kscans

Chapter 70 - The Bloodstained Alchemist Pushes Her Limits in Her Master's Tower

And that's how it happened.

Yes, it's a familiar scene.

Leonhard had carried the wolf meat and the seasonings from the tower to the base, and just as everyone was preparing for a barbecue, he went to fetch Mireille, who had stayed behind in the tower, and called out to her. The moment she turned around.

"Hey!? Why are you covered in blood!!"

The dark-attributed processed stone that had misfired earlier had struck Mireille's forehead directly, causing blood to drip from above her brow, and her red, swollen face was a painful sight.

Looking back, she was always covered in someone else's blood, but this was the first time she was covered in her own.

"Drink a Potion, now!"

"No, I'm fine. It'll heal with time... and Potions are precious."

Mireille was completely nonchalant.

"What are you talking about? You're a girl, and that's your face! If you don't use it now, when will you!"

The swelling was indeed bad. That stone had come flying at a high speed. In fact, she was lucky she didn't die.

Leonhard thrust an unused Potion at her.

"Here, drink."

"Eh, it's not life-threatening, it's such a waste."

"If you're going to say it's such a waste, I'll go get the ingredients right now."

"If you say that, it makes me want to go too, you know."

She reluctantly took the Potion and gulped it down. The bleeding stopped immediately, and the swelling went down. But a small scar remained.

"Is alchemy... really that dangerous?"

"It's a reminder to go back to the basics. Normally, I'd try this after putting on protective goggles or a cover. But this is the place my master used... so there aren't any tools like that left."

"Then what about your master?"

"According to her diary, it seems she could also use magic. I'm sure she protected herself with defensive magic."

Mages are on a different level, Mireille muttered.

"Alchemy is useful in daily life, and I think it's an important skill in the sense that it turns the lives of monsters into materials. But... when I try to create something that can counter a mage, there's always a limit... it makes me anxious."

Originally, alchemical items were made with the premise of monster subjugation. There had never been anything conceived with the idea of stopping the Magic Furnace protected by the Mage Order or countering mages.

"Rather than trying things blindly, it's better to ask Darius and narrow down the necessary direction. Reinforcing offense, reinforcing defense, or maybe a one-shot big bang..."

As Leonhard said this, he touched the scar on Mireille's forehead with his finger, lightly kissed it, and sat down beside her.

"I thought we'd be alone in the tower, but in reality, I was washing pelts and eyeballs with Kyle at the waterside until just now. Even though he tried to cut me down yesterday."

"Darius-san probably... meant for you to forgive him."

Mireille gave a wry smile.

"I didn't say it at the time, but even if I can't make a panacea, there are medicines that can improve certain illnesses. But I'm not a pharmacist, so it's not my specialty, and I've never made them... I can't say 'I can make it' without seeing the patient's condition. I can't trust people who say things like that so lightly."

When she was at the Moonshadow Teahouse, she had received a similar request and consulted her master. Her master had gone to see the person and made a medicine for them. But since it wasn't her specialty, it was only for those who wanted to try it on the off chance it might have some effect.

The recipe from that time might still be in the wooden box. There might even be a recipe that would be useful for this subjugation.

"Um, do we still have a little time? I'd like to look for that recipe, and anything else that might be useful for this... on the fourth floor." Mireille's heart was racing. The things her master left behind, she was sure she hadn't made proper use of them yet.

"We have time until the pelts and eyeballs are dry. But first, food. You can't fight a war on an empty stomach."

Leonhard was concerned about how Mireille seemed to be shouldering all the responsibility in her master's place.

"Besides... the time we can be lovey-dovey is limited, so make sure you make time for it."

He said this, his face turning red, as he gently stopped Mireille's hand.

"Eh?"

Mireille looked blank for a moment, but as soon as she understood his meaning, her face turned bright red and she averted her gaze.

"O, okay. Um... I'd like to... make time for that... too."

The two had recklessly closed the distance between them, but now...

When it was declared that it was time to be lovey-dovey, they both just blushed and fell silent.