The Homemade Elixir
After a moment of puzzlement, she emerged from the cave again, both hands carefully cradling something as though it were precious.
She approached me, beaming, and held it out.
“Here, my disciple! A gift!”
“What is this?”
What she offered was something round and plump, wrapped in white paper. It was a little larger than a hard candy, its color a black tinged with brown.
My master, Alice Schiller, spread her arms wide and announced its true nature.
“This is none other than an elixir this master crafted with her own two hands! A bootleg—no, a handmade elixir!”
“An elixir?”
I repeated the word in bewilderment.
Isn’t this a fantasy world? Why does everything turn into some wuxia martial-arts thing the moment Master gets involved?
Anyway.
“Master, you know how to make things like that?”
“Ahem! This master went to great lengths to steal the secret method—no, no, to learn it!”
Master, your words keep slipping strangely from the start…
She pressed on with her story.
“Would you believe it? Deep in this very forest, I discovered a ginseng that had grown for over thirty years.”
“Whoa…”
I let my mouth hang open in genuine awe. Who would have thought such a thing existed? The academy forest was full of more wonders than I had imagined—thirty-year ginseng, reclusive masters, and who knew what else.
“I carefully dug it up and refined it into a pill. All for my dear disciple!”
“You’re really giving me something like this?”
“Of course!”
I called out to her, face full of emotion.
“Master…!”
“My disciple…!”
After our tearful embrace, she sat me down.
“Now then, regulate your breath like so…”
She launched into an explanation of the elixir.
“Given the materials, the effect won’t be dramatically extreme, but it should still increase your inner power quite a bit.”
For the record, she insisted on calling mana “inner power.”
“You mean mana?”
“Hah! Did I not tell you never to use the imperial name, my disciple!”
She rapped me sharply on the head with a crisp smack, then urged me to take the elixir at once.
Well then.
I tossed the handmade elixir she had prepared into my mouth in one go and chewed.
To be perfectly honest, it tasted foul beyond description. If it had been any smaller, I would have just swallowed it whole. Bitter. Fishy. The vivid taste of dirt filled my mouth.
She asked,
“How does it taste, my disciple?”
Still… Master made this herself. If I tell the truth, she’ll be hurt, won’t she? Sometimes a lie is kinder than the truth.
I forced the remaining elixir down my throat, fighting the urge to gag, and answered,
“I-it’s delicious…”
“Hm? That can’t be right. It’s supposed to taste absolutely vile… Did I make a mistake?”
Ah. So that was the idea.
To the flustered woman before me, I came clean.
“Actually, it tastes absolutely vile. I almost threw up.”
“How dare you! After all the trouble I went through making it, your words are far too harsh!”
Well, what do you want me to say?
I was already searching for something to soothe her again when a sudden heat surged up from within me.
“Huh? Wh-what?”
My startled reaction made Master panic as well.
“Circulate your inner power at once! If you cannot control the energy, you may fall into qi deviation…!”
She fussed and fretted, but the scorching surge that had risen so abruptly settled just as quickly.
“M-my disciple! Are you all r—”
“I’m fine, Master.”
“Ah…”
Watching me brush myself off and stand, she flushed with embarrassment.
“Well… qi deviation from a mere thirty-year ginseng was never likely, I suppose…”
I carefully circulated my mana. The result left me stunned. My mana had increased enough for me to feel it clearly. It was not the dramatic leap she had described, but perhaps that was only because Louis Wallenstein’s body had been so pitifully deficient to begin with. To others it might not look like much, yet for me it was unquestionably useful.
Especially since, even though I had already claimed most of the hidden items related to mana, the original protagonist Leo Epsilt’s talent for it was so overwhelming that opportunities to raise mana were few and far between. That made this gift all the more precious.
“Ahem… I only did it because I am always grateful to you, so wipe that look off your face.”
She spoke as if to hide her shyness at my moved expression.
“In any case, enjoy your vacation!”
“Take care, Master!”
A short while later we exchanged our farewells, and I descended the hill.
More importantly… she didn’t mention closed-door training this time. If she had brought it up, I was prepared to at least consider it for a moment. Of course, I already had a mountain of things to do over the break. Sorry, Master, but I can’t simply stay here.
