Chapter 107: Variable – 6

Chapter 107: Variable – 6

…What am I looking at right now?

Lucia, whom I thought was dead, coming back to life? Honestly, I didn’t expect it, but I understood it.

It wasn’t just anyone; it was Lucia.

It seemed that those utterly mysterious substances called potions held incredible secrets.

“From various magic spells… to even potions that open portals. What is that? It’s a cheat.”

A magician of ordinary talent would have to refine mana and train their entire lives to be able to open a portal.

It’s only natural, in a way, since it’s manipulating space, a law of the world, at will.

…But she succeeded in doing so simply by smashing a glass bottle containing a potion.

Because of that, I clearly felt that the High-Ranking Vampire was pouring out all his power, and I saw the unpleasant blood mist… but I wasn’t overly worried.

Was it because I didn’t know about the High-Ranking Vampire’s power? Perhaps.

I was defeated without even being able to fight his full power in the first place. So, there was no way for me to know what kind of hell that blood mist was.

However…… I had a gut feeling that Lucia, just like she came back to life earlier, would clear away that blood mist and stand before me again.

“……Ugh, my head hurts. This is ridiculously tough.”

“You don’t look okay… but if I may ask……”

“I’m not okay, and first of all, don’t worry, the blood all over me isn’t mine. Seriously, what a pain in the ass this is, all because of you.”

“I’d like to ask you instead? Why on earth did you go through all this trouble for me? You were half… dead, weren’t you?”

“……”

There was no answer to that question.

No, to be precise, there was only a look of contemplation, wondering what to say to make me understand.

And that alone was a sufficient answer.

“It’s fine. If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to.”

“Oh? You’re surprisingly not suspicious or prying?”

“…What kind of image did you have of me normally to think I would immediately suspect my savior?

And besides, if you’re the kind of person who can die and come back to life, you probably knew I was in danger and came anyway.”

Lucia nodded slightly at my words.

…She also said something quietly in addition.

“……Surprisingly insightful…?”

“I’m sorry, but I can hear everything?”

“Well, it’s not like it’s something you shouldn’t hear anyway.”

“…Haa. Anyway, what I want to say is this. I don’t know why or for what purpose you saved me, but you need me, right?”

“……You really are insightful, aren’t you?”

“Try being an adventurer for a few years, and you’ll learn that there’s no such thing as a favor without a price, except from swindlers.”

Saying that, I looked around.

…There were clearly green trees, but everywhere was just red blood.

It was more like a ruin after a disaster than a forest.

And… the one who caused this scene didn’t care about it at all, just looking at me with curiosity.

‘…Does she know herself? That with her current level of power, she could easily become an Imperial Knight?

She might even be able to join the Imperial Guard.’

The Imperial Guard, always mentioned when listing the strongest groups on this continent.

Her ability to fight directly with a sword had some immature aspects… but that ‘potion’ thing more than covered up such immaturity.

Because it was an unfair weapon in the true sense of the word.

What else could it be but unfair, if something that takes a lifetime to achieve can be done by simply throwing a glass bottle?

She herself didn’t seem to have much awareness of it, though.

“…So, call me when you need me. Or, you know, just use me well.”

“Well, I was planning to do that even if you didn’t tell me to.”

“By the way, what the hell am I supposed to report when we go back? This, no matter how I look at it, is definitely not just an ordinary monster horde?”

“Well, just omit the part about me killing the High-Ranking Vampire, and only say that you, Melini, dealt with the vampires.”

“Are you sure about that? A huge achievement just evaporating?”

“Do you think the Imperial Family would be happy to see the effects of the potions I use? They’re already paying a lot of attention, you know?

They’d like the effects so much that a person like me would just disappear without a trace.”

“……Right, I understand perfectly.”

“Let’s talk about other things while we walk. …It seems like even worse guys are coming.”

“Worse guys?”

“Ah, that vampire sent some kind of signal as he died……”

“Why are you telling me that now?! Do you want to die?!”

At those words, my body, which should have been utterly exhausted, received some transcendent power from somewhere and immediately began to sprint at high speed.

