Taming a Munchkin

Story 6 Hyeminwon

[ Xuan Tian Xinghai is scouting immigrant alchemists from the Eastern Continent.

Accommodations, identification, and high-income occupation guaranteed.

Interested alchemists, please knock on the Grand Duchy of Lyonne’s door. ]

It had been a few months since the wide-reaching advertisement was put up. Every alchemist and apprentice across the country had started to flock to the Grand Duchy.

“I can get an identification and a job if I go here?”

“Yeah. Lord Xuan Tian has guaranteed it, so get a move on.”

To these illegal immigrants, the promise of identification and high-income occupations was a golden ticket which explained the endless line of alchemists dressed in foreign attire at the steps of the Grand Duke’s castle.

“Yooo, you’re here too.”

“Long time no see. Have you gotten an identification already?”

“Of course! The Little Angel inside the castle granted me a proof of identification, and permitted me to work in the Hyeminwon.”

“Little Angel?”

“Ya. There’s a Little Angel who has a kind heart and a beautiful face in the castle. According to Lord Xuan Tian, all of these were made possible thanks to the Little Angel.”

“Oooh! I wanna meet her soon too.”

“Hurry up then!”

Their faces aglow the alchemists hastily made a beeline for the castle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kynemeia, unaware she had now come to be known as the Little Angel among the alchemists, cast an eye over the knight sitting stiffly in the middle of the training hall.

“Sir Cordin, was it?”

At her query, James sprang up.

“Black Tears! Second Division! One-star Knight! James Cordin! Yes!”

“Sit down comfortably.”

“Yes! Master!”

Having assumed the habit of a private soldier responding to a general, James sat down again with a creak.

‘What if he sprains something while sitting down?’ His mechanical movements worried her, and as soon as he was safely seated, she turned to her retainers who were sitting side by side awaiting the potion demonstration.

“Apparently, Sir Cordin sustained a severe injury to his shoulder during the recent monster extermination.”

“I am fine! I can subdue the pain!”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I’m really! Fine!”

Kynemeia ignored the soldier’s roar and called Xuan Tian over.

“Xuan Tian orabeoni.”

‘Orabeoni’ was the designation they decided on after Xuan Tian had waved his hand in dismissal of the term ‘Sir’, deeming it too stiff-sounding and suggestive of an old man. He plumped for it out of other titles such as ‘Uncle’, ‘Oldest Uncle’, ‘Mister’, and ‘Hey’.

“Oye.”

Xuan Tian swaggered over, blowing out a puff of smoke, then fished out a medicine phial from his voluminous sleeves.

“Hoo? Is that the rumoured potion?”

Count Brunn squinted at the potion that Xuan Tian was holding in concentration. The glass phial shaped like a bottle gourd contained a reddish liquid.

“It looks like any other medicinal herb-infused water. Does it actually have remarkable effects?”

Baron Romeo asked in apprehension, and Count Dennis slapped his back.

“It’s something that our Miss Faaaaaaairy is working on. Just watch with your eyes wide open. She’s definitely going to pull off something amazing.”

“Hohoho.”

Marquess Eli simply chuckled at the retainers’ bickering.

“This is a personal decoction of mine. I heard it’s called a potion in the Western Continent.”

Xuan Tian shook the phial. Though it resembled a normal liquid at a cursory glance, its consistency was different. The liquid didn’t slosh around but crawled as one lump.

“It’s very easy to use.”

XuanTian approached James whose face blanched when he caught sight of the suspicious-looking phial. He did not know the first thing about potions, so his fear was par for the course. Watching James’s eyes turn vacant, Kynemeia raised her fists and swung them.

“It’s okay, Sir Cordin! It’ll be done in a flash if you close your eyes!”

“Yes! One-star knight! James Cordin! Shall obey! Master’s order!”

“Show me the injured area.”

“Yes! One-star knight! James Cordin! Shall show! The Injured! Part!”

James quickly took off his top to reveal his injury. His shoulder which the monster had scored lightly with its claws was dyed red.

“You can just apply it like this.”

“Yes! One-star knight! —Ugh!”

Xuan Tian coolly poured the potion as James muffled a groan behind gritted teeth. Excruciating pain accompanied by seething spumes flooded him as the viscous liquid permeated the injury.

“Kuuuuugh—!”

James groaned and clenched his fists tightly. The retainers started to whisper to each other, worrying that it might have gone wrong.

But that lasted only a moment.

“…No way!”

In the blink of an eye, the injury was nowhere to be seen. James gaped at his mended shoulder with shaking pupils.

