Chapter 59
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59
Club activities.
Whether they were called extracurriculars or academic societies, these were the primary social lifelines for students at Union—a necessity in a place where the mobile lecture system made building friendships difficult.
Of course, the nature of each club varied wildly. Some focused on research or academic improvement centered around a specific theme rather than simple socializing.
The Alchemy Club was a prime example of the latter.
While Eredor offered official alchemy courses, this club was dedicated to practical experiments that couldn't be replicated in a lecture hall. In modern terms, you could think of it as the relationship between a business major and a stock investment club.
Knock, knock.
I knocked on the clubroom door, which bore a weathered nameplate. A cheerful voice soon answered from within.
“Yes, coming~!”
Creeak.
The door opened to reveal a female student. She was short, dressed in a blue-themed robe, and wore a pointed hat reminiscent of a classic wizard. I wasn't exactly a giant, but the top of her head barely reached my chest.
She stared at my face for a moment in silence.
Slam!
Then she shut the door.
A sharp click followed as the door was locked from the inside.
“…”
The door had literally been slammed in my face. I looked at the still-trembling wood and shrugged. I was used to this kind of treatment by now, so it didn't bother me.
I spoke to the firmly shut door in a calm voice.
“I’m here to apply for the club, Trish Medici.”
Trish Medici.
She was the descendant of the fallen Medici noble house and possessed a remarkable talent for alchemy. Despite not having the [Alchemy] trait like Roen, her brilliant intuition and tireless effort had brought her closer to creating the Philosopher’s Stone than anyone else. She was destined to become a great mage who would one day rise to the top of the Alchemist’s Tower.
For me, she was a valuable potential ally.
‘Right now, I can use alchemy with the system’s help, but I’m a complete amateur when it comes to its fundamental principles.’
Even if I later acquired the Sage’s Glasses and inherited the knowledge of a grand mage, it was uncertain whether I could actually wield such high-level magic myself. That was where Trish Medici came in. She would be able to analyze and study the magic, helping me adapt it for my own use.
“…”
After a short wait, a muffled voice came from inside the quiet clubroom.
“I’m not accepting your application!”
“The recruitment notice says you accept any student interested in alchemy.”
I read the poster on the wall, but the answer remained the same.
“…I’m rejecting you under the club president’s discretion.”
“I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.”
“Are you trying to tempt me with money? I won’t accept, no matter how much you offer.”
“This is more valuable than mere money.”
“…Did you bring some rare alchemy ingredients?” Trish asked cautiously, her interest momentarily piqued.
I suppressed a smile. “Even more valuable than that.”
“…”
She hesitated for a moment, but her distrust won out over her researcher’s curiosity. She rejected me again.
“Still, I can’t trust a word you say.”
“And why is that?”
Suddenly, Trish screamed from the other side.
“Why?! Because I trusted you when you said you’d invest! I expanded the club’s facilities based on your word, and then you stabbed me in the back! Can’t you see we’re completely broke because of you?!”
Her shout was so forceful it made the door rattle. Her voice was thick with anger and resentment.
She was right.
The Alchemy Club was located in the outermost district of Eredor, housed in a shabby, abandoned building deep within a poorly maintained forest. From what I knew, the club currently had a total of five members. It had once been a sizable organization with over fifty members, but now its former glory was forgotten, and it sat on the verge of being shut down.
And Roen had been the primary architect of its downfall.
This body has certainly racked up its share of grudges.
In any case, it was my job to resolve the karma and resentment Roen had accumulated. I spoke to the door again.
“I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t my intention.”
“Is ‘sorry’ supposed to fix everything?!”
“No, it’s not. But I will pay the price in full. If you’ll just let me join.”
“…Fine. Come in.”
The door opened again, and I was finally able to step inside the Alchemy Club room. I scanned the interior.
The room was shrouded by heavy, night-sky-patterned blackout curtains. It was about five hundred square feet, and the walls were lined with cupboards and tables that gave it the feel of a school science lab. It looked like a facility once used as a temporary mana stone warehouse that had been hastily converted.
Though it was pathetic compared to my personal laboratory, it seemed to have all the basic experimental tools.
“You’ve kept the place nice.”
“Are you mocking me? We sold off everything expensive; there’s nothing left to use.”
“Expensive doesn’t always mean good.”
Though good things are usually expensive.
I took a seat and asked Trish for some tea.
“Do you have any black tea?”
“Black tea? As if.”
Trish brought over a cup of cold water, slammed it on the table, and asked irritably, “So, what price are you going to pay to make up for your mistake?”
Instead of demanding a bowing apology, Trish demanded fair compensation. Equivalent exchange, not useless, empty words. A true alchemist.
“First, I’ll resume the investment in the Alchemy Club that fell through.”
Shhk.
