Shrimp-Catching Seaweed: Marian's First Artifact
The first offensive artifact Chloe had in mind for Marian was the Shrimp-Catching Seaweed, housed in a spherical glass vial filled with wild aquatic plants. Since it utilized an already living organism, the crafting difficulty wasn't high, and the one she'd prepared for today was a relative of the beast-trapping flower planted in the garden, ensuring reliable performance. It was perfect for self-defense in emergencies.
"Lady Marian, what do you think this is?"
"Hmm…."
To pique Marian's interest first, Chloe placed the wriggling, seaweed-stem-like thing on a cutting board she'd brought for the lesson.
"Trash…?"
Of course, to Marian's eyes, it just looked like waterlogged garbage. The Evergreen Grand Ducal family was a bastion of agriculture, so they rarely ate seafood, and aquatic plants weren't part of any continental cuisine anyway.
"Do you know what seaweed is, at least?"
"No…?"
"Ahaha…."
Easterners often didn't even know common seaweed like kelp or laver. Chloe found herself in a bit of a bind, wondering how to introduce it, but as always, she'd find a way.
"Lady Marian, you know cockroaches, right?"
"Eugh…."
"So you do."
"Don't talk about those things…. I was killing time by the window at night, and something thudded down from the roof. It was this black, creepy thing crawling along the windowsill…."
Marian shuddered violently, as if the mere thought made her sick. Well, bugs were the natural enemy of little girls, after all. It was only natural to be scared.
In that case….
"Cockroaches have friends living in the sea and rivers too."
"Why…?"
"Who knows? I don't know much either, but there's this friend called a shrimp that's said to act like cockroaches and even taste similar."
"And?"
"This one catches and eats those shrimps."
"This one…?"
Hearing it ate cockroach-like things, Marian started eyeing the seaweed stem on the board with newfound seriousness.
"It's a good one?"
"Exactly. A good one. Use it right, and you can catch thieves easily."
"Really? What's its name?"
"Shrimp-Catching Seaweed."
"Oh…."
Shrimp-Catching Seaweed. As the name implied, it was a freshwater seaweed that preyed on shrimp, crayfish, and other crustaceans. Unlike its fluffy, flower-like freshwater cousins, it lived with a dozen tentacle-like stems wriggling like sea kelp. Tough as a starfish, it could be revived anytime with just water even in its desiccated state, and with a potion injected, it ballooned to human-eating size in seconds for takedowns. An artifact alchemists developed to capture test monsters alive, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it marked a milestone in the history of alchemy and magic.
"Shall we put the dried seaweed in this vial first?"
"Done…!"
Having 'understood' the seaweed, Marian had no qualms touching it. She didn't know shrimp, but she knew cockroaches. If Shrimp-Catching Seaweed ate so-called sea cockroaches… it had to be a beneficial creature. A bit oddly shaped, sure, but no reason to fear it.
"Now, cover the vial with a barrier of your mana, Lady Marian."
"A barrier?"
"The barrier I taught you about in the book last time?"
"I, I'm bad at barriers…."
"Just cover this palm-sized vial. You can manage that, right?"
"I'll try…!"
Right away, Marian's mana enveloped the spherical vial, beginning the barrier coating. This coating was the key to crafting a Shrimp-Catching Seaweed artifact.
"Now, pour in this potion."
"Pour it?"
"Cork it shut…!"
"Corked!"
-Crack.
"Gasp…."
With that sound, the Shrimp-Catching Seaweed swelled, writhing as if it would burst the vial any second. But it couldn't break out. Marian's barrier contained the expansion beyond the vial's limits.
"Is this okay?"
"It'll stop growing once it realizes it can't expand, after some time."
"H-how long?"
"About three hours?"
"Th-then, stay with me until then. What if it bursts…."
"I was going to anyway."
Chloe smiled brightly and began tidying the crafting materials.
"Milady, Teacher. I've brought snacks."
Just then, Arona and Perona arrived with treats. They could pass the time with tea and snacks—three hours would fly by. And once those three hours passed….
Time to test it.
It was time to check the performance of Marian's Shrimp-Catching Seaweed artifact.
"Ha, delicious…."
Chloe savored the dessert Arona and Perona had brought, lost in unprecedented bliss. She'd tried all sorts of foods since regaining her sense of taste, but if she had to pick the best, the Grand Ducal Castle's desserts were unrivaled.
"W-want some of mine?"
"No thank you. You like desserts too, Lady Marian."
"I love watching you eat them deliciously…."
"That's something adults say to kids."
"Hing…."
