Chapter 55

"Then I will summon you."

The next day.

After making Fokaroru leave, I prepared for the summoning with Orobus. Since this was a rare opportunity to summon two demons, I decided to test whether I could summon two demons simultaneously.

"---I hereby command you, in the name of Norman, to appear as swiftly as the wind within the magic circle. Come from wherever you are in the world, answer all my questions rationally, and make my wishes a reality. Come forth—Rank 28, Berith, and Rank 61, Zagan!"

I chanted the spell while constructing a double-layered magic circle. It seemed that the summoning would go smoothly. Until now, I had always summoned demons by opening their pages, but it might not have been necessary.

As the light from the magic circle faded, two figures appeared.

"It seems I have been summoned."

"Hmm, I have been summoned, have I?"

The one who called himself "this one" was wearing a full set of red armor.

The one who called himself "I" had a strange appearance, with a bull's head and bird-like wings on his back.

"I am Berith. Please remember me."

"I am Norman. Nice to meet you."

"Lord Norman, I have heard of you. You are the new owner of 'Goetia.'"

Berith said this. It seemed that my existence had spread in the demon world.

"So, what is this about?"

The one in red armor must be Berith, so the one with the bull's head must be Zagan. Zagan glared at me with an unhappy face.

"Why is Berith here?"

Zagan glared at me fiercely. He was clearly angry. I needed to explain myself.

"Well, I summoned you to learn alchemy..."

"Alchemy, huh? I see, then it's only natural to summon me. No one is as skilled in alchemy as I am. But, Berith, why did you summon this one as well?"

"Haha! I am disliked! Though I am dressed as a knight, my specialty is alchemy, so I can be of help to you, you know."

"Your alchemy is not alchemy! It's heretical magic!"

Zagan became furious. However, Berith stood calmly.

It seems summoning two at once was a mistake. I needed to get out of this situation and learn alchemy quickly.

"Mr. Zagan, what do you mean by Berith's alchemy being heretical?"

"Hmph, boy, do you even know what alchemy is?"

What is alchemy?

In the basic course I am currently attending, alchemy is not taught. I believe it is taught in the advanced course. However, I do have some basic knowledge from self-study.

"The transmutation of the four elements, right?"

"Yes."

The four elements—fire, water, wind, and earth—are constantly changing into each other. Wind changes into fire, water changes into earth, and so on. Understanding and manipulating this transmutation is what alchemy is.

"For example, like this, first, I activate the wind element."

As he said this, Zagan extended his hand. A magic circle appeared, and wind began to swirl.

"Then, I change the wind element into the fire element."

The wind then exploded with a puff.

"By changing wind into fire, heat is generated, and the heat causes an explosion."

"I didn't know that."

I was impressed by the new knowledge. I had once been injured by an explosion spell, mistakenly thinking it was a combination of fire and wind. I had read a magic book that said the same thing, so I wasn't the only one who was mistaken.

"Conversely, changing water into earth generates cold air, which turns into ice."

As he said this, Zagan created an ice spear from his hand. I had also mistakenly thought ice was a combination of water and earth.

"This is the basics of alchemy. Try it, boy."

"Y-Yes."

Despite his gruffness, Zagan seemed willing to teach me alchemy carefully.

First, I tried to create wind.

"---Arise, wind."

Wind began to form on my left hand. Then, I focused on changing it into fire.

"---Explode."

An explosion occurred above my left hand. Unlike before, my hand was not involved. It was a success.

Next, I decided to try ice. First, I activated water.

"---Manifest, water."

Then, I focused on changing water into earth.

"---Freeze."

The water turned into ice, enveloped in cold air.

"Boy, you have an unusual way of using magic."

Zagan suddenly noticed something and said this.

"Well... I can't use normal elemental magic, so I summon a part of a demon to cast spells."

I explained my situation.

"Haha, that's an amusing method."

"Hmph, indeed, it is interesting."

Berith and Zagan nodded with interest.

"Let's continue the alchemy lesson. What I just taught you is the foundation of the basics. The ultimate goal of alchemy is, as the name suggests, to create gold from any substance."

Indeed, any substance is determined by the combination and proportion of the four elements. The four elements constantly transmute into each other. By combining these two theories, it is theoretically possible to create gold from any substance by adjusting the proportions and combinations of the four elements.

Alchemy is said to have started from the attempt to create gold from any substance. Various discoveries were made in the process, but no magician has yet succeeded in creating gold.

"Humanity has yet to succeed in creating gold. But I can do it."

Saying this, Zagan produced a lump of earth from his hand.

"Look, like this."

As he said this, the lump of earth turned into a gold coin.

"Amazing."

I couldn't help but say this. What I had just seen was the magic that every magician dreamed of.

"Try this. It's worthless to me."

Saying this, Zagan gave me the gold coin. I hurriedly said "Thank you" and accepted it. Even one gold coin could buy more than enough.

"Can I do the same if I learn alchemy?"

"Haha, you say amusing things."

Berith laughed. His laughter echoed inside his armor.

"Hey, Berith, stop talking. It's unpleasant."

"Haha, I am really disliked by you, Lord Zagan."

Why does Zagan dislike Berith? I haven't heard the reason yet.

"Creating gold is impossible, but with my training, you can easily create iron."

I wasn't disappointed by not being able to create gold. Being able to create iron would greatly expand my magical capabilities.

After that, I received direct alchemy training from Zagan.

Zagan's instruction was perfect and easy to understand. He knew things that were not generally known and was thoroughly familiar with alchemy. For example, the proportions of the four elements in iron are only vaguely known, but Zagan knew them in detail, and following his instructions, I could create iron.

After a few hours of training with Zagan, I learned the basics of alchemy.

"---Arise, earth."

First, I produced a lump of earth from my palm.

"---Arise, iron."

The lump of earth turned into iron.

"---Arise, glass."

Next, the iron turned into glass.

"---Arise, copper."

Next, it turned into copper.

"---Arise, lead."

Next, it turned into lead.

"---Arise, carbon."

Next, it turned into carbon.

"You've got the hang of it."

Zagan evaluated my magic. Thanks to Zagan's instruction, I had successfully created these substances with magic.

"Next, I'll teach you water alchemy."

Then, Zagan taught me how to transmute water into oil and wine. I mastered these techniques in just a few hours of intensive training.

"Thank you. It's all thanks to your instruction, Mr. Zagan."

I bowed. Thanks to Zagan, I had mastered training that would normally take years in just a few hours. I was extremely grateful.

"Then, it's my turn."

Berith, who had been watching, stepped forward. Despite Zagan's warning to "stop talking," Berith ignored it and said:

"Forget everything you've learned!"

"Huh?"

I couldn't help but say this.