An hour passed. Raphael checked his phone, no new notifications just yet. He had managed to create six medicine tubes. He let out a sigh, then stood up and moved his limbs. It didn’t tire him to the point he could collapse, a point countless mages had praised him for, but it did make him feel a bit rusty. He always did little exercises every one to two hours of making medicine, followed by a quick snack or walk before returning to the process.
These medicines, in the form of paste inside the tubes, should last three days before disappearing. He could only hope that someone out there found it useful. He went out of the laboratory, smelling a sweet smell floating around. He made his way into the kitchen, finding an apron-wearing Carol in front of a cooking pot with a delicious-looking stew inside.
“Would you mind if I ask you to do some cosplay?”
“Maid costume?”
Raphael nodded.
“As long as we keep it in the house.”
“Okay.”
“You looked weirdly excited,” Carol said, blushing slightly.
“Cute girls became cuter with one.”
“Don’t get too excited, okay?”
“Yeah, don’t worry.”
“Want to eat? It’s almost done.”
“Sure-” Raphael felt his phone vibrate. He took it out, a message from his friend.
‘ETA 2 minutes.’
“Actually, can that wait?”
“Sure, just don’t get too hungry. An empty stomach isn’t good for you.”
“I won’t. Do you have any cardboard boxes?”
Carol shook her head. Raphael then went back to the laboratory. Using his magic, he created one from thin air, inserted the six tubes into them, and brought them into the guest room, setting them beside the styrofoam box.
“Is Fraone here?”
“Two minutes.”
“How long will that cardboard box last?”
“Not long. Didn’t put much thought into it. He usually has some on the plane, though.”
“Alright, you go out first.”
Raphael nodded and stepped out of the manor. He jogged past the walls surrounding his home and headed to the large empty field across it. In the distance, he saw a small dot of light approaching. It grew larger as it approached, and soon, the body of the entire plane became visible. A high-wing, propeller-driven, single-engine aircraft. The plane made a fly past above the field, maintaining a safe altitude above the ground, before circling back out toward the sea.
This time, it slowed down and lowered its altitude, touching down in the middle of the field before making its way toward Raphael. The engine made a distinct rumble as the plane came closer, pulling beside him. The pilot shut down the engine, the air becoming silent.
“Yo, good to see you doing well,” the person inside greeted. He had a straight posture, standing slightly taller than Raphael, with handsome features and a rather sharp gaze. He wore a white formal shirt, making him look similar to commercial pilots, just without the tie, airline logo, or the black sunglasses.
Fraone Lakler, an aviator that once sat in the same class with Raphael back in university. He had decent grades, although Raphael remembered seeing him looking disinterested in almost all the lessons. He had acquired his flying license just before graduating from high school, or so Raphael heard. Ridiculously young. Some say he could fly ever since he was twelve. The only reason he was in university was because, as someone from a noble family, he needed to have some kind of title. Everyone around him knew that his true passion was in the sky, though.
“We didn’t even part ways that long ago.”
“Yeah, so what do you need me to do?” he crossed his arms and leaned back at the side of the airplane. His eyes trailed around, catching the attention of something. Raphael turned around to see where he was looking. From inside the manor came Carol, still wearing her apron, carrying the two boxes.
“When are you going to get married?” Fraone asked.
“Probably next year.”
“Don’t forget to send me the invitation.”
“Of course. When are you going to find yours?”
Fraone tapped at the plane behind him.
“She can’t exactly continue your bloodline.”
“I have my brothers for that. I would rather not be married to someone I’m not interested in.”
“Fair enough.”
Seeing Carol approach, Fraone turned around and opened the rear door for her.
“Oh, I need a cardboard box,” Raphael said.
“That one is one of your antics?”
“Yeah.”
Carol set down the boxes she carried on the grass, while Fraone went deeper in search of a real cardboard box.
“Have you been using this field for flying medicine before?” Raphael asked as he waited. The plane Fraone flew could carry up to six passengers or two thousand one hundred rockweights of cargo. It was actually a gift from Raphael. Most of Raphael’s money came from helping people in Proteorno. He never asked for any money, not even a penny, but in the eyes of nobles, not accepting a reward for one’s work was considered an insult, thus he accepted them. The two had been working together ever since their university days. Raphael made the medicine, and Fraone flew them wherever it was needed. Carol, meanwhile, handled the medicine set for Kaleya.
