Chapter 28 Interlude – The Pharmacist’s Rhines
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
From the second-floor landing, she watched the young man—her last disciple, most likely—descend the stairs and walk away. His back grew smaller with each step, until it disappeared beyond the threshold.
”Good grief… the lad…” she murmured with a faint smile, tapping the ash from her pipe. “Noisy to the very end, wasn’t he? You are…” Her voice trailed off, the sentence dissolving into a quiet exhale.
Rhines eased herself into her creaking rocking chair, striking a match with a sharp *tchff* and drawing the flame to her pipe. Smoke curled upward in lazy ribbons as her thoughts sank inward. She had trained many apprentices in her time, but never one so sharp-witted, so quick to learn, so relentlessly driven. That boy would surely accomplish feats worthy of the history books.
”I might’ve… in the twilight of my years… raised a golden egg,” she said with a soft chuckle. “Living long does have its rewards…”
For the first time in decades, her chest felt full—full of satisfaction, of purpose well spent.
She was Rhines, apothecary, and once—long ago—the master of the Alchemist Guild. A relic now, her past glories barely a shadow. She had even served as the imperial physician to the Emperor of the Yugan Empire, a healer unmatched in the court.
Once, the Yugan Empire had been *the* empire among empires, its golden age forged under the Emperor’s wise rule. Its armies—invincible in foreign wars—marched with soldiers in refined armor and wielding the most advanced weapons. The mere name “Yugan” could make any nation tremble, its lords begging for mercy.
Even the Alchemist Guild, in its prime, had been vast, with more members than one could count.
But times change. Now, it was not the Emperor but wealthy merchants and magnates who steered the empire’s course. The Emperor, in his “enlightened judgment,” had granted them special privileges. Their innovations had indeed brought prosperity, yet the Emperor’s absolute authority waned.
At first, Rhines had been disheartened. But over the years, she came to see the Emperor’s choice as wise. Kingdoms and empires had risen and fallen, leaving nothing but ruins. Yet by weakening the crown’s grip—entrusting cities to their merchants—Yugan had survived in a new form. Was that not proof enough of his foresight?
”In the end… I suppose we’re just relics of a bygone age,” Rhines murmured, a thin smile on her lips. She glanced toward the window, as if sensing a presence. “Seems my escort’s arrived. It was… a good life. God… I thank You for letting me meet that boy at the very end. With him, the potion-making I began will spread happiness across the world.”
Images spun like a lantern’s revolving slides through her mind—the battles that had taken her husband, the illness that had claimed her young son, the comrades who had vanished into history. She had sworn never to let such tragedies repeat, and so had undertaken the dangerous, thankless work of brewing the first healing potions in the world. It had been a thorn-strewn road.
”Isn’t she that suspicious woman from nowhere?!” one court official had once sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.
”Your Majesty! These so-called potions have dubious effects! This is a waste of the treasury!” another had barked.
”Pouring coin into something so uncertain—is that your idea of sound governance?!” shouted a third.
”Hmph! A thief of the budget!” growled yet another.
”What did you do, seduce your superiors? Must be nice for a woman—to get funding that way…” a voice had muttered in the corridors.
She had been slandered behind her back countless times. It had stung. But she had used the anger like kindling, fueling her work until results spoke louder than insults. And now—potions were known throughout the world. Her journey’s end was here.
”Ahh… Paul… Smith… Jan…” she whispered into the quiet. “Have you come to fetch me? I’ve wrung this old body dry… I’ve done my best… and at last, I have my finest disciple…”
Now, standing on the threshold of death, she thought—life is an unreasonable thing. But—
Though she had asked God for strength to accomplish great deeds,
He gave her weakness, that she might learn humility.
Though she had sought health to achieve greatness,
He gave her illness, that she might do better.
Though she had sought wealth to be happy,
He gave her poverty, that she might be wise.
Though she had sought success to win the people’s admiration,
He gave her failure, that she might remain humble.
Though she had sought all things to enjoy life,
He granted her none,
and yet—He heard every prayer.
Though she had not lived in strict accordance with His will,
the unspoken desires in her heart had been fulfilled in full.
And she realized, in those last moments,
that she had been the most richly blessed of all.
Thus passed Rhines—later honored as the Mother of Potion-Making, master of the greatest apothecary in history, and teacher of the weakest hero ever recorded, Ayumu Sanai. She died quietly, leaving the nation in the hands of the next generation.
Her passing went unnoticed at first, yet in time it would be remembered as the moment when the great gears of fate began to turn. She herself would never have imagined such a thing.
It is said that when Ayumu later heard of it, he wept—though not from grief—because her face in death bore “the most cheerful, satisfied expression only someone who had lived a truly fulfilled life could wear.”
Notes:
• Rhines – A weary apothecary who serves as the protagonist’s mentor at the Alchemist Guild.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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