Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 98

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Chapter Ninety-eight: A Long-Standing Client

“Would you allow me to prepare breakfast from now on? I’ve worked in a dining hall before. I wasn’t actually allowed to cook, but I learned by watching how it’s done.”

“Cooking is my hobby too, so leave it to me!”

“I… I see…”

Seeing Harald’s dejected expression, Karen tilted her head.

“If you want to try cooking, would you like to give it a shot?”

“No, I couldn’t take away Lady Karen’s hobby.”

“Sometimes I want to slack off too, so can I ask you then?”

“Absolutely! Leave it to me!”

Harald stood up, making his chair rattle, and clenched his fist. He seemed very interested in cooking. For Harald, who had a poison “allergy”, information about what went into his mouth was a matter of life and death. Plus, cooking was something he could do without magic, and it could become his future profession.

“Harald, is there anything here you’ve never eaten before?”

“This… honey…”

Watching Harald timidly point, Karen nodded.

“Basically, honey is safe for you to eat. Unless it’s honey from near a poisonous flower field, it’s fine.”

“If it’s from near poisonous flowers, it’s not good?”

“Honey is made by bees collecting nectar from flowers. Honey made from poisonous nectar can contain poison, but I’ve never seen a poisonous flower field on the first level of the dungeon, so honey from the first level of the Earthfill royal capital dungeon should be safe.”

Harald nodded with a serious expression. It made sense, as his life depended on it.

“Hey, Karen, can I spread honey on my bread too?”

“Show some restraint!”

Karen was about to say yes, but seeing Tim look discouraged after being scolded by Harald, she kept quiet. Honey was quite expensive, and Sara might scold her for spoiling them, so she just spread some on her own bread.

Today was Karen’s day off. The stockpiled food that Tim had accidentally infused with magical power was almost gone, so she planned to go buy more supplies.

“After breakfast, you two first need to clean the bathroom. It’s best to be able to take a sparkling clean bath every day! I think I’ll have Harald come shopping with me. Tim, you stay and pull weeds in the garden, clean the house, and if any customers come, guide them to the reception room and serve them tea.”

“But I’m stronger! I can carry lots of stuff!”

“That’s true. Harald would probably handle customers more politely, but I want to teach Harald about what foods he can eat.”

Plus, she still didn’t know Harald well enough to leave him alone in the house. At Karen’s words, which avoided saying she didn’t trust him, Tim’s face lit up with realization.

“I’m good at house-sitting too!”

“Make sure you’re not rude to customers. Even if they look dangerous or suspicious, treat them with respect.”

“Yes, they might be nobles after all.”

Tim clenched his fist and nodded.

“Thank you for this valuable opportunity, Lady Karen. If you explain it once, I will remember it immediately.”

“You can ask as many times as you need. Human memory only becomes fixed in the brain after repeated practice.”

“I can’t take up your precious time, Lady Karen.”

Harald answered with a tense expression. He seemed to be concerned about what Yuluyana had said.

“I think there’s learning for me too when I teach others. So you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Learning?”

“You might understand as you teach Tim.”

“…I don’t really understand.”

From Harald’s displeased expression, it seemed he might actually mean he didn’t want to understand.

“For now, this is today’s work. Let’s do our best today too!”

“Yeah!”

“I will work with utmost sincerity.”

With the enthusiastic Tim and serious Harald, Karen’s day began.

After shopping at the market while teaching Harald various things, and overcoming her guilt about making a child carry bags with the fact that he was actually fifteen years old, Karen returned to the alchemy workshop. In the entrance hall, on the right side, a visitor was waiting in the reception room.

The person wore a black coat with a hood covering their head, not showing an inch of skin—a suspicious-looking figure by all accounts.

“Karen, a customer came! I’m treating her with proper respect, so don’t worry!”

Tim said with a bright smile. He had probably followed Karen’s instructions not to judge by appearance and considered that the visitor might be a noble. Tim’s straightforwardness was one of his good points.

Karen gulped and turned to face the visitor. It seemed that the Ehlertt’s family was still providing Karen with guards, but they couldn’t check every customer who came to Karen’s alchemy workshop. Since some might be nobles which made intervention difficult, she had been told to be careful.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting, customer. I am Karen, the proprietor of this alchemy workshop. How may I help you today?”

“…Send everyone else away.”

“Ah!”

Recognizing the voice, Karen said to Tim and Harald:

“You two go to the entrance hall… no, to the kitchen.”

“This is an acquaintance of yours, Lady Karen? Should I bring some tea?”

Karen nodded at Harald’s quick understanding.

“Prepare the tea. However, do not enter this room under any circumstances.”

“Understood.”

“Er…”

“Let’s go.”

As Harald pulled the confused Tim out of the reception room, Karen turned back to the suspicious person.

“Lady Waltride, what brings you here?”

“Karen.”

Waltride, removing her hood, said with a face about to cry:

“No one invites me to parties or tea gatherings…!”

