Episode 32
While an inner conflict raged, I entertained myself by wringing the hem of my delicate dress.
“It must be a difficult request.”
Walter’s murmur had taken on an unusually somber tone.
“Yes, it is…”
I let out a long sigh and murmured. Walter’s expression became more solemn than before.
I was frightened for a second since I had no idea what he was thinking.
“What is that face for…?”
“Hmm… you seem fine on the outside, but is it that?”
“That… what?”
“The disease that makes the sitting area uncomfortable.”
“Disease that makes the sitting area…”
I repeated after him mindlessly until the words finally registered.
I roared loudly.
“What?!”
“There is no better therapy for it, so don’t be concerned. However, you should apply hot compresses often. It may be unpleasant to visit the doctor, but if you feel it is severe, you should…”
“No, it’s not that!”
“…It’s not?”
Walter, who had been happily fetching medicine from the cabinet, became depressed and returned it to the shelves.
“I’ve never been wrong in my diagnosis.”
“It isn’t for me; I’m here on behalf of someone else.”
“Oh, so it’s not just you who suffers from that illness? Do you believe it’s serious? Medical therapy alone is insufficient in severe situations.”
“It’s not that!”
As I continued to deny whatever Walter had conjured up in his mind, he stroked his beard as he sipped from a bottle.
“If it’s not that, then fine.”
He kept a close eye on the bottle containing the clear pumpkin coloured juice.
“It’s a blend of different herbs.”
He answered even before I asked, anticipating my reaction.
“I thought your wife made you quit drinking.”
“In a nutshell, sure. This is just herbal water.”
“… Of course it is.”
I nodded briefly, unconcerned.
“What exactly is wrong with that person?”
Walter wisely changed the subject. After considerable contemplation, I decided to ask what I came here to ask.
“Walter, please take a look at this medicine.”
“Medicine? What medicine?”
When Walter enquired, I pulled a handful of round pills from my bag.
“This.”
When Walter noticed the pills slipping about in my palm, he instantly lifted his spectacles.
“Did you take this pill? Do you really expect me to figure out what it’s made of?”
Walter grabbed one of the tablets I handed him and began staring at it intently.
“Yes. I do, however, have the prescription. “
I quickly drew the prescription from my pocket and presented it to him.
“Huh…?”
Walter’s face brightened as he scanned the prescription.
“You want me to examine this medicine for you despite the fact that you have its alleged prescription. This is getting pretty intriguing.”
“I want to know exactly what’s in it?”
A sly grin snuck across Walter’s face.
“You don’t trust the drug, or more precisely, the person who made the medicine, if you’ve requested me to research it despite the fact that you have the prescription. Isn’t that correct? “
In response to Walter’s criticism, I averted my gaze.
“Rather than doubts…”
“You’re suspicious of the medicine, right?”
I hesitated because I didn’t know how to honestly respond to Walter’s interrogation.
“I just want to be certain.” Walter implored.
“I suppose I am.”
Walter unscrewed the lid of the prescription bottle, sniffed it, and then emptied it.
He took several more whiffs of the scent, selected a handful, and began chewing.
“Wait just a minute, Walter.”
Baffled, I reached out to him hastily. Concern grew as people had questioned if anybody other than Amoide could use the medicine safely.
“Hmm… this is… yeah, right.”
Walter closed his eyes and chewed slowly, savoring the flavor.
“…”
Suddenly, solemnity filled his eyes.
“Selene, whose medicine is this?”
He enquired as he gargled the medication he’d been chewing.
“…”
I pressed my lips together tightly.
“They must hold a special place in your heart, whoever they are.”
“That’s true.”
“Do you want them to live?”
“Yes.”
Walter’s expression changed slightly.
“What’s the matter?” I wondered.
“Nothing, nothing at all. Let us continue. So, what are the symptoms of this person?”
“The person faints for no apparent reason, but they are otherwise in excellent health.”
“They’re healthy?”
“Yes, and also strong.”
My gaze was naturally drawn to the bandage still wrapping my hand. How he shattered the snake’s skull also came to mind.
“What kind of strength?”
“Oh… That is….”
My cheeks flushed just thinking about Amoide, who had lifted me so effortlessly. I immediately shook my head and tried to banish the image of him nonchalantly undressing.
<Get lost.>
“And he has a terrible personality.”
“Even his personality?”
“Yes. It’s always been terrible. I suppose he was like that before his sickness. “
Of course, I might be totally incorrect.
