Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 310

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Chapter Three Hundred and Ten: Day of Blessings

“And now—I announce the betrothal of Julius Ehlertt and Karen Himmel.”

By the time Helfried made the announcement of Karen and Julius’s engagement, Thor was already in the middle of a loud celebration over Karen’s ennoblement. The adventurers had been swept up in the mood and had started drinking, so the reaction to the betrothal was swallowed up in the general uproar.

Unlike a party held exclusively for nobles, the New Year’s Festival mixed in adventurers and commoners alike—which was exactly the kind of atmosphere Karen found easy to be around. From what drifted to her ears, the adventurers’ reception was broadly warm. Since they had known about Karen’s feelings from a year ago, their reaction was basically, “Finally.”

Among the nobles, too, there were those who happily remarked that the Ehlertt family had gained many things tonight. However, a number of noblemen seemed less enthusiastic. There weren’t enough of them to make a scene over, but Karen couldn’t help noticing them because she could hear their comments.

It wasn’t about the engagement. As far as that was concerned, the noblemen’s response was little more than, “So the seduction campaign is finally over?” Karen almost wished they had more to say about it.

“…Had it been Master Julius, or Master Zenkel, I could have accepted it.”

What they were stuck on was Karen having acquired a territory and a title. Julius leaned down and murmured in her ear:

“Shall I go silence them, Karen?”

“Let them grumble behind my back if they want. If they pick a fight openly, then I’ll fight back!”

Karen returned him an unbothered smile. For nobles, conquering a dungeon and claiming land and rank was the ultimate ambition. And Karen—whose role in actually defeating the black dragon was dubious at best—had swooped in and taken it. A little muttering seemed fair enough.

Besides, Karen was quietly pleased with the whispered reactions to the betrothal announcement.

“Rather than Master Julius seducing her, it seemed more like…”

“What a surprise.”

She could hear the noble ladies exchanging meaningful nods. Karen desperately wanted to run over and ask, “Are you saying Master Julius was the one who got seduced?” but somehow managed to restrain herself.

The noblewomen, if anything, seemed more interested in the engagement itself. Though given the prickly atmosphere around the noblemen nearby, they were keeping their voices low.

“Honestly… I saw this coming from the beginning!”

“And yet, strangely, I don’t feel bitter. Even though I used to admire Master Julius.”

“Me too!”

Karen had braced herself for noble daughters still pining for Julius to confront her directly. Having mentally prepared herself with a “Bring it on if you dare,” she now felt as though all that readiness had been for nothing.

“Master Julius has seemed rather… childish lately for someone his age, don’t you think? I wonder why.”

“Even at the hunting festival, he was rather…”

“I never imagined he wouldn’t even accept a handkerchief.”

Julius’s breach of noble etiquette hadn’t been received as a fatal flaw in his character as a nobleman—rather, it had come across as something childlike.

“That appears to be Master Julius’s true self. It seems that around Lady Karen, he is able to simply be himself. They truly care for one another—they suit each other very well.”

The one offering this defense among the gathered young ladies was Rosine.

“No matter how boyish he acts, his face and his strength alone make him worth a fortune!”

The only voice Karen could clearly hear was Petra’s, shamelessly shouting, “I’m so jealous of Karen!” Despite not actually getting along with the real Julius, Petra still envied Karen, which probably meant she valued Julius purely for his impressive attributes.

Karen let out a snort of laughter at Petra’s refreshingly straightforward attitude.

“I’m glad you seem to be enjoying yourself, but I behaved as I pleased, and as a result, my worth has apparently diminished somewhat. It seems fewer people envy you now, and I’m sorry for that.”

Julius’s shoulders drooped slightly, and Karen stared at him.

“You were only being sincere toward me—don’t you dare feel bad about that! …It doesn’t matter anymore if people don’t look at me with envy!”

“Is that truly all right with you? You did use to enjoy that sort of thing, didn’t you?”

“It’s fine. The reason I was first drawn to you was that you were the kind of perfect man that anyone—man or woman—would envy… but that’s not why I love you now.”

“And what is the reason now?”

Julius’s golden eyes gleamed with quiet delight, and at the sight of it, something shifted softly inside Karen’s chest. It was excitement, certainly, but she was also simply happy that Julius himself was so pleased.

Just as Karen leaned close to Julius beside her and was about to answer in a small voice, Helfried continued:

“Though the Crimson Thunder did not become the heroes of this New Year’s Festival, the conquest of the thirtieth floor of the territorial capital dungeon was an achievement no less remarkable. Thor, leader of the Crimson Thunder—step forward.”

“That’s right—they deserve a reward too, and rightfully so!”

“Outsiders or not, a fellow adventurer’s achievements are something to be proud of!”

The adventurers broke into cheerful noise, and a nearby noble cut in to dampen it:

“That is not quite right.”

Karen recognized the voice and looked over. It was Alban.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 309

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Chapter Three Hundred and Nine: Reward

“Those who contributed most to the Ehlertt territory this past year—step forward.”

“Is it really all right for me to go up there too?”

Karen hesitated, genuinely uncertain whether she was supposed to be included, and Julius let out a quiet laugh:

“Of course it is. Let us go together, Karen.”

“…All right.”

