I slumped my shoulders and, without uttering another word, silently picked up the large bag.
...It's fine now.
I will focus on making the special medicine.
"Saliera, can you help me with making the special medicine?"
When I asked, Saliera replied earnestly, "Of course, I will," and stuck closely to me.
...For the first time, I will guide you, but from the second time onward, Saliera will have to make it on her own, so she needs to learn the process well.
With that thought, I walked to the back exit that connects to the sea.
"Usually, we use spring water, but since the people here are most familiar with the sea, let's use seawater, shall we?"
As I said this, I scooped up seawater into the container handed to me.
Saliera looked at me in surprise.
"Great Saintess, is it really acceptable to change the materials so freely? Isn't the material to be used determined by the condition of the patient?"
"Well, there is a basic form, but it's not strange to change the materials based on the person using them. Some people respond better to certain materials. Using the most familiar material for the people here would be the gentlest on their bodies."
"......I've never heard such a thing before. Never. I've never even considered that the material should be suitable for the patient's body and familiar to them."
Seeing Saliera's stunned mutter, I thought, "Oh, I should stop here," and my caution kicked in.
Come to think of it, this method was unique to me in my previous life.
Everyone understood the concept, but they would always say, "I can't put it into practice." I blinked a few times and looked at Saliera with an innocent expression.
"Yes, I read in a book that the petals of the Yellow Wind Flower go well with seawater. Yes, that's it."
I shifted the topic to the compatibility of materials.
...But, I'm glad I noticed early.
If I had smoothly made the special medicine, it would have raised questions about how I knew the method.
The answer is that I stopped the progression of the disease in three critically ill patients by running recovery magic through their bodies to analyze the disease's mechanism, but...
While deep in thought, I returned to the original room and glanced at Captain Curtis.
...I really feel bad, but I'll have to make Captain Curtis the scapegoat.
Yes, that seems the most peaceful way.
"Um, Curtis. Thank you for gathering the materials. How do we use them, though?"
I made an innocent expression and blinked while looking at Captain Curtis.
However, the former guard knight, who was worse at reading the room than I expected, tilted his head in confusion.
"Huh? Even if you ask me... I was told to gather the petals, so I picked them carefully from near the calyx to avoid waste..."
"Oh, I see! You use the petals and the calyx! That's dangerous; I might have thrown away the calyx part if you hadn't told me! You're amazing, Curtis!"
I praised Captain Curtis's response with an exaggeratedly loud voice. Finally understanding my intention, Captain Curtis squinted at me and muttered in a very low voice.
"...Ah, I see. Your wandering theater is still alive and well in this life. Lady Fee's clumsy... sorry, even a child would see through your obvious acting, but everyone should pretend to believe it."
"Hey, Curtis!"
No matter how softly you whisper, I can hear you! I have good ears!
And while Captain Curtis may not trust me, I do have a track record in acting!
For example, in my previous life, the knights other than Canopus believed that my visit to this place was a sudden whim to see the sea, and that I just happened to cure the prevalent disease while I was there.
I chuckled, remembering the exaggeratedly surprised expressions of the knights when I said, "I never expected such a vicious disease to be prevalent here!"
Yes, I thought my acting was impressive when even the usually calm knights were so surprised.
Canopus could always see through my acting because he was always close to me, but it would be impossible for others to see through such advanced acting!
While grumbling, I held the container of seawater and entered the room called the mixing room with Saliera.
It was much smaller than the large space where the patients were lying, but it was well-equipped with various herbs hanging from high places and dried herbs gathered in baskets.
"Hehe, the unique smell of these herbs is so calming."
As I said this, I looked around.
"Since we need 52 portions, we don't need a lot. And, my basic approach to compounding is to keep it as simple as possible. First, plenty of seawater, then Furi Furi grass... usually, we don't use Furi Furi grass, but since the children gathered it, let's use it. Then, the fruit of the Snakerabbit..."
I took each necessary material in hand and explained it out loud so Saliera could remember.
"...And finally, the petals of the Yellow Wind Flower..."
As I said this, I took a handful of Yellow Wind Flower petals and threw them into the container of seawater.
I looked at Saliera to check if she had remembered the materials, but she stared back with a blank face.
"Saliera?"
I was worried that she hadn't remembered because I had explained too quickly.
However, Saliera seemed to be concerned about something else and muttered in a dazed manner.
"...Why don't you measure the quantities of the materials? Even a small mistake in compounding can render the medicine ineffective. Shouldn't you measure the quantities in milligrams?"
"Well, if you like to measure precisely, that's fine. But, it often works even without precise measurements. The amount can vary a bit, and you just need to adjust the degree to which you extract the efficacy of each material."
"......"
Saliera stared at me silently, so I added, "It's a matter of ratio. For example, if you need 10 parts seawater and 1 part Furi Furi grass, and you end up with 10 parts seawater and 3 parts Furi Furi grass, you just need to extract one-third of the usual efficacy from the Furi Furi grass. Then, the ratio will be 10 parts seawater to 1 part Furi Furi grass."
"......I'm sorry, Great Saintess, but I don't understand what you mean. How do you correct the ratio if you don't know how much of each material you've mixed?"
"Well, you think about it in reverse. In other words, you think about the ratio from the correct form. ...For example, while making the medicine, you can gauge its current efficacy by flowing recovery magic. If you realize, 'This doesn't have enough fever-reducing effect,' you can increase the efficacy extracted from the Furi Furi grass by flowing more magic."
"......Great Saintess, I don't think anyone can do that. To put what you said into practice, you would need an incredibly complex spell. And, the spell isn't fixed; it changes based on the actual ratio and the number of materials mixed... various factors. Constructing such a complex spell while practicing... it's practically impossible for a human."
"Hmm—??"
I tilted my head and opened my mouth to express my disagreement.
"Resurrection spells might be impossible for a human, but this is a type of illness. I think it's possible with training, though."
Actually, I can do it.
...But, now that you mention it, I did train a lot to get to this point.
It would be too harsh to make Saliera go through the same amount of training as my past self.
Hmm? Is Saliera right?
But, no matter what, she won't be able to do it without training.
Let's try it and see.
With that thought, I looked at Saliera with encouragement, but she only returned a timid expression.
"Um, if you can't do it, let's reconsider the method, okay?"
As I said this, I placed the container with all the materials in front of Saliera.
"Are you ready? I'll have you make it now."
Since I'm not officially the Saintess, I'll have Saliera make it.
"Go ahead and immerse your hands in the seawater. Think about the people here whom you have cared for. They have a fever and look so uncomfortable. Once they start coughing, it doesn't stop. The fever continues, and they feel increasingly weak, and their consciousness becomes hazy. Oh, it's so hard on their bodies, but how refreshing it will be when these symptoms disappear."
As I said this, I also immersed my hands in the seawater and held Saliera's hands.
"Next, think about the materials you've added. First, the seawater. This is the seawater of Sazaland, the water that has protected you since birth. Oh, this water will blend seamlessly into your body. ...Then, the Furi Furi grass. It will slowly seep into your body and reduce the fever. This..."
As I explained each material, I was conscious of the quantities and properties, and I encouraged her to adjust the flow of recovery magic... but, oh, what should I do? Saliera isn't doing it.
"......"
I silently adjusted and flowed my own recovery magic.
...Ah, yes, if I calmly judge, this special medicine requires several times the skill compared to the previous one, even if the correct quantities are given.
Hmm, is this difficult for other Saintesses besides me?
But, considering both the effort of gathering materials and the skill required to make the medicine, I chose the easiest method.
In other words, if we rely on a method that requires even lower skill from the Saintess, the materials would be difficult to obtain.