Chapter 3

Standing before me is a dilapidated mountain cabin. This is the home of "Obaba," located a short walk from the village.

Now, to explain why I am here, it all began a few days ago.

I was looking for a skill to learn to get out of the village sooner. However, my family is not wealthy enough for me to leave the village and attend school. Therefore, I was searching for something I could learn in the village.

The village of Eme has three shops: an armor shop, a weapon shop, and a tool shop. As a child, I wondered why a small village like this would have a weapon shop and an armor shop, but now I understand it was for the heroes setting out on their journeys. It was all for the adults' convenience.

Even if I became an apprentice at one of these shops, I would only learn how to sell things. Perhaps I could learn how to distinguish between products, but the capital certainly has better shops, and the limited knowledge I could gain in this village would not be enough to compete.

I was desperately trying to recall my memories from my previous life when I "remembered." There was supposed to be an alchemist named Obaba living at the edge of the village.

In this world, there exists an item called a healing potion. As the name suggests, it is a potion that heals warriors' wounds. The potion is a liquid made from boiled herbs. There are various types of herbs, and by mixing them, the healing potion can have different effects.

In "Last Brave," healing potions were generally bought from shops, but in the mid-game, players could mix their own potions. In other words, healing potions are made by combining herbs. This means that there are alchemists in this world.

The "Obaba" who lives in this dilapidated mountain cabin was once a renowned alchemist who worked in the royal castle. After retiring, she moved to this village, where various high-quality herbs grow, and now she practices alchemy as a hobby. She is a true "alchemy enthusiast."

I mentioned earlier that in the mid-game of "Last Brave," players could mix their own potions, but in reality, they had to have "Obaba" mix them. An event in the mid-game introduces "Obaba." After visiting "Obaba's" house at the edge of Eme village, the player receives a magic cauldron, which is a game convenience item. When materials are placed in this cauldron, they are magically transferred to "Obaba's" cauldron. "Obaba" then mixes the potion and places the healing potion in her cauldron, which is then delivered to the player. The exact principle behind this was not explained, but it was a convenience setting to save players the trouble of having to return to the edge of Eme village every time.

When I returned to Eme village to receive the cauldron, I still thought that Laura might be the heroine. However, as I explained earlier, after the "Obaba" event, there were no more events that brought me back to my hometown, Eme village. As a result, Laura's existence gradually faded from the memory of players who, like me, did not thoroughly explore every corner of the game and focused on the story. She was never mentioned in character conversations, and I realized I was a sad existence.

This story has become quite long, but from the flow of the narrative, you probably realize my intention. Yes, I plan to become an apprentice to the alchemist "Obaba" and become an alchemist myself.

Healing potions are essential in a world with monsters. In the future, with the revival of the Demon King, the demand for healing potions will increase. It is a skill that will always be in demand. Ideally, I would like to work as an alchemist in the royal castle of the capital, but for now, it would be enough to leave this village.

The issue is whether monsters still exist in the post-Demon King world. In "Last Brave," after the ending, the player is sent back to the last save point, so it was unclear whether monsters disappeared after the Demon King's defeat. However, healing potions are not just for healing wounds. There are healing potions with effects similar to modern cold medicine, so they will not become obsolete.

With this in mind, I have come here to become an apprentice to "Obaba."

"Be careful, Laura."

—With Lucash.

Obaba's house is a short walk from the village, through the forest. I could easily imagine that Lucash would come along if I went to such a place. I tried to make an excuse to leave the house, but Lucash was not fooled.

During a recent visit to Radmira's house, where Radmira, Petra, and Yuria were chatting, I learned that Lucash and I were already seen as a set. Since then, I have played with them several times—of course, without Lucash—and we have gradually become closer. However, during one of these play sessions, I was told something that still stings.

"Laura, I thought you didn't want to be friends with us because you were always with Lucash."

"I thought the same. I couldn't get between Lucash and Laura."

"Yeah, yeah. So I'm glad we became friends."

Although I was happy that they opened up to me, my feelings were still complex. I firmly resolved to become friends with everyone.

On the other hand, Lucash also seemed to be playing with the village boys when I was playing with the girls. The boys apparently liked the pattern that appeared on his left eye and started talking to him. From there, he began to make friends. Although he had been teased in the past, he now has a friendly relationship with them.

Both Lucash and I have been expanding our social circles more smoothly than we expected. Still, Lucash and I are "special" friends.

