Tea and pills

"Young master, I've brought your medicine."

"Ah, come in!"

Ranger moved away from the young man and opened some space on the desk for the medicine and tea. I placed the cups and teapot on it and proceeded to take out the pills from the packs.

"Here, take these."

I handed him the medicines for his... amnesia... with a cup of water. He seemed unwilling but he took them nonetheless.

"And please chew this."

"Huh..."

The young master frowned after seeing the walnut-sized brown pill on my palm. The pill had spots of black and dark brown on its exterior and its surface wasn't smooth like ordinary pills and looked more like half-melted chocolate. Added to its odd appearance was its disgusting smell as well as a few white dots here and there that made it look like rotten fruit. He glared at it with a strange face before glancing up at me, with a gaze that questioned: 'Is this thing really eatable?'

Anyone would think that this thing was a poisonous mushroom or decaying food that was given to them with the intention to kill them. Well, in this case, this young man wasn't wrong.

"It's alright, young master."

As a servant, it's my duty to make sure that my master's mind is at ease when he eats something, right? And it's also my job to reassure him that he isn't eating anything bad or poisonous. Just like the good servant I was, I did my job and smiled at him. Moving up my hand, I bite the pill and started chewing it before stuffing the other half of it into my mouth.

The young master looked at me with his eyes wide open, taken back by my sudden action. He blinked a few times and glanced at the other servants in the room, who didn't even peek at me and were busy doing their own jobs, and then looked at the second pill I took out of the pack.

"Why did you do that?"

"Did what?"

"Eat the pill!"

"To reassure you that it was eatable."

"Why would you do that?"

"It's my job, young master."

I answered the man's question with a stoic voice. He tilted his head from side to side.

"It's your job to eat the medicine that was meant for me?"

Why is he asking so many questions?

"It's my job to reassure that there are no harmful things in my master's food, and also to show my master, who has lost his memories, how to take the pill."

The old servant beside me glared at me for a second as if saying 'whose fault do you think it is that our young master lost his memories.' before turning around towards the bookshelf.

"What if the pill that was made for me has some bad effects on your body?"

"...."

Huh?

Seeing my blank face, the young master continued.

"Look, medicine is not to be used without consulting a doctor. A medicine that is meant to make someone better might have some side effects on another person if you use them without permission. That's why you shouldn't take medicine on your own. Even if you are a servant, that doesn't mean you have to endanger your health only to show me how to eat a pill!"

"...."

What?

"...."

I stared at the young man's eyes.

'Is he for real?'

You were the one who forced me to taste your food every time you doubted that your sister might've added something to them! What the hell!

"Alright, now please take your medicine!"

"Hey, did you even listen to what I just-"

"Here. It isn't as bad as it seems."

The young master closed his mouth and lowered his gaze again. Affected by the way I ate the disgusting-looking pill without even frowning, the young master took the second pill without any resistance and put the whole thing inside his mouth.

Contrary to how it looks and smells, the pill actually doesn't taste that bad...

"Cough- Bleh!"

...In my opinion.

"Ack. What the hell is this!"

Young master Alaric covered his mouth with both hands, bent his body forward a little bit, frowned his brows, and glared at me as if asking me what the hell I just gave him.

'Young master that is not how you should talk! Where are your manners?'

I don't think it is the right time to teach this man how to talk... He is glaring at me badly... Hey, old geezer, stop looking at me like that! You know too well how that pill tastes...

Also... isn't this young master exaggerating things a little bit? You used to take that pill every day throughout your life!

Pretending to be startled, I grabbed a cup, poured some of my special tea into it, and reached out my arm to hand it to the young master.

"Swallow it with this- Ah!"

But before he could take the cup, I stopped my hand midway through and pulled it back.

The young man that was about to grab the cup frowned and glared at me furiously. He was chewing the pill in his mouth but looked as if he was about to throw up.

"I forgot to mix sugar on it. I apologize."

"...."

I grabbed the sugar bar and poured some inside the cup, mixed the tea with a spoon as elegantly as I could, no I didn't deliberately waste any time in the process, and then picked it up again to hand it to the young master.

"Ah, no!"

Young master Alaric, who was almost in tears while slowly chewing the pill, glared at me with a questioning gaze when he saw me withdraw my hand once again.

"I have to taste it before handing it to you, young master. It seems I've gotten a little bit too forgetful today."

I shot him an apologetic smile and moved the cup to my mouth. The man was giving me a questioning gaze, asking 'You are going to drink that?'.

"Why didn't you taste it before bringing it here?"

I stopped my hand right before drinking the tea and smiled at Ranger.

"I forgot. I had to taste it to see if it had brewed enough, but I got distracted by the amnesia pills."

Ranger sighed and shook his head helplessly.

"Just give... It to me already!"

The young master uttered with difficulty. Instead of me, it was Ranger who answered him.

"As it's a medical tea, it will cause you stomach aches if you drink it before it is fully brewed, so let him test it before giving it to you, young master."

Young master Alaric raised an eyebrow before glancing at me with a slightly worried face.

'What?'

I ignored his strange behavior once again and drank almost half of the cup in one go. By the time I lowered the cup, the young master was done chewing and swallowing the pill, but his eyes were a little bit wet.

"Ah, it's fully brewed."

"...."

The young master whipped his mouth before quietly mumbling.

"What if it's not fully brewed?"

"Pardon?"

I turned to him after putting the cup on the desk.

"Won't you get a stomach ache too if you drink it like that?"

"You don't have to worry about such things, young master."

Ranger answered instead of me.

"But this isn't right!"

"It's his job, sir."

"That isn't right either! What about human rights?"

"...What?"

Ranger stopped explaining, his mouth freezing half-open. He blinked a few times, before starting to talk again.

"Nothing will happen to him as he doesn't have any mana-"

SMASHHH

The two of them had to stop their quarrel and turn towards where the sound of something breaking was heard.

"Ah... I'm sorry..."

I looked at the shattered teapot and the tea that was splashed on the ground and bit my lip while lowering my head.

"I... I didn't mean to... I wanted to go bring another cup when I- I dropped the teapot..."

Hurriedly throwing myself on the ground, I started to pick up the broken pieces of the teapot one by one.

'Damn it! I wanted to hit the man's head with this!'

My aim went wrong and I wasted such an opportunity to hit the young master's head.

"I'll brew another one for you real quick! I-I apologize!"

Ranger and the young master who was dazed for a few seconds soon snapped out of it.

"What the hell do you think you are doing today?"

"Ah? It's fine! Be careful you might cut your finger if you do that!"

The two of their responses were the complete opposite of each other. Ranger was strolling towards me with an angry face when young master Alaric suddenly got up from his seat, grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me back.

"Use proper tools to clear them, they might cut your hand!"

"...."

I looked at the teapot that I just threw on the ground and broke it, and then at the young master.

'He has completely lost it.'

Thank you for worrying about me but the one who threw stuff on my face every morning shouldn't worry about me cutting my fingers!

'Is it even worth acting so much only to save this dude?'

I even broke that teapot for him. Do you even know how much I liked it?

Ba Bump

A strangely powerful heartbeat interrupted my thoughts. A piercing pain struck my chest like a small thunderbolt burning my insides. For a second, I thought I couldn't take a breath properly.

Ba Bump

Ba Bump

My heart felt as if it was banging itself on my chest. I could feel hot blood rushing to the tips of my fingers and my head at a strange speed while I felt as if my lungs were melting from the heat.

'Already?'