Back at the basement of Helina’s house…

“You want to rebuild the shrine and turn it into a hot spring? Are you insane?” Helina paced back and forth across the lab, arms flailing.

“Where are we even supposed to get hot water from, genius?”

“We’ll build it. Of course,” Elric replied, pointing at a schematic of piping and filtration.

“Artificial hot spring, we use a gravity fed siphon system from the lake, filter it through mineral rocks, heat it using an underground charcoal kiln, just imagine an underground kiln like a giant stone oven, and route it to a shallow spring basin. Easy.”

Helina stared at him like he’d sprouted a second head.

He pointed at her parents’ old alchemy supply shelf. “You still have some of those leftover mineral ingredients, right? I need a list.”

Reluctantly, Helina scribbled while reading labels. “Do we really need sulfur? You know that yellow crust from the mines? Smells like rotten eggs.”

“Of course! That’s what gives hot springs their healing reputation. Sulfur, magnesium, calcium, those are key.”

He remembered a conversation from his past life, back in Japan. A hotspring expert once told him that the minerals were what relaxed the muscles, improved circulation, and made the people think of being “cured.”

“This is not how most people start their pharmacy,” Helina muttered.

“Exactly. Which is why ours is going to succeed.”

“Oh, right,” Elric said suddenly. “Did you finish the charm sets I asked for?”

Helina perked up. “Yup. I made three types of cloth charms, all color coded.”

Handed Elric a black sachet, tied with flax string. A soothing, floral scent rose from it almost immediately.

“This one’s for calming the mind,” she said.

“It’s got dried lavender, which helps lower cortisol levels and eases anxiety. Chamomile, which relaxes muscle tension and the nervous system. And lemon balm, known for its mild antidepressant effects. They’re often used together to treat restlessness or stress.”

Elric gave it a slow sniff. “That smells good. What if we called it the Curse Removal Charm?”

Helina blinked. “Why ‘curse removal’?” mocking Elric.

“Because sometimes your mind is the curse. The overthinking, the guilt, the pressure. Feels like you’re haunted from the inside. This smells like a way out.” Elric explained his physiological thought.

She gave a small, approving nod. “That’s… pretty good.”

Next, she held out a soft blue sachet, wrapped tighter than the first. The scent was more earthy, with a bitter edge.

“This one is good for sleep. It has mugwort, which promotes deep REM cycles and vivid dreaming. Chamomile, again, for general relaxation. And valerian root, this is one of the strongest natural sedatives we have. Not everyone likes its smell, but it works.”

Elric sniffed it and wrinkled his nose. “Smells like someone boiled wet bark.”

“That’d be the valerian.”

He chuckled. “Let’s call this one the Dream Charm. Or maybe… yes, how about a lucky charm?”

“Why bring luck into it?” Curious about those two connections.

Elric grinned. “Because most people don’t need more gold, they need a good night’s sleep and a better mood in the morning. You dream well, you wake better, you think better. That’s when luck starts showing up.”

Helina tilted her head, considering it. “Well… It's not wrong.”

Finally, she passed him a red sachet. Its scent was bright. Citrus and spice with something herbal underneath.

“This one’s more invigorating. It has rosemary to increase circulation and sharpen focus, lemon peel for energy and mental clarity, rose petals to support emotional balance, and lemongrass to refresh the senses. It’s meant to lift people out of fatigue. Well… emotional or maybe physical too.” Helina keeps on explaining it.

Elric sniffed it, then gave a little whistle. “Feels like waking up in the woods after a good cry. This is simply the Booster charm,” as he kept on sniffing it.

“Simple as that. Why?”

“Because sometimes people aren’t sad, or sick, or cursed. They’re just... tired. Inside and out. This gives 'em a little push back toward themselves.”

Helina smiled. “You’re more poetic than I ever thought.”

“Don’t tell anyone. I’ve got a brooding image to maintain.”

She laughed and started tying small wooden tokens to each sachet. “Curse removal, lucky charm, and also a booster. 

Helina reached into her basket and pulled out two more sachets, more like a pouch, each tied with different-colored thread.

“These are for soaking,” she said. “You drop the whole pouch in the bath and let it steep while the water’s heating up.”

She held up the yellow sachet, warm and earthy in scent, with a soft minty undertone.

“This one’s for muscle recovery. It’s got chamomile to relax muscles and calm inflammation. Rosemary improves blood flow and eases joint stiffness. Peppermint for cooling and pain relief. Comfrey to support tissue healing and a little lavender for its anti-inflammatory and calming effects.” She gave a sample for Elric to look at.

Elric leaned in for a sniff, then gave a slow, appreciative nod.

“Perfect for guests who come back sore from hiking trails, fishing all day, or overworking their bodies.”

“Exactly,” Helina said, pleased. “It’s like a soakable salve, all herbal, so it's quite cheap.” Her eyes were blinking with money already. As for the other one…

She hesitated, then gently placed a smaller white sachet on the table. The scent was floral and delicate, but not sweet.

“This one’s a bit more... It’s for fertility support, meant to be used before pregnancy.”

Elric raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt.

“It’s a blend of red clover, which supports hormone balance and nourishes the reproductive system. Chasteberry to help regulate cycles. Nettle leaf for mineral support and overall vitality. Lemon balm to soothe stress in which affects fertility more than people think. And rose petals for their traditional connection to love and reproductive health.”

She cleared her throat. “It just strengthens the body to make it more receptive. Especially if the couple’s been trying for a while.”

Elric blinked, then gave her a slow, sly grin.

“You’re planning to make a fortune off hopeful lovebirds, aren’t you?”

Helina rolled her eyes. “They’ll pay whatever it takes if it gives them even a little peace of mind,” she said with a smirk.

