The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Porentia flower, also known as angel’s breath.

It earned this nickname because its snow-white pure buds were said to heal any wound.

“Master, you fool. Do you think the Apothecary Guild would just give that away?”

I lifted my chin slightly and spoke in a tone that suggested I knew this would happen.

“They’ll tell you to put your name on the waiting list, right?”

Owen frowned.

“How do you know that?”

“That’s all useless. You know, back then…”

When I gestured for him to come closer, Owen quickly brought his ear near.

“Even Count Douglas died waiting in line.”

Owen’s eyes widened.

And rightfully so.

Count Douglas was a very distant relative of the Emperor and held considerable power within the system.

But in my previous life, he was gored by a large wild boar while hunting.

He miraculously survived, but the wound on his side was quite deep.

“The risk of infection was high, so he needed a Porentia flower, but the Apothecary Guild told him to put his name on the waiting list and sent him away.”

Count Douglas had no choice but to wait idly until his turn came.

As his condition gradually worsened, he tried desperately to obtain a Porentia flower through other channels, but…

“He ended up dying.”

The cause of death was necrosis and infection of the wound.

He never managed to obtain a Porentia flower in the end.

“That doesn’t make sense. Are Porentia flowers really that hard to obtain? So much so that even a count couldn’t get one?”

“You saw it yourself, didn’t you?”

“But I heard there’s a way to secretly import seeds from overseas. Through some trade caravan…”

“What good are just seeds?”

Owen closed his mouth.

“No matter how much you plant the seeds, it’s useless. Do you know how hard it is to make them bloom?”

Porentia flowers were extremely difficult to cultivate from the start.

First, getting them to sprout was incredibly difficult, and after that, you had to create a very delicate environment controlling temperature, humidity, and light.

But even when they seemed to be growing well, Porentia flowers would wither in an instant.

“They die if even a slight breeze blows, they die if you stare at them too long. The Apothecary Guild probably doesn’t have many either. What little they have must be offered to the Imperial Palace.”

Owen’s expression grew increasingly dark.

“Then what do we do?”

“Huh?”

“About your wound.”

“Oh.”

I glanced back at my back and grinned.

“It’s fine!”

“Fine?”

“Yes! Actually, it’s almost completely healed!”

Owen’s eyes narrowed then widened again.

He asked in disbelief.

“How on earth? It’s a miracle that it didn’t get infected, but the wound has almost completely recovered?”

“Well…”

Just as I was about to slowly explain how it happened.

“Sister-!!”

“Annellia! I’m here!”

The closed door burst open.

And two little ones covered in dirt on their noses and hands, Tom and Lulu, came inside.

“Ta-da-! Look at this! I picked a lot, didn’t I? Right?”

“Sister, me too, me too. I picked more!”

Owen stared straight ahead with an incredulous expression.

Right before his eyes, two tiny kids were showing Annellia some baskets.

“Let me see. Mm, Tom really filled it up, didn’t he?”

“Of course! Did you forget I was the fastest runner in our neighborhood?!”

The boy called Tom burst into proud laughter first.

“Lulu did well too! You pass!”

The girl named Lulu also soon received a passing grade.

Annellia spoke maturely to the two children who were jumping excitedly.

“Good! Since you both completed your mission safely, you deserve a reward.”

Then she pulled out a small pouch from beside her pillow.

‘What on earth are they doing?’

Owen watched the scene with narrowed eyes.

Annellia fumbled with the ribbon with her hands that weren’t free due to the bandages, then pulled out two large candies from inside.

And then…

“Here! Today’s wages!”

She dropped one into each of Tom and Lulu’s palms.

“W-wow!”

The children who received the candy quickly unwrapped them with excited faces.

Then they popped them into their mouths and smiled happily.

“So, so sweet…”

“Mmm, it’s really melting.”

Annellia said to the children who were trembling with satisfaction.

“Make sure to come tomorrow too!”

“Of course! Actually, I want to do this mission ten times every day!”

“Me too, me too! I want more rewards!”

But Annellia was firm.

“No. We promised one candy per basket, remember?”

“Aww, but…”

“Tom, what did I tell you?”