“No. There’s a large patch of sand next to the beach.”
“I see.”
“I hate the sand. They’re much harder to land on.”
“Sorry we can’t secure any better place,” Carol apologized. At that time, the field was owned by another farmer. She agreed to let it go after receiving Raphael’s offer.
“Nah. If I can’t handle it, then I can’t call myself a professional pilot. I just hate them, that’s all. The sand, I mean.” He brought out two cardboard boxes and handed one of them to Raphael, while the other one he used to store the medicine.
“I’ll bring you some more next time,” he said as he took the styrofoam box into his hands.
“... Time-freezing magic? Really? Just what is in this box?” Fraone pushed the box inside.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
“Seafood.”
“Just making sure, but you do know that ice magic, no, ice cubes exist, right?”
“There’s some in there as well.”
Since he applied the magic not long after they arrived home, the ice didn’t have time to melt.
“You really are something.” Fraone pushed the medicine-containing cardboard box next to the styrofoam, before strapping them both to the rear of the plane.
“The seafood is for Mr.Rodger.”
“Roger.”
He jumped off the rear door and closed it, locking it in place.
“Anyway, I’ll be off. Make sure you get some rest. Carol, make sure he isn’t scheming until late at night.”
“What? I don’t scheme…”
“I’ll make sure he stays in tip-top shape.”
“Counting on ya,” Fraone climbed back into the cockpit. Raphael and Carol stepped backward, clearing the way for the aircraft. The engine roared once more, its twin-bladed propeller spinning rapidly. Fraone maneuvered the plane to the end of the field before turning around to face the ocean. He set the flaps on the wing to half, before pushing the throttle and waving at Raphael and Carol. The plane increased in speed. The tail lifted off from the ground. The plane pulled itself back, lifting its nose up and climbing away from the field. The pair watched as the metal bird flew away, shrinking in size until it disappeared above the horizon.
“It’s great there are no airports around here, it makes it so flexible.”
“Yeah… So, should we eat lunch?”
“Sure.” The two made their way back toward the manor.
* ••
“Woah…”
A sweet smell drifted into the air from the silver cooking pot. Zrosta Salmon Seaweed Soup, a local delicacy combining the freshwater taste of the Zrosta salmon and the saltwater seaweed.
“Where did you get the seaweed, though?” Raphael asked while Carol scooped up his portion for him, putting it in a small bowl.
“I got someone from town to bring me some vegetables.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Carol set her portion down on the dining table, before heading for the rice cooker. She scooped out rice for both of them and set one of the plates in front of Raphael.
“Hmm! Delicious!” Raphael exclaimed as the broth touched his tongue. He hadn’t even tasted the fish or seaweed yet. Carol stifled a giggle, looking from the other side of the table.
“Glad to hear it.”
“Wow, to think you couldn’t cook at all in high school.”
“Oh, please. Don’t remind me of that accident.”
Back in high school, Carol was so bad at cooking that she almost caused an explosion in the cooking lab. Raphael was there to stop things from getting awry.
“Well, Ranger training requires you to be able to cook.”
“You don’t need to go this far, though?”
Carol shrugged in response.
“I mean, the goal of cooking lessons is so that you can survive in the wild. What’s the point of cooking if you die from the pot exploding?”
“Fair. You really should teach me sometime…”
“Hmm?”
“Sigh, never mind,” he shook his head.
“What is it?”
“I want to learn, but I don’t think I’ll be able to spend the time.” It took Carol an hour to produce this delicious food sitting in front of him. That meant six tubes of medicine.
“I can’t slack off,” he said, wishing someone else could share this ability with him. He didn’t want to lose everything, but he didn’t really want to be making medicine for the rest of his life.
“You do know that your medicine is on the level of those over-the-counter ones, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You won’t be deciding the life or death of someone.”
“... You have a point.”
She was right. Raphael’s magic, despite looking like a ‘cure-all’, was far from it. If there was a disease it couldn’t heal, it would do absolutely nothing. It wouldn’t even lessen the pain. This was intentional. If he couldn’t heal it, the person must go to a doctor.
