Chapter 25: Aven's Condition

Before long, they arrived at the viscount's estate.

Aven got off the carriage at a calm and steady pace, gave the Rhyhorn another bottle of healing potion, and only then began walking toward the house.

Sir Enzo was feeling anxious but didn't dare rush him. He could only wait for Aven to catch up before hurrying inside toward the room.

"Apothecary Aven, long time no see."

Inside the room, Master Johann and Master Olai looked toward the door. When they saw Aven, both of them smiled.

"Mr. Johann, Mr. Olai."

Aven offered a respectful junior's greeting to the two masters, then turned his gaze toward the Luxray still unconscious on the ground.

The Luxray still had patches of purple on its body. Although they didn't look quite as terrifying as before, it was obvious that the two apothecaries had only managed to suppress the poison—they hadn't been able to eliminate it. If left untreated, the toxins would flare up again soon.

"Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Aven."

A gentle voice suddenly reached Aven's ears.

He looked up and saw Phyllis in a violet dress, momentarily stunned.

The viscount's daughter was indeed beautiful, especially dressed in violet with her cascading purple hair.

"Alright."

Aven quickly returned to his senses and shifted his attention back to the Luxray on the ground.

"Mr. Aven, can you cure it?" Sir Enzo asked nervously.

Although he believed Aven could cure the Luxray, what he really wanted to know was what Aven's terms were for doing so.

Aven stepped forward to examine Luxray's condition and confirmed it—the creature had indeed been poisoned by Petilil's toxic move.

From the crook of his arm, the Petilil blinked its round eyes and turned its head to look at Aven. The little guy had also recognized it—it was its poison!

"I can cure it."

After his inspection, Aven gave a definitive answer.

At that moment, everyone in the room, even the two masters, was briefly stunned.

None of them had expected Aven to reach a conclusion so quickly.

The two masters had been researching the toxin for quite some time without making much progress.

Could this young apothecary Aven really be that much more skilled than them?

Sir Enzo was overjoyed—he knew this meant Aven had agreed to detoxify the Luxray.

Still, he didn't urge him to begin. Instead, he waited silently for Aven to state his terms.

Sure enough, Aven soon spoke—but what he said next...

Everyone immediately turned to look at him, curious to hear what kind of condition he would propose.

Even the usually composed Phyllis now had a rare serious expression on her face.

When she had seen Aven enter with the Petilil in his arms, she had already guessed what had happened.

Her foolish younger brother had clearly gone to Aven's farm to steal the Petilil, which led to the Luxray being poisoned by its terrifying toxin.

Still, since Aven had been willing to come to their home, it meant he was willing to cure the Luxray—but there was definitely a price to pay.

She was extremely uneasy. Whatever Aven's demand was, it wouldn't stop at just curing the poison—there would be accountability and compensation involved.

"The Rhyhorn. I want the Rhyhorn-drawn carriage outside."

Aven glanced around at everyone, the corners of his lips curling slightly as he calmly stated his condition.

At that moment, he could clearly hear gasps of shock from those around him—they were truly stunned.

A Rhyhorn-drawn carriage… That was worth hundreds of gold coins!

Master Johann mentally calculated the value, his eyes going wide.

He had always considered himself rather greedy—his prices were the highest in Aspiration City.

But now, compared to this young apothecary before him, his own prices suddenly seemed quite reasonable…

Master Olai was dumbfounded too. As an apothecary himself, he thought the price was simply outrageous.

He looked suspiciously at Aven—was this young apothecary also so obsessed with money?

Only Link appeared relatively calm. What he had witnessed back on the carriage had already tipped him off that something was amiss—Aven had likely intended to quote such a high price.

The Rhyhorn… this was…

Sir Enzo's face was full of pain. He had expected a high price, but this was beyond his expectations.

Now, he was faced with a cruel choice: the Luxray or the Rhyhorn.

Aven had given him a difficult decision, and it was slowly eating away at his soul.

The Luxray was one of the family's core forces and far more important than a Rhyhorn.

But even so, the Rhyhorn drawn carriage represented the family's prestige and wealth.

The inner torment made Sir Enzo want to seize Aven on the spot and force him to hand over the antidote!

Of course, that was only wishful thinking. He didn't dare act on it.

Aven's identity—and the honor of the viscount's house—made such an act absolutely out of the question.

(End of Chapter)