The Tyrant’s Tranquilizer

“I can’t do my job if you’re here. But I’ll be right back with you next time.”

“Didn’t you say you could work?”

“I can’t work, but it’s fun. Walking around with you.”

“Well, if you say so—”

Amelie replied calmly, but her cheeks were already flushed. She must have assumed he couldn’t see because it was so dark, but even darkness couldn’t keep Serwin’s eyes from seeing. As he looked at Amelie, who was shy, he burst out laughing. The sound of pleasant laughter echoed lowly through the alleyway. Amelie’s face flushed slightly.

“Do you want me to take you on a tour of the capital? Choose a location where you want to go. I’m only able to go at night.”

“—Your Majesty, why are you being so kind today?”

Is this Serwin?

Amelie raised her eyebrows at Serwin, suspicious.

“Am I nice?”

“Indeed. Really! It doesn’t seem like Your Majesty!”

“….Is this the timing to ask, ‘What am I like?’”

“Don’t joke around.”

Serwin even cracks jokes. Amelie’s vigilance increased. Serwin laughed as he ruffled Amelie’s hair.

“If you’re grateful then the next time you’re upset, don’t hide under the bed— Make it under a dust-free table if possible.”

“What?”

Serwin finished what he was saying and strode forward.

“No way, you’re not trying to cheer me up, are you—?”

Serwin did not respond and continued walking straight ahead. Despite her embarrassment from recalling her tantrum, Amelie was convinced that Milena’s guess was correct.

‘Oh my, Oh my goodness! Serwin is concerned about other people’s feelings!’

Amelie felt like she just learned something huge. She was in shock until she went to bed.

******

The next day, the sun shone brightly as usual.

Serwin and Amelie exchanged secret glances when the servants asked about the two secretly leaving the Palace last night.

Amelie decided to spend the day making potions after Serwin left. Amelie made an excuse saying she needed to lie down after lunch because she was feeling ill. Recognizing her true intentions, Mrs Enard exited the room, bringing both maids with her, stating that she would be next to Amelie and telling her to relax. Amelie, who was alone in the room, shut the door.

‘Feel so good!’

Amelie was thrilled, banging on the window and whispering.

“Did you arrive?”

“Yes.”

Milena, who was squatting on the terrace, entered the room quickly. She had taken a leave of absence on purpose in order to get Amelie the ingredients for the magic pill.

“What should I do, I’m sorry for interrupting your holiday?”

“It’s fine because there’s nothing to do at home. Instead, I’d like to watch you make magic pills.”

“Are you going to be alright?”

Amelie was a little unsure. Amelie accepted her request because she couldn’t send her back with just the ingredients. Milena then excitedly took items from her bag.

“Like what you asked for. Lard, sunflower seed oil and plums.”

“You purchased everything. Thank you very much.”

“All of them are easy to get. I was surprised to discover that the ingredients were more common than I had expected. I was under the impression you were going to use frog intestines.”

“I sometimes use that as well, but the basic medicine for flying in the sky is this. That is why I use materials that are readily available.”

Amelie took her brown bag from under the bed. Then she opened the bag and unlocked the lock. It contained materials for the creation of magical pills. She packed everything her grandmother used in her bag so she could make any magic medicines she wanted.

“Didn’t you say you’d make it next to the bed?”

Amelie nodded her head. The bedside is the most sequestered part of the bedroom, and when the curtains were drawn, it wasn’t easy to see from the door. Of course, there were issues like ventilation being difficult because the window there was too small, and that a fire had to be made next to the cloth curtains, but she had to overlook it because not being detected was the top priority.

“Can I help you?”

When Milena asked, Amelie shook her head.

“Milena, please sit there and watch.”

“I understand. ”

Amelie confidently raised her hand as Milena sat in a chair by the other window. Her fingers gestured to the brown bag, and a large pot emerged from within. It appeared to be a hard and heavy pot that would be difficult for an adult man to hold onto, but Amelie was very stable.

‘I told my brother not to exaggerate when I heard from him—’

It was exactly as Roen had described. As Amelie pointed, a large pot and a narrow, long table flew into the air and landed quietly. Ladles, herb boxes, and aprons all flew up and landed on the table one after the other. The preparations for the magic pill were finally completed when Milena’s purchases were placed on the table.

“Wow!”

Milena gave a breathless round of applause and admiration.

“Is this the start?”

“Yes.”

Amelie magically poured water into the pot and set it on fire.

“Huh.”

Milena, who was watching the scene, was so taken aback that she had to stop screaming. Instead, her eyes grew so large that they looked like they were sticking out from her face.

Despite the lack of firewood, the fire is on the rise, and water is pouring from the air. It was amazing to be able to use magic without memorizing spells and to carry heavy objects, but it’s nothing in comparison to this.

“You really were a witch, Miss Amelie.”

