“Hmm?” Considering what she said, I reread the information I wrote down in the note section of my bracelet from Cernust’s lesson. “Maybe I put in too much of the fragassa juice? ‘Medicinal herb(crushed and juices extracted), mana water(the higher quality the better), alcohol(weaker beverages like fruit wine or mead are sufficient), salt, sweet-sour tasting liquid(fragassa), bone marrow(Minimum rank E for the best results)’ are the ingredients. I have everything.”
I then scrolled down to the instructions of the process. “‘Crush herbs with the mortar, add it in a normal glass pot with mana water, stir mixture until the color changes to green, add a pinch of salt and let it rest. Mix sweet-sour liquid, salt, and alcohol into another pot, pour it into a fairnite-powder beaker and heat it until it boils. Add herbs and bone marrow, mix until the color changes to red or pink. If pink, add own mana to facilitate additional alchemic reactions.’ That is what I wrote down, and I followed the whole process as we did yesterday. Hmm, strange.”
The color of the liquid was a dark red, similar to blood. I could agree that the smell of the potion was off, unlike the one I made yesterday, but I wasn’t sure where I went wrong.
From what Cernust told me, the medicinal herbs and bone marrow must be used generously, as they work together to create the healing effect of a health potion. Mana water increased this effect even further, alcohol was there as a base to bind the ingredients together, salt to prevent infections and the sweet-sour liquid for the taste and color. The fragassa juice was important, otherwise the health potion would taste horrendous, to the point even the most iron-willed adventure would puke it out.
The one Cernust made as an example was without fruit juices. The taste really was horrendous and nauseating. Bitter Brrr, argh.
I pondered the reason for my failure. What was different from my previous practice environment? It was then I figured it was probably the alchemy instruments we bought.
Since the alchemy guild or its licensed vendors wouldn’t sell their tools to non-members, Cernust instead introduced us to a “Pawn” shop. Well, to be truthful, it was more of a scavenger shop where people sell any equipment they looted from dead bodies or just found somewhere. Items normal shops wouldn’t want to buy due to being too damaged, stained, or just worthless. It acted as a second-hand shop, essentially, but worked with more money supposedly than the ones at the marketplace.
Inside, Cernust pointed us to a few worn down alembics, beakers, and other tools we could use. Whether they came from the dead or were sold off “stainless” didn’t matter in a place like this, and as such, was kept cheap. Miss Saori was elated as our purse wouldn’t be hurt too much and told me to just not think about the past of the items. I guess it was true.
This little detour was also quite lucky as we managed to buy an alembic set and two beakers made from fairnite, meaning they insulated mana well. According to Cernust, this meant it was easier to make higher-quality potions, although he still suggested I purchase better equipment in the future. I began my journey to become a proper alchemist.
He told me these tools would suffice, but I was skeptical due to my failed concoction. I also wondered if I used too little fragassa juices, since the broth smelled pretty bitter, but that was when Miss Saori picked up the bottle of fruit wine I used.
“Did you get this from inside the mansion?”
“Yes, I asked Svena to bring some, as I needed it for practice. She was quite helpful,” I answered.
Svena was serving Lady Hestia only temporarily, but it still made her a part of my mistress’s staff. I had to be friendlier towards her so we could serve Lady Hestia better. It was kind of her to take over my duties so I might practice alchemy more. I still have not gained [Alchemy], after all.
“I see,” she nodded with an enlightened expression. “Tasianna, the fruit wine you used yesterday was the wine Cernust bought from his inn. They might have the same name, but the wine of a noble cannot be compared to a commoner’s. Nobles strive for quality beverages when they serve a drink to themselves or their guests, while commoners are more interested in how much they must pay. Depending on your vendor, the alcohol content of wines can be completely different.”
“… Oh, was this wine too strong? Is that the reason?”
Miss Saori seemed like an alcohol connoisseur, considering how much she enjoyed drinking ale and wine, so taking her word was appropriate. I did not have much experience with alcoholic beverages, as I disliked the taste of it, so it was hard for me to differentiate between the fruit wine I used yesterday and the one today. Both smelled horrible, despite being “fruity.”
As I was complaining about having to throw away and waste this batch of potions, Miss Saori stopped me and told me to add more mana water into the beaker to dilute it. “Watering down” the alcohol content would probably get rid of the awful smell and wrong color, she guessed.
I believed it would also lower the quality of the resulting potion, but it was better than wasting a whole batch. I grew the Belzac herbs for our party’s uses, so wasting it was a no-no for me.
After adding more mana water and heating it while stirring, the color changed from dark red to a normal red. The smell also changed to something neutral instead of the fruity smell of fragassa I had yesterday. Diluting the wine also diluted the fragassa juices, I see.
