32: They said you’d get excited meeting someone you admire

"Lord Craft, the Marquis of the Frontier is ready. Please come this way."

"Ah, yes."

I walk down the corridor, unsure of my path, and enter the room I’m led to.

Of course, there’s Orthros, the Marquis of the Frontier, waiting.

"U-uh, excuse me..."

"Hmm. Come in."

The butler sets out tea, bows, and leaves the room.

Huh? Not even a guard?

I’m not some nobody, you know. I was a veteran adventurer once. I could kill someone bare-handed if I wanted to.

I’m not gonna, but seriously—way too careless!

"..."

"..."

The silence is thick. It’s killing me.

Say something!

"Craft Walker. The Alchemist of Dusk, right?"

"Y-yes."

"Let’s get the business out of the way first. Details about the secret elixir."

"Y-yes."

Yeah. The whole dragon incident ended up leaving that part all vague and unclear.

I go through the usage and effects in detail.

All the while, Father Orthros just nods.

"—That’s it, then."

"Is that so. You’ve done well."

I let out a mental sigh.

That mysterious presence of Orthros? Forget about hating nobles or whatever. I was just tense as hell. Wouldn’t be nervous at all with Zaid around.

……

……

Why am I being stared down like this!?

Did I go too far?

But I made it, didn’t I? What’s done is done!

I realized it was dangerous after it was made, so I didn’t sell it on the market. I offered it up instead.

If I’d just dumped those elixirs into the market without thinking, the whole country would’ve gone into chaos.

No matter the route, most of them would end up with nobles. And if nobles got their hands on them, they’d definitely start asking where they came from.

A noble who couldn’t get their hands on one might go desperate enough to try and frame a noble who did, even if it was just a sick family member.

Could’ve sparked a cold war between nobles, for all we know.

Oh wow, yeah, handing it over fast was definitely the right move…

Don’t look at me like that!

Orthros, Dad—nice middle-aged face, but seriously, scary!

“There’s a alchemist named Jabir Haljan with Zaid.”

“…Huh? Jabir? That Jabir… (・・) Sir Jabir?”

“Guess you’ve heard of him.”

“Of course I have. He’s a legendary alchemist. Me—well, I’m studying his books right now.”

Yeah. Jabir the alchemist’s one of the top-tier in this country.

Revolutionized fertilizer for farming. His parents were great alchemists too.

I’ve been digging through Jabir’s books ever since I got the alchemist’s mark. There’s a lot you can’t learn just from the mark itself.

Still, the available copies are few and damn expensive.

No doubt someone I truly respect.

But of all people, stuck with Zaid?

“He wants to speak with you. Head to Jabir’s manor now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Honestly, if I could escape this tense atmosphere right now, I’d do anything!

I gave a stiff bow, stood up, turned to leave—then froze.

“Kyle… I’m counting on you.”

I glanced back, thinking I’d heard wrong. But the marquis was already back to his usual stern expression, nothing out of place.

I bowed once more, then finally left the room.

◆

“You’re Craft?”

“Yes, sir!”

The mansion we were led to by the butler was, well, a magnificent one.

Magnificent in the way that only alchemists’ homes can be—full of that unmistakable, unsettling aura, the kind that screams “dangerous weirdness.”

Vines clung thickly to both the walls and the house itself. The garden was wild, overgrown. But the medicinal herb garden? Spotless. Perfectly tended.

Scattered through the garden were strange stone statues—monstrous creatures with wings.

Ah, those are gargoyles.

Sentinel statues.

One of the standard enemies in dungeons.

These gargoyles are a type of monster, but they’re classified as artificial constructs. How do I know? Because they can actually be made through alchemy.

That’s how you know just how high-tier Jabil is—requiring advanced alchemy.

I could probably make one myself right now, if I had enough materials. But I’m short on supplies.

Speaking of which, golems are artificial creatures too, huh. Here in Gandar, we can probably buy whatever materials we’re missing. Wanna give it a try sometime?

Walking through that suspicious garden, slipping past a front door utterly neglected.

Then, from inside, a life-sized wooden figure stepped out (・・・・・).

The insignia on my left hand gives a slight reaction.

This one’s probably an original artificial monster!

