Ch.235Chapter 235 – Little Goddess (2)

Maria.

Among the people I knew, there was only one person with that name.

‘Maria Medimaker.’

Sera’s grandmother.

The person we had to track down to create the Philosopher’s Stone.

We had obtained information long ago that she had headed to Ferrarius, but due to the dwarves’ terrible record-keeping, I honestly expected finding her whereabouts would be nearly impossible.

In such circumstances, I never expected that name to come up in this seemingly unrelated place.

[Come to think of it, young lady. You look quite similar to Maria?]

At Dvel’s words, Sera’s eyes wavered.

And just as she was about to say something, Lorona appeared from behind.

“Master.”

“I’ll take it directly.”

The wooden box Lorona was holding suddenly floated into the air.

Then the box opened by itself, and some of what appeared to be an ointment was automatically applied to Rubrum’s eyes.

“When she appeared in Lear, she made this medicine after seeing the scar on my eye.”

Rubrum spoke quietly in a somewhat relaxed tone.

“If you’re an alchemist too, you should be able to identify the maker. Go ahead and check.”

I wanted to ask how one could identify the creator just from the medicine, but Sera stared at the ointment with wide eyes, as if to see whether it was really possible as Rubrum said.

Then, she dabbed a little on her hand, gently touched it, and spoke quietly.

“…This was indeed made by Grandmother.”

“You can tell?”

“Yes. This ointment, Grandmother taught me about it too.”

Sera paused briefly before continuing quietly.

“Alchemists sometimes add certain processes to their medicines to mark them as their own. My grandmother did that too. If you know what to look for, you can identify it specifically.”

Sera, who had been touching the medicine, soon showed it to me.

After a moment, the medicine clumped slightly, forming what looked like a star-shaped lump.

“…Is this your grandmother’s…?”

“Yes.”

Sera answered with certainty.

Then, looking down at the medicine, she spoke quietly.

“Kay’s burn ointment was also based on this medicine…”

As Sera said this, she lightly tossed the wooden box back toward Rubrum. The box closed by itself and returned to Lorona’s hand.

Then Rubrum spoke quietly.

“She was a woman who knew many things.”

[She even came to Lear saying she wanted to confirm something.]

“Did you perhaps have a conversation with her?”

[I did.]

Dvel spoke quietly.

[From what I heard, she learned about the seal while traveling north to create the Philosopher’s Stone.]

“If it was the north…”

[She said she accidentally discovered it in the snowy fields beyond Bestia, the country of the beast people.]

Dvel spoke while tapping his head with his finger as if recalling memories.

[She seemed to have been traveling around thinking she might get information necessary for creating the Philosopher’s Stone by analyzing the seal.]

Dvel continued tapping his head.

[And she seemed to have noticed that there were seals deep in the sea somewhere between the Trigiena and Firenchena kingdoms, and in Albheim. She couldn’t enter Albheim directly, but she noticed there was one there.]

“And she set foot in this Lear directly. To gain confidence in the facts she had discovered.”

Rubrum spoke quietly.

“I remember when that small woman looked at me without changing her expression and counter-proposed to fix my eyes.”

Sera’s face turned slightly pale.

Conversely, Rubrum spoke with a slight smile, as if finding Sera’s face somewhat amusing.

“She was a spirited woman. Also a woman full of curiosity who had to find out what she wanted to know for herself.”

At Rubrum’s words, Sera asked quietly with a slightly pale face.

“What exactly did Grandmother say…?”

“She said threatening her wouldn’t yield anything, and that she had something she was curious about so she absolutely had to explore.”

Rubrum looked down at Sera and said.

“Then she boldly said that in this vast Lear, there were dozens of flies, and since they weren’t catching all of them anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to leave alone one fly that just came in to explore, and that she would make some medicine for me if I waited.”

It seems Sera’s grandmother couldn’t be described merely as strong-hearted.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any displeasure in Rubrum’s voice, but Sera was hesitating, unsure whether to apologize or remain silent.

And looking at Sera like that, Rubrum said.

“I don’t hold any unpleasant feelings about that incident.”

“Ah, I see…”

I quietly asked Rubrum.

“Did she come here simply to check the seal?”

“That was her stated purpose for coming here.”

Rubrum answered quietly.

“She said she knew the seal wasn’t related to the Philosopher’s Stone, but she came to gain confidence because she was still curious. And after exploring to her heart’s content, she boldly said.”

“What… did she say?”

In response to Sera’s question, Rubrum looked at her and said.

“She said her hypothesis was almost correct.”

Sera’s eyes widened slightly.

And Rubrum’s story continued.

“Though it was still close to a hypothesis, what she claimed to have discovered included the content I shared with you all.”

