In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 32

I tried my best to suppress my trembling heart as I entered my grandfather’s office. Fortunately, the weather was cooperating. The sky was overcast, and a light drizzle was falling.
“Oh, my dear granddaughter, have you come?” My grandfather, with a slightly dazed smile, spread his arms wide towards me.
“Grandpa!” I scampered over and threw myself into his embrace.
“Hahaha…” Beside us, Sir Broshel watched my grandfather and me, his face showing surprise as he chuckled. It seemed he had never seen my grandfather like this before. Indeed, I felt the same. Rulac Lombardi, so relaxed. If my previous self had seen this, I might have fallen over in shock.
I pulled away from my grandfather’s embrace and bowed to Sir Broshel. “Hello, Librarian Grandpa.”
“Haha. It’s been a long time, Young Lady Florentia.” Since my father had become busy, I hadn’t visited the library often, so he seemed even happier to see me.
“I didn’t expect the person seeking a recommendation letter to be you, Young Lady,” Broshel said to me.
“Actually, it’s not for me; it’s for Estira. Dr. Omally’s student.”
“Ah, I know that child. She’s quite intelligent, despite her youth.”
“That’s right! Estira knows so much about herbs. So today, I brought some medicine Estira made to show both of you!” I took a small jar of medicine from my handbag.
“Hmm? It has a unique smell, doesn’t it?” My grandfather sniffed, looking very curious about what was inside the jar. Of course, I had no intention of satisfying his curiosity immediately. I opened the lid of the jar and approached Sir Broshel.
“Your fingers hurt a lot, don’t they?”
“Hmm? How did the Young Lady know that?” Broshel asked, surprised. It was common for people with jobs that required a lot of hand use to develop arthritis in their fingers as they aged. I could tell just by looking at Sir Broshel’s slightly bent fingertips.
“Estira told me! She said people who hold pens a lot, like Librarian Grandpa, can have sore finger joints!” I attributed all the credit to Estira and generously scooped up some ointment with my fingertip. “Your hand, please.” Broshel, after briefly glancing at my grandfather, offered his aching hand. Indeed, the fingers he used to hold a pen were noticeably bent in an uncomfortable way. I carefully spread the ointment on each finger.
The reaction was immediate.
“Oh?” Broshel looked at the ointment with fascinated eyes, surprised.
“How does it feel?”
“It was getting worse with the cloudy weather, but…” I diligently spread the ointment, even with my small hands, making sure it absorbed well into each joint.
In truth, I could have just done it adequately. But I meticulously examined Sir Broshel’s bent fingers. In my previous life, when I was left alone as a child, books were my only solace. Sir Broshel would stay in the library late at night for me, and sometimes he would teach me if there was anything I didn’t understand in a book. It might have been a small kindness for someone in his position as a librarian, but to me back then, it was a great comfort. With that gratitude in mind, I applied the ointment thoroughly and carefully to Sir Broshel’s hand.
“There, it’s done! How does it feel now, Librarian Grandpa?”
“The cool sensation is stronger than before. Thanks to it, I barely feel any pain. This is truly something.”
“Hehe, isn’t it?” Sir Broshel kept sniffing his hand, seemingly not disliking the scent of Hipsy.
“Florentia.” Then my grandfather called my name. He seemed displeased, looking at Sir Broshel with a grumpy expression. “What about this grandpa?” He was probably jealous that I was being so affectionate with Sir Broshel. I felt like laughing, but I quickly grabbed the ointment and went over to my grandfather so he wouldn’t feel left out. When I approached him, he looked at me blankly, and I confidently said, “Your knee!”
“Huh?”
“Give me your knee, Grandpa!” My grandfather asked, surprised, “How do you know my knee isn’t well?”
“You sometimes tap it like this,” I said, mimicking his habitual action.
“Florentia…” My grandfather looked at me, speechless for a moment. He seemed deeply moved that I knew about his pain.
“Grandpa, quickly!” At my urging, my grandfather rolled up his trouser leg and showed me his right knee. I once again took a generous amount of ointment and diligently applied it to his knee. I massaged his aching leg, thinking of myself as a filial granddaughter. Unlike Sir Broshel, my grandfather was quiet. He simply looked down at his knee where the ointment was being applied, his brow slightly furrowed.
“This is…” Finally, my grandfather spoke with a serious expression. He moved his aching knee a few times, then looked at me with a big question mark above his head. “Wh-what is this, Florentia?”
“It’s medicine Estira made!”
“So, what kind of medicine…?” My grandfather seemed quite surprised, continuously bending and straightening his knee. He probably found it amazing how the cool sensation made the pain barely noticeable.
“Estira says it’s a slightly modified version of a medicine passed down through her family for generations! How is it, Grandpa?” The answer was already evident on my grandfather’s face, but I asked anyway. My grandfather nodded and replied, “If she can make medicine like this, she deserves my recommendation.”
Sir Broshel also chuckled, saying, “If such a talent begins research in an academy with proper facilities, I’m already looking forward to the results.”
Both of them looked ready to write Estira ten recommendation letters.
“Estira will probably need a scholarship. And research funds and living expenses too!”
“That much is…” My grandfather readily agreed. This saved the allowance I had set aside to help Estira in case of need. But it didn’t end there. I saw my grandfather reaching for the jar as if enchanted. I deliberately closed the lid and held it in my hand.
