The Effects Are Remarkable

As I stepped down from the carriage in front of the mansion, Silvia stood waiting with her silver-white hair neatly tied and swept back. She bowed her head with perfect deference. Her doll-like features and emotion-stripped, achromatic eyes gave her an almost inhuman stillness. I pulled a bundle of parchment sealed with a magic stamp from my coat and handed it to her.

“These are the lease contracts concluded with House Arzen. Select combat instructors and administrative staff and prepare to deploy them within the week.”

Silvia accepted the documents with crisp, economical movements. The lines of her immaculate uniform spoke of mechanical efficiency, yet beneath that surface a cool tension lingered.

“Understood, Master. I will begin at once.”

“Pass a copy to Hans so he’s fully briefed.”

“I will. Ah, and the dismantling yard owner visited earlier. He has accepted the proposal.”

Leaving Silvia’s report behind, I turned to Elina beside me.

“Elina, go eat and rest.”

“Understood, Master.”

Elina gave a short reply and headed toward the annex. Lua, however, did not follow her. Instead the little creature latched onto the hem of Silvia’s skirt, whining and tugging. Silvia detached her with practiced ease and asked me in her quiet voice.

“Shall I prepare a meal?”

“Do so.”

It was a careless command, yet at that moment Silvia’s gray-blue eyes flickered. She had begun to notice the minute shifts in her master. The indifferent courtesy and the possessiveness lurking behind it were slowly cracking the mechanical rationality she had once worn like armor. A tiny hole had opened in the solid rock of her resolve, and through it seeped an unfamiliar heat.

Silvia bowed deeper than usual, as if trying to hide the strange sensation climbing her cheeks.

“...I will prepare it at once, Master.”

After issuing the simple order, I made my way to Theo’s workshop. Even before I opened the door, the sharp scrape of metal and Theo’s frantic shouting spilled out. The moment the door swung wide, a dense wave of magical pressure slammed into my lungs like a physical weight. Inside, the workshop had become an abyss where the laws of physics had been cheerfully discarded.

In the enormous central cauldron, the serum taken from a variant Twin-Head Ogre thrashed about as though it possessed a will of its own.

“Celine! The concentrate ratio there is far too high! Transfer it to the third flask!”

Theo clutched at his disheveled hair and screamed. Then, as if regaining a sliver of sanity, he grabbed his own trembling hands and amended in a more polite tone.

“…What I mean to say, Assistant, is that the critical point of the concentrate is dangerous, so I am requesting a dispersion process.”

“Yes, Master. I have already rerouted it to line three as instructed.”

Celine remained utterly unmoved by Theo’s volatile manner. Her crimson eyes glowed coldly, tracking only the complex magical readings rising above the cauldron.

At that moment a low, ominous rumble shook the pot, followed by a violent backlash. The three strands of magic extracted from the creature’s hearts tried to devour one another, making the vessel itself scream.

“Now, Assistant! Inject the suppressant! Quickly!”

At Theo’s desperate cry, Celine poured the prepared mandrake solution and northern glacial-stone powder into the cauldron.

“The mandrake’s viscosity will slow the magical collision, while the glacial stone’s cold will devour the expanding heat. You understand, yes, Assistant? This formulation is the only method capable of taming the variant’s madness…!”

Just as Theo tried to launch into another fevered explanation, Celine calmly corralled the mana flow inside the pot and cut him off.

“It is the only formula. I have heard it several hundred times already, Master. Magic expansion rate has been suppressed to forty percent. You may proceed to the next stage.”

“…Thank you. I owe you my life. As expected, your magic control is flawless, Assistant.”

Theo bowed politely, the madness of a moment earlier wiped from his face. Then he became entranced by the sight of the swirling power condensing inside the cauldron without leaving behind a single impurity. The three wild currents of magic aligned into one vast, perfect flow beneath his formula and Celine’s precise control, forming a brilliant ruby liquid.

As though they had rehearsed it, the pair recited together toward the boiling solution.

Beneath their perfectly synchronized chant, the flawless concentrate flowed into the waiting flask. It was the pinnacle of alchemy—madness and meticulous reason meshed together like perfectly interlocking gears.

I had been quietly observing the dense waves of magic filling the basement. Only when the smoke began to thin did I speak.

“Looks like the process is finished.”

Theo sprang up like a jack-in-the-box and whirled toward me. His bloodshot eyes flashed with equal parts shock and delight between the strands of his messy hair.

“My lord! Ah, when did you arrive? To come witness this wondrous moment of refinement in person—you truly understand the value of alchemy!”

Celine, who had been cooling the cauldron, hurriedly bowed as well.

“Master, you have arrived. We have just completed the extraction from the variant.”

