The Greatest and Worst Crisis to Befall the Alchemist-nim

“…You’re out of milk? Why?”

“Young lady, you’re quite slow on the news, aren’t you?”

“…What happened?”

The Ranch Owner squinted at me, then spoke as if doing me a favor.

“Haven’t you heard the news? Milk baths are all the rage among nobles these days! Of course, they wouldn’t leave our high-quality milk alone!”

So… those bastards swept up all the milk for their milk baths, and now there’s none left? These… these damn noble bastards! This is why I hate them!

I tried my best to calm my seething insides.

“When will that trend end?”

The Ranch Owner shrugged and replied.

“How would I know? Won’t it end when those esteemed folks get tired of it?”

“…That won’t do.”

As I chewed on my lip and muttered, I felt the Ranch Owner’s gaze. He looked at me with an uncertain expression, then opened his mouth.

“Young lady, are you perhaps… here on an errand for Lord Astaroth?”

I thought for a moment and then answered yes. There was no need to hide it anyway, especially since I had already introduced myself as a disciple to Claudia. For now, it seemed better to remain as Astarote Asha’s disciple.

“Oh my! Why didn’t you say so earlier! Of course, we saved a portion for her, our regular customer. I was just getting worried because she hadn’t come around when she usually does.”

“…Really? But how did you know?”

“She’s the only one in this area who wears clothes like that.”

“Ah….”

I’m sorry, Ranch Owner. I was so curt with you because I didn’t like how you were trying to be friendly, but when I go back, along with my apology-

“So, what’s your relationship? This?”

No sooner had I thought that than the Ranch Owner extended his pinky finger from his fisted hand and wiggled it.

Cancel.

“Of course… my Master-nim certainly has a good voice, and she’s handsome… Oh, and she’s tall. But no, it’s not that.”

“Uh… hmm, I see… So she had a disciple….”

Why are you making such a sour face? There’s nothing wrong with what I said, is there?

“Ah, anyway, please give her my regards.”

“Yes.”

I paid for the milk and, sharing the box with Cecil, turned to leave when the Ranch Owner clapped his hands as if he’d forgotten something.

“Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something!”

“Yes?”

“I took care of it this time, but it’ll probably be difficult next time.”

“Why, why?”

“Oh, you know, don’t you?”

The Ranch Owner made a circle with his thumb and forefinger and smiled brightly. So… he means it’s about money, right?

…Then I accept it.

It’s a terrible feeling, but if it’s for money, I can understand. Anyone who knows the value of a single coin can weigh its importance.

Though I can’t help but feel resentful.

Sometimes, when things like this happen, I miss home.

But I don’t want to go back. I can’t go back in this body anyway.

“I’ll tell her….”

“It’s heavy, so be careful on your way!”

“…Yes.”

This time, I finally said goodbye and set off. Cecil, who was carrying a box with me, had a large, full backpack strapped to her back.

“Cecil, aren’t you tired?”

“This much is fine. Would you like me to take your box too?”

“…No, that would be too much.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course.”

When I actually went out to shop, I wondered how much I could carry with my changed body, and sure enough, I couldn’t carry much. Cecil was the one who solved that problem.

Cecil could easily lift weights that even a strong man would struggle with.

…Even though there wasn’t much difference between us.

It’s unfair.

“Are we going back now?”

“Yes. This should be enough for a while.”

“Yes!”

Cecil, who answered energetically, was wearing a dress. It was a bit plain because I chose something cheap and sturdy, but Cecil’s appearance covered it well.

“Asha-nim! Your new clothes suit you well!”

“Uh, uh, really?”

“Yes! Now it won’t get stiff!”

“Th-that’s not something you talk about outside!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes… it’s our secret.”

“A secret?”

“Of course.”

“I’m happy!”

“…Good.”

Actually, I was wearing the same dress as Cecil. Though I had a lab coat over it.

There was a perfectly valid reason for this.

The clothing store auntie said she’d give me a discount if I bought this. I was at an age where “discount” appealed more than “it suits you well.”

Anyway, I didn’t need to buy much since the only outing I’d have for a while was a date with Claudia… If I could save money, I’d wear a dress dozens of times.

I used to walk around the house wearing just a shirt and a lab coat without underwear anyway. It’s truly a new feeling to be embarrassed by a single dress.

“…Let’s go quickly.”

“Yes!”

People’s gazes are a separate matter.

Anyway. After safely finishing the shopping and organizing the purchased items, the sun had already set, and darkness was falling. Looking back on the day… the first memory that came to mind was being stuck in the bathroom, frantically touching my crotch.

