Chapter 58
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58
Very little was known to the public regarding the alchemist Heide.
At most, only his birthplace, appearance, and age were widely circulated. For the developer of Nectar, it was a strangely small amount of information.
The reason why everyone’s attempts to dig into his past yielded so little was simple.
‘Because, aside from developing Nectar, he really didn’t have any other achievements worth mentioning.’
A low-ranking noble from a fallen family, he had happened to enter the path of alchemy by chance. Afterward, he repeated countless developments and failures with imperial subsidies until he accidentally succeeded in creating Nectar.
Though he enjoyed immense glory for a short time because of it, he died young for unknown reasons. Aside from the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, he had been a perfectly ordinary alchemist.
‘At first glance, he seems exactly like the public evaluation suggests, but...’
“Why aren’t you answering? If someone gives you their name, you should introduce yourself as well.”
Heide snapped at him, looking displeased by the way Lucian was scanning him up and down. Lucian realized his mistake a moment too late and offered a smile.
“My apologies. I am Lucian Valdek.”
“...Valdek? Surely not that Valdek?”
“I don’t know which Valdek you’re thinking of, but we do use a lion as our crest.”
Heide’s face, which had been twisted in a pout, turned pale. He immediately straightened his slouching posture and bowed his head deeply.
“I have committed a great rudeness to a son of the House of Valdek! I am, well...!”
“Calm yourself. I have no intention of taking issue with what just happened.”
“T-thank you!”
“If you feel grateful, then perhaps you could spare a moment to talk with me.”
“A talk...?”
“Well, about alchemy, and the current atmosphere in the capital.”
Lucian took control of the conversation with the most natural attitude possible. Fortunately, his opponent was the type who was weak against power and status. If he kept pushing like this, it didn't seem like it would be difficult to draw out information.
“I will answer anything! Please, just ask!”
Perhaps thinking this was a chance to earn back lost points, Heide nodded vigorously. After a moment of thought, Lucian decided to ask the thing he was most curious about first.
“How is the atmosphere in the Alchemist Guild lately?”
“Pardon? The atmosphere of the guild? It’s the same as always.”
“Are there really no changes? Like a new recipe being discovered, or perhaps another effect of a herb being identified?”
“Hmm.”
Even though Lucian spoke as directly as possible, Heide’s reaction remained the same. In fact, even after thinking for a long while, he shook his head as if he truly had no idea.
“There’s no such talk. New attempts are being made constantly, but it’s just failure after failure. If there were a success story, it would have reached my ears by now.”
“I see.”
Lucian nodded calmly, but he was actually quite perplexed. In his past life, the Alchemist Guild began sweeping up all the Moonlight Grass about three months from now. That meant there should be some kind of breakthrough by this point.
And yet, there were no success stories yet?
“Then how is the atmosphere in the capital lately? Are people anxious because of the war?”
“I’m not sure. I was in another city until recently. At least when I left, nothing special was happening.”
Having gained no significant harvest, Lucian shifted his questions in a different direction. These weren't questions intended to actually gain information, but rather to gauge what kind of person Heide was—how much interest he had in the current state of the Empire, and how he thought the situation would unfold.
They were small questions, but a person’s values are usually revealed through such inquiries.
‘When sizing someone up, it’s best to figure out their values.’
If the Heide before his eyes truly was the developer of Nectar, he was a talent Lucian would eventually have to recruit. He intended to take this opportunity to find out what the man wanted, even if it was just to prepare for a future offer of employment.
After asking this and that for a while, Lucian couldn't hide his disappointment.
‘Why is every single one of his answers "I don't know"?’
Most of the answers coming out of Heide’s mouth were either “I don’t know” or “I’m not interested.” If one were to be generous, it could be called a scholar’s typical indifference to politics, but no matter how Lucian looked at it, that wasn't the case here.
If it were a scholar’s indifference, he would at least have a firm grasp on matters related to his own field of study. However, Heide literally had no interest in how the world was turning.
