NOVEL WEB Chapter 11
“_Compression, Enhancement, Compression, Enhancement, Compression, Enhancement._”
Having returned to my room, I first made a large batch of Rose Medicine.
Even if I take several at once, the effects don’t stack.
This means my maximum health won’t increase; only debuffs can be negated.
“Well, in the end, treating to max is the limit.”
There’s nothing for it but to get plenty of sleep or rest.
That’s the best treatment when you’re sick.
Sleep well, rest well.
If a patient doesn’t do these two things, no skilled doctor can help, no matter the new medicine prescribed.
“_Tsk, still, it tastes so bad._”
It tastes like mud dumplings made in the hellish realm of ancient demons.
What that means is, it’s disgusting.
“Eating four or five of these every day is a bit much.”
Isn’t there another way? I closely scrutinize my Status Window.
“_Oh, could this work?_”
The skill that caught my eye was Alchemy’s [Synthesis E].
I placed the Rose Medicine on the left and pulled some candy from my pocket to place on the right.
A stick candy, made from honey—a premium item.
“Should I try to synthesize the effects of the Rose Medicine with the sweetness of the candy? Since it’s a simple substance, it might just work.”
I reach out to cast the synthesis.
Now, I no longer need to consciously draw the spell chart; mana finds its place rigidly.
—_Fwoosh!_
A white light flares up, and soon the result appears.
―――――――――――
Enhanced Rose Honey Candy (Transmutation, Synthesized)
Effect upon consumption: 0.3 health recovered over 6 hours from health decreased due to internal bleeding.
Quite sweet!
―――――――――――
“This is it.”
I pop one honey candy into my mouth.
The sticky sweetness spreads to the very top of my head, and every sensation feels revitalized.
I’m alive, really alive.
I can eat as many candies as I want.
Though I do have to watch out for cavities.
“Isn’t there a scaling skill?”
There’s nothing better than that for cavity prevention.
It makes me feel fresh too.
As I get lost in candy synthesis, I suddenly realize time is running short.
It was the time I had promised to meet Acella in the backyard.
“If I’m late, it’ll be a mess again.”
I grab my coat and hat, stepping out of the room.
*
The annex has relatively few attendants.
As long as I avoid Cervus, there won’t be any noisy disturbances, so I could quietly leave the room.
Acella wasn’t in the Rose Garden.
The garden itself looked a bit sparse, like the bald head of a middle-aged man, because I had gleefully picked them all night.
There’s still plenty left, but I should get Cervus to plant more.
Is Acella still not here?
Looking around, I spotted knights patrolling in the distance.
I stealthily hid in the willow grove.
“_I’m late._”
“_Ah, wow, you scared me._”
Before I knew it, Acella was standing beside me. She must have cast some spell to conceal her presence.
I barely managed to suppress a reflexive punch.
Honestly, I can’t let my guard down around this woman, even for a moment.
Acella had pulled the hood over her shimmering blonde hair.
She pulled out a pocket watch from her waist to check the time.
“I’m not late, am I?”
“If you’re later than I am, then yes, that counts as late. Let’s hurry.”
Saying this, Acella glanced around to check her surroundings.
“Is there really a need to sneak out?”
“It wouldn’t be fun with escorts around. I want to see things as they really are.”
“As they really are?”
“I don’t often get the chance to see the everyday lives of the Empire’s citizens.”
“Is there really anything worth seeing?”
“I need to know who’s supporting me when I sit on the throne someday.”
Acella said this casually, as if she had been carrying this ambition since childhood.
“I really have to become Emperor, huh?”
Acella shot me a terrifying glare.
[No. 056: Wicked Woman’s Hatred 7% → 12%]
[Changed]
‘Can’t say anything to her.’
That question was a landmine.
Acella scoffed.
“As someone of noble blood, it’s naturally a goal I have. Prince, you’re my betrothed, so refrain from foolish statements.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Then lead the way.”
I stepped ahead toward the backside of the annex, heading towards the fence surrounding the mansion.