Karen let Julius escort her to stand before Helfried. Licht, who had been seated down in the guest section, climbed the central staircase with a grumble.

“Am I really the right person to be standing next to this couple?”

If anything, Licht was the one looking off into the distance, his confidence faltering. Other than Julius, he had been the only one who had taken part in the life-or-death battle against the black dragon. Even if Karen didn’t count, having been unconscious for it, Licht most certainly did.

“In recognition of your achievement in defeating the black dragon, I hereby grant the sphere of influence of the Forest’s Edge Dungeon as a territory, and bestow the title of baron upon its principal owner under the authority of the Ehlertt Earldom.”

The hall erupted in excitement. Normally, even if someone conquered an unexplored dungeon bordering another territory, they would not be granted the surrounding land. This was a reward for slaying the black dragon—the birth of a new lord, a dream held by every noble and an ambition harbored by adventurers alike. Karen clapped along with the rest, feeling rather as though it had nothing to do with her.

“How you choose to divide this reward is up to you, however—”

“I already hold the Zenkel territory, so I must decline the position of lord.”

Licht declined immediately. Perhaps the Zenkel territory was too far from the Forest’s Edge Dungeon.

That meant Julius would become the lord, then. Julius was a noble, but until now, he had held no title—and naturally, no territory to his name. He was about to become a noble with both land and rank.

Karen was not a noble, but she was the daughter and sister of adventurers who had always dreamed of making it big. She was certain Julius must be overjoyed. Ready to celebrate him, Karen prepared herself with a beaming smile, poised to burst into enthusiastic applause.

“Then, Julius—”

“I must also decline, Brother. It is true that Licht and I were the ones who defeated the black dragon—but it was Karen who fulfilled the black dragon’s trial.”

“Then, Karen. From this day forward, you shall bear the name Baroness Himmel. Himmel is a word that means sky.”

“…Huh? Excuse me?”

Karen hadn’t yet processed what was happening, and her pale blue—sky-colored—eyes were blinking rapidly. Helfried looked down at her, gave a quiet smile, and turned his gaze to the hall.

“Let us raise a toast to the birth of a new noble!”

A wave of applause broke out. From the adventurers’ side in particular, Thor’s whistle rang out bright and lively.

Karen stood there with her mouth open for a moment, then pulled herself together and said in a rush:

“Lord Helfried!? I… I couldn’t possibly be a lord! I have no idea how to manage a territory!”

“There is no need to worry. I will provide a deputy to oversee the administration.”

“B-But the dungeon has to be managed too, or a Great Collapse Stampede will happen!”

“It is a dungeon that has undergone periodic Great Collapses already. The land has no inhabitants at present, so there is nothing to concern yourself with for the time being.”

“But—”

“Land where people can live is a precious thing, Karen.”

Karen was momentarily thrown by Helfried’s words. She knew that much herself. Long ago, many people had fought wars over dungeons and their spheres of influence. Wars were rare now because the scars of the Dark Age remained—a time when conflict reduced the number of capable fighters, dungeon conquest stalled, and Great Collapses erupted across the land.

In this world, monsters could appear anywhere without warning. The sole exception was the area surrounding a dungeon—the sphere of influence where the dungeon’s effects extended. Only within those spheres could people live in safety.

The population had been growing steadily ever since. That was why this world no longer had prisons. Space was too valuable to waste on holding criminals, so offenders were either bound by contract magic and put to work or executed.

“Yes, that’s true, but what does that have to do with…?”

“Wherever you send the children you have gathered, if the local residents learn the circumstances under which they were collected, those children will not be welcomed there.”

“That… that’s…”

Children with no magical power, struggling to get by even within a dungeon’s sphere of influence. In a world where nearly every form of work assumed the presence of magical ability, even finding employment was difficult for them.

Criminals who couldn’t work were put to death. Then what of children who were expected to struggle to find work even after they grew up—she didn’t want to think about it. But it was a reality Karen was going to have to face.

“It would be best if your plan succeeded sooner rather than later. But if it does not, or if success takes longer than expected—do you not think it would be a sound choice to have a territory where you hold the authority to decide who may settle there?”

Helfried’s voice was so soft that it was almost strange how clearly it reached Karen above the noise of the crowded hall. He wore a small smile, his expression serene, and the gaze he turned down on her was almost warm.

And yet the words struck Karen like a blow.

“…Thank you for your consideration, Lord Helfried.”

She was halfway certain this endeavor would succeed. That certainty held within it something like intuition—the kind that came from having ascended the steps.

If this were a matter that affected only her own life, she would have been fine either way. If the one being dragged into it was Julius, they already had the kind of relationship where she could laugh and say, “Then come along for the ride.” But Karen had not even met the children whose lives she intended to draw into her own. Could she give them enough reason to trust her with their lives?

She was a B-rank alchemist. That, and nothing more.

“I am not telling you that you must bear responsibility for the entirety of those children’s lives. A territory is sustained by the strong. Those without the power to fight merely live off the benefits the strong create, and abandoning those who fail to become strong and expelling them from the territory is not something for which a lord would be condemned.”

That was how this world worked. Upon coming of age, people joined one guild or another, were ranked, and lived their lives accordingly. Depending on the time and the circumstances, the lower ranks in lower-tier work could be cut loose for the good of the territory. It was the natural judgment of a lord—a right, even a duty—and no one would fault them for it.

