TLDOWN 25

CHAPTER 25: 

“Looks Good”

Reuniting with Theo had been brief.

Leah had to head straight to the shop run by Magnolia, so she left the joyful reunion behind and continued on her way.

But the path to the shop was a mess — piles of trash from the flood and broken branches everywhere.

The situation looked far worse than what she had glimpsed from the carriage, and her heart felt heavy.

“I’m glad I came here.”

She felt she’d made the right decision, even if it meant pushing herself to come to Tren. As she looked around at the heartbreaking scene—

Magnolia’s shop appeared not far off, and Baron, who was walking with her, started to speak.

“We’re almost there. The damage is pretty severe, so you’ll likely have a tough few days.”

“Yes. I was prepared for it. Still, seeing it in person… it’s worse than I expected.”

“Exactly. Hopefully the merchant group didn’t suffer too much loss.”

Baron sighed as he looked at the shop’s collapsed roof. Magnolia operated the largest herbal medicine shop in Tren.

Leah stepped inside the shop, now covered in mud.

“There’s a river nearby, right?”

Tren had been hit especially hard by the flood because of the large river that ran through the territory.

The overflowing river, swollen from heavy rain, had left not just the Magnolia shop but the whole village buried in debris and mud.

“This is really bad. The herbs by the entrance can’t be sold like this.”

“No, I don’t think so either.”

The mud-covered herbs weren’t just unsellable — it wasn’t even clear if they could be used for treatment.

Leah pushed through the wrecked display shelves and went deeper into the shop.

Fortunately, Magnolia’s staff in Tren had done some initial cleanup, clearing a path through the shop.

Leah started by collecting the medicine bottles from the highest shelves.

“These ones are okay — they’re sealed in bottles. Let’s gather them and ask someone to wash them.”

She now understood why they needed a herbalist. The flood had ruined all the labels, making it hard to identify the herbs. Leah began writing names directly onto the bottles as she sorted them.

“I’ll do a rough classification. Baron, can you take these and label them properly?”

“…”

“Baron?”

“Huh? Y-Yes! I’ll do that.”

Baron had been staring, mesmerized by how efficiently Leah worked, until her voice snapped him back to reality.

The way she calmly took charge didn’t seem like the work of a girl barely past twenty.

“I get that you’re overwhelmed, but we don’t have time for that. Please, help.”

It was a moment when the resilient blood of the K-people within her truly shined.

—

After quickly sorting the salvageable items, Leah began separating the herbs and medicines that needed to be discarded.

The lowest shelves were in far worse shape than expected.

Medicine from broken bottles had mixed with rainwater and was giving off a foul stench. Leah reached into the mud and pulled out whatever she could.

“What’s this?”

She held a bottle containing a bluish, strangely glowing liquid. Frowning at the unfamiliar substance, she opened the lid.

“This doesn’t seem like medicine…”

The sharp, almost numbing smell hit her. Just then, a staff member approached her.

“Oh. That’s probably venom from a venomous spider.”

“Spider venom?”

Why was poison in an herbal medicine shop?

Seeing her confused face, the man chuckled lightly.

“Yes. Like arsenic, spider venom has shown effectiveness in treating epilepsy. People have started seeking it out.”

“So it helps with epilepsy?”

This was new to her. Then she remembered what she’d learned earlier about certain herbs like Baekseonpi.

“Right, toxic herbs can also be medicinal.”

She nodded and placed the bottle labeled Spider Venom in a separate basket. She continued organizing for a long while.

As the sunset streamed through the window at an angle, Leah realized she’d been bending over for so long her back had grown stiff.

Just as she was easing her sore muscles with a few punches to her lower back, Theo walked into the shop.

“Leah. Are you finished? Need help?”

He’d returned from helping with village repairs, but there wasn’t really anything for him to do.

“Well… I’m not done sorting the herbs yet…”

Without herb knowledge, Theo wouldn’t be of much help. As she debated what to do, Baron, looking tired, spoke up.

“Why don’t we stop for today and continue tomorrow?”

