Homecoming (1)
I continued my alchemical research while lodging at the Master's house. I never imagined how convenient it would be to have an advisor right at my side.
The Master had once dismissed alchemy as a technique that had fallen into obsolescence, overtaken by magic. Yet after examining my research, he revised that opinion and proposed that we study it together for as long as I remained there.
"Attunement Agent, is it…"
The Master stroked his chin as he studied the Attunement Agent I had produced.
"Your conjecture is that this strongly manifests elemental properties and therefore becomes the pivotal point in combinations?"
"Yes. In alchemy, the medium that can disperse power is crucial, and the Attunement Agent imbues that medium with an attribute so it can interact with matching or opposing attributes to yield special results."
In practice, substituting Attunement Agent for water when crafting poisons markedly intensified their toxicity.
"Then producing this Attunement Agent for each attribute would be important."
"Yes, but so far I've only managed to find the red and yellow ones."
The Master carefully inspected the red Attunement Agent and the yellow Attunement Agent.
"One is fire, the other earth, I take it."
"Probably something like that."
"So we ought to aim for water-attribute or wind-attribute Attunement Agents?"
"Yes."
True to his background as a researcher, the Master was seasoned and sharp.
"That's why I suspect this sparkling water might be the key."
I showed him the carbonated water I had created with wind magic, and he seemed already familiar with it.
After outlining what I wanted in broad strokes, we discussed candidate materials, and the Master recommended three in particular. The first was an item called Mystic Herb.
As the name suggested, it was a variety of herb used for brewing tea or as a medicinal ingredient.
"Mystic Herb holds cold energy, so elementally the odds are high that it belongs to the water attribute."
Apparently it was easier to obtain than expected and reasonably priced. I jotted a brief note of the Master's remarks.
The second item he mentioned was something called Bubble Stone.
"This one will be difficult to acquire."
It was a peculiar type of magic ore that generated air when shaken in water. There was a limit to the number of uses, of course, yet infusing it with mana allowed it to last quite a while.
It could also be crushed and employed as an ordinary magic stone, but its rarity meant it would not be easy to come by.
"If the Saintess desires it, I shall convey the request to the Church."
Sister Mary, who had been assisting nearby, would casually interject and invoke the Church whenever she grew bored. With the Church's resources, anything could certainly be obtained.
"No need."
I refused.
Accepting too much help would leave me feeling obligated to repay it, so I had resolved to keep reliance on the Church to a minimum.
"The last is the Slime Core."
It could be regarded as a simple magic stone, yet according to the Master, among such stones the Slime Core possessed an especially high solubility in water.
"I see…"
I wanted to try them all, but since Bubble Stone would be hard to obtain, I decided to set it aside and experiment with Mystic Herb and Slime Core first.
And so…
"Daniel, please go fetch them."
I made the request of Priest Daniel. He looked put-upon—perhaps because of the cold outside—yet he could not refuse. He took his wallet and headed out.
"Mystic Herb and Slime Core, correct?"
"Yes. And if you spot anything else that looks useful, feel free to buy that as well."
"Daniel, pick up ingredients for dinner while you're at it."
"What?!"
"Since you're already going out, do the shopping. Do you intend not to eat dinner?"
Sister Mary seemed mildly displeased; a chill practically radiated from her.
Originally, meals while staying with the Master had mostly been taken outside, but Sister Mary had insisted that constant dining out was unacceptable and had volunteered to cook herself. I was already accustomed to it, yet… the Master had first demurred, then, after tasting her cooking once, told her to do as she pleased.
Apparently the cozy quality and flavor unique to home cooking had won him over.
Until Priest Daniel returned, I diligently produced sparkling water and stockpiled it.
The carbonation escaped if the vessels were not sealed, but the Master's warehouse contained a variety of containers, so storage posed no real difficulty.
"This much should be enough, right?"
I had made nearly ten liters… more than sufficient for the coming experiments, with plenty left over.
