Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 258

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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight: Swarm of Flowers

While occasionally bickering with each other, Petra and Rosine guided Karen relatively smoothly.

“The gentlemen participating in the hunting festival have their tents pitched over there. The young ladies and married women are over there. The family tents are over here, and participants whose families have come to watch move back and forth between their personal tents and their family tents.”

“Some idle youngsters come under the pretense of supporting their families, without taking part in the hunt at all. They stay in the family tents, so you’d better not go near them, Karen. They might try to bully any nearby commoner just to kill time.”

“Lady Petra! There’s a way of putting things! —But, it’s true that I think it would be better if you didn’t approach the nobles’ tents alone, Ms. Karen. Please take us with you when you visit Master Julius’s tent.”

The two proceeded with practiced steps through the countless tents that only looked haphazardly erected to Karen. Apparently, who set up where was mostly fixed each year, and from the flags and crests on the tents, one could generally tell which family and which members were present.

“Girls with nothing better to do look for a gentleman they fancy under the guise of praying for a successful hunt and safe return, and present him with an embroidered handkerchief… ugh.”

Because Petra made a bitter face, Karen didn’t immediately realize that Julius was at the end of that gaze. When Karen looked in that direction, though far away and small as a bean, she could see Julius surrounded by multiple young ladies.

Rosine hid her face with a fan, her expression on the verge of clicking her tongue.

“Even though it’s forbidden to make a move because Master Julius is currently winning over Ms. Karen…!”

“Aren’t they young ladies from other territories who came for the hunting festival, Lady Rosine? They’re all faces I don’t recognize.”

Petra, perhaps having good eyesight, said this after distinguishing the faces of the distant young ladies.

Rosine looked perplexed.

“Indeed… we have no authority to restrain those girls. We can’t take issue with something as simple as giving Master Julius a handkerchief… I apologize, Ms. Karen.”

Rosine apologized to Karen with a guilty expression.

It seemed that in Ehlertt, the young ladies were restraining themselves in unity, though drawn to Julius, in order to draw Karen into their territory. It was a welcome consideration, but it was also frightening to think what would have happened without the young ladies’ self-restraint.

—At that moment, Karen might have been witnessing what a lack of restraint looked like.

Julius was surrounded by young, beautiful, lovely girls. Most of them seemed younger than Karen.

In the case of nobles, it was normal to be married by the time one reached Karen’s age. At the upcoming New Year Festival, Karen would turn twenty.

Julius was surrounded by flower-like young ladies in gorgeous dresses, being urged to accept handkerchiefs. Perhaps unable to refuse outright, even from a distance, she could see Julius smiling, troubled by how to handle the situation.

Karen glared at the young ladies swarming Julius and asked Petra and Rosine:

“Does he absolutely have to accept those handkerchiefs?”

“It’s practically an obligation for a gentleman to accept a handkerchief offered by a young lady. Refusing would embarrass the woman. Accepting is considered good manners.”

“But if you don’t want it, you can refuse. There’s no rule saying you can’t refuse.”

“Hmm.”

Receiving the contradictory advice from Rosine and Petra, Karen lightly channeled magical power into her earring. It was a magical tool earring connected to Julius’s earring. If she channeled magical power into it, it would transmit as heat to the other side.

Though his earlobe would have only warmed slightly, Julius looked up as if struck, and before he could find Karen, she turned away and spun on her heel.

“Let’s go over there, you two.”

“Yes, Karen! Master Julius is trying to come this way! Let’s hurry!”

“Lady Petra… just what kind of rudeness did you commit against Master Julius?”

Though exasperated, Rosine followed Karen and Petra.

Whether thanks to being skillfully guided by Petra, who didn’t want to face Julius, or because Julius had no intention of chasing Karen, they were never caught up to.

“Before, if my fiancé was popular, I’d have been proud, but now I feel… unpleasant…!”

“Master Julius is steadily winning you over, isn’t he?”

Petra looked at Karen, who was holding her head in the shadow of a tent, with genuine admiration.

“If you don’t like it, just say you don’t like it. If you, now a B-rank alchemist, say so, it would be easy to make him not accept handkerchiefs.”

“…I don’t want him to not accept handkerchiefs because I’m a B-rank alchemist, but because he likes and loves me and chooses not to accept them of his own accord.”

“Isn’t that a bit too greedy?”

“Mr. Julius and I are mutually in love!”

“To make you believe it this much… Master Julius is surprisingly frightening. Aside from being exceptionally strong, he seemed softer and more clueless with women than most men, but… I’d prefer a partner who’s easier to handle.”

Petra swallowed hard.

Since this was the opinion of someone who had tried to take advantage of what Julius had appeared to be—his softness and obliviousness toward women—it was probably a certain kind of truth about how Julius had seemed to her until now. In any case, both her attitude when finding Julius earlier and this way of speaking showed that Petra had truly lost interest in him.

“Ms. Karen, Master Julius has various circumstances of his own.”

Rosine said as if to admonish Karen’s jealousy.

“In his childhood, Master Julius, like many, had a frail constitution due to the Bloodline Blessing, which delayed his debut in local social circles, much like Master Sieg. His life was likely in danger… Until he recovered and was presented at the New Year Festival, no one even knew he had been born.”

Karen stiffened. The reason no one in Ehlertt knew of Julius’s birth was because Julius was not a legitimate child.

However, under the pretense that his debut had been delayed due to his life being endangered by the Bloodline Blessing, he was treated as the legitimate child of the former earl and his wife.

“Since he was introduced only after growing to some extent, Master Julius struggled to establish his position in Ehlertt. You may not know this, Ms. Karen, but the former head—Master Julius’ father—was so hot-blooded that he even saw his own son as a rival.”

