If they’re seriously wounded, they’d be tossed aside. If they collapse from exhaustion, they’d be tossed aside.
His wound was as large as 2 large silver coins.
Even in this situation, I thought that Siegmund did not want to die.
It might be just due to the situation he was in, but Siegmund was pretending to remain as calm as possible.
As Siegmund remained sitting on the chair, Mariela ran to the bathroom with a jug of water and a bottle of leftover medicine. She washed, sterilized, and dried the jug and medicine bottle using alchemy, and then, brought the basin from the bathroom back with her.
“You will mention nothing of what happens here to anyone outside this room. This is a《Command》.”
“Yes.”
Sieg’s blue eyes looked empty due to the fever, and there was a clear magical reaction when Mariela spoke caused by the brand on his chest. The answer he gave was flat and calm, almost mechanical. Mariela set the wooden basin down on the desk and set Sieg’s injured arm across it so she could treat it.
《Purified Water – Drop of Life- Immobilize》
The jug was filled with clean water. This sterilized water should be sufficient enough to clean the inflamed wound. Mariela’s teacher taught her that cleaning a wound with purified water infused with the Drop of Life is far superior than cleaning a wound using water mixed with medicinal herbs.
The countless wounds covering his arm began to disappear and his fair skinned returned. The miasma of the Black Wolf was completely washed away by the effect of the Drop of Life.
Mariela now moved on to the wounds on his leg. She carefully began washing the more severe wound on his calf. Mariela had to rest his knee on the chair in order to clean the wound properly.
She continuously used the purified water to wash the wound and then discarded the dirty water as it filled up the basin.
Mariela didn’t have any clothes to pat the wounds dry so she was forced to remove the sheets from the bed and was careful to wipe around the wound without directly touching it. The Drop of Life will disappear the moment it’s no longer immobilized in the water. This is why the liquid from it can’t be ingested by anyone other than a trained alchemist. This was also convenient for Mariela because as soon as she cleaned the wound, the Drop of Life would drip down his leg before disappearing into the air. Although she’s washing it with purified water, the sheets being used to dry the wound aren’t sterilized and the room they’re in isn’t remotely sanitary. Even so, this was as hygienic as Mariela could make it.
Onto the brand which is located on his chest. As Sieg sat in the chair, Mariela held the sheet below the brand before beginning to wash it. A low-grade potion should be able to treat this type of wound, but Mariela will first try to cool the burn. After it’s been cleaned properly, the effectiveness of the potion will also go up. Just like before, she washed the wound several times before she was satisfied.
Again, Mariela will need a potion
From within her bundle of dry medicinal herbs, Mariela took out two herbs with healing effects. The Kyuruke grass and Kalgoran. She also removed a few small, blue, round items from her pouch. These are called Pecillinion and they come from the roots of the Kyuruke grass.
Pecillinion is an uncommon item rarely found in the roots of the Kyuruke grass when it’s able to grow in the shade. It’s used to prevent wounds from becoming infected when left in unsanitary conditions and also prevents a fever from getting any worse. Kyuruke grass thrives in the sunlight making it difficult for Kyuruke grass to ever grown in the shade. This is why Pecillinion is such a rare item.
At one point in time, Mariela had carelessly left a Kyuruke grass she had been growing out in a bowl in the shade of a tree. Fortunately, Pecillinion sprouted. Mariela had failed in cultivating a supply of Kyuruke grass but had somehow managed to grow a more rare herb. Moreover, Mariela discovered that that certain spot in her herb garden was the perfect place to grow even more Pecillinion. Since then, there has always been a small section in her garden dedicated to growing Pecillinion. After waking up beneath her hut, Mariela was sure to grab a handful before venturing off into the forest.
Using a small amount of Kyuruke grass, Kalgoran, and Pecillinion Mariela created one potion. It was a simple potion classified as low-grade, but this it was also a specialized type. For Sieg’s symptoms it should have a moderate effect.
“Drink.”
