Chapter 70

After parting ways with Wake, I still had some time to spare, so I resumed my morning walk.

I thought I should use these gaps in my schedule to consider the method for concocting the spirits' drinking water, but my thoughts kept drifting back to the "fellow disciple" who was revealed just a while ago.

(I remember Arnold once saying that I was the fourth disciple... So, that means I, Casper, Mercedes, and one other person were Master's disciples?)

Without any particular destination in mind, I wandered the corridors, my thoughts aimlessly circling.

I vividly remembered the words the young Arnold had thrown at me with clear displeasure. Master Berta had only taken on four disciples, including me.

Of the remaining three, one was Mercedes, and another was Casper, who was unexpectedly revealed this time. The last one was still unknown.

Whether four disciples in a lifetime was a lot or a little, I couldn't judge without knowing the circumstances of others. However, from the tone of the young Arnold, it seemed to be a small number. Being fellow disciples must mean a deep connection, right? We share the same master and the same profession.

(Why did Casper keep it a secret? Was he forbidden by Master? Was he worried that I would be accused of something if people found out we were fellow disciples?)

Even with the plausible reasons I came up with, I couldn't fully accept them. Specifically,

(He said we didn't get along... Did something happen?)

This was what troubled me. Wake had clearly said, "It's sad that fellow disciples don't get along." If his words were true, there must have been something between Master and Casper.

I wouldn't press the issue, but it was human nature to be curious.

—Then I suddenly remembered. On the day I passed the Royal Alchemist Apprentice exam, Master and Casper had briefly met. At the time, I was so elated by my success that I didn't notice their expressions.

—Thinking about this wouldn't lead to any answers. If Master or Casper ever decided to talk about it, I would reconsider then.

With that conclusion, I turned the corner of the corridor, and at that moment,

"Hey, Laura. Are you going out on your day off?"

"C-Casper!"

What a coincidence. The person I was just thinking about appeared right in front of me, and my voice cracked.

Casper tilted his head at my exaggerated reaction, and I tried to compose myself with a light cough before answering the question he had just asked.

"Yes, that's right. ...My master, who taught me alchemy, is in the capital now. I'm going to learn about the spirits' drinking water from him."

For a moment, I hesitated about mentioning Master, but it would be strange to try to hide it. There were other options, but my nosy curiosity got the better of me.

I glanced at my fellow disciple and superior to see how he would react to my words, but

"Hmm, really?"

He brushed it off with his usual smile. Then, his expression brightened, and he pulled out a notebook from his pocket.

"Oh, right, Laura! I tried a bit of alchemy myself..."

Surprised by his unexpected words, I leaned in closer. In front of me, he held out a notebook and a container with a powdered substance. This was, I believe—

"Here, this is the horn of a magic beast that Arnold brought back from Platoven."

"Effect enhancement..."

"That's right! When I mixed it with the spirits' drinking water, it showed a slight effect of enhancing the potency."

The effect didn't get overshadowed by the overwhelming power of the spirits' drinking water.

The fact he mentioned made all my previous thoughts disappear. It was a small but definite step forward.

"Really!"

"It's almost negligible, but..."

While common herbs had no effect, the magic beast's horn showed a slight interference.

At that moment, the game screen of "Last Brave" flashed in my mind. In the game, you could choose materials and throw them into a magic cauldron to create customized healing potions, a system called "Alchemy." Each material had a "rarity" rated on a five-point scale.

(Could it be that the concept of rarity exists in this world too?)

High-rarity materials had excellent effects and could create better healing potions.

The important thing was that the number of effects a healing potion could have was limited. Just because you combined three herbs with different effects—[Healing], [Paralysis Cure], and [MP Recovery]—didn't mean all three effects would be reflected in the potion. If the [MP Recovery] herb had a lower rarity, it might not be included in the final potion. The effects of higher-rarity herbs took precedence.

—So, perhaps the same thing was happening with the spirits' drinking water. In the game, you couldn't choose the spirits' drinking water as a material, but if you could, it would undoubtedly have the highest rarity. If that were the case, mixing it with low-rarity herbs would result in the herbs' effects not being reflected in the potion, just like in the game.

This time, the magic beast's horn showed its effect because it had a higher rarity than the herbs. If materials of similar rarity were mixed, the effects would likely be reflected without being canceled out.

In this world—this life—rarity couldn't be seen as a visible number, but because I had played "Last Brave," I could understand it.

"To be honest, I never really thought about it before, but maybe materials have different ranks."

"Ranks?"

Casper tilted his head. The concept of rarity didn't exist in the real world, so my words must have been hard for him to understand.

"No, I can't explain it well... But don't you feel that there's a difference in the rarity or rank between herbs growing around here and the spirits' drinking water, which is protected by a barrier?"

I tried to explain it in a way he could understand. Casper, as usual, was good at grasping the essence of my vague words and nodded a few times in agreement.

"Ah, I see... It's quite intuitive, but I get it. And then, there's compatibility, right? The horn of a magic beast that attacks people and the love of the great spirit that saves people seem to have bad compatibility."

Casper chuckled. That was a plausible explanation.

Compatibility was more of a real-world element than a game system. In the game, I could throw materials into the magic cauldron without worrying, but in this world, mixing herbs with bad—or too good—compatibility could cause abnormalities in patients. I learned this when I mixed a magic beast's horn into a healing potion for Elvira.

I still remember it from time to time. The "heat" that spread throughout her body the moment she took the potion.

I sometimes wondered if that heat wasn't a failure, but even if it wasn't, it was too dangerous to prescribe to a young girl. Since it was a phenomenon rarely seen with other healing potions, it was natural to think that something unusual happened due to compatibility issues, whether it was a failure or a success.

"Should we travel the world to find materials with good compatibility and similar ranks?"

It was a daunting task, but it was a possibility.

The concept of rarity, which depended on the game system of my past life, and the concept of compatibility, which existed in this life, would make things quite complex if they coexisted.

The best scenario would be if the spirits' drinking water worked on the self-destruction disease without any concoction, but if that didn't happen, it would be wise to start searching for materials as soon as possible.

Materials with a rarity similar to the spirits' drinking water would likely be found in legends and myths from around the world, dubious as their existence might be. For now, I would reread the book Master gave me, which contained descriptions of the spirits' drinking water and other legends.

"Thank you, Casper. Thanks to you, I have a clear direction now."

With a clear goal set, I felt refreshed.

I bowed to my reliable superior and was about to run back to my room—

"Ah, right. Please convey my regards to Master."

Casper said this with a sad expression I had never seen before and a calm voice I rarely heard.

I stood there, staring at his back as he walked away, for a while.