Volume 2 - CH 6.3

“Okay then, let’s prepare to leave the forest.”

Roa said, a good while after Dietrich calmed down after shrieking in pain from being branded again by the wolf twins.

<Hmm, the people outside will be entering the forest soon too. We have to tidy things up first.>

“Right, we have to gather the mithril at least.”

“Outside?”

Cornelia was puzzled by Grandpa Gry and Roa’s conversation. Nostalgia’s members, Dietrich excluded, were fairly excited to have defeated a mithril golem by themselves, but after resting a while they had calmed down.

“…well, you see…while you were sleeping, Grandpa Gry told me that the Adventurers’ Guild people noticed the disturbance in the forest and formed a search party.”

<According to the situation before I arrived here, I would expect them to enter the forest at dawn.>

“Wait, do you mean that…the time limit to defeat the mithril golem was because of that!?”

Grandpa Gry’s words probably made him realize the possibility, so Kristoff reacted.

“That’s right. We didn’t say anything so you wouldn’t feel pressured. I’m sorry…”

The mithril golem had to be defeated by dawn, so they could only practice until then. They didn’t question it at the time, but thinking about it, it was strange that there was a fixed time to defeat the mithril golem despite the fact that they had the means to keep it at bay.

“Well, that’s fine, but…”

“If the adventurers’ guild finds the mithril, they’ll make up a reason to take it from us, so I wanted to gather it all before they arrived…”

“Aaah, you have a point there.”

Other than Bernhart, Nostalgia’s members answered in unison. If the adventurers’ guild found such a quantity of mithril, they would probably use any means available to obtain it for themselves. They would definitely tell Roa and Nostalgia to hand it all over, without offering anything in return.

It was tyrannical but rather common.

“Even the large Magic Bag Mr. Coralde gave us can barely hold all the mithril…I guess we’ll have to give up on all the silver.”

Kristoff seemed frustrated. Cornelia understood that it couldn’t be helped, but her shoulders dropped.

Generally, materials obtained from defeated magic beasts belonged to those who defeated them. If they couldn’t be brought back and were left where they were found, they would belong to the next person who found them. It would be too complex to decide what belonged to who in which case, so the rules were simplified to the extreme.

Silver was much less valuable than mithril, but it was still very precious for the average person. It was natural for them to want to bring as much back as possible.

<Not a problem! For there is nothing I cannot do!>

Grandpa Gry was boasting, again, on top of the mithril mountain. Needlessly proud, as usual.

“Actually, Grandpa Gry modified the Magic Bag…”

“What did you say!?”

The Magic Bag’s recipe was owned by the Creators’ Guild as an absolute secret. Many tried to deconstruct it to analyze its components, but they never heard of anyone succeeding. The magic formula used in it were also covered in layers of Protect spells.

<Who do you think I am!? Hahahaha….there is nothing undoable for one such as I!! I removed the limit on the brat’s Magic Bag! Fill it as much as you like!>

“Nothing undoable…? You just modified the spell a little and removed the limiter…you said that you don’t understand the details of the spell formula, didn’t you?”

Looking at Grandpa Gry puffing its chest so much it was about to fall over, Roa sighed.

Grandpa Gry said that they could “fill it as much as they liked”, but that was not true. The limit depended on the materials used. Magic Bags were originally equipped with limits as a failsafe device to prevent the materials from deteriorating and break down: removing such limits presented its risks. It was an imprudent technique that most people would not use even if they knew it.

“…It feels late to say it, but…this is all outside common sense…”

“How wonderful…”

Cornelia sighed heavily, but Bernhart voiced his amazement, stars twinkling in his eyes.

“Anyway, it’s better not to think too much about whatever Grandpa Gry does…at least I already gave up.”

<Hm? What is that tone? You make it sound like I’m just creating problems…>

“It’s not a problem, but you should use some more restraint. Because you don’t have any common sense.”

Nostalgia’s members were all about to retort with “you’re one to talk!”, but they managed to swallow the words.

<Indeed, it would be an annoyance if crowds of humans stampeded the brat in order to seek my powers, so I will not use them openly. With those who can hear my voice, however, there would be no point in having restraint.>

“That’s true, but…anyway, let’s talk about that once things settle down. About the twins too.”

