Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Alchemist's Wandering (1)
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The woman who called Diana was a middle-aged alchemist wearing a gentle smile, and Diana greeted her stiffly.
“Hello, Master...”
The middle-aged woman's name was Shakla.
She was the only workshop master who had accepted Diana when she went around knocking on the doors of various workshops, desperate to learn alchemy.
However, the gratitude Diana had felt toward Shakla that day hadn't lasted long.
“So, have you thought it over?”
“That's...”
Shakla stated it outright.
“In the paper announcing that new material, I'll acknowledge you as the second author?”
As could be seen from the fact that Diana had gone independent into a separate workshop, the development of the new material was an achievement she'd accomplished entirely on her own, without a shred of help from Shakla.
And yet, Shakla was offering to 'acknowledge' Diana as the 'second' author.
In other words, Shakla herself would be the first author.
“I can't do that...”
“Is that so? Then what should we do about the overdue tuition, material fees, and all the rest?”
“...!”
Diana's hand clenched into a fist.
What Shakla was proposing was a transaction.
If Diana acknowledged her as the discoverer of the new material, Shakla would waive all the accumulated tuition fees.
“You wouldn't be thinking of skipping out on it, would you? You promised to cover it all yourself, remember?”
“...You forged the contract.”
“Don't go throwing around accusations like that. You just didn't read it properly, that's all.”
After snapping back, Shakla's voice softened.
“Diana, you know how much I value you as my disciple, right?”
“...”
“Any success you've had is ultimately because I taught you. Handing over authorship on a paper like this to your master is just basic etiquette. That's how everyone in this field operates.”
“...”
“I'm not exactly running this workshop on scraps, taking on disciples left and right. If you keep dragging your feet, I'll have no choice but to package up the debt you owe me as bonds and sell them off. You have any idea how many ruthless debt collectors are out there, just waiting for a reason to pounce?”
“...”
“Diana.”
Shakla's tone grew even colder.
“Make your decision.”
“...I...”
Suddenly, Diana recalled what she'd said to Arthur just yesterday.
—Do you think I want to be remembered as the inventor of the model breast!?
She had definitely said it.
But being embarrassed about the material she'd developed was one thing—having her rights to it stolen was an entirely different matter.
‘...I'm furious.’
Yes, she was furious.
Just imagining Shakla being recognized as the discoverer instead of her made her blood boil.
But furious or not, what could she even do?
Right now, with no help from her family, she was utterly powerless—
“It seems there was some issue with settling our young master's tuition.”
Arthur's voice.
Diana realized he'd come right up beside her, exuding the air of a butler from a great house, just like when he'd sent the landlord and his crew packing yesterday.
Shakla narrowed her eyes.
“...And who might you be?”
“Someone from the Levuis family. That's all you need to know, Master Oth Shakla.”
‘Oth?’
Diana panicked. That wasn't Shakla's name.
She figured Arthur's hard-won momentum would crumble due to the blunder, whatever mix-up he'd made.
But reality played out the opposite.
Shakla flew into a frenzy.
“How do you know that name...!?”
“As I said, you don't need to know anything more.”
Arthur pulled a wallet from his breast pocket.
“Young master, take this.”
Diana accepted it and opened it up. Inside was more than enough gold to cover the overdue tuition several times over.
And tucked in a spot only she could see was the edge of a promissory note.
Diana grasped the meaning immediately.
Borrowing money without scrutinizing the fine print on a note was incredibly risky. Especially from a man she'd only met yesterday—a total stranger.
But Diana trusted him. This man wouldn't harm her.
And more than that.
If it meant screwing Shakla over right here and now, she'd gladly fall into this man's servitude.
“The overdue tuition comes to exactly 427 imperial thalers.”
She pulled out the bills. Four crisp 100-thaler notes bearing the emperor's seal, plus three 10-thaler bills—the upper limit for everyday transactions.
She slapped all seven bills into Shakla's palm.
“That's 3 extra thalers. And don't ever show your face in front of me again.”
