Stem of Eternity (4)
It was an undeniable fact that Roy had received Dragon's Breath from the king and drunk it.
That he intended to remain at the Bacon estate throughout the summer was no secret either, so the royal household would certainly know of it. Of course, with the war brewing along the borders keeping them occupied, how closely they were watching remained anyone's guess. The critical matter of supplying magical weapons to the military had already been settled for the time being, so surveillance would stay lax for a while yet.
What Roy currently possessed was Elven Liquor. It had not come from the king. Yet unless Roy himself confessed that truth, the Count had no way of knowing.
"Th-then, could it be that His Majesty..."
The question hung in the air—whether the king was after the Bacon family's Dragon's Breath. Roy shook his head as he answered.
"No. It was purely my own speculation. So please, Count, keep the conversation we just exchanged a secret. You swore an oath to the gods, so I trust you will."
He said as much, yet it was never truly a matter of trust. If the Count had no intention of surrendering his Dragon's Breath to the royal family in the first place, he had no choice but to keep silent.
"Don't worry about that. I don't say one thing and mean another. But what of you? Are you certain it's wise to casually mention receiving such a precious gift from His Majesty?"
"Of course not. Yet nothing in this world is absolute, is it?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"More importantly, now that I've laid all my cards on the table, it's your turn, Count."
"......"
Roy hastily steered the conversation elsewhere.
"No need to worry. I'll speak as well. But first, let me ask one thing. Why didn't you drink it? Or did you receive enough for two?"
"I cannot tell you the details. I simply reported one fact to His Majesty."
"And what was that?"
"That too I cannot reveal. However, if you show your cards clearly, Count, then I would be willing to tell you."
"Hmm..."
The Count refused to easily disclose whether he held the Breath itself or the method of its creation. What reason could there be? Perhaps he possessed only a single remaining dose to bestow upon the son who would inherit?
"Very well. I'll speak first."
What do you mean 'first'? I already said everything earlier.
Roy felt a flicker of irritation but swallowed it and listened carefully.
"I have it as well. I can tell you no more than that, but I certainly possess it."
"Is it the finished product? Or the method of manufacture?"
"Now it is your turn. Reveal first what you withheld earlier."
Wow, all the way to the end...
Roy produced the lie he had prepared in advance.
"What I reported to His Majesty was that by researching Dragon's Breath, we might create something similar—or even an entirely new form of Breath. Thanks to that, I received a generous amount for research. The reason I raised the matter with you, Count, follows the same logic. Of course, I intend to taste it myself as part of the research."
"Oh... Creating another Breath yourself... An approach I've never once considered."
Part of it was a lie, yet part was truth. He was currently modifying the mana-absorption magic circle, and a second experiment was scheduled at the mana vein they would soon visit. Setting that aside, the Count would ultimately seek to exchange for Dragon's Breath. By forging a close relationship now, access to any new Dragon's Breath Roy might develop would become far easier—just as it had been with the amulets. In the Count's mind, the value of the boy named Roy was clearly soaring.
"In other words, you told me for the sake of your research?"
"Yes. Just as with the amulets, I specialize in recreating ancient magic."
"Hmm. If anyone could manage it, you would be the first to come to mind."
The Count pondered a moment, then spoke again. As if every reservation had suddenly vanished, he poured everything out freely.
"What I possess is the finished product. There is little of it left. Only a few more people can drink from it. I have already consumed it, so it holds no further effect for me..."
The Count fixed Roy with a steady gaze.
"But what of yours?"
Naked greed shone in his eyes.
"What I have is so scant that one person drinking it finishes it. Originally it was enough for two, but I drank half myself."
"Good. Do you have it with you now?"
"I do, but... may I taste it first?"
"What?"
"How about I first sample the Dragon's Breath you hold, Count, and hand mine over afterward? As you know, this is Bacon Castle. I could easily have my belongings seized and be driven out."
"...Well, fine. But if it proves a lie, you will not keep your life."
"Of course. Who do you take me for?"
