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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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 303

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Chapter Three Hundred and Three: Predictions and Answers (Gottfried’s POV)

“Is it all right to leave Miss Karen behind, Master Julius?”

Called by Julius, Gottfried stood apart from the procession of those returning from the hunting festival.

“I intend to keep this conversation brief.”

Ever since Karen had fallen asleep, Julius had allowed almost no one near and had taken care of her himself.

To be fair, he did borrow a woman’s hands, at least. However, he kept those he allowed close to a bare minimum, and as for men, he refused all visits except from Sieg.

The fact that Julius had entrusted Karen to someone else in order to summon him made Gottfried suppress his unease as he spoke:

“What matter could you possibly wish to discuss with me?”

“—Gottfried.”

Called by name by Julius, Gottfried straightened his posture.

“You don’t have excellent intuition—you’ve simply been noticing and pretending not to see, correct?”

“…Now, what exactly do you mean by that?”

“My father—you knew from before that Winfried had been making multiple women bear children and abandoning them in that dungeon.”

Since it wasn’t a question, Gottfried responded with silence.

“When I escaped from that dungeon, and you appeared at that place, it wasn’t some coincidence due to intuition, was it? Were you coming to check regularly? Or had you stationed surveillance—to confirm that I and my siblings, whom Winfried had abandoned, died properly? Certainly, if any of them had somehow survived and been set loose in the world, they might have posed a threat to Brother Helfried’s rule. Am I mistaken?”

Gazing at Gottfried, who remained silent with a tense expression, Julius spoke matter-of-factly.

“Please be at ease. Even if that were the truth, I have no intention of blaming you now. It’s something that doesn’t matter to me anymore. Just as I was an existence that didn’t matter to you back then.”

Julius’s expression as he said this was rather peaceful.

“Just as I no longer hesitate to cast aside others if it means staying with Karen, I’m sure you were the same. To protect your wife, you had no choice but to avoid involvement with Winfried.”

Gottfried swallowed his words and fell silent. Long ago, he had spoken up against Winfried’s methods. After that, Gottfried’s wife, who was his fiancée at the time, had been injured. Fortunately, it was a minor injury. It wasn’t the kind that would leave emotional scars either. However, Gottfried had been made to resolve never to openly oppose Winfried again.

After a moment, Julius smiled with satisfaction.

“At last, I’ve been able to see your face when I speak one of my deductions. So that’s the expression you make. Until now, I simply couldn’t ask.”

“…Since when have you held that suspicion?”

To Julius, who didn’t seek an answer, Gottfried asked something completely different instead of answering.

“Since the day I escaped from that dungeon, when you appeared before me.”

“Why are you able to ask now what you couldn’t ask until now…?”

When Gottfried asked, Julius said with a bright smile:

“Because I have Karen now.”

“—So that’s how it was. I understand your feelings. For me too, I have my wife, and everyone else simply doesn’t matter anymore. Still, even if they don’t matter, it would be wise to get along with others well enough that you can justify your actions to Miss Karen.”

“Speaking from experience? That’s golden advice. Thank you for the counsel, Gottfried.”

Julius, who until now had avoided calling Gottfried by anything other than his position title, as if being reserved, called Gottfried by name with a cheerful smile and expressed gratitude before leaving.

As Gottfried stared intently at his retreating figure, a presence suddenly appeared from behind him.

“Waugh!?”

“Julius was suddenly thrown into a dungeon. It was practically the same as being told that he would not be allowed to live unless he became strong.”

Paying no mind to Gottfried, who jumped back in shock, Karen, who was somehow behind Gottfried, continued:

“It means he’s been enduring all this time, thinking he had to be like a noble. So I think it’s fine if Julius acts a little selfish from now on.”

Even if not to Julius’s extent, Gottfried was a reasonably formidable fighter within the knight order. Yet he hadn’t noticed the approach of Karen, who wasn’t a combatant.

Karen, who seemed to have simply appeared there, watched Julius’s departing back and murmured regretfully, as though nothing unusual had happened, "He seemed to be really looking forward to the award ceremony too. I wish I could have attended for him…”

“How in the world did you…!?”

“Ah, I tried using a technique to erase my presence. When I tried it against the black dragon, it didn’t notice, so I thought it might work against humans too.”

Karen casually stated something outrageous.

