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The Evil-Warding Necklace

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*****

Leaving the Order of Knights to handle the aftermath of the Ancient Alchemy, we headed back to the Royal Capital a step ahead of them.

All that was left was to report to the King and let them handle the fact-finding, and everything would be perfectly sorted out... or so I'd like to say, but I still had one bit of unfinished business.

That's why I split up with Master Clein and the others, placed the completed Necklace of Warding into a small box, and paid a visit to the Alchemists Guild.

As usual, Vanessa-san was at the counter sorting through paperwork, so I quietly walked up to her.

「Looks like you're almost done with that paperwork.」

「I'm on the final stretch. If I don't finish this today, I'll have to come in over the weekend.」

「That's what happens when you don't do it regularly. Please pull your weight for your salary's sake.」

(Man, the Alchemists Guild has it rough too,) I thought as I took a seat across from Vanessa-san.

「I'm here to deliver something today. Could you take it?」

「Sure. But did you have an active commission, Mia-chan?」

「Oh, come on... How can the very person who issued the commission forget about it?」

(It's not like she actually put in a request, though,) I thought as I held out the small box containing the Necklace of Warding.

Then, not wanting to make a huge scene, I leaned in close to Vanessa-san.

「You commissioned me to make a piece of Magic Equipment, didn't you?」

Unable to wrap her head around it, Vanessa-san froze, her eyes automatically checking my collarbone.

But the Necklace of Warding I'd been wearing until just recently was nowhere to be seen.

Slowly lowering her gaze, Vanessa-san timidly opened the box... and there it was, a genuine piece of Magic Equipment: the Necklace of Warding.

「...!」

Looking at her face, which practically screamed absolute disbelief, I could sense the whirlwind of complicated emotions inside her.

There was no way it could be done in such a short time; she couldn't believe it was enchanted so easily; and yet, she genuinely wanted to celebrate the completion of a piece of Magic Equipment.

But Vanessa-san didn't do any of that. She knew better than to make a scene, and she understood that this wasn't something you just casually pried into.

Successfully crafting Magic Equipment was a monumental event that even an apprentice alchemist like me could grasp, verging on the territory of a taboo. The more well-versed someone was in alchemy, the harder it was for them to ask.

That's why I had to be the one to break the ice.

「Do you want to know how I enchanted it?」

Gulping down her saliva, Vanessa-san gave a slow nod.

「Will you... tell me?」

「Nope, not telling.」

To be precise, saying I couldn't tell her would be more accurate.

Because even if I told her, 'First, you deploy Sacred Alchemy,' it would make zero sense to her.

「I didn't know you could be so mean, Mia-chan.」

Seeing Vanessa-san puff out her cheeks like a little kid made me feel a tiny bit relieved.

If she didn't still care about alchemy, she wouldn't genuinely want to know. Normally, the moment someone says they won't tell, you'd get a mature response like, "Yeah, figures," and they'd drop it.

That was precisely why there was something I wanted to ask Vanessa-san.

「Vanessa-san, you can actually make Magic Equipment yourself, can't you?」

If she could enchant with such insanely precise mana control, I couldn't help but feel that even without Sacred Alchemy, she could have made it on her own by utilizing a dual deployment of Formation and Enchantment.

「You're overestimating me. I'm the one who failed to complete the Necklace of Warding, remember?」

「Leon-kun mentioned that too. That you spent three days and three nights straight making it.」

「That's right. Though, of course, I took breaks to nap and eat.」

What I found most puzzling was that in the world of alchemy, where people spend years researching Magic Equipment, she gave up in such a short window of just three days and nights.

Even when we made the Arrow of Banishing, despite knowing for a fact that it could be made into Magic Equipment, it still took about a week to finish.

By any alchemist's common sense, trying to make Magic Equipment in just three days was completely unheard of.

Especially for an item crafted with an alchemist's pride on the line. You're supposed to tackle it over a much longer period, not decide your own limits in such a brief window.

It was way too fast to give up. But what if she hadn't actually given up...?

「Did experiencing the latent potential of Magic Equipment firsthand make you afraid of alchemy?」

Once you see the power of the Arrow of Banishing—which felt like the literal manifestation of divine judgment—you truly understand the weight behind the name 'Sacred Alchemy.' With skills as great as Vanessa-san's, it wouldn't be surprising if she had brushed against a fraction of that power.

