"F-forget about that for now. This time let's just say you owe me a favor that you will not be able to refuse in the future. "
With understanding came acceptance, and so Medea leaned back and sat down, waving his hand dismissively at the prostrating girl.
"R-really...? You won't get in trouble with the bad people that try to use you...?"
"..."
The girl jolted up, gasped, and spouted more of the annoying theories she was making up on her own.
"No, you stu... dummy. Hold still."
The black-haired boy closed his eyes and sighed but then looked to the side with a slight blush and used a much softer insult, grabbing the crumpled handkerchief that the blond-haired girl dropped earlier while simultaneously reaching out and holding up the surprised girl's face.
"I-I'm sorry! E-eh...?"
Of course, her first reaction was to apologize, but then she let out a shocked voice when the boy began to carefully clean her face the best he could with the not-so-clean handkerchief that had seen better days.
... she's like a small animal... cute...|
The boy thought to himself, wholly absorbed in the activity.
The girl didn't move away and would just glance at the boy while he was gently brushing her face with the soft fabric, keeping a serious and focused expression.
"...umm..."
After a minute or two passed, the blond-haired girl finally managed to gather enough courage to shyly speak up but ended up glancing at the boy's lips and completely forgot what she wanted to say.
"My name is Medea. If that helps. You better remember it because, in the future, I might show up to claim the favor you owe me while disguised like I was today."
The black-haired boy did as much as was possible given the circumstances and leaned away from the girl, hiding the handkerchief back in his pocket and flashing the dark-blond wig that he had on during the scam.
"O-okay... It's nice to meet you, Medea. I am Zorivia Rotteloss."
The girl fidgeted, feeling a bit reassured and courageous enough to introduce herself.
"Sure."
"...Umm... Medea... you said that you were helping me... but what were you helping me with...? And do you know why the kingdom's soldiers were saying something about the medicine I was handing out being fake?"
Medea's response could hardly be called kind, but since it wasn't either scolding or a threat, Zorivia asked while cowering preemptively as if expecting to be shouted at.
"The accusation was about selling the false tonic, not handing it away."
Medea rolled his eyes and sighed but ended up doing it in a relatively gentle tone, so Zorivia shimmied closer to him with her scared-lamb-like expression.
"Yes, that. Why did they say it like that? They claimed to be acting for the good of the poor citizens but... wasn't I doing just that too? Ah...! Could... could it be that they were bad people impersonating the soldiers?!"
"...!"
Zorivia's eyes widened, and she leaned in so much that young Medea could catch a glimpse of the cute pink camisole that the girl was wearing under the habit – which caused the boy to blush really hard and...
"...fueh...?!"
...reach out and grab the girl's face, squishing her cheeks and making her pout her lips like a duckling.
"You really know nothing, do you? I really should not expect anything from someone who was giving out free stuff at the temple of the god of commerce, huh..."
"... I'm sorry..."
Medea did his best to frown grumpily to hide his bashfulness, making the blond-haired girl look at him pitifully and apologize.
"No, I don't want to hear you apolo... argh...! You must be doing it on purpose!"
"...fueeh...?!"
The black-haired boy became flustered and squished the girl's face again, enhancing her duckling face as she squeaked in confusion.
"...hmph... alright, I will tell you what was going on, but you must stay quiet about it... AND it is not included in the favor that you owe me!"
"O... ohay..."
Unable to withstand the gaze of the trembling sapphire eyes, Medea frowned and looked away as his expression turned serious again.
"Those were the real deal. Real soldiers serving Wondalandor, I mean. If you ask me, it's pretty obvious as to why they claim that your tonic was fake – someone had snitched and revealed the location. Since these days, the kingdom has the monopoly on the miraculous tonic sold in the Startinton to nobility for a big silver coin, they don't want competition – at all. So someone high up made up the charges."
The black-haired boy explained with a serious expression, although he was having trouble keeping eye contact with the blond-haired girl without blushing.
"... that's horrible...! Are there people really so horrible to make up such lies...?!"
"...haaa..."
The girl perked up and grabbed the boy's hands, freeing her face and crying out deeply concerned while the boy could only sigh.
"They weren't all made up... it was just that you were being scammed."
"...eh...? Eeeehhhhh?! What do you mean?!"
Medea shook his head and continued the explanation, causing Zorivia to gasp in disbelief, pressing both of her hands to her chest – and since she was holding on to the black-haired boy's hand, it was pressed there too...
"...!"
"Ah...! I'm sorry!"
The boy flinched and jolted his hand away as his face turned completely red... only to return to normal almost instantly as the girl didn't waste any time and apologized. Again.
"Listen, dummy. His entire time, you were giving out your potion to a rotating group of eighteen just changing clothes."
"..."
The annoyance at the naivete of the blond-haired girl won over the boy's embarrassment, and he leaned in to look her straight in the eyes and enlighten her – although, at first, she just looked at him and blinked with a clueless expression.
"...eh...? What do you... What do you mean...? That's not right...!"
It took a few seconds for the information to sink into her pure mind and click in, but she finally reacted in disbelief and confusion.
"Pfft! Not right, you say... The only thing not right here is whatever you have in here!"
"...uuuu... I'm sorry..."
The black-haired boy snorted, shaking his head at the girl before reaching out and gently tapping on her forehead with his index finger – to which the blond-haired girl reacted by putting both hands on the spot and apologizing while her chin trembled.
"Stop it."
"I'm sorry!"
The boy scoffed, and the girl cried out, lowering her head.
"..."
Medea was left speechless once again.
Honestly, he had trouble comprehending how anyone could genuinely act like that and not try too hard to scam the other party.
"Anyway."
"..."
He reached out, grabbing the girl's hands and moving them away from her face, to which the girl did not protest at all.
"The priest that you rented the shrine from had tipped off the local gang that you intended to give out the medicine for free."
"...no...!"
Medea revealed, and Zorivia trembled as her face turned pale.
"You remember that the first day just one person showed up in the morning, and more showed up only in the afternoon? I was because the first person was there just to test out whether your medicine is the real deal – which is true."
The black-haired boy said while nodding his head approvingly and almost subconsciously reaching out to pat the girl's head.