I wasn’t brave enough to walk slowly after hearing that even worse guys might be coming.

***

“Hey, Melini?”

“…Hah, hah. What?””

After running for a long time (which felt like a moment), we were able to get out of the monsters’ zone of influence.

…While I couldn’t be completely sure, it was true that we had gotten some distance.

……Meanwhile, Lucia, who looked quite fine, was now astonishing.

How good is her stamina, seriously…? She looks like she’d be tired after walking for five minutes?

“First, I have a request.”

“What is it? Oh, if it’s a formal request, preferably when we arrive at the guild……”

“For a while, leave the capital and travel to other regions, building up some reputation. And, of course, your skills.”

“……Is this a sudden order to leave? From the capital, no less? And I don’t have any reputation or even people outside the capital?”

“Well, if you spread the story that you single-handedly took down vampires, it should be useful, right?”

It was a sudden request, and even more sudden in its content.

However, Lucia, who said this, was calm. It meant she wasn’t just saying it casually.

…No, it felt more like something she had said after much thought.

“Melini. In the future, that monster horde will sweep across the entire continent. And for that time, you need to build up your reputation and skills.”

“…No, well, both are things an adventurer should do, but suddenly? And even leaving the capital?”

“Well…… shall we just say you’ll meet some noble person outside the capital?”

“Huh… I wondered why you came to save me, but what on earth are you planning to use me for?”

“It’s good to have a strong and famous friend, isn’t it? You can think of it as roughly the same thing.”

“No, what the… Haa. Fine. You probably weren’t going to tell me anyway.”

“You know me well. But I’m not telling you to go right away. Well, I’ll make you some useful potions, too.”

Lucia, who said that and then went on to list what else needed to be prepared, was, well.

Filled with a strong conviction that her decision couldn’t be wrong.

A strong conviction that one would never use when generally discussing the future.

It wasn’t like her, but…… well, this wasn’t bad in its own way.

After all, starting from the mysterious potions to her monstrous strength completely unsuited to her delicate physique,

It wouldn’t be surprising if she could see the future, or had a similar ability.

At first, she reminded me of my younger sister… but now she seemed more like a prophet from the Bible or a miracle worker.

“Ah, I get it, I get it.”

“So you accept?”

“Yeah, yeah. Well, I’ll just think of it as gaining experience elsewhere.”

So… it didn’t seem like a bad idea to trust her this once.

……Because if I stayed in the capital any longer, I’d probably just be called for another mission like this.

***

‘Suc…cess, I guess?’

Honestly, when I knocked out the vampire and went to find Melini, I wasn’t thinking much.

…But as I talked with Melini, it suddenly occurred to me.

In the original novel, Melini leaves the capital and becomes a wanderer after her engagement with these vampires.

She concluded that she needed to become stronger… but she had also half-escaped since she had essentially failed the investigation request she received.

However, this time, perhaps because of my potions, Melini succeeded in investigating even deeper, and successfully defeated the vampires.

……In other words, she might not necessarily leave the capital.

Even more so with me providing potions.

But the problem was that, according to Melini’s character setting, she was supposed to gain significant reputation and growth outside the capital.

*Oh, that’s accurate. I was already preparing a quest for Melini to leave the capital and grow.*

‘Really? Then I should act after getting the quest.’

*……You’ll get rewards even if you just do it, so just do it.*

Even the system agreed, so although it was a bit out of the blue, it became a situation where I had to quickly send Melini out of the capital.

…There was a brief, strange conversation, but I cleanly ignored that.

It was important that perhaps it was natural for important things to happen to the main character, Melini, outside the capital.

Honestly, I was wondering how to persuade Melini… but surprisingly, she just easily agreed.

To be precise, she said it with a look of trust in me……

But somehow, that trust felt less like personal trust and more like trust directed towards some transcendent being……?

‘Ah, whatever. Anyway, this Branch Point is over.’

*Good job.*

‘I honestly think making potions was harder than fighting.’

*In that sense, you have to make the potions Christie asked for now.*

‘Oh, for fuck’s sake. That damn Imperial Family.’

…Of course, I wasn’t exactly in a relaxed situation to worry about such things either.