A couple of the villagers that Anthony, Thomas, and Vira passed on their way to Clemence also smiled and waved at Anthony. But only a lucky few who happened to stand where he was already looking got a sour expression back.
Finally, after a short walk that brought them through what Anthony estimated to be a third of the village, they arrived at a thatched roof house with a stone foundation. It was one of the buildings not made from only wood. It also looked a little more insulated and well-constructed when compared to the others, which were basically stripped tree trunks stacked on top of each other.
Clemence's house also had a couple of windows on the first and second floors. Even if he wasn't the richest man in the village, he was clearly affluent. Or maybe he needed a better house since he had a bunch of herbs stored within, which Anthony could smell on the doorstep.
Thomas took the lead and opened the door. A bell's tinkle welcomed them into the fragrant and rich herbal air inside the village pharmacy.
"Welcome! Take a seat, and I'll be right there."
A gentle-sounding male voice rang out after the bell. Thomas and Vira didn't say anything as they sat down on the padded bench left of the entrance. Thomas nervously looked around the room. Anthony did the same but out of curiosity, not nervousness.
Anthony realized he might not have to go far to find the resources he needed to help strengthen his body so it could handle his mana training method.
It wasn't all herbs, but a majority of the shelves covering almost the entire first floor had some kind of grass or plant. And the shelves that didn't have raw herbs had medicines, pastes, and powders in various containers. Anthony recognized a couple of things.
If his soul could unravel further, he was sure he would recognize most of it. But for now, he identified Velpet's Lilly and Millinger. He didn't know why his soul had decided Velpet's Lilly was important enough to let him know what it was. But it was good he recognized Millinger since it was one of the plants that could help him with Natural Breathing.
Anthony once again realized how much of his information was locked away in the wrinkles of his soul as he looked at the rest of the materials and couldn't identify them. He also felt that there was something he should know about Millinger, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. He knew it wasn't anything about the plant itself. But it was something related to it.
Anthony considered searching his soul for the information. But doing so wasn't appropriate at the moment.
It was one thing when he was home with Thomas and Vira since they wouldn't be too suspicious of him, even if he did something strange. But he wasn't sure what the physician would think, not to mention the others behind the dark green curtain on the other side of the counter with him.
Besides, searching his soul for information on Millinger wasn't urgent when he wasn't in a position to use it.
Eventually, after enough time to make Thomas worried again, the curtain moved to the side with a rustle of its rings grinding against the curtain rod.
"It should be just a fever. But if it doesn't pass in a couple of days, come back. In the meantime, give this little one two drops per day of the medicine I just gave you. One in the morning and one in the evening, preferably before you feed her."
"Thank you, Clemence."
A short, slightly hunched man with glasses hanging around his neck and resting on his chest led the way out. His light grey hair had already started losing against his forehead. But the man's skin was still relatively smooth, with most wrinkles concentrated around his eyes, so it was hard to tell Clemence's exact age.
Following behind Clemence was a man, tall even in comparison to Thomas and Vira, and he looked like a bear next to Clemence. However, that was also thanks to his thick dark-brown hair and fluffy beard in addition to the fur vest. The only thing that made him look not like a bear was the human baby in his arms.
The bear-like man had swaddled his daughter in a fur and held her red face close to him, even if she still looked around curiously.
Anthony didn't pay much attention after confirming that neither was dangerous. However, he looked at the baby a little more since she looked older than him but was still overly reliant on her father.
Things weren't boding well. Anthony had already underestimated the time necessary for a baby to grow into an independent human. And if this other baby was any indication, he was still thinking too lightly about it.
His first estimation had been that he would need a couple of weeks. That had passed, and he was now hoping that it would only take a couple of months before he could leave the nest. But the other baby in the room, who was larger than him but still a baby, gave Anthony the feeling that it wouldn't be just a couple of months. It might even be more than half a year.
'Shit.'
Anthony frowned.
Thomas and Vira were used to it, so they didn't think too much about it as they waited for Clemence and his customer to finish up.
"Ubba!"
The other baby, however, noticed Anthony's stare and pointed at him while making noise, which immediately caught her father's attention.
"Hey, Malc."
Thomas took the initiative to greet the bear-like man, who looked at the other customers for the first time.
Malc smiled.
"Hey, guys. Everything alright?"
He nodded at Anthony. It was no secret that Thomas and Vira had been worried sick due to their son's strange condition. As a fellow parent, he understood their anxiety. But they had been quiet for a little while, so the rest of the village had been unsure of what had happened.
Fortunately, it seemed like Anthony's situation hadn't turned for the worse.
Vira and Thomas nodded.
"Yep. Well, mostly. We're here for a check-up since we couldn't calm down."
Thomas chuckled with slight embarrassment since he remembered how he had almost left the house without clothes due to his worry.
Malc nodded and smiled with relief.
"That's good. Well, I should get Evie back and to sleep so she can get some rest."
Malc looked down at Evie and grabbed her hand, which he used to wave to the Liyer family.
"Say bye, Evie."
"Byuba."
"Bye, Evie. See you around, Malc."
"Sleep tight and get well soon, Evie. You need to be healthy to meet Anthony properly, right?"
Vira flashed Evie a cheeky smile before nodding at Malc as she stepped out of the way to let him pass by.
"Now then."
Clemence clapped his hands together and looked at Vira, Thomas, and Anthony with a gentle smile.