… I puffed up my cheeks in disappointment.
From our battle against the onnikais, our party used up eight potions. Amongst them was also the ones Sister Silva had, who graciously gave the empty bottles to us, as she didn’t need them to weigh her down. As we haven’t sold them back to the potion seller, I was able to fill four of these eight empty vials with this Health potion. It wasn’t perfect, but I finally managed to make another batch.
Pleasant enough.
Lady Hestia’s increased skill proficiency gain effect has been useful once again. I made two batches yesterday under Cernust’s care using his spare empty vials to sell to Zeather for some alchemic ingredients. Including this one, three batches were needed for me to gain this skill.
Ahh, so it is similar to my [Brewing] skill.
[Brewing] allowed me to learn the perfect temperature and preparation method for specific tea leaves to create something suitable for Lady Hestia’s and Miss Saori’s taste. If I were to dabble in the other pursuits of being an alchemist, I believe that having a high-level [Alchemy] skill would be a great boon. However, for now, I would stick to potion-making. Catalysts and stat boosting elixirs could wait for later.
“Failure is the road to success,” Miss Saori comforted me, rubbing my shoulders as my reward for my toil.
“Thank you very much.”
“No need, Tasianna. I would suggest you learn more about alcohol if what Cernust said was correct. Alcohol is the base for the majority of potions, so it would be wise for you to know the difference between beer and spirits like sake,” she stated. “Wait a moment, I think I just had an epiphany. Your [Brewing] skill, could it not be used to make alcohol? There is a concept called ‘mixology’ on Earth where practitioners mix liquors called ‘cocktails.’ They mix different beverages with alcohol as its base to create new tasteful drinks. Have you tried using your skill with alcohol?”
“… Miss Saori, you aren’t suggesting this to me because you like alcohol, right?” I said with a plain expression, knowing full well of the “izakaya” and “disco” culture on Earth.
“N-no, no, no, no! That was not my intention, I swear.” Her flustered face made me believe it was one of her secondary goals. “I just thought it would be great if your skill could branch out from tea brewing, considering how [Alchemy] has such a wide range. Your skill is called ‘brewing’ and not ‘tea brewing,’ right? Restaurants on Earth can serve liquor to patrons, so I thought it would help our endeavors.”
“Hmm, well, if it will benefit our establishment, then I shall practice. Could you teach me?” I asked, to which Miss Saori answered that she would ask Lady Hestia. Apparently, Lady Hestia read about it from their “internet,” this giant information network created from “digital” and “electrical” means. They tried explaining it to me, but it still confused me. I couldn’t fathom the imagination of such a concept, but it sounded amazing.
“Ah, Hestia and Ellaine should already be in the forest by now, considering the travel speed of Ellaine’s gargoyle. I shall be leaving, too. I need to do some research on eateries and street food.”
With that, Miss Saori left.
Before the human nobles returned to Firwood, Lady Ellaine wanted to train with Lady Hestia a bit more. A “training arc” was what Lady Hestia called it and decided they should travel to the forest after we managed to talk Zeather and Cernust into our plans. My mistress wanted to help her friend gain more confidence through levels, skill improvements, and more. She was a gentle soul.
Miss Saori mentioned she hadn’t formed a menu yet for our restaurant, so she wished to research what Firwood’s street food could offer and figure out what we could create as a niche for our restaurant. Apparently, the food we served to Lady Ellaine might be alright to serve nobles and rich merchants, but they weren’t appropriate for wageworkers like the ones in the middle and lower districts of the commoner half of the town. Street food had to be fast, efficient, and delicious, apparently.
After Miss Saori left, I ended my alchemy practice for now. We needed more vials first and Miss Saori was keeping our party’s budget with her, so I had no access to our money. Besides, I didn’t think I had the courage to speak with a vendor, nor the patience if it were a human.
So, I decided to do something else. This was one of the rare moments where I wasn’t accompanying Lady Hestia or Miss Saori, so I believe this would be a great chance to finally learn more about Kiiro, specifically, the orb it was residing in.
I left my room after tending to my garden and moved to the training room under the Helvas mansion.
Identify.
A gift from Goddess Ilsaphone. This is proof that the Goddess aided the onnikai.
Priest Kushlek’zar—Lady Hestia’s and my mage mentor—had already informed us of the importance of acquiring a catalyst as mages. I had also read up on enchantments—similar to runes as it improved the effectiveness of equipment, but it could only be applied on highly mana-based objects like catalysts or clothes made from mana threads. Another restriction was that only three enchantments could be added to an item, as too many sources would cause instability.
My catalyst already had two enchantments, sadly, but at least they were good ones. According to Cernust, my catalyst had far too little skills compared to a top-quality one, but I apparently could reform it in the future with better monster materials while retaining the enchantments. I had to preserve the ‘core.’ Also, he warned me to not lose or have it break, as enchantments were expensive enough to send a noble house into debt.