Milena murmured quietly to herself. Meanwhile, Amelie finished the book ‘Making Magic Potions for the Little Witch.’ It wasn’t all that different from how she remembered it.

‘I remember correctly.’

That’s great news. She could try again if she failed, but she didn’t want to fail in front of Milena.

“What about the rest of the ingredients? Is everything ready?”

Milena purposefully asked Amelie, trying to ease her tension.

“Of course, it’s perfect.”

“That’s incredible, by the way. I can’t believe this is how flying potions are made.”

“In reality, the items Milena has been looking for are merely alternate ingredients. They strengthen the main ingredients or make them easier to eat or apply. I don’t need to buy anything because I brought the main ingredients from home.”

“So, what’s the main ingredient?”

“Flowers of Henbane and Wolf’s Bane.”

Amelie held a Henbane and a Wolf’s Bane Flower in each hand, allowing Milena to see clearly.

“Both are poisonous plants—”

Milena’s face looked pale and terrified.

As Milena said, Henbane and Wolf’s Bane were very well known poisonous plants.

Henbane’s toxicity distorts the senses, causing them to feel as if they are floating in the air and hallucinating. It was a terrible poison that, if consumed in large quantities, would put them into a coma and cause them to die.

Wolf’s Bane is a more poisonous herb than Henbane, and everything from the roots to the leaves to the flowers is poisonous. It was a plant that had long been used for poisoning due to its high toxicity.

“In the Imperial Palace, just carrying it is enough to get you executed.”

“Huh. Is that true?”

“Without a doubt! If they poison His Majesty with such a thing, they will be able to do so—”

“Oh, I see—”

Amelie had a sad expression on her face.

Poison must be used in witch’s potion. Poisonous snake poison, white poison grass, poppy flower, poison frog eggs, and so on. Depending on how the magic pills were used, different poisons were required. In other words, it is not an exaggeration to say that poison is the core of the potion.

First, witches prepare a poison by boiling it with various herbs and then casting a spell to purify the poison. The components of the poison are then purified and reborn as a drug with magical properties. When the poison was drained, it resembled nothing more than herbal water.

It was all too natural for a witch, but it was not acceptable to the general public. Poisoning the pills they’ll consume

“Do you, for example, have any other poison?”

“Yes, the poison jars contain a lot of difficult-to-find ingredients, so I brought them from home.”

“Never tell anyone about it. You know what I mean? It’s all over if you get caught.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Luckily, no one can open her bag but her. It was because there was magic protecting it. After being promised several times by Milena, Amelie started the herbal preparation.

Cutting, crushing, and separating herbs is a simple process. However, if anything went wrong, the magic pill would not work properly, so attention to detail was required.

The water in the pot was boiling by the end of the process. The stems of Henbane and Wolf’s Bane were placed in the pot and stirred with a ladle. Now all she has to do is wait for the herbs to come out enough. Amelie found some time to catch her breath.

“Drink some tea and eat a snack.”

Milena made tea on time and delivered it with a snack. Madeleine’s with earl grey tea were today’s menu.

“Thank you very much. Don’t come this way, it could be harmful if you consume the smoke.”

Amelie appeared carrying the tea cups and madeleines. Mumbling while eating a fluffy madeleine and taking a sip of warm tea. Her appetite was stimulated by the simultaneous sweetness and bitterness.

“Oh, yesterday, come to think of it. I was surprised as to why His Majesty was doing something he had never done before.”

“After all, what was it?”

“Milena was right. He explained that he was doing it to make me feel better.”

Milena shook her head in disbelief.

“His Majesty—Wow, I thought it wasn’t that! I wasn’t expecting him to have such a human side.”

“Right? I was so surprised, I couldn’t sleep at night.”

She couldn’t sleep at night because she was thinking about Serwin. She remembered the side face that was looking forward obstinately when she closed her eyes. She felt embarrassed as she looked at his side profile that could not be hidden by darkness. Her heart skipped a beat as she considered it, and she continued to toss and turn.

Amelie drank the lukewarm cold tea. She then took the ladle and stirred the magic potion.

‘Let’s concentrate on the potion. Focus!’

Amelie focused harder on the potion to get rid of her useless thoughts. The liquid has moderately boiled down. The blue color and density are exactly as described in the book. It’s going well.

‘Now it’s time to use magic!’

The most important step in the creation of a magical potion was the use of magic to purify toxicity. If the magic works, it transforms into a flying medicine; if it fails, it remains a poison.

Amelie concentrated her efforts, placed the flower petals in the pot, and sprinkled them with pollen. Amelie cast a spell when the toxicity of the Henbane and Wolf’s Bane was at its peak. The fire then roared to life. Black water was spit out of the pot as the liquid simmered.

Milena stood back simply observing. Amelie’s form was barely visible as black smoke filled the room like fog. Amelie’s voice could be heard, speaking fast spells in an incomprehensible language.

It made for a grim, yet mysterious scene.