Chapter 20

A scene far removed from everyday life, where people bustle about, and voices of unease are whispered everywhere.

I ran through it all, my mind blank.

"Laura!"

Senior Rina was waiting for me in the hallway. Despite being out of breath, I urged myself to keep going and ran to her.

"Senior! ...!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes... but, about the... healing potion...!"

I was so out of breath that I couldn't properly express what I wanted to say. I should have not only studied alchemy but also exercised more. After all, I grew up in a rural area surrounded by mountains—though I put such reflections aside for now and took a few deep breaths. Senior Rina patted my back, as if to comfort me, and spoke quickly.

"Yes, leave that to us. We have a decent stockpile, so Laura, go to the shelter with Chelsea—"

I was about to say, "I'll help too!" with determination, but—

"Amper, help me. Gauri, assist Rina."

A man's voice gave us instructions before I could speak. I turned around sharply. There stood Arnold, his expression even more severe than usual, glaring at us—or perhaps it was a look of anxiety.

"A-Arnold!? What are you saying? The two of you should go to a safer place—"

"We need every hand we can get! What if the healing potions run out?"

Arnold's voice was raised. I silently agreed with his words—of course, I was also happy about Senior Rina's concern—and finally managed to catch my breath. The castle should have a sufficient stockpile of healing potions under normal circumstances. However, this time, we were facing an unprecedented horde of monsters, and the battle was taking place near the capital. If the knights were breached, the city could be ravaged by the monsters. To prevent that, we needed as many healing potions as possible.

Senior Rina showed a brief look of dissatisfaction but, after a moment, nodded and turned to leave. She called out Chelsea's name and headed into the alchemy room. I followed Arnold's back and entered another alchemy room. I started gathering herbs from all over the room and prepared to start the alchemy process.

"Make as many as you can! If you run out of materials, go and pick more!"

"Yes!"

Arnold's command was the starting signal, and we both began the alchemy process at the same time.

—If we were making weaker healing potions, we could produce them in large quantities in a short time. However, what we needed now were powerful healing potions that could instantly heal severely injured soldiers. We had to make as many as possible.

Making powerful healing potions was quite time-consuming. We had to boil several types of herbs with healing properties and others that amplified their effects, mix them carefully, and sometimes add effects like paralysis relief.

From then on, it was a battle against myself.

I had to instantly judge the effects of the herbs I picked up and quickly think of the alchemy method. I had to crush multiple herbs, mix them with water, boil them, and stir them as needed. Each step required different force and timing depending on the herbs. While it was manageable to focus on one or two at a time, the unprecedented amount of herbs I was processing simultaneously was overwhelming my mind.

Still, I didn't stop. This was what I had been studying for.

Make. Make. Make. Sort. Pick. Make again. Make. Make—

I don't know how much time had passed. I was already on the third wooden box of healing potions.

Arnold and I were working desperately without speaking, but even with two of us, it was still the third box. While it was going smoothly, healing potions couldn't be mass-produced in a short time.

—If this were a game, I could just select the herbs and press the alchemy button to produce them instantly!

I couldn't help but shout in my mind. But no matter how much I shouted, the herbs in front of me wouldn't turn into healing potions on their own. We had to do it with our own hands.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and was about to start the next batch—

"Are there any healing potions!?"

The door was rudely opened, and a person rushed in.

I looked up. A knight with bandages on his forehead and right arm stood there.

—He must have returned from the front lines.

I glanced at Arnold. He seemed to be in the middle of alchemy and gestured for me to handle it. I nodded and slid two boxes of healing potions across the floor to the entrance.

"Take these!"

The knight nodded and picked up one of the boxes. I could see the pain on his face as he did so—blood was seeping through the bandage on his right arm.

"Hey, you should take one too...!"

"I'm fine! I'll take them!"

He smiled painfully and ran down the hallway.

The fact that he came here meant that the healing potions were already running out. They must have used up the stockpile.

I was worried, but now wasn't the time to worry. I had to make as many healing potions as possible!

I stood up quickly and was about to resume my work when—

Bang!

The door was rudely opened again. I turned around, startled.

It was Oliver, holding his side and leaning on a subordinate.

"Arnold!"

Oliver shouted. I thought he had come to get healing potions, but the intensity in his eyes told me otherwise. Seeing his desperate expression, I understood why he had come to Arnold.

—Arnold has powerful magic.

Senior Rina's voice echoed in my mind.

The rumor she had sensed must have been true.

"The captain is injured in his right eye... and he's currently fighting a large beast-type monster...!"

Injured in the right eye.

The moment I heard those words, my throat made an unpleasant sound.

—In this battle, Veyk will lose his right eye.

I gripped the hem of my lab coat tightly. I had a premonition, but it still shocked me.

If I had advised him in advance, could I have changed this future? No, my words would have been dismissed as a child's whims and ignored. I wasn't certain that Veyk would definitely be injured. Besides—

Oliver, who I was staring at in shock, continued.

"The monster's skin is too hard, and the swords can't penetrate it! That's why we need an excellent mage—!"

Arnold seemed to understand why Oliver had come to him.

He gathered the healing potions on the table and stuffed them into his lab coat pockets. He approached a knight who seemed to be Oliver's subordinate, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him away from Oliver, dragging him as he ran out.

The sound of heavy footsteps faded away.

Arnold was going to the battlefield as a mage—while listening to the fading sound, I thought absently. But the next moment, I snapped back to reality.

I had to treat Oliver!

I took several healing potions and ran to Oliver. He was injured all over, and the wound on his side looked particularly severe.

"O-Oliver, are you okay!? Here, drink this first."

"Thank you."

Oliver took the healing potion. For a moment, his face contorted and his body tensed. I was startled, thinking there might be something wrong with the potion, but soon he relaxed.

I realized—this was the first time I had seen someone drink a healing potion.

I looked at the wound on his side. It had closed.

"Haha... You really are an excellent alchemist, Laura."

"No, not really... but, if you need more—"

"No, I'm fine. Please use the rest on other soldiers."

Oliver smiled at me and stood up. He walked steadily.

Where was he going? Was he going back to the front lines?

I watched his back anxiously for a moment, but then I realized that even this time was precious. Now that Arnold was gone, I had to work even harder. Make, make, make.

I turned back to the alchemy table, slapped my cheeks, and re-energized myself.