The Raid
Around the time Lulu reached the 3rd tier.
Inquisitors clad in black holy robes were watching a mansion built in the middle of the Gidum Empire.
It was a clue they had finally found, three years after receiving a carrier pigeon from the deputy commander of the Second Unit.
The mansion was where the tracks of a human, presumed to be an associate of the Third Disaster, led.
"It's time to change shifts."
"Ah, is it that time already?"
"Was there any unusual activity?"
"No. Same as usual. We can't see a thing. That barrier is no ordinary feat."
Even so, they couldn't get any closer.
Nor did they have any intention to. The Third Disaster himself might be staying in that mansion.
Thus, they kept their distance, staying far enough away that even the Third Disaster wouldn't notice them.
But they weren't just idling.
They monitored the mansion by borrowing the divine authority of the Watcher, one of the Cardinals responsible for the Holy Kingdom's security.
If the Third Disaster was indeed staying inside, they would wait for the moment he finally stepped out.
"Isn't the Third Disaster an alchemist? But if even the Watcher's authority can't see inside... could the Disasters be helping each other?"
"Impossible. They might all be lumped together as 'Disasters,' but they never associate with one another. Especially not the Third Disaster. The sight of the Third Disaster tearing the Seventh Disaster to shreds... Tsk, anyway, that's out of the question. That barrier is simply a product of the Third Disaster's alchemy."
"...He isn't watching us from inside, is he?"
"If he had noticed us, we'd already be dead. Stop letting your mind wander and send out the patrol. I'm going to get some rest."
"Yes, sir. Get some rest."
While keeping watch, they occasionally sent out patrols.
Although the Holy Kingdom was founded on the gathered faith of humanity, it did not consist solely of pure-blooded humans.
Among the believers, there were plenty of elves, dwarves, demons, and beastkin who had turned away from their own gods.
The ones currently being sent on patrol near the mansion were demon inquisitors, who could blend in naturally within the Gidum Empire.
It wasn't unusual for demons to wander around a demon empire. As long as they didn't do anything suspicious, they wouldn't draw attention.
So, today was no different. They sent the demon inquisitors to patrol the area around the mansion.
Their goal was to peer into the barrier, and to immediately infiltrate the mansion if the Third Disaster ever stepped outside.
The reason they were willing to take such risks to infiltrate was simple.
To capture or kill the human who was presumed to have a special connection with the Third Disaster.
Capturing them would be fine, but the aftermath of killing them was terrifying to contemplate.
If the Third Disaster went on a rampage after losing a friend, a disciple, or a family member, countless lives would be lost.
Yet, it was a task that had to be done.
Only by drawing the Third Disaster out to the Holy Kingdom would they have a single chance of killing him.
It was a well-known fact that a high-tier alchemist inside their own workshop was completely invincible, no matter how powerful the opponent.
Therefore, if that mansion was indeed the Third Disaster's workshop, they had to drag him out by any means necessary.
Even if it meant suffering immense casualties.
Multiplication and Division Transmutation.
A transmutation method that multiplied or divided the properties of materials.
Empowered by this new method, I resumed my research into creating edible potions.
Naturally, it wasn't easy.
In fact, it became even more of a headache in some ways.
I ended up brewing poisons far deadlier than the failed ones from before, setting off explosion potions with multiplied blast yields, and creating potions that didn't just boost speed but also granted absurd strength.
I couldn't make another Potion Launching Golem.
Ever since Aaron caught me mid-build and forced me to eat nothing but vegetables for two meals, I hadn't dared to try.
Instead, I kept producing all sorts of bizarre concoctions: a truth serum that made it impossible to lie, a potion that induced vivid hallucinations and auditory illusions, one that turned bones into jelly, one that made everyone look like bowls of cereal, one that made salad taste like meat, one that rotted an entire arm at the slightest touch of a fingertip, and one that just made you feel incredibly happy for no reason.
Since they were the result of forcibly twisting the flow of mana, brewing antidotes for them was an absolute nightmare.
Still, I didn't give up.
I felt like I was just on the verge of getting the hang of it.
Then, one morning.
"Master, Master! Master Aaron. What do you think the effect of this potion is?"
I was about to ask Aaron to test a potion I'd made from a sudden flash of inspiration, as usual.
"I have business that requires me to be away for ten days."
"Oh."
Aaron announced his departure.
"Are you leaving today?"
"Yes."
"It's been a while since you last went out."
Actually, Aaron had never gone out.
Meaning, he had stayed inside the house the entire time—for over three years—since he first picked me up.
Aaron nodded and spoke.
"If the mansion is in ruins when I return, expect to eat nothing but grass until you rebuild it all yourself."
"Ah, safety first. Got it, got it."
"And don't go eating random poisons."
"Yes, I'll be careful."
"Meals will be prepared on the table at the scheduled times. You don't need to clean up after eating; just leave it, and it will be taken care of."
"Yes, thank you."
"No one should be coming, but if someone does show up, do not open the door."
"Understood."
"Even if you hear screaming outside, ignore it."
This time, I couldn't answer immediately.
I was naturally dying of curiosity as to why there would be screaming in the first place.
When I stared at Aaron with those thoughts written all over my face, he looked back at me with a complex expression and repeated himself.
"Even if you hear screaming outside, ignore it."
"Am I not even allowed to look out the window?"
"That much is fine. But if you throw up from what you see, make sure you clean it up thoroughly so it doesn't smell."
That was far more persuasive than a simple "no."
"I won't look."
"Do not enter the library on the first floor."
I had lived in this mansion for three years.
I knew for a fact there was no library on the first floor.
