The Alchemy Club (2) ※ Caution: Slime Excretions
The sun shone brilliantly over the clear blue sky on this bright, crisp weekend morning.
I arrived at the location where I had promised to meet Senior Morphe early.
Not long after, a woman with sky-blue hair swayed as she approached from the distance.
"Good morning, Senior!"
My greeting was polite and energetic, just as it always was.
Morphe Senior only gave a slight nod, her expression indifferent as usual.
My eyes met her outfit the moment I finished greeting her.
Today Morphe was not wearing the Cradle uniform but casual clothes.
*Her sense of style is bolder than I expected.*
The dress she wore was a deep navy blue number with a plunging neckline that exposed a generous amount of cleavage and thigh-high slits that reached all the way up her hips, revealing the smooth expanse of her skin beneath. A matching cape draped over her shoulders, and on her head sat a wide-brimmed hat of the same color as the dress.
The entire look reminded me of the sexy witch characters that appeared in Japanese fantasy light novels. The outfit suited her perfectly, especially given her modest chest; it would have been far too revealing on anyone else.
*I wonder if Nadia or Yuli would even manage to wear something like this without the fabric tearing apart...*
A slightly shameful thought crossed my mind as I stood there. Before I could dwell on it, Morphe Senior spoke in her usual flat, emotionless voice.
"Come with me. I've already arranged a carriage."
"Yes, Senior."
The journey to the alchemical materials collection site would take quite some time, according to what she'd told me earlier. So she had rented a carriage after all.
As we walked along the path, Senior Morphe glanced at the large wooden box I was carrying and asked.
"What's in that box?"
"Ah, this is peaches."
I lifted the sizable crate, holding it up like a proud vendor.
"Peaches? Where did you get those?"
"Last time the club made pesticide for crops, right? Professor Velvet had me deliver them to the orchard, and the owner gave me these in thanks. This year's harvest was so abundant he gave me way more than I needed."
I had grabbed just a few extra for the journey today, but there were still several crates waiting back at the dorm.
"I'll bring you one next time, Senior."
"I'm fine. I don't really like peaches."
Morphe Senior led me to the central square of the city.
A carriage waited there, prepared in advance.
It looked quite luxurious at first glance, but it was a compact two-seater with no passenger compartment, only a driver’s seat, a passenger seat, and a cargo hold. Only a single horse pulled it.
"Get in."
Morphe Senior climbed into the driver’s seat first and turned to me.
It was a two-seater, so she would have to drive it herself.
I climbed into the passenger seat and asked her casually.
"Where exactly did you rent this from?"
"I didn't rent it. It's mine."
"Really? Yours?"
My eyes widened at her reply.
A student at the Cradle driving her own carriage...
"Senior, were you secretly rich?"
"Not really... Small carriages like this aren't as expensive as you might think."
I nodded in agreement, but I didn't believe her for a second.
Maintaining even one of these would cost a fortune just for the body, the horse, and upkeep...
It was like driving an imported sports car on campus. Even in my previous life, I had never owned a vehicle, so I envied Morphe Senior.
*When will I ever be able to drive my own...*
As I pondered how to increase my hours at the hot-spring resort, the carriage Morphe Senior was driving began to move smoothly.
We slipped out the western gate of Tomeron and turned northwest toward the dense forest that stretched from the Dragon Bone Mountains.
That was where Morphe Senior kept her secret spot for collecting alchemical materials.
"From here on out, we can pick up the pace."
She loosened the reins, and the horse's gait quickened.
The horses of the Demon Realm were far stronger and more resilient than Earth's.
The carriage itself also moved at impressive speed.
At this rate, we were probably doing around twenty kilometers an hour.
After some time, Morphe Senior, still seated on the driver's bench, suddenly turned to me.
"Ever driven a carriage before?"
"No. Never."
"Want to try?"
"Is that okay? I heard you need a special license for carriages pulled by unusual beasts..."
I trailed off, but Senior Morphe shook her head.
"That's only for carriages drawn by special kinds of monsters. For ordinary horses like this, no license is required."
In other words, ordinary horses were treated like electric scooters.
"Come on, take the reins."
Morphe Senior gave me the driver's seat.
"Senior...!"
A junior getting to drive her own carriage... She really was a good mentor.
It was too good an opportunity to pass up, so I gladly accepted the reins.
"Pull the left rein to stop, loosen it for speed."
From the seat beside me, Senior Morphe gave me a quick lesson on basic controls.
I realized the reins were like a steering wheel, accelerator, and brake all in one.
Following her instructions, I quickly got the hang of driving the carriage.
"Hmm... You learn fast."
Morphe Senior offered an unusually kind compliment and a satisfied smile.