Saying this, the princess slumped down dejectedly.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 97

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Chapter Ninety-seven: Debt’s Price (Harald’s POV)

Harald left the orphanage around the first bell.

The early morning chill still felt like the dead of winter, and he wrapped his meager coat tightly around himself.

Karen had said work would start from the second bell when the gates opened, but Director Jutta had told him that until he learned the job properly, he should show his sincerity by starting work earlier. Harald agreed with that. Tim had been grumbling about how Karen had specifically said they could begin with the second bell, but when Harald tried to go to the alchemy workshop alone, he followed with sleepy eyes.

“I wonder what our job will be today, huh, Harald?”

“…”

Harald ignored Tim who was trying to talk to him. Nothing good ever came from associating with him. The other day, Harald was not only poisoned but also had his low magic capacity exposed, and recently he’d nearly lost his job due to being held jointly responsible with Tim.

Although he had barely managed to keep his job, from now on, Harald would have to stop Tim whenever he tried to do anything. But if Tim would do something with magical power, Harald neither had the means to understand it nor the power to stop it.

Just thinking about it made frustration well up in him, making the tip of his nose sting, so Harald stopped thinking about it. He couldn’t show a pathetic face to Karen.

When they arrived at the alchemy workshop, instead of using the front entrance, Harald and Tim went around to the garden and rang the bell at the back door.

“Cooooming! Good morning. Thanks for starting so early!”

Karen, who was already awake, welcomed them and gave her first instructions.

“Well then, could you first take a bath and change your clothes?”

“Ugh… It’s so cold though.”

Tim complained again. The dark emotions inside Harald began to stir.

“I just took a bath, so there’s still hot water left. You can use it, but make sure to wash your whole body properly.”

“Huh? We can use hot water?”

“I mean, how else are you supposed to get clean without it? Please use it properly, okay?”

Saying that Karen puffed out her lips with a slight frown. She seemed to think she was making a scary face. Though it appeared to be a threat, Harald knew she was just trying to let them use the hot water. Tim didn’t know how to be grateful for this privileged environment.

Because he had a C-rank or higher magic capacity, he could live anywhere he wanted if he put his mind to it.

“This is an alchemy workshop, and we never know what might affect the potions. There’s also a high possibility that nobles will visit in the future. I’ll be in trouble if you’re not clean. You can use the soap too.”

“We can use soap as well?”

“Yes, of course! But I guess I need to say it explicitly. You absolutely must use it! I can’t stand having dirt brought into the house!”

For Karen, making Harald and Tim take a bath seemed to be a necessity rather than an act of kindness.

Harald nodded and pulled Tim toward the bathroom so as not to trouble Karen any further.

“So we could’ve used this hot water all along. You told me not to use it before, so I drained it during cleaning. What a waste.”

“The point is that we should use it only after getting permission.”

Harald and Tim removed their clothes and poured the hot water over their cold bodies.

“Ah, it’s so warm!”

Tim sighed in contentment. Harald too felt like he might cry if he let his guard down. At the orphanage, they were never allowed to use hot water to wash their bodies.

After rinsing their bodies with water, they carefully used the soap Karen had prepared to wash away the dirt. Harald had seen soft soap sold in stores, but this soap seemed to be even more expensive. Either way, they should be careful when using something that was normally out of their reach.

Despite that—

“Oh! When I rub it on my body repeatedly, it really foams up!”

“Hey! Do you have any idea how expensive this is?!”

“Karen’s always been a clean freak. She’d rather we use too much soap and get properly clean than skimp on it and stay dirty.”

The worst part was that Tim knew more about Karen than Harald did. And although Tim could make ridiculous misunderstandings or misconceptions, Harald knew well that he didn’t lie.

“…I won’t forgive you if you’re lying.”

Understanding that Tim didn’t lie yet still saying this, Harald grudgingly used the soap to remove the dirt stuck to his body. More than anything, he couldn’t stand the idea of being dirtier than Tim.

After washing, towels and clothes were ready for them. These were the uniforms Karen had prepared for the alchemy workshop. She had them ready because Harald and Tim’s everyday clothes were too dirty to wear in the shop, so for Karen, this too wasn’t an act of kindness.

“She’s thought of everything!”

“These are things we should have prepared for ourselves.”

Harald found Tim’s carefree attitude infuriating. It felt like the debt was piling up, and Harald couldn’t help but feel terrified.

He had to make Karen think he was a useful helper. He had to make her want to keep him around despite all the trouble.

With renewed determination, Harald left the bathroom, and Karen, who was in the living room taking off her apron, said:

“Breakfast is ready!”

“Is there some for us too?”

“You came so early in the morning, so you probably haven’t had breakfast, right? That’s why I made it. Let’s eat together.”

“Hooray!”

