Volume 2 Chapter 1 I Have a Feeling Something Big is Coming
"Ugh, finally done."
I flopped my big frame onto the workshop floor and let out a long sigh.
I'd just finished making all the magic stones for the backlog of requests.
"Mr. Ryuuji, good work."
"Yeah, you too, Lene."
"I finished my requests quite a while ago, so I'm not that busy right now. It's easier to mass produce than magic stones, after all."
Lene gave me a wry smile as she looked down at my face, which I usually looked up at.
She finished up earlier than me despite having more items to deliver, which just goes to show how talented she is.
My enchanter skills, combined with Lene's, an elven alchemist, recently led us to open up shop, named 〈Altena〉.
Thankfully, we've already received a number of requests.
Apparently, word had spread about the effectiveness of Lene's soil improvement potions, making us famous.
I'm just the bonus.
Whatever.
By the way, my sisters, Minori the swordswoman and Suzu the magician, are out on a job for the adventurer's guild, under the party name 〈Sakura〉.
They're supposed to be back soon, but until then, I shouldn't go out gathering materials.
Looks like I'll have some free time for a bit.
"Say, Lene, that technique I showed you the other day, do you think you can use it in alchemy?"
I sat up and asked, but Lene, who was preparing tea, shook her head, saying, "Doesn't look like it."
And Lene, seriously, you're making tea in a beaker?
I mean, I'm sure you wash it properly, but it still makes me wonder.
"Indeed, applying the Enchant magic 'Blessing' to alchemy is quite challenging. Even if I manage to pull it off, there's the risk of accidentally creating volatile poisons..."
"...that's dangerous."
I hadn't considered that, and I shuddered violently.
My original Enchant magic, 'Blessing', which produces random magic stones, might not apply the same theory to alchemy, as I tried to explain to Lene.
But it seems it didn't go over well.
Moreover, if the random potion happens to be dangerous, it would put Lene at risk.
While a poison might be somewhat manageable, I'd rather avoid the possibility of volatile explosives that could endanger our neighbors, like Lana.
"Oh, speaking of danger... I've also looked into magic crystals."
"...ah, did you find anything out?"
Lene's tense expression.
As expected, the magic crystal is not just a substitute for human abilities, crafted by the Dark Mage Ferron, a servant of the Evil God Abnella, using human lives.
It's also a liquid with the power to turn people and animals into fiends.
The portion that Guy had seems to have been used up when Marie was transformed, but Ferron had hidden the rest.
Lene was researching it on borrowed time.
"Yes, I'm certain that human lives were used in its creation, and there's no doubt about the presence of the Evil God Abnella's power. Just being close to a substance imbued with divine power caused complete transformation."
"The power of 'Godslayer'..."
The power to nullify a god's abilities, which Evil God Abnella's Godslayer possesses, seems to be clearly residing within the magic crystal.
However, considering that the Godslayer's power had an effect on Guy's Magic Stone of Sigmund, which held the power of the Light God, it can be surmised that the magic crystal itself doesn't contain the kind of power that a Dark Mage could wield.
"Dark Mage..."
I recalled the battle from 2 weeks ago and instinctively looked up at the ceiling.
Dark Mage Ferron, on the verge of death, had spoken about "sowing the seeds of chaos."
Those words could be interpreted in many ways, but I believe that some form of forbidden magic's crystallization remains, and it's the power that's bringing back the Evil God's might.
Lene seems to agree.
The era when the Evil God wielded its power was known as the Dark Age.
If the Dark Mages desire to see such an era return, what could be driving them?
"Tea's ready!"
"Oh, thanks."
Taking the beaker offered to me, I slowly sip the herbal tea.
It's tea made from herbs that Lene's growing in a corner of the field I borrowed from Lana.
Thanks to the Magic Stone of Peul, my front yard always yields fresh produce, so this herb is also freshly picked.
"Well, once our break is over, should we head to the delivery?"
"Yeah, ... Minori and the others should be back tomorrow, so let's finish up any errands so we can collect things smoothly."
As we were making plans, the doorbell rang.
Since Lana and the others have keys, they can come in whenever they want, so it must be a visitor.
"Oh, I'll get it!"
"Thanks."
I'll leave the door to Lene, and I'll spend my time sipping tea and mentally mapping out my next steps.
Even if Minori and the others don't return tomorrow, there are still plenty of things I can do.
First, I could head back to the town where the distribution center is and stock up on enchant magic and alchemy materials.
"Oh, so this is the workshop. It's got such a nostalgic atmosphere."
"Huh?"
I turn down the hallway at the sound of a familiar voice, and there──
"Your Excellency Duke Hoffman!? What are you doing here!?"
"Oh, Ryuuji, long time no see."
In the hallway, Duke Gottfried von Hoffman, the Captain of the Beistein Kingdom's Knights and also the King's personal guard, the so-called "Steel King," was waving with a mischievous grin while dragging a flustered Lene along with him.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)