Before the greeting had even finished, Theo snatched up a silver ladle beside the cauldron. He scooped out a measure of the grotesquely beautiful ruby liquid and thrust it before my eyes. Steam rose from it in lazy curls, and the fluid pulsed rhythmically, like a living heart.

“Behold! This is the very essence of the three-headed variant. It is no mere elixir. It is a blasphemy that transcends the taboos of alchemy and the greatest masterpiece of my entire life!”

Theo shoved his face close, nearly grabbing my collar, and launched into a狂 fevered speech.

“Normal Twin-Head Ogre blood has a crude structure in which two strands of magic gnaw at each other, but this variant is different! Three currents of power twist together in a golden ratio, compressing as they spiral! To suppress that bizarre repulsion, I used mandrake viscosity to dampen the friction and drove the glacial stone’s extreme cold into every single node of the circuit like a wedge.”

He barely paused for breath.

“The moment you swallow this, your heart will begin beating with a force stronger than any demonic species in the empire! The magic circuits themselves will be rewritten! Fatigue accumulated in the muscles will be burned away by magical flame without a trace, and your cognitive speed will accelerate far beyond mortal limits! Arrows will appear to stop in midair, and enemy sword paths will seem as slow as an ant’s procession! This is divine authority—the power to transmute a monster wearing human skin! A pinnacle the imperial alchemists could never reach even if they devoted their lifetimes! Ah, look at this brilliant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠luster! This great advancement that will soon flow through your veins!”

As Theo continued his mad torrent, Celine reached out and gently tugged his sleeve with an awkward expression.

“Master!”

Only then did Theo stop, panting. Realizing he had become overly excited, he cleared his throat loudly and swept his messy hair back with one hand.

“Ahem. In conclusion, even if one scoured the entire empire—or indeed the whole history of alchemy—one would never find a concentrate of this purity. This is not a prototype. It is the beginning of a new chapter.”

I stared quietly at the red liquid he offered. Memories from my previous life flickered through my mind. I had watched new drugs backed by budgets in the trillions fail at the final verification stage countless times. Was it rational to drink this unidentified substance with zero supporting data?

“Is it safe to consume an unverified elixir immediately? Side effects?”

Theo ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠practically leaped in the air.

“My lord! How could I possibly dare feed something this precious to nameless, insignificant test subjects? If you truly cannot trust it, Celine and I will drink it ourselves to prove its safety!”

Celine’s eyes widened in sudden panic at being included in the offer. Theo paid her no mind and continued in a calmer tone.

“There is no need for concern. Although the variant’s magic is rough, the glacial stone I embedded has completely neutralized its toxicity. Not a single addictive particle remains. It feels almost insulting to call something of this caliber a mere tonic.”

I trusted Theo’s skill. After glancing between the two of them, I accepted the glass he had so carefully measured. The scent that brushed my nose was not the expected metallic tang of blood but a crisp chill mixed with a deep, musky trace of magic that stimulated every sense. The liquid pulsed faintly inside the glass as though alive.

Without hesitation I drank it down.

The fluid sliding down my throat was ice-cold at first, yet the instant it passed my esophagus it transformed into liquid fire and spread throughout my body. Before it even reached my stomach it branched in every direction. An arctic chill struck first, as though the glacial stone were forcibly lowering the temperature of my blood. Then, after a heartbeat of perfect stillness, my heart detonated.

Boom—!

The impact was so heavy it felt as though my ribs might shatter. Into my chilled veins surged the boiling life force of the variant ogre like a tidal wave. Burning heat tore through every peripheral nerve, forcibly rebuilding each muscle fiber, overlaying and recombining them.

“…Ugh.”

My vision flashed red and cleared repeatedly. The change began with perception. I could now read the trajectories of dust motes floating in the air. The faint flicker of a candle in the corner of the basement struck my eardrums like thunder. It felt as if the variant’s unique sensory resonance—produced by its three heads—had been transplanted directly into my brain.

The flow of the world around me stretched like thick, viscous honey. Every instant fractured into tens of thousands of frames. My muscles had not simply grown larger; they had been compressed to a density harder than steel. Joints cracked and realigned. Magical vapor rose from my skin.

I threw a light punch into empty air.

Bang—!

The sound of ruptured air shook the entire ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠basement. The pressure was enough to make the walls tremble.

This level of power would be catastrophic if granted to anyone else.

“…So this is it.”

My voice came out lower and heavier than usual. I slowly clenched and unclenched my fist. The strength residing in each fingertip felt overwhelmingly foreign.

“Theo, how long will this effect last?”

