“Are you saying you’ll get the materials? You?”
“Yes, I will.”
Luckily, it seemed the goal of making the potion hadn’t changed, as the orange-haired woman didn’t deny my words but stared at me intently. Her orange pupils scanned me up and down.
Seeing her like this, she was quite tall, though not as tall as Minerva and me.
“…Well, since you know I’m making potions, it seems like you came here with serious intent. Just come inside. It’s not like we can talk standing at the door,”
The woman, leaning at an angle on the door sill, turned around and gestured for us to come in.
I signaled for Minerva to follow me inside. Minerva had a dissatisfied expression still, but she obediently walked behind me.
The inside of the house was quite neat. Overall, it felt like a place in the forest.
The orange-haired woman gestured for us to sit at the chairs around the table, then, the moment she glanced at Minerva beside me, her unpleasant expression became evident as she clicked her tongue, as if indicating to us to hear.
“There’s no chair for you over there. I feel sorry, what should I do?”
Though she said that, her face didn’t look apologetic at all. Moreover, there was a chair blatantly placed right next to where I was sitting. It was obvious what her intention was.
I barely managed to calm Minerva, who was also making an unpleasant face. If things went wrong, it seemed we’d end up fighting before even getting the weapon.
The woman, who had started the trouble but feigned innocence, opened her mouth.
“So, where did you hear the rumor that I’m making weapons? It’s been quite a while since I put down the blacksmithing. At least ten years. You’re too young to have heard the old rumors about me.”
“Well, I have a decent source of information.”
I shrugged casually.
In the game, when you completed a side quest given by an old NPC, he would hint for you to come here, but now I just arrived directly.
By the way, if you didn’t clear that old man’s quest, the path here would be blocked.
‘Wait, then how old is this person?’
The NPC from the original work had been blacksmithing for more than 20 years and had said himself that it had been over 10 years since he quit, so if the settings held true, he would be over 40 if he started working at 10.
But the woman in front of me looked like she could easily be in her teens. She didn’t have a wrinkle on her face or even a single blemish, and the skin of her arms exposed under her short sleeves was very firm.
Could it be that women in this world maintain such youthful appearances right up until death?
“Ugh. Well, it’s probably obvious. Damn old man. I told him not to tell anyone about my location, yet….”
The orange-haired woman grumbled quietly. After grumbling for a while, she opened her mouth again.
“Well, since what’s done is done, there’s no helping it. No point blaming that old man. Since it’s come to this, let’s introduce ourselves. My name is Ceres, and I assume you know my profession, so let’s skip that. As for the rest, you’ll see. And you?”
“I’m Delta. And the person behind me is—”
“Minerva Skeantia. The Eternal Magician, or the owner of the Library of Minerva, or maybe the owner of the Mage Tower. You can call me whatever you like.”
Before I could introduce her, Minerva abruptly interjected, listing off her titles that no one even asked for. It seemed she had been eager to introduce herself.
“The Eternal Magician Minerva? You really are the Skeantia I know?”
Ceres, who introduced herself, looked slightly surprised at those words.
“Do you think there’s another Minerva besides me in this world?”
As Ceres acted as if she knew her, Minerva’s expression became a bit smug. To think she would be so pleased over something like that; truly, it seemed the dignity of a 400-year-old great magus had been completely tossed aside.
“I was known as a figure from a long time ago, even when I was young. How old are you, exactly?”
Of course, that pride was crushed shortly after.
I subtly sent a pleading look to calm the twitching Minerva, who seemed ready to grip her staff tightly, and then I turned to Ceres.
“There’s something I wanted to ask since a while ago, but I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from such remarks, Ms. Ceres.”
“Well, you know, I’ve had a rough life since childhood. This is all I can manage. And you came looking for a weapon, right? It’s not like I’m the one in a hurry here. If you really don’t want to, you can always leave.”
Ceres shrugged. Her attitude made it clear she wouldn’t care if we turned around and walked out. I couldn’t help but chuckle and respond.
“Surely you’d feel the same way, wouldn’t you, Ms. Ceres?”
“Me? Why?”
“That potion material is something you could never get on your own. You haven’t been able to even attempt to make it for years. And now someone appears out of the blue saying they’ll get it for you; how could you not feel a bit disappointed?”
“…….”
At my comment, Ceres hummed and fidgeted with her hair. The reason I was pushing her confidently like this was that it was the same in the original work.
Because of that NPC’s personality, she initially pretends not to care at all, but if the player chooses to just walk away, she’d subtly lower her guard.
Of course, she had a pride stronger than anything, and if the player chose to leave one more time, she’d turn around and tell them to just get lost as if to say she didn’t need them.
Given Ceres’s behavior until now, her personality didn’t seem to have changed much, so I decided to take a gamble. And my gamble hit its mark perfectly.
“……I can’t deny that. If you two really have come to get that potion material, it’d be a waste to let you go just like that. Fine. I’ll try not to be a pain in the ass.”
Ceres graciously took a step back. Seeing her back down first, Minerva also relaxed her grip on her staff.
“Well then, let’s get to the point. Since you already know I’m trying to make a potion, there’s no need for lengthy explanations. The terms are simple. You bring me the materials for the potion, and I’ll give you the weapon you want. Is that clear?”
“Exactly.”
At Ceres’s response, she rested her chin on one arm and tapped her fingers on the table as she muttered.
“I don’t know what kind of information you have, but since you brought that Minerva, I can trust you. After all, I won’t lose anything here.”
Ceres straightened her posture after finishing her thoughts. She didn’t hesitate much. True to her personality, her decisiveness was refreshing.
“Alright. The deal is set. Now let me tell you what materials I need. You don’t mind starting right away, do you?”
