The Princess's Magic (4)
When I asked about the elixir production incantation, Seymour widened his eyes as if amused.
"Let me guess. Alchemy."
"Correct. You figured it out quickly."
"Haha, of course. I thought of it when I heard words like 'enhancement' or 'production.' It couldn't be black magic, could it?"
Black magic from enhancement? Well, that made sense. Sometimes power came at the cost of lifespan.
Seeing I didn't respond right away, Seymour narrowed his eyes and asked again.
"It's not, right?"
"Of course not. No one with that kind of talent could become a personal physician."
Seymour nodded.
"A production incantation, eh. What are you curious about? You used the word 'elixir.' What is that?"
"Think of it as a supplement that temporarily boosts the body's health."
Strictly speaking, vitamins or ginseng extract could be considered elixirs. Energy drinks weren't exactly healthy, but they produced specific effects, so they could qualify as enhancement elixirs.
What I wanted to make most right now was an elixir that temporarily strengthened muscle power. Not for actually climbing stairs, of course.
Asella's schedule showed an imperial martial tournament coming up soon.
It was like a family gathering where all imperial family members attended. Under the pretext of a tournament, it was a three-day, two-night flower-viewing outing in the spring weather. A vacation for the emperor, but for princes and princesses with succession rights, it meant desperate preparations to catch his eye. It was a chance to show off their faction's strength before the entire imperial family.
Last year, they'd gone to some eastern mountains. If it was the same place, I'd be running around all day for sure. Asella, who aimed for the throne, wouldn't half-ass her participation in the tournament. For emergencies, I wanted to prepare a muscle-strengthening elixir.
"If I say it's alchemy to enhance food and increase its efficacy, would you understand?"
Seymour snapped his fingers.
"Grasping the essence of ingredients through alchemy, not minerals! Fascinating. Are you struggling because figuring out that essence is difficult?"
A spot-on observation. With my current alchemy, I couldn't manipulate exact chemical formulas. I roughly eyeballed it using [Enhancement] and [Property Change] to make something similar to what I wanted. The rose candy and painkiller had come from that process.
"Have you delved into alchemy yourself, Sage?"
"As one called a sage, I comprehend the principles of all things! Here, lend me that."
Seymour pulled a guard's dagger for self-defense and handed it to me.
"Can you change this to a soft material?"
"It's possible."
I cast [Property Change]. The blade was iron, with a 'hard' property. To make it soft, I needed to apply property changes until it gained traits like rubber or cloth.
"Hup."
I drew the magic circle with mana. Following what Asella had taught me, I tried drawing three regular dodecagons this time—a bit more complex. I reinforced them by connecting every other vertex with lines. I inscribed the ancient word for 'soft.' Iron required about 2nd hierarchy power, so I made another identical circle and linked them with mana flow. I spun it and cast.
A white light flashed, changing the dagger's properties.
"Aigoo, what's that smell?"
The dagger remained hard but now reeked foully.
"Tch, hold on a moment."
This was how [Property Change] worked—even with the formula inscribed, the resulting property was nearly random. That was why making the new rose candy had been such a pain.
I cast the spell six more times. Finally, scorch marks blackened the dagger, and it turned soft and rubbery.
"There."
"Haha, inefficient, isn't it?"
Seymour bent the tip.
"But the effect is perfect. That's what happens when you cast without understanding the material's essence."
"Essence? I know the components."
Iron was iron. Rubber was a synthetic of carbon and hydrogen.
"Essence consists of fundamentals and auxiliaries. This blade has one fundamental and twenty-six auxiliaries. To make it soft, you need thirteen fundamentals and thirty-eight auxiliaries in a specific shape."
I was a bit shocked by Seymour's words. Was he talking about the atomic and electron counts of iron and rubber? He couldn't have observed elements, so maybe he instinctively understood chemistry through mana.
"You look intrigued."
"Is there a way to apply this to incantations?"
"Haha, it's different from magic circle shapes. Not even grand mages understand essences. It might sound crazy to you, but..."
I picked up a stick and drew a diagram on the ground—the chemical structure of synthetic rubber.
