Enchantment Skill 4
Translated by: ME
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*****
Three days after I began my Enchantment training, my skills had improved considerably. I was currently pouring my heart and soul into deploying an Enchantment Field.
「Mia-san, keep at it! Imagine peeling the mana away just a little more slowly.」
Cheering me on was Leon, with whom I’d become close enough to completely forget the gap in our social standings.
Normally, I probably should have kept more of a distance from Leon, since he wasn't a formal member of our workshop. With Court Alchemists constantly at each other's throats, you never know what might happen.
However, seeing him tackle the task even more seriously than I—the one who actually wanted the skill—and teaching me with such undivided attention, a natural bond had formed between us.
It helped that he was an old acquaintance of Master Clein’s and had such polite mannerisms for a commoner; he was just very easy to feel close to.
And above all—
「Awa-wa-wa! More carefully...!」
He was an unexpected mood-maker. His frantic voice echoed through the spacious workshop, making the atmosphere incredibly lively.
「...Pfft.」
Best of all, the smiles never left Master Clein’s face. He seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood, appearing to genuinely enjoy the current situation.
Master Clein had already set to work on the purification potions. He’d dried the Shirahasu grass and crushed the Hori nuts; he was fully prepared.
All that remained was for the Holy Water to be ready so he could begin the final compounding. Knowing that, I was acutely aware that I was the one holding things up.
「To perform an Enchantment, the visualization of extracting only the mana is key.」
But the stalling ended here. My Enchantment Field deployment was quite stable now, and I was starting to grasp the knack for extracting only the mana from the material.
「Just like lifting the mana softly off the surface of the material...」
「That's it! Softly!」
Gently pushing the mana out, even more tenderly—ah! There! Th-this sensation...!
The alchemical reaction is coming—!
「O-ohhh, ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!」
「Ye-yes! Just like thaaaaaaaaat!」
Our soul-shouts—entirely unbefitting a Court Alchemist's workshop—echoed through the room!
「I-I did it!」
「You-you did it!」
Having successfully generated shimmering Holy Water, I felt the true joy of succeeding at an Enchantment.
Even though it had only been three days, having him teach me one-on-one and finally succeeding made me move beyond words with happiness. Leon was as delighted as if it were his own achievement, which only made it hit home harder.
「We did it, Leon-kun.」
「We did it, Mia-san.」
The atmosphere was as if we’d completed a massive project, but the real work was still ahead. Generating Holy Water was merely a step in the process of making the purification potions.
One look at Master Clein, who had been waiting all this time, was enough to remind us of that.
「You mastered the Enchantment skill much faster than I expected. That’s the result of you two working hard together.」
「It's because Leon-kun taught me so earnestly.」
「No, no, it’s because Mia-san worked so hard.」
Since Leon is quite the flatterer, we were just lightly praising each other, but...? Something was off with Master Clein.
The corners of his mouth were twitching strangely, as if he were desperately trying to stifle a laugh.
「If there was one miscalculation on my part, it was that you two are so much alike. Before I knew it, your personalities started overlapping.」
「Eh? Really?」
「Eh? Really?」
By the time the realization hit me with a "Hah!", it was already too late. I never dreamed that spending time together would result in our reactions becoming perfectly synchronized.
Perhaps the reason Master Clein hadn't stopped smiling until today was that he found it hilarious to watch us gradually become more alike.
Seeing the two of us look at each other in surprise made Master Clein start chuckling again. Honestly, we were working seriously; he didn't have to laugh that much.
As Leon and I both put on a sulky pout, Master Clein cleared his throat with a "Ahem" to compose himself.
「Right, let’s divide the work. Mia, Leon, keep producing Holy Water.」
「Is it alright if I make the Holy Water too?」
「I don't mind. Considering this is a request from His Majesty, I want to prioritize speed.」
「Understood!」
Receiving his orders, Leon moved briskly, bringing a heavy pile of Sacred Mana Stones to the table. Seeing him carry the heavy stones so effortlessly, my eyes focused on one spot.
「That Bracelet of Power looks really convenient.」
It was the alchemical item currently being prototyped for the Knights. Even if it hadn't reached the level of a true Magic Item yet, it seemed perfectly practical to me.
「The mana consumption is still far too high, so it needs more adjustment.」
「I see... Um, would it be alright if I borrowed it, just once...?」
「Sure, no problem.」
I summoned my courage to ask, and the permission came surprisingly easily. I took the Bracelet of Power from Leon and slipped it on.
The moment I channeled my mana into it, an unbelievable surge of strength filled my body...!
To the point where I felt like I could punch a hole right through the workshop wall!
「This is amazing! I feel like a high-strength monster!」
「Awa-wa-wa! You’re using too much mana! If you exhaust yourself, it’ll interfere with the Enchantment work, so please be careful!」
Just as the flustered Leon said, the mana resistance was incredible; it required a vast amount of mana just to control it. Calling it "the price for power" might sound cool, but calling it "practical" was still a stretch, even as a compliment.
Still, there’s a certain dreaminess to enchanted alchemical items—the idea that you can receive such immense benefits just by consuming your internal mana.
As expected, might makes right. I'll just have to become a Lady of Herculean Strength and smash my way through any unwanted marriage proposals with pure muscle...!
「Enchantment skills are wonderful. It's a different kind of thrill compared to when I received Vanessa-san’s necklace.」
「I'm not sure how to feel about being compared to that, but... so the necklace you were wearing really was Lady Vanessa's...」
「Yes. I received it as a reward for the monster outbreak—hm? Lady Vanessa?」
Struck by a sharp sense of dissonance, I stared at Leon’s face.
His expression had turned a little lonely.
「She was the master who taught me alchemy... Lady Vanessa.」
*****
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