And yet—

“But I thought you would care about it.”

“Yes, I care. I would lose sleep over it terribly!”

“I thought as much.”

Karen straightened her back before the quietly smiling Helfried. Then, calling to mind every lesson in etiquette Alise had taught her, she gave him her deepest bow.

“I humbly accept the lordship of the Himmel territory within the Ehlertt Earldom.”

“I look forward to what you will accomplish, Karen.”

Even if there were children who could not become alchemists, becoming a lord meant she could build them a place to belong. Not a temporary refuge granted out of pity, out of charity, out of scraps—but a real place.

If she could make her territory into that kind of place, it would become living proof of the world Karen was striving toward.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 308

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Chapter Three Hundred and Eight: Face of the New Year’s Festival

In the portrait, Karen had been placed slightly toward the back—and yet, she occupied the dead center of the composition, positioned at a height just slightly above the others. Julius and Licht stood side by side in the foreground, one to each side, bathed in the radiant light that emanated from Karen behind them.

“Ooh!”

“As expected of Master Julius—as expected of Master Licht!”

“You! How did you manage to stay quiet about something so important?!”

“His Excellency the Earl placed us under a gag order, Father.”

Whatever they truly thought about Karen being in the center, the nobles at least raised cheers. Rather than allowing adventurers to become the face of the New Year Festival, they seemed relieved that fellow nobles were depicted in the portrait, even if Karen stood in the middle, and chose to overlook her presence.

The funeral atmosphere from moments before had vanished entirely; the nobles had suddenly come alive with energy, and Karen’s expression grew complicated. The unpleasant way some of them were casting meaningful glances toward the adventurers’ side, even as they praised Julius and Licht’s glory, was something to behold. Though given how the adventurers had been behaving earlier, one could argue they had brought it on themselves—even so, Karen’s sympathies lay entirely with the adventurers’ side right now.

She had heard that the portrait for the Crimson Thunder—for her little brother’s party—had already been prepared. Hadn’t Thor been looking forward to it? Wasn’t that why he had been smiling so broadly? And yet, it had been swapped out at the very last moment. How bitterly disappointed they must be.

And the adventurers as well—how let down they must have felt. They had been holding their breath with anticipation, expecting that the glorious feat of clearing the dungeon would finally mean an adventurer becoming the face of the New Year’s Festival, and now that hope had been betrayed.

“Hey! Wasn’t it supposed to be the Crimson Thunder?!”

“Tch, nobles stole the spotlight again.”

“Are you stupid? Taking down an S-rank black dragon is worth conquering the fiftieth floor. The thirtieth floor doesn’t even compare… can’t be helped, I suppose.”

Naturally, the adventurers had their feelings about the glory that had been taken from them—and yet, there seemed to be a grudging sense of acceptance as well.

“Well, a black dragon is a special kind of monster to the Ehlertt family…”

“But will Crimson Thunder accept it?”

When one adventurer spoke in a threatening tone, the nobles fell silent and nervously looked toward Thor and his companions. Karen too, having stolen her brother’s moment in the sun, cast a nervous glance toward his face.

With every gaze in the room upon him, Thor shoved back his chair with a loud scrape and rose to his feet.

“That’s my sis for you! Congratulations on taking down the black dragon!”

Thor stood there applauding with a face full of pure, beaming joy.

“…Sis?”

The great hall erupted into murmurs.

“Hey, Crimson Thunder—you don’t feel sore about having your glory taken from you?”

“Hah? Why would I feel sore about my sis getting the recognition she deserves? Right? You guys?”

Thor shot the adventurer who had asked a baffled look, then turned to his companions for agreement. Wanda stood up with a smile.

“Obviously. Way to go, Ms. Karen! I always knew you’d pull something like this!”

“Truly befitting our sponsor! Such a wonderful lady—ow!”

Luis added that while being kicked by Thor beneath the table.

“How about we all raise a glass together sometime soon to celebrate? Karen would whip up some good food to go with it.”

“Why are you just taking it for granted that Sis will cook, Odo?”

“Hm? I’d pay for it.”

“Congratulations, Ms. Karen.”

Odo and Chris offered their congratulations without a hint of bitterness. The members of the Crimson Thunder, who had every right to feel their glory had been stolen, didn’t seem to mind in the slightest—they were celebrating her without reservation, wholly and unconditionally. Seeing that, the adventurers who had shown their displeasure gradually let it go, murmuring in resignation.

“Well, the one in the center is still just Karen the alchemist, after all…”

“They’re probably just placing an appropriate motif in the center and putting the two main figures on either side to show that the two knights are of roughly equal standing.”

Nobles and adventurers glared at one another in their respective ways—but when Thor stopped clapping and made to move, the room fell quiet again, as if waiting for his next words.

“Sis, seriously—congratulations!”

“Thor… it was supposed to be your moment, and you’re congratulating me?”

“Don’t worry about us, Sis. The thirtieth floor was always just a milestone on the way for us.”

Wanda, Odo, Luis, and Chris gave quiet nods and smiles at Thor’s words. There wasn’t even a trace of forced compliance in them—only the quiet dignity of adventurers who would soon be rising to A-rank.