Miss Saori nearly fainted when she heard that yesterday … I patted my catalyst, swearing to make sure not to stress out my benefactors.
“Kiiro, can you hear me?” I spoke to the orb after I was done appraising it.
It was silent for a moment until a small, child-like voice responded to my question, [“… I am awake now, Tasianna. There are no humans here? The Champion isn’t here, either?”]
Instead of me answering it, another voice escaped from the orb, entering my mind. It was deeper, similar to an adult male. [“The Alpha and Mistress Hestia have left for their duties. Miss Tasianna is alone with us.”]
That was the voice of one of the four onnikais who controlled the four undead garms. The other three were being transformed into Miss Saori’s shadow beasts, but this one had to stay inside my orb due to the limitations of Miss Saori’s [Shadow Pack]. It could only hold three shadow beasts for now. This one was waiting inside the orb for the skill to level up and its capacity to increase.
Apparently, its mind had managed to regenerate to the point it could form proper sentences after I supplied it mana to eat. We were faefolk, after all. Beings made from mana.
[“I see,”] Kiiro mumbled. [“Then, why have you woken me up, Tasianna? There is no need to call for me until we fight against Davison. My life’s goal is his death only.”]
The chilly tone of its voice was frightening, feeling a bit too nostalgic to me. I could sympathize well with Kiiro, as we both experienced the cruelty of greedy humans, but I wouldn’t dare say it out loud. Not only was Kiiro multiple centuries older than me, but it also had to live this time as a mindless, rage-driven onnikai. I could never understand all its pain, although I hoped our experience with humans was the same.
Kiiro reminded me too much of myself when I was caught by those fairy hunters. My emotions went wild and everything else was just a blur for me. It made me neglect my original duty as Princess Schuri’s retainer. This memory was like a needle piercing my heart.
“I want you to teach me how to use the [Liquid Mana] of the catalyst. Considering you created and controlled that onnikai beast, you are the best teacher for me,” I answered, making it short for this ill-tempered spirit.
“… Will it help with killing Davison?” Kiiro uttered with its bloodthirst seeping out.
I nodded immediately. “Of course. If I can fight better, I can participate more in the upcoming battles. I will be less afraid of being a liability to Lady Hestia and Miss Saori. ‘Aurora’ requires me to be stronger.”
“… Then let me teaaaacccch youuuuuu. I will make you into an instrument of power, Tasianna. Channel your rage, let it flow through your mana, and cast a spell!”
Ignoring how the spirit said it, I did what Kiiro told me. Similar to how Lady Hestia would channel her mana into me to heal me, I controlled my mana and let some of it flow into the orb. Thinking of Lady Hestia’s words of a “wind drill or ice sword,” I cast [Icicle Spike]. A light blue magic circle appeared before the catalyst and a sharp icicle shot out, which I stopped with [Cryokinesis].
“… It doesn’t look any different?” I said.
“Wind becomes like a strong shield, water becomes a wall, fire turns into a sword of power, but the earth is sturdy already. How will it benefit an element that is already solid, to begin with?” Kiiro told me. “Tasianna, the power of [Liquid Mana] is flexibility. It is a slime, a mold to be controlled like a puppet. Mana can become strings. Mana can become weapons. Mana can become beasts. Observe. Grant me mana and I shall show you.”
Using the mana inside the orb, Kiiro shined yellow inside it, before a blue material began to grow around the orb like a mold. The more seconds passed, it started to resemble the slime the onnikai used to control their possessed corpses, albeit it wasn’t black. Then, two droplets formed, dripping down from the orb before they solidified.
“Remove them for me,” it ordered and I obliged, however, what happened afterward surprised me.
“They are levitating?!” I exclaimed.
“Yes! It moves through my will! The beast, my creation, it moved through the enchantment and my mana! However, know this, once the mana is solidified, it will be restricted to the rules of any solid creation. My beast … it couldn’t defend if it cannot reach me,” Kiiro stated, explaining why Lady Hestia was able to trap and restrict the onnikai beast from leaving. “The solid mana will inherit characteristics from the element you used to create it, which means, if you make an ice elemental slime, it will be weak to fire. Similar to how our dark mana was weak to the Champion’s white fire and holy spells.”
Understanding his example, I attempted using [Liquid Mana] again. Channeling [Ice Spike], instead of casting the spell, I used the mana stored inside the magic circle to create the slime. The idea was similar to Miss Saori’s [Elemental Mana Weave], and I was able to understand how Kiiro was able to use the skill without channeling a spell.
