*****

「Hnnngh! Hnnngh!! Sigh... It’s impossible.」

Having miraculously deployed the [Demonic Field], I had already given up on reproducing it.

Since I couldn't even deploy the standard [Formation] field yet, there was no way I could do something even more difficult. It must have been what they call beginner's luck—a true miracle that happened just that once.

「I suppose it is impossible after all. It has only been a week since you became seriously involved with alchemy, Mia. It is only natural... though, you did succeed once.」

I was troubled by his expectant gaze. Now that the Formation magic circle had been taken away, I was a fragile being who could do nothing but clutch the Magic Ore in my hand.

「Please don't say unreasonable things. Since I can't use the Formation skill, the Magic Ore won't even budge without the magic circle.」

「Are you truly doing it with the conscious intent to deploy the Formation field?」

「Of course. Conversely, do you think there is any point in me cutting corners?」

My voice, filled with determination as I grunted 「Hnnngh!」, echoed through the workshop, sounding terribly hollow. If I have to go through this, I would much rather be able to deploy a Formation field or two in a flash.

「Try to remember carefully. How did you deploy the Demonic Field?」

「Even if you ask me how, I just kept in mind what you told me, Lord Clein, and went 'Hah!' and just did it.」

「It isn't that simple. It is a technique that alchemists all over the world aim for.」

「Even if you say that...」

Faced with Lord Clein bearing down on me with such intensity, I instinctively took a step back.

Perhaps realizing his behavior, Lord Clein showed an awkward expression.

「I apologize. I got jealous and unintentionally became too heated.」

Knowing the usual Lord Clein, he isn't the type of person to get this upset. It must be because he pours so much passion into alchemy that he can't help but care.

「To think that even Lord Clein, known as a young genius, can feel jealousy.」

「That may be how it looks to those around me, but alchemy always comes with setbacks. I have never once had an experience where everything went smoothly.」

「Is that so? You were appointed as the Court Alchemist at the youngest age in history, so I had an image of you walking a very glorious path.」

If my memory serves me correctly, it was about a year ago. Back when I was still working as a receptionist at the Adventurers Guild, Lord Clein saved a princess suffering from an incurable disease with a potion and was selected as the Court Alchemist.

His Majesty the King praised him highly, saying that a young talent had bloomed in the world of alchemy, where knowledge and experience reign supreme. It became a huge topic in the royal capital, and I thought he had built an absolute status... but perhaps he didn't feel that way himself.

「Age is irrelevant in alchemy. As long as you have the strength to challenge yourself even if you fail, and to repeat trial and error, you will succeed sooner or later. It was thanks to you, Mia, that I was able to realize that.」

Suddenly hearing my name, I was caught off guard and made a foolish, blank face.

「Me? Did I do something?」

「...」

However, Lord Clein seemed to be in a similar state; apparently, he hadn't intended to say that out loud, as he was uncharacteristically mumbling.

It felt as though the words had just slipped out.

「I can say this now because it is in the past... Three years ago, there was a time when I hit a wall in my potion research and considered washing my hands of the world of alchemy. If I hadn't met you then, Mia, I probably wouldn't be here right now.」

I was speechless at this shocking revelation.

「Right around the time you were assigned to handle nobles, Mia, I had lost confidence as an alchemist. I had nothing I could call a specialty, and everything I made was half-baked. That feeling grew larger until it began to hinder my mana manipulation.」

I had heard that alchemy is easily affected by one's mental state.

You might get nervous and fail to create something well, or have too much of a mental block and fail, or feel cornered and become clumsy with mana manipulation.

At first, the effect might be slight, but the condition gradually worsens until, reportedly, one becomes unable to perform alchemy at all.

「In the end, my level dropped so low that the quality became unstable even when creating simple potions. I was no longer in a state to accept requests from the Alchemists Guild, so when I brought my potions to the Adventurers Guild, you were the one who handled it, Mia. I feel like things started to change from there.」

I also remember the time I met Lord Clein very well. Because the first person I was allowed to appraise potions for at the Adventurers Guild was Lord Clein.

Well, whether it’s a good memory or not is another story.

「I recall bombarding you with questions about the potions...」

「That's right. I didn't expect to be asked about the creation of potions, so I was bewildered at first. You asked basic questions, advanced questions, and pointed out problems; it was a truly strange experience.」

At the time, not knowing Lord Clein's circumstances, I looked at the potions with varying quality he brought in and harbored a completely different feeling.

If someone from the Augusta Marquess House was going out of their way to bring potions to the Adventurers Guild, there must be some intention behind it.

Because there was a mix of top-tier potions and potions so poor we couldn't even buy them, I had arbitrarily assumed he was someone researching potions.

If he's an alchemist who knows various ways to make them... thinking that, I asked every question I had, fully aware it was rude. To think that he was actually just suffering from a slump.

It was truly such a rude act that my hands are shaking now just thinking about it.

「I am truly sorry for causing you trouble back then.」

「No, the me of that time was saved by it. I felt like you were worrying over it with me, and I was able to think, 'I'll try continuing a little longer.' Gradually, I understood that I had been performing alchemy based solely on sensation, so I incorporated theory and data, and I was able to overcome my mental block.」

If it turned out well, then let's say it's fine. I have no choice but to seal this away as a dark chapter of my past and pray it never comes to light again.

Well, what's scariest of all is the thought that I might be the cause of Lord Clein researching potions. The fact that he advanced his research and became the Court Alchemist as a result of our many conversations about potions...

No, surely not. That couldn't be... right. Hahaha, let's just assume that's not the case. Yeah, definitely not.

Although I wanted him to tell me that wasn't true, I was too afraid to ask, so I couldn't step any deeper into the subject.