"I'll trust you. In return, if that research of yours succeeds..."
Roy smiled wickedly to himself. The fish had taken the bait cleanly.
"Naturally I will present it first to His Majesty, and then offer it to you, Count."
"I like the sound of that. Of course you'll drink it yourself first, won't you?"
"Well, to confirm the effects I have little choice, do I?"
"Puhahaha. Good. I like that honesty. Wait here. I'll fetch it at once."
Roy waited alone for a long while in the space the Count had vacated. He felt no anxiety that the Count might, without his knowledge, rummage through the luggage left in the room and steal the Elven Liquor. Multiple layers of protection already stood in place.
There's no way he'll find it. And if he tries anything of the sort, our relationship ends here.
Fortunately the Count did no such thing. After waiting so long he nearly yawned, Roy finally saw the Count reappear.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine."
Of course it was fine. Roy quieted the heart that hammered at a furious pace.
"As you can see, this is it. If I knew the method of creation I would produce more and distribute it to all my children, yet it is a shame I cannot."
Roy's eyes flew wide at the sight of what the Count produced.
It's not a liquid?
What the Count held was neither liquor nor water.
"What on earth is that?"
"Hmm? Don't tell me what you possess differs from this?"
"...Yes."
"I see. Our ancestors discovered this inside a building deep within the underground ruins. Few remain now. The name passed down is the Stem of Eternity."
In the Count's hand rested the stem of some plant—something Roy had never seen before, its bark entirely purple.
"Stem of Eternity...?"
"Yes. Though it resembles a plant stem, no amount of time causes it to rot or wither. Yet once you extract and drink the Dragon's Breath contained within, it immediately shrivels and dies."
Roy licked his lips.
"May I taste it?"
"Haha, so impatient. Wait. There is a knack to it."
The Count took the water glass Roy had used, shook off the moisture, and handed it over together with the Stem of Eternity.
"Here—cut this cross-section, then slowly inject your mana into the uncut end. Liquid will trickle from the cut face. Drink that."
Roy obeyed. It was not difficult; in mana control he possessed absolute confidence. In moments the glass filled halfway with liquid. Having expelled every drop, the Stem of Eternity blackened, withered, crumbled to powder, and scattered into the air.
"Don't mind me. Drink. Do you imagine I would poison you? Where has all that confidence gone—the same that spoke so freely of His Majesty?"
"Ah, no. I will drink it gratefully."
Roy tossed the liquid down in a single swallow.
Gulp.
"Kheuuh... This tastes incredibly bitter."
"Hmm? Isn't Dragon's Breath always that taste?"
"...You'll understand once you try what I have."
This was already the third time he had drunk Dragon's Breath. The tingling pain that accompanied foreign mana seeping into his organs was therefore familiar.
I feel it every time, yet it remains truly euphoric.
Familiarity did not diminish the satisfaction. Truly delicious things stay delicious no matter how often one partakes. The unpleasant bitterness still clung to his lips, yet the mana writhing through his body rendered it irrelevant. A sensation as if something searing swept every inch of him.
It definitely works.
With so many varieties of Dragon's Breath, each draught produced different bodily reactions and sensations. Sometimes a violent whirlpool raged inside; other times it felt like being doused by a waterfall plunging from the high heavens. If he had to put today's experience into words— it was like a bastard set ablaze thrashing and rampaging through his flesh.
For a long while he accepted the new mana and poured out sweat by the bucket. Unlike previous occasions, settling completely took considerable time.
Hmm... roughly double what I had before?
A great deal if one called it great, modest if one called it modest. Yet Roy had already far surpassed the mana capacity of most count-level houses. Doubling again from that height was an enormous leap.
Perhaps knowing the absorption would take time, the Count had stepped out momentarily.
Noah!
Roy urgently summoned Noah. The reason was obvious.
"I'm jealous. Was it delicious?"
"More importantly—how was what I just drank? Is this the best, or is the effect weaker?"
