even forgot his original purpose of shaking off the blond man. He just ran instinctively.
Now, without even looking back, she could feel the blond man following him.
If he slowed down even a little, the man would draw his sword. The blade gleamed in the sunlight, and fear flashed in Tan's eyes. So he had no choice but to run as the man wanted.
“Huk, huh, huh.”
His legs were getting weaker and weaker. He was out of breath and couldn't run anymore. Tan fell forward like a puppet with its strings cut. He didn't have the energy to get up anymore.
“Yes, I was wrong.”
Tan knelt down towards the man who was approaching him, sobbing.
“Please save me.”
It was the moment when he was about to burst into tears.
"Tan!"
The pharmacist's voice was heard. He turned around in surprise and found himself in front of the apothecary. The pharmacist ran over and hugged Tan.
“I heard the explanation from Miss Harrington. I will give you the gold, so please spare Tan.”
“I don’t need gold. I don’t want to do anything to him. I don’t want to know how he...”
Erne, who had been talking up to that point, raised his head at the burning hot gaze.
Judith, who had just emerged from the apothecary, stared at him intently and then raised her eyes. This meant, 'Don't we need gold coins? In our situation?'
“...I also need gold coins.”
***
“I apologize again for Tan’s actions.”
Pharmacist Beichi looked like an imperial, but he was actually a Shartin and was Tan's eighth cousin.
He gave me two gold coins from the apothecary's safe and apologized several times politely.
While waiting for the runaway Tan to return, I told him about the situation and the stench that wouldn't go away no matter how much I cleaned.
“As an apology for what Tan did, I would like to solve the stench. I think my godmother will know how to get rid of the stench.”
So Erne and I headed to where Tan's godmother lived.
At first, I was reluctant to go to the place where the Shartins lived, following the guy who scammed me. But I got my money back, and as an apology, I was told that they would teach me how to get rid of the stench without asking for a reward, so how could I not go?
Well, since Erne was there, I didn't have to worry too much about my safety.
I spoke to Tan, who was walking as far away from Erne as possible.
“Excuse me, Mr. Tan. When you saw Erne that day, you told me that his soul was trapped in his body and couldn’t come out. Was that just a rumor?”
Tan nodded gloomily. In fact, it was the first time he had seen a corpse that looked as alive as Erne's.
“To be honest, I was a little scared. I pretended to know because you said you’d give me 2 gold.”
“Then what about the ceremony?”
“I did it because I saw it in a book once.”
“No, you told us not to see what you were preparing back then. Why is that?”
Tan hesitated for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“I’m afraid I’ll get caught doing nothing.”
After locking Judith and Henry in the room, Tan just sat there until the full moon rose, thinking about how he could make it look good.
“Then what would you do if Erne didn’t rot even after the ceremony?”
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