Chapter 114: Our Store is Open for Business! – 3

Chapter 114: Our Store is Open for Business! – 3

“……I definitely don’t remember requesting these kinds of potions for the Imperial Army, you know.”

I distinctly recall agreeing to make potions that would strengthen or protect the user… well, I guess that’s just like Lucia.

The problem is that the power of these potions is a bit too strange.

What on earth did someone who was supposed to make strengthening potions do to create weapons that could obliterate a frontline area?

“…Actually, Christie, I made these to use for self-defense in emergencies, you know…”

“These are… for self-defense? With this much power, they’re not for self-defense, they’re for offense! No, in the first place, there’s no way you’d be attacked by someone who would warrant using these…”

I wanted to say, ‘There’s no way,’ but considering Lucia’s past actions, I couldn’t say that.

In fact, she was attacked by an inquisitor from the Holy Kingdom, so I understood why she’d be like this.

……The problem is that she doesn’t seem to fully grasp their power herself.

Even now, she’s just worried about the training ground being in this state and is looking at me nervously, but she doesn’t seem to realize how dangerous the potions she made are.

“All jokes aside, magic like this, for an average mage, would knock them out for a while after one use, you know? But you… you can use this continuously, can’t you?”

“My mana gets a bit drained, but I can use it if I need to. …Except for the fact that allies get caught up in it too, which makes it much less practical.”

“You…… Do you perhaps have somewhere you want to destroy? If you spam these, you could easily wipe out a small city, you know?”

“Oh, it’s just powerful enough to make a few holes in the training ground…”

…Did she completely forget that this training ground is treated with magic resistance in the meantime?

Since the Knight Order naturally includes mages, this place is designed to absorb a certain amount of magic without any impact.

Of course, if mages belonging to the Knight Order use somewhat powerful magic, there would be damage, but that level of magic training is done in a separate specialized training ground.

……In other words, the potions Lucia is thoughtlessly throwing right now have similar power to magic used by Knight Order mages who expend considerable mana and effort.

“……Did you say this place has magic resistance treatment?”

“You remembered quickly. By the way, the other two potions barely held up too, you know?”

In fact, Lucia’s potions, in terms of raw power, would be at the level of a mid-to-high-tier mage.

Strong, but at a level that can be easily found anywhere, just those kinds of mages.

However, there was an incomparable difference between a mage’s magic and a potion.

Potions could be ‘spammed,’ so to speak, but magic took a long time to cast even once.

‘Now… this is truly dangerous.’

My earlier comment about being able to wipe out a small city wasn’t just a joke.

If Lucia put her mind to it, these potions could certainly do that.

Before, the potions were effective but not that powerful, so she was treated as ‘a girl with unusual abilities,’ but…

Now, the problem is that she’s an entity who can supply weapons capable of wiping out a city to ‘anyone.’

…Of course, even now, Lucia, with her adorably blank face, is looking at me nervously after destroying the training ground, so it doesn’t seem like she would do that…… but the mere existence of the possibility is the problem.

“…By any chance, how many of those potions have you made?”

“These? I only made one original, you know?”

“Original? What do you mean by that?”

“Ah. I hadn’t told you about this either…?”

Lucia said that and started pondering something for a moment.

…She was clearly thinking quite seriously, but even amidst that, her gaze kept drifting to the training ground she had destroyed, which was both funny and cute.

……At that sight, my hand eventually went to Lucia’s head.

“The training ground is fine, so just speak comfortably.”

“…Understood, unnie.”

A slight blush and reluctance flickered across her face, as if being petted felt awkward to her… but she didn’t actually swat my hand away.

…Actually, it’s not the kind of action a Knight Captain who leads the Knight Order with dignity and discipline would take, but still, it’s Lucia.

And since this act made Lucia open up easily, it was all a necessary measure.

“To put it simply, the potions I use when fighting are all a kind of replica made with mana.”

“Replica?”

“Some of the potions I made before can be replicated like this and used in combat. However, I have to make them myself, and some potions are unusable.”

“…Then, if you have enough mana, you can use potions infinitely, can’t you?”

“But others can’t use them. In the first place, it’s more accurate to see them as ‘magic in potion form’ made with my mana.

I use more than one or two potions in a single battle anyway, so how could I make all of them? Even making just one or two exhausts me, and I sleep all day.”

……Judging by Lucia’s grumbling reaction, saying that even though her stamina isn’t bad, it’s like this, it fortunately seemed impossible to mass-produce an enormous quantity.