There’s a hole in the middle of the fence.
I had scoped this out while wandering around the mansion grounds earlier.
“Let’s go through here.”
“Here?”
Acella hesitated.
As a noble princess, it seemed the dirty hole bothered her.
“It’s simple. Just bend down for a moment.”
I demonstrated first, sticking my rear back and lowering my waist as my head slipped through under the fence.
There were worse conditions when I snuck into the Demon King Castle. This place is practically a palace.
“_Oh no._”
There’s a problem. It’s stuck on my chest and I can’t push forward anymore.
It looked wide enough; wasn’t this the hole I was using?
“Your Highness, could you help me?”
“No.”
Acella flat-out refused. I knew that would happen.
“Were you trying to push me into a spot like this?”
“I swear it’s a misunderstanding.”
I desperately explained, my face hidden from Acella.
I hope this doesn’t increase the chances of a bad ending. That thought made me anxious.
“Your Highness? Are you there? Your Highness?”
The silence began making me more anxious.
…Is that a faint sound of snickering I hear?
That must be my imagination.
After a moment, _thud-thud._
The bricks of the fence collapsed, freeing me to move again. Acella must have used magic.
I dusted off the dirt on my clothes.
Acella looked at me with a smirk that was devilish.
“Good timing. You won’t look like you belong to the Marquis house now.”
“_…Too kind._”
I stood up, coughing a few times and shaking my head.
Was that cough a debuff?
Before I could confirm, a slight issue arose.
“_Oh, Brother?_”
Neria was staring at us.
Acella’s expression froze solidly. Nervous Neria politely greeted us.
“Let me take care of this.”
I bent down to Neria and spoke.
“Hello, Neria. Were you out for a walk?”
“Ah, yes. Brother, are you… going out with the Princess?”
I placed my finger to my lips, signaling her to shush.
“_Shh, it must be a secret._”
“_A secret…._”
“I’ll be back before sunset. If you keep it a secret, I’ll give you this.”
I pulled a honey candy from my pocket and placed it in Neria’s palm.
Seeing that, Neria’s face brightened.
“Yes, I’ll keep it a secret. Please be careful!”
Like a noblewoman, Neria gracefully grabbed the hem of her dress while bowing.
She may be my sister, but she really is so dignified.
“It’s sweet!”
With that, she already unwrapped the candy, happily enjoying it, looking just like a little child.
I wish Acella could have inherited just half of that.
I gently patted Neria on the head and sent her off.
I returned to Acella.
“I handled it well. Shall we finish our departure?”
“Are you close with your sister?”
“Why the sudden interest? It’s just… something.”
“Do you have no candy for me?”
Suddenly asking for candy.
The Rose Medicine is for me; it’s my share.
I only gave some to Neria to keep her quiet since she had liked it last time.
And I heard Acella had refused the candy that Cervus brought.
“There’s none.”
At my reply, Acella narrowed her eyes and paused for a moment.
“Fine. If you were thinking of giving it to me, I would’ve thrown it away, so don’t bother.”
Let’s go.
Acella swiveled around and strode out through the hole in the fence.
‘_Huh?_’
[No. 056: Wicked Woman’s Hatred 12% → 14%]
[Changed]
[No. 077: Incarnation of Jealousy 2% → 7%]
[Changed]
‘_Why did this rise again?_’
Suddenly, a red number lit up, and upon checking, I saw a bad ending probability unexpectedly increased.
‘What was that again? I remember being burned alive by Acella. It was a trial by fire.’
It was more vicious than the Dragon Legion.
That was a quick end, while this was slow torture burning from toes to the top.
‘The likely reason would be….’
I think I had pretended to swear loyalty to Acella.
Or perhaps Acella misinterpreted something by herself.
Then, she concluded on her own that I had betrayed her and cleanedly burned me to ashes.
‘And now it’s going up.’
They say when a woman harbors grievances, frost falls in mid-summer.
Acella’s presence is a perpetual winter.