Theo, still unable to wipe the ecstatic expression from his face, dragged a blackboard from the corner. He began scribbling formulas at a frantic pace, muttering as he wrote.

“My lord, you must remember this. The refinement you just consumed forms a magic core near the heart and will maintain itself for roughly one month. During that period you will fully enjoy the superhuman senses and overwhelming physical ability you are experiencing now.”

He erased the board with a violent swipe and wrote again. A new curve appeared amid the screech of chalk.

“Naturally you may take it again! However, the issue is ‘overload,’ my lord. This elixir forcibly expands the vessel of the soul to fill it with magic. After the one-month assimilation period, you will require at least two months of cooldown. In other words, you may enjoy this miracle only once every three months.”

Theo drew a large red X across the empty space and added a warning.

“If you ignore the cooldown and consume it consecutively? Your heart will fail to withstand the variant’s magic and burst, or your magic circuits will burn out, leaving you dependent on a cane for the rest of your life. But if you strictly observe this three-month cycle, your baseline physical abilities will rise permanently with each dose, as though climbing a staircase. You will literally be piercing through the limits of humanity one layer at a time!”

I stared at the number “three months” written on the board. It could not be abused indefinitely, yet the ability to remodel my body once per quarter represented an enormous strategic advantage. The fact that the enhancements remained even during the periods I did not take the elixir was equally attractive.

Something with this much power could not be revealed to the world. It must never be given to anyone—not even Elina. It had to remain an absolute asymmetric force reserved solely for me. The moment its existence became known, every power structure in the empire would turn its blades in my direction.

“How long can the variant tonic be perfectly preserved?”

“If we utilize the freezing warehouse we are constructing, five years will be easy! By fixing the magic at a specific temperature, we can maintain quality without degradation.”

I nodded.

“Store all remaining variant tonic in the warehouse. Without my express permission, not even you, Celine, are allowed to approach it.”

Celine knelt and bowed deeply.

“I will keep it in mind, Master.”

Theo clenched his fist with obsessive fervor.

“Do not worry, my lord! I will guard it perfectly!”

Savoring the rich aftertaste of magic that lingered in my mouth, I slowly clenched and unclenched my fist once more. The power surging inside me far surpassed mere supplementation. It was an unexpectedly overwhelming harvest.

Strangely, no vulgar heat resembling lust boiled within me. Instead, a pure, icy craving for struggle flared like a flame through my chilled veins. It felt exactly like the exaltation I had experienced in my previous life right before swallowing an entire massive corporation.

“You’ve both worked hard. Theo, Celine.”

I added in a detached tone to Theo, who still gazed at me in rapture, and to Celine, who was quietly letting out a breath of relief.

“The results are more than sufficient. Don’t push yourselves.”

“My lord! Please do not worry! This is nothing but a blessing for an alchemist!”

Leaving their farewells behind, I exited the workshop. Each step up the stairs felt both unfamiliar and pleasant; the strength in my feet seemed to sing against the stone.

When I entered the mansion’s dining hall, Silvia had already laid out a neat meal with fragrant steam rising from every dish. As I sat, she glided forward like water and lifted the cover from the soup bowl.

Leaning back deeply in the chair, I gently awakened the variant senses newly engraved in my bloodstream. Instantly the quiet air of the dining room began to stretch like thick, sticky honey.

…This is it.

The world’s speed seemed forcibly distorted, creating an eerie stillness. Lua’s movements as she wagged her tail at my feet begging for treats fractured into individual frames. The white tufts of her fur drifting through the air undulated as though in zero gravity. Even the tiny tremors of muscle as she opened her mouth to bark were etched onto my retina.

I lifted my gaze. Silvia was bending forward to pour wine. A single strand of her silver hair slid slowly down her shoulder above the tightly fitted steward’s uniform. In the drawn-out instant her gray-blue eyes blinked toward me, the gentle swell of her chest with each breath and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠voluptuous curve from waist to hip entered my vision with sculptural clarity.

The tension of the taut fabric, the faint pulse of vitality beneath it—her sensual silhouette, which would normally have passed in a casual glance, burned into my mind with overwhelming resolution.

The sight of sauce dripping onto the steaming steak was almost artistic. The single drop falling as though defying gravity, striking the meat and exploding outward, provided me with information I could read in its entirety.

I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them. The world returned to normal speed. Silvia, completely unaware of what I had just perceived, finished filling the wine glass with perfect courtesy and stepped back.

“Master, please eat before the meal cools.”

I picked up the knife. The alchemy I had begun merely to make sharing blood with Evelyn slightly more convenient had yielded results far beyond my expectations. Not lust, but a thrilling passion—the exaltation of being able to grasp the world in my hand and mold it—rose hotly from the depths of my chest.