She was grumbling, but in fact, it was truly fortunate.

If she’s making something that doesn’t exist in this world called potions, and those potions are weapons that can turn the tide of battle…… well.

The moment this fact became known, it was obvious that all sorts of factions would use not only persuasion and appeasement but also harsh measures like kidnapping and imprisonment to secure Lucia and her potions.

“And, I don’t sell potions that can directly attack other people like this.

I made them to protect myself because I got caught up in such dangerous situations, they weren’t made to be sold in the first place.”

“…That’s fortunate.”

“……I also know that if it becomes known that I can make these kinds of potions, my future will be very difficult, you know?”

“Then shouldn’t you not show them to me either? Lily is a commoner, so even if she spreads rumors, it won’t have much power, but… I’m the Imperial Knight Captain, you know?”

“That’s because I trust Christie, you know? Originally, even huge secrets are shared with people you trust.”

“…You should keep secrets like that to yourself, you idiot.”

I said that, but I couldn’t help the corners of my mouth turning up without me even realizing it.

Still, it seems it’s not as bad as I worried, so that’s a relief, I guess……

“Oh, by the way, I’m planning to make three types of potions with similar power for lightning and ice, respectively. I won’t be able to experiment then, unfortunately.”

“……More than this?”

“The power won’t be much different. Only the attribute will change.”

‘……That’s not the problem; the problem is that there will be more potions with this much power!’

I wanted to shout that, but I just decided to sigh.

…Anyway, it wouldn’t change anything if I said it, and if something truly unfortunate happens to Lucia in the future, those potions will be a great help.

“……Come find me again later. With a greatsword.”

“Huh?”

“While you’re making new potions for self-defense, I’ll also teach you the rest of the swordsmanship I couldn’t teach you back then.”

“……Your expression doesn’t seem to match that, though…? No matter how I look at it, you seem angry about the training ground being destroyed…? Unnie?”

“No, I’m serious.”

It was true that I wasn’t angry about the training ground being destroyed.

I was just angry at her attitude of not realizing how much her actions and value could be politically exploited, and how dangerous it could become.

A Knight Captain must be noble, dignified, and truthful… but it said to be truthful, not to conceal the truth.

‘……It’s true that I seem to relax a bit when I’m with Lucia.’

It was a thought I wouldn’t normally have, but because the subject was Lucia, my aspect as Knight Captain seemed to dull considerably.

Before meeting Lucia, I would have feared and disliked such a situation……

Well, since it’s Lucia. There seemed no need to insist on the excellent and dignified image of a Knight Captain that I showed to others.

“…Th-that’s right, isn’t it? Then I’ll see you then, unnie!”

“Alright. Be careful. Please.”

After sending Lucia back, I saw the damaged training ground before my eyes.

It wasn’t severely broken, but its original magic resistance function seemed to have been quite lost.

…Unfortunately, it was beyond what I could handle alone.

I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask for my adjutant’s help.

She’s a bit frustrating with work, but her magical abilities are excellent.

She would have been a truly great person if she had used even a quarter of her magical ability for paperwork and practical skills.

Perhaps because she’s spent her entire life only in the army and the Knight Order, it’s just……

“Um, Knight Captain-nim? Did you call for me?”

“You’re here, Adjutant.”

“Yes, what is it that you called me to the training ground for……?”

“…Don’t worry, it’s not like I’m going to ‘spar’ with you again like last time. If you tremble like that, people will think I usually criticize you for not doing your job well.”

A strange silence flowed for a moment, but the adjutant quickly composed herself and replied.

“……Th-then why is the training ground in that state…?”

“Ah, there was a bit of an accident. There’s a problem with all the magic resistance-related parts.”

“……Surely, you’re not asking me to fix this? I have a lot of other work to do……?”

For a moment, an immense resentment and lamentation could be seen in the adjutant’s eyes.

To the point where, if I assigned her the task, she would genuinely quit everything and hand in her resignation.

…Of course, I was planning to do her paperwork for her, but does she really have that much work…?

Anyway, the repair of the training ground is urgent.

“Instead, I’ll do your other tasks for today.”

“I’ll do it! Right away!!”

“Alright. I’ll ask you again if something like this happens in the future, okay?”

“Of course!”

……It felt like I was seeing the adjutant’s future of fixing the training ground day in and day out, but I decided not to worry about it.

She looks ten times happier doing that than paperwork, so isn’t that good enough?