‘He seems like a complacent man living without a single thought in his head. Is he the type who doesn't care about anything as long as the money keeps coming in from the Imperial Family?’
“D-did I make some kind of mistake?”
Heide flinched and asked back as the conversation continued. Only then did Lucian realize he was scowling.
“No. My throat just felt a bit dry from talking.”
He made a vague excuse, but Lucian’s tone had already shifted to a more authoritative, formal style. It was because his evaluation of Heide had dropped several levels.
“Then let us return to the main topic: alchemy. I heard you made these potions yourself; have you had any results?”
“Ah, but of course! This is a secret, but I’ve found a few peculiar reactions recently after changing the ingredients of some potions.”
As the topic shifted to alchemy research, Heide began to excitedly talk about his discoveries. He seemed to be trying to restore his reputation, which had plummeted during the previous conversation.
However, as Heide’s explanation continued, Lucian’s evaluation dropped even further.
‘It’s all just a rehash of existing potion effects, and he didn't even set a single hypothesis when he started. He calls it an experiment, but it’s just blindly mixing things together to see what happens.’
Lucian didn't know much about alchemy, but he knew enough to know that a new recipe only comes after a considerable amount of research. Yet this man wasn't even close to a new recipe; he was just recycling existing effects. There was a possibility he was hiding something on purpose, but looking at that loose tongue of his, it didn't seem likely.
“I shall ask one thing. What do you think of Moonlight Grass?”
Lucian asked with a glimmer of hope, just in case. Heide tilted his head at the sudden question, but soon revealed his honest thoughts without reservation.
“It’s just a herb that’s good for the body. There are fools who say they’ll try to use it in alchemy sometimes, but that’s pathetic talk. There’s no greater waste of time than re-using materials that have already been fully researched.”
“He’s a pathetic man.”
Back in his room, Lucian let out a sigh of annoyance. The developer of Nectar, Heide Pobor? My foot.
“Research is just a formality to get subsidies from the Imperial Family. Even if he makes a new discovery by chance, he has no intention of studying it. He just thinks if he mixes things randomly and something good comes out, he’s hit the jackpot. Are people like that called scholars these days?”
“Isn’t he just a typical alchemist? It’s nothing to be so disappointed about.”
Lucian gave a bitter smile at Raymond’s words. True, he was a typical alchemist of this era. If it weren't for the fame of his name in his past life, Lucian wouldn't have been so disappointed.
‘But if it’s not him, then who is it? No, why was he known as the developer of Nectar in the first place?’
If things went the same as his past life, the Alchemist Guild would start sweeping up the nation's Moonlight Grass in three months. In other words, there should be results worth showing to others by now. Yet, Heide showed not a shred of such research progress.
‘Even if he started researching right now, there’s no way he’d get results worth showing to others. That means he stole someone else’s research.’
The problem was that Heide himself seemed quite satisfied with his current life. To steal that level of research from another alchemist, one would have to risk their life. Even if the theft were successful, the alchemist whose work was stolen wouldn't just sit idly by.
Would that man, who lacked any shred of ambition, really risk his life to steal research?
‘Well, I can figure that out from now on.’
Fortunately, there was still plenty of time to find the real developer. And the method wasn't difficult either.
The next day, Lucian left the inn early in the morning with Raymond and headed toward their destination. Since they were almost there, it seemed they would arrive within the day.
“Come to think of it, isn't this your first time in the capital, Third Young Master?”
“That’s right. It’s my first time.”
Even in his past life, he had never visited the Imperial Capital. By the time he had the leisure to visit, the chaotic era had already begun, and the entire capital had become incredibly dangerous. Even if he had gone, it would have been half-ruined, having already endured several sieges.
“To be honest, I’m looking forward to it. They call it the Jewel of the Empire. Is it more grand than Kelheim?”
“I’d say it’s more beautiful than grand. Ah, there it is.”
Raymond pointed toward the distant walls. The walls, which had first appeared as a faint white blur, gradually revealed their form as they drew closer.
