CH 14

The place where a great Transmutation Master once spent his time.

Even as the times change and the scenery changes, this important place remains unchanged.

Surely, many memories are stored in this place.

I am so fortunate to have been given this precious place.

My laboratory.

My workshop.

From today, I am——

“I am the Transmutation Master of this country.”

I realize that.

It’s the start of a new life.

I feel refreshed and very good.

“Your actual work will start from tomorrow. Today, you should tidy up the room or even rearrange it.”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course. This is your workshop. It will be easier to work if it is organized and easy to use, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ll do that then.”

Although because it is a historic building, I feel a little hesitant.

As Head Department-san said, it’s much better to have a room that is easy to use if you are going to work from now on.

That way, I’m more likely to meet the expectations of the palace and everyone else.

“Then I’ll help too.”

“No, Yuren, you can’t.”

“Uh…”

“You know, don’t you? The public duties that you skipped out on yesterday have piled up.”

Yuren-kun averts his gaze from Hisui-san, who gives him a piercing glare.

It seems that Yuren escaped from the castle like that yesterday, leaving his work behind.

Could it be that he always escapes from the castle like that?

“Wait, just a little bit.”

“No, you can’t. You won’t be let go until you finish yesterday’s and today’s work.”

“Damn… I’m sorry Aria, I can’t help you.

Yuren-kun looks visibly disappointed.

Did he really want to help that much?

“It’s okay, Yuren-kun is busy too, right?”

“Well, I am still a prince, after all.”

“Exactly. So act like a prince and do your work properly. I’ll keep an eye on you.”

“You’ve got work to do, too!”

The two of them exchange light banter as they try to leave the room first.

Yuren-kun stops as he puts his hand on the doorknob and looks back.

“Aria.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll prepare it for you.”

“Okay.”

Saying that, he tries to open the door again.

He opens it about thirty percent, then stops abruptly and turns around.

“I’ll try to finish work as soon as possible. I think I’ll still be able to come see you around evening time.”

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

“Oh, good luck.”

“Yuren-kun, good luck with your work too.”

When I said that, Yuren-kun showed a relieved smile and finally opened the door completely before leaving the room.

I watched him until he was out of sight.

“Ah~ to be young and in love~.”

“Eh?”

“Oh, nothing. Well then, I’ll go back to the lab. If there’s anything you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to ask me. And as for introducing you to the other students…how about tomorrow? For today, let’s just focus on creating a good working environment.”

“Yes! Thank you so much, Head Department, Laura-san.”

I bowed deeply and felt full of gratitude for being treated well.

“It’s us who should be grateful. You’ve helped us so much until now. It’s time for us to repay the favor. And now, we’ll be able to witness the research of a skilled Transmutation Master up close. It’s a plus for us too.”

“I’ll do my best to meet your expectations.”

“Yeah, yeah, me too. Because I’m the Head Department-san.”

Laura-san leaves the room.

I bow deeply again and see her off.

“Now, I have to do my best too.”

First, let’s check what’s in the room.

Should I organize the necessary and unnecessary items?

Cleaning seems to have been done, but the items are still in place.

It’s hard to distinguish whether they are important or not unless you are a Transmutation Master.

“There are many things here.”

There are materials with unreadable characters, and tools with unfamiliar shapes.

In short, it is a mysterious room.

Then time passes quickly.

It becomes noon, then evening.

“Phew, I guess that’s it.”

The room was tidy, with things stored away in shelves and drawers.

Items that seemed to be used frequently were placed near the Transmutation Circle.

Things that appeared to have low usage frequency were placed a little farther away, and things that were not used but had potential were placed at the back.

Since it was not as cluttered as Laura-san’s room, there was enough space after organizing.

It’s a bit plain, but it’s calming like this.

Once everything is settled.

“Aria, can I come in?”

Together with the sound of the door knocking, I heard Yuren-kun’s voice.

He came as promised.

“Sure! Come in.”

As I answered, Yuren-kun entered the room along with someone else.

A girl with pale yellow hair and golden sparkling eyes.

Her skin was so white that it looked fragile, like a doll.

“I’m sorry for intruding!”

“Yuren-kun, who is this girl?”

“She’s my little sister.”

“Eh…”

Isn’t that the girl who is said to be frail?

“Hey, Irina, this is Aria. Say hi.”

“Yes! Onii-sama!”

She responded with a cheerful and high-pitched voice, taking a step forward in front of me.

She then smiled and introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you, Aria-oneesama! My name is Irina Salem!”

“O-Onee-sama?”

Why is she calling me Onee-sama?

Confused, I asked her, and Irina continued.

“I heard it from Onii-sama! Thanks to the medicine you made, I was able to recover! Thank you very much!”

“I-It’s nothing.”

“I also heard that you’ll be working at the palace from now on! I’m so glad! I want to hear lots of stories about the outside world! Nice to meet you.”

“E-eh?”

She bowed her head.

As the sister of Yuren-kun, she is the princess of this country.

I was flustered that such an important person would bow her head to me, but Yuren-kun just laughed.

“Hahaha, I told Irina all about you. You’re probably her biggest supporter in this country, aren’t you?”

“S-So, that’s how it is.”

“Yeah. So please get along with her.”

“U-Uh. Not with someone like me…I mean, if you’re okay with me, then sure.”

It’s rude to say “someone like me.”

She was a person who was saved by a potion I made.

In front of that person, I will stand tall and proud.

Unlike my past self, the new me swears to do so.