Da-dum
Her stopped heart began to beat causing her frozen blood to flow once more.
Her lungs desperately screamed out for oxygen.
“Huu,” after taking a deep breath a large amount of dust came rushing down her throat.
*cough*cough*cough*
Just breathing is painful, and her head is starting to hurt from the lack of oxygen.
(Air, I need fresh air.)
《Ventilation》
Her throat was dry, and her lips and tongue were in so much pain that she was unable to speak. Even if she’s unable to chant the spell, as long as she can imagine the magic clearly, she should be able to use it.
She finally managed to create fresh air using life magic and was at last able to breathe.
(Why is this happening?)
She tried to remember where she was and how she got here, but the pounding in her head was making it hard to focus. When she tried to look around, her blurry vision made it impossible to tell where she even was. She could feel the warm sunlight coming through cracks in the ceiling hitting her eyes.
She knew she must’ve been asleep for a very long time. As she tried to stand up, every bone in her body screamed out in pain. As she continued moving, her joints began creaking and making unpleasant sounds. Her head was pounding and she felt as if she may pass out. She somehow managed to stand up and then formed a cup with her hands.
《Drop of Life》
A white light appeared and water began to pour out of it, filling her hands. Water spilt out from the gaps of her fingers, and travelled along her arms, flowed to her elbows, but then dissolved and disappeared into the atmosphere without getting her clothes wet. This is a drop of life. Gathered from the surrounding area, it’s truly a blessing from the earth.
She brought the water to her mouth and drank it in. It rushed throughout her thirsty body. Her dry, cracked throat was now moist, her joints were now limber, her blood circulation improved, and her headache slowly melted away. Every one of her cells felt rejuvenated. If there were someone else watching her, they’d be convinced they just witnessed a miracle.
She has the ability to use alchemy. She is an “Alchemist.” Thanks to the drop of life, Mariela, can now remember what happened.
“The stampede happened.”
The Kingdom of Endalgia, where Mariela lived, was a small country surrounded by the Demon Forest and craggy mountains. Although it was necessary to be cautious of demon’s coming from the forest, the mountains surrounding the city acted as a natural fortress, furthermore, these mountains provided many natural resources to the city. The surrounding lands were very small and there was little room for cultivation, but the little earth that existed was very fertile and gave the people of Endalgia many blessings.
Although Endalgia was a small country, it was one of the great powers of the world. The Kingdom was more than capable of suppressing the demons of the forest, and so Endalgia prospered.
The youngest child of a lower-ranked noble, the third son of some poor family from a small village, skilled adventurers, and merchants all gathered in the Kingdom of Endalgia. The Kingdom was always looking for adventurers to thin out the number of demons in the forest, and the Kingdom was rich enough to feed them all.
If you were ever struggling, go to Endalgia.
The Kingdom of Endalgia’s main focus soon became keeping the peace along its outer walls. The Kingdom soon became full of adventurers that would fight back against the demons from the forest.
Though there were many adventurers, only citizens that had enough support became adventurers. Many people became refugees or were just barely able to scrape by. However, there were also those that worked hard and managed to make a good living.
The food culture also prospered from the high-quality ingredients produced from the rich land and the combination of so many different cultures. The quality of arms and armour increased due to the rare materials brought back from the Demon Forest. The market was overflowing with many different items. The bars, gambling halls, and brothels were all filled with the temporary adventurers.
Soon the city began to be known as a safe haven, causing the city to overflow with people. These people were all enthusiastic about their new lives.
Mariela was an orphan in this haven.
She had no memory of her parents. Like many other orphans, Mariela was most likely abandoned by a prostitute that had become pregnant with the child of an adventurer.
Still, Mariela was not entirely unhappy with her circumstances.
Many children were orphaned without even knowing their names, but she was lucky enough that her mother took the time to stitch “Mariela” into her baby clothes. Knowing one’s real name was necessary for learning skills or getting help from society.
Thanks to the fact that she knew her real name, Mariela was taken in by a master alchemist. She was able to train under him and became an alchemist herself.
Alchemists were not rare, and potions were considered to be much less useful than recovery magic.
Although the alchemist profession wasn’t very profitable, Mariela was able to live comfortably enough in a hut in the Demon Forest that her master left behind.
Even if she wasn’t rich, it was fun making various potions, and for Mariela, who was pretty bad at socializing, living quietly in the forest was nice.
A simple way of living, that she thought would last forever, suddenly ended one day.
Why, why did the demons from the forest suddenly start rampaging? Mariela, a simple alchemist, had no answers.
The screams of the fleeing people warned the Kingdom of the stampeding demons, and in response, they tightly sealed the outer gate to the kingdom. But, the rampaging demons rushed against the gates like a tsunami, causing confusion amongst the city.
Adventurers — those that had been long retired and those that were just starting — took up arms to defend their city. Now was the time for them to write their names in history! A brave war cry rang out from the city.
Those that could not fight, tried to evacuate, filling the narrow road that went from the city towards the mountains. Those that hoped their homes would be spared, tightly locked themselves behind their doors.
Mariela rushed to the hut her master had left her.
She didn’t believe that the evacuation would happen in time, and there was no place that was safe in the city.
Against these rampaging demons, this wooden hut would be ripped apart like it was made of paper.
The demons respond to the magical power of a person.
In the past, her master had taught her how to avoid detection from the demons of the forest.
That’s why, if creatures from the Demon Forest are stampeding out…
She knew to follow her master’s teachings. She rushed into the basement of the hut and locked the door tightly.
Instead of using magic for light, she lit an oil lantern to avoid using as much magical power as possible. Then, she took out a large piece of parchment.
Under the dim light of the lantern, a large piece of parchment was spread out across one meter of the floor. Mariela checked to make sure that the magic circle on the parchment was still intact.
This is her trump card. The magic circle her master was reluctant to teach her.
The huge parchment that was made from a demon’s hide was worth one month’s income, the ink that was used to create the magic circle was made by melting down Devil Stone, and it cost even more than the parchment. In order to not waste the expensive materials, she spent months creating this exactly as her master described.
When she showed this during her final exam, she was told it was a waste. But, it was good that she made it.
This basement is much sturdier than the wood hut above. Even if a demon were to step on it, it wouldn’t break. But, if a demon were to detect a person inside, the basement would be dug up in an instant.
The rampaging demons would never stop until either the person or the demons themselves were killed.
She could hear the earth rumbling. The horde of demons was approaching.
Mariela laid down on the parchment.
(I’m scared.)
In the cramped and dark basement, the light from the lantern was swinging steadily.
(I’m scared.)
How many demons must be approaching, the sound of the earth rumbling became even more intense.
(It’s scary. It’s terrifying. Someone, anyone. If the magic circle doesn’t work properly, or if the basement can’t withstand the weight of the demons… At this rate, I……)
Mariela took shallow, rapid breaths, her heart was pounding so loud.
The rumbling of the earth became even louder, the lantern shook violently, and the flames began to flicker.
(I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared. I don’t want to die, all alone, in a place like this.)
Just before Mariela was overcome with fear, she activated the magic circle.
Chapter 1-6 were translated by Rhex