If one examined the black dragon’s remains, it had indeed been old, just as Julius said. However, even if old, it was an S-rank intelligent monster. Being intelligent meant it would have had experience accumulated with age as well. If she had outwitted that black dragon, it meant it would work even against S-rank adventurers.

What kind of skill was it?

With that ability, she could even serve as a decoy.

So, Karen being one of the party members in the black dragon subjugation wasn’t a lie or falsehood.

Gottfried was astonished by that fearsome ability.

“I was curious where Julius was going when he left me behind, so I followed him, and it ended up turning into eavesdropping. I apologize.”

“No, that’s fine, but—”

Julius’s possessiveness had become quite strong.

As Gottfried tried to advise that she should hurry back to Julius, who must think Karen was in the carriage, Karen said:

“If it’s not intuition, then how did you notice that Sir Alban and his knights were about to be falsely accused? There was some precursor, and because of that, you realized something would happen this time too, right?”

Was that really the question Julius’s fiancée chose to ask after hearing all of that?

Faced with a question that carried no blame whatsoever, Gottfried answered, somewhat taken aback:

“…It’s true that I’m slightly more perceptive than most people. There is a reason, but it’s difficult for others to understand even when explained. That seems to appear like intuition to others, and so even if I explained it to you, it would be difficult to understand—but essentially, Alban’s house has been under attack by someone for quite some time.”

“Under attack?”

“Yes. They themselves haven’t noticed, but I could see that someone was plotting the downfall of the Court Viscounty along with several other houses. However, the signs were so minor that those involved would likely dismiss them as insignificant if I explained. From the beginning, it was better received to simply claim it was intuition without giving reasons at all.”

“…What did the culprit want to accomplish by bringing down the Court Viscounty?”

“They want it.”

“Want it?”

Gottfried nodded to Karen, whose eyes widened.

“The Court Viscounty has produced many excellent blacksmiths. Long ago, their ancestor was an A-rank master craftsman. There would be many who would want to bring them down and absorb everything, including the techniques left by that master craftsman.”

Those who had scattered the white monster eggs—probably the Children of Dark Night—what did they want to gain by bringing down the Court Viscounty?

As Karen sank into the sea of thought, Julius, who had noticed Karen’s escape from where she was supposed to be sleeping in the carriage, returned.

“That man is obsessed with you right now. If he thinks you’re trying to escape from that obsession, you’ll have a terrible time.”

“Is that from personal experience?”

To Karen’s question, Gottfried cleared his throat and said:

“I won’t deny it.”

“But it’s all right.”

“On what grounds—”

“Karen!”

Seeing Julius arrive with a frantic expression, Gottfried suppressed his presence as much as possible, though not to Karen’s extent.

To Julius, who came at her with almost a grabbing momentum, Karen said with a smile:

“Did you come to get me? Thank you.”

When Karen extended her hand, saying that, Julius’s expression melted into a smile with just that.

“Let’s return to the carriage quickly. It’s cold here.”

“Okay.”

Karen, lifted up, also entrusted herself to Julius’s arms with a relieved expression.

Averting his eyes from the dazzling sight of the couple leaning into each other, Gottfried muttered quietly:

“It’s true that I noticed Winfried was doing something, but pretended not to see it. When I learned the children had been sacrificed, it was already too late—and when I went thinking I must save them next time, it was already too late. To say this now would be pointless.”

After muttering in a voice so small that even someone with vast amounts of magical power couldn’t notice, Gottfried looked in the direction where his own territory was.

“Since I notice things, I won’t do anything that I couldn’t justify to you if you found out about it. Well, it’s fundamentally impossible for me alone to deal with everything I’ve noticed, so the truth is I still pretend not to notice as much as possible and push the handling onto those around me.”

He made excuses to his wife, who wasn’t present. Feeling as if he could hear a scolding voice from somewhere, Gottfried shrugged his shoulders as he returned to the formation.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 302

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Chapter Three Hundred and Two: Award Ceremony (Gottfried’s POV)

“The winner of this hunting festival is—Julius Ehlertt!”

The moment Helfried made the announcement, those from the Ehlertt territory who were present raised cheers of joy.

Gottfried watched the fervor from a location away from the crowd, together with Alban and other knights.

“I’m proud that Master Julius is from Ehlertt.”

