Chapter 96 Alchemy

'Ties with one of the princes?'

Arvell's eyes narrowed as he processed the new information he'd been given.

'Even if he'd received his job through underhanded means, how does that change anything? It's not like a royal family member would find any value in killing off a couple of 13-year-old-kids.'

"Do you know which prince it was? Was it the first or the second?" Arvell asked.

Wilfried his eyes and exhaled audibly.

"That's the thing; I couldn't find anything more than that. So all I can say for sure is that the person responsible for surveying the beasts had received his position through one of the princes."

'Whoever did it is probably trying to keep a tight leash on the spread of information.' Arvell hypothesized.

The prince in question probably didn't want this incident to drag down his reputation, so he most likely removed any loose ends before the information could spread.

"Hmm… I see. Was his punishment decided?"

Wilfried's grim expression took a darker turn.

"They plan on executing him. This is because too many children had lost their lives because of him. Even if the children were commoners or the children of low-ranking nobles, they still ultimately lost their lives due to his error. Therefore, the only fitting punishment would be having him executed after being responsible for a massacre of that proportion."

"I see."

Arvell nodded his head.

He'd never seen or met the person responsible, but all he knew was that he almost lost his life because of that person.

​ Arvell's policy was merciless towards anyone threatening his life or freedom.

Meaning that the former academy examiner had already entered Arvell's sh*t list.

"When is he being executed?"

Wilfried turned his attention towards one of the many papers that decorated the clustered table.

"It's set to occur the day after tomorrow."

"I see," Arvell nodded.

*PAT PAT PAT PAT PAT*

The sound of 2 sets of furious running echoed from outside the room.

*BANG*

The door opened with a bang as a terrified Zen dashed into the room, followed by a pissed-off Angela.

"Zen, get over here!"

Zen frantically searched for anything in this room that could possibly save him from his elder sister.

His eyes brightened as they fell on Arvell.

"Arvell, save me!"

Zen ran up and stood before Arvell, keeping him as a barrier to protect him from his elder sister.

???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????-????????????.????????????

"Arvell, move out of the way! I need to let Zen know that teasing his sister has consequences!"

Angela yelled from behind him.

Arvell's eye twitched slightly in annoyance.

He got dragged into their sibling drama.

'Well, as their new unofficial sibling, it only makes sense they include you. Doesn't it?' Lykos asked with a teasing grin.

'Spare me. I have enough sibling drama of my own, and the last thing I need is more.'

'As usual, you're no fun.'

'My views on 'fun' differ from yours substantially.'

'The only things you find are fighting and getting stronger.'

'Meanwhile, your definition of amusement is irritating me.'

While in the middle of a sibling argument, he started another fight… this time with his mentor.

***

Arvell walked into his room, closing the door behind him.

'That was tiring.'

He removed August from his shoulder, placing him on the ground.

Arvell found the largest available space in his room and plopped down.

'It's about time I start refining more elixirs.'

Arvell cracked his fingers and stretched his shoulders.

Reaching down, he clawed the air with his fingers.

[Inventory]

He reached his hand into his private subspace, pulling out what appeared to be a small sealed cauldron.

Placing it on the floor, Arvell began to extract various herbs and beast cores, creating a small mountain next to the cauldron.

After making sure that he had removed, everything, Arvell began to sort through the pile, classifying and separating the various materials within the stack.

Creating a large cluster of herbs that spread across the entire room.

Using temporal manipulation, the ordeal took only a few minutes.

This was because he didn't expend too much Aether, just relying on the bare minimum.

After all, what came next would require him to use all of his saved Aether to accomplish.

Arvell observed the sprawled-out herbs with a scrutinizing gaze.

'I have enough to make 'that.' It'll be cutting it a little close, though.'

He nodded to himself with a smile.

The Urnio woods was a forest rich in low-grade medicinal herbs with a large variety of beasts to hunt.

So much to the point, Arvell had mistaken it as a treasure trove.

In fact, if it wasn't for the Rasian Python's interference and his Inventory having a maximum limit for space, he would have tried to rob the forest clean.

For now, he'd need to make do with what he'd already gained.

If he needed anything, he could just ask Wilfried to purchase it on his behalf or buy it himself.

The human countries on the continent all shared the same currency, so the money he gained from hunting bandits in Vispia would still be useable here.

After all, purchasing a couple of grade 1 medical herbs was nothing too expensive.

Arvell began to grab various herbs across the floor and make another small pile in front of him.

Arvell closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, trying to achieve a state of perfect calmness.

He brought out a small knife from inside his inventory and cut some of the herbs, breaking some of the herbs into multiple different components.

"Direnal Grass must be cut horizontally to separate the poisonous tip from the rest of the stalk."

"Weisal Berries need to have the pit removed properly. No seeds can be allowed to stay inside."

Arvell mumbled instructions to himself under his breath as he slowly prepared all of the herbs.

He made a small pile of the trash components of the herbs he didn't need.

After finishing prepping his last herb, Arvell stretched his palm towards the cauldron.

He'd already told the Silvercolts he was going to rest until evening, so he had at least a few hours to himself.

'Let's get this started.'