Discomfort came before pleasure. The feeling of my body being out of control was… the worst. To avoid experiencing such a thing again, I needed to find the cause.

Before that, Cecil and I had dinner. As evening came, my appetite returned a little, so I grilled some meat I had saved. It felt good to see Cecil enjoying the meat she was trying for the first time. After filling our stomachs, we moved to the Workshop.

It was a somewhat awkward time to start working, but isn’t that the privilege of someone who works from home?

“Cecil, finish making the potion you couldn’t make earlier.”

“Yes, Asha-nim.”

The problem starts now.

Basically, unless the effects of an ingredient are already known, I have to experience them myself to find out. This world has swords and magic, but convenient things like appraisal magic don’t exist.

Which means.

To verify if Cecil’s semen has that effect, I need to experiment on someone.

Me? Absolutely not.

Then… Cecil?

That doesn’t appeal to me much either. Of course, if I asked Cecil, she would do it without complaint… but in a situation where the effect is somewhat predictable, putting myself in her shoes, it’s a very unsettling thing to do. If I were purely a native of this world… I might have done it without hesitation, but I’m not.

Come to think of it, Cecil’s very existence was a bit special.

According to my prior research, there haven’t been any cases where… that part became hypertrophied in such a way. In fact, homunculi themselves… aren’t made much. No, these days, they’ve almost become obsolete.

Not only were the ingredients expensive, but the procedure was also very complex. So, people usually chose to employ humans rather than create homunculi. Unless you were someone like me, most homunculi were now just historical records in books, so there wasn’t much meaningful information about them.

“Should I ask Master-nim for advice…?”

…For now, I’ll put it on hold.

It’s not that urgent yet. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I even sent a letter of regards… But I trust she’ll understand. She’ll probably think her unworthy disciple was just too busy.

And I really was busy.

I opened the preservation box and stared at the beaker containing Cecil’s semen, then took out the Alraune material next to it. Hoping my future self would come up with a clever solution.

I’m definitely not putting things off until tomorrow.

“Asha-nim.”

“Hm?”

Cecil was by my side before I knew it. Looking at the ingredients still remaining on the table over her shoulder, it seemed she hadn’t met her quota yet?

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… there’s a strange smell near Asha-nim.”

“A strange smell?”

“Yes!”

There shouldn’t be anything strange.

“Is the smell coming from here?”

I shook the neatly packaged Alraune’s petals. Cecil’s red eyes focused like a cat chasing a toy. As I waved my hand a few times, finding her cute, the cloth wrapping the petals came undone, and some petals spilled out.

Colorful petals, from pale pink to red, poured out. Realizing my mistake, I quickly gathered the petals.

“Cecil, can you pick up the ones that fell in front of you?”

“Yes….”

Cecil’s expression as she answered was somewhat… blank.

“Cecil?”

“Yes… Asha-nim.”

“Is there a problem-?”

Cecil was approaching me, holding the Alraune’s petals in her hand. Her body twitched with a somewhat hazy expression. And… her clitoris was greatly erected. It was protruding so much it looked like it would tear through the dress I bought her today.

“Wha, what is it?”

“…?”

Cecil looked bewildered. Her eyes remained hazy. Soon, she blinked, and her pale face flushed red, and her breathing began to quicken.

…No matter how I looked at it, she seemed to be intoxicated by the Alraune’s petals.

But… that shouldn’t be… possible?

Alraune’s petals contain ingredients that cause male arousal. That’s why I went to great lengths to acquire them, to neutralize them and sell them as an aphrodisiac, like Viagra. Because in any world, virility was a major concern.

So much so that I thought selling this would provide the money to buy the now expensive milk.

I admit I handled it carelessly. However… even if I didn’t want to admit it, I was currently in a female body, and Cecil was also a female body, so I thought there wouldn’t be any problem.

No, there shouldn’t be any problem. As proof, aren’t I perfectly fine?

“A-Asha-nim… My, my body feels strange… It’s, it’s so hot, uh, hee.”

“J-just wait a moment.”

This shouldn’t be happening, should it?

Still, it’s not a big problem. I just went shopping, and I also got Alraune’s honey to neutralize it, so there shouldn’t be any issue.

I hurriedly opened the storage box to find the ingredients, but Cecil pressed her body close to mine. Cecil’s hot rod, which had somehow popped out, was poking my waist and body through my clothes. Its presence was distinct even through the fabric.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

“Ce-Cecil, get away!”

“Asha-nim… Asha-nim….”

This is a big problem. She’s not listening. Pushing her away was also impossible.

…Unfortunately, Cecil was stronger than me.