Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 274

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Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-Four: Pot-au-feu with Wine and Root Vegetables 3

“To get straight to the point—a Great Collapse Stampede occurred at a nearby dungeon. But it seems to have settled.”

Licht had returned after gathering information from Helfried’s group and reported to Gottfried.

“Someone must be clearing that collapsing dungeon. Right now, Earl Ehlertt has sent up signal fires to call the participants back, so whoever hasn’t returned would be the ones clearing it.”

“Hmm. The hunting festival was originally a celebration for expanding one’s territory by conquering nearby dungeons. It makes sense if someone aiming for victory decided to attempt a dungeon clear.”

“Let’s hope whoever is doing it has the ability to see it through. If the effects of a Great Collapse are reaching this far out, it wouldn’t be surprising if monsters from the deep floors have crossed over.”

“…Could the Great Collapse have been caused deliberately?”

“Deliberately?”

Licht’s expression turned puzzled at what sounded like Gottfried talking to himself. Gottfried then activated a magical tool to prevent eavesdropping and spoke:

“I just have a… feeling.”

“Your feeling, is it…”

As Karen approached with a bowl of pot-au-feu, Licht, who had been wearing a grim expression, pressed his lips together. It seemed there were things she wasn’t meant to hear.

“Root vegetable pot-au-feu. Please, help yourself.”

“I had some earlier—it was excellent. It even turned into a potion. Something about strengthening one’s body. Good to know my wine was put to use.”

“Your wine?! Karen, you used Gotthard in a dish?!”

“It came together as an exceptionally expensive pot-au-feu, one bowl at a time. Please, do try it.”

Licht took the bowl with a look of astonishment, brought a spoonful to his lips with an expression of exasperation—and his eyes went wide.

“…It’s delicious.”

“I think it’s largely because it was such fine wine that it turned into a fine dish.”

“I could understand a fine potion, but a fine dish…”

Licht gave a wry smile and ate his way through the steaming, fluffy potato chunks, chewed through the thick slabs of bacon, savored the tender carrots against the satisfying bite of the lotus root, and slurped up the meltingly soft onion along with the broth. His nose had gone red at the tip. He let out a contented breath and said:

“If you and Julius end up together, this is what he’ll be eating for the rest of his life.”

“That’s how it will be, yes.”

“…How can I not root for him, being fed something like this?”

He sighed, then drew a magical tool for blocking eavesdropping from inside his coat. It seemed he had been trying to have a conversation earlier that could only be had with Gottfried, so Karen began to step away—but Licht stopped her.

“I’d like you to hear this too, Karen—if you don’t mind, Captain.”

“I have no objection, Sir Licht. Miss Karen is as good as family to me.”

“Earning his approval—what on earth did you do?”

Karen felt they had bonded over Gottfried’s love talk, but the Knight Captain likely didn’t see it that way. So she kept her mouth modestly shut.

“Well, whatever. The Knight Captain, you see, has exceptional intuition… It was the Captain who found Julius back then.”

“…Found him?”

Sensing something ominous in Licht’s hushed voice, Karen furrowed her brow. Gottfried picked up where Licht had left off:

“That man pursued every woman of high magical power he could get his hands on, and when he discovered that one of them had borne him a child—a boy named Julius—he abducted the child and threw him into an uncleared dungeon. What I found was Master Julius, having escaped the dungeon on his own. …If this instinct of mine were some kind of true ability, I would have wanted to feel it sooner. A useless power, in the end.”

“That isn’t so, Captain. Because you came to the entrance, Julius would have known, at the very least, that someone had come for him.”

“I took him into my protection, only for Winfried to snatch him away immediately… After that, there was nothing more I could do.”

“What was Winfried after?”

Karen spoke his name plainly, without any respect, but neither Licht nor Gottfried took issue with it.

“That man wanted strong children. He kept Lord Helfried in place as his heir, while conducting his experiments—the weak ones would simply die inside the dungeon, the strong ones would survive. When he saw Master Julius come out alive, the man was overjoyed.”

“In other words, the Knight Captain’s intuition—his premonitions—are accurate.”

Licht said it loudly, as if to keep Karen from sinking too far into her thoughts, and looked over at her.

“Don’t get too caught up in Julius’s past, Karen. He’s already looking forward—toward the future. Toward a future with you. That goes for you too, doesn’t it?”

“…Yes.”

Karen nodded. Licht had hesitated over whether to tell her this—and in the end, he had chosen to. He must have trusted that she wouldn’t let herself stay trapped in the past.

But being told not to dwell on it was one thing. She couldn’t help but think. Karen turned her gaze in the direction she guessed Julius might be, and couldn’t help but let her thoughts drift to him.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 273

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Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-Three: Pot-au-feu with Wine and Root Vegetables 2

Surprised by Gottfried’s words—from a man she had assumed disliked Julius—Karen nonetheless shook her head.