"Hmm, from what I can tell, you gained roughly half the effect of the first one you drank."
"Really? I see... All right, understood. That's enough—disappear quickly."
"What!? How cruel. You sent me away the moment you called me earlier as well."
"I'll spoil you later. Before the Count returns—hurry!"
Noah vanished without another word. Soon the Count returned.
"How is it? You should have fully digested it by now?"
The Count asked from his own experience of consumption.
"Yes. Thank you. My mana seems nearly doubled."
Narrowing his eyes, the Count offered a subtle hint: now that you've drunk, pay the price.
"Could you give me the glass?"
"Huh? You already brought it?"
"No. I've carried it on my person from the start."
"...!?"
"I thought what I held would be safest..."
"Heheh, that may well be true. Fine. Here—let me taste it as well."
The Count was already licking his lips. Roy drew out the wooden tube he had carried on his back together with his staff.
"Don't tell me you stored it in there? Inside a wooden barrel?"
"Yes."
"It would shatter easily if a fight broke out."
"One sets it down nearby when fighting—or better yet, avoids creating a situation for a fight at all."
"You couldn't take it into the dungeon, then?"
"That's right. From the beginning I brought it intending to give it to you, Count, before we entered the dungeon."
"...!?"
The Count was stunned. The revelation that this had been planned from the start struck him hard. It meant the boy had played him exactly according to a scheme laid out in advance—him, the lord of this territory and head of House Bacon.
Meticulous, cunning, and bold besides. If he adds the creation of Dragon's Breath to his amulet-crafting skill...
The Count felt a flicker of fear toward the boy. Had even a fortnight passed since he defeated the bloodline of the border count in a duel? Now that he had also consumed the Dragon's Breath the Count himself provided, he would grow still stronger.
I hope the choice I made today flows in the right direction...
Watching the Dragon's Breath he would drink trickle into the glass the boy held, a thought that had briefly crossed his mind months earlier resurfaced.
His mana already exceeds that of most count-family bloodlines. As Chloe's husband he would lack nothing.
The gaze the Count turned upon Roy shifted—from that of a boy whose skills he coveted to that of a prospective son-in-law for his second daughter.
"Here it is."
"Yes, thank you."
The Count banished the thought and hurriedly downed the liquid. The subtle alcoholic aroma rising felt quite pleasant.
Gulp. A single mouthful.
"Liquor, is it? Seems a bit weak."
"It is Dragon's Breath before it is liquor."
"Hmm, true. Anyway... Ohh, here it comes. This feeling."
The Count felt mana rising from his lower dantian and spreading through his body. Elven Liquor would absorb faster than what he had given Roy; the time required to fuse with the mana already within him was likewise shorter.
"...!?"
Startled by a reaction different from the one he knew, the Count nevertheless could not hide his excitement.
"Truly remarkable. Hmm... Yet is this already the end?"
"I only learned of it today myself. Since the varieties differ, the sensations must differ as well."
"I see."
The Count examined various parts of his body as though he could see the invisible mana.
"It's clean, which is pleasant. Looking at it, though, what I gave you seems to have been more effective?"
"Is that so? Hmm... It may well be. Do you feel you came out the loser?"
"Haha, no. More than that—I never expected my mana to increase overnight at this age."
The Count laughed with genuine refreshment, both corners of his mouth soaring high. Roy laughed along.
"But Roy!"
The Count's expression suddenly transformed. Roy felt a jolt of unease.
Don't tell me he noticed I diluted the Elven Liquor with water? Was one-fifth too much? Damn. If I'd known, I would have diluted it only by half...
Roy had mixed water into the Elven Liquor, expanding the volume fivefold. Four bottles remained hidden in the secret warehouse of the capital mansion; he had brought only one. Conscience pricked, and his heart felt ready to drop at the Count's sudden bark.
Yet the Count pointed out something else entirely.
"You claimed you would use it for research, yet in the end you drank it all yourself?"
"Ah, that's right! Wh-what should I do? If possible, could you spare one more..."
"As if!"