After accepting Phyllis's allegiance, Aven made his way to the residence of Baron Daly.
He was holding Petilil in his arms, which made Sir Enzo, who had come out to greet him, instinctively shrink back.
At this point, Petilil was no longer seen as a universal remedy in his eyes, but rather as a terrifyingly poisonous entity.
"Earl Aven, welcome," Sir Enzo greeted with a warm smile.
Aven nodded. "Take me to see Viscount Daly."
Hearing this, Sir Enzo immediately agreed and led Aven into the manor.
Watching Aven stride ahead confidently, Enzo couldn't help but secretly give his sister a thumbs-up.
Phyllis, in a good mood, turned to Enzo and said, "Once father recovers, I'll be heading to the southeastern corner of Aspiration City to join Lord Aven."
Sir Enzo was clearly taken aback. He looked at his sister, then at Aven ahead, silently wondering—wasn't this moving a bit too fast?
Soon, Aven arrived at the Viscount's room, and even from outside, they could hear bouts of coughing from within.
Seeing this, Sir Enzo quickly stepped forward and opened the door. Inside, Viscount Daly was sitting at the edge of the bed, shakily taking a cup of water from a servant's hands and trying to sip it on his own.
The servant tried to assist, but the Viscount stopped him—he didn't want to believe he was so feeble that he couldn't even drink a cup of water unaided.
"Father."
Sir Enzo softly called as he entered the room.
The Viscount looked over and gave a light grunt before another wave of coughing overtook him.
"Lord Aven, we're relying on you."
Aven nodded to Phyllis, then walked in with Petilil in his arms.
As soon as Petilil entered the room, the leaves on its head twitched, and its eyes swept around alertly, seemingly sensing something.
Meanwhile, Viscount Daly, having heard about Aven's identity from his son, was visibly surprised to learn that this young man was now the Earl of the southeastern frontier—a title higher than his own.
"What a shame. I wasn't well enough to attend your investiture," the Viscount said regretfully.
He had been focusing on recuperating, entrusting the household affairs to his eldest daughter. In truth, he had been out of touch with the world for quite some time.
"Don't worry, Father. Earl Aven will surely heal you," Enzo reassured him, then glanced toward Aven, who was still standing by the door.
Aven, too, had noticed Petilil's unusual behavior.
The leaves on its head were faintly glowing green, a sign that life energy was surging.
Clearly, Petilil had sensed life energy fluctuations in Viscount Daly's room, which caught Aven's attention.
After a moment, Petilil suddenly looked toward the study adjoining the room, indicating that whatever it sensed was coming from there.
Just then, Aven felt a chill pass over his shoulder.
Froslass, still invisible by his side, gave him a subtle warning—she too had sensed something.
"Lord Aven, did Petilil find something?" Phyllis asked, also glancing toward the study, clearly aware something was amiss.
"Yes, it did."
"My Petilil is highly sensitive to certain types of energy. This may be connected to the Viscount's illness," Aven said thoughtfully. Petilil was a source of life energy, while the Froslass, a Ghost-type Pokémon, could sense the opposite—death energy.
He was nearly certain something imbued with life energy was hidden in the Viscount's room.
There were two possibilities with such objects.
Like Petilil and Froslass: one generates life energy, the other consumes it.
If it were the former, the Viscount should be growing stronger over time.
But if it were the latter, then the item would slowly drain the life energy from him—which seemed to match his current condition.
Of course, this was still a hypothesis. It was entirely possible the Viscount was simply sick, and the presence of life energy nearby was unrelated.
"It could be linked to Father's illness?" Phyllis was startled. After a moment's hesitation, she bowed slightly. "Please, Lord Aven, help us find that item."
Aven nodded lightly but didn't act immediately. Instead, he looked toward the bedridden Viscount—it was still his house, after all.
Viscount Daly fell silent under Aven's questioning gaze, not responding right away.
