Make it delicious~

“Why are you making such a fuss?”

“…Because it’s scary.”

“You’re a man….”

I felt wronged in many ways.

I’m scared of needles, so wouldn’t it be natural to be scared if someone suddenly suggested cutting me with a knife to draw blood?

However, I understood its importance, so I had no choice but to obediently extend my hand.

If it weren’t the Workshop, I would have preferred a less frightening method to draw it.

But this was Master’s Hideout. Since there were no such facilities, I had to pour my blood into a small beaker, just like Cecil.

The stinging sensation and the feeling of something flowing out of my body… it was chilling. Like life was draining away.

Cecil, who had been clenching and unclenching her palm without a care, seemed even more amazing.

While Master put the beaker containing the blood into the Preservation Box, Veronica applied ointment, placed a handkerchief over it, and pressed down firmly. I wondered if she really needed to press with both hands, but….

If it’s certain… then it’s good.

After pressing for a while, the pain subsided. It seemed to have healed enough, so I told Veronica.

“It looks like it’s all healed now?”

Veronica shook her head. Then, she firmly held my hand and replied. I could feel Veronica’s warm body temperature.

“…Wait, let’s press it a little longer, just in case.”

“Hmm… I think it’s fine.”

Even though I said I was fine, Veronica shook her head from side to side and didn’t let go of my hand. Seeing her face redden as if she was struggling to maintain pressure, but still not letting go, I eventually gave up.

And so, I sat there with my hand held for a long time.

Master, who had approached from behind, spoke while exhaling Spirit Grass smoke.

“How long are you going to keep doing that?”

…I wondered if she really needed to try and change it, but what could I do if she insisted?

Still, perhaps thanks to Master’s words, Veronica let go of my hand. When she reached for the handkerchief that was pressing my palm, I extended my hand and said,

“It’s my blood, so I’ll wash it and give it back.”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s fine. I wanted to do it for you, so it’s nothing.”

“Really…?”

If she wants to do it herself, there’s no need for me to take it from her.

When I opened my palm after the handkerchief was removed, it had healed well. There wasn’t a single scar, and it was soft.

Looking at my hand, which was so different from before… it felt bitter.

Soft hands that couldn’t even properly lift heavy things. Where had the hands with small scars gone, and how did I end up with hands like a noble lady who had never known hardship?

Even Veronica’s hands were slightly rough.

Somehow, I felt depressed.

As if understanding my feelings, the two of them didn’t say much, just patted my shoulder and held my hand.

…I told myself not to be like this, but it seems I can’t help feeling anxious.

Still… having others by my side does seem to bring some comfort.

…Though there were quite a few incidents.

Recalling the incidents I’d been through, the thought that they were all nothing but lewd things made my face flush.

It’s not that I haven’t suffered harsh treatment; isn’t this also harsh treatment?

If my body hadn’t changed, I’d be a philanderer, but with this changed body… yes, it’s definitely harsh treatment.

…But I’m still grateful.

I silently decided it was a wash and we all ate lunch together. After waking Cecil, who was napping, and going downstairs, Claudia had already prepared lunch.

Since she had nothing else to do while staying here, there was no reason to stop her from cooking.

And the taste was excellent.

During other times, she seemed to focus on loosening her stiff body from traveling. It seemed that way, seeing her return drenched in sweat by evening.

She must have her own routine.

After finishing lunch, I went back down to the Workshop and began the experiment.

Since I had replenished the lost blood by eating, it was now time to find out for myself.

There are various ways to use blood in Alchemy.

It can be used as an ingredient for Potions, or as a material for Transmutation.

Of course, before use, there would be various processes like checking compatibility with other materials or ensuring it’s not harmful, but broadly speaking, it’s mainly used for those two purposes.

With three excellent alchemists here, results, whether good or bad, would surely emerge.

It was still too difficult for Cecil, so she just watched.

Claudia was Outing.

It began quietly with the sound of Master opening the Preservation Box.

First, what I should try… should I eat it? That thought briefly lingered in my mind. Given that Cecil’s essence had a special reaction only to me… it was a priority to find out if her blood also had such an effect.

But holding raw blood in my mouth… isn’t that a bit much?

