Baby Pharmacist Princess

I felt so worried that I completely lost my appetite.

“Sihat, are you sure you won’t end up… you know, dead?”

“Of course I won’t. You really don’t need to worry about that.”

“But…”

“I’m not that weak, Shuya.”

His voice sounded light, almost teasing.

I fidgeted with the teacup for a moment, then abruptly stood and went around the table to sit next to him.

“You have to make it back alive.”

“I will.”

“Anytime, anywhere. Promise me.”

“I promise, Shuya. And we’ll meet right here, in this house.”

“Alright.”

Hooking our pinkies gave me a bit of relief.

‘The second I realized I liked him—right after he confessed—I don’t want to lose him.’

Thump.

I leaned my head against Sihat’s chest, listening to his languid, rhythmic heartbeat.

Thump, thump…

The comfortable silence filling the space between us felt so nice.

Sihat was someone who knew how to leave room for peace. I tend to flutter around restlessly, but Sihat doesn’t, and I’ve always learned a lot from that. If, in some future he lived through, I ended up loving him deeply, well… I could understand why.

“Tell me something honestly, Sihat.”

“Sure. Ask anything I’m allowed to answer.”

“Originally, when we were little kids, we weren’t this close, were we?”

No matter how I think of it, that seems to be the case.
When I was four or five, my mind wasn’t sharp enough to pinpoint why I felt something was off, so I never thought too hard about it. But now I’m eleven, and so many things have happened between Sihat and me.

“…That’s right, Shuya. Good catch.”

So he can at least tell me that.
Now I need to piece it together.

Another silence settled over us, but it felt like Sihat was waiting for me, quietly hoping I’d figure things out. Maybe he was waiting for me to guess the answer?

So I tossed out a future scenario I already knew.

“In the future, there’s going to be a monster war. Something that Dad and my brothers are strong enough to handle.”

“Hmm.”

Sihat responded with a noncommittal hum.

“Alright, then. Let’s say something happens that they can’t handle easily. Everyone assumed it’d be no big deal, but it turned out otherwise. How about that?”

“Mmm.”

A deeper hum this time. But after living around Sihat for so long, I know what that means: He’s basically agreeing.

“Sihat and the Dragon Lord already know each other.”

“That’s correct.”

“And Sihat, the Dragon Lord, and Grandfather all know one another?”

“Yes, that’s also correct.”

Now it’s a bit clearer. I nodded.

After all, Sihat turned back time under certain constraints—miracle-level magic. Definitely some formidable restrictions.

So asking if this is the real world or what the game system is about won’t help. All Sihat can say is that peace will vanish in a few years and events will unfold much like a game’s storyline.

‘A monster war…’

The fact that Sihat came back in time must mean it didn’t end easily.

‘He said he wanted to see me and used miracle-level magic, but that can’t be the only reason the Dragon Lord helped.’

There’s definitely something more.

‘Maybe this world can’t do without me?’

That sounds like the most likely explanation. All I know is pharmacy—no idea why they’d need me for anything else.

‘Hopefully it’s not some zombie apocalypse.’

Ha, that’d be too extreme.

My mind kept spinning, until I finally gave up and just hugged him tight.

“Sihat. Please stay safe. Don’t get hurt or sick. And if things get too serious, run away here. Value your own life first.”

“Those are all things I already do well. I won’t give you anything to worry about, my Shuya.”

Why is he so sweet?

I fiddled with the tips of my pigtails, and a random thought slipped out.

“Dad and my brothers have been super busy. I guess it’s ‘cause they know what’s coming and are preparing?”

“Something like that. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“So… is there anything I can do to help?”

He kept telling me not to worry, but worry isn’t something I can simply turn off. Dad and my brothers, and nobody else—none of us can actually avoid a war. Hearing “it won’t be easy” face to face is a lot different than just guessing, “Eh, it’ll probably be okay.”

I pouted my lips a bit and tried to think.

“You’re already doing plenty, Shuya. Slow and steady—look how far you’ve come.”

“You mean the Imperial Health Department?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Ah, so talking specifics is off-limits. Still, leading the Health Department was the right move, huh? Good.”

I fiddled with both ends of my hair, twisting them into a fake mustache, then let out a long breath. At the same time, I caught the faint scent of Sihat’s fragrance.