"Lord Aven, are you saying my father is poisoned?" Enzo asked suddenly. In his view, Aven was a master of poisons.
After all, Aven's last concoction was so deadly that no one in Aspiration City had managed to neutralize it. This only solidified Enzo's belief.
"More or less," Aven nodded.
The color drained from Enzo and Phyllis's faces.
Even then, the Viscount remained silent.
It wasn't until Enzo nudged him that he came back to his senses.
Seeing this, Aven pondered deeply. It seemed the study really did hide something.
"Before that, let me try treating the Viscount first."
"If my treatment has any effect, that'll confirm my guess."
Aven's sudden declaration brought hope to the siblings' faces. Enzo quickly stood aside to make room.
Aven approached the Viscount and handed him an enhanced healing potion.
Viscount Daly glanced at it, then downed it in one gulp.
Immediately, he felt a soothing energy coursing through him, his complexion improving slightly.
Seeing this, Enzo was overjoyed and quickly asked about his father's condition.
"Cough cough, a bit better," the Viscount replied, then shook his head.
Enzo understood. The potion could only alleviate, not cure.
"Petilil—Aromatherapy," Aven commanded suddenly.
To everyone's surprise, a comforting fragrance filled the air, easing their bodies and spirits.
Then the leaves on Petilil's head shimmered with energy—it was channeling life energy.
As the energy approached the Viscount, it slowly merged with his body, beginning the healing process.
As the life energy nourished him, the Viscount felt something change—like parched earth receiving rain.
Gradually, he clenched his fists and felt a long-lost sense of strength.
He even stood up on his own, wobbling forward with effort.
Though still weak, the noticeable improvement left the Viscount trembling with joy. He could feel it—his body was healing!
Everyone in the room stared in astonishment. No other alchemist had ever achieved such a result.
"It really worked!"
Sir Enzo was ecstatic—there was finally hope! If his father recovered, their family's future would be secured.
"As expected of the man I chose."
"Even if he weren't a lord, just this miraculous healing ability could make him stand above all others in this world," Phyllis said with a smile full of pride and confidence. She had always believed in her own judgment—she had never been wrong.
"It seems the cause really was excessive depletion of life energy." Aven concluded from the Viscount's improvement.
"Father, how do you feel?" Enzo asked eagerly.
"Great. Really great."
"I can feel my strength returning," the Viscount said, laughing heartily. Though still frail, the signs of recovery gave him hope.
With Enzo's help, he sat back on the bed and asked emotionally, "Master Aven, can I be fully cured?"
Feeling everyone's expectant gazes, Aven replied calmly, "I can't say for certain until I fully understand the cause of your illness."
Bringing the conversation full circle, he returned to the subject of the study's hidden secret, which had clearly piqued his curiosity.
"Cough cough, then I'll leave it to you, Master Aven," the Viscount said, finally nodding without hesitation.
Compared to his life, the secret in the study no longer seemed that important.
In fact, he was shocked to learn that something in his study might be the reason for his condition.
Now that he trusted Aven, he hoped he could find and deal with whatever it was—he wouldn't be at ease until then.
"Sir Enzo, come with me to check the study," Aven said, nodding toward him.
Knowing the room held a possible secret, it seemed best to include the Viscount's heir to avoid suspicion.
Watching Aven and Enzo enter the study, Viscount Daly closed his cloudy eyes and sighed softly.
Once inside, Petilil began carefully sensing the surroundings.
When they reached a wall with a nautical chart painting hanging on it, Petilil stopped.
It stared at the wall, a puzzled look on its face. According to its senses, the source of the life energy was coming from behind that very wall.
"A secret chamber!"
(End of Chapter)
(TN: Hey guys, starting in this chapter you guys might read some mistranslation or inconsistent naming because I stopped translating for a week and just continued it today and on this chapter. If you guys notice any errors please leave a comment so that I can edit it. Sorry for the inconvenience and Thank you for the support and understanding.)