Fourteen: It depends on the situation, really.

"Alright, I've finished the legendary-grade Cure Potion. But how the hell do we test it?"

"As far as I can tell, there's no problem with it. But I can't just hand it over to Kyle without testing it first."

"True. But everyone in this village is as healthy as a horse."

"Wait... does the Stamina Potion also prevent illness?"

"Actually, it supplements nutrition, so it's definitely going to make you less prone to sickness."

"Hmm. Is it really just a matter of confirming safety?"

"I drank it last night. Nothing's changed so far."

Thanks to Leifan and Persia's efforts, the medicinal herbs from the marsh were acquired effortlessly, allowing the Cure Potion to be made. But we couldn't just hand it straight to Kyle, so I was discussing it with Leifan.

Bang!

The door of the Temporary Production Guild headquarters slammed open, and Persia burst in.

"Craft! The potion’s done!?"

"Yeah, you heard from Jitarou, huh?"

Earlier, at breakfast, I’d asked Jitarou if anyone had gotten sick now that the potion was finished.

No point hiding it, really.

"Yeah, it’s made. Just arguing about how to test it."

"O-oh… right… that’s important, yeah."

"Already checked it won’t hurt anyone, though."

"Is this potion… for me?"

Kyle’s voice came from the doorway.

"Master Kyle!"

"Hey. Good morning."

"Yes. Good morning. Craft. Leifan."

Kyle stepped into the guild hall, behind Persia.

Maina and Alphard were with him.

"So it really was for me, then."

"Master Kyle…"

"Yeah. Yeah, I was planning to make a cure potion soon anyway."

Not a lie.

Just that it was mostly for Kyle.

"Thank you, Craft."

I was a little worried about how he’d react, but seeing Kyle bow slowly, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

"Then I’ll be taking it now."

"Kyle-sama!?"

Persia and Alphard both snapped their heads up at once.

"Leifan. Is there anything wrong with this potion?"

"From my鉴定, it’s safe. Quality’s top-notch. Just…"

"Then there’s no problem at all. I trust Craft completely."

"No! Kyle-sama, that’s—!"

"Are you worried because of the past potions’ effects?"

"That’s… well…"

"It might be a bit too potent… but…"

Is that even a concern?!

Persia, you were the one who went wild yesterday thanks to that stamina potion!

...Wait. Is that even a problem? Too strong, maybe?

No no, that's not it. High effect? That's a good thing.

"From what I've tasted, no bad side effects so far."

"Then it's safe, right?"

Kyle grinned, then downed the potion set out without hesitation.

"Ah!!"

The two who'd hesitated at Kyle's smile couldn't help but cry out.

"Uh... Yeah. Wow. My body's just... relaxing all at once!"

"Oh!"

"Thank goodness... Really, thank goodness!"

"Congratulations, Lord Kyle!"

"Yes! All thanks to you all!"

...

I stared hard at Kyle, clenching my fists, then jumping right there on the spot.

"What's wrong, Craft?"

"Craft?"

Leifan and Persia turned toward me, noticing my expression.

Guess my face was pretty grim right now.

"Kyle... stop lying."

"...huh?"

His expression froze. Forced a smile right at me.

Alphard and Persia caught on in an instant.

"Lord Kyle!? What's going on!?"

"Craft! Was the potion a failure!?"

"N-no! I'm really feeling much better...!"

"Stop it. I'm not letting you go on."

"You're already mad, aren't you?"

I ignored Leifan and stepped beside Kyle.

"You think you're being thoughtful? It's backfiring. Just say the truth. Or are you planning to spread lies through this potion? You'll end up hurting the whole village."

"...ah."

He sagged, defeated.

"Lord Kyle, then..."

"What? Craft!"

"I never really thought the cure potion would work on Kyle. It was fifty-fifty at best."

"What?"

"This cure potion works on sicknesses... like colds, tetanus. Contagious diseases, that kind of thing."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"I heard Kyle's illness is congenital. Generally, sickness comes from outside. Can it even work on something that's been inside him all along? I've had my doubts. And haven't you taken him to top doctors before?"

"...Ah."

Persia seemed to understand.

"So Kyle-sama will just stay like this forever!?"

"Calm down, Persia!"

"There are things I'm thinking about, but can I have a little time? Kyle. If you had a stamina potion, would that be enough for now?"

"Yes! Compared to before, I feel amazing!"

"Then this time, you're not lying?"

"Of course not! I won't lie anymore!"

"Good. Then we're done for today."

"...Craft, sorry. I got carried away."

"Don't worry about it. That's just the natural reaction, right? Anyway, I'm counting on you, Kyle, to keep the village safe."

"Yeah! Leave it to me!"

At the exact moment everyone stepped outside the guild, Leifan sat down straight ahead.

"Never thought a legendary cure potion wouldn't work."

"Because there's no healer among us. Even the doctor the marquis could call couldn't figure out the cause. The odds were high it was some rare illness."

"Oh, right."

"Back when I was still an adventurer, I heard a bit from a priest with a holy seal. Healing magic doesn't do much against congenital sicknesses."

"Is that so."

"Not widely known. That's why I thought maybe this cure potion—especially one with stronger effects than usual—might help."

"Yeah. So what now?"

"I've got something in mind. But first, let's focus on the village's development."

"Yeah... with a stamina potion on hand, Kyle's not looking too bad."

"Truth is, it's an incredibly effective nutrient tonic. I think it'll keep his illness symptoms pretty well under control."

"Uh-huh. So, what's your plan for developing the village?"

"Recruit a branch of the Adventurer's Guild."

"Wait... what?"

"To do that, we'll need proper village defenses—fences, in this case. And a shop. That was on the original plan, right? Plus, a low-cost inn where adventurers can stay long-term."

"Y-yeah, but why?"

"Likely... we'll need a significant fighting force by the end of this."

"Wha—what do you mean?"

"Actually... there's a potion that can definitely cure Kyle's illness."

"Wha—!?!"

"Only problem is... the ingredients are a bit unusual. If we're going to gather them, we'll definitely be fighting monsters."

"Yeah. So what kind of monster is it?"

I flipped open the book from the Production Guild.

The page described legendary materials.

I pointed at the one whose existence had actually been confirmed—extremely rare.

" Its natural habitat is mainly..."

Leifan followed the text, swallowing hard.

A vicious creature illustrated beside the medicinal herbs.

"Dragon territory."

I’m going all out preparing for this.

Just wait a little longer, Kyle.