Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 244

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Chapter Two Hundred and Forty-Four: Visiting the Knight Order

“To every one of the Ehlertt Knights, thank you for all your hard work. I’m Karen, an alchemist. I’ve come bearing gifts!”

“Oh! Alchemist Karen—the one who healed Master Sieg, who suffered from the Bloodline Blessing!”

“I heard that though you were E-rank last year, you were promoted to B-rank in no time, but is that true!?”

“A gift from a high-ranking alchemist—how grateful…!”

Karen appeared at the knights’ training ground carrying a large basket. Though confused, the knights welcomed Karen with generally favorable attitudes. As expected, the title of B-rank alchemist must carry weight. And the gifts were surely another powerful factor. Gifts from a B-rank alchemist would naturally be welcomed by anyone.

Just in case, Karen had brought her orichalcum alchemy pot from the royal capital. Although she had left her workshop in the capital to Harald, the orichalcum cauldron was far too valuable to entrust entirely to him.

She could have deposited it with the Alchemists’ Guild, but since it was far lighter than an adamantite cauldron, she brought it with her to the Ehlertt territory this time.

She had it stored in the safe in the room for the wife who married into the Ehlertt household—in other words, Karen’s room. She took out the orichalcum cauldron from there and quickly prepared everything.

Incidentally, Sepl and Urte were also present, but they were treated as servants attending Karen and apparently didn’t count as guests in noble society. Still unaccustomed to the treatment of supporters, Karen cleared her throat and pulled herself together.

“To honor everyone who works hard to protect the beloved Ehlertt territory of Mr. Julius, who will become my fiancé! I’ve brought honey lemon tea fatigue recovery potions.”

“Fatigue recovery? Is there such a potion?”

“That’s new to me, but I guess that’s what you’d expect from someone who climbed from E-rank to B-rank in just a year.”

“We’re grateful. The knight captain has been murderous lately, and training has been getting increasingly harsh.”

Most of the knights present were unfamiliar faces. Karen had some acquaintance with the Ehlertt knights in the royal capital. So those here must be knights permanently stationed in the Ehlertt territory.

The small number of knights was probably because Helfried had gone to set up the venue at the forest edge for the hunting festival that would resume this year, and most had accompanied him.

“There’s plenty in the pot, so please drink during your breaks. And as souvenirs for the wives and lovers who support you all, beauty potions—”

“Beauty potions!? The ones my lover said she absolutely had to have and went all the way to the royal capital for!?”

“Is it all right!? I heard they’re constantly sold out even in the royal capital!?”

“My wife was so disappointed that she couldn’t get them even though she wanted them so badly!”

“Thank you! My daughter has wanted them forever! With this, I can show my dignity as a father who’s often absent!”

There was a saying: if you wish to shoot the general, first shoot his horse. The beauty potions Karen had prepared, thinking it would be faster to win over the knights’ families, wives, daughters, and lovers if she wanted to win over the knights themselves, seemed to be extremely effective.

Karen smiled brightly and distributed the bottles she had brought in the basket to the knights.

“Please direct your gratitude to Mr. Julius. After all, I’m in the Ehlertt territory because he is here.”

“Our thanks to Sir Julius!”

“Well done persuading such an alchemist to join Ehlertt Earldom!”

The knights were offering words of gratitude to Julius, who wasn’t present, all at once. Unlike the knight captain who had rejected Julius’s teachings, they didn’t seem to harbor any ill will toward Julius.

Karen patted her chest in relief.

“Please continue to look after Mr. Julius!”

“Of course.”

“We are nowhere near Master Julius’s level, so unlike Ehlertt’s elites, we can’t accompany him into dungeons…”

“But we’ll do our best!”

The atmosphere was harmonious.

Such activities, done regularly, would eventually support the one who would become Karen’s husband. This was the very model of wifely support, Karen thought proudly.

“You don’t have minor healing potions?”

“I believe you purchase such potions from the local alchemists. I couldn’t intrude and take their work away, especially since I won’t be staying here permanently.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“However, our stock has become quite low at present, and additional deliveries are difficult. If you could make just the shortfall, it would be extremely helpful.”

“I see… I’ll consult with the knight captain.”

“In that case, we’ll guide you to the knight captain’s office right away!”

Karen’s objective had been the knight captain from the start. As planned, Karen was smoothly guided to his office.

She gained the support of ordinary knights while closing in on the knight captain—everything unfolded exactly as Karen had planned.

“Captain, Alchemist Karen is here.”

“Enter.”

Inside the room was a giant of a man. He was standing by the desk, so tall that Karen had to look up at him. He was probably taller than Julius. But what made this man feel even larger was his thick physique. His body, armored in bulging muscles, wore his knight’s uniform as if it were too tight.

He had black hair and gray eyes. His appearance closely resembled Winfried Ehlertt—Julius and Helfried’s father—whom she had seen in portraits.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 243

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Chapter Two Hundred and Forty-Three: Their Room

“Please keep this door locked at all times.”

Karen had been exploring the room with a beaming smile when Julius pointed to a door with an inner lock and spoke.

