Please, Alchemist

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Translator: Ruby

Chapter: 46

Chapter Title: Please, Alchemist

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Tsssssss......!

As I entered into the fog, smoke rose up from all over my body.

My skin actually turned red as if getting burned and even produced a burning smell.

But surprisingly.

'It's really okay?'

Where wounds were forming, the phoenix's flames immediately rose up and healed them.

That warm sensation felt quite pleasant.

In fact, the wounds this fog created weren't just on the outer skin.

When I breathed in to breathe, the fog also came in along with it, so the same sensation was being felt in my lungs as well.

Probably for flying birds and mountain beasts too, this internal injury would be more fatal than skin wounds.

Imagine suddenly breathing and your lungs melting.

'Your mind would become dizzy. Your judgment would also become clouded.'

Dilly-dallying like that, eventually meeting real death in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this fog of death, I thought.

But I wasn't particularly uncomfortable breathing right now either.

Though it was a bit stuffy...... it seemed Pico's power was protecting me from internal injuries as well.

Was this the recovery ability that the phoenix possessed?

Honestly, I was a bit surprised.

'To this extent.'

Having felt firsthand that I was okay, I went inside.

Deeper and deeper inside, I stepped forward.

Diaz and Jephron quickly became invisible.

From here on, the only living creature in this forest was me alone.

It was a strange sensation.

In the forest with hazy vision.

A creepily eerie silence.

The deeper I went into the fog, the more things I tripped over.

All of them were corpses of animals that had died in this fog of death.

Seeing them directly with my eyes, I could realize keenly how dangerous this place was.

I was relieved that Pico's words that it would be okay weren't a lie but really fortunate.

If that hadn't been the case, I would have ended up in that state too.

'Let's quickly find the Raflaren flower and get out.'

Before long, I found one flower exactly like the picture Marco had drawn.

I began searching in earnest.

Since it was hazy all around, it wasn't easy to find.

Still, with all my nerves on edge, I began to scour all directions thoroughly.

'It's not showing up as well as I thought......'

However, the Raflaren flower didn't catch my eye right away.

I lowered my posture and examined the ground almost as if sweeping it.

It was quite a difficult task.

Since I had to search this vast place alone.

'This is tough, tough.'

But then such a thought suddenly occurred to me.

'This recovery power...... couldn't it be that it's not infinite?......'

What if.

If Pico's stamina ran out outside, I wondered if I might die.

'I, I need to find it quickly!.......'

If I didn't want to end up like those corpses sprawled on the ground.

That was when.

'Huh?...... That!'

One particularly red petal caught my eye.

I moved my steps toward it.

There, one flower of the exact same form as in the picture I'd seen was blooming loftily.

'I found it!'

Slowly reaching my hand toward it, I carefully scooped it up with the soil so as not to damage even the roots, as Marco had said.

'Got it......!'

And I carefully placed the flower in the pouch I'd prepared in advance.

But...... just then.

Something right next to the Raflaren flower entered my vision.

'Why is that here......'

Half in a daze, I inadvertently reached my hand toward it.

***

I returned to the entrance of Oliton Forest where Diaz and Jephron were.

"Lord Rohan!"

"You've returned, Sir! Did you find what you were looking for?"

Toward them, I held up the Raflaren flower.

"That flower from the picture......!"

"You found it! That's a relief!"

Diaz confirmed it and approached me.

"Your body, is it really alright?"

"No problem."

Looking at her face, she seemed to have worried quite a bit.

Though I'd found it relatively quickly and returned right away.

Pico, who had been standing on her palm, made a thumbs-up shape with his wing and raised it up.

"Cheep!"

Then.

Flop.

Didn't he fall over sideways just like that.

At that sight, Diaz and I were startled.

"Huh?"

"Pico!"

Pico spoke while still holding the thumbs-up shape.

"Phew...... my ability is about this much, cheep....... but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠maybe because I'm not fully grown yet, I'm dying from how hard it is, cheep."

Seeing him talk, he seemed to be okay.

Still, it seemed moving quickly had been the right choice.

Even now, he was already sprawled out like that.

"Let's all head back."

"Yes. Lord Rohan."

"Let's do that, Sir."

On the way back, Pico lay sprawled on Diaz's palm and flapped his beak.

"By the way. Why is that fog there anyway? Cheep?"

I asked Pico.

Because I didn't know in detail about the Mortal Bird.

"Is that phenomenon strange?"

"Yeah. I find a master and am together with my master. Cheep. Of course, usually my lifespan is longer, so I live longer than previous masters. Anyway, when a new life begins, I'm always together with a new master. Cheep. So I stay in a specific region for a while, cheep."

Pico, having recovered to some degree.

Raised his short legs up, then with that momentum sat up with a whoosh.

"On the other hand, the Mortal Bird never stays in one place. And contrary to me, it absolutely doesn't stay together with anyone. It's an existence that has endured those long years alone. It's a lonely one. Cheep. Anyway, since such a one is staying in one place for a long time, something is strange about it. Cheep."

"By the way, does the Mortal Bird also revive when it dies?"

"No. That one doesn't revive. In the first place, since it accompanies death, unlike me, there was no chance of dying, cheep. But if death befalls that one...... the Mortal Bird also dies. Cheep. No one can be free from death, cheep."