Tom hesitantly looked up at Annellia on the bed.

“If you chase a wild rabbit, you’ll lose the house rabbit…”

“It’s not ‘lose,’ it’s ‘miss.'”

“Miss!”

“Right. Go back quickly before you miss the candy you already got.”

The children nodded weakly and trudged out of the room.

Owen watched the scene in a daze.

Meanwhile, Annellia tied up the candy pouch tightly again and put it under her pillow.

Then she looked through the baskets she received from the children and checked them carefully.

Inside were leaves that gave off a foul smell.

“My disciple. What is all this…”

“I borrowed the siblings’ labor a little.”

“Labor?”

“Yes. As you can see, I still can’t walk.”

Following the child’s gaze, he could see her right foot still wrapped in bandages.

All the wounds on Annellia’s arms and legs were from rolling down the stairs.

“Master. Do you know why Porentia flowers die so easily?”

Annellia suddenly asked.

Owen couldn’t readily answer and frowned.

“…Well. Is there a particular reason? I just thought it was naturally like that.”

“No way. That’s not it!”

Annellia answered with a meaningful voice.

“It’s because it’s a mutant.”

“A mutant?”

Annellia gestured toward the bottom compartment of the nightstand beside the bed.

“Try opening that.”

Owen hesitated before approaching the nightstand.

When he opened the bottom compartment, something he had never seen before in his life caught his attention.

“What is this….”

Inside was something like powder made from grinding dried leaves.

“It’s Rubarin grass.”

“Rubarin grass?”

Owen tilted his head at the familiar name.

“If it’s Rubarin grass….”

“That’s right! That devil weed.”

At hearing the name after so long, his expression wrinkled deeply.

“This isn’t the greenhouse I knew.”

I chuckled as I watched Owen looking around.

The greenhouse at Abner Manor occupied a very large area on the right side of the backyard.

However, until a few weeks ago, the interior had been completely empty.

This was because after Sharon Abner’s husband, Lloyd Abner, died, there was no one left to tend to the greenhouse.

“When I came before, it seemed like almost a wasteland.”

“….”

“Now it’s become a field of weeds. And those weeds are Rubarin grass that I thought was extinct?”

Ding dong dang!

I tapped Owen’s shoulder while riding on his back.

“This actually isn’t a weed, I tell you.”

Rubarin grass.

The notorious devil weed from the Empire, especially the south, said to dry up the seeds of any crop with its tenacious vitality.

Even when pulled out, it would quickly take root again and cover entire farmlands after some time, making it a terrifying plant, but….

“Speaking of its efficacy, it’s ten times better than Porentia flowers!”

“….”

“A beneficial plant disguised as a weed!”

“….”

“The greatest medicine of this era, now only remaining in Abner Estate!”

I could hear Owen taking a short breath.

I smiled proudly as I looked around at the weeds—no, Rubarin grass—that I had carefully planted throughout the entire greenhouse over the past few days.

It was possible because the Orphanage Children helped without missing a single day.

Owen muttered in a dumbfounded voice.

“I can’t believe that Rubarin grass is medicine….”

“It’s really amazing that there’s so much here!”

“Right. I thought it was completely extinct. It was famous, this devil grass.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration at all that Rubarin grass was a notorious weed.

Rubarin grass, which had spread widely throughout The Empire, especially in the Southern Region, had been people’s headache for a very long time.

It was particularly hated in the south where there were many farmlands.

When Rubarin grass appeared, that year’s harvest was as good as ruined.

Moreover.

“Ha, this nasty thing is really medicine? I absolutely can’t believe it.”

Owen covered his nose and stepped back.

I chuckled inwardly.

As Owen said, Rubarin grass had a distinctive bitter and musty smell.

This smell was quite terrible, so most people disliked it.

In fact, prolonged exposure would cause headaches and nausea, making even animals avoid it.

So no one could think that this grass was medicinal.

Was that all?

With its tenacious vitality that kept growing back no matter how much you pulled it, plus its violent nature of killing all surrounding crops.

The southern people, who were fed up, made a big decision decades ago.

They decided to launch a massive Rubarin grass extermination operation.

With both Nobility and Commoners cooperating.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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