“I’ve heard that story from Mr. Julius.”

The so-called “Dungeon Luring Incident,” an accusation stirred up by women infatuated with Julius, had originally been instigated by his father, Winfried, who opposed Julius because he didn’t like that Julius was popular.

“If you know that, I think you could accept with a generous heart that Master Julius values harmony.”

Rosine’s words had a point.

Apparently, Julius had lived as a commoner in the town until a certain age.

While wondering how he managed that with that appearance, it wasn’t hard to imagine that Julius, suddenly pulled into noble society, had struggled.

So Karen should probably respect Julius’s way of doing things.

However—

From what standpoint was Rosine defending Julius while admonishing Karen?

Feeling a hint of something suspicious, Karen stared intently, making Rosine flinch.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 257

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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven: Young Ladies as Guides

“During the hunting festival, we of the Ehlertt family have responsibilities as hosts. We won’t be able to stay by your side the whole time, Ms. Karen, so while I’m away, I’d like you to keep these girls by your side as guides.”

The morning after arriving at the hunting festival grounds, Karen recognized the two young ladies who had been introduced to her when she was called to Alise’s tent.

“It’s Petra. Long time no see, Karen.”

The beautiful girl with purple twin-tails, Petra, turned her chin up haughtily.

She was the girl who had once fallen ill from poisoned face powder that Horst had likely circulated in the Ehlertt territory, and recovered thanks to Karen’s potion. Most likely, the black powder that stole magical power that Horst and his group possessed had been contained in that poisoned powder. Petra had been a victim, used as their test subject.

Beside her, a girl with blonde hair cut at shoulder length—unusual for a noble—Rosine, bowed with courteous gestures.

“I am Rosine of the Kalk baron family. We met at a tea party before, but this is our first time speaking properly, isn’t it? I hope we can get along well.”

The gentle-smiling Rosine was the person who had circulated the poisoned powder within the Earl Ehlertt faction. Karen remembered her as a rather calculating girl who, while apologizing to the faction members for distributing the poisoned powder, had secretly tried to use it herself. She, too, was one of the victims caught up in the scheme.

At Rosine’s attitude, Petra’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Hey! Drop the polite language and the act with a commoner, Lady Rosine! Karen, don’t be fooled. This woman is after the cosmetic potions you make!”

“Lady Petra, weren’t you the one saying you might find a good match by staying close to Ms. Karen? Please don’t lump me together with someone seeking profit—Ms. Karen, I simply respect you as a B-rank alchemist.”

“Then you don’t want the cosmetic potions you might get through Karen’s connections, Lady Rosine? Because I do!”

“I-I want them too, but—!”

“Ahem.”

The two had started arguing in Alise’s tent, of all places, right in front of Alise herself, but at Alise’s cough, they became as docile as scolded cats.

Alise sighed and said:

“…As you can see, they’re spirited children, but neither is a bad girl.”

“May I ask about the selection criteria?”

To Karen’s roundabout question of why these two of all people, Alise said:

“The main conditions were three. First, they have the ability to fight. Second, you can be at ease with them. Third, they have no interest in Julius.”

“I see, those are important. Especially the third one.”

Karen nodded emphatically.

Even if they were guides introduced by Alise, it would be unbearable if they made eyes at Julius, who would be by Karen’s side.

While Petra had initially made eyes at Julius, once she realized she wouldn’t be treated like a princess, she seemed to have developed an aversion to him. At least, last year, she had been somewhat afraid of Julius.

“Finding girls who met the third condition was quite difficult, so the selection was challenging.”

“Lady Rosine, do you also have no interest in Mr. Julius?”

“My preference is for gentlemen who earn money. I’m more drawn to wealthy commoners than young, handsome nobles.”

“I think Mr. Julius has money too, though…”

When a dungeon was conquered, reward money was given by the country and territory. The money from selling drop items obtained during dungeon conquest would also amount to a considerable sum.

Julius should be extraordinarily wealthy for a noble who hadn’t inherited a title, in addition to being young and handsome.

When Karen showed a hint of wariness, Rosine smiled.

“I’m more drawn to merchants than knights. That’s why I had been meeting various traders. In that process, I purchased suspicious cosmetics from a dubious merchant, which led to what happened last year.”

“So that’s what happened.”

Karen wondered why a noble lady would be drawn to a commoner merchant, but probing further risked leading to the question of why Julius was drawn to her.

Being drawn to someone happens! Karen nodded inwardly.

“Yes. That merchant was actually a foreigner, but in appearance, he looked just like someone from our kingdom. Moreover, he had a plump appearance as if displaying the wealth I prefer—”

Rosine put her hand to her cheek and sighed. If she preferred plump people, then Julius was certainly outside her preference range.

Karen felt greatly relieved.

Seeing Karen’s expression, Alise moved the conversation forward:

“Both of them owe you a debt of gratitude, Ms. Karen. They may not be as capable as experienced adventurer supporters, but these girls can fight too. In places where you can’t bring supporters, these two will protect you, Ms. Karen.”

“It’s a welcome offer for me, but are you two all right with this?”

For nobles, the hunting festival was essentially an enjoyable celebration. Having to guide a commoner of lower status on such a day would surely be disagreeable.

Rosine smiled and opened her mouth:

“As I mentioned earlier, to be able to accompany you, a B-rank alchemist, Ms. Karen, is such an honor—”

“Obviously, it’s for the cosmetic potions!”

Problem child Petra interrupted Rosine, who was trying to be polite. Rosine glared sharply at Petra.