Elric, with a sly smile, teased her. “You have no shame.”

“Well, a sale’s still a sale.” Both of them keep on laughing like the devil while thinking about those poor lovebirds.

“Oh, and before I forget,” Helina continued,

“I made dry stick versions of those ingredients, too. Cheaper and easier to package. Great for mass production.”

Elric smiled widely, practically glowing like the algae they’d released earlier.

“Helina…”

“Yes?” Waiting for the next line of words that Elric was about to say.

“You’re a genius.”

“I know,” she replied, arms crossed with smug satisfaction.

“But hey, did you think anyone would buy it?” Helina has a little concern about her ‘pharmacy’ state.

“Don’t worry, we can just give them a little ‘sample’ for themselves,” he smirked on his own. Helina knows too well that kind of expression Elric made.

The two shared their laughter, the basement room filled with the scent of herbs, laughter, and ambition. As their plan on give a little sample for their first batch of specimens and also laborers.

Erdal Village, a rugged little settlement nestled between forest and mountain, was known mostly for two things, wood and sweat. Its people were either lumberjacks or carpenters, their hands calloused, their backs bent, and their pay too thin for their strength.

Elric stood at the village’s main square. As if the dusty clearing near the alehouse could be called that. Wearing a confident grin and holding a rolled parchment in one hand like a town crier.

"Temporary work opportunity at the Waisz’s estate!" he called out. “Decent pay, free food, and best of all, free access to medical support!”

The words ‘medical support’ drew more attention than anything else. As people know, medicine usually involves healing magic, which is expensive to get.

At the same time, Helina, half hiding under a wide straw hat, was handing out simple flyers she had drawn by hand. A few skeptical glances were exchanged among the villagers, but some men with bandaged arms, limping legs, or healing bruises stepped forward and took the flyers with quiet hope in their eyes.

Most of them were injured laborers. Some were men that have been discarded after accidents on the job.

Back at the shrine by the lake, the scent of steam and herbs filled the air. The once forgotten site now had a newly built wooden bath area with a prototype bathtub…or should I say almost built.

A few of them stood awkwardly by the edge, holding towels, unsure of what to do.

“Take off your clothes and wash thoroughly before entering!” Helina’s voice echoed as she called out the name on her list. Loud and commanding. “I’ll be stepping out, don’t worry. I’m not some pervert peeking at men taking a bath.”

Despite her assurance, the men still eyed the large copper cauldron like a tub with suspicion, as though they’d just been invited into a witch’s stew pot.

But after the first soak, their doubts began to melt with the heat.

The mineral rich water, subtly heated using the charcoal kiln system Elric rigged below the structure, worked wonders. Combined with the herbal sachets, Helina tossed into the bath. The lavender for soreness, rosemary for circulation, peppermint for cooling relief, not to forget the water, soothed aching muscles and quieted lingering pain.

Days passed. The shrine began to transform, not just in structure, but in atmosphere. It became a sanctuary, a place of healing.

And as their bodies improved, so did their spirits. The laborers, once hunched and grim, began working with renewed strength. With their help, building a proper bathhouse at the shrine is just an easy task. Some even started repairing other parts of the estate without being asked. The Waisz estate, once empty and eerie, now buzzed with the sound of hammers, saws, and laughter.

A few weeks passed by, after the renovation had picked up full pace, a burly man from the village, hoping to dip in the hot spring once again, could be seen walking by the lake.

As he walked by the lake, he eyed the long line that snaked from the shrine entrance down the hill. Men, women, and even traveling merchants had started coming to experience the "magical hot spring" that now had a bit of a reputation beyond the nearby towns.

“Tch. Too crowded,” he grunted.

He glared at the line, weighed his options, and then turned to the nearby charm vendor table at the shrine, where a few charms were sold. Each one came in a hand stitched pouch labeled ‘Luck,’ ‘Curse Removal,’ or ‘Strength.’.

He picked up a sachet marked Strength, gave the money to the young little girl manning the stall dressed in white, pure and almost luminous, the color of untouched snow. The top layer is wrapped tightly across the chest, folded left over right, and bound with a crimson sash. The sleeves flowed long and wide, swaying like the flutter of paper charms in a breeze, their delicate edges sometimes brushing against the ground like whispers.

The lower half is a pleated skirt. Deep red like sacred flame, moved in measured silence with every step. It wasn’t silk, not ornate or flashy like a noblewoman’s robes, but something…like there was grace in its simplicity. The young little girl who was wearing those clothes bowed down as she was thankful for the money she received.

The man thanks the girl for the charm and walks away, “Better than nothing. Might as well bring my family here too next time.”

A warm breeze rolled across the Waisz estate as the midday sun cast its golden light over freshly paved paths, gently creaking waterwheels, and blooming flowerbeds. At the southern gate, where a curved archway bore the newly painted crest of the Waisz family, a lone figure emerged.

“Who would've thought this backwater village had scenery like this?” the young man declared, arms raised wide like he was announcing his arrival to the heavens.

With blonde hair tousled by the wind and a glint of mischief in his pale green eyes, he strode toward the center of the estate with exaggerated confidence. A large backpack clanged with metallic tools as he walked.

From a nearby balcony, Elric Waisz leaned on the railing beside Helina, both observing the scene with amused eyes.

“That’s our new target,” Elric muttered, squinting down at the blonde stranger.

Helina’s lips curled into a smirk. “Loud and arrogant. A good specimen.” She paused, then added with a sly grin, “Well... It’s all for the golden egg.”

“Arrogance makes noise,” Elric said, his eyes narrowing as a smile crept across his lips. “While silence makes moves.”

Helina’s eyes sparkled. “Then, let the act be cast.”

END ~

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