“Beyond this door is a room for a married couple to use together. It connects to my room as well. Naturally, it’s not something to use before we’re even married.”

“Kyaaa!”

“Don’t try to open it so eagerly, Karen.”

“Sepl and Urte are here with us! Right?!”

Julius, who had been holding back Karen as she tried to latch onto the door with shining eyes, looked with exasperation at the two supporters who were leisurely sitting on the sofa, drinking the grape wine that had been in the room.

“Can you two really protect Karen like that?”

“You want us to come between you and Little Karen acting all lovey-dovey? Give me a break; she is like a niece to me.”

“Do you want us to support her even in the marital bedroom? Ahahahaha!”

Urte was slapping her knee and laughing. She might have been weak to alcohol.

“Mr. Julius, I’ll just look! I’ll just explore a little, okay?”

“It can’t be helped. Please make absolutely sure to keep it locked normally, all right? You must never go inside, and certainly never leave it unlocked.”

After reiterating the condition, Julius allowed Karen to enter the couple’s room.

Karen excitedly unlocked the interior lock and went inside.

The room was at the end of the hallway, connected to both Karen’s and Julius’s rooms, which faced each other. A canopied bed larger than the one in Karen’s room, a fireplace, and a comfortable-looking sofa. And—

“A portrait of Mr. Julius and me…”

It was similar to but different from the one the Ehlertt painter Irene had done last year.

“My clothes, they’re an alchemist’s outfit…?”

In the painting Irene had done before, Karen, standing close to Julius, had been wearing a dress.

Since she had worn a dress provided by Ehlertt when attending the New Year’s Festival, Irene, who had only seen that, had painted Karen as she was.

But the Karen in the painting hung in the bedroom wore an alchemist’s outfit, while Julius wore a knight’s clothing.

“I thought this attire was most like you, and most like me as well.”

Saying this, Julius smiled mischievously.

“Do you like it?”

“…Very much!”

Being an alchemist was the self she could be most proud of, and it was precisely because she was such a Karen that Julius stayed by her side and tried to fight alongside her. If they had lived lives suited to entirely different roles, they would never have met.

Karen was entranced by the portrait for a while. Finally, Julius indicated another door.

“This door leads to my room. —There’s no lock on my side. So while it’s always open, I will never visit from this side.”

“Even if I don’t lock it, as long as you don’t come in, isn’t that enough?”

“…I can’t trust my own reason when I’m intoxicated by magical power. You know about that, don’t you?”

“Kyaaa!”

“Karen, that’s not a place to let out a cheer.”

Julius pinched Karen’s cheek with a squeeze. Though it didn’t hurt, being forcibly made to make a strange face left Karen feeling sour, but Julius chuckled softly.

“For my sake, as I wish to cherish you, please guard yourself carefully.”

At Julius with his shadowed smile, Karen, her cheek released, tightened her loosened lips.

“And you’re correct—it would be enough if I simply restrained myself. I’m sorry.”

Julius showed a smile too beautiful, as if trying to conceal his inner feelings. Karen would no longer be completely fooled by that beauty. But looking up at Julius’s smile, she pretended to be captivated by it. If he was trying to hide it, he probably didn’t want her to know.

Either way made no difference to Karen. But for Julius, the thought of his reason-deprived self doing things far removed from his ideal must be unbearable.

“If you say so, I’ll keep it locked. Although premarital relations are normal for commoners, you know. Right, Uncle Sepl, with your shotgun wedding?”

While trying to keep her tone light, Karen called out to Sepl waiting in the next room. So that no matter what happened in the future, Julius wouldn’t be hurt.

When Karen and Julius returned from the bedroom, Sepl said while scratching his cheek:

“That’s quite a polished way to say it, but well, it’s true.”

“Yes, I got married after the fact too. It’d be a problem if you only found out you weren’t compatible after marrying.”

“So yeah, better to check compatibility before marriage, right?”

Though Urte and Sepl answered matter-of-factly, adventurers were among the less chaste of commoners. But to Julius’s ears, it seemed to sound as if this was normal for commoners, and his face visibly changed.

“Are you saying that if, after checking, this ‘compatibility’ turns out to be poor, even an engagement would be broken off?”

“Well, that’d be natural.”

“Otherwise there’d be no point in checking.”

“—If that’s normal for you all, then all the more reason I will never lay a hand on Karen until marriage.”

“Does that mean once we’re married, it won’t be so easy to call it off?”

In other words, he wouldn’t let her escape.

As Karen let out a gleeful squeal at being loved that much, Urte frowned:

“Don’t you want to cherish Karen? And yet you’re planning to trap her so she can’t leave easily? If there’s some problem with your male function—”

Just as the sound suddenly cut off, Karen realized Sepl had gently covered her ears. Urte seemed to be scolding Julius about something for Karen’s sake, and Julius was being overwhelmed. By the time Karen’s ears were finally freed, the two had finished their argument. Urte was breathing hard through her nose, while Julius looked exhausted.

“That conversation was too stimulating for you, Little Karen.”

“I’m already an adult, you know? I’m twenty as of the New Year, you know?”