“Lady Petra…! Could you refrain from that in front of the Countess?”

“Don’t you think I’m far more sincere than you approaching with hidden ulterior motives?”

The two arguing girls were, in the end, after Karen’s potions.

Alise looked at Karen with an exasperated expression.

“Ms. Karen, we can still search for other girls if you’d like, but what would you prefer?”

“I’d like to ask them to guide me.”

For Karen, these girls with clear objectives were far better than young ladies who approached with good manners while targeting Julius.

Karen turned to face the girls.

“As thanks for guiding me, I’ll prepare cosmetic potions and give them to you before returning to the capital, so please take care of me during the hunting festival, all right?”

“Yes! Your potions are terrifyingly scarce and rarely available! You should really do something about the supply!”

“It’s unreasonable to order a B-rank alchemist who can make irreplaceable adventurer potions to only make cosmetic potions! B-But, if it’s as a token of thanks, I will gratefully accept them…”

“Hmph, acting like a good girl.”

“You’re the one being too rude…!”

Petra, faithful to her desires, and Rosine, who couldn’t suppress her desires while trying to admonish Petra, were somehow similar.

It seemed they were at odds precisely because they were similar.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 256

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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Six: Hunting Festival Scheme

“You’re quite the philanthropist. To extend a hand even to children without magical power.”

“I’m honored by your praise.”

Karen answered with a forced smile, but she understood well enough that it wasn’t actual praise. The noble’s eyes mocked her, as if calling her actions foolish for helping children without magical power.

Even taking Alise’s help into account, gathering children with low magical power went far too smoothly. By that evening, every noble Karen had approached had readily accepted her proposal, and it was already decided that over fifty children, even by a rough estimate, would be sent to Karen.

Since she was still in the process of searching for a place to take them in, the arrangement was to have the children sent once a location was determined at a later date. The hunting festival had not even begun yet, and still, there were far too many.

That’s how critically fatal it was in this world to have little magical power—or rather, to have "none" at all. From the nobles’ perspective, they probably felt they were simply foisting troublesome burdens who could cause unpredictable problems and served no purpose onto Karen.

Thinking of the children who would be sent away to Karen without even knowing where they were going made her chest ache. That said, she had no intention of stopping now.

And at that moment, Karen had been summoned to Helfried’s tent. Alise, Julius, and even Sieg were there beside him.

“Karen, I’ve heard the story from Alise.”

Helfried began gravely. It seemed Helfried did not think highly of Karen’s efforts to gather children. With wrinkles creasing his brow, he said:

“Just because of your promise with Horst, you don’t need to devote yourself to this extent. Julius should have told you—the matter of Ehlertt’s children will be handled by Ehlertt.”

Indeed, Julius had made that promise at the orphanage in Ehlertt’s name with the orphanage director August. The fact that Julius had made that immediate decision meant that Helfried had been concerned about the children’s treatment for some time.

From the beginning, she’d been told not to worry about the promise made with Horst. However, she didn’t recall being forbidden from doing something for the children as an individual.

“Are you saying that my acting as an individual would inconvenience the Ehlertt family?”

“It’s not a matter of inconvenience, Karen. It pains my heart to think that the promise you made with Horst for my sake is binding you.”

“Binding me?”

Karen looked at Julius with wide, puzzled eyes.

“Mr. Julius, did you really think that?”

“If not for my sake, why else would you be doing this, Karen? You have no responsibility or connection to these children—where is the need, the reason, to even spend your private wealth on them?”

“I see… Lord Helfried, you think the same way?”

“Seeing you trying to act for Ehlertt’s children when I haven’t even requested it, the reasons are naturally limited. At first, I considered the possibility that you were a bottomlessly good-natured person, but… as far as I recall from the investigation report on you I reviewed before, you’re not such a good person as to help people unconditionally and without limit.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Karen was aware she was kinder than the average person in this world, but she certainly didn’t think about saving every single person in the entire world. She drew certain lines, and when she judged something to be outside those lines, she had abandoned people before.

Not everyone could be saved—that’s why there was the F-rank cutoff standard. This was that kind of world.

“Karen, you don’t need to worry about the children. I—the Ehlertt family—will take responsibility and care for them. If you wish, we can gather children not just from our territory but from throughout the entire kingdom. Thanks to Julius conquering the dungeon, our territory has that much capacity.”

He meant they had both financial capacity and land capacity.

Monsters didn’t appear within a dungeon’s sphere of influence. In a world where people could only live within that sphere of influence, conquering a dungeon’s deepest floor meant expanding that sphere. By conquering the twentieth floor of the Ehlertt Dungeon, Julius had literally expanded the Ehlertt territory. That said, devoting that newly created capacity to children with little magical power would likely not be welcomed by anyone else in Ehlertt.

“Ms. Karen, if you’re worried that the children might be treated poorly, I will personally look after them. So won’t you please be at ease?”

“Lady Alise…”

“Sister Karen, I’ll help too. So you don’t need to shoulder this burden alone, okay?”

“Even you, Master Sieg…”

“Karen.”

Julius approached Karen and said with a gentle smile:

“We all support your dream. We dream of the day when your dream comes true. That’s why we don’t want to be a burden to you. We don’t want to let anyone be that.”

“—I surrender.”

Receiving the words of the kind-hearted members of the Ehlertt family, Karen gave in.

“Everyone, and especially you, Mr. Julius—it wouldn’t have been strange if you’d noticed, but since you apparently haven’t, I’ll confess. Though, frankly, it would have been more profitable for me if you hadn’t realized.”

“Karen?”

At Karen’s way of speaking, Julius and everyone looked puzzled. Karen smiled wryly.

