Let's Make a Potion!
Bubble, bubble.
A pot filled to the brim with mana water.
Mmm, the mana rippling out from the mana water fills the whole room, and it feels wonderful. Maybe it's time to start adding the ingredients.
"Ahem! Marten! Please fetch me the troll blood!"
"…Kkyu."
The marten trundled along on its tiny little legs, pried open the shelf where the troll blood was kept, and dragged the whole thing over to me.
"Good job!"
"…"
Hey! What's with this guy! I even praised him, and he doesn't so much as answer.
"Furball! Face nuzzle time!!!"
"Kkyit?! Kkyuuuugh!? Kkyu!!!"
Ah, this soft, fluffy feeling. I knew befriending a marten was the right call!!
"…Seraphina, is that creature truly an Azrak?"
"Absolutely! That long body, those stubby little limbs, and intelligence high enough to understand human speech! It looks exactly like the one in the records!"
"And yet, if that's so, it's currently being grabbed by our granddaughter and squirming for its life…."
I have no idea how long they'd been watching, but Mom and Dad were staring right at us.
They must be really interested in our marten!
"It simply hasn't reclaimed its sealed power yet, that's all! If this goes on, our Ellie is in danger—quickly, pry it off her—"
"Daddy~!"
I sprinted across the room and buried myself in Dad's arms.
"Ahem. Yes, Eliana. What was it you wanted?"
"Can't I keep just one summoned beast?"
I looked up at Dad with my eyes sparkling as wide as they could go.
"…You mean the Azrak."
"He's Marten! Not some scary name like that!"
"But, that appearance of his…"
"Marten!"
"…Fine, fine. Marten it is."
That's my dad for you! He adapts so fast. Mom, on the other hand, flinches every time she looks at Marten. I had no idea she disliked wild animals that much.
"So then. Where exactly did you meet this Marten?"
"In the Arbella Forest!"
Mom suddenly thumped Dad on the arm and leaned in to whisper.
"…Look, darling! I told you it's an Azrak!"
"Calm yourself, dear. There's no way our Ellie actually went into the Arbella Forest."
"W-well, no, but still."
Hum dee dum~ I can hear every word, you two.
"I checked the entry logs for the Arbella Forest this very morning. Not a soul came or went. That creature may well not be an Azrak at all—perhaps just an ordinary spirit beast."
"Could that be? But that appearance…"
Well, obviously the logs wouldn't show anything—I zipped in with my own unique magic!
Sniff… I told the truth, and they still won't believe me….
But I suppose…
Even I have to admit, the idea of an adorable, pitiable young lady like me wandering into the Arbella Forest is a bit hard to swallow!
So I can forgive them for it, with a generous heart. Yes yes, I'm an adult on the inside, after all!
I decided to stop eavesdropping and focus on my potion instead.
I mixed in a bit of the troll blood, stirring slowly and carefully to blend it all together… then reached into my bag for a big handful of yellow herbs!
Ugh, my hands are too small—they only fit two or three at a time.
Fine. I just moved them with magic instead.
Pitter-patter-plop!
All the yellow herbs tumbled into the pot, and I stirred and stirred until everything mixed evenly.
I mean, sure, I could have used magic to do the stirring too,
but then I wouldn't feel like a real alchemist, would I!
"Eliana."
"Yeees?"
I set the pot to stir itself with magic and climbed down off my step stool.
"What is it, Daddy?"
"You said you wished to keep a summoned beast."
"Yes!"
"However, this father of yours worries whether a child so young can truly handle one. There are cases, after all, where a summoned beast turns on its summoner…"
"Marten! Come here!"
At my call, Marten slowly rose to his feet and crawled toward me at a glacial pace.
This guy! Anyone can see he's doing it out of sheer reluctance. At this rate, Mom and Dad will never let me keep him!
Should I scold him again? But I don't want to hit a friend….
Ah! I've got it. When you train friends, you give them treats!