“No… I’m worried about Mr. Julius, so that condition is fine. I don’t want anything else.”

“In the first place, Master Julius is only away because the hunting festival is still underway.”

Gottfried studied Karen with a searching look. His eyes seemed to be trying to see through her, and Karen tensed slightly.

“If Master Julius is aiming to win, he’ll have gone deep into the forest by morning. He won’t be back easily—and most likely, he hasn’t even noticed anything is wrong on this end. Are you sure you want to use that as your condition?”

“I sent magical power through the earring that transmits heat, so it wouldn’t be strange for him to come back at any time.”

She hadn’t sent that heat due to this disturbance, but the timing had been almost too good. Gottfried, however, tilted his head at her words.

“The Enchanted Forest is thick with magical power. So if he has gone deep enough, there’s every chance the magic never reached him. It isn’t a dungeon, but the area outside a dungeon’s sphere of influence is practically the same thing. Even herbs grow there.”

“So what you’re saying is, even if Mr. Julius were calling for help, it might not reach me.”

It was a painful, open secret Julius had never even tried to hide. Rather than hiding his wounds, he seemed not even aware of his own pain—his dullness made her chest ache unbearably, and now this. When something went wrong, how much would Julius take care of himself? She had been at the very moment of doubting that she could trust him in that regard—and then this had happened. Karen let out a long, heavy sigh.

Gottfried narrowed his eyes at her and spoke:

“If Master Julius appears to be held up in the forest for some reason, of course, I’ll go help him. For now, have some wine. It will calm your mind.”

“…Thank you.”

Gottfried poured from his flask and handed the cup to Karen. She couldn’t very well refuse, so she brought it to her lips. The aroma was extraordinary. She took a sip—and her expression shifted to something puzzled.

“This is a remarkably good wine. I feel like I’ve tasted it somewhere before…?”

“Have you had Gotthard before? Perhaps Lord Helfried gave some to you?”

“What?! Gotthard—the ultra-luxury wine!?”

Karen’s eyes went wide. It was the label Sara had once brought to a celebratory gathering, saying it was a gift from Helfried.

“It’s just a hobby of mine, homemade. I can’t produce much, so the price rises.”

Karen swallowed hard. Between her irritation at being dragged into Gottfried’s affairs and the very real danger it might bring, she had tossed the wine carelessly into the pot-au-feu when he offered it. It hadn’t been in a labeled bottle, so she’d had no idea. Inside the orichalcum alchemical cauldron, an extraordinarily expensive pot-au-feu was quietly reaching completion.

Gottfried poured a cup for himself, took a long swig, and turned back to his knights.

“Each of you, have a cup! You may open one of the barrels from the carriage!”

“Thank you, Captain!”

The knights erupted in a cheer, and Gottfried exhaled quietly beside Karen.

“I’d like nothing more than to make wine in peace and spend my days quietly at home with my wife—but Lord Helfried won’t allow it… and now I can’t very well abandon my men either. A troublesome business.”

Karen took a small sip of the wine herself. It was fragrant and delicious, and unmistakably right for the pot-au-feu. The pot-au-feu in the orichalcum cauldron was nearly ready now. Karen gave it a slow stir, ladled a little into a small dish to taste, and sighed.

“What’s wrong? Did it not turn out well?”

“It turned out beautifully. It’s warm and nourishing, exactly as I hoped… I just found myself wishing Mr. Julius could have some too.”

A single sip of the nourishing hot soup eased her, warmth spreading through her body and tension leaving her shoulders. Even cooking over an open fire, the cold crept in steadily once the sun went down. And yet, how cold must Julius be right now? Even if his body was strong thanks to magical power, what should she call this desire to feed him something warm?

“Please, help yourself. You did provide the ingredients, after all.”

Gottfried accepted the bowl of pot-au-feu from Karen and said:

“Whatever you come to know about him, you intend to live alongside Master Julius, don’t you, Miss Karen?”

“Of course.”

“Once you have chosen Master Julius, there is no going back.”

She felt a pressure emanating from Gottfried, and a faint sweat broke out across her skin. It wasn’t overflowing magical power—just the intensity of emotions boiling within him reaching her.

“That’s exactly what I want.”

Karen answered with a smile, even as a bead of sweat traced her brow. Gottfried exhaled, took a spoonful of the pot-au-feu, and murmured:

“…It certainly warms the body. I started making wine myself because I wanted to warm my wife—she tends to run cold.”

He turned to face Karen fully and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this. If you are truly prepared to accept every side of Master Julius, then you are as good as family to me.”