“And yet, Lord Ehlertt was originally going to display our portrait, you know? He said your portrait wasn’t ready in time since it came in so late, and he planned to have a portrait of you guys made later.”

“Ahem. Indeed, portraits are not something that can be completed overnight.”

Karen stared at Helfried wide-eyed, and Thor continued, visibly indignant:

“How could they not make you the face of the New Year’s Festival after everything you accomplished, Sis? So I told the Earl that if the Ehlertt’s family wasn’t going to prepare your portrait, then I’d paint it myself.”

“So Crimson Thunder was trying to pull the same thing Alchemist Karen did last year?”

“Don’t tell me they’re actually real siblings…!?”

“Isn’t she the same woman who got Young Master Sieg calling her ‘sister’!?”

Distracted by the whispers drifting from somewhere in the crowd, Karen turned to Alise for an explanation. Alise gave a small, somewhat weary laugh.

“That’s how it happened. It was Thor’s wish, in the end… he didn’t so much grant permission for the swap as request that the portrait for the New Year’s Festival be changed to you, Karen.”

It seemed the original plan had been to display the portrait of the Crimson Thunder that had already been prepared. Therefore, they had planned to keep information about the hunting festival’s winners hidden for the time being, unveil the New Year Festival portrait first, and then announce that nobles had achieved an even greater feat, thereby pleasing both adventurers and nobles. Unfortunately for them, Thor—with his absurdly sharp hearing—had found out.

And then Thor had demanded that Karen be the one featured in the portrait.

“But why am I in the center of all things…!?”

“The goddess’s judgment is always fair. You were the only one who ascended the steps after defeating the black dragon, right, Sis? That means you’re the one who contributed the most. Of course, you get to be in the middle!”

Apparently, this was the result of Thor’s argument winning out.

Practically no one in this room likely believed Karen had contributed meaningfully to defeating the black dragon. And yet, because it had been the earnest wish of the party that cleared the thirtieth floor of the territorial capital dungeon, it had been granted.

“For something painted in such a short time, it’s amazingly good!”

Thor looked up at the portrait with a satisfied air, and Helfried gave a feeble nod.

“There was a swift-handed painter Karen discovered previously—an artist by the name of Irine. She painted this.”

Irine, sitting backstage on a chair with an utterly exhausted look on her face, was the same woman painter who had dashed off a portrait of Julius the previous year. Her style had a somewhat rough quality to it, but it captured Julius’s dignified bearing, the rather frightening angle of Licht’s expressionless profile, the imposing presence of the dragon, and the atmosphere of the dungeon with real character and flair.

“I wonder if she could do a smaller version I could carry around?”

“Pfft—”

“Hah? What’s so funny?”

Someone among the adventurers had burst out laughing, and Thor glared around the room. Then someone broke through the stiffening air by laughing out loud.

“Ahahahaha! Hahahahaha!”

“…Sieg? Why are you laughing?”

Thor didn’t glare at Sieg—he just furrowed his brow in bemused confusion.

Sieg wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, still laughing with unclouded delight.

“Because that’s the exact same thing Sister Karen said last year!”

Sieg’s remark was the spark—and those who remembered the previous year’s New Year’s Festival, nobles included, began to laugh despite themselves, while Thor stood there blinking in total bewilderment.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 307

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Chapter Three Hundred and Seven: New Year’s Festival 3

Just like the previous year, Karen and the rest entered from the central staircase on the second floor. She felt incomparably more at ease than she had that time—whether because she had risen in rank and become a B-rank alchemist, or because she had come to think of not just Julius but all of Ehlertt’s people as truly her own family.

Perhaps because she wasn’t so tense, she could clearly take in the scene around the hall. Or perhaps she was simply reading too much into things, but—

“There’s so much tension…”

Nearly every noble in the Ehlertt territory had been invited to the New Year’s Festival, but not all adventurers were permitted to attend. The adventurers gathered here were, if she recalled correctly, those of C-rank or above, or those holding a position of some standing, along with a few seasoned veterans who, though not necessarily powerful, knew the territorial capital’s dungeon inside and out. In other words, the friction filling this room was a mirror of the broader relationship between the nobles and adventurers of the territory.

Those nobles and adventurers sat on opposite sides of the hall, practically glaring at one another. The atmosphere had been far from pleasant at last year’s festival too, but nothing like this hostile. The adventurers had looked uncomfortable until Karen started boldly stirring things up, but the nobles had largely acted as though it was none of their concern.

This year, however, even the nobles were paying attention to the adventurers—and not in a positive way. As Karen murmured at the sight of the worsening relations between the two sides, Alise leaned in and whispered to her from behind Helfried, who was delivering the New Year’s address:

“It will be all right, Ms. Karen.”

“This is because of what I proposed last year, isn’t it? Because I suggested that the person who had contributed most to the territory that year should be made the face of the festival and painted for the portrait…”

Helfried had agreed to the rule Karen had proposed the previous year. Because of it, the portrait for this year’s New Year’s Festival would almost certainly feature Thor and the Crimson Thunder—for they were the party that had cleared the thirtieth floor of the territorial capital’s dungeon.

