TLWRO 04

Chapter 04

It was half a year ago that I first learned about my grandfather’s illness.

It felt like being struck by lightning overnight, literally.

“Who are you?”

My grandfather woke up and asked me who I was.

“Don’t joke, Grandpa. Who do you think I am?”

When I said my name was Elisha, he asked back how my granddaughter could only be fifteen years old.

I instinctively knew: this was no joke or prank.

“Grandpa is acting strange. He wasn’t like this just yesterday…”

I gathered all kinds of evidence and barely convinced him to go to the hospital.

The doctor who heard my explanation tilted his head in confusion.

“This is really strange. It doesn’t seem like dementia. There were no early symptoms either.”

“Then what on earth could it be? Memory loss? Grandpa, did you slip and hit your head this morning?”

“It doesn’t seem like memory loss either.”

“…Then could it be some kind of curse magic? You see, Grandpa looks like he could be affected by that, and his personality isn’t exactly without enemies.”

“I’m not an expert on curse magic, but I don’t think that’s it either. Test results show that Mr. Michele’s internal mana concentration is zero. It’s almost unbelievable how completely absent it is.”

We met other doctors and magicians, but all gave similar answers.

Except for one doctor who said he used to be a noble family’s personal physician.

“Hmm, could it be…”

That doctor murmured as he handed Grandpa a tea brewed from jet-black herbs.

The color looked like some kind of oil. Is it even safe to drink that?

Half suspicious, half anxious, I watched as Grandpa gulped it down and then started coughing.

“This is so bitter! Elisha, bring me some water. Warm water. And if there’s anything like lemon for rinsing the mouth, bring that too.”

“…Grandpa! Do you remember me? You ordering me around like this makes me feel like your memory is coming back!”

“What are you talking about, ordering you around? This kid…” Grandpa coughed.

I quickly ran to get warm water and somehow found lemon slices to bring back.

Only after drinking the lemon water did Grandpa’s expression relax a bit.

“That’s such a relief. At least we found some medicine. What herb is this? Or rather, what caused this?”

I asked brightly, but the doctor hesitated to answer.

From the way he glanced at me and hesitated, I sensed it.

It definitely wasn’t hopeful news.

“…It’s suspected to be a disease called Mendax. It’s rare, and this is actually my first time seeing a case.”

“Wh-what kind of disease is that?”

“It is known to develop after long-term exposure to a specific poison. However, the incubation period is long, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause.”

“But at least there’s medicine, right? If he drinks that tea, he might get better?”

“This is an herb called the root of eyebright. It’s a very strong antidote. Luckily it worked, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not a fundamental cure and has many side effects…”

“Give it to me.”

“Grandpa!”

I was stunned, but Grandpa cut me off.

“No, wait. You said there are many side effects. Let’s try other places. Now that we know the disease, we can ask around and find someone who knows other treatments.”

“I’ve met five doctors and two magicians just today. If you count the week, it’s even more. And only this doctor gave us anything even close to an answer.”

Grandpa was right. The other doctors were completely clueless.

He persuaded my hesitant self.

“So wouldn’t it be better to ask this doctor to do research and inquiries? He probably knows many other doctors.”

“But still…”

“If I succeed in curing myself, I will gladly be a subject for his thesis. How about it? Isn’t it worth the challenge?”

Grandpa laughed heartily. The doctor nodded.

“I will do my best.”

“See? We just have to wait. Ugh, my mouth is still bitter. Got any candy?”

Grandpa left cheerfully, and I was left alone.

There wasn’t much else we could do, so I bowed and prepared to leave.

But the hesitant doctor stopped me.

“Um, guardian.”

“Yes?”

“The patient… will keep going into the past.”

Just like Grandpa forgot me from when I was sixteen to twenty years old, he will someday slip away into times when I don’t exist.

He will eventually forget me. That was what he meant.

“Please avoid questions that make him recall the past. Symptoms may worsen quickly.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Are you alright?”

“…No.”

Tears fell drop by drop.

I had barely held back my crying, but suddenly broke down and sobbed.

“I’m not alright at all…”

After a while, I forced myself to act like nothing was wrong.

Grandpa must have seen my swollen eyes but said nothing.

Instead, he gave me my favorite blueberry candy and roughly patted my head.

Since that day, I haven’t been able to eat blueberries or anything with blueberry flavor.

There was no way I could ask Grandpa about it.

The effects of the eyebright root were gradually weakening. For the past few days, it hadn’t even lasted an hour.

Side effects also became noticeably worse.

“He suddenly falls asleep like fainting and doesn’t wake up even when roused.”

Even in my past life, he happened to fall asleep when relatives came…

I was helplessly forced to give Grandpa away.

“That can’t happen again.”

To-do list:

[1. Reclaim the Lionet family]

[2. Run the pawnshop well]

[3. Find a way to cure Grandpa]

Looking at the third item written firmly, I resolved to do whatever I could.

“I won’t be able to visit for a while anyway.”

I muttered to myself.

The Lionet family might assign someone to tail me.

Even though I wrote a secrecy agreement, Grandpa’s whereabouts must not be exposed because of me.

I’d visit Grandpa only after the Lionet people were dealt with.

“And while running the pawnshop, maybe I’ll find clues about Grandpa’s illness.”

There might be old books or ancient texts with cures.

“First, focus on running the pawnshop.”

I had already made a plan.

“I’m whose granddaughter? I can do this!”

Fiddling with my necklace, I fell asleep like I collapsed without even drying my hair.

Waking up at dawn, I packed my few belongings.

Among them was a pouch of Hugo’s silver coins. Since he’s an unlucky jerk, I thought about throwing it away, but no matter what, money isn’t something you just throw away.

“Why did he leave out the gold coins? That guy’s such a tightwad…”

Clinking coins, I walked cheerfully.

Suddenly, I realized how long it had been since I last went to the pawnshop.

“Feels like almost ten years? I haven’t been there since I was ten.”

Grandpa didn’t like me going to the pawnshop.

He warned me never to think about coming until I was an adult.

It was the same when he couldn’t open it for half a year because of his illness.

I asked if I could run it for a few days, but Grandpa shook his head.

“No. Opening and closing it isn’t worth it. I’ve handled urgent matters, so you don’t have to worry about it for a while.”

Was it because of the neighborhood?

“This isn’t really a place for a young girl to roam alone.”

The pawnshop was located in the alleys under the old fortress called the ‘Gray Street.’

Because many old buildings stood there, the streets were narrow and dark, hence the nickname.

“As the name suggests, there’s an information guild and some magicians who take somewhat illegal requests.”

Grandpa grumbled that thieves often bring stolen goods to sell.

Seems like there’s also a thief guild.

Still, it wasn’t scary.

Grandpa told me lots of stories, and more importantly…

“If you think about it, Grandpa’s probably the scariest person there.”

We were getting close to the pawnshop. Familiar shops came into view.

“What should I start with before opening?”

I wanted to open right away, but there were things to do before officially opening the shop.