Marian hadn't touched her castella at all. Knowing Chloe loved sweet desserts, she'd held back in case Chloe wanted more….
"You really won't eat any?"
"Yes, go ahead, Lady Marian."
"For real…?"
"Of course."
As Chloe refused, Marian finally gave in, devouring the castella in one gulp as if venting pent-up hunger.
"L-Lady Marian, your throat! Isn't it stuck?"
"It's fine…."
Unable to resist her appetite, Marian had swallowed the whole thing, but she couldn't show ugliness in front of Chloe. Covering her mouth with both hands to hide the mess, she chewed and replied. By the time she finished….
-Beep-beep, beep-beep, beep-beep-beeeep.
The timer artifact she'd made with Chloe two months ago chimed, signaling three hours had passed and the Shrimp-Catching Seaweed artifact's preparation was complete. Marian's first combat artifact was finished.
"Shall we go out now?"
"Yeah!"
For the test, Chloe and Marian rose and headed outside the castle for the first time in ages. Well, 'outside' just meant beyond the building. Their destination was the secluded backyard adjacent to the Grand Ducal Castle….
"Ooh, fresh air!"
"That good?"
"Yeah!"
Marian, out after so long, seemed thrilled just to escape the marble architecture.
"Then we should come out more often. You read your scriptures often, right? We can go to the cathedral on worship days."
"Really?"
"Early morning, when it's not crowded."
"Yay…!"
They should visit the cathedral more with Marian. And for that….
"I hope it works…."
The Shrimp-Catching Seaweed artifact had to succeed as Marian's emergency bodyguard. The recipe itself was solid, so failure was unlikely… but still, better safe than sorry. They needed to test it properly.
"Lady Marian, pretend a thief is climbing this wall and throw it."
"Here?"
"Yes, there."
With the target set, Chloe and Marian stood a bit away from the castle's outer wall. Smashing the artifact right against it might ensnare them too, so they kept a safe distance—about five meters. Far enough to dodge any mishaps.
"Give it a toss."
"Got it…!"
Marian swallowed hard and hurled the Shrimp-Catching Seaweed artifact at the wall. Time-weakened, the barrier and expanding seaweed shattered the fragile vial with a crack.
And then.
"What the—!"
Countless seaweed stems sprouted rapidly, surging toward Chloe and Marian. Something big and close—gotta snag it first.
The principle was standard for Shrimp-Catching Seaweed artifacts.
"Lady Marian!"
"Nooo!"
But the range was the problem. The seaweed spread instantly to a five-meter radius, tentacles whipping like octopus arms.
Chloe scooped up Marian and drew her dagger, slicing the pursuing stems in a flash.
"Good grief…."
Safe outside the activity range, Chloe gently set Marian down.
But.
"Ch-Chloe…."
"Yes, sorry. I was in a rush to get distance, so it was a bit rough—"
"No, your neck…."
"Ah…."
In her haste to save Marian, Chloe hadn't noticed a stem coiled around her own neck.
"Shit…!"
The seaweed rejoiced at its prey, yanking Chloe toward its roots with all its might. Digestion? No chance. This wasn't water, and Chloe's body wasn't shrimp-soft.
But….
"Crazy, perverted seaweed…. Ngh…."
Unable to break her, it squeezed with all its strength until exhausted. Like red ropes in a torturous kinbaku bind, the slime-drenched blue stems tightly gripped Chloe's neck, breasts, plump thighs—creating an indecent scene.
"Lady Marian…."
"Ch-Chloe…!"
"What the hell did we make…."
Probably Marian's high-quality mana… reacting with barrier residue and potion, overgrowing the seaweed beyond need….
Whatever. Chloe just wanted to cut the slimy stems off her body.
But.
"This is dizzying…."
This was an artifact she had researched extensively against assassins like herself. Naturally, even she couldn't break out alone.
"Lady Marian, could you go to Viola and get some salt? It's freshwater seaweed—salt will kill it."
Even if it meant teasing, she needed Viola's help now….
"Lady Marian?"
"Uh, ah…."
Marian's face beet-red, she couldn't speak, too busy swallowing saliva. Dozens of slimy stems binding a grown woman's body, slithering into her clothes….
"Eh…?"
Even for a kid without proper sex ed, it was lewd and blatant. Freezing up was natural.
"Good grief…."
Chloe sighed, frowning at the stems kneading her breasts, but she had to calm Marian with words. If Marian got pulled in too, she'd be a failure as a tutor.
Viola… aren't you passing by?
She hoped Viola would notice, but for now, the best was snapping Marian out of it.