Cyan-colored slime was slowly being formed around the catalyst. Instead of letting the slime cover the orb, I began to morph it through my image of Lady Hestia’s spear. A sharp spearhead formed around the orb while a long handle came from its bottom. Once I had the form, Kiiro told me to will the slime to solidify, similar to what it did with the onnikai beast.
The slime hardened. The cyan colored surface of it transformed into the pristine appearance of my ice spells. A white mist of cold could be seen surrounding the spear, and I felt a small chill as I grasped it for the first time. Was this the feeling of frostbite?
“Good! Wield it like a humanoid weapon, or have it float around you. Better yet, create more of it and let them defend you. Why must you use [Cryokinesis] to have them float if you can use this catalyst? Mana will not be consumed, but you will still need to control them individually,” Kiiro said.
“Is there an easier way? The issue I have with [Cryokinesis] is the difficulty of controlling multiple ice creations at once, as I cannot think of orders fast enough. It would be possible if I were to stand in the backline; however, I want to fight with Miss Saori and Lady Hestia side-by-side.”
My role as a maid should be with my mistress, not being the one defended. I couldn’t assert the same power as Lady Hestia could; I was no dragon. However, if I couldn’t smite her enemies, then I could at least defend her. Miss Saori trained to destroy foes before they reached Lady Hestia, so I must be the last line of defense. I wanted to be that defensive shield.
Unfortunately, not every wooden shield would prove useful for long. One day, a strong sword would pierce it … so I must become stronger. Temper myself. I must make this new power my own.
“… Allow me to help you then.”
Using [Cryokinesis], I tore off two pieces of the spear’s handle and threw them up in the air. They began to levitate and transformed into arrowheads. I threw the spear into the air and Kiiro began to move not only the spear but also the icicle arrowheads. They were moving fluidly through the air, while I was free to cast more spells.
[Frozen Shield], [Icicle Gust], [Water Wall], [Wind Blast]. I could activate spell after spell and it didn’t slow down the attack speed of Kiiro and my floating ice weapons. I even increased the number of pieces and Kiiro was able to move them all by his lonesome. It was amazing. Even if one of them broke, as long as I had the catalyst, I could produce more. I wasn’t even limited to arrows. Spears, swords, hammers, anything I could think of.
However, while I was ecstatic at my new ability, I also realized something.
I cannot allow Kiiro to control them forever. It will leave us one day and … it’s too unstable.
I recalled the catalyst and dispelled all the weapons. I then turned the spear surrounding the orb into a sword. For now, I shall learn how to use both [Cryokinesis] and the catalyst without Kiiro’s support. That meant having it attack at the same time whenever I cast a spell. I must challenge myself.
After returning to Firwood, I had changed my Main Job to [Cryomancer], as I wanted to become better at manipulating ice. It didn’t improve [Cryokinesis] itself, but it allowed me to gain a good amount of stats while granting me the skill [Frost Body Lv. 1].
I transformed into a form where I could still keep my heightened stats as an elf while also regaining my fairy wings. I flew up into the air and began using the orb to deal damage from afar onto an ice statue I created as a training dummy.
While I was at it, I also tested out Goddess Zephira’s blessing. I could manipulate any wind spell I cast as if I had [Aerokinesis] in my Profile, but it didn’t seem as useful as the real deal. Wind spells were already pretty flexible, but I couldn’t reproduce Lady Hestia’s musical recreation as the blessing only accounted for the wind I created with a spell.
A comparison to this would be like me working with a cup of water to make some soup, unlike Lady Hestia who had access to an entire ocean. It was restrictive, plainly explained, and I couldn’t perform complicated actions like playing music.
It would most likely become stronger once I had access to [Storm Magic], since the spells of this advanced magic skill were more offensively focused.
[Air Shield] has become nicer to use, though. I can control what can go in and out.
[Air Shield] was a spell that allowed you to protect yourself from sound-based and gaseous attacks. If the shield was strong enough, it could even completely nullify Lady Hestia’s [Dragon Roar]. However, the problem was that air couldn’t enter the bubble. “Oxygen” was contained in the air and it was needed to breathe and live. With this improved [Air Shield] I could control what entered and exited it. I could eavesdrop on others while they couldn’t hear me, and vice versa, if I so wanted.
After continuing for multiple bells worth of time, I finally reached my goal.
Finally!
Sweating and feeling fulfilled, I left the training room and returned to my room to clean myself. After taking a shower, I wondered if Miss Saori was home or not, but none of the servants saw her return.
It’s Miss Saori. There is nothing to worry about.
Lady Hestia was on a trip with Lady Ellaine and Miss Saori was probably using her time efficiently, too. I should do my part. After drinking and eating something, I continued my alchemy training by preparing ingredients.
