Episode 947

Episode 947

The alchemists working at Yoanen Meikin’s atelier sometimes got confused.

Yoanen was the mad owner of the atelier, but they thought of themselves as very stable and normal alchemists.

But as could be seen even from Einrogard—if someone could get along well next to a mad person, it was wise to be suspicious.

They often harbored just as much madness within!

Compared to Yoanen, they seemed relatively normal, but when it came to alchemy, even the atelier alchemists turned somewhat mad.

“Find it first. Before the alchemists from other ateliers!”

“We should visit the other ateliers directly. Let’s see what they know.”

“That’s a good idea. Did you bring the invisibility potion?”

The atelier alchemists immediately thought of using invisibility potion to infiltrate.

The invisibility potion solved many issues an alchemist might face, and sneaking into other ateliers was one of them.

“Oh!”

After stepping outside, the atelier alchemists saw people in the garb of another atelier and shot them wary looks.

The ones jumping out from the alley ahead were alchemists working under Prince Bogajun’s atelier.

“That’s an ominous coincidence, even for a coincidence.”

“Shh. Let’s try to probe what they’re thinking.”

While they whispered, the alchemists under Bogajun approached.

“Hello. Have you heard any rumors about a special flame root?”

“……”

“…W-what’s that?”

The atelier alchemists managed their expressions and pretended not to know.

The clueless alchemists under Bogajun, their voices full of excitement, spoke.

“I heard a very special flame root has entered Granden City this time! According to rumors, someone got one that was raised by a red dragon over lava…”

‘Does that even make sense?’

The atelier alchemists were dumbfounded inside.

Granted, the flame root they’d seen did have some very powerful properties.

Several times stronger than your average flame root—using it could not only amplify a potion’s power but even make crafting some rare potions possible.

But the idea of a red dragon raising it over lava was far-fetched.

How would anyone steal that? No ordinary herbalist could overcome a dragon’s greed.

‘No, that’s not what’s important right now.’

“I see. Are you also looking to acquire that reagent?”

“Of course. The prince will be pleased as well.”

“Hm. I’m not quite sure about the details, could we discuss it over a drink?”

“Eh? Not difficult at all…”

“I heard the -All-Kinds-of-Schemes Inn- just got a new brew. Let’s go.”

“-The Granden Gentle Thief-! I’ve been wanting to try that—this is great!”

The wicked atelier alchemists smirked, already plotting to defeat their rivals with grape and barley potions.

‘The reagent will be ours!’

• * *

Lee Han and his friends split up to each visit places that might buy the reagent.

True to his ambition of becoming Granden City’s top merchant, Lee Han didn’t plan on taking shortcuts.

He could have sold them on street stalls or in the alleyways, but then it would just be a one-off.

If he built trust with a good buyer, he could take advantage of that again if similar opportunities came up.

But there were two things Lee Han hadn’t expected.

One was that places in Granden City that bought alchemy ingredients were pickier than he thought.

It wasn’t easy for students who couldn’t use either their Einrogard status or any other ID to just go and sell things.

-We already have contracted suppliers. Sorry.

-We only buy reagents certified by the -Paragranum- Guild.

And the other thing was that the rumor about Gonadaltes—no, Stedal Nago—was still running hot.

-What? Reagents from the Nago Family? Is that Stedal Nago’s family?

-That changes things. I’d like to see it. Could you bring the reagent over?

Even places that had reacted coldly showed a lot of interest upon hearing the Nago Family name.

Wasn’t it the family of the most talked-about wizard in Granden City these days?

If that family was trying to supply reagents, of course they were curious. Plus, there had been a shortage of flame root lately.

“Who knew a fake name would be this useful…”

“Not even the Headmaster could have imagined.”

Yoner muttered. Walking alongside, Lee Han asked,

“There won’t be any problem when they check the reagent, right?”

“Hmm… It should be fine. The hard part is getting an appointment—once it’s time to check the reagent, there’s not much that can go wrong.”

Prestigious ateliers already bought from vetted suppliers, so they didn’t easily take new offers.

On the flip side, if they asked for a sample, that meant they were very interested.

If the reagent quality was worse than expected, it could get complicated, but the flame root Lee Han’s group brought was excellent. There was little chance of a problem.

“Alchemists will gather to check the quality, do a few tests, and then talk price and contract.”

“Should we really not visit Ms. Yoanen’s atelier?”

“No way. Like I said, her eye for these things is on another level. For things like this, it’s actually better if they’re a bit careless.”

Yoner, who had hung around her family’s atelier since she was young, knew about acquiring reagents like this.

For sellers, careless buyers who followed trends and rumors and overpaid were best.

Yoanen, in that regard, was the worst buyer.

Her standards saw through everything and she’d never waste more than was necessary…

“I think Prince Bogajun’s atelier would be good. I heard they have plenty of gold coins and care a lot about appearances.”

“Yoner, you’re the Empire’s next treasurer. Then let’s go there.”

“……”

Lee Han was already thinking about making this a regular thing if it went well.

