Chapter 144 The Dream After Defeating The Demon King
I sensed people moving around me and my consciousness floated up.
I opened my eyes. Then, a brown-haired woman, Marta, was smiling at me with a mischievous grin.
"Good morning!"
"Marta..."
With a groggy head, I looked around vaguely. Behind Marta, I saw Julius with a sullen face standing there.
When I looked left and right, Lukas and Arnold were still sleeping on the sofa with their eyes closed. They seemed to be sleeping soundly.
Marta took out a dagged and tapped the 2 of them on the head.
"Time to wake up, you two."
Lukas rubbed his eyes, saying "uuun," and Arnold raised his body, furrowing his brow.
Lukas, who had been blinking repeatedly, suddenly opened his eyes wide when he noticed Marta.
"Ah, Marta! Did you do this, Marta?"
"No way! It was him, him!"
Marta shrugged her shoulders, looking innocent, and pointed to Julius standing behind me. As Julius approached me with a narrow gaze, Lukas let out a deep sigh.
"Julius..."
"Yo, good morning. Were you two able to make up a bit?"
Julius glanced at each of us three. When our eyes met, he apologized with just a slight movement of his mouth, saying "sorry."
Marta started cutting the ropes that bound our wrists with her dagger. As our hands became freer, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.
While waiting for the ropes to be cut, Arnold said to Julius in a sharp tone.
"Don't get too full of yourself."
"What's with you, the three of you were just sleeping together peacefully."
"...I'll thank you for this time, but next time, get permission beforehand."
It seemed like Julius had pulled off a clever move, but it was also possible that Lukas and Arnold's relationship had worsened. This time, things had gone well, but it wasn't certain that it would be the same next time, so Arnold quietly jabbed at Julius.
Julius let out a vague laugh, "hahaha," and dodged Arnold's glare. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the sound of the ropes being cut was clearly audible.
"Yeah, I'm free!"
"Thanks, Marta."
I checked my wrist, which had been freed after several hours. Despite being bound for so long, there were hardly any marks. I guess it's thanks to Julius's binding technique.
Ugh, my body's all stiff.
"Hey? Where's the water spirit?"
As I was stretching, Marta asked me, and I looked around.
――Come to think of it, I haven't seen it since last night.
"Huh? Yeah, come to think of it, since last night..."
'It's here!'
I turned around to the voice behind me, and there was Wentle-sama, the green light orb, and the water spirit in the form of a puppy.
The water spirit ran up to my feet, so I picked it up. Its eyes looked dim, and it seemed tired.
'It was practicing hiding its form. Everyone seemed busy, so it did. But one night was its limit.'
"Hiding your form? What's that?"
'We spirits don't always appear, right?'
I nodded in agreement at Wentle-sama's words.
Indeed, Spirit doesn't always appear in its light orb form around Lukas. It only shows up when necessary. I wonder where it is sometimes, but it seems the water spirit was also practicing hiding its form. It can temporarily escape the demon king's eyes, and as a spirit, it's a "proper form" to have.
I understood that the water spirit was tired from practicing, so I stroked its head. It seemed happy, let out a little snort, and then closed its eyes. It looked sleepy.
――Suddenly, the entrance door creaked open loudly. The one who appeared was an unfamiliar boy.
"Brother!"
Lukas pointed to the bedroom, gesturing to the boy who had run in, out of breath.
――I figured he must be Nike, the boy who had gone missing while searching for herbs for his sister, Nana.
"Nike, your sister Nana is sleeping in the bedroom. She's okay now."
"Thanks Really, thanks!"
Nike bowed his head multiple times. Then, he rushed to the closet and took out a bag or something.
He handed the bag to Lukas. ――Ching, and the sound of coins echoed.
"This is a bit little...
"I don't need it. Use it for your mom and sister instead."
Lukas pushed the bag back to the boy. The boy bit his lower lip tightly and bowed his head again. Then, he ran towards the bedroom.
After seeing him off, I asked Lukas.
"That kid, is he the brother who went missing...
"Yeah. He was protected inside the cave."
"Protected? ...By whom?"
It's true that he didn't seem to be in bad shape despite being missing for several days in the cave. The fact that he wasn't injured was thanks to healing magic, but his cheeks weren't pale either.