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“Hmm?” Considering what she said, I reread the information I wrote down in the note section of my bracelet from Cernust’s lesson. “Maybe I put in too much of the fragassa juice? ‘Medicinal herb(crushed and juices extracted), mana water(the higher quality the better), alcohol(weaker beverages like fruit wine or mead are sufficient), salt, sweet-sour tasting liquid(fragassa), bone marrow(Minimum rank E for the best results)’ are the ingredients. I have everything.”
I then scrolled down to the instructions of the process. “‘Crush herbs with the mortar, add it in a normal glass pot with mana water, stir mixture until the color changes to green, add a pinch of salt and let it rest. Mix sweet-sour liquid, salt, and alcohol into another pot, pour it into a fairnite-powder beaker and heat it until it boils. Add herbs and bone marrow, mix until the color changes to red or pink. If pink, add own mana to facilitate additional alchemic reactions.’ That is what I wrote down, and I followed the whole process as we did yesterday. Hmm, strange.”
The color of the liquid was a dark red, similar to blood. I could agree that the smell of the potion was off, unlike the one I made yesterday, but I wasn’t sure where I went wrong.
From what Cernust told me, the medicinal herbs and bone marrow must be used generously, as they work together to create the healing effect of a health potion. Mana water increased this effect even further, alcohol was there as a base to bind the ingredients together, salt to prevent infections and the sweet-sour liquid for the taste and color. The fragassa juice was important, otherwise the health potion would taste horrendous, to the point even the most iron-willed adventure would puke it out.
The one Cernust made as an example was without fruit juices. The taste really was horrendous and nauseating. Bitter Brrr, argh.
I pondered the reason for my failure. What was different from my previous practice environment? It was then I figured it was probably the alchemy instruments we bought.
Since the alchemy guild or its licensed vendors wouldn’t sell their tools to non-members, Cernust instead introduced us to a “Pawn” shop. Well, to be truthful, it was more of a scavenger shop where people sell any equipment they looted from dead bodies or just found somewhere. Items normal shops wouldn’t want to buy due to being too damaged, stained, or just worthless. It acted as a second-hand shop, essentially, but worked with more money supposedly than the ones at the marketplace.
Inside, Cernust pointed us to a few worn down alembics, beakers, and other tools we could use. Whether they came from the dead or were sold off “stainless” didn’t matter in a place like this, and as such, was kept cheap. Miss Saori was elated as our purse wouldn’t be hurt too much and told me to just not think about the past of the items. I guess it was true.
This little detour was also quite lucky as we managed to buy an alembic set and two beakers made from fairnite, meaning they insulated mana well. According to Cernust, this meant it was easier to make higher-quality potions, although he still suggested I purchase better equipment in the future. I began my journey to become a proper alchemist.
He told me these tools would suffice, but I was skeptical due to my failed concoction. I also wondered if I used too little fragassa juices, since the broth smelled pretty bitter, but that was when Miss Saori picked up the bottle of fruit wine I used.
“Did you get this from inside the mansion?”
“Yes, I asked Svena to bring some, as I needed it for practice. She was quite helpful,” I answered.
Svena was serving Lady Hestia only temporarily, but it still made her a part of my mistress’s staff. I had to be friendlier towards her so we could serve Lady Hestia better. It was kind of her to take over my duties so I might practice alchemy more. I still have not gained [Alchemy], after all.
“I see,” she nodded with an enlightened expression. “Tasianna, the fruit wine you used yesterday was the wine Cernust bought from his inn. They might have the same name, but the wine of a noble cannot be compared to a commoner’s. Nobles strive for quality beverages when they serve a drink to themselves or their guests, while commoners are more interested in how much they must pay. Depending on your vendor, the alcohol content of wines can be completely different.”
“… Oh, was this wine too strong? Is that the reason?”
Miss Saori seemed like an alcohol connoisseur, considering how much she enjoyed drinking ale and wine, so taking her word was appropriate. I did not have much experience with alcoholic beverages, as I disliked the taste of it, so it was hard for me to differentiate between the fruit wine I used yesterday and the one today. Both smelled horrible, despite being “fruity.”
As I was complaining about having to throw away and waste this batch of potions, Miss Saori stopped me and told me to add more mana water into the beaker to dilute it. “Watering down” the alcohol content would probably get rid of the awful smell and wrong color, she guessed.
I believed it would also lower the quality of the resulting potion, but it was better than wasting a whole batch. I grew the Belzac herbs for our party’s uses, so wasting it was a no-no for me.
After adding more mana water and heating it while stirring, the color changed from dark red to a normal red. The smell also changed to something neutral instead of the fruity smell of fragassa I had yesterday. Diluting the wine also diluted the fragassa juices, I see.
… I puffed up my cheeks in disappointment.
