Chapter 61
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61
“H-here, please have some.”
Clink.
With trembling hands, the boy placed the tea down in front of Lucian and Raymond.
Lucian didn't spare the tea a single glance, keeping his eyes fixed solely on the boy.
Is this boy really the developer of Nectar?
Lucian knew well enough that years lived didn't always equate to ability. Occasionally, a genius on par with Felicia might appear in other fields.
However, swordsmanship, which relied heavily on instinct and physical sensation, was a different matter from academic disciplines that required vast background knowledge. Considering that, the boy before him looked far too young to call himself an alchemist.
“What is your name?”
“Huh? It’s... it’s Ian.”
“How old are you this year?”
“I’m seventeen...”
“You’re young. I asked just in case, but it’s exactly as I expected.”
As Lucian let his honest thoughts slip out, Raymond leaned in from beside him and whispered.
“Young Master, have you forgotten your own age?”
“...Are you Heide’s assistant? Or his apprentice?” Lucian asked, smoothly ignoring Raymond’s remark.
After a moment of hesitation, the boy, Ian, answered with a dark expression.
“An apprentice candidate.”
“What? Either you’re an apprentice or you’re not. What is an ‘apprentice candidate’?”
“Master said I’m not an official apprentice yet. He said if I help him well with his work, he’ll promote me later.”
“Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped Lucian’s lips as he pieced together the situation.
He didn't want to officially recognize him as an apprentice so he could keep him under his thumb. He’s holding a vague position over the kid’s head to extort him.
The more Lucian learned about Heide, the more he disliked the man.
After a moment’s thought, Lucian decided to get straight to the point. Since his counterpart wasn't an official alchemist, there was no need to beat around the bush.
“I met the alchemist Heide outside a short while ago. I was interested in Moonlight Grass and had a few questions for him. But that man wasn't just uninterested; he treated the subject with contempt.”
“...!”
“To be honest, I was disappointed. I thought an alchemist might know something. I was going to just buy the Moonlight Grass and leave, but...”
Lucian trailed off, fixing Ian with a meaningful look.
“There was a record showing that he purchased Moonlight Grass at the exact same time he was meeting with us.”
“....”
“I’m not one to meddle in other people’s business, but isn't embezzling a master’s funds for personal use a problem? Especially since that money is a state subsidy, which means it involves His Majesty the Emperor.”
At the mention of the Emperor, Ian’s face turned deathly pale as he stared at Lucian.
When Lucian tilted his chin as if prompting him to explain, Ian began to stammer.
“A-as I said before, it’s a misunderstanding! Master gave me permission for all of it...!”
“Permission? That Heide told you to spend his money however you liked?”
“To be precise, he said I could use it for alchemy! He said it was fine as long as there were results!”
I see.
Heide must have handed over the portion of the imperial subsidies that couldn't be easily converted into pocket money for his own entertainment to his apprentice. That way, if any decent research results came out, he could simply steal them and announce them as his own.
However, Ian’s explanation didn't account for everything.
“All of it? Such a large amount?”
“....”
“I don't think so. This amount seems to exceed any reasonable limit a master would allow, doesn't it?”
There was a limit to how much a master would let an apprentice spend. Looking at the figures, it was clear Ian had used even the portion Heide intended to siphon off for his own pleasures to buy Moonlight Grass.
As if Lucian had hit the nail on the head, Ian slumped his shoulders in resignation.
“Are you going to tell Master what I’ve done?”
“That depends on your answer. First, I want to know what you used all that Moonlight Grass for.”
“That’s....”
“Body reinforcement through the amplification of mana.”
“...!”
“From the looks of it, the ingredients are Moonlight Grass, Red Thorn, Winged Lantern, and so on. Am I right?”
Ian began to tremble as Lucian listed the specific ingredients. Raymond, unable to follow the conversation, tilted his head in confusion.
“What are you talking about? Those sound like ingredients for medicine.”
“To be precise, they are ingredients for a medicine that could change the world. If successful, it could turn even the most talentless hack into a genius for the history books.”
“H-has someone else researched this besides me?”