He’d buy discarded reagents, borrow the Mad Clone’s wisdom to restore them, and then sell them.

Done right, it could become a much more stable source of income than risky commissions.

“Indeed… It takes a lot of work, but with all the second-years, we could pull it off.”

Yoner agreed (though she didn’t necessarily agree about becoming Granden City’s top merchant).

Selling these reagents could be quite a decent source of income. To students struggling for funding for magic research, it would be like rain in a drought.

Of course, it required a lot more effort than it sounded.

While it sounded simple in summary, every step involved a lot of prep and careful checking.

But considering the teamwork among the second-years, it could be solved. Just call everyone and have them chip in.

‘Ah. Mana could be a problem. But that probably won’t matter.’

Actually, mana was a bigger problem than labor, but that didn’t even cross their mind.

Next to their friend from the Wardanaz family, it was just a trivial concern.

“How’s your research going lately?”

“It’s tough, but if you think about third and fourth years, you have to start prepping now…”

At Yoner’s words, Lee Han looked at his friend as if she were commendable.

If even half of Gamo or Angmo could learn that much planning, Einrogard’s student average would soar!

“By the way, did you know the Meikin family’s secret?”

“No. Not quite that far.”

Old families always had various secret arts and family secrets.

Magic and knowledge known only to members of the family, and their goals.

“Hm. Then take a guess.”

Just for fun, Yoner gave her friend a riddle.

Could this Wardanaz genius deduce the family secret Yoner found interesting with just the clues so far?

“Hmm… Is it restoring the lost recipe for the -Legendary Tart of the Meikin Family-?”

“…Of course not. Wait, how do you even know about that!?”

Yoner was shocked.

The Meikin family, with their long history and alchemical brilliance, had excelled in many fields.

Sweets like the -Meikin Family’s Sweet Bar Chocolate- and -Meikin Family’s Magical Chocolate Eclair- were still famous all over the Empire.

But some recipes were lost along the way—one being the -Legendary Tart of the Meikin Family-.

The legend said it could soothe even a wrathful archdemon or spirit king, so it was clearly some extraordinary potion or substance, not an ordinary dessert. But it was such an old and poorly documented rumor that even within the Meikin family, no one really took it seriously.

There were plenty of other secret arts and ambitions—why chase after something like that?

“I heard it was a lost recipe, so I looked into some old books wondering if it was a moneymaker. The more I looked, the less it seemed like a mass-producible dessert and more like a magic potion.”

“…That’s probably true…”

Shuddering at her friend’s useless competence, Yoner explained.

“I’m interested in another lost item. Do you know the -Cauldron of the Meikin Family-? You probably don’t…”

“Is that the one that endlessly produces treasure?”

“……”

Yoner had heard rumors that the Wardanaz family owned every ancient tome and grimoire, but seeing him recall a nearly forgotten story from her own family so vividly made her feel shock again.

Thinking about it, she could guess how Lee Han might know.

“Y-yeah, that’s it. Of course, it’s been exaggerated over time, but you can infer some things from that, right?”

“Duplication, huh.”

Her friend with the wavy red hair nodded. Talking magic with someone of equal level was fun.

If that Gamo kid heard this, he’d immediately ask for snacks or magic cards…

“Right. Matter duplication magic. Of course, it can’t be unlimited and must have strong restrictions, but there’s a piece of that magic there for sure. That’s what I’m interested in.”

Complete matter duplication was near impossible, so the -Cauldron of the Meikin Family- probably managed something like a limited version.

Yoner’s goal was to reproduce even a part of that cauldron’s secret and principle. Even just that would be a great achievement.

“There it is.”

While talking, the atelier used by Prince Bogajun’s alchemists appeared.

Just as Yoner said, the atelier’s exterior radiated opulence.

Unlike other atelier buildings in the guild district, they had a luxurious signboard in gold and silver, and even a crystal-ornamented balance scale.

“How does nobody steal that?”

“Shh. They’ve actually had it stolen a few times. Don’t talk like that inside. Let’s go.”

The two knocked on the atelier door and revealed the Nago Family name to the staff.

The staff member was startled, then hurried inside to deliver the message.

“They’ll see you now. Please come in!”

Lee Han and Yoner exchanged meaningful glances and nodded.

This was a much more enthusiastic response than from other places. A good sign.

Clunk—

They sat down in the reception room, and soon the door opened. Familiar-faced alchemists entered.

It was Yoanen and her subordinates. Though in disguise, Yoner’s face went pale.

“Yoner?”

“!”

Amazingly, Yoanen recognized her younger sibling’s disguise immediately.

Though the features had been altered, sibling familiarity spotted it instantly.

Yoanen infused her usual amethyst glasses with magic, seeing through her sister’s disguise. It was indeed Yoner.

“Then you must be…”

“I’m Gainando.”

“From the intelligence, I’d guess you’re definitely not Lord Gainando. You must be Lord Wardanaz, right?”

“…Yes… that’s correct.”