Chapter 15 (1/2)

The Very Antithetical Alchemist (4)

The sun was setting, an eventful day at Llyod village was ending

The ate became calm

“Douglas, are you sleeping?”

Inside the shabby hut Ledio was lying on a hard wooden bed

Although he was lying on the bed, he hadn’t fallen asleep

“……Not yet”

Douglas was lying on a small bed on the other side

He couldn’t fall asleep, like his father

“Barton told e”

“Well, he seee to me”

“I heard you risked your life again”

“…… I just wanted to find the flower”

“So you risked your life Don’t you kno dangerous the outside is?”

At his father’s rebuking, Douglas stood up

He seemed to be upset

“Then what should I do! The e told me You will be fine for just ashort period Soon, you will suffer again!”

After he awoke fro,

except the worry about his father, and the fear that he would be left alone

“I’m okay Noe just need to find the flower of Randor…”

“Yet we haven’t found it We’ve spent more than a year already!

It was true

To cure o, to find the flower of Randor

“Are you even sure that you can be cured with the flower?”

“Douglas…”

“Well, does it even exist?”

Ledio couldn’t say anything

He understood his son’s concerns

But he couldn’t give his son a clear answer

“It does”

Somewhere, someone answered

It wasn’t Ledio’s voice

“……!”

They looked around their house

The voice didn’t come from inside, but outside

“Wwho is it?”

Ledio asked carefully

With his sick body, he stepped closer to the door

While grabbing an ax with his hand

“The flower of Randor”

“……?”

“I heard that you are seeking it”

Ledio didn’t reply

He opened the door slowly

Screeee…

The rusty hinges of the old door made an uncomfortable sound

The owner of the voice was standing by the wall of the hut

It was a young boy

“What are you talking abo…”

“Excuse me”

The boy came into the house smoothly

“Who are y…?”

Then Douglas recognized the boy

“Mmmph!”

Suddenly, as if he , he covered his mouth

“Douglas? Do you know this boy?

“HHe is the e I told you…”

“……What?”

That hy

The reason Douglas covered his mouth

He spoke without any respect unconsciously, because the e to him

“So, so, sorry, Sir! I made a mmistake…!”

“It is okay By the way,”

After he callas, Ian addressed Ledio

“I ae”

Ian put so

It was a fist-sized ice ball

“W…what is it?”

“You may need it”

By his instinct, Ledio stepped closer to the stuff

He investigated the ice closer

“This……?”

Ledio opened his eyes wide

With shaking hands, he picked up the sphere of ice

He saw soht in the ice

There was a violet flower that was frozen

“The flower… of Randor?”

Douglas was surprised as well by Ledio’s

The flower that they had never found, even though they had searched for a year

Did Ian bring them a flower of which even its existence was uncertain?

This e?

“The flower, I will give it to you”

Ledio’s eye started to shake

“Before, I just want to ask one thing”

Ledio was ready to anshatever he asked

He suffered fro

His life was ticking

He couldn’t just die while leaving Douglas alone

“How did you know?”

“…… Pardon?”

“Its effect wasn’t known”

With Ian’s question, Ledio barely cooled down his head

It wasn’t an answer that he could speak easily

“That is…”

The herb which was fatal to es

Aabout it

His life was at risk

“Please don’t spend your ti”

Ian read Ledio’s mind

He spoke quietly

“I can find it whenever I want”

Ian threatened Ledio indirectly, for young Douglas

Ledio understood the intention of Ian

What would happen if a e decided to harm Ledio?

That would be the end of Ledio There were no ways to prevent it, nor run away

The ansas an important matter

“Of course, I dare not to”

This e saved his life twice

From the hands of the thief,

From his mana addiction

“…… The illustrated book”

Ledio spoke out as he decided

“I saw it in this illustrated book”

Ledio walked to an old bookshelf

Most of the books were about alchemy

There were a few kids book as well

Click!

Ledio didn’t pull out the book from the shelf

Instead, He took off a cover piece of the bottom of the shelf