"Thank you, Senior!"
"Good. Keep going until we reach the fork."
She finished saying that and leaned back against the passenger seat, closing her eyes.
"...?"
Only then did I finally understand why she had decided to teach me how to drive.
*She wants me to drive so she can ride comfortably and take a nap...*
A strange mix of bewilderment and betrayal filled me, but I couldn't say anything to the proud Senior Morphe.
I muttered quietly to myself that she was still a demon after all and continued steering the carriage in silence.
We reached our destination after about two hours.
"Wow..."
Even I let out an astonished gasp.
The place was a breathtaking lakeside hidden deep in the remote forest.
The sunlit water was crystal clear and a vibrant blue, its surface shimmering like glass. Around the shore, a wide meadow burst with wildflowers of every unknown color and shade.
"There really is such a beautiful spot in this world... The view is absolutely stunning."
A faint, almost imperceptible smile curved one corner of Morphe Senior's lips at my praise.
It was probably pride, though she tried to hide it.
"It's my only secret spot. I told you only because you're my junior. Don't tell anyone else."
"I won't breathe a word!"
"Then let's start collecting materials."
I received detailed instructions on what to gather from Senior Morphe and divided the area between us.
I took the forest side, while she claimed the lakeside.
*The plants here are perfect for alchemical reagents. Much higher quality than anything sold in shops.*
I was already excited by the abundance when a small scream came from the direction of the lakeside.
I dashed over without thinking.
"Senior?!"
When I reached the shore, I froze at the sight before me.
Morphe Senior's entire body was covered in a sticky, transparent blue slime.
I instantly knew what it was.
"Slime!"
An amorphous, jelly-like creature.
For some reason, the wriggling mass of them had completely engulfed Senior Morphe.
Some had even slithered into the deep cleavage of her dress and between the thigh-high slits, creating an extremely lewd scene...
*No, this isn't the time...!!*
"I'll save you right now!"
I rushed forward to help her.
"I'm fine! Stay back!"
She raised a hand to stop me.
"Slimes are gentle creatures. If you just stay still, they'll calm down on their own. Don't provoke them."
I had no choice but to obey.
At that moment, a single pink slime that was different in color from the others crawled up Morphe Senior's thigh slit and stuck itself to her buttock with a loud *slap*.
"Hyik!"
A shrill cry escaped her.
"No... If it goes in there..."
Morphe Senior mumbled something incoherent as her expression began to twist in pain and embarrassment.
It took me a moment to realize what was really happening.
Her stomach was swelling, ballooning outward as if she were pregnant!
*This is insane...!*
The pink slime was injecting its own gelatinous fluid directly into her belly through whatever passageway it had found.
My trembling voice asked.
"Senior... Are you really okay?!"
"I-I'm fine..."
Morphe Senior gritted her teeth and insisted she was fine even if it meant dying right there.
"Even if you look at it like that─"
"It's fine! Just turn your head around...!"
Her furious outburst left me no choice but to look away.
"Ugh... hngh... ahh..."
I squeezed my eyes shut, but the lewd, desperate sounds from behind me continued without end.
I desperately tried to ignore them.
Then Senior Morphe shouted at me again.
"Do not... do not look back...!"
Her voice was so thick with raw agony that it sounded as if she had given everything in her life just to say those words.
A short while later.
"Kh... oooh...?"
I couldn't hold back and turned my head at the broken, animal-like whimpering.
The sight that met my eyes was beyond shocking.
"Ooooooh...!!"
Morphe Senior squatted, clutching the hem of her dress, her thighs spread wide.
From the hidden slit between her exposed buttocks, a large quantity of pink jelly poured out in a thick, continuous stream.
*Slurp… slurp… slurp…*
The glistening, semi-transparent mass looked like living slime as it flowed endlessly, piling up on the ground like a snake.
"Aaaah…"
The dying howl of Morphe Senior suddenly cut off.
Immediately after, her body tilted forward as though the unbelievable spectacle had finally exhausted her.
*Thud.*
She collapsed face-first onto the ground, unconscious.
One ankle still had what looked like her hastily removed sky-blue panties wrapped around it in a tight roll.
Thankfully, she hadn't fallen on her back.
*Splurch… splurch…*
The slimes finally satisfied, left Morphe Senior lying there, drenched in their sticky slime, and crawled away.
"Senior?"
"...!"
No answer.
I checked her pulse. She was breathing properly, so I quickly lifted her into my arms and hurried back to the dorm to clean everything up.
For the sake of a young woman's dignity, I should add that the pile of slime on the ground was nothing more than ordinary slime excretions.
Honestly, it didn't even smell bad at all.