But that wasn’t the point, at least not all of it. His medicine worked far faster compared to the over-the-counter ones Carol mentioned. The instant a person drank the paste or applied it on the part where it hurt, the pain would dissipate. Not just that, he had been giving them away for free.
He wanted people who couldn’t afford over-the-counter ones to be using his.
“Can’t you teach it?”
“I tried, it just won’t work.”
If it could, he wouldn’t be as worried. Carol eyes him with a sorrowful gaze.
“Ah, sorry for ruining the mood. Don’t worry. If I have time, I will learn it! I won’t let you always cook for me.”
Carol smiled, not saying anything else. They sat in silence, enjoying the cooking.
“... Actually, Carol…” he opened his mouth, considering his words carefully.
“What is it?” Carol asked from the other side, waiting for the big reveal.
“... What if I make some kind of assembly line instead?”
Carol looked a bit bummed at this.
“What’s wrong?”
“I was expecting something bigger.”
“That’s pretty big, though.”
“Continue.”
Raphael thought about his idea more carefully.
“Since I can make anything, what if I make a machine that produces the medicine at a rate of one every second. If it lasted just an hour, then it’ll make more than three thousand medicines.”
“What’s the most complex thing you've ever made?”
“... Yeah, it won’t work.”
While his medicine could be considered ground-breaking, it wasn’t as ‘complex’. All he needed to do was imagine a medicine that could cure various kinds of sickness. He had the necessary basic understanding of biology. His added understanding of magic and the routine of thinking about the same thing over and over again allowed him to make a consistent result in a consistent amount of time.
Machines, on the other hand, require some time to create, if he wanted to make something that could last long. If he just thought about something like ‘medicine-making machine’ then the thing wouldn’t last long. He needed ten minutes just to create one tube of medicine. He assumed that was the minimum. He needed to think about the equipment on top of it. It would take a couple of seconds at the very least. The machine would then appear, create one tube, and disappear, the effectiveness and the long-lasting of the medicine not guaranteed.
Overall, a waste of time.
“... Do you not create anything more complex there?” Carol asked.
“I can create a handgun that lasts a couple of seconds.”
“You’re really not suited for this, huh?”
“Yeah.” It took him quite the amount of effort to conjure up that handgun. With medicine, he didn’t need to think about the vessel, a tube with paste would be enough. All he needed to think about was the effect, how the medicine would affect a person’s body, the disease it would vanquish, stuff like that.
He got used to them, but when it came to other things like machines, he needed to think about how the machines work, their material, their product, their output, all that stuff. The handgun in question was also on the easier side because the bullet was in the form of stun rounds. Its effects were simple, prevent the victim from moving their limbs, nothing else.
“Sigh…” Raphael slumped on the table, pushing his now empty plate away.
“Maybe you should relax a bit.”
“... Yeah, you’re right.”
“Also, stop being so harsh on yourself.”
“You think I’m too harsh?”
Carol nodded, a spoon of soup in her hand.
“Yeah. Those people that you helped, they also bought counter medicine you know, not like they’re living off yours.”
“Is that so? Why are they so happy with me, then?” Raphael lifted his face. Carol sipped the soup and returned the spoon to the plate.
“No matter how little, a saving is a saving, right? A lot of them also relied on their jobs to keep their families fed. By using your medicine, they could immediately return to their jobs. But, even if you don’t exist, not like their life is going to change that much. They’ll be able to continue living, just not as easy, probably.”
“...”
On one side, knowing people didn’t rely on him that much gave him a sense of relief, although it did make him feel less special. Carol let out a warm smile.
“Your medicine isn’t the only reason they like you.”
“Really?”
“Yep. They’ll like you regardless of whether they receive your medicine or not.”
“... I see.” Raphael stood up, bringing the dirty utensils to the sink. Carol brought her utensils to him.
“Just leave them here. I can handle this much.”
“Okay, thanks." She smiled and turned away. It didn’t take long for him to scrub all the utensils clean from any leftovers. He wiped the dining table and went to the living room, finding Carol relaxing there.
“You’re going back to work?” Carol asked, watching him pass.
“Yeah. Just because I’m not pushing myself doesn’t mean I’m going to slow down.”
“Remember to take breaks, okay?”
“Alright.” Raphael pushed the door open and returned to his work desk.