*
“What a vibrant street.”
Fortunately, after arriving in the territory, Acella seemed somewhat relaxed.
“There’s a lot of gray bricks here, unlike the capital.”
As Acella said, most buildings in the Marquisate were built with gray bricks.
Though it’s the territory of the noble Gothberg family, known for their healers, it doesn’t have a strong religious feeling.
A small-town shopping street looks no different from any ordinary region.
Adventurer parties occasionally venture here to hunt rare demons from the north.
“This region produces a lot of granite. Is this your first time in the north?”
“I’ve been out on the streets for the first time.”
“I see.”
“That over there, I want to taste it.”
Acella pointed to a shop selling butter coffee, a specialty of the north.
“For someone who isn’t used to it, caffeine can cause sleep disorders. Considering your health at this growing stage…”
“Once I become the Attending Physician, then you can tell me this stiff advice.”
Having given a unilateral directive, Acella walked swiftly into the café.
I hurriedly followed her; it was clear she was going to cause trouble.
As we sat at the terrace table, the owner quickly came out to take our order.
“You two, right? What would you like to order?”
“Two butter coffees. Do you have decaf?”
“Decaf… we don’t have such a menu.”
I misspoke with the term caffeine.
“Just give me the regular. The rest is a tip.”
I paid 5 silver for it. The owner left satisfied.
Acella continued to gaze at the street, observing each passerby.
There was nothing special, yet she seemed fascinated by people watching.
I guess it’s a rare sight for me too.
I’ve been to villages during the war, but I never got to relax like this.
“Beautiful lady, would you like some flowers?”
Children approached Acella, offering flowers, clearly from a poor background given their appearance.
These kids should be sent off with a few coins; if you give them too much, they’ll bring their friends, which would cause issues.
As I fumbled in my pocket for some copper, I heard the kids’ excited gasps.
“_Wow!_”
To my surprise, Acella had already accepted the flowers from the kids and paid them.
The problem was, Acella handed them a gold coin.
One gold could support a commoner for two weeks.
‘_Oh dear._’
She clearly lacks any sense of money.
If asked how much a piece of bread costs during a hearing, she wouldn’t be able to answer and would be scorned forever.
The kids bowed repeatedly before happily running off. I sighed.
“Your Highness, let’s move on.”
Acella, who had been inspecting the flowers she received, glared back at me.
“Why? The coffee hasn’t even arrived.”
“You’ve just given away too much money. Trouble will soon follow.”
“Trouble? An objection I often hear from Mother. She tells me not to be nice to commoners.”
Acella turned to look at me.
“Did I do anything wrong?”
Golden mana swirled in the depths of her irises.
Text lit up in my system window.
[No. 021: Sin of the Commoners 5% → 7%]
The probability of a bad ending increased.
This was a moment I needed to respond well.
While I tried to deduce Acella’s thought process, suddenly,
“Hey, lady.”
Three large men had approached us.
“Can we borrow some money?”
The one who seemed to be the leader whispered in a low tone.
I instantly scanned the situation.
The kids who just took gold coins from Acella weren’t related; they must have spotted her giving out money.
The symbol embroidered on the men’s uniforms.
I know what it represents.
‘_Just common thugs from the Supre merchants._’
This place isn’t as safe as I thought.
Are thugs of merchant guilds roaming in the territory now?
The men opened their mouths.
“We just want to borrow some money; we have some expenses.”
Acella raised her neck, glaring at them.
It was as if she had spotted a bug, her eyes filled with disdain.
[No. 021: Sin of the Commoners 7% → 25%]
The odds keep climbing.
It seems there’s no sign of agitation, but that means negative emotions are piling up.
“_What a hassle._”
“Sir, your coffee is here….”
—_Crash!_
I seized the coffee cup the owner brought and immediately smashed it to the floor.
I shot to my feet.
The men jumped back, startled and shifted their attention to me.
I shouted,
“What kind of shady business are you pulling right in front of me, you bastard?”
It was time to go wild.