“Florentia?” My grandfather looked at me, perplexed. I giggled and said, “Estira says this medicine is incredibly easy to make.”
“Such medicine is easy to make?” My grandfather seemed as shocked as when he first applied the ointment.
“So, she wanted to give a few of these as gifts to Grandpa and Sir Broshel, who are writing her recommendation letters…”
Sure enough.
“Hahaha! What a well-mannered child!” A wide smile spread across my grandfather’s face.
Sir Broshel also chuckled, “Hahaha!” and stroked his beard, seemingly very pleased. I observed their reactions and then subtly dropped a hint. “Don’t you think other people would like it too?”
My grandfather’s hearty laughter stopped. Our eyes met. And it was as if I could see inside my grandfather’s mind for a moment. Dozens of numbers flashed by rapidly, and then my grandfather looked at me and smiled.
“Yes. Many people would like it very much.”
***
“Then I’ll go tell Estira this good news! Goodbye, both of you!” Florentia bowed politely and then briskly opened the office door and left. I heard her light footsteps quickly fading away. It seemed she was rushing to Estira.
“That’s a truly fascinating medicine,” Broshel said, opening the jar Florentia had left behind and gazing curiously at the yellowish ointment inside. The moment this medicine touched his skin, the persistent pain in his joints was instantly covered by a cool sensation. And according to Florentia’s explanation, it wasn’t just a pain reliever. The original ingredients had the effect of healing wounds and injuries themselves, making it a double benefit.
Then Broshel realized something strange. Rulac had been unusually quiet since Florentia left.
“Patriarch?” Broshel cautiously called out to Rulac. It was then.
“Hahaha! That child, haha!” A loud laugh, startling Broshel, burst from Rulac. Rulac was laughing so hard his shoulders shook. “I thought at this age, there would be nothing left to surprise me!”
The image of Florentia, speaking so clearly and firmly, came to Rulac’s mind, and he laughed again. “Two recommendation letters, a scholarship, and a share of the profits from selling this medicine?”
That was Florentia’s condition. It was a fair demand. After all, this miraculous medicine was Estira’s invention. The requested profit percentage was also very reasonable. Any conscientious merchant would accept such a condition without further negotiation. So, Rulac had no choice but to readily agree. How could he appear petty to his young granddaughter? Of course, it would have been out of the question for anyone else.
Perhaps…? The thought that such an idea had been entirely within her small mind flashed across Rulac’s mind.
“Broshel.”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Isn’t our Florentia very clever?” Broshel also smiled and nodded at Rulac’s question.
“Lombardi’s future is bright.”
“That’s right. Lombardi’s future.” It might have been adult overindulgence for a child only eight years old. But Rulac couldn’t take his eyes off the small jar in front of him for a long time.
***
The day Estira was to leave arrived. It was just a few days after I had settled things with my grandfather. My grandfather, generous in his support, went all out. Saying that someone carrying a recommendation from the Lombardi Patriarch couldn’t live in a dormitory, he bought a respectable house near the academy. And he specially obtained permission from the Academy Dean, giving Estira the opportunity to move in a little earlier than others to adapt. Now, all that remained for Estira was to diligently research at the Academy and await the money from ointment sales to accumulate in the Lombardi Bank under her name.
All her belongings were loaded, and Estira stood in front of the carriage where the coachman held the reins, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at me.
“Young Lady Florentia… How can I ever repay this kindness?”
“Oh, it’s all because you’re so brilliant, Estira.” I said with a smile, but Estira wiped her tears and shook her head.
“If there’s any way I can repay this kindness…”
I looked up at Estira intently. And asked, “Do you really think so, Estira?”
“Of course! Please tell me anything I can do for you, Young Lady!” Estira brightened at my words.
I hesitated for a moment, then said, “Then, Estira. I have a request. It’s not a small one.”
Estira clasped her hands together, her expression determined, and replied, “Tell me, Young Lady.”
“Then…” I looked directly at Estira and said, “There’s a disease called Tlenbru. You know about it, don’t you, Estira?”
A terrible disease that begins with the loss of sensation in the hands and feet, progresses to muscle stiffness throughout the body, and eventually leads to a slow death from respiratory failure. It was the cause of my father, Galahan Lombardi’s death in his mid-thirties.
“And there’s an herb called ‘Rosejn’ that grows naturally in the area where the Academy is located. Make a cure for Tlenbru from it.”
“A cure for Tlenbru…” Estira’s voice trembled. “How does the Young Lady know that the herb Rosejn is a cure…?”
I didn’t answer.
“Young Lady…” Estira’s trembling eyes looked at me. I met her gaze. And at some point, the trembling in her eyes stopped. She seemed to have found her own answer. And she asked, “Can I really create a cure for such a rare disease?”
Doubt about whether she could achieve such a great feat. It was too heavy a burden to place on someone just starting their journey to become a researcher. But I looked directly at Estira and replied, “Yes. Estira, you can do it. You can create the cure.” Because you are the one who will create that cure.
Exactly three years after my father’s death, I heard news that a scholar named Estira, who had once studied at the Lombardi Clinic, had created a cure for Tlenbru based on the herb Rosejn. However, in this life, I needed her to create the cure a little sooner. That’s why I gave her the clue: ‘Rosejn.’
“Estira, you will definitely succeed.” This was why I had to send Estira to the Academy as quickly as possible, no matter what.