“Karen.”

The one who called Karen’s name as she tried to complain about the unfair treatment was Julius with an uneasy expression on his face.

“I understand well that there are differences between noble and commoner common sense. But I still want to act according to my own perception and not do anything that would feel like treating you roughly. Can you understand?”

“Yes! It’s fine!”

“Of course, I don’t intend to make only you endure. I promise that when the time comes, I will make every effort to dispel your anxieties.”

“Either way, a delicious future…!”

Though Julius himself had been frowning anxiously, seeing Karen trembling with joy made him relax and smile. Seeing Karen happily oblivious to his inner struggles, Julius looked relieved.

Looking up at such a Julius, Karen pledged in her heart to properly keep the door locked.

A quiet resolve was also born within Karen. She wanted to eliminate any obstacles to ensure her engagement—and eventual marriage—with Julius would proceed smoothly.

—First, the knight order.

“By the way, Karen, aren’t you interested in my room as well?”

“Of course!”

“You should see it while your supporters are here during the day.”

Invited by Julius, who seemed to have resigned himself to the fact that Karen’s curiosity couldn’t be stopped, she visited Julius’s room from across the hallway rather than through the bedroom.

And there, a huge portrait was displayed far too brazenly.

“Gah!? Isn’t this the Mr. Julius I drew!?”

It was supposed to be Julius holding a single rose and winking. A year ago, it had looked much better, but now it was beyond doubt that the figure looked like every bone in his body was broken.

“Take it down right now! Or you’ll have nightmares!?”

“On the contrary, when I look at this painting, I sleep well… ahahaha, hahahahahaha!”

“What are you laughing at!?”

“Heh, hehe. Because I got to see that face of yours, Karen.”

The portrait Karen had assumed someone had discarded had apparently ended up in Julius’s hands.

Though he had looked gloomy just moments ago, now that his prank had succeeded, Julius was smiling brightly—and Karen found herself speechless, just like the time he had brought his face close to hers.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 242

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Chapter Two Hundred and Forty-Two: Karen’s Room

The room she was shown to was different from the one last time.

“Lady Karen, this will be your room.”

“It’s bigger than before. Is it because I became B-rank?”

Not only was it spacious, but the furnishings also looked quite fine. As a result of visiting various noble estates for commissions, Karen’s eye was becoming more discerning. Unlike the room where she had stayed at the Ehlertt mansion in the royal capital, she could somehow tell this was a room of noble grade rather than commoner grade.

Karen had been in Alise’s bedroom in the royal capital, and this room might be comparable even to that one. Perhaps her treatment had improved because Karen had been promoted to a B-rank alchemist. Or maybe it was the Ehlertt people’s sense of duty, and they had simply prepared this room out of gratitude to Karen.

At Karen’s speculation, Sara showed a meaningful smile.

“Yes, I suppose that’s part of it.”

“Huh, there’s something else? What? What is it?”

“You’ll find out eventually.”

Sara left the room quickly after setting down the luggage. She seemed to have gone to guide Sepl and Urte, who had come with Karen. They were apparently shown to a room nearby, as cheers could be heard from beyond the door of a room slightly ajar. It seemed they had prepared nice rooms for Karen’s adventurer escorts as well.

While smiling at the joyful voices, Karen looked around the room. But she couldn’t figure out what else there might be about this room. To begin with, the room she had stayed in before was in the East Wing, managed by Sieg. Then who in the Ehlertt household managed this West Wing—?

At that moment, Karen’s thoughts were interrupted by a sound she heard outside the window. Thinking she heard voices arguing, Karen opened the window and looked down. An open plaza was set up there. Seeing the target range, Karen deduced it was a training ground for the Ehlertt Earldom’s knights.

A moment later, perhaps because the wind direction changed, voices from the training ground reached Karen.

“Your concern is unnecessary! Your swordsmanship is not the kind knights should learn!”

The rough male voice that reached her ears received no rebuttal from the one being addressed. But Karen’s heart realized who was being subjected to those words even before seeing the figure.

—After seeing Karen off to her room, where had Julius gone?

Karen rushed out of the room and headed for the training ground. Just as she left the mansion, Sepl and Urte, who had jumped down from the window, caught up with her.

“Little Karen, if you’re going out, let us know.”

“Ah, sorry. I’m still not used to being guarded…”

“You can go wherever you want, Karen. We’ll make sure we can keep up.”

Karen headed to the training ground with Sepl and Urte. On the way, she met Julius returning from the training ground to the West Wing.

“Mr. Julius!”

“Karen, why the rush? There’s only the knights’ training ground ahead, you know?”

Julius, his eyes wide, looked as gentle-faced as always. But was it just Karen’s imagination that there seemed to be a shadow in those golden eyes?

“I heard voices. Mr. Julius, are you all right?”

“Are you perhaps talking about just now? How embarrassing that you heard. But it’s nothing serious.”

“Is that so? Didn’t it sound like something unpleasant was being said to you?”

“I heard they want to make the knight order stronger. I offered to instruct them, but my original swordsmanship is rather unique, so the captain who knows this simply declined.”

