episode_0120

After sending the alchemy amount I received from Count Art to Goro’s place, I lived an uneventful daily life.

No, it was a little different. This is because Count Art, who was running out of time until the iron plate made using alchemy solution arrived, requested one thing.

They said they needed a space to practice alchemy, and they provided the space on the condition that they were allowed to watch the alchemy. They did not give us a separate space in the mansion, but provided us with a studio in the store. We only cleaned out the belongings inside and lent them a studio.

There was no pressure because we were planning to move the studio to the mansion soon after taking measures to allow Giena and Amy to use skeletons.

Jiena was very used to managing the store, and there were human employees helping her with the work, so I didn’t have to be attached to the store, so I was slowly preparing.

Anyway, I gave up the store’s workshop so casually that I often watched Count Art’s alchemy until the iron plate made using alchemy solution arrived. I simply watched the process of refining the materials, and I also briefly watched them draw all kinds of magic circles on paper.

After watching this process for about a week, Count Art requested a cauldron. It was time to make alchemy liquid using the prepared ingredients.

Count Art seemed to feel a little awkward looking at me, but he seemed to have quickly gotten used to it and calmly showed me the process of making alchemy liquid using alchemy.

“Alchemy doesn’t look easy either.”

“Of course. Is there any reason for there to be separate schools in the Magic Tower? There is a prejudice that alchemy is something only wizards with wild dreams do, but alchemy is actually a very difficult subject.”

Count Artt flicked his index finger left and right as if to warn people not to underestimate alchemy.

“The basic framework of alchemy is to transform the properties of substances. Through this, the goal is to ultimately turn stones into something as valuable as gold. To do that, you must have knowledge about all kinds of materials.”

“… … My head hurts just listening to it. There are a lot of things to learn and memorize in black magic.”

“Hohoho, is there more to alchemy? You need to have a fair amount of knowledge about magic, as well as knowledge about materials. I know that alchemy is possible with black magic, so why not try studying Baron Steel?”

“Thank you for the offer, but I have no choice but to decline since I am busy with work.”

Now that I had made black magic my own, I was running out of time to develop my black magic skills. There was no time to focus on alchemy. Of course, I couldn’t say it so bluntly, so I expressed my refusal appropriately.

Count Art didn’t really care, as he probably didn’t want me to learn alchemy in the first place. I just added various ingredients to the cauldron I made as requested.

Not only did they add various herbs and by-products of monsters, but they also extracted pure mana and poured it into the cauldron.

As I watched Count Art work hard to stir the inside of the filled cauldron, a change occurred inside the cauldron. I don’t know if it was due to the monster’s by-products, but the contents, which had been dark brown in color, were gradually turning white.

“But what are you making now?”

“This is the chemical solution I was researching before coming here. I am researching whether the same effects as the potions made by priests can be created through alchemy. The goal right now is to heal the trauma by applying a chemical solution.”

Since it sounded like they were making a medicine that could heal wounds, I watched the production process closely with some interest.

The contents of the cauldron, which had turned pure white, now looked very thick, unlike at first when it looked very thin. Like thick cream, it seemed like it wouldn’t fall out even if I scooped it up with a spoon and turned it over.

As if reaching that state meant it was complete, Count Art took out some of the medicine with a bright smile.

Then, Count Art, who had taken out the liquid, took out a small box from the corner, as if he had prepared it in advance. I looked at it to see what was inside, but the box started shaking and moving around of its own accord.

“… … Rat?”

Although the box was rattling, its owner, Count Art, opened the box without any hesitation. Inside the box was a rat that made a rattling noise, but it wasn’t big enough to be held with one hand.

“It may be pitiful, but rats are the perfect animal to use in experiments. They are easy to raise and reproduce, so their population is large. Therefore, in the case of alchemy solutions intended for use on humans, they are first tested on animals, including rats.”

When I was told that I was, in short, a lab rat, I shrugged my shoulders. As a warlock, it was something I could understand without much explanation. As you can see right away, there were several monsters used in experiments to study the process of making Death Knights.

Anyway, after taking out the rat, Count Art immediately slightly scratched its skin. Since magic was used, it was really a slight injury. The leather around his back was slightly torn, and small drops of blood appeared.

Count Art, who confirmed that the wound was so severe that drops of blood formed, carefully spread the previously prepared alchemy solution onto the rat.

Jjijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijiji!

And then, it screamed and struggled back and forth, like a rat that had been coated with chemicals. Even when Count Arth put the rat down in the box, it did not run away, but just struggled in place.

“Did it fail?”

“It’s not a failure. If you look here, you can see that the wound is gone, right? First of all, I recovered. Instead, I think I felt pain in the process. I guess there were some ingredients that didn’t go well together… … .”