Just do the same thing. Am I a genius or what?!
I placed a wisp of mana so tiny that Mom and Dad couldn't possibly notice onto my palm. A very, very small fragment of the same mana Marten had eaten yesterday.
"…"
Marten froze. He's finally looking at me properly!
"Marten, hurry up!"
"Kkyukyuit!"
WHAM-tatatatata!
Ah… I've just killed Marten. Killed lazy Marten, that is!
"Sit! Spin! Jump! Shake! Bread!"
At my rapid-fire commands, Marten executed every one flawlessly, without a single misstep. See? It was all about the method!
For the finale, I held my hand close, and Marten gave my finger a gentle little nibble.
"El… Eliana?! Are you all right?!"
He worries over absolutely nothing. I'm telling you, my dad is a certified daughter-fool.
"I'm fine, I'm just sharing my mana with him."
But this guy eats way more than I expected…! No, no, if he eats that much, he'll get fat.
Pop.
I pulled my finger free and turned back to Dad, chin up, brimming with pride.
"Well?! What do you think?!"
"You control him well, I grant you. Still, you are yet so young…"
I can't let it end like this. I suppose I have no choice—last resort, engage!
"Very well. If you insist to such an extent, then I, Erdian Eliana, shall comply with the wishes of the Head of House."
"…Eliana?"
"Yes, my lord? Is something the matter?"
Ugh, it makes my skin crawl. I'll never get used to this noble-speak.
But if I don't, Dad's going to forbid me from keeping Marten. So really, what choice do I have?
"…Your manner of speech has changed somewhat."
"Heh heh. Well, I am ten years old now—the time for childish tantrums has passed. From this day forward, I shall address you properly as my lord."
"…Enough with the theater. I shall consider the matter of the marten."
Consider? Nope. There are no compromises here.
My goal is a full yes!
As the old saying goes—no parent can beat their child. I win.
"'Theater,' you say? It seems my sincerity fails to reach you, my lord…."
"Are you still dissatisfied?"
"Dissatisfied? Perish the thought… I merely… had a thought, that is all."
I drifted slowly over to the window and gazed outside with a look of wounded innocence.
"Pruning is a necessary task for the tree, I know. And yet, sometimes, alongside the dead branches, a new possibility is cut away with them."
"…"
"A tree that grows precisely as the gardener intends may be beautiful, indeed. But whether the tree itself ever wished to grow that way—well. Who can say?"
At those last words, Dad was silent for a long moment before he finally opened his mouth.
"Haah… very well. I permit you to keep the marten."
There it is—the declaration of surrender!
I threw my arms around Dad all over again.
"Hehe, Daddy, you're the best!"
"…Haha. How many hearts do you intend to sway before your own wedding, child?"
"Daddy's all I need! I have zero interest in other men!"
"Yes, yes. Thank you, truly."
I was dead serious, but he doesn't believe me. Marriage, men— I don't even want to think about that stuff!
"Marten!"
"Kkyu."
I pointed toward where Mom and Dad stood.
"Say thank you to Daddy, right now!"
"…Kkyuu."
He looked profoundly reluctant about it, but because I ordered him to, he begrudgingly dipped his head.
Hmm… should I really give him just one smack.
Siiiizz—
Oh right! The potion! It's boiling over and dripping down the pot!
I startled, rushed over, killed the flame, and huffed on it gently to cool it down.
"Now that I think of it, you've been hard at work on something this whole time."
"It's a potion!"
"Oh ho… a potion, is it? What manner of potion are you making?"
"Nothing like that."
"…?"
What's the fun in following the textbook, anyway? Making things up from scratch is where it's at!
Mmm, it's slightly burnt and showing a blackish red, but honestly? It doesn't look half bad.
All right, time for a taste test. I dipped the ladle in and scooped up a smooth mouthful…
Grip.
Dad's hand closed around my wrist.
"Whueh?"
"Eliana. What do you think you're doing?"