When I left the academy grounds, a carriage from the family was waiting. I handed over my luggage, climbed aboard, closed my eyes, and promptly sank into sleep.
Upon arriving at the mansion, I was summoned by the Count without a moment’s rest. This mansion was one of the few properties that had not been confiscated during the rebellion incident. In stark contrast to our family’s current fortunes, it was enormous and needlessly grand. I liked the place well enough, yet the vast empty space only made it feel all the more desolate. Bringing in new furniture or hiring more staff was simply impossible in our present circumstances.
At any rate, as I headed for the Count’s study I thought it over. I had already given him a rough account of what had happened at the academy. He was probably calling me to discuss what came next.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of my knock, a voice from inside told me to enter. The words that left the Count’s mouth as he sat behind the study desk were utterly without preamble.
“Your allowance is gone.”
“Huh…?”
This old man for real?
I gaped in pure disbelief. He had summoned me just to say that? Granted, I had spent a little—well, more than a little—too freely during my first year.
“What do you mean by that?!”
I shouted, but the Count’s expression never so much as flickered.
“Consider it so. Instead, squeeze plenty out of the Imperial Family. The house has no room to spare right now.”
“What on earth are you spending money on that you’re this broke?!”
Is he building some secret organization? Or stockpiling weapons to actually stage a rebellion?
Even though the family could not possibly be completely penniless, the Count still wore shabby clothes, ate meager meals, and gave his son a stingy allowance. At this point I genuinely suspected he was secretly raising a private army.
“None of your business.”
That was the end of it.
“Haa… Fine. Then what do you mean by squeezing the Imperial Family?”
“Did the Imperial Princess not declare it on the spot? That the Imperial Family would compensate you.”
Ah. She had indeed said that.
“I have no idea what you’ve been up to at the academy, but judging by the results, it doesn’t seem bad.”
“Then maybe a little money—”
“Even so, the family has none, so instead squeeze the princess for all she’s worth. You may spend that however you like.”
“Of course I can spend it however I like! It’s my money!”
I protested with an aggrieved look, but once again it made not the slightest impression on the Count. Giving up, I asked him,
“Weren’t you planning to squeeze plenty out of the Ansbergs as well, my lord?”
“Why should I grant them a free pass?”
Wow. Ruthless.
“Those people need to take a little abuse. Heh heh heh…”
I shook my head in resignation.
“Then, if that is all you wished to say…”
“That’s all. You may go.”
Tch.
I openly clicked my tongue and left the Count’s study.
At any rate, I had received something resembling a homecoming welcome—though calling it a welcome felt a bit tearful. With everything that had happened lately, I wanted nothing more than a little rest. Unfortunately, rest was not something permitted to me.
It was vacation, yet I still had no shortage of work. If I wanted to defeat that damned Demon King and enjoy a happy life in this world, I had no choice.
One of those tasks was this very sword—awakening the hidden power of the Epsilt Treasure Sword I had torn from Leo Epsilt. If I could obtain that, I would grow markedly stronger. Among the hidden opportunities in the game, this one was especially important.
The other matter concerned Leo Epsilt himself. In truth, one could argue this was far more critical than the sword. According to the game’s lore, only the Hero could wield the Holy Sword, and only the power of the Holy Sword and the Hero could slay the Demon King. No matter how strong I became, without being the Hero I could not kill the Demon King. And the current Hero candidate was Leo Epsilt.
Hand on heart, I could say with absolute confidence that I had put an extraordinary amount of effort into reforming him. Originally I had never intended to use my knowledge of the original story to snatch his place through underhanded means. I had even thrown matches for him. I had tried to become friends. When he played at being the useless party leader, I had gone along with it.
Yet he only grew more arrogant and tyrannical. I tried reasoning with him. I beat him down, humiliated him, and tried to educate him. All of it failed.
If his ability was lacking, I could use my original-story knowledge to help him grow. If his effort was lacking, I could stick by his side and train him. But a rotten character? That, it seemed, could not be fixed.
Being the Hero was his destiny, so I had done my best not to interfere. After seeing him in the last duel, however, I became certain: as long as he was the Hero, slaying the Demon King was impossible.
In the end, more than a year after meeting him, I made my decision.
I will replace the Hero.
Of course, I still had no clear method. In the end I would only get busier again. Somehow, it felt a little unfair.