Thinking about it, I was fine when I stopped the bleeding from Cecil’s wound, so perhaps it would be okay. Her essence makes my whole body tingle and my lower abdomen throb even with just a little contact.

Ahem, anyway.

Assuming there was no aphrodisiac effect, I decided to try combining it with other materials.

Hmm… the goal, well.

Ultimately, returning to normal would be the priority, but it’s hard to get full on the first spoonful.

…Should I start by making something that grows?

Then how is that different from essence? You might ask, but that’s by other people’s standards; even if I ingest Cecil’s essence, my body only heats up.

Therefore, it could be said to have meaning.

I decided to use the Beastification Potion as a base and combine various materials, including Cecil’s blood.

First, I had to filter out materials that weren’t compatible with Cecil’s blood.

I would bring the basic ingredients into contact with a small amount of blood and observe the reaction.

Violent reactions, like mixing angel’s blood and demon’s blood… are actually rare. Most of the time, they mix like water in wine, but if by any chance such a reaction occurred, it could be fatal, so I had to exclude them.

As I worked carefully, sweat trickled down.

I tried not to be nervous… but thinking of it as my last remaining hope, I couldn’t help but feel tense.

Then, Cecil, who was beside me, wiped away my sweat with a handkerchief.

“…Thank you.”

“I’m happy to be of help to Asha-nim!”

“Right…”

I remembered what I had promised Cecil.

…I need to prepare that too. There must be ingredients in Master’s Preservation Box, so… I should make it.

Even as I thought this, the materials and Cecil’s blood gradually mixed.

Unlike the sweat that flowed from my tension, there were no materials that caused a rejection reaction.

It could be called a blessing in disguise.

At least I wouldn’t die from eating it.

I scooped out the materials and began drawing the Transmutation Circle. I said I wasn’t interested in Transmutation, but I never said I couldn’t do it.

Just as there are Potions made by mixing ingredients in specific ratios, there are also Potions that must be combined through Transmutation.

What Master was talking about was the trial and error involved in changing a stone into something like a gold nugget.

Anyway, that’s not very important right now.

I drew a large circle with something like chalk for drawing Transmutation Circles.

It had been a long time since I’d drawn one, but it was easy.

The drawn circle was divided into five sections.

First, in the very center, the main component, Cecil’s blood, would be placed. Next, in the four sections excluding the center, auxiliary materials would be added.

Then, in the empty spaces excluding where the materials were placed, I would fill in how the materials in the very center would mix.

Before long, the empty circle was densely filled with characters and diagrams.

In a way, it’s similar to writing a cooking recipe.

I think it’s also similar in that while there are standardized forms, variations aren’t impossible.

Depending on the user’s ability, having a recipe allows for similar results to be produced.

The fact that one must go through trial and error until a usable recipe can be created is also similar.

Examining the Transmutation Circle, I modified the details, considering the compatibility with the materials that had just been mixed.

It’s similar to how if an ingredient is already salty, there’s no need to add more salt, so you’d remove it.

Once the fine adjustments were complete, I carefully poured the catalyst in a circle over the Transmutation Circle, specifically on the foundational circle.

This is similar to opening a gas valve to light a gas burner.

The moment the catalyst filled the circle.

Just as a gas flame ignites from a spark from an igniter.

Transmutation began to occur.

A blue light flashed, mixing the materials as described within the Transmutation Circle. Combinations impossible to create by grinding and mixing or by blending liquids were formed.

When the materials in the sections excluding the very center disappeared, the blue light also subsided.

Like closing a gas valve, I retrieved the catalyst.

Then, in the center, a successfully transmuted pill remained.

The effect would only be certain after consuming it… but for now, the first Transmutation was complete.

I took out powder from the bag I had brought from my Workshop, sprinkled it on the pill, and stored it in a box.

“What is that?”

“Eek!?”

Master’s voice came from behind me, as if she had been watching. When I let out a strange shriek in surprise, Veronica burst out laughing.

I covered my flushed face and replied.

“…It’s a fruit-flavored powder.”

“Why are you sprinkling… that?”

Why am I sprinkling it…? Well…

“To make it delicious…?”

When I replied that, Master looked at me with a strange gaze.