Baby Pharmacist Princess

I could hear the sound of someone swallowing nervously behind me. I nodded and quickly darted behind Sihat.

‘Treasure Chest ON.’

As soon as I thought the words, a treasure chest appeared in my status window with a creaking sound as it opened. Inside were various items depicted on diamond-shaped labels, each representing something different.

Without hesitation, I chose the bread and held it out to the winter elves who were still watching us suspiciously.

“Here, take it.”

“B-bread…?!”

“Ta-da! Rip it, and it multiplies! The more you tear it, the more it grows—magic bread!”

I tore the bread in half, and just like magic, it became two loaves.

The elves’ eyes widened in disbelief, and I handed one to the village elder.

“They say a favor must be repaid with another favor.”

“Oh-ho.”

The bread was soft, warm, and smelled nutty—like it had just come out of the oven. It wasn’t fancy or packed with dried fruit, so it wasn’t exactly nutritious, but…

“Wow, bread!”

“Human bread!”

“It looks delicious!”

At that moment, the children swarmed around the elder.

‘Of course, they rely on hunting, and it’s too cold for farming… They probably have little interaction with humans.’

Bread must be incredibly rare here.

Sensing the mood, I cautiously added, “My Dad can give you lots more bread…”

“Really? Your Dad has lots of bread? Does he run a bakery?”

No, he doesn’t run a bakery, but if he wanted to, he could easily open a nationwide chain.

I kept tearing the bread, making more pieces, and handed them out to all the children.

“It can multiply up to 100 pieces.”

“Wow!”

The children, who had looked so tired and drained before, now cheered with joy.

[♡Surprise Quest Complete♡]

‘Feed the starving winter elves’ quest complete!

As a reward, 10 gems have been added to your inventory!

‘Phew.’

I had thought it was a useless item when I got it, but thankfully, it turned out to be helpful. Now the winter elves would be more favorable toward us.

“We’ve received such a precious gift. We must repay the favor. Come, young lost lambs.”

The village elder, who had been watching as I continued to tear and distribute the bread, motioned for us to follow.

We could trust them now.

“Thank you.”

Sihat bowed politely, gripping my hand tightly. I tiptoed and whispered in his ear.

“They seem like good people, don’t they?”

“Yes, they’re just afraid.”

“We’re not scary at all. I’ll have to tell Dad to explain things properly.”

A short while later, the elder led us to a wooden building. She pointed to different sections.

“The girl goes here, the boy goes there. Before you can stay in this village, you must cleanse your body and mind.”

“Does that mean I’ll be separated from Shya?” Sihat frowned and gripped my hand even tighter.

The elder smiled mischievously, tapping her staff on the ground with a playful tone.

“Oh my, were you planning to bathe together?”

“…!!!”

“You can’t do that, you’re much too grown.”

The elder, clearly enjoying herself, let out a chuckle.

Despite Sihat’s reluctance, he had no choice but to go along with the requirement to use the sauna before entering the village.

I followed the elder into the sauna, holding her hand, but thankfully, we didn’t have to take off all our clothes.

“Here, wrap this big towel around yourself.”

“It’s already so warm!”

“It’ll get even hotter inside.”

The sauna was a large wooden building. When we entered, there was another door that led to the main sauna area. It seemed to be divided into a waiting room and the actual sauna itself.

“Phew, it’s hot.”

As expected, the sauna was filled with thick steam. The elder threw water onto the heated stones to create more steam manually.

“When your body gets cold, it’s dangerous. Warm up here, and you won’t feel the cold as much when you leave.”

“That’s amazing…”

This sauna was different from the Korean-style saunas I was familiar with—more rustic, more connected to nature.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly a luxurious “24-hour royal sauna,” but it had a charm of its own.

‘Still, the Korean saunas have roasted eggs, and this one doesn’t.’

In my opinion, the essential items for a sauna are roasted eggs and old comic books.

“Omnibara-ha, bara-haniom.”

Suddenly, the elder clasped her hands together at an angle and chanted quietly.

“Is that a spell?”

“It’s part of a ritual. When we chant it in the sauna, it drives away evil and brings peace to our inner selves.”

“Wow. Can I try?”

“If you have a mouth, anyone can.”

Experiencing winter elf culture was incredibly fun. Outside, the cold was unbearable, but inside, the sauna was cozy and warm.

‘If we had stayed outside any longer, it would’ve been dangerous.’

We were lucky to find this place.

As the elder continued to chant, I noticed she had suddenly fallen silent. Curious, I turned to look at her.

“Grandma?”

She was nodding off, her head drooping forward.

‘That angle looks dangerous.’