“It’s possible if he already possesses extraordinary power. You are aware that I am a pharmacist, not a medical practitioner. “
Visitors to this location might get a different impression. A trained medical professional’s services were, of course, quite expensive in every country. Despite this, many people sought out Walter since he could deliver medications at an affordable price with similar efficacy.
“Anyway, he is sick, but I was wondering if it isn’t just from his illness, but due to something else too.”
“What else could there possibly be?”
“This.”
“Are you asking if there could be other ingredients in this medicine?”
I nodded affirmatively.
“What if there’s poison mixed in?”
I handed him a prescription, and he began reading it right away.
“If you look at the prescription itself, it is rather ordinary. “
Walter nodded confidently.
“Selene, the dosage and sequence are perfect.”
“You mean…”
“There’s no problem with the medication, or the prescription.”
“Really?”
“Wouldn’t I have died already if there was poison in the medicine?”
“What if that would be too obvious. It would stand out if you died straight away.”
I hastily averted my eyes when I saw Walter nod.
“So you’re asking if some poison was purposefully mixed into his medication to hasten his decline in a subtle way?”
Walter correctly identified my working theory.
“Intentionally?”
I stopped attempting to hide my true suspicions and began openly communicating them.
“That is correct. A planned deception under the pretense of serendipity.”
“This is becoming fascinating.”
Walter exclaimed with delight.
“It’s not fascinating.”
I understand that when it’s someone else’s circumstances, it could be. As the saying goes, ‘it’s funny from afar, but tragic when it’s close.’ I could watch the show with popcorn if it weren’t for my role in the story.
If I adopted a clear approach to the problem Selene faced, it seemed rather simple to solve. I don’t believe it is essential for me to end his life. If poisoning her spouse was the cause of Selene’s untimely death, shouldn’t I just avoid doing the same?
Now that I recall how the story began, there’s no way I could ever poison my partner. I’m happy as long as he’s happy. There would still be hope for a happy outcome.
However, things are not always as they appear.
“…”
Because Amoide was already in poor health, death by natural means was a definite possibility. His wife, who was standing next to him, may have been falsely accused of murder. It’s also conceivable that someone faked his illness in order to kill him and then blamed me.
In either event, it ends with my death. So, Amoide, naturally, had to survive.
“You indicated that the person who is taking this medication is highly important to you, correct?”
“Of course.”
I didn’t bother to mention the slight discrepancy in his use of ‘important’ and mine. Although the two meanings appeared to be synonymous, there was a subtle difference between them. Quite contrary to each other, in fact.
“Anyway, it’s not a person who you’d like to see dead, right?”
“He must live.”
So I could live.
“Then it’s a bit complicated.”
“What?”
“This medicine…”
“You said it’s the same as the prescription?”
“Yes. The majority of these drugs are pain relievers designed to soothe nerves and reduce discomfort…”
“…I see.”
That is to say, it is not a life-saving drug.
“This drug is provided to those who are in a lot of pain. It’s very potent.”
“He does seem to be in a lot of pain every time he collapses…”
“… In other words, it is a medication administered to the terminally ill. The idea is to help people forget about their suffering as much as possible. “
The strength in my legs failed.
“Are you okay?”
“I… I’m fine.”
I swayed and clutched the edge of the desk.
“So… does that mean the medicine is a last resort?”
“Not always…”
“If I tried really hard… could it still make a difference?”
“…I don’t know.”
“He’s been feeling a lot better recently. He is stronger and healthier than he has ever been. Is there really no way out?”
I grabbed Walter’s arm with both hands in desperation.
“Selena… I’ve told you all I can.”
As I bombarded Walter with questions, he became embarrassed.
“I know…”
I’m perfectly aware that Walter cannot provide me any assurances one way or another. I tried to stop myself from asking, but I couldn’t.
“The doctor who is overseeing the patient knows best.”
“…Yes.”
The drug is clean. There is no mistaking what was being said to me – that Amoide’s health must be in a bad way. Perhaps he’s just so tough, he has simply been enduring it all.
“I see… Thank you very much.”
After some while, my hands slipped from Walter’s arm.
Even though I now fully comprehended the medicine I had questioned was clean after all, the turmoil in my heart did not subside.
I thought I had discovered a ray of hope in the thick labyrinth where no light could enter.
But if there really was no way out, the consequent despondency was inevitable.
