"This definitely isn't as simple as it seems."

  "Even if the original owner's death isn't directly connected, by helping Baron Reiser, I've disrupted someone else's pns."

  Samuel remained on high alert. His pn to grow stronger needed to accelerate—he had to gain the ability to protect himself before anything else unfolded.

  As he furrowed his brows in deep thought, Mira approached, speaking softly. "Apothecary Samuel, is there any way to help the Baron recover his memory?"

  Hearing the Lady’s voice, Samuel looked up and met her gaze before shaking his head slowly.

  This wasn't something that could be resolved with a potion—especially considering he was only a half-trained apothecary with a limited repertoire of formus.

  "I see..." Mira nodded gravely, her mind also turning over the implications of the Baron’s attack. Who could have been behind it?

  At the bedside, the senior apothecaries had already attempted various remedies, but none had succeeded. In the end, they could only rise and admit defeat.

  "If he can't remember, then so be it. As long as my father’s health is intact, that’s what matters most," Beryl said lightly, though gratitude tinged his voice. He then turned to thank the apothecaries for their efforts.

  The apothecaries bowed in return, then took their leave. They had no further role to py here—and perhaps, like Samuel, they sensed that something about Baron Reiser’s case was amiss. None of them wanted to get involved in something they didn't understand.

  Before leaving, however, they made sure to find Samuel—the key figure in today's events. After some polite exchanges of mutual praise, they swapped contact information, promising to keep in touch.

  With that, the apothecaries departed in haste.

  Perhaps they, too, realized that this situation was more complicated than it appeared and wanted no part in it.

  "Samuel, thank you for everything today." As he watched the apothecaries leave, Beryl turned to Samuel. "As a token of appreciation, we will reward you with ten gold coins."

  Ten gold coins... Samuel fell silent.

  So they intended to settle things with just ten gold coins.

  After a moment’s thought, he turned to Petilil and said, "Sir Beryl, Petilil is my friend—you know that."

  He had id the groundwork for this earlier, so now was the perfect time to bring it up naturally.

  As expected, his words cast a hush over the room.

  Beryl’s offer of ten gold coins as compensation paled in comparison to Petilil’s actual worth.

  They had paid one hundred gold coins to acquire Petilil from Berlitz Farm—an exorbitant price, one that wouldn’t have been possible under normal circumstances. But with pressure from Ambition City, Berlitz had been forced to concede.

  Having gone through so much effort to obtain Petilil, how could Beryl be willing to give it up now?

  But Samuel had been clear from the beginning—he had come here to save Petilil.

  If Beryl refused to let him take Petilil, it would be a clear case of betrayal. And for a noble who valued his reputation, that posed a difficult dilemma.

  Sigh… He really did say he was here to save Petilil…

  Mira found herself conflicted. She genuinely wanted Samuel to take Petilil away.

  Moreover, she saw great potential in this young apothecary—building goodwill with him now might prove beneficial in the future.

  With that in mind, the benevolent Lord cleared her throat.

  "This incident at the castle is my responsibility as the ruling noble of this nd," she decred.

  "Therefore, both the one hundred gold coins spent to purchase Petilil and the ten gold coins offered to Samuel will be covered by Ambition City’s treasury."

  The implication was clear—Mira wanted Petilil.

  Beryl’s expression darkened slightly at her words.

  While she framed it as taking responsibility, the reality was that she was seizing Petilil from them, leaving no room for argument.

  "Thank you, Your Grace."

  From his bed, Baron Reiser bowed his head respectfully. "I’m sorry to have troubled you."

  "I'm just relieved you're safe, Uncle Reiser."

  "Now that you've awakened, I won’t disturb your rest any further."

  Mira smiled and nodded before casting a brief gnce at Samuel. Then, without another word, she turned to leave the room.

  A nearby attendant picked up the cage containing Petilil and followed behind her.

  Samuel immediately rose and followed suit.

  That look from Mira… he had picked up on something.

  As Beryl escorted them to the exit, Samuel once again found himself stepping into Mira’s armored Rhyhorn-drawn carriage.

  "Peti…"

  Just as he boarded, he saw the benevolent Lord opening the iron cage.

  "Little one, you’re free now," Mira said gently, cradling Petilil in her arms with a warm smile.

  She’s beautiful…

  Samuel found himself momentarily stunned by Mira’s expression before his gaze shifted to the Pokémon in her arms.

  "Here."

  Seeing Samuel’s eyes on her, Mira grinned and extended Petilil toward him.

  "Th-Thank you," he stammered, his face inexplicably warm as he quickly lowered his head to hide his reaction.

  Taking the opportunity, he gnced down at Petilil and let out a quiet breath of relief.

  Finally, he had rescued Petilil.

  "This is a reward you rightfully deserve," Mira said, shaking her head slightly. "Shall I take you home?"

  Samuel instinctively wanted to refuse.

  He didn’t want Mira to see the run-down shack he lived in.

  But then his eyes fell on Petilil.

  To anyone else, Petilil was a walking goldmine. The leaves growing from its head could be plucked and sold for a silver coin each.

  If he simply walked back with Petilil in his arms, it would cause a stir in the slums, drawing greedy eyes upon them.

  Besides, he had another destination in mind.

  "I’d appreciate it if Your Grace could take me to Berlitz Farm instead."

  Mira chuckled and nodded before instructing the knights outside. The carriage set off toward the outskirts of the city.

  Berlitz Farm…

  In Samuel’s arms, Petilil heard the name and trembled slightly.

  Its bright eyes dimmed.

  To Petilil, that pce was a prison.

  It longed for freedom… yet it had never been able to escape.

  "Petilil," Samuel murmured, his voice gentle. "Do you remember what I asked you before?"

  Petilil froze.

  The first words this human had ever spoken to it surfaced in its mind.

  “You want to leave this pce, don’t you?”

  Back then, it hadn’t answered. It had turned away.

  Now, as those words echoed once more, Petilil slowly turned to look at the human who had come to save it.

  This time, it hesitated no longer.

  It nodded firmly.

  It wanted to leave.

  -----

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