Harald felt dizzy from the increasing debt and staggered, but unable to resist his hunger, he wobbled toward the dining table where Karen was waiting.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 96

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Chapter Ninety-six: Melting

After inspecting Karen’s alchemy workshop, Yuluyana left with a parting shot: “Break up with him soon!”

Karen asked Julius to wait while she first explained things to Tim.

“So, I ruined the materials for potions…?”

Tim turned pale as he understood what he had done after Karen’s explanation. He probably wouldn’t repeat the same mistake again.

“I know you were thinking of me when you did it. But please don’t do it anymore.”

“…I’ll pay for it.”

Tim said that with a serious expression.

The standard daily wage for hiring children as errand boys was said to be one to three copper coins. To put the value in perspective, one copper coin could buy two loaves of bread, enough to survive for a day.

It wasn’t nearly enough to live decently, but after deliberation between the orphanage director Jutta, Sara, and Karen, Tim and Harald’s wages were set at three copper coins each. Even this was a price that Sara had angrily called too indulgent.

As for Harald, although his wage was set at three copper coins, he wanted to use this as payment for the potions Karen had used on him, so in reality, he was working without pay. The potions Karen had let Harald use were one minor healing potion and two non-magical material potions, so the repayment to Karen amounted to two gold coins, one half-gold coin, and four silver coins.

To repay this through work at three copper coins per day, with the world’s year being four hundred days, he would need to work without pay for more than four years—quite an unreasonable contract. Honestly, Karen secretly wished to give him bonuses for various reasons on different occasions to help him pay off his debt faster.

Compared to that, the amount Tim needed to repay could be considered trivial. If he had infused magic into something like Silk Spider thread, it would have been dangerous, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Making him repay would probably help clear Tim’s conscience.

“All right. I’ll deduct it from your wages.”

“Okay.”

“From now on, consult with Harald before doing anything. And Harald, please be available for Tim’s consultations.”

Harald seemed to have understood the danger of confronting Julius, and he also appeared to recognize that Tim’s infusion of magical power into food supplies was unnecessary. With Harald supervising him, Tim’s reckless behavior would likely be contained. Besides, Harald was actually the older one.

But Harald looked disgruntled. Yet he had the wisdom to nod and say "Understood" despite his displeasure. That gesture was childish, befitting his appearance. Karen accepted his attitude with generosity.

Though years had accumulated in his heart, his body probably influenced him. Karen might be the only person in the world who could understand this discord between mind and body so well—she’s living through it right now.

“Mr. Julius, thank you for waiting! When did you return from the dungeon? Ah—I don’t mean to say you should have written because you’re my lover or anything, okay! I just thought, oh, you’re back already!”

Julius smiled at Karen, who hurriedly explained herself after feeling her words might have carried unintended meaning.

“I put my dungeon expedition on hold and came straight to see you, Karen. I didn’t stop anywhere else—I just wanted to see you more than anything.”

“Wha—?!”

As Karen grew increasingly flustered, Julius deepened his smile.

“Sara had a letter delivered to me inside the dungeon by adventurers, Karen. A letter informing me about your life-risking experiment.”

At that moment, Karen realized this wasn’t a time to be flustered. But she still had no idea what was actually going on. Karen could only grasp two things. First, Julius was angry with her. And for some reason, she felt an unexpected sensuality from the angry Julius that was unimaginable from his usual gentle demeanor.

If he knew she was thinking such things, it would be far worse than just being disliked. Karen swallowed hard for various reasons and tried to explain:

“Life-risking is an exaggeration. I don’t know why Sara would send such a letter to you when you’re busy with dungeon exploration—”

“I have arrangements to receive regular updates about you. That was one of them.”

“Oh, that’s a bit embarrassing.”

Karen had no idea that Julius was being regularly informed about her activities.

Julius sighed at Karen’s reaction and lowered his eyes.

“Don’t you understand how I felt, Karen, when I received news that my lover had conducted a self-destructive experiment?”

“Ugh…”

Whether due to the length of his lowered eyelashes or his sorrowful cheeks. Faced with this seemingly calculated gesture that made her heart ache, Karen instinctively staggered back, clutching her chest. Julius’s golden eyes gleamed at Karen’s reaction. That gleam looked like tears forming in his golden eyes, making Karen hold her breath.

“I want you to stop doing dangerous things. Promise me, alright?”

“…Yes.”

Sara’s nagging had been something she appreciated, even enjoyed. But even when scolded, Karen had the pride of being an alchemist. Therefore, she had intended to do whatever she thought necessary for alchemy, regardless of what anyone said. It would have been the same even if Natalia had told her not to. While she didn’t intend to risk her life, she was prepared to walk on dangerous ground. After all, the great alchemists throughout history have achieved glory through such means.

And yet, Karen found herself nodding to Julius. She was shocked by that realization.

“Tim, was it?”

“Yes!”

Julius turned to Tim, apparently unaware of Karen’s state.

“You infused magical power into everything in the food cabinet? You seem to have quite a lot of magical power.”

