The Alchemy Club (2)
“O God! Please descend upon us as a club member! Please! Pleeease!!”
“……!”
I could only stand there awkwardly, completely lost as to what was happening. God… descend? What on earth was this woman talking about? Was this some kind of cult club?
At the sound of her shouting, another girl finally seemed to snap out of it and stood up. She grabbed the brown-haired girl who was still clinging to my pant leg and tried to pull her away.
“Hey, hey, Elin…! Stop it!”
“O God…! Please! I need you and no one else—!”
“Y-yes…?”
When Elin refused to calm down, the other female members reluctantly got up to help restrain her.
“Aaaagh! Let go! Let go of me!”
“Agh, you airhead…! Dorothy, grab her over there!”
“Ugh, what a pain…”
They wrapped their arms around her and dragged her out of the clubroom, hauling her off somewhere.
“Nooooooo! I don’t waaant this—!”
She looked exactly like some third-rate villain being dragged away by heroes right before the Demon King’s arrival.
“Phew… Finally, some peace and quiet.”
“……”
Still unable to process the situation, I remained frozen in place. The remaining girl noticed my expression and, now that we were alone, asked with an awkward smile.
“Sorry. That must’ve been startling… Elin’s a bit eccentric. Were you here to ask about the club?”
“Ah, yes. Is this the Alchemy Club?”
“Yep, that’s right. I’m the club president.”
So it really was the Alchemy Club. At least I’d come to the right place. Whatever that scene had been about, I had no desire to dig deeper.
“So, what did you want to know?”
“Ah, um, well…”
I pulled the magic stone out of my pocket.
“Can this magic stone be used with alchemy?”
Magic stones were typically used as materials for magical tools in alchemy, but the one I had was different. It only reacted to my own mana. Normally, you’d carve or melt them into shape with mana, but since this one only responded to mine, I wasn’t sure if it could be processed at all.
“Huh…”
The moment she saw the stone I handed her, her face filled with confusion.
“I’ve never seen this type before… What attribute is it?”
“I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem to match any of the usual ones…”
Most magic stones were fire, water, wind, or earth, but this one didn’t fit any of them.
“…Not a standard attribute? Then what is it?”
“It only reacts to my mana. And it seems like I can manipulate mana through it as well.”
“Whaaat—?!”
She jumped in surprise and continued.
“I’ve never even heard of a magic stone like that! Where did you get something like this…?”
“I obtained it while working as an adventurer. I was planning to have a blacksmith embed it into a weapon, but I don’t know any blacksmiths, so I thought I’d try asking here for help with alchemy instead.”
“Eeeh?! You can’t just embed a stone like that into a weapon! Only cheap attribute stones get embedded like that!”
“Oh… I see.”
In the original story, Hedy had embedded one into a weapon. Was that because she lacked magical talent? Since it was a heroine-exclusive item, I really didn’t have enough information.
“Being able to manipulate mana is huge! It could become any attribute and might even be practical depending on the situation! So don’t ever embed it in a weapon!”
“R-right…”
She had leaned in so close while speaking that it was starting to feel overwhelming.
“Anyway, now I get it. You came to the Alchemy Club because you wanted to process this magic stone, right?”
“Exactly.”
Alchemy was the profession most closely tied to magic stones. Plus, if I could build connections with blacksmiths through this club, that would be a bonus. Though being told not to smelt it was unexpected information.
“So, can alchemy turn this magic stone into a magical tool?”
“Hmm…”
She turned around and crossed her arms, tapping one foot thoughtfully. After a moment, she faced me again.
“I can’t do it myself.”
Figured as much. Since it only reacted to my mana, she probably couldn’t process it. I’d have to find a blacksmith after all.
Just as I was thinking that, she spoke again.
“But there is one member who might be able to.”
“…! Really?”
“Yeah. Want an introduction?”
“Yes! I’d really appreciate that.”
If it was true, it would be a huge help for my specs. There were so many things I needed to prepare for the future. If the story followed Ariel’s original plot… the Demon King would revive in a few years. And as I’d been saying, Cain would eventually come after me for revenge. I needed every advantage I could get. The more items I had to protect myself, the better.
‘After Cain awakens, there’s that main quest where he publicly humiliates the rogue noble Cian and “educates” him…’
The so-called “education quest.” My fate was to be publicly shamed soon. That’s why I had to prepare. Maybe if I changed my identity he wouldn’t recognize me, but if he did, he’d definitely come looking for answers.
