Chapter 13

­ The Very Antithetical Alchemist (2)

“Not bad at all.”

On the hill, Ian was there.

He murmured.

Ian’s mana capacity had overcome 2nd class, and now it had reached 3rd class level. Not only because of training, but also because of the big support from the Mogrian ring.

‘I was lucky I obtained it without any conflict.’

Ian was thinking of taking the Mogrian ring by any means necessary.

As he said to the landlord, he considered to steal it.

But he obtained it in a rather pleasant fashion, and with good benefits as well.

The sign of an ‘Eternal Guest.’

There would’ve been no better way to get this ring.

“Mr. Mage.”

They arrived at Lloyd village without any major obstructions.

The veteran knight, Eric approached Ian.

“Is anyone wounded?”

“Thanks to you, we had no chance of being injured.”

Eric said the truth.

The icicles that came from the hill.

They precisely targeted the thieves.

‘Thank God that he is on our side….’

Would other mages in other countries be as strong as him?

Eric was worried about the war which would occur some day.

He had better be prepared with a high-quality helm and shield.

“We’d better collect the corpses first.”

Ian, who had no idea what Eric was thinking, said.

“We will send our messengers to McSpadden at once. All these stationed soldiers came from that House, so they will take care of these corpses.(E/N: lol McSpadden)

The house of McSpadden. They served the house of Mogrian, and managed the north-west side of the province. Lloyd village was managed by the McSpadden as well.

“I suggest you bury or burn rest of the corpses of the thieves, and let the village collect the corpses of the villagers.”

A fast and clear solution.

As a knight, he acted quickly and efficiently

“Do as you said.”

“Yes, Mr. Mage”

Ian accepted the suggestion of Eric.

Ian was considered as his commander.

Everyone in the squad regarded Ian as their commander.

His age wasn’t the problem.

‘I wish he hasn’t died.’

Ian looked around at the surviving villagers.

There are those that a relieved.

But there are those who are caught in sorrow with those who family and neighbors were killed.

Ledio must be one of them.

“Ledio! Buddy! Wake up!”

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Ian heard the urgent voices.

Ledio, it was the name of the alchemist.

Ian approached them.

“Hmm?”

The alchemist Ledio lay on the ground.

Ian was surprised when he saw his face.

‘This is..’

Pale skin.

White hair.

Popped out eyebrow.

Sunken temples.

Thin, malnourished looking body.

‘Mana addiction?’

More commonly, it was a disease called the ‘Curse of God’.

As its name implies, only a few people with a specific body type got this disease.

The symptoms of the alchemist were obviously indicating that he was a mana addict.

The symptoms also showed that he has suffered from it for a long time.

‘It must be mana addiction.’

There were 4 body types.

Excluding the normal body type, there were 3 special types.

‘The body type which has both mana heart and mana brain.’

Mana heart, it stacks mana inside the body and cycles it.

Mana brain, which uses the stacked mana inside of the body and casts it to the outside of the body.

‘The body type which only has mana heart.’

As this type didn’t have mana brain, magic wasn’t available.

However, this type could focus their mana inside, and enhance their body with it.

Most of them grew to royal knights.

‘The body type with only a mana brain.’

The source of the mana brain was mana.

However, this body type couldn’t generate mana by itself.

Which means, it was useless.

‘It is rather problematic.’

To this body type, mana was vital.

If for whatever reason mana was given to above the correct dosage,

The leftover mana, which is stuck in the body, would keep stimulating their mana brain.

For their whole lifetime, and every living moment.

‘Literally, it is an addiction.’

Of course, It wasn’t a common situation for mana to be injected to into them.

The only one who could inject mana to them,

Was a mage.

‘I have seen a few mages who have nasty a characteristic.’

Ian bent his body in front of Ledio.

If he left him alone, he would die soon.

Although Ian couldn’t fix him, he could give first aid to him.

“Give me a second.”

Ian lay his hands on Ledio.

By injecting mana, he treated the symptoms first.

“Pant….! Pant….! Pant….”

Then, Ledio started to breathe calmly.

His face recovered from being deadly pale.

His body recovered quickly.

“Now treat him.”

“Yeah? Ah, Yes! Th…thank you!”

The man who seemed to be Ledio’s neighbour,

He helped Ledio to stand up steadily while bowing to Ian.

“M..my daddy…. Is he alright?”

The boy looked similar in age to Ian.

Perhaps, a little bit younger.

“For a while.”

The permanent treatment of a Mana addict?

Ian knew nothing which could do so.

He only knew temporary treatments.

“S..so, again, he will be like that later….”

“That’s right.”

“……”

The boy made a crying face.

There was no choice for the alchemist.

The only choice left for him was injecting mana from mages or die.

He was only able to choose these two.

“Quickly…… quickly I need to find the flower my father said…..”

The boy murmured.

Ian heard part of his murmuring.

‘Flower?’

The word, flower, concerned Ian greatly.

Would it be the flower of Randor?

‘He said it as if the flower is treatment….’

Suddenly, Ian realized something.

‘The herb which mana addicted alchemists are seeking.’

The herb, which his son regarded as a treatment for mana addicts.

To be a cure for mana addicts, what effect must it have?

‘It must deal with the leftover mana inside the body…..’

Mana Neutralisation.

Ian was shocked.

The effect of a herb which could ‘Neutralize’ mana.

If it was true…..

[A poison that neutralized the mana in the blood vessels]

The voice stirred in his memory.

Before he rewound time.

The moment he was poisoned by Ragnar.

Ian memorized his first sentence.

‘The poison I had.’

The deadly poison that Ragnar prepared,

To assassinate Ian, and to exterminate every mage in the world.

‘I better check…’

Ian looked at Ledio quickly.

It would be clearer to ask the alchemist rather than the boy.

Just then,

“Douglas! Where are you going! Douglas!”

The man who lifted Ledio shouted.

To the boy who ran out of the village.

He must have run to find the flower his father spoke of.

‘Dou…..glas?’

Surprisingly, Ian was familiar with the name.

It was a common name in greenriver.

However, the current situation made his name special.

‘Alchemist’ and ‘Anti-magic’ herb.

These two keywords changed his name into something special.

‘Royal alchemist, Douglas Hamon.’

He recalled the greatest alchemist in the history of the empire.

‘Right. Now I remember.’

He spelt the name, Douglas, slowly.

Then he could remember details about him.

‘He was a slave at the beginning.’

If Ian hadn’t visited Lloyd village,

He would be sold as a servant by thieves.

Just like in his former life.

‘Specifically, he hated mages.’

Only mages could inject mana into another person.

It must be a mage who made his father a mana addict.

‘So truly, is he…?’

Ian looked at Douglas, who rushed outside.

Furthermore, he seemed to be similar in age as Ian.

Ragnar, Ian, and Douglas,

Everyone was around the same age in his former life.

“…….haha.”

Ian laughed like a madman.

The village he visited to obtain just a few elixirs.

In the village, he met a man who he totally did not expect.

‘Ragnar, this time,’

The boy who had the talent to become the greatest alchemist of the Empire.

Also, the alchemist who will stand on Ragnar’s side.

Ian pursued Douglas quickly.

‘You won’t be able to take him this time.’