I was convinced by Lukas' words that he was protected, but the question of who did it remained. It couldn't be the monsters living in the cave.
"There were small spirits living in the cave. They were hiding from the monsters, but when they saw the boy hurt his leg and couldn't move, they protected him."
With Lukas' explanation, the whole picture of this incident became clear.
Originally, the cave was a safe place because it was protected by the spirits, so even a girl could visit alone to pick flowers. However, when the demon king revived, monsters invaded the cave, and the spirits hid, allowing the cave to be taken over by the monsters――that's what must have happened.
Lukas must have defeated the monsters in the cave too. It might be difficult to do so immediately, but eventually, they'll be able to return to their peaceful life of selling famous flowers and making a living.
I let out a sigh of relief, and Arnold called out to me.
"Ampère, do we have any leftover antidote?"
"Ah, yes. We have leftover materials too."
Thanks to Lukas and the others bringing back plenty of herbs, we had a surplus of antidote materials too.
I pointed to the leftover on the table, and Arnold glanced at it before telling Lukas.
"Lukas, bring it over."
"I'm not the one who should do it. Arnold, you should go. As brother, don't you have something to discuss?"
"They'll be scared of me."
A few seconds of silence. Then, Lukas burst out laughing. I, who was standing next to him, forced a laugh as well.
Lukas, who had been glared at by Arnold for laughing, didn't seem to mind and took the remaining antidote and materials, saying "I'll bring them over" as he headed towards the bedroom.
Julius leaned his elbow on Arnold's shoulder, putting his weight on it.
"If you're aware of it, then laugh about it, yeah?"
Without hesitation, Arnold brushed off Julius's elbow and replied.
"It's not necessary."
"There must be some benefit to being kind to people, right?"
"It's fine, I guess."
Julius let out a sigh and dropped his shoulders, looking at Arnold, who seemed impossible to get close to.
Lukas and Arnold had managed to close the distance between them this time, but it seemed like it would be tough for these 2 to do the same.
Julius's gaze turned to me, as if seeking help, but I couldn't do anything. I just floated a vague smile and tried to brush it off.
Just as Julius let out a deep sigh, the bedroom door opened. Lukas had apparently brought the antidote and materials back.
"I brought them over. If anything happens, people can rely on the town's alchemist."
The town's alchemist. That phrase reminded me of how I couldn't meet with the town's alchemist last night.
Nana was probably okay by now, but there was still a possibility of something going wrong. Just in case, I wanted to pass on the synthesis method.
"Ah, that's right! I'll make sure to pass on the synthesis method for this antidote to the town's alchemist. You guys can rest for now."
I said that and was about to leave the house alone, but Lukas walked alongside me.
He was smiling brightly as he said.
"I'll come with you, Laura."
"Thanks, Luka."
* * *
Lukas and I visited the small house I had gone to last night. The townspeople told us that this was the town's alchemist's house.
I rang the doorbell. If I did, I could hear the sound of footsteps coming from inside the house. Had they returned?
The sound stopped in front of the door, and then.
"Who might you be...?"
Through the door, a small voice asked me a question. It was a woman's voice, and a young one at that.
I cleared my throat before explaining my identity and the reason for my visit.
"Ah, nice to meet you, I'm Laura Ampère. I'm a Royal Alchemist who's traveling, and I came to this town because of the antidote for the local girl, Nana-chan."
I explained that much, and the door burst open with force. The one who appeared was a woman with a round glasses and brown hair. She looked a few years older than me, probably in her late teens.
Her blue eyes were wide open, and there were dark circles under them. I had a feeling she was busy, and it seemed like she was exhausted from last night.
"Royal Alchemist-sama, why are you in this town...!? "
She pushed up her fallen glasses with her hand and approached me with an intense gaze, as if she was about to grab me. I was overwhelmed by her energy, but I smiled and opened my mouth to show a friendly attitude.
――When I heard "alchemist of this town," I remembered the incident at the Flaria branch. Back then, I was treated as the "troublesome Royal Alchemist" and received clear hostility.
"Just a minute, there are various circumstances. So, about Nana-chan's antidote――"
I explained that I had gone to the cave, gathered a specific herb, and successfully synthesized the antidote. The prescription was already complete, and Nana's condition was recovering. I also left the remaining antidote and materials with my brother Nike, so if anything happened, she could synthesize the antidote again according to the memo――
I gave a brief explanation, handed over the synthesis memo to the town's alchemist, and she looked at me with tears in her eyes behind her glasses. She bowed her head to me.