"What happens when the Mortal Bird dies?"

"Nothing much. It just dies. Cheep. There will be a bit more undead in the world, and dead souls will lose their way a bit more. Cheep."

Hearing those words, I felt that the Mortal Bird was a very important spiritual creature.

However, as far as I knew, that creature called the Mortal Bird was fated to die soon.

'According to Pico's words, it seems better to save it.'

The problem was that I didn't know at all where it was or why it was dying.

I only knew that it would die.

'Should I request an investigation from the Church......'

Though I had no other connections in the Oliton Grand Cathedral, at least Jephron alone was definitely on my side.

If I made a request, an investigation would proceed.

But even that was so unclear where and how to start looking......

'Sigh. For now, let's finish the phoenix potion first and then think.'

For now, finishing the immediate goal came first.

***

We headed back to Marco's shanty—no, laboratory.

The broken door handle still hadn't been properly fixed, and a rope was substituting for the door handle.

When I pulled it and entered.

Marco welcomed me.

"Oh! Lord Rohan? How did it go? Did you find the Raflaren flower?"

I took out the pouch from my pocket and shook it.

Without showing the inside, it was possible to immediately guess what was in it.

"Wow...... you really brought it? I saw that fog myself, and it was incredibly scary...... anyway! With this, we have all the materials! While you went to find the Raflaren flower, support funds came in, so I got all the other materials too!"

He proudly spread his hand toward the other materials prepared on the table.

I nodded.

"You worked hard."

"Not at all! I, in my whole life, this is the first time I've met someone who believes in me like this. So maybe because of that, even while preparing this, I was just happy."

Marco grinned widely.

He was a young man who made people watching him feel energized.

"Then can you start right away?"

"Yep! It's possible right away!"

"Please, alchemist."

"Just leave it to me!"

Marco began manufacturing the phoenix potion.

And Pico plopped down on his table and was spouting advice this way and that.

Having nothing particular to kill time with, I took out from my pocket what I'd picked up earlier in Oliton Forest.

Having seen it, Diaz asked.

"Lord Rohan. What is that?"

"Ah, this?...... This is, the Mortal Bird's talon."

At my answer, Diaz's eyes widened.

And Jephron, who had been drinking water, spat it out.

"Ah, y-yes.......yes?"

"Pfhwoop!"

I quietly looked at the talon held in my hand.

It was certain.

Though I didn't know well what kind of creature the Mortal Bird was, there was a reason it existed in the setting.

Because there was an item called the Mortal Bird's Necklace made from this talon.

'Back then I thought, why is the explanation so long and drawn out for just one item......'

Looking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at it now, it seemed there was a hidden backstory that didn't appear in the original work.

And if I resolved that well......

I thought I might be able to save the Mortal Bird.

I looked at Jephron, who was wiping around his mouth, and said.

"Sir Jephron. As you must have heard, the Mortal Bird's existence will also be of great help in suppressing undead."

"Yes. I'm aware."

"This talon. Looking at the cut shape, it doesn't seem to have fallen off naturally."

I held it out to Jephron.

Jephron, receiving the Mortal Bird's talon, narrowed his eyes and looked at it carefully.

"Certainly...... it's closer to the feeling of being broken after being half-cut by something sharp."

"That is to say, it's more likely that a person rather than a beast was involved."

"Hmm...... who on earth would do such a thing......"

"Can you look into it?"

"Of course. To target an existence that blocks the undead caused by those demon bastards...... there might be a connection with demons. Then naturally the Church must step forward."

"Please do."

"I'll look into it with all my might."

Jephron, nodding with a firm expression, headed toward the Grand Cathedral right away without delay.

And during that time.

Diaz murmured.

"The Mortal Bird...... come to think of it, I have a memory of hearing about it."

"You heard about it?"

"Yes. In the library of Straum Diocese. It was an ancient book that had been passed down from quite long ago...... it was a story about heroes who received the Mortal Bird's blessing. I'd thought it was just something like a fairy tale and forgotten about it...... but it suddenly came to mind."

"Didn't Pico say the Mortal Bird doesn't make contracts?"

"Not a contract, but the content was about bestowing blessings like a blessing. There were knights of the Church who were called heroes, and there were records that they all without exception received blessings from the Mortal Bird."

To think there was such a thing.

"What kind of blessing was it?"

She furrowed her brow and traced her memory.

"That...... um. It was similar to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Mortal Bird's ability, I think...... suppressing undead in one strike? I remember it was that kind of ability."

"Hmm. I see."

I nodded.

'If this goes well......'

If I saved the Mortal Bird, I might be able to obtain that power......

Just as I was running my happiness circuit.

Marco appeared again.

"It's complete! Lord Rohan!"

Our genius alchemist seemed to have already made the legendary potion.

"Here! Please drink it quickly!"

"The effect will be certain, cheep! I supervised from the side. Cheep!"

Before me, he held out a bottle containing a pretty liquid of red color.

Perhaps because it was a potion beyond the original work, my heart was pounding.

'If I drink this...... will I evolve to the next level?'

I slowly received that bottle.

And downed it all in one gulp.