Chapter 16. This Dittany Is Poisonous
Although Lupin felt the job seemed a bit unreliable,
But!
The Galleons were generous.
What could he say? The power of Galleons was invincible.
For Lupin, whose finances were rather tight, this was a rare good position.
Let's hope the boss doesn't find out I'm a werewolf too soon, Lupin couldn't help thinking.
Because of his being a werewolf, he never held a job for long. Most people were unwilling to hire a werewolf; in the public eye, werewolves were dangerous.
One careless bite and your life was basically over.
Hearing Lupin's agreement, Adrian Wesson relaxed as well.
He knew the Whomping Willow's reaction just now had looked genuinely dangerous.
If a timorous wizard had come instead, they'd probably have bolted already.
Fortunately, Lupin hadn't.
As for the wages?
For Adrian, who owned such vast swathes of valuable herbs, it was nothing at all.
What's more, his storeroom still held plenty of Galleons—the proceeds from selling dragon materials in the past.
"Come along—and keep right on my heels. I'll show you the work. Remember, don't wander."
Adrian clapped his hands, signalled for Lupin to follow, and led him deeper into the greenhouse.
The place was even larger than Lupin had first imagined; by the time they'd walked halfway, a full half hour had passed.
By now, Lupin had grown used to the quantity and value of the herbs cultivated here.
At first, seeing rare herbs strewn across the soil like weeds had made him wince.
Later, he let it go.
Even so, he noticed that he didn't recognise a large portion of the plants here.
As they reached the depths of the greenhouse, the plants grew ever stranger and more unfamiliar, their shapes turning downright grotesque.
"Is that a watermelon? I've never seen anyone growing watermelons in Britain." He pointed at a green, spherical thing in surprise.
Before Adrian could warn him, Lupin was already edging closer.
At that moment, the watermelon spun around, split open a huge mouth, and bared a row of razor-sharp teeth.
"What—?" Lupin flinched.
Too late. The "watermelon" lunged and clamped down on his calf with its sharp teeth.
A bolt of pain shot through him; he gasped, tried to wrench free, trousers tearing under the fangs with an ugly rip, shredding in moments.
Thankfully, his reflexes were quick. He whipped out his wand, flicked it, and the watermelon was blasted several metres away.
Seeing the mess, Adrian hurried over.
"I forgot to warn you—that's a mutated watermelon. It bites," he explained, a touch helpless.
He had told Lupin earlier: don't wander.
These were no ordinary plants; nearly every one had a unique mutation.
This "watermelon", for example, had the traits "Razor Teeth" and "Delicious".
Yes, the reason Adrian kept it was that it really tasted excellent.
Aggressive, yes—but delicious.
Adrian stepped aside to retrieve the watermelon Lupin had blasted away. Couldn't let it go to waste.
Lupin glanced down at his trouser leg, now soaked scarlet, and grimaced.
"Hiss—! You should've stopped me sooner," he said, then looked around.
A nearby plant caught his eye—and brightened it.
Dittany.
He'd never mistake that.
Press dittany to a wound and it would heal in no time.
So the bite on his calf wouldn't be a problem.
Lupin swiftly tore off a fresh dittany leaf, crushed it without hesitation, and pressed it to the bite.
At once, a cool sensation spread; a wisp of greenish smoke rose, and the wound began knitting.
Luckily, the bite wasn't deep. A little dittany was enough.
But just as Lupin breathed out in relief, Adrian's panicked voice rang from behind: "Wait—what did you just do?"
Lupin froze. He turned to see Adrian's face gone grave as he sprinted over, even tossing the mutant watermelon aside.
At Adrian's alarm, Lupin felt at a loss.
Still, he paused, a little confused. "What is it? Don't worry about me, I only used a bit of dittany. See? It's already healing."
He showed Adrian his calf; a thin scab had indeed formed.
"You didn't use this one, did you?" Adrian pointed at the nearby dittany, a stem already cut.
Lupin nodded without a second thought. "Yes—just ordinary dittany, isn't it? I've used it before."
He couldn't be mistaken. After every full moon, when he was covered in injuries, he often treated himself with dittany.
You could say he knew it better than any other herb.
Even as the words left his mouth, an icy chill surged through him from within.
"!?"
Something was wrong. He glanced down at his calf.
Sure enough, purple blotches were already spreading across the whole lower leg—and the colour was creeping outward.
"This dittany is poisonous!?" He drew a sharp breath.
[Type: Dittany]
[Grade: 2]
[Traits: Highly Toxic!!!!]
[Status: Mature]
…..
Adrian had the Tree of Wisdom analyse the plant again. As expected, it was the same batch of toxic dittany he'd sown earlier.
It looked identical to ordinary dittany—but it was poisonous.
He'd tested it before: a single toxic dittany could send a dragon into a swoon.
Lupin had used half a plant.
"Er…" Seeing there was no undoing it, Adrian said, "When you see Merlin, remember to give him my regards."
Lupin ignored the gallows humour. Dizziness washed over him; the cold was intensifying, his breathing growing laboured.
He forced his eyes open, tried to say something, but his mouth was going numb and the words jammed in his throat.
At last, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed, senseless.
Adrian sighed.
"What a mess…"
Seeing Lupin motionless, Adrian fished a small vial from his robe pocket, filled with an unremarkable, clear liquid.
It was an antidote of his own devising. It might not work instantly, but better than nothing.
Tilting Lupin's head, Adrian poured the draught between his lips and muttered, "Merlin bless—don't you die on me. I've no idea where you live, and if you do die, I'll have to bury you here."
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