“Yes, I have at least C-rank in magic capacity!”

“At least?”

“The magical power meter at the orphanage is low quality, so it can’t measure if the magic capacity is too high.”

Harald expressionlessly explained to Julius, who tilted his head at Tim’s vague expression.

“I see. Then I command you: if Karen is doing something dangerous or is in danger, but she herself seems unaware of it, infuse magical power into Karen’s earring.”

“Earring?”

“It’s a magical tool. It’s connected to my magical tool, and if you infuse it with magical power, it will notify me. I’ll come running immediately.”

“But Master Julius, aren’t you diving in a dungeon?”

“Karen is the type of person who prefers a renowned hero who conquers dungeons over a knight escort who never leaves her side.”

“What? You’re exploring them for Karen?”

Julius smiled at Tim, who rounded his eyes, and spoke casually:

“Not for Karen. I explore them for my own desire to be liked by Karen. That’s why I’ll return by any means necessary when Karen is in peril.”

“You really are dating. I’m sorry, I mean… I apologize.”

As Tim bowed his head, Julius said:

“I forgive your rudeness. In exchange, please watch over Karen while I’m away.”

“It’s a man-to-man promise, right?”

Saying that Tim held out his fist to Julius. After looking puzzled for a moment, Julius smiled and bumped his fist against Tim’s. Watching their interaction, Harald hastily interjected:

“I, too, will stake my life to protect Lady Karen!”

“I’m counting on you, Harald.”

While the men were cultivating their friendship, Karen clutched her chest as if trying to hold on to something melting away.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 95

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Chapter Ninety-five: First Guidance

Karen and Yuluyana came by carriage to the street where her alchemy workshop was located, as Yuluyana, who had officially become Karen’s master, wanted to see her workshop.

In front of the alchemy workshop, Tim, whom Karen had asked to watch the place, was confronting a visitor.

“I am Julius. Karen’s lover.”

“You’re a fraud!”

“You idiot!”

Karen rushed over and smacked the shouting Tim.

“I’m so sorry, Master Julius! My errand boy was being terribly rude!”

“It’s all right, Karen. But perhaps this misunderstanding happened because you addressed me so formally with ‘Master’, creating a distant atmosphere. Why not take this opportunity to call me by my name?”

Faced with his sweet smile, Karen awkwardly replied:

“I’ll take that under consideration.”

“There’s no way a handsome guy like this could be your boyfriend! Karen, you’re being deceived!?”

“Stop it, that’s hurtful! He really is courting me!”

“Wake up, Karen! It’s absolutely impossible!”

Karen was on the verge of tears. Tim’s words hit too close to the mark. Harald grabbed Tim’s shoulder to restrain him as he tried to continue.

“Tim, be quiet. We servants have no right to comment on who Lady Karen chooses to date.”

“But…!”

“No buts. When Lady Karen tells you to stop something, you stop immediately. If you can’t do that, quit right now. Do you intend to repeat the same mistake again?”

Harald spoke with a dark look in his eyes, and Tim shrank back, swallowing his words.

Tim truly regretted what he’d done to Harald. And he was just worried about Karen.

Karen smiled bitterly and said:

“Tim, Harald is right. When I ask you to stop something, I want you to stop immediately, and it’s absolutely unacceptable for you to be rude to customers.”

“But…”

“Mr. Julius is a nobleman, Tim. He’s kind enough to forgive you, but other nobles wouldn’t be so forgiving.”

“A nobleman…”

Tim looked up at Julius with a fearful expression. It seemed Tim also recognized nobles as frightening figures.

Julius smiled, but his golden eyes held a cold light.

“I’ll forgive anyone associated with Karen because I’m her lover, but other nobles would kill you for being called a fraud and having their honor tarnished. And Karen wouldn’t be able to protect you from such nobles. Even if she wanted to protect you, it would be impossible. An E-rank alchemist doesn’t have that kind of power.”

Karen didn’t really believe that nobles would try to kill a child just for an insult, and even if such a situation arose, she intended to find a way to handle it. But telling Tim that to reassure him wouldn’t be good for him.

Tim gulped nervously at Julius’s threatening advice.

“That’s why I told you to quickly show him inside, you fool.”

Harald spat those words with a cold gaze, then turned to Karen with a pleasant smile.

“Lady Karen, I’ve completed the cleaning as you instructed. Please let me know if you have any new tasks.”

“Thank you, Harald. Could you wait here for a while?”

“Certainly.”

Harald pulled Tim toward the back of the house.

After watching them go, Karen turned to look at Julius and Yuluyana.

“He’s not as beautiful as I am, but his appearance is certainly beautiful for a human. Actually, don’t we look alike? Is it because beautiful appearances are proportional that we look similar? And aren’t our names similar too?”

“I believe we’re meeting for the first time. I am Julius Ehlertt. May I ask your name?”

Julius smiled, completely ignoring Yuluyana’s comment.

