Chapter 37

Upon arriving at the capital city of Schvaria and parting ways with Chelsea and Senpai Lina who had come to greet us, I learned the contents of the letter from Mr. Alek. For a while, Emilianna and I huddled together, and then I forcibly pulled myself out of the sinking feeling.

Anyway, I need to refresh myself. It’s not good to brood too much. I should think about something else. This isn’t running away; it’s necessary to protect our hearts.

With that thought, I tried to take Emilianna, who still looked pale, on a tour of the castle, but before I could, we were soon reunited with Senpai Lina and the others and led directly to a reception room. It seemed that our superior, Casper, had called us—no, Emilianna—for a welcome.

"We welcome you."

In front of us, Casper smiled warmly, his narrowed eyes fixed straight on Emilianna.

"You will be staying in the guest rooms of the castle, not an inn."

In the small reception room designed for royal alchemists, Casper, Emilianna, and I faced each other. Not only us, but Chelsea and Senpai Lina were also waiting near the door.

"Thank you for the welcome, Mr. Casper."

"No, no, please call me Casper."

Casper’s usual tone was nowhere to be found; the words that flowed from his mouth were very refined. His white coat was wrinkle-free, and his usually messy hair seemed more controlled than usual.

"You must be tired from the long journey. ...Lina, Chelsea, please show them to their rooms."

Without breaking his gentle smile, Casper called out to Senpai Lina and Chelsea, who were standing behind us. Senpai Lina immediately stood next to Emilianna, and Chelsea opened the door.

"Ah, I’ll—"

As I was about to follow Emilianna, who was being guided by Senpai Lina, Casper called out, "Laura."

I turned around. The smile on his face had disappeared.

"I have a question."

His tone had dropped slightly, and my shoulders involuntarily trembled.

The question. It was almost certainly, or rather, definitely about Platnovena.

I clenched my fists and stopped. Casper, seemingly satisfied with my reaction, looked at Emilianna, who had stopped to gauge the situation.

"Please rest well."

Emilianna, perhaps feeling uneasy about me leaving, frowned and looked at me.

"I’ll come to your room later."

Emilianna’s eyes softened slightly, and she nodded.

Senpai Lina guided her out of the reception room, and the door closed with a soft click. As the sound of three pairs of footsteps faded away, Casper spoke.

"Good work, Laura."

"Casper, what do you want to know? It’s about Platnovena, right?"

Despite feeling a bit hasty, I plunged straight into the main question. A moment of regret for being a bit rude flashed through my mind, but Casper didn’t seem to mind. However, he looked serious as he said,

"I want to know the current situation in Platnovena. ...I’ll be direct: you know the message from Alek Platnovena to Emilianna, right?"

His tone suggested he was certain I knew the message.

I had no intention of lying, but I couldn’t lie to my superior. I relaxed a bit and slowly recounted the words written in Mr. Alek’s letter, digging into my memory as accurately as possible.

"...In the letter from Mr. Alek to Emilianna, it was mentioned. However, I didn’t read the letter myself; I only heard it from Emilianna. She didn’t use any direct words, but Mr. Alek entrusted the future of Platnovena to her."

"...It seems Arnold’s speculation was almost correct."

Casper’s words made me tilt my head in confusion.

What was Arnold’s speculation?

The question was clearly written on my face, and Casper immediately provided the answer.

"Arnold sent a report a few days ago. Given the distance between here and Platnovena, he probably wrote it around the time you were staying in Anea."

The report from when we were in Anea.

To my knowledge, Arnold had sent a report to the capital immediately after the monster attack on Platnovena. This must be a different one. Perhaps he had written and submitted another report when he sent me the letter. It would be a report after we evacuated and soldiers and magicians flooded into Platnovena.

Casper glanced at my expression. His eyes made me feel uneasy.

"Arnold seemed to have heard nothing from Mr. Alek. However, he felt that Mr. Alek was planning to die."

—I couldn’t answer. I had forgotten to breathe.

I should have known from the letter Emilianna told me about that Mr. Alek was planning to die. But even so, the fact that Arnold, who was probably the closest to Mr. Alek, felt this way made me feel ashamed and disturbed.

"He said he would try to prevent it."

I finally exhaled at his words.

Arnold was an excellent alchemist and magician. He wasn’t the type to say something impossible irresponsibly.

His words were undoubtedly a "salvation" for me and Emilianna.

Regaining some composure, I remembered something else I needed to report from Mr. Alek’s message.

