Forgettable

"What is that—disgusting thing!?" Miss Sarina's maid frowned as she watched the jar's contents pulse with a sickly green luminescence. An unnatural stench emanated from it, a pungent mix of rotten eggs and something vaguely floral that made Miss Sarina's nose wrinkle in disgust.

Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a gag.

"Mr. Callahan, what is that thing!?" the maid, whose name was Lina, asked. "My lady is the renowned daughter of Mr. Duval and wife of—" She cleared her throat as she protectively stood in front of her lady. "Please do not use that thing on my lady."

Isn't this why he warned her that there was going to be a minor problem?

Kairos could only work with mushrooms; his body would not allow him to use herbs and other ingredients that would have made the concoction's appearance and smell a little better than what it currently was.

"If you say so," Kairos said. He closed the jar and started to walk back to his storage.

"Mr. Callahan, please…" Miss Sarina's voice was so meek it was almost irritating. Kairos looked at the woman and realized that she was already so pale, it looked like she was going to faint anytime soon. Was that because of the contents in the jar?

"Mr. Callahan, is that thing really going to help me?" Miss Sarina asked. Kairos nodded in response. Another reason why he refused to sell other products aside from the salve was because of their appearance. He had seen such a reaction before, and it did not offend him in any way.

"Then…" Sarina swallowed, hesitating.

"Miss, please think this through. That thing—" Lina interrupted her lady. "I mean no disrespect, but we do not know what it was made of or if it will truly work. Why don't I accompany you to the other apothecaries in the south, perhaps one of them would—"

"Close your mouth," Miss Sarina said, her tone stern. "Leave me be."

Lina lowered her head, her eyes still on the jar in Kairos's hand. Lina's reaction was already expected; in fact, Kairos thought it was only natural that she try to protect her lady. However, he had no time to convince her to believe in him.

"Then, can we start the treatment as soon as possible?" Sarina said, her brown eyes glued to the jar.

"No," Kairos said.

"Pardon?"

"The black market."

"Oh…" Miss Sarina nodded, realization apparent in her eyes. "Lina already informed my father about it earlier. It should arrive anytime soon."

A glint of avarice flickered in Kairos's eyes, barely masked by his usual stoicism. "Excellent," he rumbled, his voice low and gravelly. The prospect of a seat at the black market auction was far more enticing than a hefty sum of coin. Materials held little interest for him. Then he waved his hand. "Tell me once it is here and we will start the treatment."

"Why can't you start it now?" Lina interjected. The woman was slowly making Kairos irritated. "My lady is not someone who breaks promises. Moreover, her father will give her anything that she asks for. Why don't we just start the treatment now and get it over with as soon as possible?"

Seeing Kairos just stare at her with a deadpan expression, she continued. "My lady has been very stressed lately. Please, you have to understand that this treatment is extremely important."

Kairos eyed the pleading Lina and the silent Miss Sarina. Then he shrugged and simply said, "No." Without waiting for a response, he sauntered towards the stairs that would lead him to his lab.

When he left, Lina immediately huffed. "That man is truly vile."

"Shhhh…" Miss Sarina frowned at the maid. "We are here to ask for a favor."

"Can we truly trust that man, my lady?" Lina asked. As someone who grew up in the streets of Keir, she knew the ins and outs of the city like the back of her hand. She knew where the apothecaries lived, where the experts in potioning stayed, and where the alchemists frequent. She had seen them and their tricks in the past.

Years ago, these professions were considered noble, but lately, there have been many incidents that prove otherwise. Tricksters and fakes have doubled, and the Council of Alchemists is not even doing anything about it. Lina eyed the now vacant stairs.

She had already checked Kairos Callahan's qualifications and identifications. Everything looked clean—too clean. He had the qualifications to stay inside the city and perhaps open a store in the south. Yet, he was here in the West, living outside of the city, selling beauty salves.

If he was truly skilled, then why is he here?

"I can trust him," Sarina answered without batting an eyelid. She, too, looked at the vacant stairs and sighed inwardly. She was not someone who easily gave her trust to anyone, especially people like Mr. Callahan, but the man had saved her life before. Moreover, the Salves that he created truly helped her status among the ladies in Kier. "Go outside and wait for my father's men."

"I—" Lina hesitated. To be honest, she did not want to leave the lady alone in this decrepit old house. She thought of the gloomy Mr. Callahan and his pale appearance that made it seem like he had not been out to the sun for years. The man was tall and lean with a face that could easily blend in the crowd. In short, the man was forgettable.

"Don't worry, I can handle myself," Sarina assured her. Lina nodded, finally complying with her mistress's request. However, the moment she left, Kairos suddenly appeared on the first floor again. His footsteps were not rushed, yet something about them seemed to tell Sarina that there was something wrong.

"Mr. Callahan, I apologize for the delay. I am certain that my father's people are on their way," she faked a smile as she nervously took the tea cup that the boy named Alex gave her. Inside was already cold tea. She took a sip and almost frowned at its bland taste. Obviously, she did not show this on her face; instead, she smiled. "Is something the matter?" she asked Kairos, who was standing opposite her, his eyes glued to the disgusting thing on her face.

Kairos said nothing. He just continued to stare.

"Mr. Callahan?" she asked. In response, Kairos slowly took a step towards her. Sarina's already pale face turned even paler.

"Is—Is something wrong?" she asked as she straightened her back.

"Let me start the treatment now," Kairos said.

"Then let me call Lina—"

"No," Kairos shook his head. Then he revealed a vial with dark blue liquid. "A potion that will make you forget everything that will happen in the next hour."

"W—What?"

"The healing. The process."

"I—" Sarina's face turned ugly. Kairos did not mention it earlier. Was it because of Lina? She swallowed. Suddenly, her throat felt dry.

"You can say no," Kairos said.

"If I say no, then… would you treat me?"

"No."

Sarina bit her lower lip. She already expected that kind of answer but still… "That thing, is it going to harm me?" she stared at the vial.

"No."

"So, I'll just forget what will happen now?"

"Yes."

"How confident are you that… the one earlier could remove this?"

"Confident."

"…" That was not the answer to her question. She sighed inwardly. She knew that Mr. Callahan would not do something indecent. When she met him, Mr. Callahan had to open her clothes to help her with her injury. He had seen her body then. There should not be any malice or anything between them.

Besides, Mr. Callahan had completely changed her reputation after her husband's death years ago. She took in a deep breath. "Alright." Without having second thoughts, she grabbed the vial and drank its contents. Surprisingly, the taste was different from its nasty smell. It was sweet, like that of an apple. Then she pursed her lips. "Please start now."