“I am Yuluyana, an elf. I have become Karen’s master. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Karen’s lover.”

“My name is Julius.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t remember the names of humans I’m not interested in.”

Hearing Yuluyana’s outrageous statement, Julius deepened his smile.

“Many elves are like that. I understand you’re much older than you appear, so please don’t worry. I don’t find it rude.”

“Yes, despite appearances, I am far older than you, so I would appreciate being treated with respect.”

“I’ll go make some tea!”

Unable to bear the explosive atmosphere that had somehow developed, Karen fled.

While brewing tea in the kitchen, she wondered what had happened between these two persons who were supposedly meeting for the first time yet seemed hostile toward each other. Then she noticed something strange.

“Huh? The magical power isn’t flowing into the tea leaves…?”

Karen tilted her head in confusion but continued making the tea. She could make tea as a simple beverage, but she didn’t get the sensation of it becoming a potion. It wasn’t like there was something extra mixed in. Fundamentally, her magical power just wouldn’t flow into the leaves. As if they were already filled with something else.

Puzzled, Karen returned from the kitchen to the living room and served tea to the two. Yuluyana frowned.

“I heard from Ms. Natalia that you even turn ordinary tea into potions, but this is just regular tea. How disappointing.”

“You’re right, it’s not a potion, is it? That’s strange. It usually becomes a potion, but for some reason, magical power wouldn’t flow into the tea leaves.”

“Hmm.”

Yuluyana stared intently at the teacup, then looked at Karen with a smile.

“Please call those errand boys, Ms. Karen.”

“Sure, I’ll go get them.”

Not understanding the reason but following the instructions of Yuluyana who had become her master, Karen hurriedly called Tim and Harald back from the waiting room.

Yuluyana looked carefully at the two of them and said to Tim, "It’s you, isn’t it?”

“You infused these tea leaves with magical power, didn’t you?”

“Huh? Yes.”

Tim nodded with a confused expression, and Karen nearly fell over in shock.

“W-Why did you do that?”

“What? But you’re the one who taught me that food and drinks last longer if you infuse them with magical power, Karen! So I infused them with my magical power for you!”

Karen held her head in her hands. It was true that she had taught Tim the secret to preserving food ingredients.

Karen staggered over to the food cabinet and asked Tim:

“Don’t tell me, everything in here…?”

“Yeah! I’ve got magical power to spare, so don’t hold back!”

“So that’s what you were doing when I thought you were just organizing things.”

Harald looked at Tim with a scowl. And Karen certainly wasn’t holding back at all.

In short, everything in there had been permeated with Tim’s magical power, making it impossible to use as materials for potions.

Karen asked her next question with a trembling voice:

“Tim, you didn’t enter the alchemy workshop, right?”

“Nope. You told me not to go in there, so I didn’t.”

If that was the case, it seemed the magical materials were at least safe.

It was a small mercy in an unfortunate situation. Karen let out a sigh of relief.

“Ms. Karen, as your master, may I give you your first guidance?”

“Y-Yes. Please do.”

“First, let’s dismiss these useless errand boys.”

“What!? Why!?”

“What did I even do!?”

Ignoring the confused Tim and Harald, Yuluyana kept his eyes on Karen and said:

“That errand boy has already made two mistakes just while I’ve been watching. And the other one is too incompetent to stop him. Your time is too precious to be wasted on such fools.”

“Well, the first incident was just him being concerned for me, and I didn’t explain properly about the ingredients. If they don’t repeat their mistakes, I’d like to forgive them.”

“I’m saying that your time explaining things to them is a waste, Ms. Karen. Humans are short-lived, so you mustn’t waste time. If you need assistance, I’ll send an alchemist who wishes to be my apprentice to you. I have people who will do anything I command. They’re well-versed in alchemy, so there won’t be any needless interactions.”

While Karen was at a loss for words at Yuluyana’s smiling yet merciless statement, a shadow quietly appeared beside her.

“Mister Yuluyana, Karen is a sensitive woman. She is currently dating me, but she once tried to refuse our relationship because my mere presence distracted her and made her unable to perform alchemy.”

“Unable to perform alchemy?”

Yuluyana frowned, and Julius continued:

“This boy is from an orphanage and has been an acquaintance of Karen’s for some time. He might even be her friend. Damaging such a relationship would disturb Karen’s heart. That could also hinder her alchemy.”

“So it’s nepotism, is it? Come to think of it, I don’t know about your relationships.”

“If you don’t know, wouldn’t you agree that hasty judgment would be premature? It could burden Karen.”

“…Ms. Karen, you look very troubled.”

Yuluyana looked at Karen and sighed.

“I see. Indeed, I don’t yet have enough information to accurately judge whether these people are necessary or unnecessary for her to continue practicing alchemy comfortably.”

“In that case, would you consider withdrawing your guidance?”

“Very well. I’ll put the matter of dismissing those errand boys on hold.”