From our battle against the onnikais, our party used up eight potions. Amongst them was also the ones Sister Silva had, who graciously gave the empty bottles to us, as she didn’t need them to weigh her down. As we haven’t sold them back to the potion seller, I was able to fill four of these eight empty vials with this Health potion. It wasn’t perfect, but I finally managed to make another batch.
Pleasant enough.
Lady Hestia’s increased skill proficiency gain effect has been useful once again. I made two batches yesterday under Cernust’s care using his spare empty vials to sell to Zeather for some alchemic ingredients. Including this one, three batches were needed for me to gain this skill.
Ahh, so it is similar to my [Brewing] skill.
[Brewing] allowed me to learn the perfect temperature and preparation method for specific tea leaves to create something suitable for Lady Hestia’s and Miss Saori’s taste. If I were to dabble in the other pursuits of being an alchemist, I believe that having a high-level [Alchemy] skill would be a great boon. However, for now, I would stick to potion-making. Catalysts and stat boosting elixirs could wait for later.
“Failure is the road to success,” Miss Saori comforted me, rubbing my shoulders as my reward for my toil.
“Thank you very much.”
“No need, Tasianna. I would suggest you learn more about alcohol if what Cernust said was correct. Alcohol is the base for the majority of potions, so it would be wise for you to know the difference between beer and spirits like sake,” she stated. “Wait a moment, I think I just had an epiphany. Your [Brewing] skill, could it not be used to make alcohol? There is a concept called ‘mixology’ on Earth where practitioners mix liquors called ‘cocktails.’ They mix different beverages with alcohol as its base to create new tasteful drinks. Have you tried using your skill with alcohol?”
“… Miss Saori, you aren’t suggesting this to me because you like alcohol, right?” I said with a plain expression, knowing full well of the “izakaya” and “disco” culture on Earth.
“N-no, no, no, no! That was not my intention, I swear.” Her flustered face made me believe it was one of her secondary goals. “I just thought it would be great if your skill could branch out from tea brewing, considering how [Alchemy] has such a wide range. Your skill is called ‘brewing’ and not ‘tea brewing,’ right? Restaurants on Earth can serve liquor to patrons, so I thought it would help our endeavors.”
“Hmm, well, if it will benefit our establishment, then I shall practice. Could you teach me?” I asked, to which Miss Saori answered that she would ask Lady Hestia. Apparently, Lady Hestia read about it from their “internet,” this giant information network created from “digital” and “electrical” means. They tried explaining it to me, but it still confused me. I couldn’t fathom the imagination of such a concept, but it sounded amazing.
“Ah, Hestia and Ellaine should already be in the forest by now, considering the travel speed of Ellaine’s gargoyle. I shall be leaving, too. I need to do some research on eateries and street food.”
With that, Miss Saori left.
Before the human nobles returned to Firwood, Lady Ellaine wanted to train with Lady Hestia a bit more. A “training arc” was what Lady Hestia called it and decided they should travel to the forest after we managed to talk Zeather and Cernust into our plans. My mistress wanted to help her friend gain more confidence through levels, skill improvements, and more. She was a gentle soul.
Miss Saori mentioned she hadn’t formed a menu yet for our restaurant, so she wished to research what Firwood’s street food could offer and figure out what we could create as a niche for our restaurant. Apparently, the food we served to Lady Ellaine might be alright to serve nobles and rich merchants, but they weren’t appropriate for wageworkers like the ones in the middle and lower districts of the commoner half of the town. Street food had to be fast, efficient, and delicious, apparently.
After Miss Saori left, I ended my alchemy practice for now. We needed more vials first and Miss Saori was keeping our party’s budget with her, so I had no access to our money. Besides, I didn’t think I had the courage to speak with a vendor, nor the patience if it were a human.
So, I decided to do something else. This was one of the rare moments where I wasn’t accompanying Lady Hestia or Miss Saori, so I believe this would be a great chance to finally learn more about Kiiro, specifically, the orb it was residing in.
I left my room after tending to my garden and moved to the training room under the Helvas mansion.
Identify.
A gift from Goddess Ilsaphone. This is proof that the Goddess aided the onnikai.
Priest Kushlek’zar—Lady Hestia’s and my mage mentor—had already informed us of the importance of acquiring a catalyst as mages. I had also read up on enchantments—similar to runes as it improved the effectiveness of equipment, but it could only be applied on highly mana-based objects like catalysts or clothes made from mana threads. Another restriction was that only three enchantments could be added to an item, as too many sources would cause instability.
My catalyst already had two enchantments, sadly, but at least they were good ones. According to Cernust, my catalyst had far too little skills compared to a top-quality one, but I apparently could reform it in the future with better monster materials while retaining the enchantments. I had to preserve the ‘core.’ Also, he warned me to not lose or have it break, as enchantments were expensive enough to send a noble house into debt.