“That’s…”

Karen recalled the sight of Julius fighting Thor in the dungeon. Certainly, that wasn’t the kind of fighting style knights would emulate. At Karen’s hesitation, Julius smiled wryly.

“I have mastered knightly swordsmanship as well, but I’m not particularly strong when using it.”

“But you won the swordsmanship tournament in that state.”

“The truly strong are out fighting monsters in dungeons or beyond the influence zones. For a swordsmanship tournament meant to make a name for oneself, that level is enough to win.”

If Lyos, who had competed in the same tournament and been defeated, heard this, he would surely be furious, but Julius seemed to mean it seriously.

“There is no swordsmanship of mine worth learning, and if they were to adopt my personal style, it would likely trouble them as knights. They seemed desperate, so I tried to offer help, but it appears I only caused a disturbance.”

Julius said this calmly. As if it were nothing important. But the voice Karen had heard held no respect for Julius.

“—The owner of that voice just now was the captain of the Ehlertt knights, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. He’s been protecting the Ehlertt territory for a long time.”

Such a person had said that Julius’s swordsmanship was not what the knights should learn. Julius had called the form he showed in his battle with Thor his true form. That form, which he had said was different from what Karen believed in, the captain surely knew of it too.

Julius had believed that Karen would fear that form. Perhaps that was because he had already experienced being feared and shunned. Julius was widely known in the royal capital as the greatest marriage candidate among the three kingdoms. If he had experienced being disliked, the only place that could have happened was in the Ehlertt territory.

The fact that the man was still the captain of the knights meant he hadn’t been on Horst’s side. He must be an ally of Helfried’s. Even so, Karen couldn’t help but glare at the training ground. Looking down at such a Karen, Julius whispered:

“By the way, Karen, do you like your new room?”

“Huh? Yes. I thought it was a lovely room, but…”

Julius was obviously trying to change the subject, and Karen responded warily. He moved his face closer, and Karen braced herself.

She was no longer the Karen of before, whose brain would melt and be fooled by everything just because Julius’s beautiful face was brought close.

“Across the hallway from yours is my room."

“…Huh?”

At Karen’s blank expression, unable to grasp the meaning of his words, Julius narrowed his eyes.

“Your room is the room for the person who will become my wife, Karen.”

Julius looked down with an amused smile at Karen, who stood there dumbfounded.

Karen looked at the room on the second floor where the prepared room was, looked at Julius, looked at the room on the second floor again, and then screamed.

“Kyaaaa!”

Letting out a gleeful shriek, Karen broke into a run toward the room. She had been completely unaware that it was such a room and hadn’t looked at it properly at all. At the sight of Karen dashing off in a beeline to examine the room, Julius followed after her, laughing.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 241

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Chapter Two Hundred and Forty-One: Arrival

“Mmm, the air is cold!”

Karen took Julius’s hand and stepped down from the carriage, stretched her arms above her head, wearing a warm, fluffy coat and the gloves she’d received from Sieg.

Her body was stiff from being jolted in the carriage for so long. Even so, since the territorial capital at the westernmost end of the Ehlertt land was only five days northeast from the royal capital, the journey was relatively easy. Irmlinde’s territory, where Waltride had headed, apparently took a month one way by regular carriage.

The Ehlertt territory was only five days away, yet perhaps due to its proximity to the northern Bruyère mountain range, winters here were colder than those in the royal capital. The frozen winds from the mountain peaks might be blowing down on the territory.

“Your cheeks are red, Karen.”

“Mr. Julius, the tip of your nose is also a bit red.”

And her earring was freezing cold, feeling like her ear might fall off. When Karen gently channeled magical power into her earring, Julius’s eyes widened.

“Karen?”

“Did your ear get warm?”

Julius looked astonished, then smiled. The next moment, Karen’s ear grew gently warm.

“…That was my first time channeling magical power into it.”

As Julius whispered this, Karen also lowered her voice.

“Why don’t we casually infuse magical power like this from time to time?”

“To warm each other’s ears?”

Julius chuckled softly. Looking up at him, Karen narrowed her eyes.

When Julius had gone missing in the dungeon, his magical power had been depleted, and he hadn’t been in any condition to channel magical power into his earring. But even if he had been overflowing with magical power, Karen didn’t think Julius would have asked her for help.

So that someday Julius could infuse magical power into the earring to call for Karen’s help—this would serve as practice for that.

“Yes. Since it’s cold… just occasionally, when you remember, please channel magical power to warm my ear.”

“All right.”

Though there was no need for it, they smiled at each other over this small promise made in lowered voices like sharing a secret, then headed toward the mansion.

“Welcome, Lady Karen. Welcome home, Master Julius. And to all of you, thank you for coming.”

The one who said this was Volker, who had come out from the mansion to greet them. Volker was the butler of the Ehlertt household in the royal capital. If she recalled correctly, he had remained at the royal capital residence last year.

“So this year, you’re here as well, Mr. Volker?”

“We reorganized the personnel at the territorial capital mansion this time, so the number of servants has decreased significantly. That is why I have come here this year.”