[That woman came up with a hypothesis close to the truth just by looking at and investigating the seal.]

The content Rubrum shared with us couldn’t have been something one would normally hear.

It meant Sera’s grandmother had approached the truth on her own.

“…That’s impressive, your grandmother.”

I said quietly to Sera.

But Sera said in a small voice.

“She never told me about this…”

[She too must have thought it wasn’t something to be spoken of freely—rather, that it was better for fewer people to know.]

Dvel spoke quietly.

[Perhaps she judged that if she went around openly talking about it, she would be hunted down.]

“If hunted, then…”

[The being Evgenia was wary of. Yes, I’m talking about the gods.]

From the fact that the seal was hidden to prevent the gods from discovering it, I could guess that what Evgenia was wary of was the gods.

Perhaps at the hypothesis stage, after finding out enough, she judged it better to cut off her interest beyond that point.

“…Seems like she made a wise choice.”

It’s been quite some time now, but Sera used to be targeted by the Emiris Order frequently because of the Philosopher’s Stone.

If that being called a god had also attacked Sera’s grandmother because of what she knew, Sera might have been in even more danger than she is now.

“It’s true that she figured out a lot about the seal, but she did say she wouldn’t involve herself further with the seal. However…”

“However?”

Rubrum seemed to think for a moment, then quietly opened his mouth.

“…If Evgenia’s arrangements were as she thought, and proceeded accordingly.”

Rubrum spoke quietly again.

“She said that in the end, gods would no longer exist in this world.”

At Rubrum’s words, Sera’s eyes widened once more.

And I quickly processed this information.

‘Gods will no longer exist?’

If that’s true.

It means Evgenia definitely had a good reason to be wary of the gods.

‘But she also said she wouldn’t get involved further.’

If so, it could also mean that while the gods might be affected, others wouldn’t be.

Judging that there was no reason for her to get involved, Maria seemed to have cut off her interest in the seal and didn’t tell Sera anything.

‘Beyond this, it doesn’t seem like Sera’s grandmother left any more words about the seal.’

Now it’s time to ask about something else.

“Did this person Maria really do nothing in Lear except investigate the seal?”

“That’s how it should be viewed.”

Rubrum answered immediately.

Then, turning his gaze to Dvel, he said.

“However, he had a bit more conversation with her. After learning his identity.”

[Yes, she really came at me fiercely with questions.]

Turning my gaze back to Dvel, I saw him tapping his head again as if recalling memories.

[Yes, she definitely… asked me a question that was very rare, but one I could answer because it was me.]

“What kind of question was that?”

[She asked if the failure she made herself was similar to it.]

Dvel spoke quietly.

[I’m talking about the Philosopher’s Stone that was mentioned earlier.]

At Dvel’s words, our eyes widened again.

‘I didn’t expect to get clues about the Philosopher’s Stone here.’

Perhaps, even if Rubrum hadn’t called us, we were destined to come here eventually.

“Why would she ask you about the Philosopher’s Stone?”

At Beatrice’s question, Dvel nodded and said.

[That’s because, despite appearances, I have the memories of Dvel… who was a member of the hero’s party.]

Dvel spoke quietly.

[As you know, a member of the hero’s party couldn’t not know about the Philosopher’s Stone. Because I saw the real thing. Though I don’t know the exact method of creation.]

This was something I had heard from Lumen as well.

He had said that while Metis had brought the Philosopher’s Stone, she had forbidden anyone from figuring it out, so in the end, no one knew how to make it.

[Instead, I know what the Philosopher’s Stone looks like and what composition it has… though only at the level of having glimpsed it briefly back then.]

Dvel said that at least having seen the real thing meant he knew much more than others.

With the conversation having progressed this far, I could understand what question Sera’s grandmother had asked Dvel.

“…So what was the conclusion?”

[It was a failure as she said. I thought it fell far short compared to the Philosopher’s Stone I saw then.]

Dvel said that, then spoke quietly again.

[…Yes, it fell short.]

Fell short, huh.

It seems that what Sera’s grandmother made was something that fell short compared to the Philosopher’s Stone.

‘Hmm?’

Let me think about this again.

Dvel said it was something that fell short.

“…Do you think that failure was close to the Philosopher’s Stone?”

[Though it fell short, it definitely had a similar energy to what I felt back then.]

Dvel nodded and said.

[The failure she showed me was similar to the Philosopher’s Stone in terms of feeling and composition. Of course, it only had similar components, something important was missing, and because of that, it became an inadequate item… that’s what I think.]

“Are you sure?”

[Yes. Despite how I look, I was a craftsman. I have a knack for making things. I can tell by the feeling.]

Dvel spoke quietly.

[It fell far short of being called a Philosopher’s Stone, but among the things I’ve seen, it was the closest.]