Mariela held the potion out to Sieg but he only stared at her with his mouth wide open.
Mariela forced the potion forward into his open mouth. Sieg was confused at first but looked relieved after feeling the effects of the potion and began gulping it down.
“You’re…an alchemist?”
For the first time, Sieg spoke for himself.
He seemed unsure of Mariela ever since she first filled the jug with purified water, but now that he could feel the potion taking effect, he appeared convinced.
“Yes. Are there no other alchemists in this city?”
Mariela asked this as she received the empty potion bottle from Sieg.
“There are no alchemists here. Not since long ago. Because this is the demon’s territory..”
And this was his reply.
(I see. That makes sense. This city is now known as the “Labyrinth city,” after all. If it’s been 200 years, that has to be it.)
“So,《Command》never let anyone know that I am an alchemist.”
Once again, Mariela remained cautious with Sieg. The more concrete the command given to a slave, the more effective it is.
“You can rest on the bed there. I’m sure that dirty waistcloth is uncomfortable. You can remove it while you sleep. Your fever should start to go down soon. I’ll be going shopping. You can sleep for as long as you need.”
Mariela urged Sieg to take the one remaining bed with sheets. She grabbed the wet sheets, bottle of medicine, the basin and went to the bathroom. After she washed the sheets in the basin, she used《Aridity》to dry them.
When Mariela returned to the bedroom, Sieg was already asleep in the bed. His waistcloth was hung over the back of a nearby chair. Mariela could tell with just one look that the waistcloth would have to be washed on its own. It was filthy.
(Oh, there might be insects in the bed.)
Mariela quickly put together a insect repellant potion and left it in the corner of the room with the lid off.
She also mixed in the petals of the Bendan flower in with the potion. The moldy smell filling the room should be gone soon.
Sieg should be able to sleep peacefully.
Mariela set the jug filled with water on the desk with a cup near it, and, after leaving only a single dim light in the room, quietly closed the door as she left.
When she entered the hallway, Vice-Captain Marlowe was waiting for her.
Mariela’s room was at the end of the hall. The rooms the Black Iron Transportation Corps were staying in were directly across from her own.
Vice-Captain Marlowe began to speak gently.
“Did you get the information you wanted?”
“Were you listening?”
When Mariela answered his question with a question, Marlowe just shrugged his shoulders and said, “That’s impossible.” Mariela was unsure of whether she could believe his words.
After being prompted by Marlowe, Mariela entered his room.
The size of the room was similar to Mariela’s and it had the same layout as well. The only difference between the two rooms was the fact that there was only a single bed and a lounge area where the second bed should’ve been. A partition was set up between the bed and the lounge area, so that a simple meeting could take place.
Mariela took one of the seats in the lounge area and Marlowe sat directly opposite her.
“I’d like to discuss certain business opportunities with you, Mariela.”
“Is this about my potions?”
Mariela got straight to the point causing Marlowe to smile.
**
– 200 years ago, a stampede appeared, and a labyrinth appeared in the place where the king’s castle used to stand.
The Kingdom of Endalgia that the humans used to rule collapsed and the demon kingdom rose in its place.
Men lived in the labyrinth city the same way Mariela lived in the Demon Forest. But the labyrinth city is no longer the city of men. It’s the home of demons.
A ‘Line’ extends the power from veins that flow throughout the earth. This ‘Line’ is accessed by the ‘Drop of Life’ and is its source of power.
The ceremony needed to draw out this power and form a ‘Line’ is held between an alchemist and that spirit. They reveal their true names to each other and the spirit then speaks the words that hold dominion over that area.
The royal family of Endalgia received the blessing from the spirits that governed over their land. They passed the words given to them from the spirits down through generation after generation. All the spirits in the Kingdom of Endalgia spoke the same language. However, the spirits of the Demon Forest born from the same ‘Line’ spoke a different language. The language of demons.
A language no one in Endalgia could understand.
It was only one time that Mariela went to the furthest reaches of the Endalgia Kingdom, and it was to form a contract with a spirit.