“…I see.”

Karen immediately understood. Last year in the Ehlertt territory, Horst Brahm’s influence had reached every corner. Surely the servants were no exception. With Horst’s crimes, the influence of the former Earl Winfried’s faction had weakened. Taking this opportunity, Helfried had decided to replace personnel.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Horst wasn’t the only noble who had participated in the dungeon scheme. Thus, while the Ehlertt Earldom bore the stigma of producing a criminal, it had escaped severe punishment through adjustment of interests with the royal family, much like other territories.

It wasn’t any specific territory at fault—the blame was being placed on the weak who were born without magical power. The incident had taken on that tone.

As a result, nobles with little or no magical power—despite having no involvement—were probably finding life uncomfortable in their own lands. They might already be receiving terrible treatment.

Karen had promised Horst she would stop this. However, so far, she hadn’t found a way to do so.

In Karen’s estimation, there existed potions in this world that could only be made by those who understood the state of having no magical power. The more useful those potions were, the less harsh the treatment of people born without magical power would become. However, she hadn’t established a method to prove this.

“You’re sure it’s fine for my party to lodge here as well?”

“Of course. As Lady Karen’s younger brother and his party members, we have been ordered by our lord to extend Ehlertt’s full hospitality to you. Even without that, it is our pleasure to host a B-rank adventurer party such as yours.”

Volker said this in response to Thor’s question. Thor’s party members, who had been moving their bodies by stretching and doing squats after getting off the carriage like Karen, caught up.

“Ms. Wanda! And…”

“I be Odo.”

A dwarf with black hair and a thick black beard, carrying a giant axe on his back. Like all dwarves, he was short, and his age was indeterminate due to the beard covering most of his face, but he seemed younger than Urgo from the magical tool shop.

“I’m Luis. Ms. Karen, you’re cute even in different clothes from usual—why are you kicking me, Leader!? I haven’t done anything yet!”

The one speaking in a flirtatious tone and giving her a suggestive look was a fairly handsome man with brown hair and blue eyes. He was clutching his shin with teary eyes after receiving a low kick from Thor. With light equipment and a bow on his back, he was probably an archer.

“I’m Chris. I might look like an old guy, but I’m the lowest-ranking member here, so if you need anything, just send me running.”

As he himself said, he was an old man with gray hair mixed with white. He had a worn-out appearance and wore a tired expression. He was about the same height as Julius, with a more solidly built frame than Julius. Being a B-rank adventurer and looking like that, he might actually be quite elderly. He carried a longsword and shield.

“I’m Wanda, a mage. I’ll be intruding for a while.”

Thor was probably the youngest among them. Yet he was their leader. It was a strange sight, no matter how many times she saw it, and Karen blinked repeatedly.

She had barely exchanged greetings with anyone except Wanda. They had been made to wait in the royal capital until recently, indulging Thor’s selfish wish to stay by Karen’s side until her supporters were decided. And on top of that, they had followed her all the way to the Ehlertt territory.

That said, Karen was not their objective.

“We can explore the local dungeon, right?”

“We would be grateful if you would. The dungeon’s dormancy period has already ended, and the lowest floor is believed to have gone deeper than the twentieth floor.”

“So the lowest level is the thirtieth, then?”

“Most likely.”

“Sounds just right for us now.”

Thor turned to his companions and grinned. Conquering the thirtieth floor. That was the condition for a B-rank adventurer to rise to A-rank.

Not only Thor, but Wanda, Odo, Luis, and Chris all wore fearless smiles. Though it would undoubtedly be a dangerous journey, there was no sign of anxiety. Rather, they seemed to be looking forward to it.

Thor had never been afraid of dungeons. Because of that, he seemed to stand out not only among his peers but among adventurers in general, but his party members appeared much the same.

Watching their backs as they entered the mansion, Karen narrowed her eyes.

“…Thor finally has friends who understand him, huh.”

“No, no, no, is that really such a cute story?”

“As Sepl said, that’s a gathering of terrifying lunatics.”

Sepl and Urte had exasperated looks on their faces. They had come along as Karen’s supporters. Even to them, Thor and his party apparently seemed bizarre. As a sister whose brother was being called a lunatic, Karen said with a sour face:

“Well, we’ll just stick to gathering potion materials bit by bit on the first floors.”

“Please do. I’m about to become a father. Don’t think you can go deeper just because I’m here.”

“Are you underestimating what a supporter does?”

“I’ll protect you with my life if anything happens to you! But at least once! Just once, I don’t want to cross dangerous bridges until I can hold my child!”

“Okay, okay.”

From the start, Natalia had told her not to use the two as adventurers. They were solely supporters of an alchemist.

“Well then, Karen, I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, Mr. Julius. See you later.”

Parting with Julius, who was going to put away his luggage, Karen also headed to her room. A maid called out to Karen:

“Lady Karen, I’ll show you to your room. We’ve also prepared rooms for your two supporters, so please follow me.”

“Ah, Sara! Long time no see! Have you eaten the curry fried bread yet?”

