kscans

Chapter 57 - The Treacherous Alchemical Item

Leonhard watched Mireille bite her lip in frustration, and a bitter thought crossed his mind. He had failed.

But this was no time for personal feelings.

"Let's change the subject. From now on, we'll need to go out and explore. I want you to make some tools for that purpose."

"Tools, you say?"

"The men from the former First Knight Order who were transferred this time are reasonably skilled. But they can only hunt mid-sized monsters at best. The ones who were already here... they're no better than amateurs. Apparently, the alchemy items the previous unit used under their former captain gradually stopped working. They were killed by monsters as a result."

"Stopped working?" Mireille's eyes widened.

"Yes. They only had Potions left, but the color and effect were different from yours."

She thought for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

"Could I see one of those Potions?"

"Very well."

They walked back in silence. How did Darius and the former captain resolve misunderstandings like this, he wondered.

What should he have said? If he could, he would have accepted her head-on, just like when they were together in the tower.

He glanced sideways. The frustrated look on her face had now been replaced by a somber shadow. And he was the one who had put it there. If another squad member were to offer her kind words right now... he probably wouldn't be able to bear it.

When they returned to the table where everyone was waiting, he handed Mireille a small vial that had been left in the supply stock.

"Let me see."

She held the bottle up to the light, sniffed it, and channeled her mana into it. Then she added a single drop of water and observed it intently.

Eventually, she looked up and spoke quietly.

"This is not a Potion my master made. First, the color. The reason it's different from a real Potion is that it uses 'hallucinogenic grass'. It has a strong effect of numbing pain, but it doesn't heal the wound itself. If someone with a fatal injury keeps moving... it will be their undoing."

"I see."

"Also, the mana imbued within it is different. When I tried to pour my mana in, it was repelled. My master and I use the same formula, so ordinarily, our mana wouldn't be repelled. Each alchemist has their own unique formula, and they cannot alter an alchemical item made with someone else's. This means it belongs to another alchemist."

"Can you tell who made it?"

"Unfortunately, I don't recognize this mana. I've studied all the products from the alchemist shops in the Royal Capital. We share information on ingredient combinations and formulas where we can, to improve our skills together. And we study each other's products thoroughly, so I can tell which shop it's from just by looking at the mana. But this... this isn't one of them."

'Mireille closed her eyes and continued, choosing her words carefully.

"This was made not for healing, but for the purpose of allowing someone to move even when injured. If this was swapped with my master's Potions, I sense a strong malice."

As if reacting to her voice, Kyle stirred. Though his mouth was gagged, he looked at them as if he wanted to say something.

"Take the cloth from his mouth." At Leonhard's command, a soldier hastily removed the gag.

"What is it, Kyle?" What was he planning to say in front of the already unstable Mireille. Depending on the situation, I'll have to deal with him myself.

"Whether... you believe it or not... it's... Rainer... of the... Mage... Order..."

'The moment he uttered the name, Mireille's expression froze.

"The captain of the Mage Order... Rainer, you say?"

Kyle's face was pale, but in the depths of his eyes, he smiled faintly.