“You all seem to feel like you’re pushing trouble onto me, but nothing could be further from the truth. I am simply investing early… Before you all realize their value.”

“Their value?”

Helfried voiced the question on behalf of the group.

Karen grinned.

“I plan to educate the children with little magical power I’ve gathered and have them make my non-magical potions. I predict that children with little magical power should be able to make my potions.”

In truth, it was less Karen’s prediction and more Harald’s "understanding." As long as they believed in Karen and understood the state of having no magical power, they could make non-magical potions.

Karen’s potions were so utterly unique that there was always a shortage of every single type. Even now, letters pressing for orders were probably arriving constantly at the alchemy workshop. If these could be made by the hands of many children, it would change the world.

Karen planned to have the children make potions and skim off the top. Though she intended to put some of the skimmed money toward their education and living expenses, what she was planning to do was precisely the work of a shady alchemist.

“In other words, I’m not trying to do good because I can’t leave these children alone! I’m gathering children, educating them, and planning to make them work for my own profit! So please stop treating me as if I were some tremendous do-gooder!”

Karen protested. She was far too uncomfortable.

“However, if your objection is that I should not poach talent from Ehlertt, I will accept that. I had originally planned to quietly take them all… but you are all far too kind, so I couldn’t keep silent—my loss, I suppose.”

Who’s really the good person here? Karen said with an exasperated expression.

Sieg asked her:

“Sister Karen, what will you do when the children come of age? Will you bind them with magical contracts and make them work for you forever?”

“Huh? I wouldn’t do that. When they come of age, they’ll leave the nest just like from the orphanage.”

Sieg exchanged looks with his parents and Julius, then shrugged.

“So… you’re not only giving children without a place to belong somewhere to belong, but you’re trying to equip them with irreplaceable skills—rather than simply keeping them alive.”

“Regardless of what you may think, Ms. Karen, they will be able to live better lives.”

“And for that, it seems you intend to generously share your special knowledge, Sister Karen.”

“You are creating a reason—your own profit—to justify helping those children.”

At the words spoken in turn by Helfried, Alise, Sieg, and Julius, Karen faltered.

“No, I mean, I’m doing this for my own gain…!”

Julius looked down at Karen and narrowed his eyes.

“Seeing you work so hard for ‘profit’ is rather endearing… perhaps that is just the bias of someone in love?”

“In love…! Ugh! That’s hard to deny!”

“It’s a bit disappointing that it wasn’t for my sake, though.”

“No, it is for your sake too, Mr. Julius—”

As Julius made a lonely expression, Karen inadvertently let her true feelings slip, deepening the smiles of the Ehlertt family.

Karen admitted complete defeat and raised the white flag.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 255

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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Five: Hunting Festival Venue

“Karen, I’m glad you came.”

“Thank you for inviting me to the hunting festival, Lord Helfried.”

The hunting festival. It was a noble’s event and originally had nothing to do with commoners. Being invited to it was an honor for a commoner.

When Karen bowed, Helfried nodded solemnly.

Arriving later than Helfried’s group, Karen and Julius were escorted by part of the knight order to the edge of the great forest bordering the eastern side of the Ehlertt territory, where the hunting festival was held.

“Julius, I’m looking forward to your achievements this year as well.”

“Since Karen is here, I intend to try even harder to show my best side.”

“Hahaha! I see! So such a season has come for you too, Julius.”

As Karen watched Julius smile bashfully at Helfried, her earlobe became softly warm—a faint warmth as if Julius had touched her earlobe with his fingertips. Julius must have delicately infused magical power into the earring.

For nobles, the hunting festival was an enjoyable event, and for noble men, it seemed to be a place to appeal to the women they fancied. As if to say he intended to appeal to Karen, Julius sent her a subtle signal.

When Karen’s face turned red, Julius glanced at her and chuckled before immediately returning to his conversation with Helfried.

As Karen trembled in frustration at being outmaneuvered, Alise and Sieg approached.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Ms. Karen.”

“Your tent has been prepared over here, Sister Karen!”

A large number of nobles had already gathered at the hunting festival site. The sight of tents pitched here and there with cooking fires reminded her of the dungeon investigation team. Remembering the black powder from before—the pitiful remains of monster eggs—Karen shuddered.

“Sister Karen, are you cold? Are you okay?”

Worried by Sieg, who had been watching, Karen nodded without bothering to deny it.

“Yes… It’s a bit cold.”

“It’s true that this area is even colder than the territorial capital. Let’s get to the tent quickly. We’ll guide you.”

“Are all the people here nobles of Ehlertt territory?”

In other words, they were the vassal nobles under the Ehlertt Earldom. It was a frightening thought that this much influence had been under Horst’s control until now.

“Mostly. But some aren’t.”

“Is that so?”

“The hunting festival was originally a festival for conquering unconquered dungeons and expanding territory. It’s exactly what King Sybilla, the founder of the Kingdom of Earthfill, did.”

While guiding Karen, Sieg taught her about the origins of the hunting festival.

The founding myth of King Sybilla’s pioneering record that even Karen knew. He conquered dungeons overflowing with monsters, opened up those lands, and established the Kingdom of Earthfill. After that, the strong warriors who followed Sybilla gradually conquered the surrounding unexplored dungeons. Those became the later nobles and their territories.

“Long ago, once a year, people would designate land to conquer, gather together, conquer that land’s dungeon and govern it, and build towns in the sphere of influence of the dungeon that had become peaceful. The one who played the key role in the conquest became the ruling noble of that land, and those who cooperated became their house’s retainers. Even now, we’re imitating that.”