“…Impossible!”

It was unbelievable even though he had witnessed it all with his own eyes. Up until now, this level of treatment was only achievable through divine healing!

“What is this?!”

“Huh!”

“Oh my god!”

He wasn’t the only one astonished. The effects of the miraculous potion also attracted the retainers’ admiration.

“A single bottle is sufficient for healing a light injury like this. It’s a decoction created from my mana and skills, after all.”

Xuan Tian took a long draw on his tobacco as proud as Lucifer. The retainers scurried over for a look. They couldn’t keep their surprise in check every time they touched the soldier’s shoulder.

“It’s completely healed…”

“The wound has completely disappeared!”

“The injury really healed up as if divine power was poured into it.”

“How incredible! Hohoho.”

“The Church Order’s powers are surplus to requirements now that we have alchemy!”

Baron Romeo exclaimed, wide-eyed. The retainers let out cries of delight as soon as they realized what that meant—the Grand Duchy was now free from the clutches of the Church Order, and possessed an independent treatment method!

Xuan Tian cracked a proud smile, mirroring Kynemiea’s bright grin.

‘It’s a success!’ She pumped her fist. She’d succeeded once again!

‘Now I can prevail over an empty fief, diseases, and the guillotine!’

While she was making victory gestures, James remained rooted to the spot in disbelief as he felt his shoulder. How could this be possible…

“S-Sir Alchemist, what is the name of this amazing potion?”

With a sullen smile, Xuan Tian replied,

“This decoction was prepared from medicine mixed evenly, poured and reddened with mana for twelve hours straight. It’s called ‘RedPo’.”

“RedPo…!”

James dwelled on the name, muttering ‘Redpo, RedPo’ under his breath.

“Thank you very much, Sir Alchemist.”

When he dipped into a bow, Xuan Tian pointed at Kynemeia.

“Thank the little doll over there. The Little Lady was the one who came up with the excellent idea of practising alchemy in the Western Continent.”

“Yes…!”

James looked at the girl smiling wickedly with tears in his eyes, thinking, ‘Our Master is such a magnificent person.’

* * *

“Mommy, are you hurting somewhere?”

The woman on her way to the market pressed her fingers to her temples. Clinging to her side was a little boy, obviously her son.

“Mom’s head feels a bit… Lately, I keep on getting headaches.”

She had tried to get a prescription from the doctor, but in the end, she was just told to chew some medicine that would make her mouth fiery.

“I want to go to the temple, but it’s so far now that I don’t feel up to it…”

She was suddenly struck with worry about the fief’s inefficient healthcare system. If things continued as they were, she wouldn’t know where to bring her son to if he ever fell sick. Right then, he piped up,

“How about potions?”

“Potions?”

“Yeah! There’s a place called ‘Hyeminwon’ where the temple used to be.”

“Ahh, the place emitting a foul odour where a lot of foreigners are gathered at?”

“Yep, yep. I heard it’s a place to cure illnesses.”

“Illnesses?”

“Yeah, Laurel’s dad also kept complaining of pains in his head, so he got a potion from the Hyeminwon. He apparently bounced back to health after drinking it.”

“Oh my, is that so?”

“And the Lady of the Grand Duchy gave a special discount for the people of the fief!”

‘A discount to boot?’ The heart of the woman, a frugal housewife, fluttered at the mention of that.

“Why don’t we try going there?”

Only

However, uncertainty still plagued her while she made her way to Hyeminwon holding her son’s hand. But on reaching the site, her eyes nearly popped out seeing the customers who came out carrying a bunch of potions.

“To think that she would bring such a valuable thing here and sell it cheap to the vassals exclusively. Why is it that I’ve only now realized that the Lady is so gracious?”

“That’s what I said. Those talks of an evil lady or whatever are nothing but groundless rumours.”

“Bold of you to say that when you’ve been blaming the Lady for the lack of rainfall until scant moments ago.”

“How could I ever!”

The man leapt up in denial then began to sing praises of the Lady of the Grand Duchy as he set off.

Orabeoni is the formal and more ancient form of the word oppa, which is the Korean term for “older brother” from a younger female to an older male.

Hyeminwon is basically a government-run hospital, it’s a very old term that’s barely used nowadays (courtesy to Xero thank u luv). I decided to keep the name as Hyeminwon instead of tling it as apothecary or something because of how unique the word is in the first place. Also because the alchemists are from the Eastern Continent, which is largely inspired by Asian continent in real life!