“Am I saved? Why was I even being scolded in the first plac—mmph!?”

Tim was silenced by Harald without understanding what was happening.

Karen nodded appreciatively at Harald for doing a good job.

Yuluyana clapped his hands.

“Then I’ll change my guidance. Ms. Karen, to protect your rare talent in alchemy, you must not be distracted. Break up with your lover immediately!”

“Absolutely not.”

“Ms. Karen! I’m saying this only for the sake of your alchemy!”

Realizing that Yuluyana wasn’t saying it for her sake at all, Karen easily rejected her master’s first guidance.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 94

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Chapter Ninety-four: Searching for a Master 2

While Julius had a beauty that exuded dignity, the elf Yuluyana possessed a beauty that radiated grace. But more than that beauty, what captured Karen’s attention was Yuluyana’s name.

“Elf alchemist Yuluyana… could it be?”

“Just as you guessed, this is Lord Yuluyana, an S-rank alchemist.”

Karen was dumbfounded. An S-rank alchemist was the pinnacle of alchemy. One of only three highest-ranked alchemists in the Kingdom of Earthfill. And that was exactly what Karen aspired to become.

“No need for such formality. We’re about to become master and disciple. It’s like becoming family, so let’s not create barriers between us.”

“Th-thank you. My name is Karen. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, come on, don’t be so stiff.”

Having heard that masters were extremely strict, Karen felt relieved by Yuluyana’s relaxed atmosphere. Although she was prepared to endure harsh instruction for the sake of learning, it was certainly better not to be scared.

“I also want to become an S-rank alchemist someday. To achieve that, please let me learn as much as possible from you, Lord Yuluyana… Master!”

“S-rank, is it? I see…”

Yuluyana stared down at Karen for a moment before shaking his head.

“It would be impossible for you to become an S-rank alchemist the same way I did.”

Karen held her breath. Despite appearing gentle, perhaps he was a strict master after all. Yuluyana flashed a smile and said:

“In my case, I was granted S-rank status in recognition of my two hundred years of service to the Alchemists’ Guild of the Kingdom of Earthfill. Since you’re human, your lifespan would end before you could follow the same path.”

“Ah… that’s true.”

Two hundred years. Though it might be possible to live that long in this world, one would probably be decrepit toward the end.

“You will need to find your own path. I’ll do my best to guide you and help with that.”

“Thank you very much!”

“Karen, Lord Yuluyana is incredibly knowledgeable and will be the best master for you. However, though he seems easygoing, he’s quite eccentric, so keep your wits about you, Karen.”

Natalia offered advice that made the prospects seem concerning. Seeing Karen’s troubled expression, Yuluyana hastily intervened:

“Come now, Ms. Natalia, please don’t scare Ms. Karen. I’ll treat her with the utmost care so that her hands won’t stop creating new types of potions.”

“Karen, this person is a potion fanatic.”

“A potion fanatic.”

Karen found herself repeating the phrase.

“Humans, perhaps due to their short lifespans, conduct research at a faster pace and make more discoveries than elves who continue studying the same thing for years. Taking notice of this, he joined the Alchemists’ Guild of the Kingdom of Earthfill because he wants to see all the potions that humans continuously create.”

“When I saw your potions made from non-magical materials, I was trembling with excitement. Even as an elf, I didn’t know potions could be made from such non-magical ingredients. Moreover, even when taught how to make them, I couldn’t do it myself. You, an E-rank alchemist, can do what I can’t. I’ve been absolutely dying to meet you!”

Yuluyana moved his face closer and closer. Karen gently distanced herself from the beautiful elf whose face was ecstatic with excitement.

“I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations.”

“Oh, it seems you have resistance to elves, Ms. Karen. Like Ms. Natalia—rare for young human women.”

“She has a lover.”

“Even if she has a lover, surely he can’t be more beautiful than me?”

It was immense confidence, but Karen didn’t think it was overconfidence. Nevertheless, she responded somewhat indignantly:

“With all due respect, Master, the person I’m dating is more beautiful than you.”

“Haha. They say love is blind!”

It was clear Yuluyana didn’t believe her at all.

“Now, before we form our master-disciple contract, there’s one thing I’d like you to prove.”

“Prove?”

“Yes. Please make the fever-reducing potion described in this paper, right here in front of me.”

This potion fanatic was drawn to Karen’s recipes and agreed to become her master despite what Natalia called disadvantageous conditions. Naturally, he wanted to confirm for himself whether Karen could truly craft the potion that had caught his attention.

“Karen, the alchemy workshop at the guild is ready for you.”

Karen moved to the guild’s alchemy workshop. The workshop was already equipped with jars containing three types of dried herbs.

“For example, if you soak a World Tree leaf in water, it immediately becomes a healing potion. The roots make a magical power recovery potion, and even the petals or fruit each produce potions. Even without being an alchemist or having magical power, anyone can make these potions. So, in case some rare ingredient you weren’t aware of slipped in and accidentally formed a potion, I prepared all the materials myself.”