From the nobles’ perspective, having an adventurer as the face of the New Year was deeply unwelcome. And from the adventurers’ side, they had little patience for nobles who couldn’t bring themselves to acknowledge what adventurers had achieved.

The whispers from both sides reached Karen’s ears with perfect ease.

“It’s true that thanks to you, we were finally able to remove the former earl’s portrait, which had been displayed at every New Year Festival for years. I tried myself, but you succeeded in changing a bad custom of the Ehlertt family that I never could.”

“Lady Alise…”

Alise was telling her that not only had she done nothing wrong, but she had actually done something good for the Ehlertt family. Back then, Karen had desperately wanted Winfried’s portrait taken down and Julius’s put up in its place. She’d been given the authority to do it, so she had maneuvered things in that direction by sheer force of will. Even now, she didn’t regret it.

Even so, it pained her that her younger brother’s achievements might go uncelebrated because of it.

“We’ve already prepared a solution. Only—well, it may be a little unpleasant for you…”

“…Lady Alise?”

Alise’s eyes flickered sideways. The gesture was slightly comical, which suggested it wasn’t anything truly grave. Even so, being told something might be unpleasant made it impossible not to brace herself.

Karen looked up at her with a guarded squint, and Alise pressed a hand to her cheek, making a helpless face.

“Well, we’ve already obtained permission from the people involved. Or rather… it’s not exactly permission… Anyway, please let me explain myself afterward, all right?”

“Mr. Julius, were you asked to do something again?”

“Not me, Karen.”

Julius denied it immediately. Karen thought of him as too good-natured for his own sake—someone who had spent his life sacrificing himself to be accepted by his family. That was why he had never been able to refuse Helfried when asked. Whether he had ever even thought to refuse was another question.

To Karen, the fact that Julius had gone against Helfried’s wishes at the hunting festival had been a tremendous step forward for him.

He wouldn’t lie to her, she was sure. Karen gave a small nod and surveyed the hall. Whoever had given their permission for whatever this was—who here, besides the Ehlertt family, mattered enough to Karen that it could unsettle her?

Her gaze drifted to the adventurers’ table of honor—to the Crimson Thunder, and to Thor, their leader. He flashed her a broad, beaming smile in return.

…He looked happier than he had in years. So, probably not him?

“— And now, allow me to unveil the portrait that will be displayed at this year’s New Year’s Festival. The portrait of those who distinguished themselves most greatly in Ehlertt this past year.”

At Helfried’s declaration, the atmosphere throughout the hall froze as though every nerve had suddenly tightened. Even so, no objections came from the nobles, apparently out of pride befitting their station. They maintained their composure through sheer reason, their fists clenched tight and trembling beneath the tables.

From the adventurers’ side, however, a few snickering remarks slipped out. Some wore smug grins, while others made exaggerated faces in an attempt to provoke the nobles, behaving in a deliberately crude and confrontational manner. Although the people around them eventually stepped in and stopped them, the adventurers as a whole were not particularly well-behaved, so the nobles’ irritation was understandable. Then again, it was likely the backlash of years of being held down.

For many years running, adventurers had been the ones who cleared the dungeons, and yet they had gone on yielding the honor of those achievements to nobles. Some of them had surely endured the nobles’ mockery for it—in forms less blatant than this.

So it was only natural that the adventurers were excited by the accomplishments of Thor’s party, the same adventurers even if they were outsiders.

“The ones who contributed most to the Ehlertt territory this past year—are these individuals.”

Helfried took hold of the cloth draped over the portrait and drew it aside.

Karen’s mouth fell open.

“The three who slew the black dragon—the S-rank monster that crawled out of a collapsed dungeon, the mortal enemy of the founder of the Ehlertt Earldom, and the very source of the Bloodline Blessing that flows through the veins of our lineage—Julius Ehlertt, Licht Zenkel, and Karen!”

And there it was. Not only Julius and Licht, but between them—standing proud against the backdrop of the defeated black dragon—was Karen, rendered for some inexplicable reason with an extraordinary halo of light blazing behind her.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 306

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Chapter Three Hundred and Six: New Year’s Festival 2

“You two, it’s about time to enter. Save the affectionate exchanges for the hall. Make sure all the guests can see how close you are. Let everyone understand that there’s no room whatsoever for proposals involving a second or third wife.”

“…Yes, Brother.”

Helfried’s words sounded as though he were poking fun at what had happened during the hunting festival the other day. Karen wrapped both arms around Julius’s arm as if to encourage him when he nodded with a stiff expression.

As far as Karen was concerned, what Julius had done at the hunting festival’s award ceremony was something to be entirely welcomed. She had no desire for things to remain in that vague, ambiguous territory—the sort that, by the conventions of noble society, could be read as a soft acceptance, or perhaps a refusal, or perhaps a door left open depending on circumstances. That would not do at all.

Even so, what Julius had done had gone against the wishes of Helfried, the Earl of Ehlertt. Afterward, Julius had apparently been summoned to Helfried’s tent, interrogated, and thoroughly scolded.

Karen had learned this from Licht, since Julius had stubbornly refused to tell her himself.

Helfried looked back and forth between the two of them and let out a slow sigh.

“…At the hunting festival, I was in the wrong.”

“Brother Helfried?”

