Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Ceres's Secret
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“You’ll gather the materials for me? You?”
“That’s right.”
Fortunately, her goal of crafting the elixir hadn’t changed. The orange-haired woman didn’t deny my words and instead stared right at me. Her orange eyes scanned me up and down.
Up close, she wasn’t quite as tall as Minerva or me, but she was still pretty statuesque.
“…Well, since you even know I’m brewing something, it looks like you came prepared. Come on in. No point standing around out here talking.”
The woman, who’d been leaning casually against the doorframe, turned and beckoned us inside.
I signaled to Minerva to follow. She still looked a bit peeved but obediently fell in step behind me.
The inside of the house was surprisingly tidy. It had that cozy, lived-in-a-forest vibe.
The orange-haired woman gestured for us to sit at the chairs around the table, then glanced at Minerva beside me and openly grimaced. She clicked her tongue loud enough for us all to hear.
“No chair for you. Sorry about that—what can I do?”
She didn’t sound sorry at all. And right next to where I sat, there was an empty chair blatantly available. Her intentions were obvious.
I barely managed to calm Minerva, who was pulling a sour face in response. One wrong move, and we’d be in a brawl before we even got our weapons.
The woman, who’d picked a fight first and was now propping her chin up like nothing happened, spoke.
“So, where’d you hear the rumor I make weapons? I quit blacksmithing ages ago. At least ten years, conservatively. You’re too young to have caught wind of my old reputation.”
“I have my sources.”
I brushed it off vaguely.
In the game, finishing a sub-quest from some old NPC man led him to tip you off about this place. But since we’d come straight here, no need to get into that.
For the record, skipping that old man’s quest blocked the path here entirely.
‘Wait, how old is she, then?’
In the original game, this NPC had been blacksmithing for over twenty years and said herself she’d quit more than ten years back. If the lore held, even starting at age ten put her well over forty now.
Yet the woman in front of me could pass for a teenager. Not a wrinkle or blemish on her face, and the bare skin of her arms peeking from her short sleeves looked incredibly supple.
Did women in this world just not age until right before they keeled over?
“Ugh. Figures. That damn old coot. I told him not to spill my location…”
The orange-haired woman grumbled under her breath. After muttering for a bit, she spoke up again.
“Fine, what’s done is done. Blaming the geezer won’t help. Since we’re here, let’s introduce ourselves. Name’s Ceres. You know my line of work since you sought me out, so skip that. The rest is what you see. You?”
“I’m Delta. And the lady behind me—”
“Minerva Skientia. The Eternal Mage, or owner of the Minerva Grand Library, or master of the Minerva Mage Tower. Call me whatever you like.”
Before I could finish, Minerva cut in. She rattled off a bunch of unasked-for titles. Looked like she’d been itching for this exact moment.
“The Eternal Mage Minerva? You’re really that Skientia I’ve heard of?”
Ceres looked mildly surprised at the introduction.
“You think there’s another Minerva in this world besides me?”
Ceres acting like she knew her puffed Minerva up a bit. Getting smug over something like that—guess four centuries alive had worn away all a great mage’s dignity.
“You were already called an ancient figure when I was a kid. How old are you, exactly?”
Though that vanished quick.
I shot Minerva another pleading look to chill out as she twitched and gripped her staff. Then I turned to Ceres.
“If I may ask—could you tone down the attitude? Please, Ceres.”
“Hey, I grew up rough on the streets, y’know? Can’t help the mouth. You’re the one who came for weapons. You need me more than I need you. If it bugs you that much, door’s right there.”
Ceres shrugged, like she couldn’t care less if we walked out. I chuckled and shot back.
“You’d miss out just as much, wouldn’t you, Ceres?”
“Me? Why would I?”
“You can’t get those elixir materials alone. That’s why you haven’t even tried in years. And now someone shows up offering to fetch them—how could you not be tempted?”
“…”
Ceres groaned and twirled a strand of hair. I could push her this hard because it played out just like in the game.
Her personality was such that she’d act all indifferent at first, but pick the option to leave and she’d backpedal. Though her pride was sky-high—if you called her bluff twice, she’d kick you out telling you to get lost.
Judging by her behavior so far, she hadn’t changed much. It was a calculated jab, and it hit home.
“…Can’t deny that. If you’re really here for the materials, it’d be a waste to let you go. Fine. I’ll try not to pick fights.”
Ceres backed off meekly. Seeing that, Minerva loosened her grip on her staff.
“Let’s get to business, then. You know I’m after an elixir, so no long explanations needed. Deal’s simple: you get me the materials, I give you your weapons. Right?”
“Exactly.”
Ceres propped her chin on one arm and tapped the table with a finger on the other, mumbling.
“Dunno where you got your intel to sound so cocky… but with that Minerva in tow, I can trust you. No skin off my back anyway.”
