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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The First Sample
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“…”
“…”
“…”
I kept my mouth shut.
So did Wolfgang and Zenric, who had been arguing nonstop.
*Crack, cra-ack.*
Was I the only one who thought the sound of the floor cracking sounded like a scream for help?
“…Uh.”
Zenric and Wolfgang, their faces pale, looked down at their feet.
The marble was shattered just a few centimeters from their toes.
One wrong move, and their feet would have met the same fate as the marble.
A shiver ran down my spine, and I trembled.
“In this sacred…”
Just then, an eerie voice that was hard to believe belonged to Lana rang out.
“In this sacred Grand Temple, who gave you permission to use such foul language…?”
Lana, who had been hanging her head low, looked up.
Between the strands of her long, flowing silver hair, her vivid green eyes flashed menacingly…
Truly terrifying…
“In the Grand Temple, a place that should be serene and pure, you raise your voices and fight…?”
Who on earth called Lana timid?
She had enough presence to shut up two men with formidable personalities in an instant.
“Must I teach you that opinions are meant to be coordinated by putting your heads together, not by shouting over each other about who’s better?”
“…”
“…”
“Aren’t you both adults? I could bring in the young acolytes who work in the temple, and they would understand better than you.”
“…Th-”
“Genius? What kind of geniuses are adults who can’t even come to an agreement? I’m worried our acolytes will see you two and think ‘genius’ is short for ‘genuinely insufferable’.”
…Wow, she’s harsh.
Those words must have been a blow to the pride of two men who had lived their lives as geniuses, yet they couldn’t say a word.
Then again, one look at the completely shattered marble floor would silence any complaint…
“That’s Lana for you. I thought things were about to blow, so I brought you here, Saintess. Good thing I did.”
Monica whispered to me then.
What was that supposed to mean?
“Oh, you didn’t know Lana is one of our temple’s disciplinarians?”
A disciplinarian? That timid woman is a disciplinarian?
“I suppose it doesn’t show, since everyone in the Grand Temple is so gentle. But she’s merciless with outsiders.”
So, according to Monica, this was the story.
Lana is exceptionally efficient at using her divine power, so she shows remarkable talent not only in healing but also in physical enhancement.
For instance, before I became the Saintess, an outsider tried to swindle the Grand Temple, got caught by Lana, and was beaten to a pulp.
“It’s a good thing Lana showed more interest in researching potion recipes. Otherwise, the Captain of the Holy Knights would have scouted her as a holy knight long ago.”
“…”
She had that much spirit?
How terrifying.
So this was why Airic had trusted Lana so implicitly.
I stared blankly at Lana, who looked as if she had a demon on her back.
“Now then, what should you two be saying?”
Lana prompted them like a kindergarten teacher.
Zenric and Wolfgang, who had been standing with their hands clasped, staring silently at the floor, timidly opened their mouths.
“…I was wrong.”
“I’m sorry.”
Satisfied with their very appropriate answers, the kindergarten teacher smiled happily.
“It’s so wonderful to see you admitting your faults! Now you finally look like true adults!”
I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Pfft…”
“Ah, S-Saintess!”
When I finally burst out laughing, the three of them, finally noticing my presence, turned to look at me.
Lana’s face turned beet red.
“I-I’m sorry. Um, that is, the floor… I-I’ll compensate for it!”
“No. The repairs will naturally be paid for with temple funds.”
Compensate? Nonsense.
Thanks to her, the two eccentric alchemists were now in line, so it was actually a gain.
Besides, the three thousand gold Lute gave me as a down payment was still untouched.
I hadn’t offered it to the temple.
I still had the potion business to run, and more importantly, I was planning to renovate the Grand Temple entirely.
“I just came to see how things were progressing…”
I carefully observed Lana, Zenric, and Wolfgang.
“Yes, it looks like I don’t need to worry.”
Now that they knew of Lana’s combat prowess, they would behave themselves.
Zenric and Wolfgang, understanding my meaning, wore mournful expressions.
If they had just behaved from the start, they wouldn’t have ended up in this sorry state. They brought this on themselves.
As expected, after that day, the loud noises from the potion workshop decreased.
They still bickered, but it was nothing more than the natural clash of opinions that comes from working together.
