*****

A few days after the commendation party ended. My mana was completely recovered, and I was back to working as an apprentice alchemist.

Originally, I had planned to practice the [Formation Skill] in Lord Clein’s workshop, but having grasped the technique through Divine Alchemy, I had succeeded in creating the penguin figurine that had been one of my goals. Therefore, I was currently making the necklace that was my very first goal, at Alice's family restaurant.

「Oh, wow, that's amazing. Are you a full-fledged alchemist now?」

「I'm still just an apprentice. The technique is just getting ahead of me; there's still so much more I don't know.」

「Don't say that. It was the talk of the Adventurers Guild, too—the story of Mia's success.」

While I appreciated the praise, my recent rumors were spreading in strange ways, making me a little uncomfortable. I was the topic of conversation in various industries, to the point where people approached me wherever I went.

The Adventurers Guild and the Knights’ Order, who were involved in searching for the students, the students' families, both noble and commoner, and the Alchemists Guild, who were in an uproar because they couldn't make potions due to the herb shortage. To top it all off, I was spoken to by the King at the party venue, so there was no room for doubt.

It was unusual, even for a noble, for a rumor to spread repeatedly in such a short period, and I was now the center of attention.

「Don't you start getting me worked up, Alice. That was the result of a joint creation with Lord Clein...」

「You might not realize it yourself, but normally, an assistant is someone who assists with the work. Calling it a 'joint creation' with the Court Alchemist? Isn't that practically speaking of yourself as an equal?」

「Stop hitting me with reality. I already realize that things are strange.」

Having spent my apprenticeship years with Lord Zeel, I believed I understood the harsh reality. Even though I had become the Court Alchemist's assistant, I couldn't help but question how inexplicably smoothly things were proceeding.

At first, I thought Lord Clein’s backing was the main reason, but now I clearly sensed it was different. Since I had been in charge of noble requests at the Adventurers Guild, I naturally had a wide network and had built trust with various people. That’s why the requests Lord Zeel had been handling were now being routed to me...

「Even though I'm still an apprentice alchemist, I'm going to be busy. I hope the herb shortage calms down soon.」

「I hear it’ll take a little time. The person who runs the herb garden told me.」

「Looks like we have a long way to go. For now, I guess all we can do is pray that potions become widespread and the royal capital returns to peace... Alright, this is finished.」

As I finished processing the magic ore into a necklace, I finally felt that I had mastered the [Formation Skill].

Besides the fine decorations, I rounded the edges so it wouldn't hurt the skin and adjusted the shape for good balance. It was an item that tested the caster's sense, but for this particular necklace, I kept the shape conventional.

「Isn't that ornament on the necklace your family's crest, Mia?」

「It is. I'm impressed you remembered.」

It was a custom for nobles to give items bearing their family crest as a sign of friendship. I heard that fewer people did this recently because opportunities for abuse had increased... but it was something I wanted to give to Alice.

「Are you really sure I can have it?」

「I made it just for you, Alice. I think it will make it easier for you when you have to speak with nobles.」

Although it was the crest of a Viscount House, even higher-ranking nobles couldn't completely disregard it. Lower-status nobles wouldn't want to make an enemy of each other, so they would likely stop acting aggressively.

As I was thinking that, Alice gave a wry smile.

「About that, actually, Catarina came back to the Adventurers Guild.」

「Huh? I thought she had quit the Adventurers Guild...」

「I don't know what change of heart she had, but she apparently bowed her head to the Guild Master and pleaded to return. She even visited the nobles she caused trouble for and apologized, it seems.」

It looked like their relationship had ended after Lord Zeel, who caused the herb shortage, was charged with a crime.

「And that's not all about Catarina. The rumors are that she rubbed her head on the ground so hard the noble clients had no choice but to forgive her, and that she continued to apologize all night in front of their mansions. I'm hearing stories like she's a completely different person.」

「Are you being serious...?」

「It seems it's true. That's why the Guild Master said he'd let her return this one time.」

What on earth is she thinking, returning to a place where she'd have no peace of mind? I wonder if she found a new goal.

「She says that from now on, she and I will handle the noble requests as a two-person team.」

「Will that be alright?」

「Yeah, so far. In fact, she's so enthusiastic that she's proactively starting to organize documents; it's almost scary.」

「That certainly is scary. But Lord Zeel was strange too. He apologized to me like a changed man the other day...」

I don't know what happened between the two of them. But if they have reformed, it might be good to see how things go.

At any rate, it no longer had anything to do with me. I should worry about myself more than others. From now on, I had to take a new step forward as someone who studies alchemy.

Author's Note

This chapter serves as a major stopping point and concludes the first arc. The second arc is not yet fully written, but I plan to update it daily if possible. It is difficult to find time with a second job, but I will do my best...! If you find yourself thinking, "I want to know what happens next," "It's interesting," or "I want to read it quickly," I would be delighted if you showed your support by registering a bookmark, leaving a review, or rating (the five stars below the ad: ☆☆☆☆☆ → ★★★★★), and accompanying Mia on her journey as an active apprentice alchemist! Female protagonists are a difficult genre to gain popularity in the fantasy category, so I would be truly happy to receive your support...!