Karen’s eyes went wide at his words.

“As the price for pulling you into my affairs—if you ever have troubles of your own, you are welcome to pull me into them as you would family.”

“…As family?”

From the very beginning, Gottfried had made his proposal not to her as an alchemist, but to Karen as an individual who would marry Julius. Repeating his words, Karen asked with wide, round eyes:

“Were you treating me as family from the start when you involved me?”

“If you were willing to accept all of Master Julius, then as family. If the information I hinted at led you to give up on him, then as a neutral, well-meaning third party. That was how it would have gone.”

Gottfried exhaled.

“Master Julius is not easy, Miss Karen. The despair of clinging to life with everything he had—that experience has, without question, twisted his heart. And that twist will manifest as an obsessive attachment to the woman he has given his heart to.”

“Obsessive…”

“I haven’t had experiences as harrowing as Master Julius, but after carrying out my duties at the edge of death, the change that came over my feelings toward my wife was something I can only describe as frightening. In that, Master Julius resembles me.”

Karen felt something click into place. Gottfried had not disliked Julius. He had been testing her—for Julius’s sake.

“You’re worried about Mr. Julius too, Captain.”

“I’m not sure ‘worry’ is the right word. I am, however, concerned about Master Julius’s future…”

Gottfried looked down at her, his eyes growing quiet and measured.

“Because of Winfried’s foolishness, Master Julius went through something truly devastating, and it left its mark on him. It may not show—but what feelings he has come to harbor toward someone like you… You may not be able to feel the full weight of it yet, but when the day comes that you see that attachment for yourself, I can only hope you will have the resolve to truly accept it.”

Karen swallowed nervously.

“So that means I’m guaranteed to be overwhelmingly loved…!?”

“That is not what I said.”

“But the way you’ve been talking, Captain—you love your wife very much, don’t you…?”

“I won’t deny that what I feel for my wife falls in the category of love, yes.”

“And you’re saying Mr. Julius is like you…!”

Karen’s eyes lit up. Gottfried’s face went completely blank.

“That is not something to rejoice over. At the very least, I have no intention of ever letting my wife escape.”

“Kyaa!”

Gottfried looked down at Karen’s delighted shriek with an expression of utter disappointment.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 272

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Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-Two: Pot-au-feu with Wine and Root Vegetables

“Don’t let anyone stray. As long as you stay within my sight and Miss Alchemist’s, we’ll be able to overturn any accusations that come our way later.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the sun sank toward the horizon over the plain, Gottfried issued instructions to the knights who were briskly setting up camp. Karen, who had been included in those instructions without anyone asking her, wore a sullen expression as she stirred the contents of her orichalcum alchemical cauldron with her World Tree ladle.

“Smells incredible. What kind of soup is that?”

“Just a pot-au-feu, Uncle Sepl.”

It was an autumn root vegetable pot-au-feu—carrots, potatoes, onions, and lotus root. Some of the ingredients Sepl and Urte retrieved from the luggage left behind near the tents, dodging monsters that had poured in, while others had been gathered from the edge of the Great Forest.

The horde of monsters that appeared had reportedly been subdued by the nobles present. The damage was said to be minor, but since the monsters had appeared close to the tent area, Helfried had issued an order for everyone to spend the night even further from the forest than usual.

Karen had tried to return to Helfried’s group, but Gottfried had held her back—and so here she was, apart from the place where most of the nobles had clustered together. It was so that, no matter what happened, she would not be involved—and could serve as a witness.

Licht had stepped away to gather more details about the monster incident, and both Petra and Rosine had gone back to check on their respective relatives.

The knights who had ventured deep into the forest for a multi-day hunt had not returned. Whether they were unaware of the disturbance or simply too far in, Karen couldn’t say. Julius was one of them. She had channeled magical power into the earring, and yet he still hadn’t come back. He must have ventured very deep into the forest indeed.

Karen found herself staring at the orichalcum ring on her left ring finger before she even realized it, and shook her head vigorously.

“Still, it’s strange. Finding such perfect vegetables growing wild like this…”

Muttering to herself to keep her mind from wandering, Karen stirred the large-cut ingredients as they bubbled away. In addition to the vegetables, she used wine and chunky bacon provided by the knights, cutting them into pieces and stewing everything together.

When she tasted it, the aroma of the wine was remarkably fine. Seasoned with nothing more than salt, pepper, and bay leaves, the sweet fat of the thick-cut bacon from some bovine-type monster had melted together with the wholesome depth of the root vegetables, creating a savory taste that warms you to the core.

“It’s true—finding good ingredients that fast, and not even in a dungeon. You’ve got a real knack for it, Little Karen.”