It seemed he wouldn’t tolerate any deception. Karen confirmed the types of dried herbs and infused each jar with her magical power. The magical power flowed smoothly, so she focused her thoughts on creating a fever-reducing potion.

“Hmm, it doesn’t transform like magical materials do.”

“Transform? What do you mean?”

“Magical materials, such as medicinal herbs, disappear as if they’re unraveling during the potion-making process, don’t they? That’s what I call a transformation. It means the herb is magically transformed into something else—a potion.”

Indeed, when making healing potions using medicinal herbs, the water would shimmer with rainbow colors, and the herbs would dissolve and disappear. Karen had simply thought the herbs dissolved in the water, but it was odd that they dissolved without leaving any fiber behind, without being boiled or roasted. It seemed this was understood as a magical transformation triggered by the infusion of magical power.

Karen nodded in understanding as she boiled water in the kettle.

“Non-magical materials must also be transforming since they become potions, but visually it’s not apparent.”

“I see, that makes sense.”

“Ah, your water is boiling!”

“Thank you!”

Karen brewed tea and placed a teacup in front of Yuluyana. She also placed cups for Natalia and herself.

“Karen, this isn’t tea time—it’s your trial to become a disciple.”

“R-Right…!”

The atmosphere was so pleasant that she had nearly forgotten.

“Oho, well, well…”

Yuluyana was intently examining the teacup when he looked at Karen and grinned.

“It really has become a potion. You pass, Ms. Karen!”

“Thank you! You can tell just by looking?”

“Of course not. These glasses are appraisal lenses.”

“Wow, that’s convenient! Your hands stay free.”

“Right? Right?”

Having successfully passed the test, Karen proceeded with the master-disciple contract. The contract terms were incredibly favorable to Karen, including confidentiality clauses, but Yuluyana signed enthusiastically.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 93

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Chapter Ninety-three: Searching for a Master

Karen thought Natalia had just called her over just to chitchat, but she ended up taking her to a private room at the Alchemists’ Guild. The last time Karen had been in this room was when she accepted Julius’ request.

“Karen, after I spread the word that you were looking for someone to apprentice under, several alchemists have stepped forward offering to be your master. Multiple ones, in fact.”

“Really!?”

Karen let out a cheer.

“From B-rank alchemist Oliver who serves adventurers to A-rank alchemist Violetta known as the Ageless Witch, there are quite a few well-known alchemists showing interest.”

From across the sofa where Karen sat, Natalia handed her a list with the names of alchemists. It contained the names of many famous alchemists lined up, making Karen’s heart race with excitement.

“It’s unheard of for so many high-ranking alchemists to offer an apprenticeship to an E-rank alchemist. Normally, you’d rarely even get approached. Usually, even if you bowed your head and begged to be taken as an apprentice, you’d be turned away at the door. In other words, everyone truly values your paper that much.”

“I see, I see!”

After returning to the royal capital from the Ehlertt territory, Karen completed her paper on a non-magical potion that could heal the Bloodline Blessing and submitted it to the Alchemists’ Guild.

If approved by the guild, she could present her paper at the alchemy section of the Royal Exhibition held in the fifth month of the year. And if it gained international recognition, she would receive an invitation to the Continental Alchemy Union meeting, a gathering of alchemists that transcended national and racial boundaries.

Of course, Karen hadn’t set her hopes that high.

But for Sieg’s sake, who had agreed to receive treatment based on her sweet persuasion, she did feel some pressure to gain recognition. And she hoped this paper would serve as her calling card as an alchemist to find a good master.

“Now I can study alchemy… thank goodness.”

Karen slumped down onto the sofa in relief.

To study alchemy, one method was to read papers. However, there was a limit to what an E-rank alchemist could learn from the papers they were allowed to read. So when considering what to do next, the obvious solution was to become an apprentice to a high-ranking alchemist of C-rank or above.

Karen had consulted with Natalia about possibly finding a master. Most aspiring alchemists already had a high-ranking alchemist as their master through connections with parents or acquaintances. But for alchemists like Karen who discovered their talent at school and had no connections, seeking a master through the Alchemists’ Guild was the standard practice.

“Normally, the guild representative—in this case, me—would start by introducing you to high-ranking alchemists. Even with an introduction, they wouldn’t accept you right away. You’d have to approach many alchemists and, if you finally got a positive response, negotiations of terms would begin.”

“But I’m getting so many offers, right? Amazing! Can I choose from this list?”

While independent alchemists might be different, only C-rank or higher alchemists were qualified to take apprentices.

Karen had thought she would be fortunate just to find a C-rank alchemist as her master, but now even B-rank and A-rank alchemists were reaching out to her.

Seeing Karen flustered with excitement, Natalia smiled warmly.

“I’ve declined all the offers from the alchemists on this list.”

“Why would you do that!?”