Miss Saori nearly fainted when she heard that yesterday … I patted my catalyst, swearing to make sure not to stress out my benefactors.
“Kiiro, can you hear me?” I spoke to the orb after I was done appraising it.
It was silent for a moment until a small, child-like voice responded to my question, [“… I am awake now, Tasianna. There are no humans here? The Champion isn’t here, either?”]
Instead of me answering it, another voice escaped from the orb, entering my mind. It was deeper, similar to an adult male. [“The Alpha and Mistress Hestia have left for their duties. Miss Tasianna is alone with us.”]
That was the voice of one of the four onnikais who controlled the four undead garms. The other three were being transformed into Miss Saori’s shadow beasts, but this one had to stay inside my orb due to the limitations of Miss Saori’s [Shadow Pack]. It could only hold three shadow beasts for now. This one was waiting inside the orb for the skill to level up and its capacity to increase.
Apparently, its mind had managed to regenerate to the point it could form proper sentences after I supplied it mana to eat. We were faefolk, after all. Beings made from mana.
[“I see,”] Kiiro mumbled. [“Then, why have you woken me up, Tasianna? There is no need to call for me until we fight against Davison. My life’s goal is his death only.”]
The chilly tone of its voice was frightening, feeling a bit too nostalgic to me. I could sympathize well with Kiiro, as we both experienced the cruelty of greedy humans, but I wouldn’t dare say it out loud. Not only was Kiiro multiple centuries older than me, but it also had to live this time as a mindless, rage-driven onnikai. I could never understand all its pain, although I hoped our experience with humans was the same.
Kiiro reminded me too much of myself when I was caught by those fairy hunters. My emotions went wild and everything else was just a blur for me. It made me neglect my original duty as Princess Schuri’s retainer. This memory was like a needle piercing my heart.
“I want you to teach me how to use the [Liquid Mana] of the catalyst. Considering you created and controlled that onnikai beast, you are the best teacher for me,” I answered, making it short for this ill-tempered spirit.
“… Will it help with killing Davison?” Kiiro uttered with its bloodthirst seeping out.
I nodded immediately. “Of course. If I can fight better, I can participate more in the upcoming battles. I will be less afraid of being a liability to Lady Hestia and Miss Saori. ‘Aurora’ requires me to be stronger.”
“… Then let me teaaaacccch youuuuuu. I will make you into an instrument of power, Tasianna. Channel your rage, let it flow through your mana, and cast a spell!”
Ignoring how the spirit said it, I did what Kiiro told me. Similar to how Lady Hestia would channel her mana into me to heal me, I controlled my mana and let some of it flow into the orb. Thinking of Lady Hestia’s words of a “wind drill or ice sword,” I cast [Icicle Spike]. A light blue magic circle appeared before the catalyst and a sharp icicle shot out, which I stopped with [Cryokinesis].
“… It doesn’t look any different?” I said.
“Wind becomes like a strong shield, water becomes a wall, fire turns into a sword of power, but the earth is sturdy already. How will it benefit an element that is already solid, to begin with?” Kiiro told me. “Tasianna, the power of [Liquid Mana] is flexibility. It is a slime, a mold to be controlled like a puppet. Mana can become strings. Mana can become weapons. Mana can become beasts. Observe. Grant me mana and I shall show you.”
Using the mana inside the orb, Kiiro shined yellow inside it, before a blue material began to grow around the orb like a mold. The more seconds passed, it started to resemble the slime the onnikai used to control their possessed corpses, albeit it wasn’t black. Then, two droplets formed, dripping down from the orb before they solidified.
“Remove them for me,” it ordered and I obliged, however, what happened afterward surprised me.
“They are levitating?!” I exclaimed.
“Yes! It moves through my will! The beast, my creation, it moved through the enchantment and my mana! However, know this, once the mana is solidified, it will be restricted to the rules of any solid creation. My beast … it couldn’t defend if it cannot reach me,” Kiiro stated, explaining why Lady Hestia was able to trap and restrict the onnikai beast from leaving. “The solid mana will inherit characteristics from the element you used to create it, which means, if you make an ice elemental slime, it will be weak to fire. Similar to how our dark mana was weak to the Champion’s white fire and holy spells.”
Understanding his example, I attempted using [Liquid Mana] again. Channeling [Ice Spike], instead of casting the spell, I used the mana stored inside the magic circle to create the slime. The idea was similar to Miss Saori’s [Elemental Mana Weave], and I was able to understand how Kiiro was able to use the skill without channeling a spell.