Thanks to this, two weeks after Lana’s destructive power was revealed to the team.
The first sample of a new potion, a collaboration between divine power and alchemy, was finally ready.
“Oh, that was fast.”
I looked at the sample the potion team had brought, their faces tense.
A clear orange liquid sloshed inside the bottle.
“Hehehe. I told you I was a universally acknowledged genius. I worked hard.”
Zenric grinned, his face gaunt, with dark circles reaching down to his chin.
“…Did you pull an all-nighter? Why do you look like that?”
Having grown comfortable with them over the past two weeks, I asked. Zenric gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed energetically.
“You said there’d be overtime pay, so there was no reason to refuse! We worked hard!”
That wasn’t my way of telling them to work overtime if they wanted money…
What was even more absurd was that Wolfgang looked the same.
“…Wolfgang, you too?”
“The longer we work, the faster the sample is ready. Is there any reason to refuse?”
It was a textbook answer, but seeing Zenric snicker beside him, it seemed money was Wolfgang’s top priority too.
I turned to Lana, who looked relatively fine. Still unable to meet my eyes, she bowed her head low.
“Still, it looks like Priestess Lana got some sleep.”
“…Well, actually, I also… pulled an all-nighter with them.”
Really? Your complexion doesn’t look bad for someone who did.
“Th-thanks to my divine power…”
So she meant she’d been working all night while casting healing spells on herself.
Is everyone that desperate for money? I never wanted them to work this hard…
“…Your health is important, so get some sleep while you work. And don’t skip meals.”
“Don’t worry, the meals are free, so we ate on time!”
As if that’s something to brag about.
I shook my head at Zenric’s exclamation.
After the light greetings were over, Wolfgang began to explain the potion.
“First of all, our research shows that the compatibility between divine power and alchemy is much better than expected.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Since this has never been attempted before, there was no related research data, so we had to work through trial and error. It was quite enjoyable.”
Wolfgang smiled with satisfaction, and Zenric nodded in agreement.
“The thrill of correcting an error through research was incredible.”
As he said this, he let out an eerie laugh, looking genuinely delighted.
They say all alchemists are mad scientists, and it seems to be true… Their personalities may be polar opposites, but they’re equally crazy about research.
“However, it’s not yet at a satisfactory level, so it will be difficult to sell right away. We wouldn’t even be able to cover the cost of the ingredients.”
“It’s only effective enough to heal something like a small paper cut.”
At that level, no one would buy it.
“Still, we brought it to show you that there is potential. With more effort, I am confident we can create a product far superior to standard alchemical potions.”
“Good. All three of you have worked very hard.”
It was no exaggeration; to have achieved this much on the first try so quickly was truly remarkable.
“Phew, thank you!”
And yet, for some reason, my sincere praise seemed to bring them more relief than joy.
It was written all over their faces that they had been worried I would scold them for creating a useless piece of junk.
Had the two alchemists heard of my infamous reputation…?
They probably wouldn’t believe me even if I told them I wasn’t that kind of person, so I just let it be.
“I’ll have the kitchen prepare a special meal, so everyone eat well and get a good rest today. You’ve worked hard, and I’ll be counting on you to continue.”
“Yes, yes!”
Lana, her head bowed low, staggered out of the reception room.
Zenric cheerfully slapped her on the back, and Wolfgang pinched his side, telling him not to be rude.
Having shared their joys and sorrows for nearly twenty days, it seemed they had grown quite close.
Well, now that the sample was ready, it was time to put my plan into action.
I took the potion and went into the bathroom. It was to avoid the eyes of Victoria and Monica.
Standing in front of the sink, holding a paper knife… I really did look like a crazy person.
But there was something I had to do, so I cut my fingertip with the knife. A little blood trickled out.
After checking the wound, I took a sip of the potion.
“Tastes pretty good. Was this Zenric’s idea?”
I’ve heard some potions taste like garbage, but it seems our self-proclaimed genius of application, Zenric, even paid attention to this.
“Oh, it’s actually healing.”
Before long, the wound began to close.
However, despite it being a shallow cut, the healing was slow, and it didn’t close completely.
Now then, shall I begin the real experiment?
After checking the blade of the knife, I drew it deeply across my forearm.