Even as she cried out, Karen had already guessed that Natalia must have had good reasons.

“To protect your techniques.”

“Protect my techniques?”

As Karen tilted her head in confusion, Natalia let out a sigh.

“Several useful non-magical potions are currently considered special potions that only you can create. For these potions to be officially recognized as your creation, you need to submit a completed paper to the Alchemists’ Guild before anyone else.”

“But I already submitted the paper, didn’t I?”

There was the paper about the Bloodline Blessing that had prompted so many alchemists to recognize her and offer to take her as an apprentice.

“When an A-rank alchemist from the Alchemists’ Guild tried to recreate the potion from that paper, they couldn’t make it. In other words, that paper is incomplete.”

“Not again…”

“It would be fine if this were truly a special potion that only you could make. But if that’s not the case, then as I mentioned with your previous paper, you’re forgetting to write down something about the understanding.”

“I wonder what it could be…?”

As Karen pondered, Natalia leaned forward with a serious expression and lowered her voice.

“Once you enter a master-apprentice relationship, you basically can’t disobey, and it becomes difficult to keep your research secret. If the person who becomes your master discovers what you’ve forgotten to write before you do, and then submits a paper with the complete recipe on their own, that non-magical potion will become your master’s invention. All your effort, research, achievements, and honor will be for nothing.”

“You mean my research could be stolen while I’m still working on it? Can such terrible things happen?”

“Whether it’s unethical or not depends on interpretation.”

As Karen’s eyes widened, Natalia shook her head.

“The foundation of many potions today was originally invented by elves.”

“Elves, huh.”

Elves were a race that worshipped the World Tree, a gigantic tree considered a divine manifestation of the goddess, and lived in the forest where the World Tree stood. It was said that the blood of spirits flowed in their veins. They had long ears, blonde hair, and skin that was white with a slight greenish tint. Born with abundant magical power, they excelled at magic and were often beautiful in appearance.

They didn’t live in Karen’s neighborhood, but she occasionally saw them walking around town. Rarely, they were part of high-ranking adventurer parties, and she had spoken with some at adventurers’ bars. Her impression was that talking with them wasn’t much different from talking with regular humans.

“They have an oral culture and don’t leave written records, so many recipes have been lost. And even if they know the recipes, they don’t necessarily share them. Say we humans research and rediscover these recipes on our own. Would the credit go to the elves who once made the potions but didn’t leave records? That wouldn’t be right, would it?”

“Hmm?”

Seeing that Karen still didn’t quite understand, Natalia continued:

“Some of them live for about a thousand years, you know? Even for things humans invented over several generations spanning hundreds of years, if an elf says they started the research first deep in the forest and have been researching for five hundred years so the rights should be returned to them, humans would be left with nothing.”

“Ah… so even what we humans build over lifetimes or generations could be considered theft from an elf’s perspective…”

Karen’s face twitched as she finally understood. Her values were concepts that only applied in a human-only world and wouldn’t work in a world with multiple races.

“That’s why the Continental Alchemy Union, which includes elves, has agreed that whoever submits a recipe that can be reproduced by anyone with certain skills will be registered as the inventor.”

“Without that, short-lived races wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything.”

Despite being called short-lived, humans in this world lived long lives, with those having large amounts of magical power reportedly living up to three hundred years. Even so, they couldn’t possibly match the elves’ thousand years.

“So, it’s not a crime for a master to steal their apprentice’s research.”

“You’re calling it stealing though.”

“Well, such complaints are occasionally filed with the Alchemists’ Guild. But most apprentices end up giving in. Then again, the testimony of an apprentice who only has enough skill to beg for teachings from their master is questionable regarding how true it is.”

“So that’s what would be said if my work was stolen too.”

“Exactly.”

Between the testimony of a high-ranking, accomplished master and Karen’s word—if people who didn’t know Karen had to choose whom to believe, ten out of ten would side with the master.

“So, is it impossible for me to have a master?”

As Karen’s shoulders drooped, Natalia smoothly pulled another piece of paper from her bag.

“There’s one alchemist who wants to be your master so badly that he has agreed to extremely unfavorable conditions, including confidentiality agreements. I’ve secured him for you.”

“…Isn’t that extremely rare?”

“It’s common for apprentices to get the short end of the stick, but for a master to accept such a disadvantage—it’s unheard of. Still, he agreed. That’s why I recommend this person as your mentor.”

“If you’re recommending him, Natalia, I’ll choose him!”

Since Karen was certain that Natalia had chosen with her best interests in mind, she spoke before even looking at the documents Natalia was holding out.

At that moment, a hand was placed on Karen’s shoulder.

“Waah!?”

“I’m Yuluyana, Ms. Natalia’s recommended master. Pleased to meet you, Ms. Karen.”

Standing behind the startled Karen was an elf with long blonde hair and round glasses. The beautiful elven man showed Karen, whose eyes were wide with surprise, a beaming smile.

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