Roa then turned towards the wolf twins. The two magic wolves were still lightly kicking Dietrich to invite him to play. The latter, who was paw-marked again after lowering his guard, was hugging his knees, sulking. He needed a bit more time to come back to life.

Slashing and defeating the mithril golem was a feat worthy of praise, but he had moved unconsciously in the last strike, so he couldn’t actually feel it as real. The paw marks felt much more so. One could only pity him.

“Anyway, let’s tidy up and leave the forest! Everyone, I’m sure being out of magic power is tough, so please have one of these.”

Roa gave all members small bottles filled with liquid.

“What’s this?”

Kristoff asked while shaking the small bottle before his eyes. A transparent liquid made waves in a bottle that seemed to be used to store medicine.

In the battle with the mithril golem no one of them suffered any injuries. They were just out of magic power, so while their bodies felt a little sluggish, they had no problems moving around, so it wasn’t supposed to be necessary to drink medicine.

“It’s a magic power recovery potion.”

Roa replied with a rather happy tone.

“Magic power recovery!? You even have something like that!? And so many…? Then, why….”

Why didn’t you take them out sooner? So Cornelia was about to say, but she stopped.

If they knew Roa had magic power recovery potions, they would have changed their battle strategy. Compared to other recovery potions, magic power recovery potions caused Magic Stupor more easily, but even considering such a risk, they could be used in various ways.

Nostalgia’s members had faced many critical situations in the magic forest, so there were plenty of moments they would have gladly used magic power recovery potions. However, they were much more valuable than other recovery potions. Cornelia understood wanting to save them, so she didn’t finish her sentence.

Roa probably realized how she felt, so he answered in an apologetic tone.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t bring these with me, I just made them.”

“You made them? In a place like this? Can they be made so easily…?”

Nostalgia’s members noticed that Roa was making something while they were training. Magic power recovery potions, however, couldn’t be made so easily, and they couldn’t understand why he would make them now, and not before they entered the forest.

“You see…actually, this magic power recovery potion is…Holy Water….”

“WHAAAATTTT!?!?”

Even the still sulking Dietrich shouted. Roa covered his ears to protect his hearing from their combined loudness.

“Holy Water!? But why? How? Roa, you said you just made them!? You made… Holy Water?? It’s a secret recipe of the Supreme God Church!!”

“…magic power recovery potions…it’s true that Holy Water has magic healing capabilities, but…it’s not something you can just sip on so easily, is it!? Are you stupid?”

“Wait, one of these is worth…how many gold coins…?”

All of them pressed Roa. If it was true, it was on a whole another level than the modification of the Magic Bag.

It was a huge discovery. A scandal, even.

Their pressure made Roa step back.

<You better not hurt the brat, you lot!>

Grandpa Gry sent a warning, which defused the situation, but they were almost grabbing Roa by the collar. Nostalgia’s members then noticed that the magic wolf twins were behind them, paw stamps ready to eliminate any threats on Roa.

They were saved by a hair.

“Er, you see, a few things helped me realize the recipe. Church people love using mithril tools, the altar where Holy Water is made is completely mithril…the potions I made for Mr. Coralde…the potions I made in Crack of Dawn’s mansion apparently are 20% more effective than regular ones, but I couldn’t recreate them in Mr. Coralde’s company. While trying to recreate them, I realized the method thanks to these hints.”

“So?”

Nostalgia’s members, deeply invested, crouched in order to match eyes with Roa and went so close to him they almost butted heads.

“The first mithril golem’s mithril kept emanating holy light, right? That made me realize it. In Crack of Dawn’s mansion the cleric Bonne brought the magic tool “Barrier of Purity”, so maybe its secret was also mithril.”

The magic tool “Barrier of Purity” simply purified the atmosphere. Its recipe was guarded by the Supreme God Church, but since the commoners or even the nobles failed to understand the advantages of cleaner air, it was thought to be a joke Magic Tool, made by the Church just to make itself look more important.

