Chapter 35

It seems that spring is still far away, and the days are bitterly cold. How are you doing? This is Hermann. It's the coldest season of the year right now. You might wonder what business I have in such a cold season, but today is the day I depart for the capital. ...You might think it's early, and that's a very normal reaction. I thought the same when I heard I had to leave during the sowing season. It seemed like a very early departure. Apparently, they intended to arrive by the sowing season. The coachman was properly informed of this. They apologized, saying that the message had changed a bit in the communication. Well, it's not a problem since I didn't miss the carriage to the capital.

And for those who thought it was early to arrive, it's a very normal reaction. It's about a 50-day journey from here to the capital. Even if I left now, I wouldn't make it in time for the sowing season. I thought that too. It turns out that a special express carriage is being dispatched, and that's why the fare was one small gold coin. The special express carriage is a carriage dispatched by the Alchemy Guild for special requests, pulled by two centaur-type golems. It's said to cover the distance of three to four villages per day. It makes mandatory stops in towns, so it usually takes about 15 days to reach the capital. I thought, "Wow, there's a fast carriage."

However, this carriage is generally not available. It seems that the church, other guilds, and the lord's representatives have priority, and it's not used by commoners. ...Apparently, if you pay enough, they will dispatch it, but the price is usually from a small silver coin. The church, which operates on donations, seems to have a lot of money. It's probably funded by the lord to some extent, otherwise, there would be a situation where only their territory has no talents. The power of the church in this world is strong.

Can adventurers ride on such a special express carriage? I seriously wondered about that. I heard they confirmed with the church, and both the saint and the holy maiden approved. ...At this point, I thought it was likely that Marie was heading to the capital. Considering she would start at 13 in the spring, it's the enrollment season from my previous life. In this life, the enrollment season is from the New Year Festival to the sowing season. It's almost certain that the holy maiden is Marie. I don't know who the other saint is, but I think they are probably the same age as Marie. When we were in the village, the forced relocation to the capital was at 13, so this special express carriage is probably for that purpose. Still, it's convenient that the saint and the holy maiden were born in the same year. It's probably the will of the gods.

So, I got breakfast at the inn early in the morning and checked out much earlier than usual. It's crazy to check out during the coldest season, but I decided this time it was just bad timing. It's technically still night, but for farmers, it's already morning. I thought it would be good to be at the carriage early in case we left early. The carriage for this trip is a golem carriage driven by an alchemist. I confirmed it was already there by yesterday evening. There are no other two-horse carriages except for the special express, so it's two-horse because it will skip three villages. ...Compared to the express carriage, which covers about 10 villages a day, it still seems slow. ...Does the special express carriage also go through the middle? The middle is probably only for the express carriage. It might only go through when a one-horse carriage is overtaken. Otherwise, the express carriage coming from the front would be too scary. ...What happens if two express carriages collide? ...The drivers would probably be thrown off. They would recover with a supreme potion, but collisions are rare. They might avoid each other like acrobatics. Since they are golems, they might be flexible. ...The G is impressive, but do the carriages drift? There might be rules for that.

While fantasizing about this, I went to the carriage. ...The coachman was already ready. I was a bit early, but it was good to be earlier than the church group. It's a carriage for the church, so if I was late, I might have been left behind. This was the right decision.

"Good morning."

"Oh, good morning. You're early; it's just turned morning."

"If I was late, I might have been left behind, so I couldn't take it easy."

"That was the right decision. If the church had said to go, they would have dispatched the carriage. I don't think they would do something so rude to the saint and the holy maiden."

"You have someone in mind for the holy maiden, don't you? I thought she wouldn't leave me behind if her personality hasn't changed."

"Oh? You know the holy maiden?"

"Not exactly, but my sister received the talent of the holy maiden. I think she's the one riding this time."

"I see, so you're siblings. ...I think the saint and the holy maiden are both 13, right?"

