When she opened the window, spring sunlight seeped in through the wooden frame. Basking in the warm spring light, Isabella stretched her arms wide.

The golden sunlight of late afternoon shattered across the medicine shelves. All kinds of herbs and the medicines in the beakers gave off a lustrous glow, adding to the mystical atmosphere.

When she brushed the dust off the shelves with the duster in her hand, a cloud of dust rose like a heat haze.

Before the apothecary opened, this was the most peaceful and cozy time of the day. The moment the shop doors opened, the quiet space would fill with people coming to buy medicine. Isabella always savored this leisure to the fullest, brief as it was.

“Isabella, it’s time.”

While she was absorbed in cleaning, she heard the voice of Philip, the shop’s owner. A glance at the clock confirmed that opening time was near.

Isabella opened the door and flipped the sign reading ‘close’ to ‘open.’ The people waiting outside began to move.

A refreshing chime greeted the visitors. As they lined up one by one, Isabella said with a bright smile on her lips.

“Welcome. What kind of medicine do you need?”

The first customer rolled up his sleeve and showed a wound on his forearm.

“See this? It got scraped and bled. Give me something that works.”

Isabella immediately found a medicine for treating abrasions on the shelf and handed it to him.

“That’s one fran.”

After taking the money, Isabella welcomed the next customer.

“My stomach feels bad. Give me a digestive aid. Oh, the one I bought last time was weak. Don’t you have anything stronger?”

“Here you are. That’s one fran.”

Stonely was a lively village, and there Isabella worked under a skilled apothecary. Philip was an eccentric apothecary who devoted his whole life to making medicine.

He was researching medicinal herbs when he set up the apothecary in Stonely Village five years ago, and that was how Isabella came to work under him.

Brewing and gathering medicine were the duties of Philip the apothecary, while Isabella dried and prepared the herbs and attended the customers.

Even when customers grumbled or poured out their complaints, the smile never left Isabella’s lips. That was why Philip hired her. She was diligent, kind, and dependable. He could leave the shop in her hands with peace of mind while he mixed his medicines.

Philip was famous for his skill, so the apothecary never lacked customers. Perhaps word had spread across the entire empire, because nobles and commoners alike, without distinction, kept the shop crowded for as long as it was open.

The shop gave nobles no special treatment. Everyone was an equal customer, so even nobles had to stand in line themselves. Of course, most of them bought their medicine through maids or attendants.

With such a variety of people flocking in, the shop stayed busy until closing time. Isabella always served customers in order, but suddenly one man cut in line and pushed himself between Isabella and the next customer.

“Ah, listen. I took your medicine last time and broke out in hives all over my body! How are you going to take responsibility?”

His name was Sam. He lived in a neighboring village and was a customer who often bought medicine here. He had always bought without any trouble, but today he showed a completely different attitude. Holding out the red, swollen back of his hand, he burst out with blatant complaints.

“You bought Witch’s Scream last time, didn’t you? Judging by the reaction, it seems to be a side effect of that. When I asked whether you had a tolerance, didn’t you say you didn’t, so it would be fine?”

Isabella remembered exactly which medicine each customer bought, and recorded it once work was done. A wrong medicine could cause trouble, so she needed to check carefully.

“How am I supposed to know if I have a tolerance or not?”

“I also recall telling you that it’s hard to check at an apothecary, so you should go to a hospital.”

“What’s it to me? I took the medicine here and ended up like this. Can’t you see? So take responsibility.”

“I’ll give you medicine to calm the hives.”

“Only medicine? You have to pay damages too. I haven’t been able to sleep lately because of these hives!”

It was awkward that he came demanding money at the very time Philip was out gathering herbs.

“I’ll tell the apothecary when he arrives.”

This was not something Isabella could decide alone. She could not make any judgment on her own until Philip came.

Philip had been an apothecary for a long time and knew how to handle pests like Sam with flexibility. Once he arrived, the situation could end easily, so Isabella needed to stall as long as possible.

“Hand it over right now.”

But Sam seemed determined to get the money somehow and leave before Philip came. He apparently thought Isabella would pay up if he threatened her.

As Sam blocked the way and stubbornly dug in, grumbling began to leak from the people in line. She could not keep standing off against him. Isabella spoke in the most polite voice she could manage.

“You can see the people lined up behind you to buy medicine, right? Would you please sit in that chair over there and wait for a moment?”

“Why should I? I’m not moving a single step from here until I get compensation!”

Sam folded his arms and stubbornly refused, acting like he had no intention of backing down even an inch.

The village was small and everyone knew each other’s faces, so she almost never met troublemakers. She couldn’t say never, but this was the first time anyone disrupted business like this.

She wanted to throw him out on the spot, but that might give him another excuse to make trouble, so Isabella had to press the medicine into Sam’s hand and persuade him.

“You said it itches. So sit in that chair and apply the medicine.”

“I said no!”

When persuading him kindly did not work, the smile vanished from Isabella’s face. She didn’t want to make a scene, so she planned to wait until Philip came, but she could not do that any longer. There was no choice but to report him for obstructing business.

The apothecary had a device for summoning the guard. Once she pressed a single button they would be dispatched at once, so Isabella had to wait for Sam’s gaze to turn elsewhere. Just then.

Tsk. Someone clicked their tongue. The sound was clear enough to be heard even in such an uncomfortable space.

“What?”

Sam turned his head around, displeased. Behind him stood a man a full head taller. A cloak covering him up to his head hid half his face, but his mere presence radiated intimidation.

His shoulders were broad as the Pacific, and the cloak draped over them like a shadow, adding to that majesty.

Heavy air flowed through the shop, so heavy that even breathing became cautious. The noisy space went quiet, like cold water had been poured over it.

Sam seemed to think the same as Isabella, because she heard him gulp nervously.

“Knock it off.”

The man’s low voice rumbled softly. He said only a single line, yet it made the air heavier, and everyone had no choice but to listen, holding their breath.

“I, I didn’t do anything.”

“You must not see the people waiting behind you. Do you think we’re as idle as you are?”

“Wh-What did you say?”

Sam, who had been raising his voice with all his might, was overwhelmed by the man’s presence, and his voice soon shrank to a small whisper.

“Stop hovering in front of me and get lost.”

“….”

At the man’s arrogant tone, Sam’s body flinched. It was clear his body had frozen, like he stood before an apex predator. Flustered, he glanced at the man and lowered his gaze.

After hesitating briefly, he stepped one pace aside. The man behind him took a step forward and stood before Isabella. The moment the face hidden by the cloak was revealed, she could finally face him.

Good heavens!

She met many people while working at the shop, but this was the first time she had seen someone whose looks drew an involuntary gasp. She should have greeted him, but Isabella stared blankly at the man, forgetting even that.

“Ten recovery potions.”

Only when she heard the man’s voice did she come to her senses. The man spoke only what was needed, simply and clearly. After a quick sidelong glance at Sam, Isabella fetched the medicine the man wanted.

“That’s ten fran.”