“Everyone in Ehlertt has eaten it. I purchased it from the bakery. It was very delicious and well-received. Mr. Sieg in particular seemed to enjoy it, and I’ve already been ordered to purchase it several times.”

“Hehehe. Really? If everyone knew the next Earl of Ehlertt liked it, they’d all be shocked!”

Imagining the surprised faces of her commoner friends’ family, who ran the bakery, Karen’s shoulders shook. Sara smiled at Karen, took her luggage, and began walking.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 240

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Chapter Two Hundred and Forty: The Kingdom’s Laws (Diehild’s POV)

“How did I appear in the eyes of Alchemist Karen, I wonder?”

In the bathing room of the queen’s palace, Queen Diehild was having her body washed. She unhesitatingly exposed her ageless, voluptuous body that seemed impossible to believe had borne six children starting from her thirties, as the clinging rose fragrance was washed away.

What was being lathered on her body was the beauty soap, one of the princess-branded cosmetics set sold by Alchemist Karen. This soap potion with the same fragrance as the flower Karen called chamomile was apparently impossible to reproduce even by her disciple, and continued to be out of stock.

Those who couldn’t obtain this soap had no choice but to purchase ordinary soap—not potions—from merchants who made soap following the recipe Karen had made public. Even soap without potion effects apparently improved skin luster and maintained cleanliness better when used. Solid soap without fragrance was already incorporated as strategic supplies for both the Royal Knights and the Royal Guard. It was reportedly valued for being easier to handle than soft soap and better at removing dirt.

The knight orders reportedly requested soap potion deliveries from particularly talented E-rank alchemists building their delivery records, yet so far, no one else had succeeded in supplying this soap potion.

Even C-rank alchemists who accepted individual requests couldn’t make it, and B-rank alchemists had such high pride that they disliked being forced to use others’ recipes, so they couldn’t be compelled. However, even if they were forced, they probably couldn’t make it anyway. Diehild had also asked the royal alchemists, but even they said they still couldn’t make that potion.

Some nobles tried to pressure Karen, but that was stopped somewhere before Diehild even needed to intervene. Especially when high-ranking adventurers from the Adventurers’ Guild got involved, even the royal family couldn’t track the flow of power.

After Diehild’s body was washed, the court ladies withdrew. Only three ladies-in-waiting remained at Diehild’s side as she reclined in the bathtub, and they answered Diehild’s question.

“As an ordinary commoner girl, she would likely feel honored that Your Majesty spoke to her so amiably.”

“As the daughter of an adventurer who couldn’t have a search party sent for him due to his low rank, she likely felt disgust at the motherly face Your Majesty showed toward Her Highness Waltride, who receives attention despite not fulfilling her duties.”

“As Her Highness Waltride’s friend, she may have been pained by Your Majesty’s coldheartedness.”

The three ladies-in-waiting each stated different opinions. All of them were quite plausible. What Karen had outwardly shown was the third emotion as Waltride’s friend, but there was also the possibility that it was an act.

“If Alchemist Karen’s behavior was an act, then my response today was truly half-hearted.”

However, whatever intention Karen might have been hiding, it probably wouldn’t have been a fatal mistake. She must have appeared as a queen who put the nation first—not favoring her daughter, yet not entirely free of maternal attachment.

Diehild let out a long, heavy sigh.

She knew that the Adventurers’ Guild had moved and detained an A-rank adventurer. That A-rank adventurer was a dungeon expedition participant who had lost her mental equilibrium after losing her partner, who was both a party member and her husband, in the dungeon expedition. The resentment wouldn’t have been strange if directed at the king, who had ordered the dungeon investigation. However, that resentment was directed at Karen, but before it could reach Karen, it was settled through the Adventurers’ Guild by someone’s intervention.

At A-rank, adventurers were treasures of humanity. Only those with even greater power or abilities were permitted to bend the will of such precious fighting forces. If all adventurers were to turn their backs, a nation would fall.

When Diehild was still a girl, there had been a country that perished that way.

“Still, what could possibly have happened in the dungeon to result in taming a pegasus? Waltride’s explanation made no sense.”

She had summoned Waltride to explain, but the girl grew frightened before Diehild and failed to give a coherent account. She said there had been a pegasus on the dungeon’s eighth floor. If one only heard the words that she had received the egg from a pegasus who had come to retrieve her child’s egg that had been kidnapped by those plotting to overthrow the Kingdom of Earthfill, it sounded just like the return of King Sybilla, but the reality was different. Upon closer questioning, it turned out Waltride had been unconscious for most of it and did not truly understand what happened.

The one who had arranged everything was Alchemist Karen. What exactly was this alchemist’s intention in creating this situation? Why did she have enough influence to move the Adventurers’ Guild? Was she the guild’s pawn?

“Until now, Waltride wasn’t given significant trials precisely because His Majesty had given up on her, but at this rate, there’s no telling what kind of trials His Majesty might impose.”

“Are you worried?”

“Worried? Indeed. I’m terribly worried that making Waltride stand out even more will cause the adventurers to abandon our kingdom.”