Over the last three years, a fifth and sixth floor had suddenly appeared, but a library on the first floor was definitely not one of the additions.
I tilted my head.
"Is there a library on the first floor?"
"Sometimes it appears."
"T-that is very strange."
"You might hear footsteps at 11 PM. Ignore them, go to your room, and lie down. They will disappear on their own after five hours. As long as they disappear, you have nothing to worry about."
"Pardon?"
"If you don't eat your meals on time, you might see a white shadow sitting across from you at the table. You can ignore it and eat, but it might be a bit annoying. If you skip a meal, it's best to just keep fasting."
"Wait, what?"
"If you sense a presence before the ten days are up, go straight to your room. It will be safe to come out after about five minutes."
"Master... Can't you just take me with you?"
Before I knew it, I was clinging to the hem of Aaron's trousers.
"As long as you follow my instructions, you will be fine."
Of course, Aaron did not take me with him.
Left alone in the suddenly quiet mansion after Aaron's departure, I rolled my eyes and headed straight for the dining room.
Since meals would be automatically prepared as long as I stayed here, I wouldn't have to skip any. That meant I wouldn't have to face whatever ghost appeared across the table.
Ignoring the goosebumps rising on my skin for no reason, I sat on the dining chair with both legs pulled up and read a book.
It wasn't because I was afraid someone would grab my ankles if I let them hang. I just found this posture comfortable. Really.
Having finally taken a shower after five days, I wandered around the mansion, drying my hair with a squeaky-clean body.
Over the past five days.
I had strictly followed Aaron's instructions, and absolutely nothing had gone wrong.
Seriously.
The library on the first floor was just a warning not to wander around aimlessly, the monster across the table was a reminder to eat properly, and the 11 PM footsteps were just a cue to go to bed by 11.
I already knew all of that.
I wasn't scared at all. Not even a little bit.
Taking my first bath in five days?
That was just because I was lazy.
I definitely didn't avoid bathing out of fear.
Once my hair was completely dry, I dashed straight to the dining room.
Since Aaron wasn't here, I could run around as much as I wanted without getting scolded.
I think potato chips would be great for tonight's snack.
I had them yesterday, and the day before that.
Naturally, I would eat them tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow as well.
Stepping onto a chair to climb onto the counter, I lightly tossed a bag of potato chips from the cupboard onto the table.
Next, I grabbed an armful of black tea and sugar from deeper inside the cupboard, snatched a lemon from the windowsill, and sat down.
Drinking black tea plain was boring.
Even with sugar, it was too astringent. I had to use decomposition to remove the bitterness, squeeze in some lemon juice and sugar, and then multiply the lemon flavor to make it truly delicious.
It was sort of like a warm iced tea.
It might sound weird, but it was actually quite a delicacy, and it paired perfectly with potato chips.
If Aaron were here, he would have scolded me for eating too many chips. This freedom was a luxury I could only enjoy because he was away.
Plus, there was no one to nag me for eating late at night.
Clink, clink.
Having brewed my warm iced tea, I decided to munch on some chips while waiting for it to cool down.
To keep my eyes occupied, I read a book I'd sneaked from Aaron's second-floor study. To keep my free hand busy, I transmuted a doll.
Unlike other complex tasks, transmuting a doll was incredibly easy since it just involved carving out something from my memory.
Multitasking like a pro, I happily crunched on my potato chips. Crunch, crunch.
"Aaaargh!"
"It's a trap! Get back!"
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air.
"Even if you hear screaming outside, ignore it."
Aaron's voice echoed in my mind.
He had explicitly told me to ignore it.
"Do not retreat! Break through! Break through!"
"Deputy Commander! The inquisitors' corpses are...!"
"Retrieve them later! Breaking through comes first! We have to survive to retrieve anything!"
But hearing the frantic exchange amidst the screams, it felt like ignoring it was no longer an option.
I had to go to my room.
I wasn't sure if going to my room would solve this, but I decided to trust Aaron's words.
I should have gone in a bit earlier.
I had slacked off because it was still five minutes before 11 PM, never expecting something like this to happen.
Clutching the bag of potato chips to my chest, I leaped off the chair.
At that exact moment—Crash!
The front door of the mansion burst open as if it were being smashed to pieces.
"Pant... Pant... Oh, Lord, thank you..."
"F-finally..."
Heavy panting and frantic footsteps echoed through the mansion.
I instinctively turned my head.
My eyes locked with men dressed in black.
There were three of them in total.
What stood out were the horns growing from their temples, or the tails visible behind their legs. One of them even had purple skin.
One was missing an arm, another was missing a leg, and the third was missing an eye.
The only things they had in common were that they were covered in blood, wore rosaries around their necks, and wore black clothes bearing the same insignia as their rosaries.
They all stared at me at once.
I stared back at them in silence.
Neither side made a move.
Knowing what might happen if either of us moved first, we stood frozen in a tense standoff.
In the awkward silence, I spoke first. I wanted to break the ice, if possible.
"Hello. Do you happen to need any potions? I have plenty."
"Deputy Commander. Could that girl be..."
"...Yes, it seems so."
The one-eyed man seemed to be the deputy commander.
He stared at me with his single eye, gritted his teeth, and muttered.
"Immediately—"
"Can't we just talk this out?"
"—capture her."
Even before the command left his mouth, I was already moving.
Rumble! I transmuted the floor where my feet touched, raising a wall.
I didn't expect it to hold for long.
Leaving the wall behind me, I ran as fast as I could.
They said "capture," but I doubted a pleasant fate awaited me if I got caught.
So, I had to get to my room.
As quickly as humanly possible.