Unable to hide his excitement, Ian rushed toward Lucian. Raymond, acting as an escort, quickly blocked him by pressing the scabbard of his sword against the boy’s chest, but Ian seemed not to feel the pain, trying to get even closer.
Lucian nodded and gently pushed Ian back.
“There was. Though it ended in failure. Other ingredients included Stem Flower and....”
“Stem Flower!”
At Lucian’s words, Ian recoiled as if letting out a scream.
“Why didn't I think of that! Yes, if I mix in Stem Flower, everything will be solved! Why didn't it occur to me—urk!”
Crash!
In his frantic state, Ian tripped over a chair leg and fell. However, as if he couldn't feel the pain, he scrambled up and sprinted toward the second floor. It seemed he wanted to test his newfound knowledge immediately.
Lucian watched his retreating back blankly and let out a bitter smile.
“Let’s go up too.”
“Is it alright to just enter someone’s house like this?”
“Once scholars get into that state, there’s no stopping them. If we just wait here, he won't come down even after he’s finished.”
The true scholars Lucian had known were always like that. Driven by curiosity and the desire to prove their hypotheses, they would abandon everything else to immerse themselves in research. Expecting them to be considerate without someone there to pull the brakes was pointless.
“Well, I’ll be.”
Upon reaching the second floor, Lucian clicked his tongue at the sight of the laboratory.
Small scraps of paper were covered in dense notes, and large sheets were stacked everywhere, some as thick as books. Used ink bottles and pens rolled across the floor, and a corner was filled with crumpled, discarded research journals.
Funnily enough, amidst this chaos, the medicinal ingredients and some potions were meticulously categorized.
Incredible. Who would believe this is the lab of a seventeen-year-old brat?
Most official alchemists wouldn't be able to indulge in research with such passion. After scanning the room and glancing through the journals, Lucian shifted his gaze to Ian, who was moving busily.
“Please, please... please let it succeed...!”
Ian muttered as if praying to someone, his eyes fixed on a heating glass bottle. An acrid scent began to waft from the bottle as it started to boil. It was the same reaction Lucian had seen when manufacturing the inferior version of Nectar.
Right, as the smell gets stronger and the potion turns red...!
Lucian, who had been smiling while watching the bottle, suddenly widened his eyes.
The acrid smell vanished, replaced by a fragrance so refreshing it felt cool, filling the entire lab. The liquid, which had been about to turn red, gradually shifted to blue and began to emit a faint glow.
What is that? Shouldn't it be turning red?
“I-it worked! It worked! It really worked!”
Unlike Lucian, who was bewildered by the completely different reaction, Ian jumped for joy on the spot, even shedding tears.
Stopping the heat and removing the glass bottle, Ian gazed at his creation with dazed eyes. While Lucian stood still, overwhelmed by the boy’s intensity, Raymond approached and whispered.
“Young Master, what on earth did that kid just make?”
“What do you mean?”
“Look closely. Mana is resonating around that liquid.”
Startled by Raymond’s words, Lucian focused mana into his eyes. Sure enough, he could see mana sweeping around the potion like waves.
This is insane...!
To feel mana from the medicine itself before it was even consumed—he couldn't even fathom how powerful the effects would be if someone actually drank it.
Just then, Lucian turned pale as he saw Ian tilting the vial toward his mouth.
“You crazy brat! Stop right there!”
Thwack!
“Gah!”
Lucian swiftly struck the back of Ian’s neck and snatched the vial. Ian looked at him with an aggrieved expression.
“W-why did you do that!”
“What do you think you’re doing? Why are you trying to drink it all of a sudden?”
“A clinical trial! If the medicine is finished, I have to check the effects myself!”
“Good grief.”
Lucian frowned at Ian’s defiant shout. A scholar, not even a knight, pouring such a potent medicine down his throat? There was a high probability that he wouldn't be able to handle the excessive potency, leading to a disastrous counter-effect.
At the very least, a knight who has opened their mana paths needs to take it for the proper effect to show.
“Give it here! I have to check!”
Lucian pushed aside the lunging Ian and said, “If you want a clinical trial, I’ll do it for you. You just watch. What if you die after taking this with that frail body of yours?”
“Huh? Really?”