“I can introduce you. We’re actually pretty close. But there’s a condition.”
“A condition…?”
“Yep.”
She grinned like a fox, her eyes sparkling.
“Hehe~.”
What could the condition possibly be to make her act like this? She pointed at me with her finger.
“Join the club.”
“Excuse me?”
The condition was so trivial that I asked like an idiot. Join…? That was it? After all that buildup, I’d expected something difficult. But why insist on me joining? Were they short on members?
…The professor had said every student had to join at least one club anyway. If they were willing to introduce me to someone who could help, joining was an easy price to pay. I didn’t have any clubs I particularly wanted to join, and learning a high-level skill like alchemy on top of it? Why would I refuse?
“If you’ll have me, I’d be happy to accept. But are there any other joining requirements?”
“There are. We do a personality check… but after talking with you a bit, you seem fine. Just join.”
“Alright…”
“Then it’s decided! Nice to meet you. I’m Seria.”
The situation had progressed in a rather haphazard way. Well, it probably wasn’t a problem.
“…I’m Cian.”
“This is a stitch that flies straight to me. Use it to contact me when we need to coordinate schedules later.”
Not long after I officially joined, the other members returned. With Seria’s explanation, I became a formal member of the Alchemy Club. Double club membership was allowed, but I had to notify the members if I joined another. Since I didn’t have any other clubs I wanted to join and it would take up too much time anyway, I probably wouldn’t bother.
After the awkward welcome, I spent the rest of the time in the training grounds practicing the applied swordsmanship Laura had taught me. When evening came, I ran into Hedy.
“I joined the Alchemy Club.”
After saying that, I took a bite of the sandwich I’d bought earlier. Neither of us had much appetite today, so we’d decided to eat on a bench outside. The moment she heard me, Hedy gave me a surprised look, her cheeks still full of sandwich.
She swallowed before speaking.
“…You know alchemy too?”
“No. I just needed something and joined to learn while I was at it.”
“That’s unusual… What do you need it for? Can’t you just buy magical tools?”
She had a point. There was no need to join and learn everything from the basics. Like Hedy said, I could just buy what I needed. But the magic stone I had was special. No one else would have a magical tool made from it. That’s why I had no choice but to join if I wanted it processed.
“I got a special magic stone. They said I had to join if I wanted them to work on it.”
“…They made you join?”
Hedy suddenly stopped eating, looking startled.
“Don’t they usually just ask for money? Why joining…?”
“I don’t know either. Maybe they’re short on members? Well, at least I saved some money…”
I still didn’t understand why they’d set joining as the condition, but it was a good thing. Processing a stone like that would’ve cost a fortune otherwise.
“…By the way, what’s the gender ratio in that club?”
“Huh?”
Hedy stared at me intently and asked the random question.
“More girls, I think. Why?”
“……”
Her eyes narrowed. I kept eating my sandwich with a puzzled expression, and suddenly she stood up.
“……?”
Then she started walking toward the academy dorms without a word.
“What? Where are you going?”
“……”
She ignored me and kept walking.
‘What’s with her…?’
I tried to think if I’d done anything to upset her, but nothing came to mind.
‘Don’t tell me it’s because I said there were more girls…? Nah, that can’t be it.’
Hedy was the heroine connected to Cain. At best, I was probably just “Friend #1” to her. So what could’ve bothered her?
I kept thinking, but no answer came. All I could do was raise an eyebrow and watch her retreating figure while finishing my sandwich.
***
Over the next few days, I exchanged stitches with club president Seria to coordinate the schedule. The person she was introducing me to had apparently heard about my magic stone and was eager to meet as soon as possible. Four days later, we finally set a time.
‘She said around this time…’
I walked down the hallway toward the end of the third floor where the clubrooms were. Finally, I might figure out how to use this magic stone. If I could make it practical for emergencies by manipulating mana through it, that would be ideal. There was still so much I needed to prepare. I had to keep growing stronger.
As I’d mentioned before, I needed power to face the Demon King’s descent. The hero party would go after the Demon King, but his direct subordinates roaming the streets each possessed strength far beyond normal specs.
…And while I was at it, I needed enough power to avoid being publicly humiliated and “educated” by Cain.
Before I knew it, I’d arrived at the clubroom door. Through the window, I could see someone sitting alone inside.
‘That’s probably the person I’m meeting.’
From the silhouette, it looked like a girl. I opened the door and stepped inside.