Cyan-colored slime was slowly being formed around the catalyst. Instead of letting the slime cover the orb, I began to morph it through my image of Lady Hestia’s spear. A sharp spearhead formed around the orb while a long handle came from its bottom. Once I had the form, Kiiro told me to will the slime to solidify, similar to what it did with the onnikai beast.
The slime hardened. The cyan colored surface of it transformed into the pristine appearance of my ice spells. A white mist of cold could be seen surrounding the spear, and I felt a small chill as I grasped it for the first time. Was this the feeling of frostbite?
“Good! Wield it like a humanoid weapon, or have it float around you. Better yet, create more of it and let them defend you. Why must you use [Cryokinesis] to have them float if you can use this catalyst? Mana will not be consumed, but you will still need to control them individually,” Kiiro said.
“Is there an easier way? The issue I have with [Cryokinesis] is the difficulty of controlling multiple ice creations at once, as I cannot think of orders fast enough. It would be possible if I were to stand in the backline; however, I want to fight with Miss Saori and Lady Hestia side-by-side.”
My role as a maid should be with my mistress, not being the one defended. I couldn’t assert the same power as Lady Hestia could; I was no dragon. However, if I couldn’t smite her enemies, then I could at least defend her. Miss Saori trained to destroy foes before they reached Lady Hestia, so I must be the last line of defense. I wanted to be that defensive shield.
Unfortunately, not every wooden shield would prove useful for long. One day, a strong sword would pierce it … so I must become stronger. Temper myself. I must make this new power my own.
“… Allow me to help you then.”
Using [Cryokinesis], I tore off two pieces of the spear’s handle and threw them up in the air. They began to levitate and transformed into arrowheads. I threw the spear into the air and Kiiro began to move not only the spear but also the icicle arrowheads. They were moving fluidly through the air, while I was free to cast more spells.
[Frozen Shield], [Icicle Gust], [Water Wall], [Wind Blast]. I could activate spell after spell and it didn’t slow down the attack speed of Kiiro and my floating ice weapons. I even increased the number of pieces and Kiiro was able to move them all by his lonesome. It was amazing. Even if one of them broke, as long as I had the catalyst, I could produce more. I wasn’t even limited to arrows. Spears, swords, hammers, anything I could think of.
However, while I was ecstatic at my new ability, I also realized something.
I cannot allow Kiiro to control them forever. It will leave us one day and … it’s too unstable.
I recalled the catalyst and dispelled all the weapons. I then turned the spear surrounding the orb into a sword. For now, I shall learn how to use both [Cryokinesis] and the catalyst without Kiiro’s support. That meant having it attack at the same time whenever I cast a spell. I must challenge myself.
After returning to Firwood, I had changed my Main Job to [Cryomancer], as I wanted to become better at manipulating ice. It didn’t improve [Cryokinesis] itself, but it allowed me to gain a good amount of stats while granting me the skill [Frost Body Lv. 1].
I transformed into a form where I could still keep my heightened stats as an elf while also regaining my fairy wings. I flew up into the air and began using the orb to deal damage from afar onto an ice statue I created as a training dummy.
While I was at it, I also tested out Goddess Zephira’s blessing. I could manipulate any wind spell I cast as if I had [Aerokinesis] in my Profile, but it didn’t seem as useful as the real deal. Wind spells were already pretty flexible, but I couldn’t reproduce Lady Hestia’s musical recreation as the blessing only accounted for the wind I created with a spell.
A comparison to this would be like me working with a cup of water to make some soup, unlike Lady Hestia who had access to an entire ocean. It was restrictive, plainly explained, and I couldn’t perform complicated actions like playing music.
It would most likely become stronger once I had access to [Storm Magic], since the spells of this advanced magic skill were more offensively focused.
[Air Shield] has become nicer to use, though. I can control what can go in and out.
[Air Shield] was a spell that allowed you to protect yourself from sound-based and gaseous attacks. If the shield was strong enough, it could even completely nullify Lady Hestia’s [Dragon Roar]. However, the problem was that air couldn’t enter the bubble. “Oxygen” was contained in the air and it was needed to breathe and live. With this improved [Air Shield] I could control what entered and exited it. I could eavesdrop on others while they couldn’t hear me, and vice versa, if I so wanted.
After continuing for multiple bells worth of time, I finally reached my goal.
Finally!
Sweating and feeling fulfilled, I left the training room and returned to my room to clean myself. After taking a shower, I wondered if Miss Saori was home or not, but none of the servants saw her return.
It’s Miss Saori. There is nothing to worry about.
Lady Hestia was on a trip with Lady Ellaine and Miss Saori was probably using her time efficiently, too. I should do my part. After drinking and eating something, I continued my alchemy training by preparing ingredients.
AbyssRaven Tasianna is having her power up moment! Root for the icy fairy!
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