“Indeed…! It is an honor to serve in the same Order of Knights as him…!”

Alban was openly crying tears of joy with his face buried in his arms without a care in the world. According to Julius’s information, the blame for the abnormal behavior of the monsters was supposed to be pinned on Alban. But Alban was happy all the same; that’s how special the black dragon—the monster that Julius had slain together with Licht—was to the locals.

“If he weren’t the fiancé of Miss Karen, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude, I would have pushed my sister on him as a fifth or even sixth wife.”

When someone muttered this, Alban’s shoulders slumped in dejection.

“Miss Karen would never look kindly on that.”

“From what I heard, Miss Karen refused to even allow Master Julius to take a wife of the lowest rank.”

“Hmm. They say common women are jealous, and it seems she is no exception. Though she doesn’t seem narrow-minded—”

“Watch your tongue when speaking of Miss Karen. She has become a benefactor to me personally as well. Depending on the case, you may have to duel with me.”

At Alban’s warning, the knights hastily straightened their postures.

The medallion the suspected culprit behind the monsters’ abnormal behavior had in his possession was made of scarletite alloy. Only an A-Rank blacksmith could work with such an alloy. Engraved upon such an item was the crest of the Court Viscounty—Alban’s family.

Since it was hard to believe that some A-rank blacksmith would go to the trouble of maliciously using their exceptional skills to forge the Court Viscounty’s crest, there was a high possibility that it was the very medallion created by the A-rank blacksmith founder who established the Court Viscounty.

It was a precious treasure of the family. Alban hadn’t even been aware that it had been stolen at some point. If such an item were found in the possession of someone believed to be the culprit, the Court Viscounty—and Alban—wouldn’t be able to escape suspicion.

Karen judged that this wasn’t done with the Court Viscounty’s involvement and extracted the incriminating medallion from the culprit’s possession.

Gottfried thought this was an overreach of authority, but he had no intention of blaming her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have involved Karen from the start.

Julius would only approve of everything Karen did, and Helfried was soft with family. Therefore, Karen was now sleeping peacefully without being blamed for the crime of stealing evidence.

“Since we owe her a debt, rather than Miss Karen, we should get her a second or third husband—”

“Ahem.”

Gottfried cut off Alban’s words with a quick clearing of his throat.

Many had witnessed the light from heaven pouring down on the tent, but most misunderstood that the destination of that light was Julius.

However, Gottfried and the knights knew the truth. Therefore, Gottfried corrected Alban’s misunderstanding to avoid confusion:

“The one who’s jealous and narrow-minded is rather Master Julius, you lot. Even at this distance, he could probably hear. If you don’t want to make an enemy of the black dragon slayer, watch your words.”

“Master Julius is a noble, so his awareness must be different from that of the commoner Miss Karen.”

“He should understand the obligations and rights of the strong.”

“No—”

Gottfried tried to continue his words but fell silent and looked toward the award ceremony.

It wasn’t that he heard any sound that caught his attention.

Rather, he simply realized that everything had become eerily quiet.

It was so quiet that, by listening carefully, Gottfried could hear their voices all the way from where he stood.

“Julius, I have no intention of forcing you, of course.”

Helfried was restraining Julius.

Standing before Julius were the senior vassals of the Ehlertt Earldom and their noble daughters.

Even from afar, the young ladies looked on the verge of tears, while the vassals glared in reproach. It was obvious what had happened.

“It seems Master Julius has declined a marriage proposal.”

“In this place…”

Alban’s awkward expression stemmed from the fact that such an act was deeply insulting to the vassals and their daughters.

The marriage proposals were gestures of respect acknowledging Julius’s stature, while the offered young ladies should have added elegance to the celebratory mood.

If he had brushed them aside, it was only natural that the festive atmosphere had fallen silent as if water had been poured on it. If he wanted to decline, there were ways to gently refuse at a later date. Helfried also seemed to be warning Julius about this.

“However, as a member of the Ehlertt Earldom, you must show respect to the offers from vassals who pledge loyalty to us. At least considering it for a moment—”

“If I don’t even momentarily consider marriage to a woman other than Karen, can I not remain a member of the Ehlertt Earldom?”

Julius’s question was heard quite clearly across the distance. There was nothing strange in his tone. It was simply the voice of someone asking a question.