“I thought that the Barrier of Purity probably contains small mithril fragments, which release very small quantities of holy light. So, making recovery potions in a place with small quantities of holy light boosts their effect, is the hypothesis I came up with.”

Roa thought about the differences between Crack of Dawn’s mansion and Coralde’s company and this was his conclusion.

If the Barrier of Purity magic tool was not the cause, then he would have to experiment with geographical positioning, building materials, sunlight etc., which would require an enormous amount of time.

“I tested that too, but my appraisal tool can’t show the finer details, so I have to ask Mr. Coralde to appraise it to be sure.”

If the Barrier of Purity magic tool emanated very faint holy light, making potions next to mithril emanating strong holy light should have the same or even better results. Roa then tried making potions next to the mithril golem’s remains.

They had to wait for Coralde’s appraisal to know if the potions were really 20% more effective, though.

“Anyway, putting that aside. If holy light has that much of an effect, I thought it could also be used in other ways…and I recalled that the altars used to make holy water were all mithril. So I tried experimenting and I put a mithril fragment radiating holy light in water…and it worked.”

…it worked!? That’s it!?!

Nostalgia’s members were all speechless, unable to put their feelings into words, but shrieked and shouted in their heads.

Water and holy light. That was all it took. “Holy Water” was a truly appropriate name. It was water, sure enough.

“It’s a very simple recipe, so I guess that’s why many can’t figure it out. But it’s almost impossible to test it, so I think I was really lucky. It looks like the water needs to be exposed to holy light for at least 4 hours, after all.”

Roa talked as he looked intently at the holy water bottle in his hands. He didn’t know how the Supreme God Church caused mithril to continuously radiate holy light, but it was surely a method that researchers and creators could not use.

A large quantity of magic power was necessary to generate even an instant of holy light. To make it radiate for a long time one needed many magic users taking turns to pour their magic power or very special magic tools.

Even if someone realized the content of the recipe, it was not easy to replicate.

As Roa said, he had indeed been blessed by lucky circumstances.

“….I wanna….lose my memories…”

Kristoff mumbled to himself.

“This is bad….if the Supreme God Church finds out we know, our lives are in danger…”

“…holy water is a miracle from God, after all…”

The Supreme God Church stated that holy light was one of god’s miracles and no recipe existed. That’s why, as Kristoff said, their lives would really be in danger.

“And I thought that the forest disturbance ended and everything was alright… then we got neck deep in the biggest trouble of all!! Hordes of golems or mithril golems are nothing in comparison!! This is not good…so not good…!”

“If we become enemies with the church and its believers…it’s much worse than a pack of golems, even if they don’t kill us, we won’t be able to live normally anymore…”

“…let’s get rid of all evidence. Pretend nothing happened. Got it?”

“…ah…yeah…”

Nostalgia’s members replied weakly to Dietrich’s words, and Roa looked at them with a sad expression on his face. Grandpa Gry then yawned out of boredom, as the twins, tired of the long conversation, started running around aimlessly.

“Roa, I understand how you feel. It’s an amazing discovery and all. But this is too dangerous. We got to hide it, please, let us hide it!!”

Dietrich prostrated himself even more perfectly than how he did to Grandpa Gry.

“…please, Roa, use some restraint…this is too far outside common sense….”

Cornelia pleaded as if begging. She said the very same thing Roa said to Grandpa Gry.

“But it’s just a recipe? So simple even I could figure it out…”

“It’s not ‘just a’ recipe!!”

They all shouted together.

“Grandpa Gry too modified a recipe that is supposed to be secret, right? But you weren’t so surprised…”

“Listen, Roa. The Creators’ Guild and the Supreme God Church’s level of danger is totally different. So please…!!!”

If the Creators’ Guild or the Farmers’ Guild recipes were identified, they would just create something of higher level. They were probably working every day to be prepared for such situations.

The Supreme God Church was different, however. God’s miracle must not be explained.

“understood…”

Roa begrudgingly agreed.

“But I already used all my leather pouches and made holy water…”

Roa’s words made Nostalgia’s members fall to their knees. The Aldon forest disturbance was over, but Nostalgia’s trials were far from over…