“It’s not really a knack. They’re definitely appearing because I want them.”

“Appearing?”

Sepl tilted his head with a puzzled look. Karen, for her part, found herself equally puzzled by his reaction.

“Like, when you’re looking for an ingredient or a material, doesn’t it just… turn up, as if it suddenly materialized right in front of you?”

“If you’re searching, it’s normal to find them, isn’t it? And there are plenty of times when you don’t find them at all.”

Urte chimed in, blinking in genuine bewilderment. Karen looked up at her with a confused expression.

“Well… but sometimes things appear out of nowhere that shouldn’t be there at all, right?”

“Things that shouldn’t be there—what do you mean by that?”

Urte and Sepl gazed down at her with curious eyes, and Karen drew a sharp breath before her expression shifted to one of quiet contemplation.

“Right… if you grew up with this as your normal, of course, it would just seem normal…”

In a dungeon, for instance, in any environment where plants grew, you could generally find whatever plant you were looking for. Season meant nothing—in the same forest, on the same day, you could pick spring rapeseed blossoms and autumn sweet potatoes side by side. Any herb you could think of was findable if you searched, even if some were harder to come by than others.

Dungeons were places where strange things happened, so she had always let it pass as "just how things are." But if the same held true in forests outside dungeons, then perhaps this world itself was simply built that way.

Perhaps only Karen, having known a different world, could recognize how deeply wrong it all was.

“And once again, it’s become a potion. Honestly, your ability is astonishing every time.”

Urte peered through her appraisal mirror as she spoke. It was the same magnifying-glass type as the one Karen carried.

The hunting festival was noble territory, and up until now, Urte and Sepl had held back at a respectful distance, just as servants would—but given what was happening, of course, they had taken their place at Karen’s side.

“What’s the effect?”

“It says ‘strengthens the body.’ Does that mean eating this will make you stronger in the arms?”

“Strengthens… Oh, maybe it boosts immunity?”

Karen took out her own appraisal mirror from her pouch and had a look. Sure enough, the effect that came up was “boosts immune function”, exactly as she had expected. Through Urte’s mirror, it had apparently come through as the vaguer “strengthens the body.”

“It means it strengthens the body’s ability to ward off things like colds—so no, it won’t increase your arm strength, Ms. Urte.”

“Ward off colds… well, in a situation like this, the last thing any of us needs is to fall ill.”

Root vegetables were rich in Vitamin C, which helped build up the immune system. Given the circumstances, it was true that she had chosen the ingredients partly with that effect in mind.

“Come to think of it, it’s almost like the knights are here as your personal guard.”

“Oh, now there’s an idea. If we had said we came to escort Miss Alchemist, do you think we’d have been welcomed with open arms?”

Catching Urte’s whisper, Gottfried jokingly played along. If that had been their stated reason during this incident, Karen wouldn’t have been able to brush them off. But in truth, they were only sticking close to Karen to prove their own innocence.

“Well, telling lies doesn’t sit right with me. If it ever came to light, it would damage trust.”

As he spoke, Gottfried leaned over and peered into the orichalcum alchemical cauldron with a series of approving nods. Karen looked up at him.

“Knight Captain, I don’t mind being caught up in your affairs, but I have a condition.”

“Oh, so you’ve finally come around. What condition?”

“If Mr. Julius doesn’t return, please help me go look for him.”

She wanted to go herself if she could, but in a place where monsters appeared, Karen was helpless. She couldn’t ask too much of Sepl and Urte—they were there to protect her, not to risk their lives for her sake.

Karen gripped the World Tree ladle tightly as she spoke, and Gottfried tilted his head.

“Hmm.”

“Please. If Mr. Julius doesn’t come back by the day he’s expected, then…”

“Now, hold on. Master Julius is my grand-nephew. If he doesn’t return, I’ll go after him myself, whether you ask or not. Why not think of a different condition?”

“Huh?”

At Gottfried’s unexpectedly decent reply, Karen raised her head, which she had begun to bow, and blinked at him.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 271

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Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy-One: Getting Involved

“I thought you would be with Lord Helfried, Knight Captain.”

Why was he here?

To Karen’s unspoken question, Gottfried answered:

“Knights who were originally part of the current earl’s faction are attending Earl Ehlertt. I’m here with the knights of the former earl’s faction.”

Behind Gottfried, as he said this, were unfamiliar knights.

If the acquainted knights at the Ehlertt Earldom residence in the royal capital were the current earl’s faction, then these were the former earl’s faction—people who had been part of Horst’s faction. In other words, they were knight order members who weren’t trusted by Helfried and weren’t given roles despite being knights.

“…Do you need something from me?”

“I heard you refused Miss Ottilie’s proposal?”