There once was a country called the Kingdom of Zektas. It was located far to the west—beyond the great river Granas, past Diehild’s birthplace, and even beyond the western forest.

This country had been abandoned by adventurers who could no longer endure the arrogance of the king and the tyranny of the nobles, and perished unable to stop a great stampede. Diehild hadn’t actually witnessed that state with her own eyes.

The western forest was part of the great central woodland of the continent, filled with numerous unconquered dungeons. Only capable adventurers—or a few people protected by them—could cross that forest. Even so, they had had diplomatic relations. But from a certain day, those diplomatic relations were severed.

What Diehild saw were the many adventurers crossing the forest. Skilled adventurers came to the Kingdom of Earthfill, to Diehild’s territory, crossing the forest while protecting only the people truly important to them.

“To adventurers, their homeland is not necessarily something they must protect. However, the stronger they are, the more accustomed they are to the goddess’s trials. Therefore, they will follow reasonable principles. We must not let them think our kingdom’s laws are unjust.”

Seeing her parents welcome and accept the adventurers who had crossed the forest with their families, Diehild decided to do the same on a national scale. For that purpose, she had gone through fierce struggles to become queen and was here. The king seemed to have his own thoughts, but Diehild wasn’t patient enough to wait for the results of those thoughts she wasn’t permitted to share.

When Diehild rose from the bathtub, the ladies-in-waiting wiped her body and draped a robe over her.

“Continue to monitor Waltride.”

Troublesomely, her bloodline was legitimate. The pegasus’ existence appeared like proof that the ancestral King Sybilla had acknowledged Waltride. If she had remained in her ugly form, not just fat but bloated and distorted in strange ways, it would have been one thing, but now, at least in appearance, she had come to closely resemble Diehild when she was a young woman who had won the queen’s position. To uninformed citizens—especially adventurers—Waltride would appear as an existence symbolizing the Royal Family.

“If Waltride acts against the Kingdom of Earthfill’s national interests—”

The softness and sweet scent of the newborn Waltride returned vividly to her memory, but as if averting her eyes, Diehild looked at the black-clad figures who had silently appeared behind her and knelt.

“—Do what must be done.”

After watching those who immediately vanished after responding "Yes", Diehild sat on a couch and drained the wine poured by her lady-in-waiting in one gulp.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 239

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Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Nine: In the Palm of Her Hand

“Do you see that rose garden?”

“Yes.”

She was led out to the royal palace gardens. The Ehlertt Earldom’s gardens had been magnificent too, but as expected of the royal palace, the gardens were vast, yet meticulously maintained. Within a flower field of brilliantly blooming crimson roses, there was a small palace buried as if hidden among them.

A wind carrying a rich, sweet fragrance drifted to where Karen stood.

“That is called the Rose Palace. Do you know about that garden?”

“I feel like I’ve heard of it… But I can’t remember.”

“That is the palace of a poisonous woman.”

At the ominous word "poisonous woman," Karen straightened her back but couldn’t help thinking of one particular person. The First Consort, Benedicta.

“The poisonous woman lives in the Rose Palace. That garden is a rose garden that the poisonous woman tends with great care.”

She recalled that when Isaac had tried to pin false charges on her, Benedicta—the consort behind it—had been placed under house arrest by the king. The Rose Palace had come up at that time.

With unreadable eyes, the queen looked at the small palace buried in roses and spoke:

“I don’t know how she’s raising them, but the fragrance grows richer and sweeter each year. Even from here, the scent is this sweet. If you entered the garden, it would be filled with such a suffocating rose fragrance that you couldn’t even breathe. However, His Majesty’s nose seems to have grown accustomed to it. Lately, he apparently no longer even feels it’s strange. What about you?”

“From here, I just think it’s a very sweet fragrance.”

It must have a high aromatic component content. Karen thought it could probably be used for various things like perfume and potpourri, but since the queen’s tone regarding the rose garden was clearly critical, she didn’t say it aloud.

“Then, let us go inside.”

Ordering her ladies-in-waiting and court ladies, the queen entered the garden. As Karen followed after her, she looked around.

“Um, the First Consort is here, correct?”

It was none other than Karen who had thwarted the scheme in the dungeon that probably involved Benedicta. If they met, it wouldn’t end with just snide remarks. The queen glanced down at the anxious Karen.

“Rest assured. Today, the poisonous woman is not here. She has apparently gone riding with His Majesty.”

The queen said this calmly. Even though her husband had gone on a date with a woman other than herself, Karen found it unbelievable that she could remain so calm. If this were the norm among nobles and royalty, Karen would definitely be unable to live in noble society.

“In the Royal Guard, children of nobles that poisonous woman has carefully corrupted have infiltrated with His Majesty’s permission. His Majesty said that, too, is a trial, but recently that poisonous woman has finally corrupted even my son. According to His Majesty, my son could not overcome the trial.”

Karen guessed this was about Boromias, but of course, she kept silent. The queen continued advancing toward the small palace at the center of the rose garden. Just as the queen had said beforehand, the rose fragrance grew increasingly concentrated. It was a sweet scent that clung thickly to the lungs.