A ‘Line’ only has to be formed once. After that, the spirit is no longer involved in the alchemy. As long as you remain within the territory of that spirit, you will have access to its vein of power. Once you’ve become a full-fledged alchemist, you’ll be able to create a ‘Drop of Life’ with no issue.
But for the past 200 years, there have been no new alchemists.
Alchemists who can directly incorporate “Drops of Life” into their bodies have notoriously long life spans, but there’s no way they could live over 200 years. There were rare cases of some alchemists living to be over 120 years old and the average life of an ordinary person would be around eighty years.
For 200 years while Mariela slept, no new alchemists were born, and all the alchemists that survived the Stampede have died.
All of the potions in the labyrinth city, no, in this kingdom, save for the few stored in any magic boxes.
**
“We took one of the potions you sold us to a merchant and she told us that it was perfect preserved. Almost as if it were just made. Your low-grade potion was just as effective as any intermediate level potions available on the market.
He was really persistent about finding out where Mariela got them.
Mariela could tell he hadn’t revealed she was the source. If he had, there’d be dozens of people trying to recruit Mariela into their services.
“If the people of the city were to find out such a cute girl was the source of that high-quality potion, their constant demands might make your life difficult.”
Marlowe vice-captain, spoke slowly and carefully. As if to ask her, ‘Do you know what I mean?’
“And you’re saying, you’ll handle selling them?”
Vice-Captain Marlowe showed a satisfied smile and said, “Of course.”
(Well, I have to sell the potions somewhere. Even if he takes a cut, I’ll get a better price than out in the defensive city.)
Mariela has no other way to earn a living except by selling potions.
It is no wonder those that can’t fight or offer support are left to be exploited by the more powerful. Even when Mariela was selling potions in the defensive city, it wasn’t uncommon for people to try to rip her off. However, Mariela knew that if she accepted the horrid treatment, she’d be able to eke out a meager living.
Still, there are some things that Mariela won’t accept. When it came to selling potions, there are some conditions he’d have to meet.
“First of all, I won’t be able to sell potions above specialized advanced grade and I won’t sell poison that are intended for personal use. In addition to this, there are certain specialized potions below intermediate level that I refuse to make. When taking requests, you’ll first have to confer with me before accepting anything.”
Mariela obviously can’t sell potions she can’t make and she also wants to avoid having her potions used in any crimes. The last thing that she wants to happen is to have someone die because of her potion.
“Next, this will depend on the potion, but there will be times where I will require payment up front.”
She can’t make potions without materials, so this point is unavoidable. The herb garden Mariela used to maintain is already partially destroyed. She’s unsure of what’s available on the market, but she would need the money for it first.
“Finally, I require absolute secrecy. Never tell anyone that I am the source of your potions. If my identity ever gets out, I will also require protection from you. If you agree to form a contract with me using magic, I’ll allow you to sell my potions.”
(I wonder if the magical contract was too much.)
After stating her conditions, Mariela could feel a cold sweat dripping down her neck.
Marlowe repeated each of her conditions one-by-one.
“It’s too bad that we won’t be able to sell higher quality potions, but I can accept the rest of your conditions. As for the price, I’ll take twenty…no, thirty percent.”
(…that seems steep. I don’t have much choice, but if I also have to buy the materials, will I make a profit with him taking that much? I hope the cost of medicinal herbs hasn’t gone up….)
“What do I get for you taking a commission?”
“What?”
Mariela was unsure if the deal was worth her time.
“The type of potions we’ll sell, I can decide?”
“Yes. Things may change based on what we have in stock, but you should be able to decide for the most part.”
“And you can get me the materials I’ll need?”
“We’re a transportation company. We trade all types of goods, so we should be able to offer you at least that much.”
“And if my secret gets out, you’ll help me?”
“We’re used to risky dealings. Customer service is essential.”
“Isn’t a thirty percent too little for what you’re offering?”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
The two of them tilted their heads in unison.
