← Previous Chapter | Chapter Index | Next Chapter →

The Scorned Noble Lady Picks Up The Path of Alchemy in Her Second Life

Demonic Field

Translated by: S3

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

It was three days after I started practicing the [Formation] skill with the magic circle. I was spending my days struggling, unable to deploy the Formation field as intended.

「It's quite difficult, isn't it? I can't make fine adjustments.」

If I channel too much mana, it squishes and collapses; conversely, if there is too little mana, it remains hard and cannot be processed. Yet, if I don't channel a certain amount of mana and link it with the Magic Ore, it won't react at all.

And this was with the assistance of the magic circle. I truly realized how hard it would be to perform the Formation work with only my own power.

「It's like that at first. Just being able to form shapes on the magic circle means you are gaining considerable power.」

Lord Clein, who was studying potions a distance away, offered various advice. However, he wouldn't teach me the specifics. He maintained the stance of letting me learn from the magic circle itself.

「After practicing for three days, I should be able to do at least a little bit... Ah!」

I let the praise get to my head and channeled too much mana into the Magic Ore, causing it to squish and collapse. I felt like the number of failures was increasing because I was focused only on my desire to create the penguin ornament placed on the desk in front of me.

「Don't try for an elaborate design immediately. You should focus on being able to quickly process it into simple shapes first.」

「Understood. I will give up on the penguin for now, until I can deploy the Formation field on my own.」

Since Lord Clein warned me, I decided to concentrate on polishing my basic technique. Given the limitations of what the magic circle could do, I had no choice but to work within them.

I changed the shape of the Magic Ore into spheres, triangles, and squares. The monotonous work wasn't boring, and there was much to learn.

For example, I learned the rule that Magic Ore could only be processed by channeling mana from the near side toward the far side. Simply channeling a lot of mana wasn't the key. It had to be channeled in a way that allowed for formation, or it was meaningless.

This convinced me that the magic circle, which could only deploy the Formation field with monotonous mana control, could not handle detailed work.

「I'm starting to get the knack of formation, but I can't deploy the Formation field properly.」

「You are too focused on the formation of the Magic Ore. You should broaden your view and grasp the mana flowing through the whole area.」

「I understand what you mean, but touching the Magic Ore is too fun, and I just get carried away...」

It was fascinating how, when I continued channeling strong mana, the hard mineral changed into a soft, squishy texture and then crumpled. My curiosity about what else could be done grew, and I couldn't concentrate on deploying the Formation field.

「Once you get used to it, you'll be able to do a lot more. If you keep doing the formation work on the magic circle, you'll never graduate from being an apprentice alchemist.」

Lord Clein approached while saying this, deployed the Formation field, and removed the minerals stuck to the desk. If fragments of mineral that had scattered during the work retained mana, they would solidify on the spot and stick firmly. I couldn't clean up things like that since I couldn't deploy the Formation field, let alone on the magic circle. It made me feel guilty since I was an assistant but was causing trouble instead.

「How long did it take you to acquire the Formation skill, Lord Clein?」

「I don't remember well, but it was about three days.」

「I see. That's not something I should compare myself to. Today is my fourth day.」

「There's no need to rush, but since Mia is good at basic mana manipulation, I thought you would master it faster.」

「You think too highly of me. I'm already impressed with myself just for being able to make a potion normally.」

Just because I like alchemy doesn't mean I'm necessarily skilled at it. I could make potions quickly only because I had consistently done the preparation work until now. If I were learning alchemy normally, I wouldn't acquire it instantly like Lord Clein. After all, just becoming an apprentice alchemist was a miracle.

「I don't think so. Enjoying alchemy is also a talent. It's quite difficult to maintain a pure feeling like Mia's.」

「...Is that a compliment?」

「I am envious, yes. In alchemy, where you repeat the same process, persistence is what matters. I heard that those who become truly transcendent individuals were completely absorbed in alchemy.」

「A transcendent individual, you say? Are they greater than you, Lord Clein?」

「To a degree that they can't be compared.」

Thinking back, I realized I knew very little about this industry, only that I liked alchemy. History, skills, or other alchemists—I only knew what I had been involved with, and my knowledge was quite thin. In fact, I didn't even understand Lord Clein well, only perceiving him as an amazing person who researched potions.