"If you compose the fundamentals and auxiliaries you mentioned in this form, it can be transformed into a soft material."
"...Hoo."
Seymour's mouth corners split into a grin as he twirled his mustache.
"Hey now."
Suddenly, he threw an arm around my shoulders, nearly toppling me.
"Want to take lessons from me?"
"Lessons?"
Seymour's offer intrigued me. Even beyond magic, many skills required incantations. My alchemy skill was one. A sage's lecture would surely boost it greatly.
"What's the price?"
Seymour looked pleased with my question. As a court mage sage, he surely had talent. Like Asella, he'd be sensitive to compensation—I was sure he'd like the mention.
"I like sharp ones. That's why he took Asella."
"Meaning?"
"I'll give you a problem. My talent's too obvious, so guess my price."
The talent was obviously magic like Asella's. But debuffs varied wildly. Only one way to find out.
Would it work?
'Diagnosis.'
[Injury Status: Pain Insensitivity]
[Injury Location: Brain]
Indeed. He couldn't feel sensations. His magic talent had cost him all senses—taste, pain, touch, smell, nothing.
"You've lost your senses."
"Oh ho! Why guess that?"
"The candy I gave you was quite tasty. You wouldn't skip commenting on it."
"Haha, sharp one. Asella brought a capable physician."
Seymour laughed heartily, but a menacing aura prickled nearby. Asella was watching us displeased.
"Master, aren't you watching my casting?"
Seymour broke into a cold sweat with an awkward smile, as if caught.
"Aigoo, I saw everything properly. Your third circle twisted 30 degrees just now. Try stacking in reverse order."
"Got it. ...What business do you have with my physician?"
"Haha. He's more fun than expected."
"Don't steal him."
Asella snapped, then added to me.
"Young master, did you see my magic?"
"Of course, Princess."
"How was it?"
I had no clue what it was.
"Magic fit to command the world."
"...Hmph, naturally."
Asella turned away sharply, pleased. She refocused on her casting.
"You've chosen a tough path. Personal physician to Asella, of all people—not some other imperial! I thought no one could handle that job."
"No other talented ones in the imperial family besides the Princess?"
"There are. But none with succession rights have two talents."
"Then Asella, who excels at magic, has an advantage in succession."
I guessed that made her the next emperor, but Seymour shook his head.
"Opposite. It's a huge disadvantage, physician."
"Why?"
"Because she only excels at magic."
"Only magic?"
The sentence didn't compute. The Asella I knew used schemes and strategies better than anyone for her goals.
"Two magic talents only. The imperial family raised her as a mage, not a successor, from birth."
"What does that mean?"
"Tch, you haven't heard yet, physician?"
Seymour twirled his mustache.
"Well, few in the palace know. You should, as her physician."
I glanced at Asella. She was focused, tackling Seymour's task.
"Camilla, the Third Empress—a fine witch. Competent. Her condition for entering the palace: loyalty to the imperial family while bearing a powerful magic weapon to check foreign powers."
"That's Asella."
"Bloodline's certain. As expected, Asella was born with one magic talent."
"One? Then the second?"
"Injected. At five, with its price."
Injected? Different from my innate two talents?
"Asella's a weapon. A magic weapon for the next emperor's foreign invasions. Imperial blood ensures no betrayal."
"The next emperor's not decided. Foreign invasion isn't a must."
The current emperor was too frail for war. A peaceful successor would render Asella useless.
"Then she'd be scrapped."
"...I see."
"Or executed to signal the empire's stance to foreigners. More political cards are better. The imperial family always moves that way."
Seymour's tale turned my stomach. Must be my condition acting up today. The palace treated family as mere political tools. Their common sense was another world—I'd never adapt.
"How was the talent injection done to the Princess?"
"No idea. Only Camilla knows details. Maybe the Second Prince, supporting her faction."
The Second Prince was under Palkenhain.
"Enough secrets."
Seymour dispelled his magic. He'd soundproofed around us. Thorough.
"Come Wednesdays and Fridays mornings from now on. I'll teach you what true incantations are."
"An honor."
Seymour grinned toothily, twirling his mustache.