"By the way, about the monster that speaks human language—"

"I heard about it in the first report."

"Is that so?"

I recalled Arnold’s letter. He had written that he still didn’t understand why Mr. Alek stayed in Platnovena. However, in his report to Casper, he mentioned the monster that spoke human language. This meant that Arnold knew about the monster when he wrote the letter to me.

Then why did Arnold hide the information about the monster from me and say he didn’t understand why Mr. Alek stayed in the town?

It’s not clear that the reason Mr. Alek was so certain about the monster attack was because the monster had declared it. But it made sense to me.

Perhaps he judged that it was unnecessary information for me, an outsider, or something else.

"Laura, I hate to ask this, but... please take care of Emilianna. We’ve gathered five people from nearby branches to Anea for the preparation of recovery potions, so we have enough manpower."

His tone left no room for refusal, but his expression was visibly complex.

Casper, who had opposed my trip to Platnovena, might have wanted to keep me as far away from this situation as possible. Despite that, I felt I was the best person to take care of Emilianna. I hadn’t opened her heart, but I was there when she was vulnerable. I believed Emilianna considered me a close presence.

I nodded at Casper’s words. He gave a complex smile and said weakly, "Please take care of her."

***

That night, under the guise of a welcome party for Emilianna, Chelsea, Senpai Lina, Emilianna, and I went to a tavern in the capital.

"Emilianna, you’re from Flaria?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"Flaria is such a lovely town. The famous flower fields, of course, and the people are warm."

At first, we were unsure of the distance, but as we exchanged words, the atmosphere became more relaxed. After all, being around girls of the same age, we had plenty to talk about and felt a sense of familiarity.

Senpai Lina, with a nostalgic look in her eyes, asked Chelsea,

"Senpai Lina, have you been to Flaria?"

"My parents traveled a lot for work. I lived in Flaria for a short time, but the neighborhood aunties were very kind to me."

It seemed that Senpai Lina was a transfer family in her previous life.

"But, I see. You’re a Flaria noble. I used to stand outside the grand mansion and look at it. I never thought I’d be talking to the lady who lived there."

Senpai Lina’s honest words made Emilianna laugh uncomfortably. This broke the silence, and Chelsea quickly spoke up.

"I want to go to Flaria. When is the best time to visit?"

"Well... this time of year, the Mephilie flowers are in full bloom and very beautiful. The sweets made from the honey of the Mephilie flowers are exquisite... This might be the best time to visit."

Beautiful flowers and delicious sweets. Just thinking about it made me let out a troubled sigh.

Looking at my seniors and colleagues with similar expressions, I met Emilianna’s eyes and said,

"Let’s go together, on a day off."

"Please let me be your guide."

Emilianna nodded happily at my words and added,

"If you don’t mind, could Arnold come with us?"

"Eh!? That stiff, arrogant, and unfeeling guy!?"

The quick reaction surprised us all, except for Senpai Lina. After a moment, Chelsea and I exchanged a look and laughed, but Emilianna looked confused.

"Well... I mean, Arnold has been very helpful... and he’s your senior, right?"

"Senior in name only."

Senpai Lina’s words made Emilianna even more confused. I deepened my smile and explained to her, "Actually, there’s a bit of a conflict."

Senpai Lina had always disliked Arnold, but it seemed to have become more pronounced recently. I understood her feelings, but I wanted to add that he was a good older brother now, though I didn’t think it was the right time to say it.

"I wish I had a cute and inspiring senior like Laura and Chelsea!"

With a dramatic cry, Senpai Lina collapsed on the table. Emilianna was at a loss for words, but Chelsea and I exchanged a smile. There was a hint of exasperation in her expression.

It seemed this wasn’t the first time she had said something like this in front of Chelsea. While I was away with Arnold, Chelsea had received one-on-one guidance from Senpai Lina, and they might have had similar conversations.

Chelsea deepened her smile and the exasperation faded, then she lowered her gaze slightly and said,

"Laura is much more talented than me, but she inspires me to work harder. She’s a proud colleague."

I was taken aback by the sudden compliment but quickly responded.

"Not at all! Chelsea is meticulous in her work and has great ideas for alchemy. She always comes up with new methods..."

"The success rate is still low, though."

We laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed but grateful for the respect we had for each other.

"Beautiful senior love."

Senpai Lina’s words were a bit flat. But the next moment, her voice turned harsh.