"Th-thank you so much! Thank you so much "
"Wait, there's no need to bow your head like that..."
She bowed her head multiple times, but I couldn't stop her with just words, so I grabbed her shoulder and forcibly stopped her movement. Then, when I said "please don't be so polite," tears began to fall from the corners of her eyes.
Suddenly, I patted her back, thinking that she must have been trying her best to help Nana, even if it meant crying. She had been away last night, probably searching for new synthesis methods or herbs, working tirelessly day and night.
"I'm useless, I can't do anything... I don't know what to do, thank you so much..."
She said, her words choked with tears, as she looked up at the town's alchemist with a questioning gaze. She lived in a small house, but was she the only alchemist around?
"Are there other alchemists?"
"There aren't any. I'm the only one."
――Yeah, I figured as much.
Even though I had a hunch, hearing her say "I'm alone" out loud made my heart ache. This young woman was shouldering the burden of being an alchemist all by herself in this small town, and it was bound to be tough.
In reality, the recent events must have pushed her to the limit. Without a mentor or senior to rely on, she was all alone――
As I thought this, my mouth opened naturally.
"Is there anything else you're struggling with? I'll be leaving this town soon, but until then..."
I wanted to help her out. It might be arrogant of me, but it was my genuine intention.
The town's alchemist looked up at me, her face brightening. Then, with a hint of hesitation, she took my arm.
"Ah, well, if that's the case, there are a few things――"
After that, I visited her home and taught her about synthesis methods and how to identify herbs, even if it was just for a short time.
She was extremely enthusiastic, taking notes on every single word I said. This small town didn't have a bookstore, and she didn't have the income to afford many books on synthesis. Of course, she couldn't afford to go to school either.
Honestly, the environment for learning synthesis was pretty terrible. She could gather herbs from the nearby forest and caves, but she was trying to learn through trial and error with limited resources. Even with talent, it would take her several times longer than others to achieve her goals.
"Thank you, Laura-san."
"No, it's fine if I could be of help."
Since I can't stay in this town anymore, I couldn't teach her more than the bare minimum. As for me, it was really regretful, but the alchemist in this town smiled and said "I learned a lot!" with a look of joy.
She'll probably work hard to fulfill her duties as an alchemist in this small town from now on. If the environment improves a bit, she might become an amazing alchemist....
"Laura? What's wrong?"
As I walked back to the inn, lost in thought, Lukas's voice called me back.
I looked at my childhood friend, who was gazing at me with concern, and honestly told him what I was thinking.
"I was thinking, 'I was lucky to have learned in a good environment...' and it's really frustrating..."
"A good environment?"
"Yeah. There weren't enough books here, and there was no mentor. No matter how hard one tried, there were limits to what they could do on their own...
I realized that. I wonder how many alchemists like that are out there.
"Do you think there are many alchemists like that in towns like this?"
Was this sympathy? Was it pity from someone who's been blessed?
But when I saw the alchemist in this town, who was listening to my explanation with shining eyes, I thought... I want to support alchemists who work in towns like this where the environment isn't good.
There are towns and villages without a Royal Alchemist branch, and they're not well-managed. So, I thought, maybe I could travel around those towns and villages, donating books and holding study groups... once the demon king is defeated and my position as an alchemist is solidified.
That was a dream that sprouted for the first time, a dream for "after" defeating the demon king.
The story that comes after the ending roll. A story that even "I" don't know.
"When the world is at peace, maybe I can support people like that. It'll be tough, but..."
Traveling around the world isn't something you can do on a whim. As a Royal Alchemist, it's not that simple to just set out on a journey.
But someday.
"Sounds good, that."
Lukas nods with a smile. Just that gives me a surge of confidence.
"Maybe it can't be done right away."
"If it's Laura, you can do it, absolutely. If anything happens, I'll help out too."
Lukas always gives me a reassuring pat on the back with a smile.
I nod. And I turn around, gazing fixedly at the alchemist's house in the town.
"Yeah, thanks. I'll do my best."
Who knows how many years will pass? But surely, definitely, I'll visit this house again someday.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)