The wooden doll’s face had only a simple oval shape with rudimentary eyes and mouth—its body was just a wooden puppet, plain and unadorned.

There’s no strings hanging from the ceiling, is there?

From here on, Craft-sama, I’ll take over.

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

The butler, seemingly used to it, bowed and then just walked away without another word.

Looks like they ran off, kinda.

Over here, come on.

Uh, please...

The inside of the mansion was surprisingly tidy. Maybe that artificial monster doll’s been cleaning?

Nice… this is nice…

We were led down to the basement, where a sturdy iron door greeted us.

The artificial monster doll knocked on the door.

“Master Goshujin, Master Craft, I’ve brought them.”

“Huh? Took your time! Let them in!”

“Y-yes. Master Craft, please come in.”

“Y-yes…”

Trembling, I stepped inside. It was exactly what you’d expect from an alchemist’s chamber.

Beakers and flasks crowded every corner. On the wall shelves, rare ingredients piled high.

Old, obscure-looking books lay scattered across the desk, haphazardly open.

A girl with a sharp glare turned from the alcohol lamp, where a mysterious liquid bubbled.

Eh!?

Girl!?

I froze for a second, but the alchemist’s mark on her left hand and the way she carried herself left no doubt—she was undeniably Professor Javil.

“You’re Craft?”

No greeting. No pleasantries.

“Yes!”

I couldn’t help but answer brightly, too excited to hold back.

Honestly, I was thrilled.

Since becoming an alchemist, I’d grown up on the knowledge of marks and Professor Javil’s writings.

She was my idol.

“Hmm? You’re… a lot younger than I expected… how old are you?”

“Twenty!”

I thought she’d be younger than me, but then I remembered her background—no way that was true.

She probably uses Amrita too.

“Hmm… not at all what I pictured…”

“Eh? Did you say something?”

“No, nothing much.”

"Ah! I’m so sorry for the late greeting! I’m Craft Walker! I’ve heard your name for ages! I’ve read every book of yours I could get my hands on—wore the pages right through! It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you!"

I grabbed Javir’s hand before I could stop myself. Weirdly soft and squishy.

Was I being too forward for a first meeting?

But I’m this excited, you get it?

"Hmm!? S-s-so, is that so. Well, that’s the best news!"

"Yes!"

Javir seemed oddly stunned, like he’d been caught off guard.

Must’ve been my imagination.

"S-s-so, you’re young, but you understand, don’t you?"

"Actually, I only recently switched careers to alchemist. At first, I was completely lost—just relying on the voice of my crest. But after getting your books, I finally feel like I’m learning the basics of alchemy."

"Umm, umm. Hmph, hmph."

Every scrap of material, every tool—everything looked rare. Couldn’t stop staring.

My eyes kept drifting back to that pot-like thing over the fire. I’d seen it in a book. That’s why it caught my attention.

“Is this…?”

“That’s a rambyki.”

“This is it! The device Jabiru-sensei invented to make purer water than river water!”

“Hmph. Keen learner, aren’t you? Can’t produce much, but it’ll give you enough pure water for experiments.”

“I’ve never seen the real thing before!”

“That’s the latest model. It pulls three times more pure water than the old one.”

“Amazing!”

Sure, I could make fresh water with magic. But if I used magic every day, my magic would run dry. Then I’d have nothing left for actual experiments.

Being able to get fresh water without magic? That’s what matters.

“Ah, ah. Not bad. Not bad at all.”

Thank you so much! I couldn’t have finished the elixir without the whispers of the sigil and your teachings! Especially the alchemical potion—thanks to your book, I made it efficiently! Ah… how happy I’d be if I could become your disciple…!

Reading your book changed the sigil’s whispers. I could now make the rare alchemical potion using fewer materials than originally planned. I’m truly beyond grateful.

My words froze Jabil right in place.

He crossed his thin arms and started thinking.

Did I say something weird?

“So… I see… That explains the dignity…”

Jabil muttered under his breath.

“Um… Master?”

“Very well. Craft Walker. I’ll take you as my special disciple.”

“Eh!?!”

I nearly shouted at the words of my long-cherished master.

Sorry for the delay.

Got a bit of real life stuff going on.

I’ll do my best to keep updating regularly—please keep supporting me <(_ _)>