"That guy... he’s always criticizing, speaking arrogantly, and giving indifferent replies! What’s so great about being the youngest royal alchemist? How would he feel if he were in my shoes, being compared and brought down? No matter how talented he is, I don’t need a senior like that!"

Her final words were a painful cry. She then downed her glass and slammed it on the table. The action was so dramatic, it made her look like a tired old man—

"Senpai Lina, you’re not drinking, are you?"

After exchanging a look with Chelsea, I took her glass and sniffed it, but there was no smell of alcohol.

I shrugged and looked at Emilianna, who relaxed her confused expression and smiled hesitantly.

—The conversation continued smoothly. Emilianna, the guest of honor, was the center of attention. We asked her about her birthplace, hobbies, and favorite things—everything except for Mr. Alek. I hesitated to bring up her fiancé, and I assumed Senpai Lina and the others had been subtly informed of the current situation.

Still, it was a very enjoyable dinner. Emilianna smiled and thanked us at the end, so I felt that she would have a more peaceful time in Anea than before. I finally felt I could relax.

***

I took a modest sip from the container in my hand. It passed through my throat without any unpleasant odor and seemed to seep into my body.

—Yes, this is perfect.

"Perfect! Is it really?"

At my words, Emilianna, who had been watching me intently, leaned forward. Despite being a bit overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, I smiled, and her face lit up with a broad smile.

The recovery potion I had just tasted was made by Emilianna.

—Since receiving Mr. Alek’s letter, Emilianna had become more enthusiastic about alchemy. The castle had a vast collection of alchemy literature, and I had picked out a few beginner-friendly ones for her. But that wasn’t all.

"This note is very clear... Thank you."

Emilianna held up the notebook at her chest, and I felt a bit embarrassed. It was the Laura Ampere Alchemy Notebook, which I had compiled with Chelsea’s help, summarizing the key points of alchemy.

Teaching alchemy to someone else made me realize how much I relied on intuition. Relying solely on intuition could lead to dead ends in the future. Solid techniques and the knowledge to back them up were essential.

I asked Chelsea to observe my alchemy and measure the time for each step. I also drew diagrams of the fire intensity and herb characteristics. It was a tedious process, but alchemy was a delicate task where the slightest change in force could affect the potency. This level of detail was necessary.

I had apparently been overconfident in my talent. This teaching experience was a great learning opportunity for me.

"No, not at all! I also learned a lot. I’m really intuitive... I gave vague explanations, didn’t I?"

"No! Well, a little..."

Emilianna glanced at me, and I widened my eyes in surprise—then laughed. It was more than a little.

"...I gave a lot of vague explanations, didn’t I?"

My comment made Emilianna smile awkwardly. Her obvious agreement made me laugh out loud.

Ah, I’m really not cut out to be a teacher.

At the same time, I felt closer to Emilianna, who had shared her honest thoughts, and I was happy about it.

I encouraged Emilianna to try her own recovery potion. She took a sip without hesitation—then the door was knocked on roughly.

"Emilianna-sama!"

A man, out of breath, burst into the alchemy room. He was dressed warmly, which was a bit out of place for the capital’s climate—clearly a messenger from Platnovena.

—The relaxed atmosphere was instantly tense.

He held a rolled-up piece of parchment. Without a word—more accurately, he seemed to be at a loss for words—he handed it to me. His cheeks were slightly flushed.

I looked at Emilianna. She seemed rooted to the spot, staring at the man.

I steeled myself, stepped forward, and took the parchment, unrolling it.

—It was a report on the battle with the monsters in Platnovena.

According to the report, 21 people had died. The scale of the battle was unclear, making it hard to judge whether the loss was significant or not, but I mourned the 21 precious lives lost. I scanned the list of names, praying that "those names" wouldn’t be there.

Benjamin Chepik.

Nadia Morolia.

Celestine Bancello.

Baldwin Holly.

Ivette Voire—...

—Oh, God.

I looked up to the sky. A hot sensation rose from the depths of my stomach, and I instinctively covered my mouth. But what overflowed was not from my mouth, but from my eyes.

—Alek Platnovena’s name, and Arnold Roko’s name, were not on the list.

I turned around and smiled, then nodded vigorously.

Emilianna seemed to understand everything from my expression and smiled back, but tears quickly welled up in her eyes. They didn’t fall gently; they poured out like a broken faucet.

I couldn’t help but rush to her side and embrace her trembling shoulders.