“Are you acquainted with her?”

“She’s a relative of my wife.”

When Ehlertt nobles tried to find marriage partners within the territory, they inevitably ended up related.

“Should I take this as a declaration that you have no intention of listening to my request? Everyone around you is on Master Julius’s side. Are you saying you have no intention of obtaining information that would be beneficial to you in that position?”

Certainly, it was Alise who had assigned Karen guides, and Licht was also Julius’s ally. There probably wasn’t anyone who would whisper information disadvantageous to Julius into Karen’s ear.

Even so, Karen’s feelings didn’t change.

If that was why he came, how would he react when Karen refused the proposal?

Karen answered while swallowing hard:

“Regarding the transaction you proposed, Knight Captain, the premise has already broken down.”

“Broken down?”

“If it were that information, I’ve already heard it. So that transaction hasn’t been established.”

To Gottfried widening his eyes, Licht, who had approached from behind Karen, said:

“It’s true, Knight Captain. Julius introduced me to her because he revealed his secret. The reason he wouldn’t introduce me to her until now was probably that he thought I was the type to spill his secret without Julius’s permission.”

Haha, Licht gave a dry laugh.

Karen’s eyes widened.

“Master Licht!? I was being vague without saying it was Mr. Julius’s secret…!”

“Don’t worry, I’m using an eavesdropping prevention magical tool.”

Saying that, Licht showed his palm. A dome-shaped, milky-white magic stone was set on a black pedestal.

When Karen looked carefully around, a thin transparent membrane the same shape and color as the dome was spreading around them. The sound inside this apparently didn’t reach outside.

Gottfried murmured, "How surprising.”

“I never thought Master Julius would speak of such an abominable secret himself.”

“What’s abominable are the adults who drove Mr. Julius into that situation, not Mr. Julius!”

“Karen’s right about this. Julius worries too much.”

“Even if it’s not Master Julius’s fault, the facts that occurred don’t change, do they?”

Gottfried made a puzzled face.

Was he saying that was the normal way nobles thought?

To Karen, mobilizing all her reasons not to glare at him while feeling antagonism, Gottfried said:

“Just imagining what a child, not even ten years old, thrown into the tenth floor of a dungeon by his father, did to survive makes me feel abominable and nauseous—”

“Wait, wait a minute.”

“What?”

With her palm held out as if to stop Gottfried tilting his head, Karen said in dismay:

“That… is the first I’m hearing of it…”

“What!? But didn’t Julius reveal his secret to you!?”

“He did reveal his secret to me!? But I didn’t hear anything about being thrown into the tenth floor…”

Karen realized something and got goosebumps with a chill.

“Don’t tell me, Mr. Julius’s reckless fighting style…”

“It’s the fighting style an abandoned child acquired by risking his life to come out of the dungeon alive. Because such an abominable fighting style wasn’t suitable for the knight order, I was grateful for Mr. Julius’s offer, but I had no intention of having the knights learn that fighting style.”

It wasn’t unusual for orphaned children to enter dungeons and develop their own fighting styles. So when Karen saw Julius’s fighting, she just thought it was different from refined swordsmanship.

But why would Julius, who wasn’t even an orphan, acquire such a fighting style—

“Now that you’ve heard Master Julius’s secret from me, shouldn’t you accept my original request? I want your cooperation in helping the former earl’s faction members—”

“…This isn’t a secret.”

“What are you talking about?”

Gottfried tilted his head.

Karen ground her teeth, remembering her conversation with Julius.

“To Mr. Julius, this isn’t a secret… Because he said he had no secrets from me anymore… that he’d told me everything… That wasn’t a lie.”

Remembering her conversation with Julius, Karen ground her teeth.

“That man…! He didn’t tell me because he thought something like this wasn’t even worth telling me…!”

“That ‘man’… You mean Julius?”

Ignoring Licht’s words, Karen held her head and trembled.

Julius’s concern had been that Karen learn about his birth. Since it included talk of defiling a woman’s dignity, he probably thought Karen might feel disgust.

And probably, regarding the young Julius abandoned in a dungeon fighting to survive, he didn’t think Karen would reject him for that. Certainly, there was nothing in it to feel disgust about. Adventurers ate even insects when necessary. There were adventurers who, attacked and eaten by monsters too powerful, survived by eating their way out from the inside.

Even if refined nobles couldn’t accept it, for Karen, who had lived as an adventurer’s daughter and sister, it wasn’t a big deal. The problem was that Julius thought of that past as an insignificant matter. That’s why he said he had no secrets. Because to Julius, it wasn’t even something worth keeping secret. It would have been better if he had kept it secret, thinking Karen would be pained by it.

“Without even realizing how much I care…!”