"Checking whether the potion turned out well, obviously."
"Absolutely not. No one knows what side effects it might have, and you mean to put it in your mouth?"
I blinked up at him with big, adorable eyes and tilted my head.
"I did the same thing last time, though?"
"…WHAT?! An unverified potion?!"
"Yup! All the ingredients were safe ones anyway, so it's fine."
"NO!"
Flinch.
Dad's shout made my whole body jolt before I could help it. Maybe it's because he's a former Sword Master—the pressure radiating off him was anything but ordinary.
"…Forgive me for raising my voice. But Eliana, it is dangerous for an ordinary person to drink an unverified potion."
"Hmm… then can't you drink it for me, Daddy?"
"…?"
Come to think of it, they say Sword Masters can control the energy inside their own bodies.
"Daddy, you're super duper strong, right?"
"That I am—a Sword Master certified even by the imperial family."
"Wow! Then drinking the potion will be totally fine!"
Everything worked out perfectly.
Do you have any idea how hard it's been, every single time, forcing down my mana to hold together a gross-tasting potion that twists my stomach into knots? If Dad drinks it for me, there's no reason to refuse.
"………"
Bubble, bubble.
Thanks to the pot's residual heat, the blackish-red potion was still bubbling away, popping little droplets into the air.
I carefully poured it into a potion bottle beside me and held it out to Dad.
"Here you go, Daddy! One handmade potion, crafted by yours truly!"
"…What, exactly, are the ingredients?"
"Nothing weird! Troll blood, mana water, starlight powder… and yellow herbs!"
"…Yellow herbs?"
I immediately fished one out of my bag and held it up.
"This stuff! I brought it back from the Arbella Forest."
"…I can feel mana radiating from this herb."
"Right?! That's what I put in here!"
As expected of a Sword Master. He never even learned magic, and yet he can sense the mana steeped inside an herb. So that's where my talent came from—genetics!
Dad stared at the potion I'd handed him for a long, long moment.
So I stared right back at him.
"…I'll drink it now, so kindly stop staring."
Dad squeezed his eyes shut and downed the potion in one go.
Whoa, one shot! So cool!
Clunk.
The empty bottle was set down on the table.
"So? How is it?"
"…It tastes better than I expected."
Pfft. How boring. I guess the yellow herb improved the flavor more than I thought.
"Nothing else? Like, mana increasing, or your mind getting clearer?"
"Hard to say. I don't feel anything yet, so—ough?!"
What's this? Dad just flinched. Something's happening!
"D-darling?! Are you all right?!"
"…I'm fine. Nothing's wrong."
"Your face is red! Quickly, we must call the physician to treat—"
"Seraphina."
Woooow….
The instant Dad took her hand, Mom went quiet. So cool! So cute!
"Compose yourself. I assure you, I am perfectly fine."
"B-but still…"
"I would stake a Sword Master's honor on it."
"…Very well."
Dad turned to look at me. Just as Mom had said, his face was a shade redder than usual.
And yet, his dignified, handsome expression remained firmly in place.
"…Eliana."
"Yes!"
"You are never to drink that potion. Do you understand me?"
"Why not?"
When I asked with the purest, most innocent face I could muster, Dad started coughing awkwardly, over and over.
"It is… difficult to explain at the moment."
"Siiigh… then should I throw it out?"
"…Leave it be for now. But you are never to drink it. Understood?"
"Yessir."
Then Mom, who'd been listening to our conversation from the side, suddenly went red in the face too.
"Darling, don't tell me…?"
"…Quiet. We shall discuss it outside."
Before I could even finish answering, Dad swept Mom away and vanished with her.
"…Hee hee."
Not exactly the effect I was aiming for, but it seems I've brewed a potion that definitely works.
"Hmm hm~ For Mom and Dad's sake, I'd better keep this one safely stored away."
After casting a preservation spell over the bottle, I rolled around on my bed, flopping like a fish.
Hehe. What a fun day it's been~