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Misunderstanding

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*****

Having finished the Necklace of Warding, I decided to leave the workshop cleanup to Master Clein and Leon.

As expected, Sacred Alchemy takes a major toll on the body because it consumes so much mana. I should get some proper rest today to prepare for crafting the Arrow of Banishing.

With that in mind, I left the Court Alchemist workshop, only to spot a man leaning against the wall while cradling a small box.

Given the way he approached the moment he spotted me, it looked like he was pulling an ambush this time.

「Looks like you have business with me this time, Lord Segrus.」

What on earth could a Court Alchemist like Lord Segrus want with me?

「We can't have a decent conversation with that pipsqueak around, can we?」

「I'm pretty sure that's entirely your own issue, but yeah, I guess so.」

If only Lord Segrus would drop the intimidating attitude, I'm sure Master Clein would be a lot calmer too.

Well, maybe that's asking too much. He was a bit milder when we met before, but today he's being incredibly overbearing, even toward me.

「I'll ask you straight. What is your relationship with Lady Barbaril?」

「Just a standard shopkeeper and customer relationship.」

「Don't be ridiculous. That lady is a legendary alchemist who practically represents this country. Under normal circumstances, there's absolutely no way she'd let a greenhorn handle the creation of Magic Equipment.」

(Is he suspecting me of bribery or using inside connections? Obaba-sama isn't the type to accept bribes, nor is she the type to give nobles special treatment.)

(I just bring her sweet treats and keep her company; I've never once tried to pitch myself to her.)

「Even if it makes zero sense under normal circumstances, I think anything goes when it comes to Obaba-sama.」

「You've always got an answer, don't you? If you compare me—someone who has built up tangible, undeniable results—to an apprentice greenhorn, it should be glaringly obvious who is the proper person to undertake the creation of Magic Equipment.」

I couldn't really argue with that. After all, Lord Segrus hadn't just earned the rank of Court Alchemist; he had achieved enough results to be awarded the title of Baron.

Considering the King had specifically called him into his private chambers for our meeting, the crown clearly placed massive trust in him.

Without a doubt, Lord Segrus should have been the one commissioned to make the Magic Equipment instead of me. Given that, I could totally understand why he'd be furious about getting upstaged by an apprentice alchemist.

「Yet, in reality, Lady Barbaril chose a greenhorn without a single moment of hesitation. She didn't even choose Leon, who actually gave physical form to the Bracelet of Power.」

Watching Lord Segrus state such a perfectly reasonable opinion with a dead-serious face, I knew he was entirely right. That's exactly how anyone normal would think.

But when the opponent was Obaba-sama, that logic flew right out the window. Standard common sense didn't apply to her.

Even if Lord Segrus possessed the skills to make Magic Equipment, the moment I was standing in that room, he never stood a chance of being picked for the job.

Because it was way more entertaining to watch an apprentice alchemist like me try to pull it off.

Since he didn't realize that's just the kind of person Obaba-sama was, there was no way I could convince him. As I was thinking this, Lord Segrus let out a massive, defeated sigh.

「I thought there had to be some kind of underhanded scheme going on... but it looks like my eyes were the ones playing tricks on me.」

As Lord Segrus relaxed his shoulders and dropped his intimidating posture, his gaze locked onto a single spot.

「Why is a greenhorn like you wearing Vanessa's necklace? And as a fully completed piece of Magic Equipment, no less.」

If I had run into him a bit earlier, he probably would have interrogated me harshly. But things were different now. By completing the Necklace of Warding, I had just proven that I was capable of crafting Magic Equipment.

I couldn't help but puff out my chest, proudly showing off the Necklace of Warding.

「You might not believe me, but I literally just finished executing the Enchantment moments ago.」

「You really expect me to believe something that absurd? If this is some noble joke, it's not funny.」

「I'm not joking at all. If you go ask Leon, I'm sure he'll clear things right up for you.」

Staring at the completed Necklace of Warding, Lord Segrus must have realized I wasn't lying. He scratched his head sheepishly, looking thoroughly awkward.

「That was supposed to be my job too...」

He muttered under his breath, leaving me to tilt my head in confusion.

No matter how close they were, Lord Segrus had no real obligation to finish the Necklace of Warding. He'd already taken in Leon, her former apprentice, and yet... Wait! Don't tell me!

「Was the secret deal you made with Vanessa actually about finishing the Necklace of Warding?」

「Don't shout it out loud! I have a reputation to uphold, you know.」

「S-Sorry about that.」

Fortunately, there wasn't much foot traffic around, so it seemed nobody had overheard us.

Even if Vanessa was the one who told me about it, I really shouldn't be sticking my nose into these kinds of matters. Surprisingly, Lord Segrus didn't seem to mind all that much.

「Applying barrier techniques to create Magic Equipment—that was the condition Vanessa laid out for our secret deal.」

「That's surprising. I completely assumed the deal was for you to look after Leon.」

「That part was just me getting sweet-talked by Vanessa. She said if I took Leon in, he'd be able to master the techniques way faster.」

Lord Segrus framed it that way, but I had a feeling that finding a good home for Leon was her primary goal all along.

She probably refrained from making it an official condition of their secret deal purely to respect Leon's own wishes.

You could easily tell just by looking at how Vanessa had gifted him that purification amulet, and how deeply Leon cherished carrying it around.

But if that was the case, then Vanessa's lingering regrets as an alchemist became even more of a mystery. Being unable to see her apprentice's growth to the end should have been her biggest frustration, so I couldn't understand why she was so hung up on Magic Equipment.

「I wonder if Vanessa really had lingering regrets about being an alchemist...」

When I muttered that out loud, Lord Segrus scoffed at me.

「Magic Equipment is the ultimate dream and beacon of hope for any alchemist. There's no way someone who gave up on crafting it like Vanessa could ever be completely free of regret.」

「Eh? Then if she already retired as an alchemist, why is she still trying to get the Necklace of Warding finished?」

「She's basically like a lost child.」

「A-A lost child...?」

「I don't intend to say any more than that. If a greenhorn like you truly has what it takes to craft Magic Equipment, you're bound to hit the exact same wall eventually. Figure out the rest on your own.」

(Man, everyone loves keeping me in the dark right when things get important,) I thought, just as Lord Segrus thrust out the small box he was holding.

「Take it. Consider it a bonus.」

Wondering what it could possibly be, I accepted the small box. When I peered inside—

(Purification Potions...? Wait, did you brew these for us since we're busy making the Magic Equipment?)

「Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't do it for your sakes; it's purely for my own self-preservation.」

It wasn't an incredibly large batch, but brewing high-grade potions must have taken a tremendous amount of effort for an alchemist whose specialty lay elsewhere.

Considering the miasma was still spreading and our supply of Purification Potions was dwindling, this was an absolute lifesaver.

Maybe his real goal hadn't been to interrogate me about my relationship with Obaba-sama, but rather, he'd been waiting around just to hand over these Purification Potions.

「There's nothing wrong with the Capital's Barrier, but if the monsters start breeding abnormally again, my credibility goes out the window. Since His Majesty is searching for alternative solutions, someone needs to buy us some time.」

「Hehe, I see. Thank you very much!」

「I didn't do anything to deserve your thanks.」

I felt like I finally understood a little bit why Vanessa liked him and why Leon trained under him.

Lord Segrus was just incredibly socially awkward; despite all his grumbling, he was actually a deeply caring mentor who would go out of his way to help you in his own roundabout way.

*****

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