Just from breathing, Karen choked and couldn’t help coughing.

“Cough, s-sorry.”

“It matters not. —And so, my children are now fighting over succession rights to the throne of the Kingdom of Earthfill.”

“I-I see.”

Karen gave a perfunctory response while suppressing her cough. She didn’t understand why she was being told such things, and honestly speaking, she wasn’t interested. Karen was a commoner, and to commoners, rulers were people who had changed before you knew it, and even when they changed, it had nothing to do with you. Their policies certainly affected your life, but since you didn’t even hear about those policies in the first place, there was no real sense of it.

Having memories of her past life, Karen had some interest in politics. However, at her core, she believed that if the country adopted policies too harmful to you, you could simply leave. This was probably less from her past life’s way of thinking and more from the adventurer teachings she had received from her father.

When they reached the front of the Rose Palace, not only Karen but the ladies-in-waiting also seemed to be breathing with difficulty, and the queen covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

“It smells like completely rotten fruit. What kind of cultivation could drive roses to such madness… do you not think so?”

Saying this, the queen turned her back on the Rose Palace and began walking toward the garden exit. Karen felt she might vomit if she opened her mouth, and could not reply.

“Truly, this is not the time for siblings to be fighting. Our enemy to fight should always be monsters and the dungeon. Without that, we cannot maintain the territory of our kingdom.”

“You’re right.”

Karen answered while pinching her nose, but no one reproached her.

“And yet that poisonous woman uses the power given to her to rot and weaken this country from the inside for her own desires… As one raised by an adventurer, do you not find it detestable when those with power hinder others for their own selfish aims?”

“Yes… That’s right. It’s a way of doing things that adventurers hate. I don’t like it either.”

If you envied the strong, you should become stronger. If you envied those who surpassed the tenth dungeon floor, you should surpass the eleventh floor—that was the way of thinking. Someone who could only reach the ninth floor had no right to envy and harm someone who reached the tenth.

It was exactly the same method Isaac had used when he tried to frame Karen. Perhaps Benedicta had incited him to do it?

The queen left the rose garden, and Karen, with everyone, followed after. She immediately took a deep breath, but whether from the rose fragrance clinging to her body or from the nearby rose garden, Karen felt nauseous.

Even though when she had smelled it from outside, it had seemed like a pleasant fragrance.

“His Majesty overlooks that woman’s actions, deeming them trials. Because of this, you may continue to suffer in the future. I have no authority to stop it. However, even if it is His Majesty’s will, let me state clearly here that it differs from my will. If you are oppressed due to that woman’s power, rely on me. Though His Majesty has stripped me of authority, there may be ways I can help.”

“Th-Thank you very much.”

To the king, Benedicta was someone who gave trials to his children. Did he desire children who could overcome those trials? Or was it all just a pretext, and he was merely infatuated with the young and beautiful Benedicta?

The fact that the queen was making this offer might mean that Karen’s words hadn’t displeased her.

“Those who possess authority, magical power, and strength yet use them solely for their own pleasure, giving nothing back to the society that grants them everything—and those in power who indulge and protect such indolent people, granting them special treatment—commoners like you despise such people, do you not?”

“Well, yes.”

Karen smiled wryly as she thought of the royal guards. The royal guards who had been "corrupted" by Benedicta. And Boromias, who was being drawn into their ranks after his failure was exploited. Benedicta was a common enemy of both Karen and the queen.

Karen had thought that facing a shared enemy might make the queen overlook certain things—but that assumption was wrong.

“I believe Waltride is precisely such an indolent person.”

“Ah…”

Karen had thought they were talking about the royal guards, but apparently, the queen had been talking about Waltride. Waltride possessed both authority and magical power. It was not that she lacked the desire to work hard for those who supported her. However, she ran away because she was afraid and didn’t want to fight.

The king indulged and forgave such a Waltride. That might be the same structure as the royal guards being indulged by Benedicta.

If even the queen had permitted Waltride’s indulgence, what would the other people think—never mind Karen, but the commoners who weren’t allowed to live unless they had ability and exercised that ability? How should the queen conduct herself before such people?

Was the reason she criticized her daughter in front of Karen really…

“As a mother, I cannot help but feel a kind of admiration that a person of ability like you would call Waltride a friend and defend her.”

Karen gasped, and the queen looked down at her from about the same height as Waltride.

“However, if you wish for that foolish daughter Waltride to become the next monarch, as queen, I cannot help but oppose it.”

“I absolutely don’t wish for that at all, so please rest assured. I think Lady Waltride becoming a ruler would be absolutely impossible. I think she herself doesn’t want to become it at all either.”

The queen’s expression twisted ever so slightly at Karen’s words, which should have been what she wanted to hear. If Karen’s assessment wasn’t wrong, it looked like a bitter expression.

“…You truly do seem to be a friend who knows my daughter well.”

Karen couldn’t tell whether this was a mere performance for Karen, who had called Waltride her friend. It felt like words laden with complex emotions—both as a mother and as a queen—and in the end, Karen could not bring herself to dislike the queen.

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