While I worked on the carbonated water, Sister Mary cleared a portion of the second-hand bookstore's kitchen and arranged a space for alchemy.
"This is quite the curious vessel as well."
The Master turned the flask I had used for the sparkling water this way and that as he spoke.
"Th-that's something I forged from the Black Iron I compounded. When I first made the sparkling water, the method was rather crude, so the bottle needed to be sturdy."
"It looks as though it could serve other purposes."
In the Master's estimation, it would also be suitable for producing or storing other magical reagents.
We conversed lightly while waiting for Priest Daniel's return. The moment he arrived, I gathered the materials and began the combinations at once.
"First, let's try the herb."
It was time to put the alchemy cauldron the faithful had so diligently crafted to use. Of course, for an experiment I would employ a small pot.
I set the pot on its stand, lit the lamp, and poured in the carbonated water. Then I finely chopped the Mystic Herb, added it, and stirred with a stick of Scrap Iron while working the combination.
True to its reputation for holding cold energy, thin ice-like crystals appeared in the mixture as I stirred.
Unfortunately, the compatibility between Mystic Herb and carbonated water proved poor. Black smoke rose inside the pot; when I continued stirring while injecting a little more holy power, a small explosion erupted, announcing failure.
"Ugh…"
A matter of proportions? Or simply a fundamental mismatch?
I adjusted the quantities and attempted the combination several more times, yet only failures followed. Suspecting the carbonated water itself might be the culprit, I also tried combining Mystic Herb with ordinary water—still failure.
"It seems Mystic Herb requires something else after all."
"I see."
The Master watching from the side appeared thoroughly entertained.
Shall I try the Slime Core next?
Carbonated water and a Slime Core. I hesitated briefly over whether to drop the core in whole or grind it first.
"Well, I can simply do both."
There were not many cores, so I would need to manage the quantities carefully.
The combination of carbonated water and Slime Core—honestly, I had expected failure, yet… the reaction was better than anticipated.
"Oh-ho."
A faint rainbow sheen appeared inside the pot, and I could sense that this pairing would succeed. It simply took time. The Slime Core, being a magic stone, seemed to require a while to dissolve.
Next time I would grind the core beforehand.
Along with the rainbow light that signaled success came a blue liquid.
A blue liquid that felt akin to the Attunement Agents I had produced so far. The provisional debut of Attunement Agent Blue.
I first transferred the finished liquid elsewhere and attempted the combination again.
This time I decided to crush the magic stone finely in advance. I placed it in a mortar, tapped and ground it until it broke. The core shattered more readily than expected and became a fine powder.
Now the combination of carbonated water and finely ground Slime Core.
Same materials, same proportions—naturally it succeeded. The only real difference was that the process took less time.
"Success."
"Yes, but figuring out what this can actually be used for is another problem."
I supposed the first step would be to substitute it into every existing recipe that called for water and observe any changes.
"Ugh… there's going to be a lot of work ahead."
Discovering a new combination method was gratifying, yet verifying its effects would demand considerable time and materials.
Even so… I was happy.
He returned from the capital to protect the territory.
Late that night, when he arrived back at the mansion, the servants started in surprise, yet he himself was exhausted and first sought sleep. After a deep rest he rose and even shared breakfast with his family for the first time in a long while.
The atmosphere at the table, however, was strained.
"Brother, was your journey to the capital enjoyable?"
"Yes, there were a few sights worth seeing."
Had it not been for his younger sister, the mood would have been far worse. Knowing the reason, he tread carefully.
After the meal his mother patted his shoulder and told him he had worked hard.
Then came the most difficult moment of all.
He was summoned by his father—lord of the Meyer Territory, a baron.
He understood perfectly well why his father had called him. That was why he felt fear.
"Father, it is Maximilian."
"Enter."
His father was working through documents in the study; his gaze was sharp.
"So you went to the capital, I hear?"
"Yes…"
Under that powerful stare and the weight of his presence, Maximilian's body shrank slightly. His father was a formidable knight and had been the very teacher who first placed a sword in his hands as a boy. That history made him a figure of dread as well.