‘Calamus flowers.’

Fresh, lightly sweet, and so subtle I can only smell it when I’m this close. It’s gentle, not overwhelming, and I like it.

“Hey, Sihat…”

I drowsily watched the afternoon sunlight when I finally looked up at him. His red eyes were fixed entirely on me, with no space left for anything else. That’s how he’s always been—I’m only now noticing.

“I want to train more pharmacists. If there’s a war, we definitely don’t have enough doctors. But the medical bureau won’t do anything on their own.”

“That’s a great idea.”

“Right? Myerden and I were already talking about founding a pharmacy college, but we’ll have to push up the schedule. We’ll need at least a ton of people with basic knowledge of first aid and medication.”

In medieval times, there’s that joke that more people died in hospitals than on the battlefield. Hygiene was that bad. And I really don’t want to see that happen here. Boosting the numbers of people who grasp the importance of sanitation and can do emergency first aid will definitely help.

“Any chance we won’t see each other for a while after this?”

“It won’t be that bad. On nights of the full moon, let’s meet here. If we miss each other, we’ll leave letters, okay?”

“…All right.”

I nodded almost imperceptibly, and he patted my head.

“Time with you always passes so quickly, Shuya.”

Yes, time is merciless like that. We aren’t immortal dragons; we’re humans. Every moment feels precious.

And so that day, I let Sihat go.

A month later, the Pope’s delegation left Castalia. Another two months after that, I ended up as a huge celebrity among dragons—and basically sat on a throne made of gems. From the jelly vitamins I started selling to all the old products, my business boomed again; presales came in like a mad flood. And once I started bundling collectible cards printed with my portrait, people bought them at any price.

The rate at which my gems piled up was astounding.

* * *

“Uuuugh! I’m so tired, Sis.”

“Yeah, same here…”

We finished packing the very last order. Finally, we could rest. The shop owner had been pulling all-nighters for a solid week and was practically delirious, while I had only stopped by to help with some packaging but still felt like collapsing.

“Haaaargh.”

Making a strange sound, she flopped onto the sofa. I took a moment to check my gem total—first time in a while—and it nearly blinded me.

[♡ 11,289,999,999 Gems ♡]

‘I-I can pay it off!’

Main Quest #1—this is the end!

“Yes!”

I balled my fists and did a tiny victory dance where nobody could see me. It’s really over now!

The shop owner… apparently fell fast asleep, snoring away. I was too excited to wait until I returned to the palace.

“All remaining gems, I’ll pay it all back!”

[♡Administrator Message♡]

Congratulations ♡

You really pulled it off!

We applaud and admire your determination.

Would you like to deduct all remaining debt from your gems?

[Y/N]

Geez, getting praise from you doesn’t make me happy at all, you know. I pouted but pressed YES anyway.

[♡Administrator Message♡]

Main Quest #1!

[Pay Off 1 Billion Gems + Interest] has been completed.

Congratulations!!!

Cherishe, who has cleared this difficult quest, will have her title updated.

Ah, so the title changes first!

[Your title is changed from ‘Debtor’ to ‘Top-Tier Pharmacist’ ♡]

Well, that was expected. Next, let’s remove those penalties!

[♡Some Penalties Have Been Lifted♡]

You can now use your Pharmacology at its original level!

Here are your updated stats:

Achievements: Level A+

Dragon Heart (Offense): Level F

Dragon Heart (Defense): Level F

Pharmacology: Level SSS+

If you clear 14 more Achievement Quests, your Achievement level will reach S.

‘Great!’

Now the minimum requirements to become an heir to the throne are just about set! Alexandra still hasn’t returned from the South palace. Officially, she’s under house arrest for “reflection,” but who knows—maybe she’s just hanging around over there.

Idsys was the first to propose choosing an additional heir to the throne in Alexandra’s absence, but by now all the royals are rooting for it. Makes sense—they probably hope they can slip in as the extra heir. I’m among those praying hard to be chosen for that slot.

But the notifications didn’t end there; more popped up, one after another, as though unstoppable.

[♡Administrator Message♡]

You have the option to choose a reward for completing Main Quest.

1. 100 Lottery Tickets

2. Increase Achievement Level by 1

3. 30-Minute Meeting with Dragon Lord

(You have 5 minutes to choose)