"Lucash, thank you for seeing me off. I can go back by myself, so you can go home first if you want."

"It's more dangerous in the evening than at noon. I won't get in your way, so I'll wait."

"But..."

"I'll wait."

Lucash smiled and said this with a tone that left no room for doubt. Mentally, I see Lucash as a cute little brother. I don't think I will fall in love with the future hero, but I don't know what kind of event—trap—awaits us. Therefore, I want to avoid spending time with him as much as possible.

(I feel guilty for treating a little boy like this...)

This is an emotion that comes from my memories of my past life. It arises involuntarily and is not something I can control. However, I will only have to deal with Lucash for a few more years.

I shook my head a few times to clear my muddled feelings and knocked on the wooden door of the dilapidated cabin.

"Excuse me!"

I heard movement on the other side of the door. The sound of fabric rustling was unusually loud. I had been worried that no one was home, but it seems my concern was unfounded.

The door creaked open. My back straightened, and my hand gripped my skirt.

A hooded head poked out from the gap. I swallowed a scream and stretched to see "Obaba's" face. In the game, she always wore a hood, so I could not see her eyes.

"Oh, what brings the young lady from Eme village here?"

Her voice was unexpectedly soft, and my tense body relaxed. Before the sense of relief faded, I gathered my courage and spoke.

"Please take me as your apprentice!"

Her large, red eyes widened. They were very beautiful, like gemstones.

***

"You can sit anywhere you like."

Despite my sudden visit, Obaba let me into her house. From the outside, it looked like a dilapidated mountain cabin, but the inside was surprisingly well-constructed. However, the room was overflowing with herbs—various types of medicinal plants—and the kitchen and bed, which are essential for daily life, were pushed to the corners. It was clear that Obaba, who chose to live in this inconvenient village because of the good herbs, was a true alchemy enthusiast.

Of course, I already knew this from playing "Last Brave."

"Do you want to become an alchemist?"

"Yes! I heard you were a famous alchemist in the past. Please teach me!"

I acted like an innocent child who admires alchemists, using my expressions and tone of voice. It was embarrassing, but I couldn't afford to be shy. After all, I was an 8-year-old girl in this world, and there was no need to be embarrassed.

"I don't have much money, but I can help you gather herbs and clean the house!"

I offered a form of payment. It was a meager offer, but I had come prepared to be rejected. However, I had no intention of giving up. If necessary, I was prepared to use a dirty trick, like crying, to become her apprentice. Becoming an alchemist was the best path I could think of.

"Young lady, may I ask you one question?"

Obaba took off her hood, revealing a kind, white-haired face. I was surprised to see such a gentle face under the heavy hood.

She smiled at me with her red eyes, but I could sense a strong will in them.

"Why do you want to become an alchemist?"

It was an unexpected question. What did she want to know? However, since she asked, I had to answer.

To be honest, I wanted a skill that would allow me to live without worrying about food, clothing, and shelter after leaving the village. I thought being an alchemist was suitable for that. But could I say that honestly? I wasn't the type of person who could say something grand like, "I want to help everyone in the world."

After hesitating, I said,

"I want to leave this village and see the world. I think I will need a skill for that. I want to do a job that helps people."

I wrapped my answer in a slightly beautiful lie but tried to be as honest as possible. Obaba's lips curled into a smile.

"You're an honest young lady. Well... as an alchemist, you won't go hungry wherever you go in the world."

The words "you won't go hungry" made me feel that my thoughts were affirmed, and I felt happy. I had made the right choice by choosing to become an alchemist. Moreover, it was fortunate that Obaba lived near the village. If the village didn't have good herbs, she wouldn't have moved here.

I suppressed my excitement and waited for Obaba's next words. From her words and expression, I thought I had made a good impression.

"If you don't mind this old hag, you can call me master. I would be happy to have a cute apprentice."

Obaba smiled mischievously, widening her eyes slightly.

You can call me master. I would be happy to have a cute apprentice. I repeated the words in my mind and finally realized that I had been accepted as an apprentice.

"Thank you very much!"

I stood up and bowed deeply. Obaba laughed and said, "You're a polite young lady."

I felt that I had started off much more smoothly than I had imagined. I didn't expect that such a young girl would be accepted as an apprentice without hesitation.

I have taken the first step. The rest is up to my effort. I will study hard under Obaba—no, my master—and become a fine alchemist!