“So you don’t do exactly the same thing?”

“Because it’s dangerous—an unexplored dungeon that’s never been cleared is basically in a constant state of a massive stampede. Monsters just keep pouring out. So now, we only hunt the ones that spill over to this side. We also invite nobles from territories that don’t have unconquered dungeons nearby.”

Sieg said with a knowing look, then looked up at Karen.

“Sister Karen, you absolutely must not go near it, okay?”

“Okay…”

Though Karen gave a good child’s response, Sieg pressed it upon Urte and Sepl.

“You supporters, please take care of Sister Karen.”

It was as if to say Karen’s response alone wasn’t reliable enough.

And—feeling that Sieg’s atmosphere was different from usual, Karen blinked. The two probably didn’t know Sieg’s usual atmosphere, so they nodded without seeming to feel any sense of incongruity.

“We’re supporters, after all. Please rest assured, we won’t let her take risks that would require hiring adventurers.”

Urte bowed even more courteously.

Though Sieg’s face, receiving that bow, was smiling, that smile even conveyed pressure. When Karen stood there dumbfounded, Sieg, noticing this, smiled brightly. The cold, oppressive aura surrounding him vanished instantly.

“Sister Karen, your tent is here!”

“…Is this a shared tent that I’ll use jointly with someone?”

Space for pitching tents was not unlimited. The permitted location and size of tents varied depending on one’s rank and status. The tent, comparable in size to the one Waltride had used during the dungeon expedition, looked too spacious even if used with Urte and Sepl.

“Ufufu, this tent is exclusively for you, Ms. Karen. Please go inside and see.”

Urged by Alise, Karen entered, and her eyes widened.

“It’s set up as an alchemy workshop…”

From basic tools like beakers, flasks, and mortars to everything beyond the minimum alchemy tools Karen carried with her—it was all there. On top of that, the cold drifting from the deep forest was completely shut out, leaving a warm and comfortable space. Part of it was due to being warmed by fires in the hearths, but this tent was also a climate control magical tool. It was probably the highest grade among human-made magical tools, enchanted with defensive magic such as eavesdropping prevention.

“Please don’t feel pressured, Ms. Karen. You’re an alchemist, and this is the hunting festival venue. It’s a place where you never know when someone might need potions. We’ve provided this tent to make it easy for you to receive work requests. Of course, until there are requests, you’re free to use it as you like.”

“…That’s just an excuse so I can stay comfortably and do alchemy however I like, isn’t it!?”

“Oh my, it seems we’ve been found out, Sieg.”

“If we’ve been found out, it can’t be helped, Mother.”

Alise and Sieg laughed together, then turned to face Karen side by side.

“We called you here to enjoy the hunting festival, but—Ms. Karen, it seems you have another purpose.”

“…You can tell?”

Karen smiled wryly. It was like the awkwardness of coming to a friend’s house to play, but being found out that you came with another purpose. However, both Alise and Sieg were looking at such a Karen with kind eyes.

“We can tell. That’s why we want to help you, Sister Karen.”

“If there’s anything we can do to cooperate for what you want to accomplish, please tell us.”

“Master Sieg, Lady Alise…”

Karen was moved by how easily they saw through her intentions, yet still offered their help—but only for a moment. She smiled faintly and said:

“I’ll almost certainly drag you into trouble, you know? I mean, I was already planning to use the hunting festival as my stage.”

“The hunting festival is fundamentally a social gathering. It’s natural for everyone to have their own motives, and Ms. Karen, whatever you do is fine. My husband should be happy to cooperate as well.”

“Ah, but Sister Karen, let us do the hunting festival. We have to hunt monsters for the sake of the villages and towns around the forest.”

“You’re so thoughtful of your subjects, Master Sieg. Truly befitting the next Earl Ehlertt.”

Karen smiled at the embarrassed Sieg and said:

“I have no intention of interfering with the hunting festival.”

Karen entered the tent she had been peering into. Alise and Sieg followed, and Urte and Sepl stood watch at the tent entrance. After confirming that security was perfect, Karen said:

“I want to gather all the children with little magical power throughout the Ehlertt territory and take them in.”

Surely, many of the nobles gathering at this place thought of children without magical power as troublesome and were at a loss for how to handle them. While they did so, the Children of the Dark Night were abducting children with nowhere to go.

Karen intended to negotiate with the nobles gathered at this place and take in the children before they were abducted. She was trying to create a place to shelter the children she gathered that way.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 254

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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Four: Reservation for Celebration

“Thor—come back safely.”

“You too, Sis. You’re going to the hunting festival, right?”

“I plan to be around the main camp where the tents are set up, so there won’t be anything dangerous.”

At Thor’s request, Karen had come to the Adventurers’ Guild to see him off as he departed to conquer the dungeon. Though the building was smaller than the royal capital’s Adventurers’ Guild, it didn’t have a rural atmosphere at all. However, perhaps because the climate was different from the royal capital, the building’s atmosphere was different. The doors were double doors, and there seemed to be an entrance on the second floor as well.

If she recalled correctly, last year there had been a day of heavy snowfall while she was painting Julius’s portrait on a massive canvas. She had shut herself in a room and worked with the curtains drawn tight so that anyone unrelated wouldn’t find out about the portrait, and by the day of the New Year Festival, the visible areas had been completely cleared of snow, so she didn’t know how much it actually accumulated.

Inside the Adventurers’ Guild, it was warm and bustling with adventurers, giving a sense of the territory’s prosperity.

“Julius will be participating in the hunt, so he won’t be by your side. Don’t worry about me—you worry about yourself, Sis. It’s common for humans to be scarier than monsters.”