Julius opened his eyes wide in surprise. Karen, knowing little of the subtleties of noble society, caught his reaction and understood that it was indeed unexpected—she stared at Helfried wide-eyed.

“It was plain as day that you had no intention of marrying anyone but Karen. So I should have laid the groundwork from the start. By not refusing that young lady’s offer on the spot and instead deferring to a later reply, it would have signaled that she was a woman worthy of standing beside you, the winner of Ehlertt’s hunting festival, as your wife. I should have confirmed your intentions beforehand—whether you were willing to help establish her standing in that way.”

“…I was the one at fault for not deferring to you, the head of the family. There is no need for you to concern yourself, Brother.”

Helfried shook his head, as if to dismiss Julius’s words.

“As a matter of fact, I was scolded over this… by Sieg.”

“What? Not by Lady Alise?”

“My, Ms. Karen, you seem to have a great deal of faith in me.”

Alise responded to Karen’s inadvertent remark with a beautiful smile. Karen hurriedly tried to explain herself:

“Oh—no, I don’t mean that I’ve been thinking, even a little, that you seem to subtly keep Lord Helfried under your thumb while keeping up appearances of deference in public—not at all, not even slightly—”

“If I had truly managed to keep this man under my thumb, Sieg wouldn’t have been forced to say something so difficult. I’m sorry to have disappointed you, Ms. Karen.”

Rather than being offended by Karen’s words, Alise smiled with a somewhat dejected expression.

“No, I’m not disappointed, it’s just… Master Sieg, really?”

All eyes turned to Sieg. He met Karen’s gaze and gave a small shrug. She suddenly noticed—whether from a year’s worth of growth or the height of his shoes, his eyes were now nearly level with hers.

“Someone as powerful as Uncle Julius should really be allowed to be more selfish than he is. The hunting festival made me feel that very clearly. And yet I thought Uncle Julius was too considerate of others.”

Skilled fighters had come to the hunting festival from all across the territory and even from neighboring lands, seeking to battle monsters. Watching how those warriors had carried themselves had apparently left an impression on Sieg. And his observation had struck remarkably close to Julius’s true nature.

Julius had surely understood from the time he was thrown into that dungeon that he had to become useful to his father—strong enough to be worth keeping alive. When he was brought into noble society, he had likely convinced himself deeply that he had to be a convenient existence for those in power around him.

That was probably why Julius had been far more devoted to the Ehlertt Earldom—to Helfried—than others of equal strength would have been. To outside eyes, it would have looked like nothing more than a close bond between brothers.

“Uncle Julius has always been too kind. All I told Father was that I thought Uncle Julius deserved the same rights as his strength warranted. I don’t know what Father makes of it, but when it’s my turn, you’re allowed to live however you like, Uncle.”

Sieg said it as though speaking to Julius, but his eyes were on Karen—as if he was certain that telling Karen would ensure Julius actually lived freely.

Leave it to me. Karen pressed a hand to her chest and gave a firm nod.

Helfried said, flustered:

“No, from my time onwards, Julius is more than welcome to live as he pleases!”

“And yet, despite saying that, you still haven’t fully accepted what Julius did, have you?”

“…I simply never imagined my dear little brother’s rebellious phase would come like this—this late in life. I only need a little more time to accept it…!”

“Rebellious phase…”

Julius blinked, genuinely puzzled. To Helfried, who knew nothing of the burden Winfried had placed on Julius’s shoulders, Julius’s attempt to set that burden down must have looked like nothing more than a late-blooming act of defiance.

It struck Karen as somewhat too light a way to see it, given everything Julius had been through—but she watched Julius carefully to see what he would make of it.

At last, Julius let out a sudden laugh.

“Yes—yes, I suppose I am going through a rather delayed rebellious phase!—So, I do hope you’ll find it in your generous heart to forgive me, Brother Helfried.”

“There is nothing to forgive. As long as you are happy, that is all that matters. The fact that it came so late is likely my own fault for burdening you. If I ever lean on you again and cause you needless hardship, please scold me and put a stop to it—Alise.”

“Fufu, as you wish, Lord Helfried.”

“And I’ll be throwing my full support behind Julius’s rebellious phase, so please be prepared for that, Lord Helfried!”

“Karen, your support is far too terrifying. I sincerely ask you to reconsider.”

If Julius was going to call it a rebellious phase, Karen intended to throw herself behind it wholeheartedly.

Whatever he had imagined Karen might do, Helfried pleaded with her in dead earnest. Watching Julius laugh at Helfried’s alarm, Karen joined in—and then Alise and Sieg as well, their voices rising together in laughter.

Before long, the music drifting from the hall shifted in tempo. The time had come to make their entrance into the New Year’s Festival.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 305

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Chapter Three Hundred and Five: New Year’s Festival

“…Yes. It’s as though every part of you has been dyed in my colors. It stirs something tender in me.”

Julius, who had come to the waiting room to escort Karen, smiled with softened eyes.

It had been a few days since their return from the hunting festival. Tonight was the New Year’s Festival.

To attend the festival, Karen wore a golden dress—a gift from Julius. She had not the slightest intention of hiding their relationship anymore.