After saying that, Dvel spoke slowly as if recalling that time.

[And she showed no sign of disappointment, saying that an alchemist should learn from failures. Moreover…]

“Moreover?”

[Even while she herself called it a failure. And even as she handed it to me.]

Dvel spoke slowly.

[…She seemed to already have an idea of what was lacking.]

Dvel looked at us again and spoke quietly.

[And after getting my confirmation, she smiled and said that although it was impossible right now, she could definitely make it.]

“I can definitely make it.”

While it might sound simply arrogant, for some reason it sounded like neither arrogance nor anything else, but a simple fact.

[I think that at that time, she had realized how to make the Philosopher’s Stone when she made that failure…]

And it seems she investigated the seal just to gain confidence in that, Dvel said quietly.

“I see.”

I fell into thought at Dvel’s words.

According to Dvel, it seems that Sera’s grandmother had already theorized how to make it at this point.

However, she herself was aware that something was missing, which led to the failure.

‘If only there were some hints.’

I thought quietly while glancing at Sera.

For some reason, I felt that if it were Sera, she could find the answer with just a little direction.

However, it didn’t seem likely that such convenient hints would exist.

[As it happens, I have something like this.]

Saying that, Dvel suddenly brought his arm to his chest.

Then a part of his armor opened, and a small stone emerged from inside.

[This is that failure from back then.]

“…Why is that coming out of there?”

When I asked in bewilderment, Dvel looked slightly embarrassed.

[Well, it’s nothing special…]

It seemed he was trying to come up with a suitable excuse by racking his brain, but it was too much for him, and he hung his head as if sighing.

[…I just, I wanted to see it too, so I politely requested one even though it was a failure, and she gave me one saying she couldn’t refuse.]

“One?”

[She said she had numerous failures. So I happily accepted it.]

Dvel said that, but for some reason, he avoided making eye contact with us.

It seems that contrary to his words, they didn’t exchange it with smiles.

Though it doesn’t seem like they fought…

‘Did he perhaps throw a tantrum?’

I imagined that perhaps Sera’s grandmother had given it to him after giving up because he had begged so persistently.

While I was imagining this, Dvel, seemingly wanting to change the topic quickly, spoke in an urgent tone.

[And when I received this from her, she also left me with these words.]

“What kind of words?”

[She said that to make the Philosopher’s Stone, one must be prepared to grind up an entire person…]

The ingredients for the Philosopher’s Stone suddenly sounded ominous.

“Surely not…”

Why did the phrase about grinding up a person sound like a human being itself was an ingredient?

It wasn’t just me; the others’ expressions were also turning slightly pale.

And Dvel, realizing his mistake, quickly corrected himself.

[No, no, not literally grinding up a living person, not that kind of meaning.]

“…Really?”

[Really.]

It felt like we had almost been about to recreate something terrifying.

And Dvel spoke quietly again.

[She meant the essence that binds together a person’s life trajectory, growth, and realizations… that’s what’s needed. That’s why she expressed it that way.]

Just when I thought we had avoided strange ingredients, another strange ingredient appeared.

“What on earth is that?”

[She only said it was literal.]

It seemed there was no more information.

‘But it’s not like there’s no harvest.’

At least we have a sample of the failure that can serve as a hint and the words left by Sera’s grandmother at that time, so we’re not starting from scratch.

Still, it was a bit disappointing.

‘We can’t find out the whereabouts of the Philosopher’s Stone here.’

According to Dvel, it seems Sera’s grandmother came before creating the Philosopher’s Stone.

It didn’t seem likely that we could obtain the whereabouts of the Philosopher’s Stone that might exist now from here.

‘No, that might not necessarily be the case.’

Evgenia, who was wary of the gods.

And the seal she created to hide from the eyes of the gods.

There, Sera’s grandmother who was wary of Somnus.

‘Perhaps…’

The place Sera’s grandmother would have chosen to hide something…

And at that moment, I heard Sera’s voice in my ear.

“Grandmother…”

Sera murmured quietly while looking at the failed Philosopher’s Stone.

Looking at Sera, I quietly asked.

“Do you think you could analyze it?”

“Of course I’ll try. It’s my grandmother’s, after all.”

Sera spoke quietly as she put the stone in her bosom.

[Wait a minute, I didn’t say I’d give it to…]

“More importantly, Kris hasn’t come out yet.”

[Are you ignoring me? You all?]

I turned my gaze away from Dvel and looked at Rubrum as I spoke.

And Rubrum looked down at me and spoke quietly.

“Don’t be impatient.”

After saying that, Rubrum pointed to the seal with his hand.

“…This is just the true beginning.”

The moment he said that.

The door of the seal began to open.