“Ms. Urte and Uncle Sepl will be by my side, so I’ll be fine!”

Without any ill intent, simply stating the facts, Thor spoke:

“The strength difference between B-rank and C-rank and below is on another level entirely.”

Saying that, he looked toward Urte and Sepl.

“Want me to give you guys training after I conquer the territorial capital dungeon?”

“It’s still rough being told that by a kid I’ve known since he was tiny!”

“What are you saying, Sepl? If a future A-rank adventurer is offering to train us, we have no choice but to gratefully accept.”

“I know. It really is something to be grateful for. But it’s rough…! What should I do if my kid ends up like this in the future!?”

“If that happens, it sounds fun, so maybe I’ll train your kid, Sepl.”

“I’m grateful! So grateful I could cry!”

Sepl held his head at Thor’s kindness.

Being able to joke around like this showed how broad-minded Sepl was.

“By the way, wouldn’t a send-off usually be at the temple?”

“Yeah, everyone else already went ahead to the temple.”

“Then do you have business at the guild? Don’t worry about me and go finish your business. Did you submit your dungeon conquest notice?”

It was like the climbing plan you submit when mountain climbing. Though it wasn’t absolutely required, if you didn’t return on schedule, they would organize a rescue party.

“I submitted it ages ago. Word spread throughout the territorial capital in no time that we’re diving in, and apparently, the local adventurers are in a panic, saying they can’t let outsiders conquer the thirtieth floor. Funny, right? If they were gonna panic, they should’ve conquered it already!”

When Thor said this while laughing, hostile gazes from adventurers throughout the Adventurers’ Guild stabbed into them. The reason it looked bustling was apparently that adventurers who had panicked upon receiving the Crimson Thunder’s dungeon conquest application had rushed in.

“The local nobles are being noisy too. If it gets conquered by adventurers, the New Year Festival—meant for the lord and nobles—will turn into a place to praise adventurers. The system of displaying the conqueror’s portrait at the New Year Festival was introduced through your efforts, wasn’t it, Sis? …Some people say it’s your fault.”

Thor continued in a lowered voice:

“Sis, seriously—be careful. Just from lightly gathering information, I ran into several guys who have grievances against you. I dealt with the ones I met on the spot, but there are definitely others.”

“I guess so.”

Karen nodded while feeling disheartened. It was difficult to implement measures that pleased everyone—if there were people grateful to Karen, it wasn’t strange that others resented her just as strongly. Though it wasn’t pleasant, it was something she had understood.

“Sis, will you become our Crimson Thunder party’s sponsor as an alchemist?”

“Sponsor?”

To the wide-eyed Karen, Thor nodded and explained:

“In exchange for support, we promote you, Sis—that’s the kind of relationship.”

“I understand that much. But isn’t it strange for me to ride on the coattails of you guys who are about to conquer the thirtieth floor and become A-rank, when I haven’t even provided support worthy of the name?”

When an adventurer’s name rose, of course, the sponsor’s name rose too. Not only that, it also became possible to later draw worthwhile returns from the adventurer. Every adventurer had weak periods, so supporting them then could secure a powerful connection to someone who might one day reach S-rank. For that reason, backers sought to sponsor promising adventurers.

The Gubert Trading Company that Karen had once clashed with must have supported and retained many adventurers in this way. Karen would have been pleased if among them there had been a skilled alchemist capable of making non-magical material potions, but unfortunately for both sides, even the Gubert Trading Company didn’t have such talent.

In any case, Thor must have had many offers. However, there was no sign that the Crimson Thunder had a sponsor.

“Won’t the other party members feel bad about making me your sponsor just because I’m your big sister?”

“Everyone’s all for it, you know? Making and giving us a panacea that no one in this country—maybe no one in the whole world—can make is plenty of support, right? Even though it’s in short supply because only you can make it, Sis, you gave us every last one you could make. So many that we couldn’t pay for them all with the money we have.”

“…That’s true.”

At least according to Yuluyana’s seal of approval, none of the alchemists active on the public stage had ever made a panacea.

Karen had made such potions exclusively for the Crimson Thunder and instructed not only Thor but the party members on how to use them. In the end, she had given them plenty even without being paid.

Now that it was pointed out, that could be called a track record of support.

“We’ll conquer the dungeon before the New Year Festival. And then we’ll take your name along with us to greater heights. We’ll make our names known at the festival, and make sure no one in Ehlertt can look down on my big sister.”

Thor turned his deep navy eyes, which had been gleaming fiercely into the distance, toward Karen. When directed at Karen, those blue eyes held a calm light like a tranquil sea.

“Consider this our engagement present to you, Sis—from the Crimson Thunder.”

Having received such an outrageous “reservation” for an engagement gift, Karen felt her chest grow warm.

“Thank you. But don’t push yourself too hard!”

“Yeah! Value your life, right?”

She didn’t say she didn’t need such a gift and just wanted him to come back safely. This was something Thor earnestly wanted to accomplish. Something he was trying to give his all for her sake. Just because she was worried didn’t mean Karen would deny that wish, that aspiration.

“I’ll do my best so I can surprise you too, Thor.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Sis.”

Karen also had things she wanted to do, which was why she was going to the hunting festival. As Thor said, there would be dangers there besides monsters. Even so, such things wouldn’t hinder the wishes she wanted to accomplish. And Thor would surely support her as well.

Karen headed to the Adventurers’ Guild reception desk with Thor and became the Crimson Thunder’s sole sponsor on the spot.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 253

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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Three: Portable Panacea 2

“The real problem starts from here.”

“The real problem?”