She straightened up, having decided quick. Par for the course with her personality—straight shooter.
“Deal. Here’s the materials list. Ready to start now?”
I nodded, focusing hard. The fact she was making a specific elixir matched the game, but its purpose had to differ. I was 100% sure.
Which meant the ingredients might’ve changed too. If they had, finding them would rely entirely on Minerva.
“First up, Cardleias’s—”
Thud. Before Ceres finished, Minerva tapped her staff on the floor. Something neatly packed materialized on the table.
We both stared at her, baffled.
“Why the long faces? You were about to ask for Cardleias flesh, right?”
“Y-yeah, but I hadn’t even finished saying it. How did you…”
“A single mage from our tower handles more potions in a week than a commoner touches in a lifetime. Who do you think makes them? Ingredient selection is basic knowledge for us mages.”
“B-but we couldn’t gather it that fast—”
“Most potion ingredients are stocked in the tower, and as its master, I can use them freely. So I brought it. Problem?”
“…”
“…”
No complaints here.
Stocked in the mage tower? Total blind spot. Minerva smirked at me.
“You look shocked, kid.”
“Can’t help it. Never dreamed you’d supply from the tower, Lady Minerva.”
“I want that Crystal Scroll ASAP. And didn’t you plan this from the start, bringing me along?”
“Not at all. Don’t overestimate me.”
No way I could’ve predicted this far. Even I was clueless beyond game knowledge.
I’d planned to hear the list, match it to the game—if it lined up, teleport around grabbing them since I knew locations. If not, lean on Minerva.
“Put your worries aside, kid. Once we get that Crystal Scroll back, every mage in the Empire will worship you.”
That sounds like a huge headache.
‘My worries aren’t folding—they’re exploding.’
Minerva, oblivious or not to my thoughts, gave me her usual elegant, mysterious smile before turning to Ceres.
“Continue.”
“Uh… right… okay…”
After that, Minerva teleported each ingredient Ceres named right onto the table. I half-listened to Ceres while cross-checking against my mental list.
‘…All identical.’
Every one of the six matched the game perfectly.
That raised even bigger questions. If ingredients were the same, what elixir was she making?
‘Definitely not the game version.’
I glanced at the orange hair swaying down her back. Proof it couldn’t be the same elixir sat right there.
“Finally… Holy Water Imbued with Light.”
Minerva frowned slightly at the name.
Yep, last one matched too.
And that “Holy Water Imbued with Light” was the culprit behind Ceres’s quest being called the most infuriating in Branch 4.
“That one I can’t provide. We have a tiny amount in the tower—just a tiny amount. It’s so rare it’s barely exportable from the Holy Kingdom. Fetching it would be…”
“Even I’ve got standards. You think I’d demand something that precious without shame? Nah, that’s why we’re here. Sure, assume the rest are covered—but how’s someone like me supposed to get Holy Water Imbued with Light?”
“Ah, I can handle that.”
“Really, kid?”
“For real?!”
Minerva and Ceres both looked stunned. Ceres especially—her eyes nearly bugged out.
I nodded, fiddling with the brooch in my pocket. This papal guest proof should net us barrels of the stuff.
Assuming they used “barrels” here.
Real issue was transport, but Minerva said it was doable, so no sweat.
“Th-then now…”
Ceres’s face lit up. Her dream elixir was finally within reach—heart pounding, no doubt.
“Oh, one sec, Ceres.”
“What?”
“What’s this elixir for, exactly?”
I asked dead seriously. I’d planned to let it slide, but with every ingredient matching the game perfectly, I couldn’t ignore it.
No way Ceres needed the same thing as her game counterpart.
Because in the game, it was for hair growth potion.
Yet this woman didn’t look like she needed hair growth tonic. Unless that flowing orange hair was all a wig.
“…Do I have to say?”
Ceres looked reluctant.
“Just curiosity. If you don’t want to—”
“No, it’s not that. Sigh…”
I was about to say no need, but.
She seemed to think I’d hold it over her, sighing and mumbling. I shut up. No point correcting her self-inflicted assumption.
Ceres drummed the table with a troubled look, twirled her hair around her finger a bunch, then spoke.
“…Breast enlargement.”
“Pardon?”
Thinking I misheard, I asked again. Ceres snapped.
“It’s for bigger boobs! Happy now, you little shit?!”
Hearing that, I instinctively—purely instinctively—let my eyes drift just a smidge below her face.
Flat as a Kevlar plate. No—even with plating inside, it’d have more curve than that. What even was this chest?
A wall? Nah. Wooden walls had more contour. Stone ones too. Maybe marble could compete.
No wonder she’d been so snippy with Minerva—
“Hey…”
I snapped to at the voice through gritted teeth. Ceres glared like a demon from hell.
“Where you looking?”
“Ah.”
Yeah, my bad.