"Ah, almost certainly my sister. I'm 12, so if she's 13, it's definitely her. ...Unless there are other holy maidens, but I don't think so."

"The saint and the holy maiden don't usually come in groups, so your thinking is correct. ...It's good that the adventurer riding with us won't cause trouble with the church group. If there was trouble, we might have had to leave you behind."

"I have to avoid trouble. I understand. ...I heard the coachman is a former noble and can fight. Are you from the Iron Welcome faction?"

"No, I'm from the Life Creation faction. What's up, boy? Are you familiar with alchemists?"

"Rather, I aspire to be an alchemist. That's why I'm going to the capital."

"Oh, a potential junior. Do you plan to join the Iron Welcome faction?"

"No, I haven't decided on a faction yet. I want to try everything I want to do first."

"Well, it's rare for someone to decide on a faction before joining. ...But do as much as you can in the first three months. It's good to attend all the basic lectures, regardless of the faction."

"Why is that?"

"The content of the lectures varies, but the basics are mostly set. The Eternal Light faction teaches cauldron making, the Iron Welcome faction teaches combat training, the Life Creation faction teaches wand making, the Dawn faction teaches mana manipulation, the Illusion faction teaches handling materials from magical realms and spirit lands, and the Spirit faction teaches embroidery of alchemy arrays on magical cloth. This probably hasn't changed. The basics are repeated for three months, so it's good to attend multiple times for the Iron Welcome, Dawn, and Illusion factions. For the Eternal Light, Life Creation, and Spirit factions, you only need to attend once, and then you have to figure it out on your own. The Eternal Light faction will cover it in class, but the Life Creation faction will have you grow a wand tree for five days, and the Spirit faction will have you embroider an alchemy array on a 2m x 2m magical cloth. Once you attend, you'll be asked to make the same thing. The alchemy array of the Spirit faction is troublesome but useful, so it's good to have it. ...It's necessary if you want to create undead."

"So, I should make a cauldron, a wand, and an alchemy array. I understand."

"Well, it's good to make a wand again in the third year. In the first year, you make a wand with a temporary mana stone, so it's better to make a better wand after learning mana stone synthesis. ...It's also good to make a simple embroidery and a proper embroidery of the alchemy array. It's hard to do proper embroidery in three months, so it will probably be a simple one at first, but it's easier to manipulate mana with a proper one. It's good to do it if you have time or if you go to a good place in the Spirit faction. ...I only have a simple one."

"Is a better mana stone better for the wand?"

"Yes. It's best to use all attribute mana stones. You can make a wand even after graduation. Have you seen the Alchemy Encyclopedia? The sapling of the spirit tree is the material for the wand. The method is in the book, and you'll learn it in class. If you have time, it's good to make all attributes. Mine is a mix of wind and water attributes. ...It looks like this. I remade it in the third year after visiting the magical realms and spirit lands in the capital."

"Oh, I see. I didn't know the sapling of the spirit tree was used for that. It's educational."

"So, you've read the Alchemy Encyclopedia. That's impressive. You'll learn the uses of many things in the Alchemy Academy. ...There are many things that aren't used, though."

"I understand. It's helpful to know the class content in advance. ...I planned to take all the classes anyway, but I want to make a proper embroidery. I've never done embroidery before."

"Haha, only those who really want to go to the Spirit faction practice embroidery before the Alchemy Academy. I did it for the first time there. Some people start early, but I got bored easily. I didn't like doing only embroidery for three months, so I went to the Iron Welcome faction's combat training and did embroidery in the dorm after school until night."

"Were the rooms in the Alchemy Academy single rooms?"

"Yes, single rooms. If there are too many, over 30,000, the later-enrolled commoners will be in double rooms. A few people become double roomers every year, so it's better to enroll early. Enrollment starts the day after the New Year Festival, and the three months before that are for basic preparation. It's good to learn the basics early. ...The Dawn faction's basic mana manipulation is good to learn first, as it makes cauldron making and projecting alchemy arrays on magical cloth easier."