Karen nodded vigorously at the puzzled Thor and his companions.

“Potions are magical medicine. So naturally they break if you put in foreign matter that disrupts their harmony—but you see, curry roux is definitely more delicious when simmered with meat and vegetables than eating it as is. I’ve already solidified it with some minced vegetables added, but it absolutely has more substance if it has big chunks of ingredients in it…!”

“Hey, Sis, hold on?”

“Alright, shall we challenge it once more? —Making real curry with meat and vegetables…!”

“It’s plenty delicious as it is! Also, it’s a panacea, not a meal, you know?”

“If it can be a meal too, that’s twice the deliciousness!”

Clenching her fist as she passionately declared that, Karen spun around toward Thor’s companions, who had been watching. When she smiled brightly, they flinched, their shoulders trembling.

“Everyone should practice too, okay?”

“N-No, we…”

“If we accidentally destroy the precious panacea…!”

“In case Thor can’t move, I’ll need you all to make it, so please practice. It’s fine. This is a useful experiment for me too, so I won’t charge for the panacea!”

Karen forcefully urged the pale-faced group to challenge making curry. Probably because they cooked in dungeons, everyone was indeed quite skilled.

Just like with curry, they chopped the ingredients, simmered them in hot water, and then dissolved the roux. While having her panacea destroyed many times by the tearful Thor and his party, Karen came to understand one thing.

“—I see. Using magical ingredients that can be appraised with the appraisal mirror increases the success rate, doesn’t it?”

Just like when Yuluyana had once succeeded in making a soap potion with magical materials, it was likely because one could understand those materials through appraisal results.

However, not everything succeeded. It also seemed that one type of ingredient was the limit. Since they weren’t alchemists, they weren’t adding magical ingredients as proper potion components.

They could just barely avoid breaking the potion because they understood it and because it was appropriate as curry ingredients; however, something essential that defined the potion was being diminished with each added magical ingredient.

Most likely, Karen’s curry roux—that is, the potion—had a limit to what it could accept. And for equally understood ingredients, magical ones consumed more of that capacity than non-magical ones. However, non-magical materials that couldn’t be appraised and couldn’t be "understood" consumed overwhelmingly more capacity and broke the potion.

“Thor was the only one who managed not to break the panacea even after adding non-magical ingredients.”

After repeating success and failure several times, Thor was now challenging making curry with three ingredients added.

“Onions have an effect that makes blood flow well, carrots have beta-carotene or something, and contain the same thing as lemons… pork has protein that becomes muscle…”

Muttering to himself, Thor stirred the curry containing onions, carrots, and pork.

“Sis, it’s done!”

“I’ll appraise it.”

When she appraised it, despite adding three new types of ingredients, it was completed as a small panacea.

“Amazing, Leader. Even though Ms. Karen explained it to us, we couldn’t do it… This is embarrassing for me as a mage… Alchemy is part of magic, so it should be my field.”

She had also explained the effects of non-magical ingredients to the dejected Wanda and others. However, apparently, just hearing the explanation wasn’t enough to reach understanding, and everyone except Thor had failed at making a panacea with non-magical ingredients added.

“Nah, this isn’t really about your ability, Wanda.”

“Leader?”

“The only non-magical ingredients that don’t break the panacea when added are ones whose effects I remember hearing about from Sis when I was a kid. The ones I swallowed whole without question because it was Sis saying it when I was a kid, and ‘understood.’ Sorry, Sis. You taught me all sorts of other things too, right? Would’ve been nice if I’d remembered it all.”

“No, no. I’m happy you remember even a little. It was when you were small, and besides, I’m the only one who said such things.”

And—thanks to Thor, Karen was now almost certain of a particular hypothesis. That was why the "Children of the Dark Night" targeted children. If they were children, they were easier to make "understand." So they abducted children with little magical power and subjected them to harsh education, making them "understand" things they normally couldn’t possibly understand. They likely indoctrinated them, made them believe—truths that were the exact opposite of the ordinary world.

“Sis, you look like you’re having fun?”

“Huh. No, I mean, having fun, that’s not…”

Karen panicked when Thor pointed it out.

Even though she had been thinking about children in tragic circumstances, Karen had apparently been smiling.

“You had a face like Leader’s when he’s toying with prey to death and laughing, Ms. Karen.”

“…You looked so much like our leader at his worst that I might not be able to treat you as a cute girl anymore, Ms. Karen.”

Wanda pointed it out, and Luis averted his face from Karen.

“As expected of Thor’s sister.”

“People favored by the goddess all have that side to them, more or less.”

Odo nodded repeatedly, and Chris smiled wryly.

Having been thoroughly witnessed, Karen gave up on denying it and decided to acknowledge it.

“That’s right—I found this difficult world interesting and couldn’t help but smile.”

She absolutely hadn’t been laughing at the children. The mechanisms of this world, its mysteries, the hidden truths—she simply couldn’t help how delightful, how utterly delightful it was that they were being unraveled little by little before her eyes.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 252

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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Two: Portable Panacea

“Hey, Sis, how was the orphanage?”

“Thor.”

As usual, Karen had been in the corner of the kitchen set aside as her makeshift alchemy workshop, and she lifted her head from peering into a regular pot beside her alchemy cauldron.

Thor, who had been out gathering information to conquer the territorial capital dungeon, had apparently returned.

“I was able to make my donation as planned. They seem to be having various troubles, and the priest who’s the orphanage director asked Mr. Julius for Ehlertt’s support, and Mr. Julius accepted, so I think things will get better from now on.”

August had seemed to think that Julius and the Ehlertt family must harbor prejudice against those with little magical power. Even though Julius, Helfried, and Alise were nothing like that.