‘It’s... white?’
The pure White Walls reflected the sunlight, shining brilliantly. At the same time, various patterns carved in relief on the walls created different images depending on the angle of the light. It looked less like a fortification and more like a massive work of art.
Raymond smirked as he saw Lucian’s stunned expression.
“Those are the White Walls of Tivron, the capital of the Empire. Beautiful, aren't they?”
Lucian couldn't deny it and nodded.
As they drew closer to the walls, Lucian’s eyes widened. Not only did the beauty of the walls become more prominent, but there were also no visible seams whatsoever. The surface was so smooth that he wondered if a ladder would simply slide off if placed against it.
‘Is it really possible to attack a castle like this? How on earth did it ever fall?’
“I’ve heard rumors that those patterns aren't just decorations, but magic circles. They say that if an enemy approaches, the magic activates and repels them.”
Raymond whispered into Lucian’s ear as he stared blankly at the walls. Lucian let out a hollow laugh at the claim that an already impregnable fortress was also enchanted.
“Is that true?”
“It’s just a rumor. To be honest, I didn't believe it before either, but since His Majesty has used magic so frequently in front of others...”
Raymond trailed off. Indeed, even if they had laughed it off before, they couldn't help but wonder now.
It was while the two were sharing such small talk and heading toward the gate.
“What’s with this line?”
Lucian flinched at the sight of the long queue of people. How could such a long line form in front of such a massive gate?
But Raymond laughed it off as if it were a familiar sight.
“Tivron is the capital, after all, so they put a lot of effort into identity verification. Still, it should move quickly. The guards aren't that inflexible.”
According to Raymond, the inspections were relatively lax for peddlers or technicians who visited the capital frequently. Because the floating population was so large, it would take far too long if they followed every rule to the letter.
“If you wish, we could reveal your identity and ask them to let us through first.”
“No, let’s wait for now. If just the two of us push ahead while everyone else is waiting, we might draw unnecessary attention.”
If it were an official family event, he would have done so, but this trip to the capital was Lucian’s private visit. He didn't want his identity revealed by drawing attention for no reason. He would still have to reveal his identity to the guards, but he could pass through quietly without others noticing.
Having made his decision, Lucian stood at the end of the long line with Raymond.
And three hours passed.
“...It hasn't moved at all.”
“That’s strange. Why is it taking so long?”
Raymond muttered, averting his gaze from Lucian’s sharp glare. Even after three hours, the line had only shortened by a tiny fraction; most of it remained the same. At this rate, they wouldn't get inside before the gates closed.
“I take it you gentlemen are visiting for the first time since the war. Identity verification has been strict for quite a while now because of the rebellion that happened recently.”
A merchant who overheard their conversation approached and explained the situation. He seemed to think Lucian and Raymond were just a country master and servant visiting the capital for the first time in a long while.
“These days, it takes forever because they check this and that just to let you in once. With a line this long, you won't be able to get in today.”
“What? Then why are you standing in line?”
“Even if I can't get in today, I can get in if I keep waiting until tomorrow. These days, people just sleep right where they are when the gates close and then head back in.”
When the merchant even showed them the sleeping bag he had brought, the two were left speechless. So they had to sleep on the bare ground and then wait in line again?
“If you’d like, would you care to buy one of the sleeping bags I brought? I happened to bring two extra.”
“No, well...”
Thinking it was an opportunity to sell his goods, the merchant pulled two sleeping bags from his mule’s pack. When they didn't answer immediately due to the unexpected situation, the merchant added an explanation, having misunderstood their hesitation.
“Don't worry about anyone cutting in line while you sleep. Those knight sirs over there patrol day and night. If you get caught cutting, they send you straight to the very back of the line.”
The merchant pointed behind Lucian and Raymond. Turning around, they saw several knights indeed patrolling the line with hawk-like eyes.
Just then, the eyes of the lead knight met Lucian’s.
The knight blinked for a moment, then shouted with eyes full of shock.
“Lord Lucian?! Why are you here?!”