"I see, enrolling early is advantageous. I understand. ...Does this apply to commoners who are about to lose their noble status?"

"No, only true commoners become double roomers. ...It depends on the year, so it's a matter of luck."

"Luck, huh. If I enroll on the first day, I'll probably get a single room, right?"

"Probably. On the first day, you'll get a single room unless there are a lot of people."

"There's still time, so can you tell me more about the basics?"

"Haha, sure. So, let's see..."

I gathered as much information as I could from the senior alchemist. I understood that enrolling early is advantageous, and I just need to ask about the class content. ...I understood that starting with the Dawn faction's basic mana manipulation is the most efficient, but why? ...I see, it's because you need mana manipulation to engrave your alchemy array on a cauldron and to project an alchemy array on magical cloth. ...So, everyone should start with the Dawn faction's basic mana manipulation, right? ...There are various reasons depending on the faction. It's complicated.

After about an hour of chatting, the church group appeared. ...They're earlier than I thought. It's about the time adventurers glare at the guild. It's still too early to enter and snatch request slips. And, it's Marie, as expected. She seems to have recognized me too. ...Of course, my hair is distinctive. ...From my previous life, I know that hair with different colors at the roots and tips is rare. I wash my face every day, so I know my hair color. It's brown at the roots and gets more golden towards the tips. ...My father had brown hair, and my mother had blonde hair, so it makes sense. But, I wish Marie had more distinctive blonde hair. ...In a way, my hair color is distinctive, but it's easy to identify me.

"I heard an adventurer would be joining us, but I didn't expect it to be Hermann. Life is unpredictable, isn't it? Right, Hermann?"

"I'm glad you're doing well, Marie. I thought this would happen when I heard the saint and the holy maiden would be with us. I see you're the saint, but who are the others?"

"They are the attendants assigned to the saint and the holy maiden. They will accompany us on this journey and take care of our daily needs."

"I see. You've grown, Marie."

"Well, it's just a position. I'm told to act in a way that won't be underestimated in the capital, and I plan to do so. Even with the position of a saint and a holy maiden, there's a risk of being called a country bumpkin."

"But your speech is more refined than before. I think you'll be fine."

"Hermann, you're going to the capital to become an alchemist, right? I know you've been working hard since you were young, but be careful not to give up halfway. ...But I think you'll be fine, Hermann."

"I understand. ...Just to confirm, if there's a battle, I'll be the first to fight. If there are many enemies or a strong enemy, I might need support, but I want to know how much everyone can fight. I know the coachman, a former noble, can fight. I know the saint and the holy maiden can fight with maces, but can the attendants fight?"

"Indeed, Hermann. You've been studying well. As you guessed, the saint, Michael, and I fight with maces. We've done some goblin hunting in the magical realms, so we can handle that level. The attendants have combat talents, so they should be able to handle goblins."

"Understood. If more than five goblins appear at once, I might need help. I think I can handle them alone if they're spread out, but just in case. The same goes for kobolds, which I haven't fought, but I've heard they're about the same strength as goblins. For orcs, I think I can handle up to three, even if they're spread out. ...I haven't fought them either, but I've heard they're about as strong as three goblins, so I think I can handle them."

"Understood. Roman, Patricia, did you hear that? We'll provide support as needed. If we're attacked from two directions, Hermann will handle the one he doesn't go to. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Marie, you're doing a good job as the holy maiden. ...I don't know about the saint, as they didn't say a word, but I think they're on board. ...It won't be forgiven if you don't know later. ...So, with one coachman, four clerics, and one adventurer, the special express carriage set off. The journey is about 15 days, and the fewer attacks, the better. Reporting to the adventurer guild is a hassle, and I'm not sure if it's good to involve the church group in battles. I confirmed, but it's safer to handle everything on our side. Well, let's see how it goes.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I appreciate your feedback. If you could include an evaluation, that would be great. If you could point out any issues in your review, it would help me improve my writing.

...Probably.