Yet… he was no longer as frightening as before.
In the past his body would have trembled; fear would have made it hard even to stand, and crushing pressure would have pressed down on him. Now he felt none of that.
No—more accurately, he was repelling it.
The reason came to him at once. He had grown stronger. Through various fortuitous encounters and the Marrow Cleansing that had remade his body, he no longer fell short of his father. Indeed, he felt certain he had surpassed him.
That was why his father's imposing aura no longer registered.
"The royal family praised your merits and sent a reward to the territory."
It must have concerned the undercover work and the rooting-out of spies that had taken place in the underground waterways.
"For that, at least, I should commend you."
"Thank you."
"Yet it does not appear sufficient to cover the considerable sums you expended."
Some of the money spent on the journey had been his own, but when necessity demanded he had written promissory notes in the family's name.
Doubtless the merchants holding those notes had come to the territory and presented their claims in person. That was how his father had learned of them.
"I—I'm sorry."
"Do you possess any sense of what it means to be the heir? Squandering the taxes of the territory's people on such frivolous nonsense?!"
The sums spent while traveling had not been small. Because his companion had refused many of his offers he had spent less than he might have, yet waste had still occurred.
"But it was necessary."
"What?!"
In a sense the money had been an investment—an investment to secure a partner for the heir, and at the same time an investment to safeguard the territory itself.
His father, unable to contain his rage, hurled a heavy object at him. It had no effect on a body remade by Marrow Cleansing.
"I admit I was somewhat extravagant. Even so, it was necessary."
He proceeded to explain the circumstances.
Of course he concealed what needed concealing, summarizing simply that he had spent the funds in order to remain with and grow closer to a young woman who had captured his interest.
"That girl?"
Miss Julian was already known to his father; there was no hiding her.
"Yes."
"Is she a girl of such worth?"
She was the Saintess of the Metis Church. She had not revealed her identity and was unlikely ever to do so. Still, her presence was immense. The great temple already rising within the territory was proof enough.
"Yes. You know this yourself, do you not? She is a mage."
"Yes… that is so."
His father released a long breath.
"And thanks to her I have grown stronger. Compared with the fortuitous encounters I gained, the money I spent is mere pocket change."
"Fortuitous encounters?"
He told his father that he had consumed wild ginseng and Mandragora.
"Huh…"
"She yielded them to me so that I might eat them. Because of her I was able to undergo Marrow Cleansing as well."
"Is that true…?"
"Yes."
The brows of the angry father slowly lowered. Having obtained so great a return, even a father could not help but accept it.
"You claim you have grown stronger?"
"Yes. I have also accumulated a measure of experience."
The clash with the Death Knight had been brief, yet it had served as experience; the spars with Priest Daniel and with Miss Emma had likewise been valuable.
"Then let me see for myself."
Together they went to the training ground and crossed blades.
And in thirty exchanges Maximilian subdued his father.
He had overwhelmed the man he had never once defeated… The sensation was strange and almost unreal.
"Huh… heh heh… heh heh heh…"
His father seemed equally dazed, wearing an expression of something like enlightenment.
"Yes. It appears my son has gained and learned a great deal on his travels."
"I will work to repay every coin I wasted."
"Very well. That will suffice. Heh heh…"
His father still seemed unable to fully believe the extent of his son's growth.
And Maximilian himself was astonished.
Was it merely that his strength and mana had increased? That was not the whole of it. There was also the difference between his father's advancing age and his own entry into his prime.
Even so… even so, he was glad.
"You have already become a man in your own right."
"Father…"
"So when do you intend to marry?"
"Wh-what?"
"You said you followed her because you liked her. Returning home means you mean to hold the wedding, does it not?"
"Ah—no…"
Marriage? He wanted it… yet he still had not confessed.
More than that, he was not certain he even could.
"So spineless."
His father's single remark sank deep into his chest.