Karen held her head and poured a huge amount of magical power into her earring.

Since magical conductivity apparently worsened at great distances, she poured it in with all her might.

“Hmm. If you believe the information I gave you has value, would you allow yourself to be involved?”

“Huh?”

Karen glared at the Knight Captain, a titled noble.

Whether he chose to overlook it or found her defiance decisive, Gottfried continued:

“Well, I came to involve you even without your consent. I’ll apologize later.”

“Hey—!”

The moment Licht deactivated the eavesdropping prevention magical tool, an explosion sound echoed from the shallow part of the forest by the canopy.

“Monsters! A horde of monsters appeared from the depths of the forest—!”

“A horde!? Don’t tell me it’s a stampede!?”

Karen looked up at Gottfried in shock.

“Is this your doing?”

“Absolutely not. Rather, I’m asking for your help so we won’t be made responsible for that. We’re fleeing, Miss Alchemist. All members, prepare to flee!”

Gottfried issued orders to the knights waiting on standby.

Realizing the ground tremors were approaching, Karen grabbed her valuables from the tent in three seconds.

“We’re fleeing that way!”

Following Licht’s instructions, Karen, Petra, Rosine, Urte, and Sepl also followed.

Behind them, Gottfried and the knights also followed without permission.

Coming up next to Karen while running, Gottfried said:

“Someone is trying to frame the former earl’s faction members. If we’re at the scene, we might get involved, so we must leave the scene. So, would you mind fleeing with us, as we’d like you to be a witness to our innocence?”

“That’s way too much after-the-fact consent!?”

Even so, with monsters closing in, she couldn’t exactly tell them to stay away.

“I thought if they were going to set something up, it would be at the New Year Festival.”

Next to Karen, running desperately, the Knight Captain with his trained body jogged leisurely while speaking.

The speed of this march was apparently matched to Karen’s feet, the slowest of them all. So Karen couldn’t even talk back and continued running for dear life.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 270

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Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy: Mushroom Sandwiches and Herb Tea

“Amazing! These are actually potions!”

In front of Karen’s tent. On the unfolded folding table, sandwiches and herb tea prepared for lunch were lined up for everyone. Petra examined them with a small monocular-shaped appraisal mirror and let out a cheer.

Just earlier, she had been grumbling while watching Karen make lunch, saying she should just leave it to a cook, but now she had performed a complete and artful reversal. The sheer sincerity of her delight was almost artistic in itself, and Karen watched her with a warm smile.

“So some effect got attached.”

At Karen’s words, Petra’s eyes widened as she turned around.

“Why don’t you know about it yourself?”

“I just made them while thinking I wanted everyone to be energetic—I didn’t intend to make potions. Well, if a good effect got attached, that’s good.”

“How is that even possible…?”

Petra looked visibly shaken.

Karen didn’t appraise everything every time she cooked. Sometimes she was hungry and ate while cooking.

Since Karen was currently accompanied by several nobless, even though things were casual, she really couldn’t keep them waiting.

“What was the appraisal result?”

“Apparently, they have an energizing effect.”

“Ahaha! That’s a vague appraisal result.”

“That’s because you made them that way!”

Petra was right. Probably, it wasn’t because Petra’s appraisal mirror was of low quality. Even with Karen’s mirror, the result wouldn’t change much.

The bread was sliced thin, toasted, and topped generously with mushrooms sautéed in trent oil with salt and pepper. They were autumn-flavored sandwiches layered with prosciutto and crisp lettuce.

“Lady Karen, so these are potions, correct? Are you sure it’s all right without us paying…?”

“It’s just lunch, so please eat without worrying.”

Next to Rosine, showing a reserved attitude, Petra had already begun praying, "I give thanks for the abundant blessings granted by the goddess.”

“Master Licht, please eat too if you’d like.”

“Julius is a noble, so hiring a cook is normal.”

“Pardon?”

At Karen’s puzzled expression, Licht snorted through his nose.

“Unlike commoners, even if you’re good at cooking, it won’t earn you points as a wife, you know?”

Licht apparently intended this as a warning to Karen.

Unlike the girls elegantly holding knives and forks, Licht grabbed the sandwich with his hands and bit into it boldly. After freezing for a moment, he chewed the lettuce with crunching sounds and said with a sour face:

“…Delicious.”

“I’m glad.”

Karen smiled brightly and carried sandwiches and herb tea to Urte and Sepl, who were at a distance.

The herbal tea was a chamomile potion, something she had already written about in her papers, so some people had come to know of it. Its effect was likely fatigue recovery.

“Karen, are you sure it’s okay to take that attitude with a noble?”

“Yeah, Little Karen. Even if we’ll protect you no matter what, still…”

“Ah, it’s fine.”

