The Alchemy Cauldron
When I returned to the temple empty-handed and began to lament, some of the church members explained the situation to me.
"If you're wondering why they refuse personal commissions, I have a guess as to the reason."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Apparently, there was an incident where goods made through a personal commission ended up in the hands of an enemy nation."
Huh? What kind of absurd story is that...?
At those words, Maximilian's expression grew serious.
"When did that incident become known?"
"Two months... no, about three months ago."
Maximilian nodded as if a puzzle piece had just clicked into place.
"That's why the blacksmiths these days only sell ready-made goods and stay cautious. They don't want the headache of accepting a personal commission only to have their work flow into an enemy country."
But even without a personal commission, there seem to be plenty of ways to take goods away, don't there? You could just buy the ready-made items on display in the shop right now.
"Wouldn't it be enough to simply buy the displayed goods?"
"The blacksmiths are probably wary not only of the personal commission itself, but of the secrecy oath that comes with it. They have no idea what might be demanded under that oath, so they avoid it altogether."
And if a confidentiality clause were added on top of that? Even if the client seemed suspicious, there would be no way out. So they refuse.
"Besides, the items used in war can differ somewhat from what they normally make."
Adventurers preferred ordinary swords, but the weapons soldiers used on the battlefield—or those carried by cavalry—were a little different, they said.
"Soldiers are often issued spears. Cavalry, meanwhile, use large weapons called horse-slaying sabers or horse-slaying swords."
Weapons similar to what people commonly called greatswords, though normally far too large for ordinary use.
"That's right. Among the weapons they were tricked into forging by spies, horse-slaying saber orders were especially common."
Maximilian's face turned grave.
"Barbarians, after all..."
The barbarians he spoke of were the people of the Lindel Kingdom, which bordered the land where I lived. They had earned the nickname by living as nomads, crossing borders, and raiding. Even after taking the form of a kingdom, their fundamental nature had not changed; they never stopped plundering, and the surrounding nations treated them as enemies.
When pressed on diplomatic issues they either stonewalled or simply dismissed the raiders as bandits, making it clear they had no intention of improving. As a result, they were surrounded by enemies on every side.
Honestly, I wondered how a country could even survive like that.
"And the country still holds together after all that?"
"Yes. Their cavalry was simply too strong."
The combination of superb horsemanship honed by nomadic life and sturdy, powerful horses produced terrifying destructive force, they said. The existence of mana and magic had somewhat diminished the role of cavalry, yet in guerrilla warfare they remained a formidable presence...
"So in other words, they're just rampaging around on pure military strength?"
"One could interpret it that way. On top of that, their natural temperament makes them fighters, which also contributes to their strength."
They possessed a toughness forged through constant hunting and raiding in daily life. Even so, that nation lacked one critical resource: iron. The bounty of their land allowed them to raise vast herds of livestock, but the terrain made mineral resources hard to come by.
And according to Maximilian, these damned barbarians sat on land perfectly suited for farming yet refused to cultivate it, raising only livestock, living as nomads, and making a living by plunder—utter trash, he called them.
"They have at least taken the form of a nation and improved somewhat, but that is only true of the kingdom's center. In the outer regions far from the capital, they still enjoy their nomadic life and raiding."
I had no idea how the conversation had drifted in this direction, but Maximilian was grinding his teeth with genuine hatred.
"But we were wearing priest and nun robes. Would they still have been suspicious?"
"That would have made them even more suspicious."
Disguising one's identity with clothing was a common method, and the previous leak had been similar. The spies had worn the robes of a different church—not the Metis Church—placed their order, and walked off with the goods...
"If it was another church, they wouldn't have been suspicious?"
"They might have harbored a small doubt, but they would have thought, 'Well, they're clergy,' and let it pass."
No—the other churches belong to the Holy Kingdom. People from the Holy Kingdom come here and order weapons, and no one finds that suspicious?
"Does that even make sense?"
"Miss Julian's point is not wrong. But among commoners, few possess that degree of wisdom."
Ah... right. Was my own village any different? The Instructor, a knight, had settled there and passed all sorts of knowledge to my adoptive father, the village chief. Before that, the villagers' knowledge had been limited to whatever was needed simply to live day to day. And the only reason I could think of and recall such things was the teaching of my adoptive parents, the Instructor and the Master, plus the knowledge from my previous life—all of which had broadened my perspective. But that was a secret.
Would an ordinary person living day to day by working ever stop to consider such things?
No. They would not. That was why they could not think of it.
"I see..."
So those who had been burned once now found everything suspicious and refused, and the secrecy oath in particular had become their trauma.
"It can't be helped, then."
The only method left that I could think of was to summon a blacksmith under the official name of the Church. We still had time, so perhaps I should ponder it a little longer.
I spent several days at the temple. What did I do during that time? Simply research quietly in my room, listen to reports, and offer simple advice when asked.