There was no agitation, no anger, no sarcasm.

It wasn’t even a threat.

Depending on the answer to that question, Julius was about to take some action.

It was just a simple question conveying only that—yet even from a distance, Helfried visibly caught his breath and denied Julius’s question:

“—No. For such a trifling matter, you would not cease to be a member of the Ehlertt Earldom. However, I will scold you later.”

“I see. Then, please scold me later, Brother Helfried.”

Julius said this as if relieved.

That relief seemed so genuine that even Gottfried felt a chill down his spine, so Helfried, though not showing it on his face, was probably breaking out in cold sweat.

Julius had probably considered leaving the Ehlertt Earldom. Not so much because he didn’t want to show respect to the senior vassals—but because he didn’t want to show even for an instant that he was interested, in order to protect the pride of the young girls standing before him.

“…Hmm. Miss Karen seems to be an exceptionally possessive woman.”

“Miss Karen is sleeping right now. That has nothing to do with her wishes. It’s Master Julius’s own will.”

While saying this to Alban, Gottfried began to get a headache. He felt as if he were looking at his past self in a mirror.

Julius, who had moved to stand beside the black dragon’s corpse, spoke:

“I defeated the black dragon, but this black dragon was aged. This subjugation doesn’t necessarily indicate that my strength has reached that of Ehlertt’s great founder. However, it should serve as proof of my strength to some extent.”

Regardless of whether the black dragon was aged, there was no way Julius’s proof of strength could be dismissed as merely "to some extent.”

Everyone present was captivated by that proven strength, admired it, and believed it would be dedicated to Ehlertt.

“I offer my entire share of this prey I have won to Alchemist Karen. Therefore, this year’s hunting festival Queen is Karen, correct, Brother?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Good. Actually, I was just told by your secretary that since someone not present cannot be made the hunting festival Queen, I should dedicate my prey to another woman, and I was wondering what to do…”

Helfried’s face was visibly twitching.

Gottfried also considered what Julius would have done if he hadn’t obtained Helfried’s approval.

If told that the winner absolutely had to dedicate his prey to one of the women present, Julius might have stepped down from the winner’s seat and even disposed of the valuable material that was the black dragon—but Gottfried shook his head at this thought.

He wouldn’t have gone so far as to dispose of valuable materials that he could give to Karen.

—In the end, the problem led back to Karen, and Gottfried frowned.

“Unfortunately, Karen was injured as a party member in the black dragon subjugation and could not attend this occasion due to recuperation. I appreciate your consideration of this point, Brother.”

Most of those present probably didn’t believe Julius’s words that Karen was a subjugation member, but everyone behaved themselves and didn’t point it out.

“Not everyone present will participate in the New Year’s festival. So now, I’ll take this opportunity to inform everyone in advance. I plan to announce my engagement to Alchemist Karen at the New Year’s festival—therefore, I want to dedicate everything to her.”

When Julius said this and smiled happily, cheers rose again as if people had just remembered to do so.

It occasionally happened that those about to enter a love marriage became carried away and behaved rudely, so while his earlier breach of etiquette would likely leave a poor impression on the vassals and their daughters, it would not become a serious issue.

Dedicating one’s prey to the woman of one’s affections as a hunting festival participant was also a common practice.

The problem was that Julius’s words sounded as if he were declaring that he would dedicate to Karen, not Ehlertt, both the strength that defeated the black dragon and everything else.

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Alchemist Karen No Longer Compromises, Chapter 301

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Chapter Three Hundred and One: Scope of Responsibility

“Karen, you’re awake.”

When Karen came to, she found herself in a carriage. She had apparently been sleeping comfortably, cradled in Julius’s arms.

The bird monster’s body was nowhere to be seen beside her. Her own body had been carefully cleaned, she had been changed into fresh clothes, and she was wrapped snugly in a warm blanket.

Karen’s first question was for Julius.

“The award ceremony for the hunting festival…?”

“It’s already over. Even while you were asleep, I dedicated all my prizes to you, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

From outside the carriage came Sepl’s muttered retort, "Seriously, that’s what she’s asking about?" followed by the sound of Urte smacking him.

Karen had ascended another step of the stairway. Her magical power had grown. And her hearing had sharpened along with it—enough that even the quiet voice Sepl had assumed she wouldn’t hear reached her ears.