Karen smiled at Urte and Sepl, who spoke in low voices out of concern for her. Perhaps worried about Licht’s good hearing, their voices were frighteningly quiet.

“Those young ladies aside, that man is strong, Karen. Don’t forget that he’s a higher rank than you, than us.”

“Yes, Ms. Urte.”

Karen gave an obedient response and returned to the nobles’ table.

Petra said with a serious expression:

“Say, Karen, wouldn’t this go well with wine?”

“Good observation, Lady Petra. It would. But how old are you? You should refrain from drinking until you’re an adult…”

“I’m obviously over fifteen! You can tell by looking!”

“I personally believe one shouldn’t drink until twenty.”

That said, Karen herself had already been drinking since eighteen, so she wasn’t in a position to speak so pompously. And in this world, one became an adult at fifteen, and there wasn’t even a law against children drinking alcohol in the first place.

Rosine also blinked curiously.

“My, wine is safer to drink than water, you know? When I was eleven, our territory was attacked by a horde of monsters, and we barricaded ourselves in the mansion with the people, but at that time, even three-year-old children drank the wine stored in our house rather than stagnant water. Unlike water, it doesn’t spoil.”

“Please stop talking about things that make the meal unpleasant, Lady Rosine.”

Chatting noisily, the two noble girls brazenly entered Karen’s tent to search for alcohol. Since the person who prepared this tent—either Alise or Helfried—had thoughtfully arranged it, various types of alcohol were placed inside.

Hearing the girls’ cheers as they apparently found it right away, Karen felt warmth.

Licht, who remained behind, said:

“Those supporters over there are right, you know? Karen. You seem to be underestimating me, but even though you’re a B-rank alchemist, I’m a higher rank than you in every sense.”

Even though Urte had suppressed her voice to the extreme, he had apparently heard anyway.

Having conquered the twentieth floor of a dungeon, Licht’s ability was equivalent to a B-rank adventurer. He wasn’t an opponent that C-rank Urte or D-rank Sepl could stand against.

And even though they both were B-rank, Licht—an heir to a titled noble house with adventurer-level strength—was overwhelmingly above Karen.

“I think you should fear and respect me more, but could you tell me what you’re thinking, taking such an attitude? Alchemist Karen. Depending on your answer, you’ll find yourself in a difficult situation.”

To Licht’s threatening words, Karen said:

“The moment Mr. Julius introduced you to me, I lost every reason to fear you, I suppose?”

“Huh?”

Licht furrowed his brow, clearly showing irritation. She could even feel a slight pressure of magical power. But Karen didn’t feel frightened in the least.

“There’s no way Mr. Julius would introduce me to someone harmful to me. After all, I’m loved by him!”

“Wha—”

“So you’re definitely Mr. Julius’s friend, Master Licht.”

At Karen’s words, Licht’s eyes widened round and he froze.

“Maybe it started because you got hold of Mr. Julius’s weakness… but he must think of you as a very close friend, right? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have introduced you to me!”

Karen said this proudly with a smug face.

Looking up at Karen like that, after losing words for a while, Licht eventually collapsed onto the table.

“…Damn it… I hate that you almost convinced me…!”

“Ahahahaha.”

Sitting next to Licht holding his head, Karen also started eating her sandwich.

The mushrooms sautéed in trent oil were lightly seasoned, making the saltiness of the prosciutto pair perfectly. Thanks to the boldly stuffed lettuce, her mouth felt refreshed, and it seemed she could eat endless amounts of the oil-soaked bread deliciously.

Completely at ease, Karen opened her mouth wide and took a big bite of the sandwich. Licht glared at her sideways with half-closed eyes, but Karen paid him no mind at all.

However, Karen soon straightened her back as if sensing something.

With Urte and Sepl at her sides—she saw Gottfried approaching.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 269

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Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty-Nine: What to Do with These Feelings (Licht’s POV)

“So, Master Licht, you’re not joining the hunting festival and instead want to judge whether your friend’s fiancée is truly worthy of him, right? That’s fine! Let’s stick together!”

“Could you stop saying everything before I even get the chance?”

Karen had been exactly right. However, it was vexing to have the person he was trying to test accept it. Still, he had no objection to that proposal.

Licht sighed and said:

“So, what are your plans for today? I intend to accompany you to see your true self.”

“Mostly business, I suppose.”

“Potions?”

“Yes. Under the pretext of selling potions, I plan to take in children with little magical power who are mistreated in the territories of the nobles gathered here.”

“Charitable activities before announcing your engagement to Julius? How touching. Are you already feeling like you’ve joined the ranks of nobility?”