“Young Master?!”
Raymond looked at Lucian with a face full of shock. To consume a medicine emitting such intense energy without even knowing its exact effects!
“Have you lost your mind?! Stop this instant! If you want to check the effects, I will be the one to take it!”
“No, that won't do.”
“Why not?!”
“I’m certain I’ll be fine, but you won't be.”
“That makes no sense...!”
Raymond glared at Lucian as if he were being absurd, but Lucian had no way to explain further. This was, ultimately, a matter of constitution.
With my body, any mana exceeding the limit will be discharged naturally. But not for Raymond. No matter how long he’s trained, his mana paths can't be as clean as mine.
Mana rampages or backflows occur when mana exceeding the body’s capacity cannot be properly discharged. Therefore, with a constitution like Lucian’s, such phenomena were virtually impossible. His mana paths were so wide and clean that even if something went wrong, the excess would be expelled in an instant.
It might be arrogant, but I might be the only person in this world who can take this medicine.
Lucian felt a strange excitement as he looked at the Nectar—or perhaps the original form of Nectar. What would happen when a medicine no human could handle met the only human who could?
“Young Master!”
Realizing words were useless, Raymond shouted and lunged at Lucian. But Lucian, having already made up his mind, tilted the blue liquid into his mouth first.
By the time Raymond snatched the vial away, all but a drop or two had already slid down Lucian’s throat.
“Damn it! Spit it out! Do you even know what that medicine is...!”
Vroooom!
Just before a panicked Raymond could force Lucian’s mouth open, a blinding torrent of mana erupted from Lucian, shaking the entire laboratory.
Rumble!
The violent torrent of mana turned the lab upside down.
Papers scattered in all directions, glass bottles containing ingredients shattered, and bookshelves fell over like dominoes. Raymond grit his teeth against the force, which felt like a localized storm.
“You bastard! What the hell did you make?!”
“Uuuuugh!”
Raymond shouted at Ian with murderous intent, but Ian was too busy trying to withstand the swirling mana to respond. Amidst the chaos where everything was being overturned, Lucian was the only one who remained still.
My god.
Lucian suppressed the exclamation that threatened to burst out. He felt that if he opened his mouth carelessly, the torrent of mana might blow the entire room apart.
I never imagined it would be this much.
The amplified mana seethed like a furnace, sweeping through Lucian’s paths with insane force. Any ordinary human would have exploded and died on the spot, but to Lucian, it felt merely a bit refreshing.
Within the terrifying surge of mana, every time Lucian blinked, the mana reacted, making the air vibrate.
This much from just a blink. What happens if I swing a sword?
For a moment, a small temptation flickered in his heart, but he didn't act on it. There was a risk that Raymond and Ian might die from the aftershocks.
Above all, this power wasn't something Lucian could fully control yet. It was more like being inside a volcano; when he moved his body, the lava simply splashed along with him.
If only I could fully control and condense this within my body...
For the current Lucian, it was like trying to stop a flood with his palms. However, if he just left it alone, it would leak out of his body and the effect would vanish. Just as Lucian was wondering if there was any way to gather even a small amount—
Twitch.
One of the mana paths connecting his spine to his head twitched in response to the overflowing power. It was a path he had avoided for the sake of efficient circulation, as it wasn't very useful for physical reinforcement.
Could it be?
On a whim, Lucian opened that unused path. Once the way was clear, the swirling power surged through it and reached his head in an instant. The mana ascended without any backflow and swirled within his mind.
Lucian was startled for a moment, but soon he felt a sense of clarity incomparable to anything before. Simultaneously, he felt something he had never seen before enter his field of vision.
Mana?
Even though he hadn't reinforced his eyes, he could see mana clearly. He could even see the mana inside the human bodies of Raymond and Ian, who were struggling to endure the torrent. Their movements felt as though he could reach out and grab them.
Lucian was bewildered by the sensation of having gained a prophet-like vision.
Felicia.
A single person came to Lucian’s mind. The genius of the sword who could see mana directly, anticipate every move of her opponent, and find the optimal path.
Only then did Lucian realize what he had obtained.
So, this is how she was seeing the world.