I pulled a check from my coat and handed it to her. It was the money I had originally intended to give Lize, but it was no longer necessary now that I’d secured her a job at Panopticon.
“Use this for now. I’ll continue to invest an amount greater than this every month.”
“…”
Trish didn’t accept it right away. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’re not trying to get off the hook with just this, are you?”
“Of course not.”
The cost of materials for alchemy experiments becomes astronomical as the grade increases. Thirty million Krone was no small sum, but for someone dedicated to alchemy, it wasn't a king's ransom either. Besides, Roen was the direct cause of the club’s ruin; she wasn't going to let her guard down for just this.
I took another envelope from my coat and placed it on the table.
“Open it.”
Trish hesitated. “You didn’t put poison on it or anything, did you?”
“…What do you take me for?”
“What do I take you for? A shameless, good-for-nothing scoundrel who destroyed a club and then has the gall to waltz back in asking to join.”
Despite her sharp tongue, Trish opened the envelope and checked its contents.
And then, her breath hitched.
“!”
Her eyes went wide, and she couldn't form a proper sentence.
“Th-this is…!”
“That’s right. It’s a visitation pass to the Alchemist’s Tower. The Deiaron Magic Tower.”
It was one of the gifts I had received from the Chairman. A pass to tour the Deiaron Magic Tower was something any student of alchemy could only dream of. This should be enough to atone for Roen’s past misdeeds.
“But… the maximum capacity is five people?”
“Five is more than enough. In fact, they were very generous with us.”
A tour of the Deiaron Magic Tower was, in essence, like touring a high-tech research lab at a major corporation. The fact that they were allowing five outsiders to visit at all was a massive concession.
“I suppose you’re right.”
Like a true researcher, she assessed the situation rationally.
“So don’t think about using this to attract new members. The attendees are already decided. I’m including you in the group.”
The five participants were already set: Me, Trish, Bell, Beatrice, and Yuliana. As the imperial princess of Cassandra—the family that owned the tower—Beatrice could easily arrange a visit for herself, but she deserved to be included in something like this.
“…”
Since only five people could go, and the Magic Tower wouldn't want this to be widely publicized, Trish closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She was weighing whether to accept me back in exchange for the renewed investment and the tour.
After a moment of deliberation, she opened her eyes and pushed a document toward me.
“Alright. I’ll accept you as a club member again. Please fill out this application. However…” Trish glared at me. “I haven’t forgiven you yet. Just consider this the bare minimum for joining.”
“That’s good enough for me.”
As long as the door to a relationship was open, it was always possible to improve it. I took a sip of the cold water Trish had given me and moved on to the next topic.
“What are you researching these days?”
“…It’s not much of a research project.”
“Still trying to make some absurd potion like a love potion?”
At my taunt, Trish slammed her hand on the table and shouted.
“Absurd?! This potion is clearly described in the writings of the great Hermes Trismegistus!”
Hermes Trismegistus. In this world, he was the legendary alchemist who originated the art. The book he authored, the Key of Kabbalah, was still considered the bible for many alchemists.
“What era was he from, exactly? Don’t just blindly believe the words of someone who lived thousands of years ago.”
The Key of Kabbalah was an ancient text, and there was a significant disconnect between its teachings and modern alchemy. You could think of it like the Dongui Bogam—a monumental medical text for its time, but one that has many points to critique from the perspective of modern medicine.
The book contained a lot of superstitious or numerological content, and the love potion was one such example. Of course, in a world with magic and demons, a love potion wasn't entirely impossible, but as far as I knew, no item existed that could so easily manipulate someone’s affection. If there were, I would have already used it to max out my affinity and relationships.
“Is there someone you like?”
“Wh-what are you talking about?! I’m just making it out of curiosity. And it’s good for attracting new members.”
“That’s true.”
Considering the age of the academy students, a love potion was a pretty decent promotional item.
“Anyway, you can continue that research on your own time. I’ve brought something new for us to work on.”
“What is it?”
“You know the school festival is coming up, right?”
“Yes… I assume it’ll be held in the fall like last year? I’m already preparing something to submit.”
The school festival, hosted by Voltimir, was scheduled for the next semester in the fall.
“How about we open a booth in the name of the Alchemy Club?”
“A booth?”
“Yes. We can use the festival to recruit a large number of new members and raise the funds needed to maintain the club. This formula is the cornerstone for that plan.”
Flutter.
I took out a piece of paper with a list of ingredients and handed it to Trish. At the very top of the page, written in bold letters, were the words: [Love Potion].
Trish’s face scrunched up as she glared at me. After I had just dismissed the idea as absurd moments ago, for me to pull this… she had every reason to think I was messing with her.
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
To her thorny question, I replied with a grin.
“What else? Selling snake oil.”