Though golden, the dress had an elegant, restrained hue that avoided any hint of vulgarity. The neckline was veiled in gold-thread lace, while the back dipped in a deep open cut. The manor had magical tools installed throughout to keep it warm, so there was no chill to worry about.

“Oh? That necklace…”

“The earrings too—you gave them to me before, Julius!”

Karen turned to show him her ears. She wore the earrings over her existing piercing. The jewelry she had chosen to pair with the golden gown was the matched set of gems in the color of Julius’s eyes—the very set he had given her as a token of thanks on the day of the party celebrating Sieg’s recovery.

“Back when you gave these to me, you probably didn’t like me yet… but they’re something special to me, so I wanted to wear them.”

Julius had also prepared many other pieces of jewelry to match the dress, allowing her to choose according to her mood.  But Karen had decided from the very start that she would wear this set, and had brought it with her for that reason.

“Is that so?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“About when I first began to like you.”

“Back then, you told me plainly that you didn’t like me that way.”

Karen smiled wryly. There had been a time when Julius had asked her to marry him… said that he hoped she would accept. It had been entirely for the sake of demonstrating that the Ehlertt Earldom and Julius stood behind her as her backing. Karen had almost convinced herself that he loved her, only to ask him directly and end up humiliating herself. The memory was too bitter to ever forget.

Julius watched her wry smile with a soft look in his eyes.

“Back then—and even long before that—I made a habit of ignoring my own feelings, so I was remarkably unaware of them. I simply didn’t understand what I was feeling. In truth, I think I had been drawn to you for quite some time before that.”

“What… wait, really!?”

Karen’s eyes grew wider and wider as Julius looked down at her with quiet amusement.

“I wonder when it was, exactly, that I fell for you.”

“I need to know! When was it!?”

Julius gazed down at her as she pressed him, clearly entertained, and deflected with one of his beautiful smiles. But Karen was no longer the sort to be put off by a single charming smile. Just as she was about to press him further, Sieg poked his head into the waiting room.

“You two, stop flirting and come along, it’s nearly time.”

“Yeees.”

Karen took hold of Julius’s arm and linked hers through it, grinning a giddy, lopsided smile. Sieg looked at her, then glanced up at Julius, and murmured quietly.

“…Uncle Julius, you look very happy.”

“Do I?”

Karen spun to look at Julius—but his expression was the same gentle smile as always. Sieg gave a small laugh at her puzzled face.

“Uncle Julius always looks like that around you, Sister Karen, so you probably can’t tell the difference.”

“What—really? Since when? Since when has he!?”

Julius tightened the arm she had linked with his, keeping her from making a dash toward Sieg.

“Shall we go, Karen?”

The New Year’s Festival was ahead of them, and they were running short on time. Reluctantly giving up the interrogation, Karen looked up at Julius as he escorted her and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

“…I want you to wear something in my eye color—that pale blue—and yet a black tailcoat suits you so perfectly that I can’t bear to part with it.”

“You do love a black tailcoat, Karen.”

“So you noticed, then?”

“Quite obviously so. That’s why I enjoy wearing this.”

Karen very nearly melted on the spot, then caught herself and asked. Julius must have his own preferences, after all.

“What do you like me to wear, Julius?”

“Your alchemist’s robes, I think. They seem the most like you, and somehow you look all the more beautiful in them.”

Silently offering her praises to Natalia for having gifted her those robes, Karen suddenly realized something.

“I think I’d vaguely known that for a while.”

“So you noticed.”

She looked up at Julius as he gave a quiet laugh, and recalled something from the past.

There was a time when Karen had been so embarrassed around Julius that she could hardly stand being near him. Her feelings, her ulterior motives, had been plain to see, and she had even felt as though she owed him an apology for being near him.

But when she stood as an alchemist, that crushing embarrassment hadn’t come over her nearly as much. Perhaps it was because Julius’s gaze when he looked at Karen the alchemist had always been warm—almost dazzled—and she had felt genuine respect in it.

She had attributed that to the fact that she had demonstrated her power as an alchemist—but had that really been all it was?

Karen decided not to ask him about it at that moment. Julius’s expression had grown tense upon their arrival at the antechamber where Helfried was waiting.

At the hunting festival, apparently, Julius and Helfried had had some kind of confrontation. Helfried was staring fixedly at Julius with a sour look on his face—to Karen’s eye, just his usual slightly intimidating expression, nothing out of the ordinary.

But drawn in by Julius’s air of tension, Karen swallowed nervously and pressed herself close to his side.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 304

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Chapter Three Hundred and Four: Ehlertt Estate, Territorial Capital

“Welcome ba—hey.”

Thor shot Julius a sharp glare as he wedged himself between Thor and Karen, just as Thor ran over to greet her.

“What’s your problem? Don’t go cutting in between me and Sis.”

“…A younger brother. Can’t be helped, I suppose.”

After a long moment of deliberation, Julius stepped aside. Thor watched him go with a baffled squint, then threw his arms around Karen.

“I’m back! And welcome back, Thor!”

It was right before the New Year’s Festival when Karen’s group arrived back at the territorial capital. The roads were buried under great mounds of snow, and hauling the hunting festival spoils had proven such a struggle that, in the end, only the hunting festival participants went ahead, finally arriving in Ehlertt’s capital without the rest.

