Chapter 4

"Let's make a potion."

Leise, with a serious expression, declared it loudly. Raphi and Sylvia, who heard the declaration right in front of them, both raised question marks.

It was the morning after Leise and Raphi had met. The statement was made at the dining table after breakfast.

"What's the sudden change of heart?"

"Well, you stopped me from selling the elixir yesterday, right? So, I thought I'd make a potion with a bit less potency."

"Oh, I see."

Producing elixirs in bulk, let alone selling them, would inevitably lead to various complications. Raphi thought it was best to avoid such a situation, so he felt relieved by Leise's idea.

Selling ordinary potions wouldn't cause any problems. Although he had already shown four elixirs, it felt a bit late now.

"By the way, I want to stay in this house while I'm making the potions... Is that okay?"

"Ah, that's fine."

"Great, thanks."

Making potions on the street would be sad, so he was relieved to get permission.

"How long will it take to make them?"

Sylvia's casual question. The time it takes to make a potion varies depending on its effects, but generally, it takes at least an hour to make one bottle.

Raphi, who had some knowledge, felt a bad premonition but waited for Leise's response.

"Well, for a mid-level potion, it takes about a few seconds to make one bottle."

"Sylvia, don't misunderstand. Leise is abnormal. It usually takes over an hour."

In contrast to Raphi's exasperated expression, Sylvia, with wide eyes, smiled pleasantly.

"Hehe, just as my sister said, you're quite unique."

"I don't really realize it myself."

Leise chuckled and opened his bag, taking out materials and tools to prepare for making potions.

Raphi and Sylvia, who found it rare, watched Leise's hands with interest.

"Can we watch?"

"Sure, no problem."

Leise, with practiced movements, arranged the tools, and the two sisters stared at him silently.

"Extraction, Purification, Component Fixation, Sublimation"

"......"

A series of alchemical processes were activated.

Raphi and Sylvia watched the scene in front of them, speechless.

The herbs turned into liquid, impurities were removed, and the liquid was enveloped in a faint light, turning red.

It was a matter of moments. The alchemical feat the sisters saw for the first time was flawlessly perfect.

However, Leise himself felt no particular emotion. Using alchemy was a part of his daily routine, a habit.

So, he didn't know his own limits.

"Done."

The completed potion was poured into a small bottle. Leise looked at it with satisfaction and then activated alchemy again.

"Analysis"

This was mainly used to examine the components of herbs or minerals, or the quality of potions.

"High-level potion, I'd say."

He successfully reduced the potency. As long as he continued making them at this rate, he wouldn't have to worry about money for a while.

Leise sighed in relief, and the two sisters, who had been entranced by the alchemy, finally came to their senses.

"I think I understand what my sister meant."

Sylvia, with a wry smile, fully grasped Leise's abnormality, even though she had little knowledge of alchemy.

Raphi, on the other hand, seemed to have given up caring and was looking at Leise with a hollow laugh and half-closed eyes.

"Haha..."

Leise gave an awkward smile at their reactions. However, his hands continued to produce potions one after another, showing no signs of stopping.

* * *

"Ah, Raphi!"

Saying this, Amelia, the receptionist, approached Raphi. Next to Raphi stood Leise, holding a slightly bulging bag.

Their current location was the Adventurer's Guild. They had come to sell the potions Leise had made.

"Sorry for leaving so suddenly yesterday."

"That's fine, but..."

Amelia glanced at Leise. She was probably still thinking about the elixirs he showed yesterday.

"Sorry for surprising you yesterday. Today, I'm here to sell something different."

"Something different?"

Leise placed the high-level potions he had made on the counter. There were fifteen bottles.

"High-level potions... I see."

Amelia cast a suspicious glance. The events of yesterday were still fresh in her mind. It was understandable, given that she had seen four elixirs right in front of her.

"Um, so... will you buy them?"

Leise asked hesitantly. If these potions weren't bought, he would remain penniless. He absolutely wanted to avoid that, and he couldn't keep relying on Raphi.

"Yes, it's fine. ...But, I do want to ask you about what happened yesterday."

Amelia's well-defined eyes twisted, and she glared at Leise.

"Ahaha..."

He tried to cover it up with a dry smile, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. After all, he had left without a word yesterday.

"Well, maybe we can talk about it another day."

Raphi's words, which couldn't hide his wry smile, seemed to make Amelia give up on pressing the issue. She started calculating the purchase price.

"Two silver coins per bottle, so that's three gold coins in total. Is that okay?"

"Surprisingly high."

Leise was surprised by the price. One gold coin was worth ten silver coins, and with three gold coins, he could live for nearly a week. And he had three.

However, making potions required materials, so his actual income would be less. Still, it was enough to live on his own.

"Recently, monsters have been appearing frequently, so adventurers have been buying up potions, leading to a shortage. It's a bit insensitive, but the timing was good for you."

"Really? That's good to know."

Good luck. More money is always better.

Moreover, at this rate, the future looked bright. As long as he could regularly obtain alchemical materials, his life would be stable.

"I might be able to stand on my own... It's a bit embarrassing for a man to rely on a girl for living, so I'm relieved."

"Here you go."

"Thank you."

Leise took the three gold coins from Amelia. With this, he had achieved his goal for the day.

"Well, the money issue is settled. I'll start renting a room from today."

"That's good. Well... I think I'll take a request for the first time in a while."

Saying this, Raphi went to the board where requests were posted. Leise followed behind and looked at the requests on the board.

"Herb gathering, monster hunting, helping with odd jobs in the city... There are so many different types of requests."

"Hmm? Ah, not all requests for adventurers involve combat. Some are for potion making, and once you become famous, you might even get special requests."

After saying this, Raphi glanced at Leise's face.

"Really..."

His eyes were narrowed with interest, and a smile was on his face. Raphi, seeing this, regretted saying it, thinking, "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

* * *