I nodded and focused. While it was the same that this woman wanted to make a specific potion, the purpose was undoubtedly different. I was 100% sure of that.
If that’s the case, I also needed to know if the materials had changed as well. If they had changed, then I’d have to rely entirely on Minerva for locating them.
“First, we need Cardreas’s—”
Before Ceres could finish her sentence, Minerva tapped her staff on the ground. Something well-grounded material appeared on the table before us.
We both looked at Minerva with puzzled expressions.
“Why do you look like that? Wasn’t I speaking about Cardreas’s biological tissue?”
“Y-yes, that’s true, but you hadn’t finished explaining yet, how did you….”
“An ordinary person touches more potions in their lifetime than our Tower’s magicians do in a week. Who do you think made all those? The selection of potion materials is basic knowledge for magicians, so keep that in mind.”
“B-but I didn’t think it would be possible to gather it so quickly—”
“Most potion materials are stored in the Tower, and as the owner of the Tower, I can use them freely. That’s why I brought them. What’s the complaint?”
“…….”
“…….”
There was no way I could complain.
The fact that the materials for the potion were stocked in the Tower had never crossed my mind. Minerva chuckled lightly as she looked at me.
“You seem quite surprised, child.”
“Of course, I’m surprised. I never imagined that Lady Minerva would provide materials from the Tower.”
“I want the Crystal Scroll as soon as possible. Furthermore, didn’t you bring me here with all this in mind from the start?”
“Not at all. It would be embarrassing to hold you in such high regard.”
Logically speaking, how could I have predicted such a turn of events? Even if I could, I would only rely on the knowledge from the game.
I thought I would teleport back and forth if the materials matched what I knew from the game. If they were different, I would just rely on Minerva’s power.
“Don’t worry, child. If we return with the Crystal Scroll, all the wizards in the Empire will raise you like a hero.”
That would be a bit of a problem for me.
‘Not so much easing the worries, but rather spreading them wide open.’
Minerva either knew my inner thoughts or didn’t as she turned back to Ceres after giving me her usual graceful and mysterious smile.
“Continue.”
“Uh… umm… then…”
After that, Minerva continuously teleported whatever Ceres described as potion materials onto the table. I listened to Ceres’s voice in one ear while matching it with the list in my head.
‘……They’re all exactly the same.’
All six materials matched perfectly with those from the game.
This only made me have even bigger doubts. If the materials were identical to the game, what kind of potion was she trying to make?
‘For sure, it’s not the same kind produced in the game.’
I glanced at the orange hair that brushed against the back of my neck. There was clear evidence that whatever was about to be made could not possibly be the same potion as in the game.
“Lastly… Holy Water imbued with light.”
Minerva frowned slightly upon hearing the term.
Indeed, the last material was identical.
And hearing that Holy Water imbued with light was the cause of Ceres’s quest being notorious in Brightest Darkness 4 was quite something.
“I can’t give you that. There’s only an extremely small amount in the Tower, and that’s no exaggeration. It’s incredibly rare items, and bringing them outside the Holy Kingdom is nearly impossible. Obtaining it is…”
“Even I have a sense of propriety. How can I just ask for something so precious? I won’t do something like that. Well, that’s why I’m here, but there’s no way someone like me could get something like Holy Water imbued with light!”
“Oh, I can get that.”
“Really, child?”
“Seriously?!”
Both Minerva and Ceres exclaimed in surprise simultaneously. Particularly, Ceres looked shocked as her eyes nearly popped out.
I nodded while fiddling with the brooch in my pocket. As long as I had this brooch, which proves I am a guest of the Pope, I could get barrels of Holy Water imbued with light.
I wasn’t sure if they used the term barrels here or not.
The real issue was how to bring it here, but since Minerva said it would certainly be possible, problems with transportation didn’t seem significant.
“Then now…”
Ceres’s face lit up. It seemed her heart was pounding at the thought of finally being able to make the potion she had been longing for.
“Ah, but wait a moment, Ms. Ceres.”
“Why?”
“What exactly is this potion you’re making for?”
I asked earnestly. Originally, I planned to just let it slide, but seeing every single ingredient matching the game, I couldn’t let it go that easily.
I couldn’t believe that Ceres would need the same potion as the NPC she originated from in the game.
After all, in the game, that was to make a hair growth potion.
But Ceres in front of me looked nowhere near someone who would need a hair growth potion. Unless all that flowing orange hair was a wig.
“……Do I have to say that?”
Ceres made a reluctant face.
“It’s just personal curiosity. If you don’t want to say—”
“N-no, it’s not that. Ugh….”
I thought she’d say it wasn’t necessary, but Ceres seemed to think I would use that as a threat as she sighed before opening her mouth. I remained silent. No need to correct her misunderstanding.
With a troubled expression, Ceres drummed the table with her fingers, twirling her hair around her fingers before speaking.
“……It’s an Enhancement Potion.”
“What?”
For a moment, I questioned whether I had misheard her, prompting me to ask again, and she shouted.
“It’s a potion for breast growth! Is that clear, you bastard?!”
As soon as I heard that, I unintentionally, really unintentionally glanced down from Ceres’s face.
It was as flat as if there was an armor plate stuffed inside. No, even if an armor plate were stuffed inside, I felt like there would at least be some curves. It was so flat that it was hard to comprehend what that was.
A wall? No, if it were a wall made of wood, it would have had much more curves than that. Even a wall made of stone would be the same. At best, only marble could possibly compete with that.
Did she act so annoyed at Minerva because of that—
“Hey….”
Startled. I snapped back to my senses at the voice coming through the clenched teeth. Ceres was glaring at me like a demon risen from hell.
“What are you looking at?”
“Ah.”
This was clearly my fault.
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