Come to think of it, it was almost dinnertime. Leah, eager to share a meal with the orphanage family, began brushing off her clothes.

“Alright, we’ll leave it here and finish up tomorrow morning.”

Baron visibly perked up, and the two of them left the shop together.

They strolled through the market with Theo.

There weren’t many shops open, but they stopped at the biggest grocery store to buy vegetables.

“Wait — aren’t you Leah?”

“Aunt Jane!”

Leah dropped the vegetables she was picking and grabbed the woman’s hands. She was the grocer she used to know well back when she lived at the orphanage.

“I heard you became a pharmacist and went to the capital, and now look at you!”

“And you haven’t changed a bit, Auntie.”

“Oh, that’s the best compliment someone my age could get!”

Leah smiled brightly at Jane’s kind laughter. The shop owner, recognizing Leah, also came over.

They were catching up with familiar faces when Jane glanced at the young man behind Leah and grinned knowingly.

“Leah, is that your fiancé?”

“Huh?”

“I thought so. You two look good together. Did you bring him here to introduce him to your hometown?”

Startled, Leah looked at Theo. She hadn’t been back in five years, but even Jane didn’t recognize him?

“Wow… Theo really has changed.”

Leah expected him to step in and deny it immediately, but Theo stayed quiet.

Was it the sunset making him blush? His face was flushed, and he scratched his head awkwardly.

“Auntie, it’s Theo. Don’t you recognize him?”

“What? That’s Theo?”

“Oh my, it is! That really is Theo!”

Unbelievable. Finally recognizing him, the ladies burst into laughter.

“You two look so good together. Why don’t you just get married?”

“Oh no, that’s not it. Theo’s like a brother to me.”

At Leah’s firm denial, Theo flinched slightly — though she didn’t notice.

The teasing didn’t stop until they left the market, the women clearly enjoying themselves.

Time had flown by as they chatted, and night had fallen.

They eventually left, both hands full, heading up the hill toward the orphanage.

“Seriously, how come no one recognized me?”

Theo pouted as they exchanged stories they hadn’t had time to share before.

“You grew so tall, of course they wouldn’t.”

Leah laughed, pointing to her own head, which didn’t even reach his chin on tiptoe.

The orphanage stood on a hill outside the village. When she was young, the walk had seemed so far.

Maybe she’d just grown — the warmly lit building was already in sight.

“I hope the headmistress is doing well. I can’t wait to see her.”

She smiled, thinking of everyone she’d soon reunite with.

“Hey, Leah.”

Theo suddenly stopped walking.

“Hm?”

“I really missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

Though he’d initiated it, Theo’s face flushed red like a ripe apple.

Leah tilted her head, wondering why it had been so hard for him to say something like that.

“N-no, that’s not what I meant. I…”

He fumbled for words, clearly trying to say something more.

But before he could—

“Looks good.”

A familiar voice brushed her ear from somewhere nearby.

She turned toward the voice — and saw a man leaning against a tree, partially shrouded in shadow.

“Who…?”

She tried to identify him, but his face was hidden under a hooded robe.

Theo, now alert, stepped in front of Leah and addressed the man cautiously.

“Who are you?”

He was clearly on guard — and rightfully so. There was nothing ahead but the orphanage. The man’s presence was suspicious.

Leah also narrowed her eyes at the stranger.

“I didn’t give you time off to flirt with some guy.”

At the second line, Leah’s eyes widened.

“That voice…”

So familiar — and entirely out of place here.

“No way.”

It couldn’t be. There was no reason he would be here.

And yet, the familiar gait, the build, and most of all — the brief glint of red eyes beneath the robe…

The man who was now right in front of her, eyeing her with a crooked smirk—

“The Duke?”

It was Akkia.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Why? How? What on earth was he doing here?

It was like running into your nightmarish boss while on vacation.

Leah gaped, too stunned to even speak.

“How did you even—?”

“I heard you were working on an antidote. Thought I’d come help…”

He shifted his gaze between Theo and Leah.

“But it seems I’ve interrupted something?”

Akkia’s eyes curved with amusement.