Count Art said it was not a failure and began to look through the journal he had kept while practicing alchemy.

Seeing that he seemed to be struggling, he left the studio without bothering Count Art any more. I watched for a moment as people crowded around and customers were buying all kinds of things.

As learned from Jiena, the employees responded to customers with a friendly smile, and Jiena checked on the employees and managed the store as a whole. If there was a shortage of items on the shelf, they would be brought in, and if a custom order request came in, they would also organize it.

While I was feeling satisfied with how well the store was running without me, I felt a small amount of dark magic being transferred to me from a skeleton mage.

That small amount of dark magic was a kind of message. The Skeleton Mage sent dark magic to me with her will. At the same time as accepting the black magic, I was able to understand why the Skeleton Mage sent the black magic.

“Oh, it arrived quickly.”

The content contained in the dark magic was very simple. That is, the iron plate that Count Art had asked to make using the alchemy solution he first brought had arrived completed.

I thought it would take about 10 days, but my interest began to boil over as the iron plate arrived faster than expected.

To be honest, it was obvious that if Count Art did as he said, he would be able to make huge profits. Of course, when I think of Count Art’s alchemy solution that failed just now, my confidence drops a little.

Anyway, seeing that the iron plate made using alchemy solution arrived earlier than expected, I immediately headed toward the blacksmith shop.

Because of my boiling curiosity, I didn’t even feel like waiting for the carriage was a waste of time. So, I took out a small skeleton horse that I had not used for a while and rode it. I quickly arrived at the blacksmith shop, feeding myself plenty of black magic, and it was filled with iron plates, just as the message sent by the Skeleton Mage.

It was filled with iron plates of all thicknesses, from very thin plates to fairly thick plates.

“… … There’s nothing special, right?”

However, the iron plates were no different from the steel plates used previously. No, there was no difference at all. Looking at the external aspect, there seemed to be no difference at all. Moreover, even when I lightly tapped it with my hand, I couldn’t feel any difference. It was an ordinary iron plate, nothing more, nothing less.

“It’s not really a scam, right?”

Suspicion about Count Art rose for a moment, but he tried to suppress it and gave instructions to the Skeleton Mage in charge of production.

“Stop press processing now and try making something using this iron plate first. It means making it first.”

The Skeleton Mage, who coordinates production in conjunction with the Death Knight, immediately made changes to the production line as soon as my order was given. The rapid production of simple items in large quantities through press processing stopped for a while, and then production of items using newly created steel plates began.

“Human. It feels strange.”

However, words came out from the Death Knight who was pushing down the mold.

I felt like I felt something because it was a Death Knight that had been press processing for about a week starting right before Count Art arrived.

“What’s strange?”

“The same level of force was applied, but it was not pressed down at all.”

“Not everything was pressed?”

Death Knight’s words immediately made me lift the mold. Under the mold that was lifted up, the iron plate was revealed.

And, as Death Knight said, the iron plate was unfinished because the mold could not be pressed all the way down. There was a part where the steel plate was crushed according to the shape of the mold, but it did not appear to be completely crushed and thus could not be cut.

“Why is this… … Ah!”

For a moment, I wondered why the problem had arisen, but then I remembered what Count Art had said. The saying that simply adding iron makes it stronger.

The fact that it did not break even though the same force was applied clearly means that the steel plate is harder than before. Since I thought that the alchemy solution was really effective, I instructed the Death Knight to press it with a little more force.

“Oh!”

As the mold was crushed by stronger force, the iron plate was finally cut. The steel plate was cut according to the shape of the arming sword blade, and dozens of blades were completed.

After confirming that the arming sword blade was made through press processing, additional processing was immediately performed. Once the shape was established, we went through the process of grinding the blade and assembling the handle and pommel to create a complete armored sword.

And, even in the process, there were differences from before. The biggest part was that the process of sharpening the blade took longer than usual. Previously, it was split apart in an instant with the strength and speed of the skeleton, but now, even though it is at the same level of strength and speed, it is not split apart as quickly.

“Hmm… … . Are you organized to work overall?”

It didn’t fall exactly, but it felt like it took about 10% more force. It’s as if the steel plate is about 10% harder than the existing steel plate.

However, it felt vague to confirm with just this, so other methods were also tested.

It was to compare the degree of damage to the blade by colliding with a previously made arming sword, or to check how much it could withstand by holding and bending the blade.

And, after going through those tests, there was only one conclusion. The iron plate made by adding alchemy solution was superior to the steel plate made without it.

Of course, not only the alchemy solution that strengthens iron, but also the alchemy solution that increases the mana acceptance limit was clearly effective. The sword, which previously could receive 100 black magic power, can now receive about 105 black magic power.

It was said that there was nothing false in what Count Art said about the alchemy amount.