Noble women often did charitable work. It was one means for those who were exempted from battle by bearing children but still wished to contribute to their territory or country.

When Licht spoke cynically, thinking she was imitating that, Karen’s eyes widened. Would she cry? Licht panicked slightly, but for some reason, she was impressed.

“I see, so that’s what people think of me…!”

“What’s with that reaction…?”

“It’s a secret.”

With a smile, Karen said so and proceeded to carry out charity work alongside her sales, just as she had declared.

With the earnings of a B-rank alchemist, supporting them might be possible, yet she continued to casually promise to take in more children. Was she planning to sacrifice the children’s futures to gain favorable impressions from nobles before her engagement to Julius?

—Still, even as he was suspicious, he didn’t truly doubt her.

After all, Licht had begun keeping an eye on Karen long ago.

Helfried Ehlertt had at one point set out to conquer the territorial capital dungeon. When he gathered people, his stated purpose was "for Ehlertt." Since the dungeon had nearly collapsed during the previous earl’s time, there was the perfect excuse of preventing a tragedy from occurring again.

However, everyone understood that the conquest of the territorial capital dungeon was for the earl’s son, Sieg. An enormous reward was promised, and from among the volunteers attracted by that reward, the strong were selected, and Licht was among them.

In Licht’s grandfather’s generation, the Zenkel family had still been a viscounty. However, his grandfather became an earl for the achievement of conquering a dungeon in the vicinity of the Ehlertt territory, and the Zenkel Earldom was given the land around that dungeon as territory, becoming the small lord of Zenkel territory.

Things were fine when his grandfather and that party were still active as a fighting force. However, maintaining a dungeon was originally a difficult enterprise. Originally no more than a minor vassal house, the Zenkel Earldom nearly collapsed under the sudden weight of responsibility; they even struggled to manage a dungeon cleared only to the tenth floor, and by his parents’ generation, it was already on the brink of collapse.

Dungeons weren’t simply better the deeper they were. If you conquered too much, eventually you wouldn’t be able to manage it. The fact that the Ehlertt Earldom continued to maintain countless dungeons, including the territorial capital dungeon within its territory, and supported a large population was a tremendous achievement.

Returning territory was shameful for a noble. Returning a title was also shameful. Causing a dungeon to collapse was a grave sin.

Licht had understood since childhood that things couldn’t continue as they were. His desperate training to become strong and volunteering for the Ehlertt territorial capital dungeon conquest party were for money. With money, he could hire people and attract adventurers.

To rebuild his territory, Licht had come to serve even an unseemly lord who made excuses that it was for his territory out of love for his child. The one who led Licht and the others was that lord’s younger brother, Julius.

At first, Licht had harbored resentment toward Julius too. However, Julius was strong. Inside the dungeon, constantly alongside the danger of death, his strength was such that one couldn’t help but follow him—eventually, Licht’s anger turned toward Earl Ehlertt, who had driven Julius to deadly ground for the sake of his own child.

Certainly, for nobles, it was standard practice to entrust decisions about their own fate to the head of the family for the sake of the house. Still, after having Julius risk his life in dungeon conquest, was he now going to have Julius stake his life again? When Licht learned that Julius was about to be used as bait to bring a commoner woman alchemist into the Ehlertt Earldom, he tried to storm into the Ehlertt estate.

Helfried, Earl of Ehlertt.

Despite not knowing what Julius had been through—!

It was Julius who stopped Licht from protesting. It was always like that. Far from finding being used by his brother burdensome, Julius even actively wished to be used. As if he thought that otherwise, he had no value in existing.

Licht was strictly forbidden from both protesting to Earl Ehlertt and making contact with Karen. To Julius, Licht was merely someone who had unavoidably conquered the dungeon together with him.

Licht knew that his trust, his respect, and his anger on Julius’s behalf were all unwanted interference to Julius. But even so, he couldn’t overlook it.

While being careful not to be exposed to Julius, Licht had independently gathered information about Karen. So he knew Karen’s character. She wasn’t someone who would use children and then easily discard them.

He believed he understood Julius’s feelings as well.

Perhaps because he had persistently pressed the matter, or because he had kept his reservations about Karen hidden on the surface—

Julius told Licht that he had, of his own will, revealed his secret to Karen, and permitted Licht to meet Karen.

Did he think Licht would leak the secret? That secret, which Licht knew Julius wanted to hide so badly he was nearly driven mad?

—Unable to settle his lingering unease, Licht chose to skip the hunting festival and monitor Karen up close.

He wanted to directly confirm what kind of person the woman Julius had chosen was.

And that woman, with whom he exchanged words directly, was strangely overfamiliar, rude even, and showed no fear of Licht at all—so much so that it actually made Licht uneasy.

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