The Herb King

Johann worriedly stared at Leric who was now holding a giant syringe. It was an item that he has not seen in his life. He wondered what the young man would do with it.

Looking at the nervous old man, Leric chuckled in amusement. This syringe was something that he had prepared when he was still in the camp. Initially, he planned to use it if something unexpected happened to his father during the war. Luckily, his father was unharmed and the syringe was left unused in his storage space.

Inside this syringe was a shot of anesthesia. It was difficult to collect the modern ingredients of anesthesia in this world without the help of advanced tools, so he could only use herbs with similar properties as a substitute.

"Don't be nervous, Sir Johann. This one here is a medicine. We need this for the operation since I need to cut the sternum, ays nevermind. It will be a long story if I tell you the procedure… This will be a bit painful, but it should be nothing to an Esper like you."

Johann nodded his head and closed his eyes when he saw that the syringe was about to reach his chest. 'Good lord!'

Johann felt a light tingling pain in his chest area and soon, the muscles on his body begin to relax starting from his head down to his feet. It was a unique feeling that he had never felt before. What kind of medicine was this? It can actually make him feel calm and less anxious. Even the residual pain from all his ailments suddenly vanished! What a magical medicine!

Normally, a patient has to be unconscious when doing an operation like this, but since Johann was an Esper and an Alchemist, it should be fine. People like him were more accustomed to pain.

Leric took a pair of scissors and started cutting the shirt of the old man. He then cleaned the center portion of his chest using a homemade disinfectant.

After that, he grabbed a scalpel and started the procedure.

He held the scalpel with perfect precision and cut an eight-inch long incision in the midsection of the chest.

Anna who was standing behind Leric covered her mouth as she held her breath.

Leric's movements looked well-practiced and steady. There were no superficial actions and everything seemed to be calculated.

Johann's sternum was now visible to Leric's eyes. Now, he needs to cut his sternum so that he can spread the ribs and get a clearer look at Johann's heart.

'Too bad, I don't have time to make a sternal saw. I can only make do with a dagger.' He thought to himself as he took out a dagger and sliced Johann's sternum.

This time, Anna could no longer dare to watch the scene. It was too gruesome for someone who had not seen so much in life.

She looked away and focused her attention on Leric's face. He looked so confident and calm during the entire time. 'How handsome…'

After spreading the rib cage, Johann's beating heart was finally in Leric's sight. He saw a small worm-like creature wriggling in the old man's heart. Half of the parasite's body was already inside the heart.

"Good! At least, it has yet to fully merge with the heart." Leric mumbled before taking out the beaker where he mixed the four poisonous herbs.

The dark purple liquid rippled as Leric dipped the tip of a small needle within the mixture.

Leric carefully held the needle and pointed it straight to the parasite's exposed body. This poisonous mixture was enough to kill it in just one breath!

When the small needle laced with poison pierced the parasite's body, it didn't even manage to struggle before it died right away.

Johann suddenly felt relaxed after the parasite was killed. It felt as if a heavy boulder was lifted off his chest. How refreshing!

Not long after, Leric removed the dead parasite from Johann's heart. He then placed it inside a glass container before putting it away.

The dead parasite looked extremely appalling.

While Anna was looking at the parasite inside the glass container, Leric was connecting the two halves of the sternum using a strong wire.

He thought that the operation would be difficult, but it seemed like he had underestimated himself.

After stitching back the chest, Leric removed the surgical gloves in his hands and wiped off his sweat using a clean towel. "Done!" He muttered with a smile.

Although the process looked easy, it still took him over two hours since he needed to be accurate with his actions.

Johann opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the glass container with the dead parasite in it. He could not help but feel emotional as he stared at the creature. "It's finally over…" He muttered with a trembling voice.

"Sir Johann, please don't get up for now. You just had a major operation so it's best if you take a rest for a day. You can also consume healing pills to hasten the regeneration of your body." A calm voice drifted to his ears.

Oh, right! This guy saved my life…

"Thank you, Sir Aethelwolf! Thank you very much!" Johann's eyes watered as he looked at the face of his benefactor.

He no longer dared to call him 'young friend'. This man was way above him in terms of Alchemy and even his medical abilities were beyond the realms of humans! Perhaps, even Lord Karman could only choose to bow down to this young genius! The two of them were simply incomparable!

"I'm happy to be of help to you, Sir Johann." Leric smiled at the old man before turning his gaze at Anna.

"Miss Anna, your grandfather is still weak right now so you have to help him recuperate his wounds. Normally, it would take months to recover from this, but since Sir Johann is a Level 4 Esper, he will be fine after a week of rest."

Anna nodded her head repeatedly. "Of course! Thank you so much, Sir Aethelwolf!"

Leric waved his hand and said. "Since everything has been taken care of, it's time for me to leave."

Just as Leric was about to walk away, he felt a strong grip on his right arm. He turned his head and saw Johann holding him tightly.

Seeing this, he immediately helped the old man adjust his position. The exertion of force would make the wound on his chest open up.

"Sir Aethelwolf, we can't let you leave just yet. Please tell us how we can help you." Johann glanced at Leric with genuine gratefulness.

It has finally come. Leric thought to himself but remained calm outwardly.

"There is no need for that, Sir Johann, but if you truly insist, you can visit me in the Reynolds Household after you've recuperated from your wounds. I will probably stay there while I observe the condition of Sir Julius Reynolds." Leric replied. He planned to befriend the Reynolds Household to establish a firm footing in the capital. With their support, he would be set for life!

Johann's face eased up after hearing this. "In that case, I'll make sure to visit the Reynolds Household the moment I recover. Please offer my greetings to Young Miss Samira. Anna, go and escort Sir Aethelwolf out of the shop."

"Alright." Anna nodded her head immediately.

"Goodbye, Sir Johann." Leric smiled and left the room with Anna.

Johann stared at his figure with admiration. "The young will surpass the old…"