「Just for reference, how amazing was the person who became a transcendent individual?」

「Let's see. There was one person who was praised by even the Court Alchemists of this country for having 'alchemy on a different dimension.' They were a specialist in [Formation] and [Enchantment], and they were said to have created outstanding magical equipment by using their own mana to apply various effects.」

Magically empowered equipment, Magical Gear...!

I had heard that depending on the alchemist's skill, they could even create demon swords capable of destroying fierce monsters. I knew they were expensive items, so powerful that only a few high-rank adventurers or high-ranking individuals could obtain them. While working at the Adventurers Guild, I received inquiries several times asking if anyone could make them, but I never imagined such a person had existed among the Court Alchemists.

「S-such a person existed in this country. I had no idea.」

「Unfortunately, there's no trace of them now. They're enjoying a relaxed retirement instead of creating magical gear or equipment. It's natural you wouldn't know.」

It seems they aren't making them now. If I could create such excellent equipment, I would probably be dragged into trouble, so I somewhat understand their feelings.

「F-for example... what kind of equipment could they make?」

But I was curious. I wanted to see Magical Gear in person just once.

「As far as I saw, there was Protection, which could withstand powerful physical attacks, Reflection, which reflected magic attacks, and Regeneration, which continuously boosted healing power.」

「T-that sounds so cool...!」

I hadn't even seen them, despite my deep involvement with adventurers. Ugh, I was envious.

「It's a path everyone aims for at first, but the deeper you understand alchemy, the more confusing it becomes. Even with the Formation skill alone, they were the kind of person who could melt Magic Ore without touching it and completely change its shape.」

For me, who was trying to grasp the knack with a magic circle, this was completely unknown territory. However, I didn't completely fail to understand the sensation of melting the Magic Ore. When channeling high-concentration mana, the Magic Ore would become extremely soft and squishy, then collapse. Based on experience, this might be a technique on the extension of that.

「From the sound of it, it's like sorcery. I think it would be a bit scary to witness that sight.」

「It's merely controlling the range affected by your mana and activating the Formation skill. The principle is the same; it's just easier to control mana by imagining it with your hands. Theoretically, it's not impossible.」

「Eh? Then, can you do it too, Lord Clein!?」

「That's only theoretical. If I could do that, I wouldn't be researching potions now.」

Lord Clein closed his eyes, held his hands out, and began gathering high-concentration mana.

「Converging mana, amplifying it into high-concentration mana, and multi-layering the mana field. It's also called the Demonic Field (Demonikku Fīrudo) because it subdues everything with an absolute power that dominates the space.」

The air in the room grew tense; mana interference occurred, and my skin felt prickly. However, no visible change occurred in the workshop. The Magic Ore on the desk didn't even budge.

「Well, it's a technique so advanced that nothing happens even when I try it.」

I wondered if that was truly the case. Maybe the output was insufficient, but he was still interfering with the space. If the mana was affecting the space enough for me to feel it on my skin, I felt like his statement wasn't entirely correct.

Instead of linking with the Magic Ore to form it, he was dominating even non-sentient minerals through absolute power, as if they were in awe. It was as if I was unconsciously suppressing my power because I was afraid of the inhuman, devil-like power.

「Mia, you should focus on graduating from the magic circle first.」

At that moment, I must have been too drawn into the world of alchemy. Lord Clein's voice faded, and I could only see the Magic Ore on the desk.

「Converging mana, amplifying it into high-concentration mana, and multi-layering the mana field...」

「...Mia?」

The alchemy that subdues everything with an absolute power that dominates the space.

That is—.

「Demonic Field」

At that moment, the Magic Ore burst and splattered with a Basha!, and I snapped out of it. However, I could only stare intently at the unnaturally scattered mineral fragments.

The Magic Ore, affected by the mana, had liquefied and was dripping from the desk to the floor.

It was as if the mineral was trembling in terror and could no longer return to its original state.