(Her mind must have been torn between two conflicting ideas—alchemy that saves lives versus alchemy that takes them—and that inner turmoil made her unable to create Magic Equipment anymore.)

「...」

Seeing Vanessa-san flash an awkward, strained smile told me everything I needed to know.

「Aren't you scared, Mia-chan?」

「Hmm, that's a tough question. If I said I wasn't scared of alchemy at all, I'd probably be lying.」

The Ancient Alchemy that breeds monsters is terrifying, and the Magic Equipment created through Sacred Alchemy is incredibly dangerous. At the very least, Magic Equipment isn't something that should ever be pointed at people.

But as long as it's used for the right reasons, there's no need to live in fear of alchemy. Master Clein might have been injured by a mana burn, but I didn't regret making the Arrow of Banishing one bit.

And of course, I didn't regret completing the Necklace of Warding either.

「If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that my love for alchemy hasn't changed. Isn't it the same for you, Vanessa-san?」

(I couldn't help but feel that she retired precisely because she didn't want to end up hating alchemy. If that weren't the case, she wouldn't have wished for the Necklace of Warding to be finished, nor would she have taken a job tied to the Alchemists Guild.)

However, whether Vanessa-san, who had been away from active duty for years, could honestly accept her own feelings was a completely different story.

After all, she had been wrestling with her fears over the latent potential of Magic Equipment this entire time.

「This is just a what-if, but...」

Vanessa-san started, turning her gaze away from me.

「What would you do if the Magic Equipment you made was used for something other than what you intended? Like, say, if it became a weapon of war?」

Hearing the exact dilemma that Vanessa-san must have been agonizing over for years made me realize she was a genuinely sweet, kind-hearted person at her core.

The Purification Amulet, the Warding Stones, and the Necklace of Warding were all items designed to protect someone—never to hurt people.

(She must have found her own answers when practicing alchemy in the past, but getting overwhelmed by the extreme potential of Magic Equipment left her heart completely lost.)

After all, Obaba-sama had said something similar to me, and Master Segrus completely operated on the assumption that it would be used for war. Saving people isn't the only aspect of alchemy; taking human lives is part of it too.

The Arrow of Banishing was a perfect testament to that, but...

「Isn't it pointless to worry about that?」

「...Huh?」

My totally out-of-left-field answer completely threw her off, leaving her utterly dumbfounded.

「As creators, we have no way of knowing how the items we make will ultimately be used. Even if, hypothetically, they end up being used in a war.」

It wasn't that I wanted to escape the responsibility of creating things or run away from any guilt. If something like that actually happened, it would feel completely awful.

But at least for me, that wouldn't lead to the choice of giving up on alchemy altogether.

「Just because a few people do bad things with them doesn't mean the creator should fall into despair. As long as lots of people use them the right way and are happy, isn't that good enough?」

The most fun part of practicing alchemy is the process of crafting things. But I think the absolute best feeling in alchemy is having your creations praised.

Our job only exists because people need what we make, so there's no point in overcomplicating things.

「Even so, if you still have lingering doubts, you should choose what makes you happy over what you think is 'right.' Because life is just way more fun that way. ...Well, that's exactly as literal as it sounds, though.」

Above all else, life has to be fun. If worst comes to worst, we can just let the kingdom or the Alchemists Guild protect us.

(Just to be safe, maybe I should keep making the Arrow of Banishing so we can destroy Magic Equipment at a moment's notice. Also, I really need to practice shooting a bow.)

(Though Vanessa-san looks totally blank, so she might not get it.)

「Well then, I'll be taking my leave now.」

「W-Wait a second! This necklace belongs to you now, Mia-chan, so...」

「That necklace belonged to you from the very beginning, Vanessa-san. If you ever want to give me a necklace that badly, make sure to craft one with me in mind, okay?」

Leaving a bewildered Vanessa-san behind, I stepped out of the Alchemists Guild.

(I don't know if she'll ever step back into the world of alchemy. But if a future like that ever comes, I've decided to have her make me a wonderful necklace first thing.)

*****

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