Ignoring Sepl’s comment, Karen spoke to Julius:

“I’m not worried. I already know you wouldn’t dedicate your victory to anyone but me… I just wanted to be there with you.”

“Yes. I wanted to make you the Queen of the hunting festival before everyone’s eyes…”

The regret in Julius’s voice was genuine, and Karen stroked his arms around her as she nodded.

“Make me the Queen of the Hunting Festival next year.”

“Yes. Of course, Karen.”

Julius’s face immediately broke into a delighted smile as he nodded. When Karen’s expression grew faintly serious, Julius activated a magical tool fitted inside the carriage. A soundproofing device.

He must have understood immediately that what Karen was about to say was not for other ears. She smiled quietly at how quickly he had acted, and asked:

“So, the bird monster’s body—”

“I’ve had it stored away. I thought you might want it for alchemical experiments… but if it’s too painful, I’ll have it disposed of.”

“No. Thank you for keeping it. I didn’t know what effect burning or burying it might have, so I’m glad you kept it.”

In the case of the blackened, corrupted monster corpse, part of the dungeon where black sand—apparently made from its crushed remains—had been scattered became a zero-magical-power zone. No one knew what effect fragments of a monster’s body bleached pure white might have.

“The hunting festival is over, and we’re on our way back to the territorial capital now.”

“I see.”

“The abnormal monster behavior within the Ehlertt territory has settled. However, it seems there are several dungeons outside the territory where Great Collapse stampedes are still occurring.”

“…There must be white eggs in various places.”

And the monsters would continue pouring out of nearby dungeons and rampaging until those eggs were destroyed or hatched and died naturally. All according to the intentions of whoever had orchestrated it.

“Just as someone snuck a white egg into the Ehlertt hunting festival disguised as a merchant, there must be people doing the same in other places—and they’re probably running from the monsters while still carrying the eggs, trying to spread the damage as wide as possible.”

“But for what purpose?”

“I can tell they were trying to frame someone. However, what do they gain from doing that?”

Karen took out the medallion bearing the crest of House Court—Alban’s family—which she had put in her pocket. She had taken it away because leaving it in the pouch of the merchant’s body might have been used to frame someone again. There was no proof. But Karen had almost entirely come to the conclusion that those merchant-like individuals had nothing to do with Alban.

“—Oh, now that I think about it, I could barely sense any magical power from that merchant’s corpse.”

“Magical power does leave a body after death.”

“It was far less than from any of the other bodies. The bodies were arranged in order of death, from the back—but even the people who had died before that merchant had more presence than his body did.”

“Could it be that he had very little magical power even while alive?”

“I think you’re right, Julius. Yes… That’s probably it.”

Horst’s companions—most likely the Children of the Dark Night. They were trying to make the Philosopher’s Stone.

A stone that could transmute any metal into gold. An all-powerful stone that could make anything possible. Horst had been, in one sense, a social success. It was hard to believe he still desired gold at this point.

There had to be a wish that only the Philosopher’s Stone could fulfill.

“What kind of wish could those people be trying to grant with the Philosopher’s Stone…?”

“I’ve already passed on to Brother Helfried the information we’ve gathered, including the fact that destroying the white eggs will stop the monsters’ rampage. So you should rest, Karen.”

“Ordinary people can barely perceive those eggs, though—I wonder if they’ll be able to find them.”

Karen tried to sit up, and Julius pressed her gently back down with a smile.

“His Majesty has already issued a notice that a zero-magical-power zone was found in the royal capital dungeon. Every territory should have countermeasures in place by now. If a territory has failed to prepare for a known problem, that is the fault of its lord—so there is nothing you need to do, Karen.”

“It’s not just zero magical power, it’s actually negative—”

“Karen, you still look exhausted.”

Julius pinched her cheeks to quiet her, then drew her into his arms.

“I won’t let you out of here until you’re back to your usual self.”

She really was sleepy—the warmth spreading in slow, sweet waves from the earring at her ear, wrapped so thoroughly in his arms that there was no gap to slip through, toasty warm, Karen felt an irresistible drowsiness washing over her again.

“Goodnight, Karen. When you wake up, it will be time for the engagement announcement.”

Julius’s whisper dyed Karen’s half-sleeping mind a deep pink.

She drifted off in Julius’s arms with a contented smile.

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