She was about to fall over!

“Grandma!”

I quickly reached out and shook her arm just before she could hit the ground.

‘Wait… something’s not right.’

The texture of her skin felt off.

It wasn’t just due to her age—it was…

‘Edema.’

Her skin was extremely puffy and soft. While some swelling is expected in elderly people, when I touched her arm, it left a deep indentation.

‘And now that I’m closer, I can see that the corners of her mouth are severely cracked.’

It was angular cheilitis—cracked lips caused by a deficiency in minerals, usually a sign of a lack of vitamins.

‘She’s suffering from vitamin deficiency.’

I frowned as I observed the elder’s condition.

The status window from earlier came to mind.

I had skimmed over it quickly, but there was definitely a mention of “malnutrition” in the episode title, wasn’t there?

“Grandma, are you okay—”

At that moment, the door burst open, and the children from earlier rushed in.

“Grandma! The bread is delicious!”

“Grandma, have some too!”

“It gets bigger when you tear it!”

The lively chatter brought the elder back to consciousness.

“Oh… Did I doze off?”

“You can’t fall asleep here! It’s dangerous!”

The children had brought cups made of wood filled with snow, laughing as they passed around pieces of the bread I had given them earlier.

“Here, traveler, have some.”

“Yeah, traveler, you’re a good human, we know that now.”

“Thank you for giving us bread!”

I stared at their tiny hands offering me pieces of bread.

‘Their nails are a mess.’

It wasn’t that they were dirty, but the shape of their nails was off. It was a sign of malnutrition.

‘And they’re all so thin.’

Outside, their thick clothing had hidden it, but now that they were only wearing towels, it was painfully obvious. Their ribs were visible.

‘Are they suffering from stunted growth?’

I hesitated, unable to take the piece of bread.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Come on, we all share in the sauna. That’s the rule.”

How could they share when their own stomachs were probably growling? How could they be so kind, offering me food when they were clearly starving?

In the end, I reluctantly took the piece of bread.

‘They’re all suffering from collective malnutrition.’

This wasn’t just a case of missing a few hunts. The entire village was slowly and surely starving to death.

If they didn’t get help soon, it was obvious what would happen.

As if in response to my internal cry for help, a quest window popped up with a cheerful ding.

[♡Achievement Quest Unlocked♡]

That’s right!

Throughout the Castalia Empire, it is estimated that approximately 7% of the population, including the winter elves, is suffering from malnutrition.

(1) Develop a nutritional supplement that anyone can easily consume anywhere and anytime.

(2) Reduce the rate of malnutrition in the Castalia Empire to below 2%.

♡Reward: 3 billion gems for completing both quests.

(Time limit: Before your 12th birthday)

♡Failure: You will not live to see your 12th birthday—game over.

Why is the penalty for failure so detailed and unnecessarily grim?!

‘But… 3 billion gems?’

I couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

Create a nutritional supplement, reduce malnutrition, and receive 3 billion gems?

‘Before I turn 12.’

There was plenty of time.

Come to think of it, I also had to repay that 11 billion gem debt by my 12th birthday.

My mind whirred, calculating furiously.

‘If you look at the second quest… ultimately, this is about solving malnutrition. The supplement is just one tool to achieve that goal.’

Still, it was a tool I needed.

Once I developed the supplement, I would distribute it to the poor for free. That alone would be a massive accomplishment and would help boost my reputation.

‘But where will I distribute it?’

It’s not enough to just hand out one pill and be done. They would need to take it consistently. But if I had to rely on getting approval from lords every time, it would never work.

‘So there’s only one solution.’

I needed an organization that could oversee the distribution across the empire.

‘I could develop medicine and open pharmacies nationwide!’

Yes! Pharmacies could distribute the supplements and serve as a distribution channel for anything else I needed to spread throughout the empire.

I clenched my fists in excitement.

That’s what I always wanted to do—see the medicines I helped develop stocked in pharmacies everywhere, allowing people to heal easily.

Wow, is my dream really coming true?

‘Pharmacies sell medicine, but they can also serve as a national distribution network.’

Would it be easier for the poor to visit a lord’s estate or a pharmacy?

The psychological distance must be reduced if I want people to actually come for help.

‘And then we’ll need to hire pharmacists.’

Not doctors, but pharmacists.

Medicine prices would be set by the Imperial Health Ministry. The revenue from sales would go to the ministry, but the pharmacists would receive a stable monthly salary.

A salary that would make others envy them.

Naturally, the pharmacists would be selected through rigorous exams.

‘Oh! I’ve just had a brilliant idea!’

What if the elders could take the pharmacist exam?