Thor, who had come out to welcome Karen at the Ehlertt Earldom’s manor, was dressed in the manner of a young nobleman. The rest of his companions were also dressed in noble-style clothing, all present and looking perfectly healthy. The clothes had probably been provided by the earl’s family, and everyone looked completely at ease in them.

“Sis! I’m gonna be the face of this year’s Ehlertt New Year’s Festival!”

“Which means—you cleared the thirtieth floor of the territorial capital dungeon!? Congratulations!”

“Heheh.”

The face of the New Year’s Festival—in other words, the person whose portrait would be displayed in the festival hall. The only feat grand enough to earn such an honor was the conquest of thirtieth floor, the very challenge Thor and his party had been undertaking. And clearing the thirtieth floor meant that they had fulfilled the requirements to be promoted to A-rank adventurers. It was one piece of good news after another.

As Thor grinned with bashful pride, Karen’s recently sharpened ears caught the murmurs of nobles gathered for the festival.

“To think we must look up to some outsider commoner adventurers.”

“Ehlertt’s honor has fallen low indeed.”

“If only it had been Lord Winfried’s portrait at least—”

Perhaps sensing Karen’s gaze, the nobles caught their breath and fell silent. When a whisper kept low enough that others should not hear it still reached someone’s ears, that usually meant the listener was almost always someone of greater standing.

She noticed that Thor, too, had turned to look in the same direction as Karen, his face unreadable. And then, apparently realizing that Karen had heard the same words he had, his eyes went wide as saucers.

“Sis, you heard that just now?”

“Hmph.”

Karen puffed out her chest with a smug air, and Thor was struck dumb.

“No way—! Hold on. Did any of you guys hear that?”

“You mean those nobles badmouthing us?”

“If you already know it was trash talk, that means you heard it too, Wanda?”

“I could tell it was trash talk just from the look on their faces. I didn’t actually hear it… But Ms. Karen did, didn’t she?”

“Wanda, your magical power’s S-rank, right?”

Hearing that, Karen’s eyes widened as well. After defeating the black dragon and ascending the steps upon realizing the hints toward how to make the Philosopher’s Stone, Karen hadn’t had her magical power measured since.

“Um—Julius, could you hear it?”

Noticing how casually Karen addressed Julius, Thor shot him a fierce look. But Julius didn’t spare Thor so much as a glance, and simply smiled at Karen.

“Yes, I heard it—it seems your magical power has risen above S-rank. Congratulations, Karen.”

“If I’m above S, then what are you?”

“I did have it measured once with a Double Rare measuring device. The needle pointed to the upper limit.”

“Ha—same as me then, Julius!”

Thor declared it like a challenge. Karen blinked, looking rather dazed.

“You all have so much magical power. That’s amazing.”

She had known her magical power was considerable, but it seemed she had easily surpassed S-rank. She had always known Julius was remarkable, but Karen was struck by the realization that the people around her were even more extraordinary than she had thought.

“No, the amazing one is you, Sis.”

“Exactly! You started at D-rank, didn’t you!? How did you climb all the way up there!? I’ve ascended the steps plenty of times myself, and my magical power barely went up by even one rank!”

“Huh!? Doesn’t magical power go up by one rank each time you ascend a step?”

“If it were that easy, nobody would struggle with it! What exactly did you do, Karen!?”

It was Julius who stepped in and drew Wanda back before she could lunge at Karen.

“Naturally, many things happened along the way. Karen has only just returned, and she is tired. Would it be all right if I took her to her room now?”

“Fair enough. Wanda, you back off.”

“Leader! You know how important magical power is to a mage, don’t you!?”

“Sure do. But it’s not more important than Sis, so—Julius, I’ll hold this one back, you take Sis with you.”

“Karen—!”

Karen was led away with Julius’s arm around her shoulders, and so she parted ways with a tearful Wanda.

“I’m not that tired, I have plenty of energy—I could explain everything to her.”

“Still, surely you’d prefer to rest. The bath should be ready for you by now.”

“A bath!”

At that, Karen’s eyes lit up entirely, and Julius let out a quiet chuckle.

“Word was sent ahead, so the preparations should already be complete.”

“Want to join me?—just kidding—”

The offhand quip made Julius flush red. It was an expression Karen had never seen on him before, and she stared at him, puzzled.

“…Hm?”

“—I see. So that sort of thing would be permissible.”

Karen watched the side of Julius’s face as he turned away, his hand over his mouth, and felt the color slowly rising in her own cheeks as well.

“Um, uh, that was, you know, a joke—”

“I know. Without being married, such a thing… would be impossible to do. I know it would not be good for your reputation. And yet…”

Julius kept his face averted, cheeks red, and shot Karen a sidelong glare.

“You were the one who invited me, so I would like you to remember that after we’re married.”

The look Julius gave her was almost reproachful as Karen’s face went scarlet all the way down to her neck—something that hadn’t happened in quite some time—and yet Julius himself was unusually flushed as well.

Karen looked up at him and, face still burning, broke into a soft, melting smile.

Julius looked down at her, and his expression shifted into something like dissatisfaction—then he reached out and grabbed her loosened cheeks, squishing them back and forth.

Karen burst out laughing like a little child, and Julius, caught up in it, laughed along with her.

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