So while he was surprised, he seemed relieved that Julius accepted the support request.

“But prejudice against those with little magical power… that’s not something we can just fix.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Just because you promised that Horst guy something doesn’t mean you should worry about it more than necessary, okay? You pushed the Earl’s family because of that promise, and the Earl responded by increasing the budget. That’s enough. End of story.”

Scolded by Thor, Karen smiled wryly.

“I do worry about it, but I don’t think it’s my duty to fix everything.”

“Well, as long as you know that. By the way, Sis, whatcha making?”

“A potion.”

“It smells like panacea, but… isn’t it something different?”

Saying this, Thor looked down at the solid curry roux arranged on a tray.

“I’m trying to make a solid panacea roux.”

“Roux?”

To the puzzled Thor, Karen rephrased:

“I’m making a panacea that’s easy to carry around. The panacea I make isn’t really the kind you put in a bottle and carry around, you know.”

“Yeah, yours is basically all food.”

“So I thought I’d make it in a more convenient form for people to take with them.”

“…Could it be, for me?”

“You’re going to conquer the territorial capital dungeon, right?”

What was in the pot Karen had been looking at was the solid roux broken apart and dissolved in hot water. After the water had boiled, she had turned off the heat and put in the solid roux to dissolve.

“If I appraise this pot of curry and the panacea effect remains, it’s a success.”

“Really? I hope it worked…!”

In front of the praying Thor, Karen held up her appraisal mirror.

Minced Vegetable Curry

Panacea (Small).

“Sis! It worked!”

“I’ve succeeded up to this point several times. The problem is whether it becomes a panacea when someone other than me dissolves the curry roux in hot water! Alright, Thor, you try next.”

“Huh? Me!?”

“Maybe you’ll succeed. You grew up hearing all sorts of things about non-magical materials from me.”

“You mean if I fail, I’ll ruin the panacea you went to the trouble of making!?”

“Do your best, do your best. You’ll have to do it yourself once you enter the dungeon anyway.”

“Ugh.”

Though Thor pouted in dissatisfaction, he pulled out a new pot as Karen instructed.

“Once the water boils, turn off the heat and break in the curry roux to dissolve it.”

“The way you’re explaining this isn’t how to make a potion at all—it’s completely cooking.”

“It’s pretty much the same as cooking. You add ingredients that are good for the body while understanding how they help. You make sure not to ruin the flavor balance as a dish. If you keep stacking beneficial effects while preserving that balance, the effects merge together and become a panacea. The goddess makes that happen.”

“Ugh. I’m scared thinking I might be destroying the panacea right now.”

Grumbling, he waited for the water to boil as Karen explained, then turned off the heat and broke the curry roux into it.

As he stirred it around and it dissolved, Thor said:

“Sis, it seems to have dissolved, but what should I do next?”

“Do you guys have your own appraisal mirror?”

“We do. It’s lower rank than yours, though.”

“Let’s try appraising it with that.”

“Is it okay to leave this here? Don’t I have to keep stirring it continuously or something!?”

“No, no. Well, I don’t know if you left it for hours, though?”

“I’ll be right back!”

Thor rushed out of the kitchen and immediately returned.

Bringing his party along behind him.

“I heard we’re at a critical juncture of whether we can take the panacea to conquer the Ehlertt dungeon! The panacea is good for beauty too, right!?”

“Being able to eat that delicious food even in a dungeon is a blessing.”

“Don’t treat panacea the same as cosmetics and delicious food…”

Chris made a tired face as he retorted to Wanda and Odo.

“Aw, man. Having the leader make it isn’t the same. It’s delicious because a girl like Ms. Karen makes it.”

“Then you don’t get any panacea.”

“When you say that, it sounds like I wouldn’t get a panacea even if I’m poisoned or paralyzed! That’s scary!”

“…”

“Deny it!”

As Luis nearly cried after his joke brought down a heavy punishment, Chris rubbed his stomach with a pale face. To Karen’s eyes, the playful exchange between Thor and Luis appeared adorable, but for Chris, it seemed to be a stomach-aching exchange.

“Well, even if it fails as a potion, you can still eat it as a normal tasty dish. Even when you don’t have an appetite, or something tastes a bit off, if you put it into curry, you’ll somehow manage to eat it.”

“Yeah… being able to eat even without appetite is a blessing…”

Though he looked the oldest and appeared to be a proper adult, Chris smiled wryly while exuding an underling-like air.

Wanda pulled out from her bag the most typical form of appraisal mirror—in other words, a magnifying glass-type appraisal mirror. Though it closely resembled Karen’s appraisal mirror, it appeared to have fewer decorative patterns.

“…It says Panacea (Small) potion! Sis!”

“Then you can take it to the dungeon.”

“How much is this?”

“It’s useless to try to pay. The price hasn’t been decided yet.”

“I know the price of small panacea! B-rank adventurers have all the money they need! Setting aside food to eat at home, this is payment for a potion I’ll use as an adventurer! I’m definitely going to pay for it!”

Karen secretly smirked at Thor as he fiercely pulled out his wallet.

To make this solid curry roux, she first created a medium panacea, then kneaded wheat flour into it. Adding wheat flour to solidify it lowered the panacea rank to small panacea, but completed the solid roux.

If Thor knew it was originally medium panacea, he would be dying to pay the medium panacea price. But Thor would never know that.

“Heh… heh heh heh.”

“Ugh… whenever you laugh like that, it means something’s up… damn it… I can’t figure it out!”

Thor couldn’t see through the reason for Karen’s evil grin and continued holding his head.

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