And after that day, I had not properly run into Maximilian even once. Honestly, seeing his face made me feel embarrassed. I still did not fully understand my own feelings, but an uncomfortable sensation lingered, so I deliberately avoided him.
"Haa... no results again today."
I had been reading the various books here in hopes of finding hints for alchemy, yet nothing truly struck me as the answer.
"Julian, please handle the books carefully."
I had only tossed one lightly onto the table, yet Sister Mary's scolding came flying at once. Of course, I was the one at fault.
"Yes, yes."
I carefully put the books away and stared blankly up at the ceiling. Then word arrived that the item had been completed.
"It's finally finished!"
We had divided the iron for each of our personal equipment, and some Black Iron had remained. It was Maximilian's material, so I had been cautious, but he had said I could use it freely. Thus I had made the item I had been eyeing for some time.
It was none other than an alchemy cauldron.
There had not been quite enough material to forge a large pot, so additional Black Iron had been alloyed in. Unlike weapons, this was something that only needed a reasonable balance, so I had entrusted it to the Church's blacksmith. And today, the finished piece was delivered to me.
The size was... moderately large, I suppose? Large enough that a small child could fit inside. If one really forced it, even someone of my slight build might manage to climb in. I had expected a black pot because of the Black Iron, yet the color was a peculiar deep brown.
"So this is an alchemy cauldron."
I had requested two main things: that heat conduct quickly, and that it be light.
The weight was honestly heavy. Still, at around six kilograms it was light relative to its size. Normally, making something this thin would compromise durability, but the unique properties of the Black Iron used as material provided more than enough strength.
It fell short of orichalcum, yet they had said it was strong... using Black Iron had been worth it.
While I was at it, I placed my hand on the cauldron and channeled Holy Power into it. I felt the power spread through the entire pot with remarkable speed.
"Mm, the conductivity is excellent too!"
In truth I still did not know whether high conductivity in a cauldron was actually beneficial. But good things were good things, right? Surely it would have some effect!
"Isn't it a bit too large?"
"It is rather big, isn't it?"
Even when practicing alchemy I usually attempted combinations with small quantities to minimize material loss, so this cauldron felt excessively massive.
"Well, if I just put in a small amount and combine it, it's the same thing."
Putting little content into a large cauldron did not cause problems with the combination itself. Stirring the contents would be harder, but the combination was still possible. So there was no issue.
"Actually, there is a small cauldron as well."
The nun who had brought the alchemy cauldron carefully showed me a smaller pot of the same shape.
The size was one-tenth? Or perhaps even less? At any rate, it was a vessel large enough to hold water for about two cups of tea.
"I never asked for this..."
"Ah, the gentleman who came with you advised that it would be good to make one."
A man? If it had been Priest Daniel, she would have used his name directly. Which meant it must have been Maximilian who spoke up.
"Maximilian, you mean?"
"Yes. He went to the forge himself and offered advice to the blacksmith."
Honestly, Maximilian... He had watched me practice alchemy from the side so often that he had noticed even this detail.
I felt ashamed of having avoided him all this time. Even while I was dodging him, he had been looking after various things for my sake...
"That's fortunate."
Sister Mary set the small cauldron beside the large one and spoke.
"Yes. It's a small thing, but I'm grateful."
Should I apologize for avoiding him until now? But there's no real need to apologize, is there? I'll just offer thanks!
That afternoon I summoned Maximilian to the pavilion inside the temple grounds, then headed there myself.
Arriving first and taking a seat, I felt a slight tremor. It was not the cold weather; it was just a little... What if he pressed me about why I had been avoiding him?
Before Maximilian arrived, the nuns set out refreshments. Simple cookies one could eat easily, and warm tea. I had worried the tea would cool quickly, but they had even prepared a small brazier so the tea could be kept hot.
"I-I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
I apologized to the nun who had prepared everything so diligently.
"Not at all. It is an honor to serve the Saintess."
Hearing something like that only makes it more burdensome...
After a short wait, Maximilian appeared wearing priestly robes.
"It somehow feels as though it has been a long time since we last met."
The words carried a faint hint of teasing.
"I'm sorry."
"Th-there is no need to apologize. I heard you were busy."
"W-well, yes..."
I had, in my own way, been absorbed in research and reading.
"More than that, I wanted to thank you."
Maximilian leisurely poured tea into a cup.
"I heard you gave advice on making the alchemy cauldron."
"Yes. I had nothing else to do, haha..."
He offered an awkward smile.
"I'm truly grateful. Thanks to you I was able to obtain an experimental cauldron as well."
"Not at all. I am the one who, thanks to Miss Julian, was able to have an excellent magic sword forged."
We busied ourselves praising each other's contributions, trading compliments until we both burst out laughing. Then we spoke of many things—what had happened over the past few days, what lay ahead, the travel schedule, and more.
The awkwardness of a few days earlier faded so completely that it never even crossed my mind. It was a thoroughly enjoyable time.
A truly enjoyable time.