“To your master, such—”
Before Shakla could erupt in rage, Arthur leaned forward.
“Do you have words for our young master?”
“...!”
Shakla ground her teeth.
“Why? What's the Levuis family’s sudden reason for backing this girl?”
“...”
Arthur replied with silence. Elegant, resolute, dignified silence.
“...Tch.”
Shakla unleashed another venomous glare at Diana.
“A nobody who got lucky stumbling on something she couldn't even sell properly, too full of herself...”
“Oth Shakla.”
“Fine, I get it!”
Shakla spat on the ground, turned on her heel, and stalked away.
As Diana watched her retreating back, her legs began to tremble. Her surge of fury ebbed, and the adrenaline with it drained away.
Arthur whispered in her ear.
“Young master, let's go.”
“Y-yeah...”
For those few extra seconds until they reentered the workshop, Arthur continued acting the part of a butler from Diana's main household.
In terms of time, it was nothing. Truly just seconds.
But...
Diana thought to herself.
How wonderful it would be if Arthur kept protecting her like this from here on out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ About 30 minutes later.
With the workshop interior tidied up, refreshments sat on the spotless table. I'd brought both the tea and the cookies myself.
Diana glanced around the pristine workshop and muttered.
“I can't remember the last time it was this clean... You sure you're not a butler?”
“I told you I'm not—why won't you believe me?”
We all sat down at the table together, and Diana finally began sharing her story, nice and slow.
“...I'm a runaway right now.”
I'd figured as much.
Lea's Eperios family and Diana's Levuis family were both noble houses, but they were more often called 'prestigious clans' rather than tacking titles onto their territory names.
This was because both families were renowned for passing down special talents and abilities through the generations.
In the Levuis family's case, that talent was magic.
With an elf among their ancestors, they bore a bloodline exceptionally gifted in magic.
They had particularly high aptitude for elemental magic and incantation magic, much like the elves.
So if she was dabbling in alchemy, something must have gone seriously sideways with her family. All the more so if she wasn't getting any financial support and was getting hounded for back payments.
“As a runaway, do you plan to go back home eventually?”
“...I don't know.”
“Then do you want to become an alchemist?”
“...I don't even know that.”
Diana let out a sigh.
It was a sigh brimming with hopelessness.
“It's not so much that I want to do alchemy—more like I'm using it as a tool toward some specific goal... If you ask whether I'd want to do nothing but alchemy my whole life, even that's iffy...”
She sighed again.
“To be honest... well...”
Diana hesitated.
Her lips were pursed tight from the mental strain, so I held out one of the cookies I'd prepared.
Butter cookies.
The kind with that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Unlike cheap ones loaded with less than 5% processed butter, these were made generously with premium butter—the sort fit for a duke's daughter—so even just sitting on the plate, their rich, nutty aroma wafted invitingly.
As it drew near her lips, Diana's nose twitched like a puppy's or kitten's.
“Eat while you talk.”
Diana stared at me wordlessly for a moment, then parted her lips.
Her warm breath slipped between them, tickling my fingertip. Then she chomped down on the cookie right from my hand.
The gentle crunch of her teeth sinking into it traveled straight through to my fingers.
I'd only meant to let her smell it, not feed her directly—so I was caught off guard.
Cynthia muttered under her breath.
“So that's how she got... hooked...?”
“Pardon?”
Cynthia shook her head.
“I'll be honest.”
Diana's voice came out far more relaxed after swallowing the butter cookie and sipping some hot black tea.
Reassured, I took a sip of my own.
“The reason I got into alchemy? The guy I like is into big-breasted women.”
“Cough...!?”
Her bluntness blindsided me—I nearly spat out my black tea.
And wouldn't you know it, Tiona and Cynthia reacted instantly, like women do.
“Oh my, you have someone you like?”
“S-someone you like!?”
“Yeah. Not that I think he feels the same about me...”
Diana ducked her head bashfully.
Her flushed cheeks stood out sharply against her white hair.
“He was this dashing knight who saved me when I was little.”