Thoma was being examined by an elderly man standing over him. A pharmacist by the name of Kelvin. He was a good-natured old man who had been looking after Thoma's health since long ago. Thoma had travelled all the way from the abbey to Lania just to see him.
He carefully inspected Thoma's hand and then drew some of his blood, all while while wearing a long, bird-like mask. Holding the syringe up to the light, he observed the lumpy blood within.
"… As expected, this is dangerous."
"Is that so?" Thoma asked sullenly.
"You know, this can't be fixed with medicine…"
"… Still, please prescribe me some. It helps me deal with the pain."
Kelvin took off his mask and stood up at Thoma's request. He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out two bags of medicine, tossing them onto the table. Thoma looked at them oddly, opening one up and peering inside.
"What is this?"
Not only was this medicine different from the usual stuff he'd received up until now, there was also way more of it than the normal amount Kelvin provided him with.
"That's a year's worth of medicine."
"A year's worth?" Thoma asked, making sure he'd heard Kelvin right.
"Yeah. It's also quite rare and hard for me to obtain, so use it carefully."
"I don't have the money for such expensive medicine."
"It's fine," Kelvin said nonchalantly, "just take it."
"Come again?"
Kelvin fiddled with his mask as he spoke. "Your body will improve if you use this."
The unusualness of the situation alongside Kelvin's apprehension left Thoma confused. Looking at his soul's color, Thoma watched it turn from blue to red—as sure a sign of deception as ever. Kelvin was lying to him.
'I see…'
Thoma was unfazed by the Kelvin's white lie. He knew his body had already received a 'death sentence', so to speak. The illness that plagued him had no cure. There was no way that his body would recover by taking the medicine Kelvin was offering.
Thoma pushed the bags back toward Kelvin. "I can't accept this. Why would you give away such expensive medication anyway?"
"Just take it," Kelvin insisted. "It'll be hard to endure the next few years without it."
"But…"
"This is also the last of the medicine I'll be able to give you."
"The last?" Thoma asked, perplexed.
Kelvin turned away as he started to speak. "I'm thinking of closing up shop."
Thoma's eyes opened wide in surprise. The sudden announcement took him by shock.
"The costs of materials here in the capital are getting too expensive, so I'm planning to move out. I'm thinking it might be nice to go live quietly in some remote village, I'm not getting any younger after all. If you don't take this medicine I'll just have to throw it away. I'd rather not be so wasteful, so please accept my offer." Kelvin gestured toward the other bag of medicine. "Also, give some of this to that nun that's always with you."
"Why?"
"Isn't that young lady's body frail? She seems to be suffering from anemia, but her health should improve with this medicine."
Thoma, finally convinced, grabbed the bags and spoke with gratitude. "Thank you. I will repay you some day…"
However, Kelvin didn't let go of the bags in his hand. Thoma gave him a questioning look, confused by the old pharmacist's sudden reluctance to give him the medicine.
"… I'm sorry." Kelvin said, his voice filled with regret. Kelvin clenched his jaw and remained silent for a moment, before speaking again. "I'm sorry that I couldn't heal you."
"… It's okay," Thoma reassured him. "It couldn't be helped."
Thoma was fairly proficient in healing magic himself. For serious illnesses or wounds, his magic had better results than most holy water or medicine. There was no way that a pharmacist could heal an illness that Thoma himself could not.
Thoma smiled at Kelvin. Though his old friend may have felt remorse, Thoma felt that it wasn't a burden Kelvin should bear.
"I'm grateful for you taking care of me all this time. I hope you'll be able to enjoy a peaceful life in the countryside."
"Thank you," Kelvin said with a bitter smile. "I'm sorry, Thoma. Truly…"
***
As he watched Thoma leave, Kelvin pulled a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his brow. He turned around and calmed his anxious breathing, walking toward a drawn curtain at the back of his pharmacy. He usually used the room behind this curtain as storage for his medicinal supplies, but today it was serving a different purpose. He pulled the curtain aside to reveal another man. White-gold plated armor covered his body and a large cross adorned his chestplate; it was undoubtedly a Holy Knight. As the knight walked out of the storage room, Kelvin grabbed a glass of water on the counter, downing it fervently.
Once the glass was completely empty, he let out a sigh and spoke. "Hah, that was hard! That monk has the power to discern lies! It would've been dangerous if I hadn't improvised my lines! Either way, I managed to trick him in the end. Just don't ask me to do something like this again!"
The Holy Knight ignored Kelvin's complaints. He was focused solely on the mission he had been tasked with. "… The medicine?"
"It's a vasodilator with hallucinogenic effects." Kelvin lowered his face into his hands as he continued. This drug can induce nightmares! It's commonly sold on the black market despite being banned in the Holy Kingdom, since some claim that it's a drug made by the devil." Kelvin continued to talk as he wiped his face. "In reality, it's a simple narcotic, and an extremely powerful one at that! It erases the feeling of pain at the cost of stiffening one's body. It also causes sensations of euphoria and stupor after multiple uses. It's perfect for you since the effects are even more pronounced in an ill user. The monk will probably continue taking the medication once he realizes it alleviates his chronic pain. His body's already in such a poor state, it won't be much longer until he dies. Until then, he shouldn't notice anything's off because of the 'medicine'."
"And the sister's…?"
"It's a less potent version. I mixed in some other drugs to make sure a healthy person won't suffer any obvious side effects after extended use. Her body won't grow stiff, and she won't won't suffer from any of the hallucinations! However, on a woman with a weak constitution like her… As time passes…"
Kelvin's face grew pale as he was struck by the magnitude of what he had done.
"You've done well." The Holy Knight congratulated him. "What was your name again?"
"It is K-kelvin."
"That's right. Well then Kelvin, this is for the cost of treatment."
The Holy Knight threw a leather pouch onto the floor. A large number of gold coins spilled out of the pouch, sliding all over the floor. Kelvin quickly began crawling around to gather his reward.
"Ah! The money! Money…!" he exclaimed, zealously grabbing at every coin he could find until he had retrieved every single one. Kelvin stared at the pile of coins he held in a daze."Hahaha! Now… I won't have to starve! I'll be able to eat my fill and live in leisure! My struggles are over!"
The Holy Knight shook his head in disgust as he watched Kelvin laugh hysterically. The pharmacist had already been investigated once before. He was an old man who had outlived any family he once had. More importantly, they had learned that Thoma was like a son to him, he was the last person that this old man thought of as family.